The Maldives Islands – An Exotic Place To Travel

While researching for a place to visit in Asia I saw and ad for a honeymoon vacation in Maldives . I began researching about Maldives and here is what i found about the lovely place called Maldives

The island of Maldives is located on the Southwest of Sri Lanka

Maldives Islands are in total about 1190 coral islands and only 202 islands have people living in them whereas the rest are only exclusively for the resorts

The total population of Maldives is about 3,00,000 and they have the language which DhiVehi but the fact remains that they can speak English very well and the culture is influenced majorly by the fact that these people have been the early settlers from the South Asian region.

The men are typically fish traders and the women handle everything back at home.

The currency is Rufiyaa and Laaree.

The capital of Maldives is Male.

This country is only 820 kilometers north to south . A good place to enjoy the weather as the weather in Maldives is only about 29 –32 degrees Celsius and the weather remains the same throughout the year.

The hotels and resorts in Maldives is what drives the whole economy and in fact there are a tone of places to visit in Maldives and that includes the 87 Islands that are there which are treat to watch.

The Maldives honeymoon is the best thing that you can do here as the place as ideal resorts and beaches to enjoy the company of the new bride and have some real nigh walks hand in hand on the moonlit beaches of Maldives.

Things that you can do In Maldives are mainly related to the beach , sand the water and that means Snorkeling as the water is very clear and you can enjoy the best warm water. The other to do in Maldives is the surfing and the surfing starts.

Another to do in Maldives is scuba Diving.

November To April is the best season to visit Maldives.

There are a lot of charter flights as well as International Airlines Flight to Maldives and the main body that promotes the islands and resorts of Maldives is the Maldives Tourism Promotion Board.

The bets part is that there is no visa required to visit Maldives.

The Ta j group and several other big hotel chains have their hotels here.

If you like the information here you leave a comment here and that will serve as the Maldives Guestbook.

The best way to enjoy your vacation also save money and enjoy the home away from home is to invest in beachfront property in Maldives.

Slovakia Spas A European Spa Vacation Destination

Continuing on my series of European spa vacations destination the next in line after Hungary and Czech Spas are the Slovakian Spas.

If you have been once to Hungarian spas and want a different experience then you need to make sure that you check out the Slovakian Spas as the European Vacation destination.

The best thing that is there which is almost the same as the Czech spas is the thermal and mineral water springs and of course around these areas the hotels have sprung up which give you different forms of treatment ranging from the baths, drinking of mineral water to in general spa treatment with various baths and massages.

I am going to list down a few cities of course in the order of importance as to which are the best travel places within the Slovak region for travel. .

Piestany - A wonderland in the Western Slovakia region.

Located at the bottom of the Vah river this place is famous for a few things which are the

Photo by stevoarnold

Hot thermal springs with temperatures of 70 degrees Celsius . The water has 1500mg of minerals in a liter of water. The important thing to note is that this has high content of sulphur.

Sulphur bearing mud. This mud is applied at the temperature of 40 – 46 degrees Celsius.

These two things combined make sure that you are cured of the rheumatic problems.

Piestany is derived from the Latin word “Pastan” which means sand.

History

As is the thing with all the towns, cities and places in Europe the place Piestany also has a little bit of history. It is said that a peacock once dragged himself into the how waters of the spring and was cured. Soldiers of the Roman Emperor Antoninus it seems also were able to find the medicinal powers of the thermal springs. Bratislava is the main place in the Slovak region and Piestany is located about 23 kilometers from Bratislava.

Trencianske Teplice – This is placed in the northwestern part of Slovakia and it seems this place is also very old dating back to the era of 13th century. In fact the resort itself it seems is very old and has all the ancient things like the marble drinking water fountains and the tiled walls.

This place is very old and with very much the epicenter of all the medical tourists who visit this place and the number swells to around 20,000 annual visitors who can be found enjoying the medicinal waters as the old traditional customs and layout of the city.

Rajecke Teplice – This place is surrounded by forest and it is situated near the Mal Fatra mountain range. This is again a very old spa dating back to the 17^th century.

Some of the other famous names which are there are

Bardejovske Kupele

Dudince – This place is famously known as the Roam baths because the Roman soldiers used to treat their wounds in the volcanic springs of this place.

High Tatras or Vysoke Tatry – This place is called because it is the only high mountain in the Carpathian range and this place has a beautiful spa by the name of Strbske Pleso

Authors Note - These were spas which are used for cure of rheumatic disorder, of for locomotion related problems but some of the pas are only for general clean air and good well being and these are known as the climatic spas. So before booking your journey make sure that you are going to the correct spas. The medicinal spas are referred to as the balneologic spas.

Main season for visit begin from April and last till December but in some places it lasts till October only.

Authors Note about prices – If you want save on the money then go in the off season for the spas as these are cost effective.

The most common things that you need to take care of are

Curative stay – It should be minimum of one week but mopst places have 13 days of stay

Relax stay – It should be of 4 days

Procedures – make sure to check the number of procedures that will be done for example the curative stay has 24 procedures per week whereas the relax stay may have only one or two per day .

Entry to pool, fitness and Group exercises – check this before booking

Full Board and half board – Full board means that you will have all the buffet breakfast, dinner and lunch whereas in the half board you may have only breakfast and dinner.

