Villa Riviera

Villa Riviera

Villa Riviera offers a unique opportunity for guests wishing to stay on the Italian Riviera, offering complete privacy yet within easy reach of restaurants, shops, cafes in lively San Remo. This superb new villa is totally independent and peaceful and enjoys lovely panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea. The villa is furnished with a showcase of antiques, comfortable furnishings, and modern amenities including window screens in every room and satellite TV. The living room is exquisite and spacious with French doors leading onto the large furnished panoramic terrace. The terracotta floors with mosaic are works of art. Comfortable leather couches and carpets featured in the lounge are perfect for relaxing. The dining area seats up to 7 people with red velour seats, wooden handmade table and a caryatid sideboard offering a lovely atmosphere in careful lighting. The newly fitted modern kitchen with pink and grey marble counter is fully equipped with dishwasher, washing machine, fridge/freezer, electric oven and all modern appliances. The large master bedroom has a comfortable queen-size bed, two mirrored wardrobes, a nice drawer and has an ensuite new tiled marble bathroom with tub and hand-held shower. There is also another bedroom with queen-size bed and a 3rd bedroom with 2 single beds (can be made up as a double bed on request), these bedrooms share a fine bathroom with a colored glass brick shower and Carrara marbles. An extra folding bed and a baby bed are available, sleeping up to 7 adults + child. A perfect accommodation for people searching for a high standing quality and complete privacy. Guests have the unique opportunity to sunbathe or enjoy al fresco candlelit dinners on the large terrace furnished with long dining table, deck chairs, and sun umbrella bordered by white balustrade with a majestic marble stair leading to the Mediterranean garden. The garden has a lawn area and is planted with specimen shrubs and flowers that are planned to give beauty throughout the year. Parking for up to 4 cars in the courtyard of the villa.

LOCATION: Villa Riviera is nestled in a hilly amphitheater in blossom of flowers, cultivations with every color and species. Peaceful location with wonderful view over the gulf of San Remo. Sandy beaches 3 km, horseback riding and tennis courts 3 km, sailing school 5 km, golf course 10 km, Montecarlo is 40 minute drive, Nice airport 1 hour drive.

Damel Luxury Villa in The Gambia

Damel Luxury Villa in The Gambia

The magnificent luxury villa is for people who want the best that Gambia has to offer. It is ideal for business individuals, families or small groups desiring for a short or long stay and want to enjoy Gambia in luxury. The building and the setting of the villa is of the highest possible standard. So go on, why not take the plunge and stay with us in one of the most beautiful areas of The Gambia.






Car hire and driver is available at the villa. The luxury villa is located on the AU Highway about 3 kilometres from the African Union Conference Centre and the Sheraton Hotel. It is a 15 minutes drive from the airport and 20 minutes to the capital city of Banjul. The beach is nearby at about 2 kilometres away.






The villa is extremely private and serene with a tropical garden and swimming pool. There are 6 luxury suites which can in total comfortably accommodate 18 guests. There is an in-house chef who is ready to prepare your meals which can be served in your room, balcony or at the open-air dining area by the swimming pool.
For a truly unique stay in The Gambia, Damel Luxury Villa is your home from home offering you an unforgettable experience.

Devonwood Villas promotes carefree living

Devonwood Villas promotes carefree living

Southern Crafted Homes officials think any preconceived ideas prospective buyers have about what a villa community looks like will change once they've seen the homes at Devonwood Villas in Land O' Lakes.

"They are unlike any other villa homes you'll find in the Tampa Bay area," says Zani Patasin, vice president of sales and marketing. "We have re-invented the meaning of villas with these homes."

What makes Devonwood different is that the villas look like estate homes, Patasin says.

"We've basically taken the footprint and general appearance of a 5,000-square-foot home and made it into two separate homes," he says.

The lots have no backyard neighbors, garages are not all facing the street but are on the side or through courtyard entrances and varying architectural elevations keep the community from having the staccato look typically found when builders give home after home the same design, Patasin asserts.

These details and more help take the "this is a different kind of villa" concept further.
"There are no back-to-back lots at Devonwood and most of the lots look onto conservation land or lakes," Patasin says.

The one aspect that Devonwood Villas does share with villa communities is that it offers home buyers the ability to tap into a reduced maintenance lifestyle, Patasin says. For instance, Devonwood owners don't have to worry about lawn and exterior maintenance.

"A villa home and a villa-home community offer a carefree lifestyle not found in typical neighborhoods with typical houses," Patasin says. "Villas are the ideal home for so many types of buyers. Villas are especially ideal for buyers who live with packed schedules or unusual shifts and don't want the extra chores associated with a house."

To help promote a carefree lifestyle, Devonwood residents also have access to a community pool and a social center.

