1.    Culzean Castle – This is perched on the cliff tops above the town and offers you breathtaking views across it. Not only is it a wonderful place to explore but if you have the money you can always arrange to stay in it as well. The top floor of the castle was converted into an apartment in the 1940′s for General Eisenhower to use. This was done as a way of thanking the General for commanding Scottish soldiers during the Second World War. He used the apartment on more than one occasion including whilst he was President of America. Now these rooms are used a self contained country style hotel and there are six rooms in which guests can stay. 

2.    TheVikingar – This explores the history of the Vikings in Scotland from the time of the Viking invasion to their defeat in 1263 in Largs. You have the chance to come face to face with their Gods and learn what life was like for the Vikings seven hundred years ago. But not only do you learn about the Vikings you can enjoy other facilities such as the swimming pool, theatre, a soft play area for children and the cafe.

3.    Burns Cottage and Museum – This is the birthplace of Robert Burns and is to be found in Alloway. The house was built Burns’ father and Burns himself only actually lived in it for the first seven years of his life. The museum is also home to the Burns family bible.

4.    Robert Burns Monument – This overlooks the River Ayr and its two main bridges. The monument has been standing here since 1823 and inside it features more than 600 exhibits about Robert Burns. One of the two bridges you can see is Auld Brig. Burns prophesized that this bridge would have to be rebuilt. This prophecy did come true and the bridge that was built on the site in 1788 had to be rebuilt in 1877.

When you next visit Ayr, be sure to book your Ayr hotel from this list.

I’m not sure if it was the government of Ireland attempting to lower the numbers of deaths in their country or greedy shipping magnates trying to profit from misery but false promises were made to encourage people to start a new life in North America and those making that long journey suffered horrifying living conditions aboard those endearingly named “coffin ships”. I’ve seen estimates that as many as 25% of the people that started that journey from Ireland did not suRVive the trip.

Great, great Grandpa was a battler and finished the journey successfully. He started a new life here in New York and married a fine young woman from Sweden and thus began the New York chapter of our extended family.

My father so wanted to take a trip to The Irish Republic to see if he could find the little settlement in County Cork where his predecessors had lived up till the famine. Thus, plans were drawn up, suitcases were packed, flights were booked and the great voyage of discovery commenced.

We flew from JFK to Heathrow, London’s main international airport before taking a coach to another of London’s airports, Gatwick. We had a flight booked to Cork early the next morning so had reseRVed a night at one of the hotels near to the airport in preparation for our early start. We stayed at the Gatwick Copthorne Hotel which is about 10 minutes drive from the airport. What a wonderful hotel it turned out to be. Set in stunningly beautiful grounds, it is built around a farmhouse dating back to the 16th century. We had a marvellous time exploring the hotel and grounds and eventually retired to our beds after enjoying a delightful meal washed down by a pint of warm beer (Yuck !).

The short hop to Ireland went smoothly and bearing in mind that public transport is fairly sparse in Ireland we decided to rent a car from Cork airport. Within minutes we were on the open road and I now know the real meaning of that term. As soon as we left the airport we found purselves on deserted country roads where we were more likely to come across a herd of cows in the road than another motor vehicle. The first stopping place was a small town names Mallow, which seemed to be the closest town to the settlement that we were looking for. Following check-in at the hotel, we took a walk hoping to meet some of the town’s inhabitants who might be able to aid us in our quest.

In no time at all we came upon a delightful old chap who was able to tell us the precise location of the village that we were looking for. Sadly, it had ben reduced to little more than a small group of broken down farm workers dwellings; all humanity had left there many years before. It was heart breaking to realise that our journey had produced such pitiful results and we returned to Mallow surrounded by a black cloud of depression.

