Archive - October 2013

1
Purple 10: Badass Hotel Waterslides
2
Amazing Floating Hotels
3
Purple 10: hot swim-up bars
4
Purple Tips: what NOT to do in Barcelona
5
Off the beaten track: Cano Cristales, the River of Five Colours
6
Amazing Days Out: Pig Museum Stuttgart
7
The top Halloween Holidays
8
Purple10: Handy Travel Gadgets
9
A Night Less Ordinary: Hotel Fox
10
Purple 10 Haunted Hotels

Purple 10: Badass Hotel Waterslides

Purple 10 hotel water slides. Looking to impress the kids, while relaxing in a luxury hotel? Look no further than this selection of hotel waterslides – the hotel part for you, the waterslide for the kids!

Hard rock hotel Kuta Bali

Image via @ bali.hardrockhotels.net

1.       Hard Rock Bali, Kuta, Bali

Being the first Hard Rock hotel in Bali, Kuta beach, this property has been decorated in a 50’ style. Note, that the hotel features the biggest swimming pool all over Bali, 22 suites and a wide selection of waterslides to keep youngsters busy!

atlantis-dubai-aquaventure-park-5

Image via @ luxurylaunches.com

2.       Atlantis, The Palm- Dubai, UAE

Arm yourself with courage in case you wish to try a high-speed drive in the infamous “Poseidon’s Tower” waterslide, diving 9 floors down ending up in an underwater aquarium-tube with sharks and stingrays.

orlando mariott

Image via @ www.marriott.com

Read More

Amazing Floating Hotels

Amazing Floating Hotels Around the World: If you think about it, land has been way over estimated, so, here at Purple Travel, we’ve found the best floating hotels, to stay somewhere really different.

fab4

Fab 4 Hotel, Liverpool – If you’ve never sung Yellow Submarine in the shower then, well, you’re lying! Now you can get a step closer to the Fab Four’s favourite floating ferry! It’s all thanks to a British businessman, Alfie Bubbles, who converted this original 25-metre long submarine to a hotel in 2012. Its interiors have been inspired by the 60s; however it features all modern amenities, such as Wi-Fi connection and 3D TV sets.

An overnight at this avant-garde accommodation costs approximately £146.

sweden

Salt and Sill, Klädesholmen, Sweden – Salt & Sill hotel is found in the western coast of Sweden and consists of 6 two-storey floating structures. It’s the first floating hotel in Sweden and an exceptional choice for fine dining.  Guests can choose among 23 rooms, one of which is a suite featuring a separate platform with sauna.

Prices vary from season to season, but start from 1990 SEK from January to March and October to November.

cambodia

4 Rivers Floating Lodge, Cambodia – The 4 Rivers Floating Lodge consists of twelve luxurious residencies on the banks of Mekong River and is located in a secluded area of the rainforest. However, all 45m2 rooms feature a Wi-Fi connection, mini bars and flat-screen TVs. This green accommodation offers a water bio-cleaning system and has also been made with eco-friendly materials.

Prices start from USD 203.15 for one person.

queen mary

Queen Mary Hotel, Long Beach, California – History buffs would surely want to visit the Queen Mary Hotel, which arrive at Long Beach in 1967, after travelling for 37 years in the open sea. It weighs 81237 tones, featuring 314 rooms and suites, as well as 2 bars and 2 restaurants. Watch out, though, the ship is considered to be…haunted!

Prices start from $88.

myanmar

All images via @ www.metrogreece.gr

 Shwe Inn The Floating Resort, Myanmar – This floating hotel is unique in Myanmar and opened to the public in 1996, over the tranquil Lake Inle, including traditional retreats and a swimming pool for guests that prefer not to swim in the lake waters. The famous Heya Ywama market is very close by boat, and the staff can arrange canoe cruises and hiking in the surrounding villages.

Prices start from $120 in the off season.

Purple 10: hot swim-up bars

Who doesn’t like holidays with a little luxury now and then? Eh… nobody, right?! So, we’ve got the best ideas for swim-up bars. These are more like little slices of luxury (mostly in the Caribbean) where you don’t even need to get out of the pool to enjoy a cocktail or a beer. Could you imagine anything more luxurious? Us neither, that’s why we’ve found the 10 best swim-up bars anywhere. Ever! Enjoy.

1_Pool-Bar-at-the-Catalonia-Bavaro-Beach

1.      Catalonia Bavaro Beach, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

2_The-Pool-at-the-Room-Mate-Grace

2.      Room Mate Grace, New York City

3_The-Infinity-Pool-at-the-Hotel-Punta-Islita

3.      Hotel Punta Islita, Costa Rica

4_The-Pool-with-Swim-Up-Bar

4.      The Westin Resort & Spa, Los Cabos

 