Inside the homes, residents enjoy open floor plans with large kitchens, formal dining rooms and fiber optic wiring through Verizon FIOS, Patasin says. Residents also can get decorating ideas and help at the Southern Crafted Homes' design center, he adds.
Five floor plans are available. Three offer two bedrooms and two bathrooms: the Chelsea provides 1,630 square feet of living space and is priced from $225,000; the Ascot offers 1,691 square feet of living space and is priced from $228,000; and the Newbury, priced from $236,000, has 1,776 square feet of living space.
The two other plans have three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The Brighton I has 1,885 square feet of living space and is priced from $254,000, while the Brighton II provides 2,023 square feet of living space and is priced from $266,000.

The third bedroom in the Brighton I and II is a flex space and can be built as an office or game room should the buyer choose.
To reach Devonwood Villas, take Interstate 75 to Exit 275 (State Road 56). Travel west and merge with State Road 54. Go about three miles; the community is on the right, about one mile west of U.S. 41.

"There just isn't any other kind of home product out there at this price point that compares to Devonwood," Patasin says. "And since Southern Crafted Homes typically builds custom luxury homes, the villas at Devonwood are definitely a great way to get a Southern Crafted Home product for a great price."
Southern Crafted Homes has been building homes in the Tampa Bay area for nearly two decades. Patasin says the locally owned company has made careful choices as it has grown, which has helped it flourish in the current real estate market, Patasin says.

"We have always employed conservative practices, we don't sell to investors, we maintain stable value with our property and we never over-laden ourselves with inventory."
He says its communities have fewer re-sales (low turnover), calling it a testament to their expertise in buying the right land at the right price.
"We build quality homes in places where people want to live. You can't do much better than that."
For information, call (813) 949-9273 or visit http://www.devonwoodvillas.com/.

Gran Hotel Bahía del Duque in Tenerife

Gran Hotel Bahía del Duque in Tenerife

Location
Set in 16 acres of tropical gardens overlooking the lovely El Duque beach, just west of Playa de Las Americas, in the Costa Adeje.

Character
Reminiscent of Portmeirion in north Wales, with its mixture of architecture. A small "town" of Italianate villas, patios, turrets, even a campanile, prettily grouped around swimming pools. Very popular with young families.

Rooms
There are 311 rooms and 46 suites, all of which have a balcony or patio with a view of the sea or the gardens. Earlier this year, 40 separate villas were added, each with a private garden and pool (worth checking that building work has finished before you book). As for décor, think tasteful and traditional, with tiled floors and muted colours.
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Food
You won't go hungry, that's for sure: there are eight restaurants and nine bars in the resort, the poshest of which – Las Aguas – is run by Michelin-star chef, Salvador Gallego. There's lots of French and Italian cuisine and a good selection of local and more generic Spanish food. Service can be slow.

We like
The quieter rooms and suites in the Casas Ducales, a sort of hotel within the hotel (the other rooms and villas are closer to the entertainment in the evenings). The resort is also great for golfers, with five courses nearby.

Not so keen
The new ESPA spa is still a couple of months off; and you can't help but be reminded of that place Patrick McGoohan was always trying to escape from in The Prisoner.
Essentials
0034 922 746900; www.bahia-duque.com/index.php/hotel_en. ITC Classics (01244 355 527; http://www.itcclassics.co.uk/) offers seven nights’ b&b at Gran Hotel Bahia Del Duque Resort from £633 per person.

Brazil Overseas Property

Brazil Overseas Property

Description
Ideal location in the Tambaú city beach district of João Pessoa expected to offer a good return on investment in the form of capital growth and ongoing rental potential.

Features
Starting price of R$137,100
Off-Plan 1 and 2 bed flats + shops available
Units ranging from 42.03 to 61.17 sq/m's
Project in construction
70 metres from the beach
Luxurious development
80% of the development is SOLD

Overview
This project offers the choice of studio's, 1 and 2 bedroomed apartments.The building will include 126 apartments in total and also include 5 commercial points for offer on the ground floor.The communal facilities within the project include a swimming pool, poolside bar, sauna, jacuzzi, function rooms, massage area and reception.

Location
João Pessoa beach district being 20 minutes drive to João Pessoa airport and 10 minutes drive to the historical city centre.

Specification
The advertised sale price does not include furnishings.