When booking the trip some weeks earlier we had been attracted to a hotel named the Springfort Hall which was a couple of miles outside Mallow. It turned out to be an inspired choice.The hotel was hidden away in a beautiful country estate that dated back to 1169 during the Norman invasion. The actual hotel was the 18th century manor house, an amazing building beautifully restored to its former elegance. A few hours later we were seated in the lounge bar learning to appreciate why people swear that Irish Guinness is better than any other version sold anywhere else in the world. We started chatting to a gentleman called Seamus and it turned out that he was a leading member of the local historical society. It seemed that he knew everything there was to know about Mallow and the surrounding area. He knew of the deserted village that we’d visited earlier and was able to tell my dad the complete story of how almost 50% of the inhabitants of the village died during the famine and those that remained left to begin a new life elsewhere. Seamus was delighted to hear the tale of how great, great Grandpa had made it to the United States and how the family had grown since that time. We had a delightful evening listening to the tales told by Seamus (all Irishmen are wonderful storytellers) and we were so sorry when the time came to bid goodnight to our new found friend.

We had decided to leave Mallow the following day in order to take a couple of days to explore the South West of Ireland. Imagine our surprise when Seamus arrived early the following morning holding a pile of magazines for my Dad. He told us that the historical society publishes an annual magazine and he’d brought a whole heap of previous issues as a gift for my Father. The journals are brim full of the history of Mallow and the surrounding areas and tears rolled down my Father’s cheeks as he shook hands with his new found friend, thanking him for the simple gift that would bring him so much pleasure. We were forced to keep the magazines under lock and key to stop Dad reading every one of them before we were able to continue with our trip.

If you want to combine amazing prices with an incredible golf hotel, Spain is where you need to go. The seRVice is at European levels, the grounds are incredible, the golf is even better and the prices are affordable.

The majority of golf hotels and resorts are centered in and around Costa Del Sol, home to famous courses like the Robert Trent Jones-designed Valderrama Golf Club.

But that’s not the only hot course in the region or the country. Costa del Sol is home to 36 courses alone and Spain itself offers hundreds of both public and private courses for you to enjoy. To find out more about the region and the best courses, keep reading.

Andalusia and Coast Line

Costa del Sol is located in Andalusia and it’s only a 50 minute flight from Madrid. Along this incredible coastline, there are piles of amazing courses. Aside from the golf though, you can enjoy beautiful Spanish towns, hike nearby hills or simply lie by the beach and relax.

Best Gold Courses in the Area

Valderrama isn’t just a difficult course – it’s also hard to obtain a tee time unless you have a lot of advance notice. If you can’t get into Valderamma, you may want to try one of the following other courses or resorts. The Golf Club Marbella was also designed by Robert Trent Jones and is located close by. The Real Club de Golf Las Brisas is historic and gorgeous. The Golf Torrequebrada is tortuous and a course for the truly adventurous.

Other Activities in the Area

Along the fabled coastline, now bursting with hotels, marinas and casinos, there are also many small harbors where boats can be chartered for fishing expeditions and water skiing. Yet if visitors have already found enough water on golf courses, they should consider other diversions, such as excursions to Grenada, Seville and small whitewashed towns in the Sierra Nevadas first settled by the Phoenicians and Romans centuries ago.

But no matter what your pleasure, whether it’s golf, a cultural adventure, or even a short ferry ride to Morocco from the port town of Algeciras – at day’s end, eat and drink heartily, because on the Costa del Sol, particularly at its many beachside restaurants, the no-frills cooking is pescadito sardines and small squid or calamaritos, usually roasted on spits and, best of all, seRVed with famous sweet Malaga wines.

Places to Stay

If you’re looking for a golf hotel, Spain has numerous options. For luxury, try the Marbella Club Hotel. For variety, take in the Atalaya Park Golf Hotel and Resort. For a central location, opt for the La Cala Golf and Spa Resort. And if your heart is set on absolute luxury, try looking into the Fairplay Golf Hotel and Spa, a five star hotel with an award-winning course.

Fun Facts of France

The crowd is attracted to sparkling ski slopes of the Alps, sunlit vineyards and sun-baked beaches of this beautiful country. France is a country which draws more tourists than any other country. It is easy to see why this is the case given France’s great reputation for fine wines, good food, high fashion and relaxed lifestyle. But while a city like Biarritz France, is undoubtedly a place to eat and drink till your heart is content, there’s much more to this fascinating country than only cutting-edge cuisines. Spring is known as the ideal time to visit, and others with flair for winter fun can slide at the Alps with their gear. The summers are very hot and winters are moderate. An all-weather coat and pair of comfortable shoes are a must. Women, especially, should carry cocktail dresses as some of the restaurants ask for it. When visiting any religious site, refrain from wearing sleeveless shirt and shorts, as they are disliked at such places. 