5_Rastafari-Swim-Up-Bar

5.      Riu Ocho Rios, Jamaica

6_The-Outdoor-Pool-at-the-Club

6.      ClubHotel Riu Negril, Jamaica

7_Manatees-Swim-Up-Bar

7.      Dreams La Romana, Domincan Republic

8_Balashi-Bar-Grill

8.      Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort and Casino

9_Pool-at-the-Bel-Air

9.      Bel Air Collection Resort and Spa, Cancun

10_Beachside-Pool

All images via @ oyster.com

10.   Omni Cancun Hotel & Villas

Purple Tips: what NOT to do in Barcelona

Boasting fine dining, iconic buildings by Gaudi and wild nights, the Catalan capital can easily charm you, if you treat it like the locals and not as a tourist. Real Barcelona is found away from busy Las Ramblas, in beautiful neighbourhoods like Gràcia and Poble Nou. So, here are Purple Travel’s tip’s to live like a local in Barcelona.

barca

Images via @ rob4xs , J.Cañadas , mariotomic.com , unicoletti

1. Don’t overdo it on the Michelin awarded restaurants: in a city with 21 Michelin stars, gastronomy is a trademark; however, menu prices can often reach your room rate. Alternatively, head for the tapas restaurants that are on every corner and filled with all manner of delights. We like La Cova Fumada on Carrer Baluard or Elisabets on Carrer d’Elisabets. Cheap, cheerful and tasty.

2. Avoid city beaches: Although the beach in Barcelona is pretty good, during the summer it can get a little busy. We’re talking tourists, locals and pickpockets. If you simply can’t stay away, pick a good spot at the W Barcelona Hotel. Otherwise, hop on a cheap suburban train to Sitges, a lovely little town with little whitewashed houses and long, golden sand.

3. Don’t take the metro: Barcelona is one of the most packed European cities in terms of attractions, sites and Points of Interest so walking around is the best way to discover the city. Alternatively, you can rent a bike, Barcelona has an extensive cycle path.

4. Don’t queue for hours/squeeze in the busiest tourist sites: Everybody wants to visit La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona’s unfinished church. In fact around 3 million visitors pass through its gates every year. To skip the crowds, attend the daily mass in the church crypt where you can enter from a separate gate.

5. Don’t bother with  LaBoquería: Since Barcelona’s rapid growth in popularity as a city break destination, its central market has grown with colours and aromas, and lots of dodgy fake souvenirs and fast food restuarants. Our tip is to skip the central market altogether and hunt out the smaller local shops in different neighbourhoods. We like the renovated Mercat de Santa Caterina in El Born boasting an impressive stained glass ceiling.

Off the beaten track: Cano Cristales, the River of Five Colours

Cano Cristales is an impressive river in Serrania de la Macarena in Colombia. It is often called the “River of Five Colours”, “The Liquid Rainbow” or even “The most beautiful River in the World”, thanks to its amazing colours, such as yellow, green, blue, black and the cheerful red of the plant Macarenia clavigera, which is found on the riverbed and makes the river so unique and wonderful.

mosaicda20669835b8ff25995b5beccdd424f1de698a4b

mosaic18fc0c5530932f05e0dce5730ba6e53d095e77ca

mosaicd63ab32d7ce19e82309fc4b8d60cbe9fb72a694d

Images via @ www.metrogreece.gr

Amazing Days Out: Pig Museum Stuttgart

You’d be forgiven for thinking we’ve gone a bit piggy, what with our bacon beach post, but it seems we’re not alone. Read on for this amazing day out: The Pig Museum Stuttgart. Fun for a couples city break adventure, or just something a bit different (really different, if you ask us!)

Pig-museum-stuttgart-3

Pig Museum via @ Wikicommons

The Pig Museum is a surreal collection of over 50,000 exhibits from all over the world to introduce you to the piggiest experience of your life. The SchweineMuseum on Schlachtofstraße 2A, 70188 Stuttgart offers visitors 25 themed rooms to explore featuring all things porcine. There are (stuffed) pigs to cuddle, representation of pigs in the arts as well as the science of pigs, from their anatomy, how little piglets are made as well as the history of the creatures. The kitsch art and culture is sure to win over grown ups, while kids can enjoy the stuffed animals and myths and legends surrounding pigs.

Pic museum 2 from Purple Travel

Pig museum germanyImages via @ Wikicommons @ dhaun & @ Stuttgart Tourism

Meanwhile, if all this porky talk is making your mouth water (vegetarians look away now!) then you won’t bat an eyelid at the museum’s setting; in a former slaughterhouse. After exploring the piggery, a huge beer garden awaits, with tasty treats like knuckle of pork, grilled suckling pig and many more pork delicacies.

There’s more information on pricing and how to get to the Pig Museum Germany on their website here.