Associated Costs
The advertised selling price of this property for sale in Brazil does include the cost for allocation of your individual Brazilian CPF number, which is required for you to buy a property in Brazil, although, does not include registration taxes/fees paid in Brazil to put the property into your name. Although it is not mandatory to use a Lawyer when buying a property in Brazil, due to the fact that a CRECI registered estate agent is qualified to carry out the complete property sale and purchase transaction in Brazil, Brazil Overseas Property recommends that you do use an independant lawyer in Brazil registered and qualified with the OAB (Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil), and a Lawyer who is also familiar with the region where you intend to buy your property in Brazil, as well as being fully qualified to deal with the type of property you are buying.If you are an overseas investor intending to buy property in Brazil, then you should always receive an officially translated version of the sale and purchase contract into your native language for the property you are buying in Brazil. Legal fees and officially translated documents are not included within the advertised selling price of this Brazilian property.

Luxor Hotel and Casino LAS VEGAS

Luxor Hotel and Casino LAS VEGAS




Location
Located on the far south end of The Strip in Las Vegas, Nev., the Art Deco-themed Luxor Hotel and Casino is connected to Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and stands adjacent to Excalibur Hotel Casino.





Hotel Features
Included in the Luxor Hotel and Casino is a 30-story pyramid, two 22-story towers cloaked in bronze glass and a 10-story sphinx. The world's most powerful light beam, with 42.3 billion candlepower, shines from atop the pyramid. This light is visible at flight level 250 miles away and from outer space. Weekend Champagne Brunches are available at More Restaurant. The 24-hour lobby lounge, Aurora, features lighting that resembles the Aurora Borealis and offers European bottle service, wines and martinis poured at the table. The hotel offers four outdoor pools and rentable poolside cabanas. Pampering treatments are available at Nurture, the spa and health club, which includes complimentary fruit, juice and water, ginger-scented showers and spa tubs. Teeth whitening, Warm Buttered Stone Massage and Citrus Marine Detox are popular treatments. A precise recreation of King Tut's tomb is available at The Tomb and Museum of King Tutankhamun, with replicas of guardian statues, the sarcophagus and pottery, baskets, vases and beds. The hotel's clubs feature topless revues, musicians and the comedian Carrot Top. Criss Angel's Mindfreak A&E television show is filmed on property.





Guestrooms
The Luxor Hotel and Casino contains 4,408 guestrooms with Las Vegas Strip or mountain views. The rooms contain furniture with custom-made Art Deco accents and muted khaki colors. Select rooms feature recessed lighting, armoires and jetted tubs. Complimentary Nurture toiletries and marble countertops grace each bathroom.





Expert Tip
Skip the scene at the airport's baggage check, and use the hotel's Bags to Go service, available up to three hours before your scheduled departure time, with participating airlines.




Renovation Notice:
The hotel is currently undergoing renovations throughout the property. There may be noise disturbance. The estimated completion date for all renovations is summer 2008. This date is subject to change.

Las Vegas Trip in 3 Days - Exhaustive!

Las Vegas Trip in 3 Days - Exhaustive!

Last night, I returned to New York from Las Vegas. It was a truely outstanding and one of the best tours I ever had so far! I shall write up the details of the tour very shortly, but today I don't have any time. I missed one place of visit and dropped one more after one of your valuable advices. Watch for more entries to the journal. Good bye till then.

The Journey Begins

Finally I left office early on August 31st. The plane of US Airways was right on time. The flight of 1 hour took me to Philadelphia. From there Las Vegas was a 6 hours non-stop journey. I was very tired so just slept for 4 hours in the plane. The plane landed at McCarran International at 11:10AM PST. From the plane I could see the vast city full of lights amidst the dark surroundings.As the plane started descending, I could see the famous landmarks - The Stratosphere, MGM Grand, The Luxor etc. and was thrilled. I reached hotel by airport shuttle. The hotel room was in the 17th floor. But it was not the kind of room, which you can expect in a 3-star hotel like Sahara. Probably the price matters. By the time we checked in, it was 12:30AM. We went for a walk along the strip on foot. It looked so shabby at first now. There were hardly 5 or 6 people we could see at any given point of time. The city seemed so lifeless. We were a little disappointed. Then we decided to catch the bus and go to the heart of the strip - thanks to merasyph for the tips to get the 24-hour pass. But even the heart of the strip disappointed me. It looked so ordinary. Even New York Times Square looks much more beautiful at night. I took some pictures, but returned home at 2:00AM brokenhearted.

The Second Day - Began With Gondola Ride

The day began at 7:00AM after getting call from my mother from India. But I had slept for 8 hours (including the 4-hour sleep in the plane). I was ready, half-hearted though, to visit the 'Places to Visit' of my beloved trip plan. At 11AM, the Sun was burning all the places. With the moisturizer lotion and sunscreen, I could save my skin. The $160 trusted sunglass lived upto its reputation, too. We decided to top the Stratosphere, but alas - it was shut down for the time being. So, I became even more disappointed. We decided to catch the bus again and went to the Venetian.

