An idyllic Mediterranean island with modern cities, mythic beaches, Arcadian mountains and enough ethnic conflict to keep things interesting
By Charles Berret

The island nation of Cyprus is suffused with lore, both ancient and modern, preserving its traditional character amid burgeoning urbanity. In ancient times, it was considered the mythical birthplace of Aphrodite, Greek goddess of beauty. The story goes that she was magically delivered from the foamy, turquoise waters along Cyprus’s ivory shores. Some even think this suspiciously above-water island is the fabled lost city of Atlantis. Cyprus is also the setting of Shakespeare’s Othello, a torrential orientalist drama of love and deception. In the stage tragedy, a Turkish fleet is set to invade Cyprus before its ships are dashed in a storm and forced to retreat. Hundreds of years later, the factual Cyprus was not so lucky: the island remains divided after the Turkish invasion of 1974.

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Egypt's Orascom Hotels and Development ORHD.CA said on Thursday it has set up a joint venture with a Shuaa Capital SHUA.DU private equity fund to build five business hotels in Egypt.

Orascom would have a 51 stake in the project, which would require total investment of about $125 million, Orascom said.

The other 49 percent will be owned by Shuaa Hospitality Fund, which is run by Dubai-based private equity firm Shuaa Partners, it added.

Orascom Hotels on Tuesday posted a 129 percent rise in net profit for the first quarter of 2008 to 82.09 million Egyptian pounds ($15.29 million).

The company said in March it would list its shares in Switzerland where its owner Samih Sawiris is planning to build an Alpine hotel resort. It would have a secondary listing in Egypt.

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It survived several storms, two of which threatened to send it into the ocean, including the notorious cyclone that led to the sinking of the Wahine. Framed photographs on the cottage walls recall the events that the wee cottage has lived through, including teetering on the edge of the eroded beach. Now the building and its neighbours are protected by a seawall, though the shore is still tantalisingly close.

After Bill's mother died, the cottage was rented for several years, but last December, after months of work, including repiling, restoring the original matai flooring and fitting French doors and central heating, it opened for guests.

The layout of the house is essentially the same as when Bill lived there, and it retains its cottage atmosphere, but the kitchen has been modernised. Up to six people can stay, with two queen bedrooms and a sofa bed in the lounge.

Ali Brown of Licorice Design has given a romantic, comfortable feel to the interior with the clever use of colour and some flamboyant touches in the lounge, such as a chandelier and an ornate mirror above the fireplace. In the bedrooms, lovely linens make an inviting overture, and in the master bedroom, the sea-facing window is framed in floaty fabrics.

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Devils Island resists the pounding waves of Lake Superior with these red sandstone cliffs, carved by eons of wave action into a labyrinth of caves. The lightkeeper said he had often seen waves of sufficient height to break over the tops of the cliffs, i.e., waves of twenty feet or greater.

Champagne Island is, no doubt, a whole lot of fun.
It's as much a shifting sandbar as an actual island. But it's a great place to pull up your boat, throw the anchor on the beach, unload the barbecue and enjoy some rare unfettered leisure time on the water in southern New Jersey.

Yes, we understand the appeal of this spot in Hereford Inlet between North Wildwood and Stone Harbor. But the state was right to close Champagne Island to protect nesting shorebirds, including the endangered black skimmer. The island is home to what is believed to be the largest black-skimmer breeding site on the East Coast and one of only two such nesting sites in New Jersey. The nesting birds benefit from the fact that there are no predators like foxes or feral cats on the island to swipe the birds' eggs.

The only predators on the island are the two-legged variety known as the Boater americanus, along with the four-legged canine sidekicks that this subset of Homo sapiens brings with it to the island.

On some summer weekends, Champagne Island is packed with these boaters. And some of these humans - and their dogs - have not always abided by the signs and fencing that the state puts on the island to protect the nesting birds.

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This is probably the one we'd choose, for its combination of attractive features: a Grand Canal location with views and a waterside terrace, old-fashioned luxury, a historic setting, compact size and favourable reviews.

Hawaiian gods protecting the "City of Refuge"

Iceland, Country breaks
Iceland has a lot to offer in the country side. Great opportunity to stay near Iceland�s most attractive places such as Geysir and Gullfoss.

Iceland Express tours
Iceland Express tours are of 3, 4, 7, 9 or 10 days duration covering West, North and/or South Iceland, depending on the client�s choice. They come at attractive prices with scheduled departures from early June through mid September.

Car rental
We offer you a wide variety of good and well equipped cars at competitive pricing. Create your vacation with a rental car and get all other assistance from us.

Iceland Excursions Allrahanda
Iceland Excursions Allrahanda has grown to be a well- known organizer of day trips while maintaining a personal touch. We are fully a licensed as a travel agency and a tour operator.

Iceland Excursions are chosen, not only because of good process but also because we are smaller company and therefore putting more effort into flexibility and quality service. All of our services offered are according to the high standards that our company sets.

Joel Reis reports on his blog that the Island Restaurant at the Hanalei Hotel in San Diego closed yesterday for some apparently drastic renovations. The Islands Restaurant has been at the Hanalei since it opened in 1966. The hotel was once a beautiful example of midcentury Polynesian Pop architecture and design, but sadly has been updated over the years to a bland cookie-cutter chain hotel (currently owned by Red Lion). The hotel has managed to keep a few wonderful pieces through these renovations, including several items that came out of the historic Luau in Beverly Hills when it closed.

Fountain at the Islands Restaurant
in the Hanalei Hotel, San DiegoWhile the Islands Restaurant has not emerged unscathed from these renovations, it has still retained enough of its decor to be a very worthwhile stop for the travelling tikiphile; indeed, the hotel was host to the annual Tiki Oasis event last year, and is scheduled to host the event again in 2007. It is one of the very few restaurants remaining in the world that give the feeling of stepping into the golden era of Tiki. It’s not yet clear what this latest renovation has in store for the Islands, but it sounds devastating.

The Virginia barrier island chain, which includes Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge, is one of only 17 sites in the United States classified as a "Wetland of International Importance." The refuge is the southernmost island in the chain, separated from Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge by approximately one-half mile of sea called Fisherman's Inlet.

Fisherman Island was established in 1969 to protect critical habitats for coastal species such as royal terns and brown pelicans. This 1850-acre island includes upland forests, brackish ponds, expansive salt marshes and miles of sandy beaches and grass-covered dunes. Herons, egrets, ibis, songbirds, osprey, and shorebirds all make their homes here while thousands of other species depend on the island as a resting and feeding stop along their migration route.