To make your visit extra special, you’ll be pleased to hear there’s a theme song to bring you through the museum, altogether now:

The top Halloween Holidays

You may think that when it comes to Halloween, you’ve done the lot – egging the neighbours’ windows, DIY costumes, waking up drunk in a field somewhere, eating yourself sick on sweets – the list goes on. But for the supreme Halloween experience, you need to travel. We’ve compiled this list of the spookiest destinations available to make sure this Halloween is the most memorable of all. Enjoy these halloween holidays from Purple Travel… if you dare!!

salem

Image via @ Bob Woitunski

Read More

Purple10: Handy Travel Gadgets

 

1_spareone_mobile

1. Spare mobile phone powered by AA battery. Ideal in emergency, featuring an integrated flashlight and a special key for SOS calls. www.spareone.com

 

2_private-network

2. Private Wi-Fi. Subscribe and stay connected wherever you are www.PrivateWiFi.com.

 

3_polaroid

3. Android powered camera. Get a Polaroid iM1836 Snap and post your beautiful pictures fast and easy www.polaroid.com

 

big_JBR52ASM

 Image via @ www.abt.com

4. Jawbone UP bracelet. A smart gadget that keeps track of your metabolism and notifies you when to exercise while on holiday.

 

5_mushroom-charger

5.  Wall charger to save energy up to 30%. Charging stops as soon as the device is ready. www.bracketron.com

 

6_powerbag

6. The powerbag…to  charge your mobile devices on the go www.mypowerbag.com

 

7_martian-watch

7. Bluetooth Watches. Connect your android phone to your watch and ask for whatever you like www.martianwatches.com

 

8_trackdot-luggage-trackker

8. Trackdot…track your luggage when travelling and  skip unpleasant surprises www.trakdot.com

 

10_the-lifeproof-case

9. Waterproof iPad case to keep your device safe, always. www.lifeproof.com

 

waterproof mp3

Image via @ www.wired.com

10. Waterproof MP3 player to dive in melody

A Night Less Ordinary: Hotel Fox

From the weirdest to the most wonderful hotels around the world, we find the best unusual hotels around the world for your delectation. Stay in a hamster hotel or an igloo and enjoy a night less ordinary. This week we take a peak inside the Hotel Fox in Copenhagen.

Hotel Fox

Image via @ Pinterest

What’s the gimmick? Designers, grafiti artists, illustrators and artists from all over the world have gathered to make a truly creative hotel experience in Copenhagen. 21 artists were given free reign to put together every single detail of the rooms in Hotel Fox.

Why stay? At Hotel Fox you become the work of art, or at least part of it. Maybe you want to be a princess, visit Japan, or become a king for a night in this quirky, kitschy hotel. Plus it’s one of the best value stays in Copenhagen despite its stellar reputation.

The WOW Factor? Each of the rooms is visually striking, you can stay many times over and still not get all the nuances that are on offer.

Prices for the Hotel Fox starte from £78 B&B.

Purple 10 Haunted Hotels

Like a scare at bedtime? If things that go bump in the night and strange noises are things that you actually enjoy, then read on for our top 10 most haunted hotels. But, be warned, you’ll be staying here at your peril!

6255602613_71ff6226e0_z

Image via @ Nomadic Lass

Karosta Prison Hotel, Latvia: This recreates that delightful experience of staying behind bars. Not only that, but it is said to be haunted by the ghosts of prisoners past whose footsteps echo the hallways at night.

Hotel Burchianti, Florence, Italy: This might be the most haunted on the list. It’s said that a ghost of a child skips down the corridors, while an apparition of a maid still carries out her cleaning duties in the early hours.

The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, India: The late chief engineer of the building is reported to roam the halls of the old wing of the hotel. W A Chambers apparently died of a broken heart, after he found out the palace wasn’t built to his original design.

Castle Leslie, County Monaghan, Ireland: A whole bunch of the Leslie family continue to haunt this 300 year old castle, including young Shane Leslie, who died in a war but returned to watch over the lake. The famous perhaps isn’t a person at all though; it’s a dog called Punch.

Langham Hotel, London, England: This may be a top quality 5 star hotel, but even that can’t stop ghostly carry on. Room 333 is the famous one, with a terrifying reputation. It’s said that zombie type ghosts approach guests with their arms outstretched. No, we don’t fancy that either.

The Stanley Hotel, Colorado, US: Seen The Shining? Did it give you the creeps? Yep, us too. Apparently, the Stanley was the inspiration behind the original Stephen King novel after he stayed there the night before it closed down for the season. The piano in the ballroom plays music, although there’s no one sitting there, while ghosts have appeared in various rooms at night.

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Banff, Canada: Lost your room key? Well it’s not so bad here as the vision of a former bellhop Sam Macauley roams the corridors, even going as far as carrying guests’ luggage for them.

Ostrich Inn, Colnbrook, England: This one might put you off hotels for life. The owners installed a secret trap door under the bed in what they said was the best room in the house. It was right above the kitchen. When guests fell asleep, the door would be opened and the bed tilted, so the guest would slide into a cauldron of boiling water. Many of these unfortunate guests still haunt the corridors today to warn current travellers.

Hotel Provincial, New Orleans, USA: The Provincial is haunted by a former soldier; the site was once a military hospital which burned down in 1874. Recordings made in the hotel revealed ghostly sounds, while one female guest said she was dragged from her bed kicking and screaming when she stayed there.

The Roosevelt Hotel, California, USA: If you like your ghosts high profile, there might not be a better choice than the Roosevelt, said to be haunted by the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift.

Copyright © 2013. Created by Meks. Powered by WordPress.