Now I was gradually liking the city. The buildings look awsome. The sky was deep blue. Outside Venetian, I could see the Gondolas. We tried to get into one of those, but instead ended up inside the hotel. There were even more surprise - the artificial sky and the atmosphere made it look exactly like Venice! I liked that very much. Finally we boarded on a Gondola. The guide Marco was from Italian origin. He said, "This is kind of home to me". We had a nice and pleasant ride in it. The cost was $12.50 (outside ride) and $15.00 (inside ride) per person.

Luxor

The whole hotel was just so unreal! The Pyramid structure and the Sphynx was so much real that I had a hardtime to believe that it was actually a hotel and casino. Inside it was even more stunning. The hotel rooms were actually inclined along the shape of the pyramid. I loved it.

MGM Grand and KA

It was already past 5:00PM! We couldn't believe that we already spent so long in the strip without seeing more than two things. The show KA was to begin from 7:30PM and we had to be there by 7:00. To go inside MGM, we went through the walkways over Las Vegas Boulevard. The view was awesome! As soon as I entered into MGM Grand, my beeper started to beep! Some issue - I diverted the call. After collecting the ticket for KA, we decided to rest in the lobby watching the games in the huge screens. The pager started making noise again! I would have been damned! I diverted the call for good, once again. MGM Grand is called 'The City of Entertainment' and I was getting entertained by my beeper! We also saw two lionesses playing just within 4 inches from us. The only barrier between me and them was a glass wall!

Finally we entered into the auditorium. It was the most beautiful and amazing one, I have seen so far. There were speakers in each and every seat to give the realistic sound effect. After the performance began, I became so pleased to see that the $125 ticket didn't go in water. It was the most stunning show I have ever seen anywhere. I still don't know how they did that. Only Kung Fu masters can have such a flexibility of body. They performed the show with so much precision that, believe me, I had a very very hard time to realize that I am actually seeing it in front of my own eyes.

The Eiffel Tower

The more I was seeing the city, the more I started loving it. Everything looks so much beautiful now as opposed to the first sight. I went to the viewing area of it after shaving off another $9 from the credit card. But the view from the top made me spellbound. The structure is just the half-size replica of its original big brother. The night view of the strip and the entire city was just unbelievablly beautiful! More over that, the Water Fountain Show at Bellagio began. There was no end of the excitement in Las Vegas.

The Mirage and Stratosphere - Call it a Day

After getting down from the Eiffel Tower, it was time to see the Volcano at the Mirage. It started with the birds' chirps, which continued for 10 boaring minutes. After KA and Bellagio Fountains, it looked ordinary, but when I saw the pictures in the laptop after downloading from the camera, they looked good. This free show was actually a good one. Then we went to the top of the Statosphere tower. The view was amazingly outstanding! We returned to hotel at around 2:30 in the night. It was the last item of the day before dinner. The next day would be the drive to Grand Canyon. I had to take a good rest at night to prepare for the journey.

Final Day

Although our return flight was on September the 4th, but practically 3rd was our last day to see whatever was remainning. We paid our visits to Luxor, The Mirage, and Mandalay Bay. We couldn't see the beach inside Mandalay Bay though, 'cause it was restricted to hotel customers only :-( We basically spent the whole day very lazily - taking time to move - enjoying every bit of the city. In the evening, we went to watch the famous magic show by David Copperfield in MGM Grand. I have never seen a show like this. He even managed to vanish from the middle of all the spectators, when we were watching him from a 360 degree view!After that show, we were like spellbound! Then we went to see the water show in front of Bellagio. This time, we saw it from the ground. The two songs played were - "Viva Las Vegas" and "God Bless the USA".

You can watch a video of the same song in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQAllh7hPJ8. I didn't create it. Neither did I upload it. The name is also wrongly given here, but never the less. It is a good video. I couldn't believe my eyes that a show can be like this! I love Las Vegas! After this, we took the dinner at a McD. Other places were crowded like hell, but who cares about crowd any more? After returning to hotel, it was packing time.

Good Bye Las Vegas

It was a sad time bidding the city good bye. The US Airways flight was at 9:55 AM, but the airport shuttle will be coming at 6:30 AM! So, we woke up early and was getting soaked by the morning Sun. We reached LAS at 7:30 AM and was enjoying the flight departures. Southwest flights were the most frequent ones. They have 231 daily departures! Our plane finally came. I was impressed by the color of it. It was a member of the America West family Boeing 757-225. We were flying to Phoenix - Philadelphia - Long Island. While going to Phoenix, I once again visualized Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and Grand Canyon. But this time from a height of a few thousand feet. We reached Long Island almost on time, after boarding Airbus A320 in Phoenix and Canadair RJ in PHL.It was a trip, which I'll remember through the rest of my life.