So make sure that you check these things out before you go for the European vacations

Czech Republic – European Spa Destination

Continuing on my series on the European Spa Vacations and destinations Czech Republic is another very good European vacation destination for enjoying those old 19th and 18th century renovated spas.

History

The history of Czech republic goes well into the 16th century and the 17th century. There are several towns where the natural spring water was found and those places were converted into wellness places and since then have been restored back to the earlier era glory to get tourism fro not only medical reasons but also to revive the cultural tourism.

Important towns

Františkovy Lázně – The most important Spa town with the František’s Spring (also known as Cheb waters earlier is the best one) . There is the František Josef’s Spa as well as the famous hotel Tří lilie.

This place known for cure of locomotive disorders as well as it has the spring waters which have the high content of dissolved carbon dioxide which has curative properties for cardiovascular problems.People generally come here for carbonic baths.

Karlovy Vary – This is the largest spa town and is whole town is established on the side of the Tepla river.

Photo By Jim Linwood

This town also has a very famous church called the Church of St. Mary Magdalene built by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer.

This spa town is famous for balneological treatments but of late this has become more famous for the plastic surgery treatments that the town offers

Marianske Lazne – Another very important spa town which is prides itself in being absolutely green and very lush with greenery. King Edward visited this town for Spa treatment and hence this place has some history of spas.

Photo By Jim Linwood

The spa Nove Lazne is the most famous spa and also this place has the Royal Chambers which was used by Kind Edward.

The spa treatments offered here in the town are the Balneotherapy using the drinking cures,the carbon dioxide baths as well as the mud baths.

Other Places – There are other places which have a few spas and cannot be called the spas towns in toto such as Trebon(famous for peat) or Teplis or the Podebrady or the Jachymov. Another famous and the newer one is the LuhaCovice.

Authors Note : Make sure that you check out the packages that you get from the tour operators for these can vary based on the town you are visiting. And definitely some towns are much better than the others for specifically the spa experience.

The Cost of a spa vacation – The last I checked the leading tour operators were charging about $1000 -$1200 for a seven day long spa treatment facility at Karlovy Vary.

Also these include round trip to Prague, the Doctors checkup at arrival and departure as well the bathrobe facility. Most packages have breakfast and dinner included.

European Spa Vacations And Holidays

The best way to relax is to get into a spa and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere along with some soothing therapies being conducted on you.

Photo By Denniswong

That said I am going to give a list of all the European vacation destinations where good spas are available and that way you can select the best when you are going for a mind and body relaxation.

Why Do you Need European Spa Vacations

1. In the rat race which is so 21st century there is constant stress in the corporate life so you need to relax and renew your spirits with a breath of fresh air and far away from the maddening crowds of the city
2. Generally due to hectic lifestyles we have been through bad dietary habits, lack of physical fitness and numerous health problems. Spas help you relax and counter all the issues that I have told you.
3. Connecting with the nature is a must which in our case is usually missing and hence spa especially in European(abundance of beauty and nature) destinations help you get close to the nature
4. Europe has lot of springs which have medicinal properties and it can help you get over with drugs and treat you with the natural things including water.

Budapest – Spa Capital of the world

If you are thinking about spas then you need to enjoy the special hot water spring spas in Hungary and Budapest is considered to the spa capital of the world.

Hot Springs

Budapest has the hot springs all over the city and they say it numbers about 500. There are numerous spas which have been built near the springs to help you relax in the hot spring water as well get treatment for arthritis and rheumatism.

Photo by faster panda

What to do when get into Budapest ?

1. Go to the island of St Margaret and this island is free of the traffic.
2. Make sure that you also visit the ruins of the monastery
3. You need not go the actual hot water spring all the hotels have spas which get water directly from the spas and of course it has all the medicinal properties which are associated with the water.
4. The water is cooled by hotels for the guests and is chlorine free.
5. Make sure that you get a doctor from the hotel if you are going specifically for arthritis or rheumatism
6. Enjoy the commercial things in the Pest part of Budapest and the older part is the Buda

Note from the Author : There are other places in Hungary where you can get spa treatment but the best place is the Budapest which has urban feel as well old medieval charm

Make Proper Choice - Destination Spas or Resort Spas

Destination Spas – These are not actually hotels but are the spas where there is hotel for a stay. The whole spa center so speak is geared towards catering to the spa experience.

Most of these spas will offer the healthy cooking classes as healthy food. There will be various fitness classes also like yoga and other exercise.

Then there will be various treatments for various illnesses as well as there will be various packages which are usually a minimum of three days long to a week. These include oil based spa therapies, or sand based therapies or water based therapies.There are others like stone based as well as the gentle massages.

Typical European Spas have these

1. Special bath – Jacuzzi bath, steam bath
2. Mud and stone – mud treatments and paraffin packs
3. Aroma treatments – Aromatherapy, oxygen inhalation
4. Massages – Basic massage, special organ specific massage like for legs or the back or the forehead

Hotel Spas – The hotel spas are generally day spas where your main emphasis is enjoying the place where the hotel is and then in between enjoy a day relaxing at the spa. This definitely does not provide all that amenities which a destination spa can provide.

Note from the Author – If you are truly looking for a European spa vacation then go for the destination spas.

For more Information about European spa vacations please read my next posts on Czech Spas, Slovakia Spas and the Italian Spas.

Photo By GlenEdelson