Culture

English is widely spoken here, although French is the official language. Handshaking is customary greeting and women should be kissed on both cheeks and should be addressed as Monsieur or Madame. French people are popularly known for their like for stylish sportswear
and can’t forget the perfumes. Nudism is allowed on some beaches only. Social functions, fine restaurants, and clubs call for more formal dressing. When at a formal dinner, wait till the host gestures to start the dinner. Smoking is banned in public places.

Site Seeing

Paris, the city of love, is a massive city with many attractions in reachable distance thanks to the
highly efficient public transport system. It boasts of more than 80 museums and 200 arts
galleries. A trip to Disney land and the magnificent Eiffel tower will make the trip worthwhile.

The attractive tourists spots are the Arc de triomphe which spans over the tomb of an
unknown soldier, the forbidding gothic architecture of the Notre Dame cathedral, the picturesque
Sacre Coeur, to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the Moulin Rouge and boat tours along the
Seine. Get the Carte Musees-Monuments pass, which gives access to 70 monuments and
museums.

Shopping

Although seRVice tax is included in the bill, a humble tip won’t cost much. Another dollar may be given to the seRVer as a tip. A tip of $2 can be left for the bus drivers.

Electricity

220-volt, 50-cycle AC current.

Getting There

Air France is the main national airline used for air travel. Airlines that are inexpensive provide services from within the UK. Paris-Charles de Gaulle also known as Roissy-Charles de Gaulle is the major airport of France, which is 23km away from the city. Coaches, taxis, limousines services are provided at the airport. The railway facility provided by the airport, claims to reach all the terminals within eight minutes. These trains run 24 hours. The other airports that offer flight services are Paris-Orly, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon and Toulouse.

Ferry and cruise trips can be made from ports such as Atlantic, North Sea, Mediterranean, and Havre.

Duty Free Items

1. 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250g of tobacco
2. 1liter of spirits over 22 per cent or 2liter of alcoholic beverage up to 22 per cent
3. 2liter of wine
4. 250ml of eau de toilette and 50g of perfume
5. 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract
6. 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract

Italy Travel Hints

• The most popular tourist season is June through September: aim for May or October and you will enjoy smaller crowds and still have good weather.
• Bring as little as possible. One small bag that you can easy carry yourself on and off planes, trains and up and down stairs will give you a lot more freedom. Don’t expect every hotel to have an elevator – they don’t.
• Most long-haul flights arrive in Rome or Milan and these gateways will give you the best selection of discount flights. You may get a better over-all cost looking for a cheap flight into London or Amsterdam and then connecting on to Italy using a local European budget airline such as EasyJet or Ryan Air.
• If you do use a low cost airline check how far out of town the airport they are using is and how much it will cost you to get back into town. Few of the cheaper airports will be as convenient as Rome’s Fumcino airport where you can catch the Leonardo Express train to Rome’s Termini Station for Euro11
• Don’t worry about not speaking Italian – if you speak French or Spanish you won’t have a lot of problem. Even if you don’t patience, acting, sign language and a sense of humor will get you a long way.
• Train Travel. If you are going to use the Eurail pass for discounted train travel within Europe you need to purchase your pass before leaving home. Do you figures carefully though, many of the passes are not good value unless you are traveling from one end of Europe to the other. Also if you are over 26 you will have to travel first class on an Eurail pass while second class is comfortable and available for tickets bought in Italy.
• Italy has a fairly low rate of crime. Be careful of pickpockets in major cities but there is probably less violent crime than in your home town. Be aware of your surroundings in large train stations and popular tourist sites. The Romans never carry a bag slung over a shoulder but hung diagonally across the body – and you should too.

Enjoy your Italian vacation: hopefully these Italy vacation hints have helped