Most Beautiful Lakes in the World part 3

Oregon  

Crater Lake

The extraordinarily deep waters of Crater Lake yield an intense sapphire-blue hue. Photo: Tim McGuire/Corbis

Thousands of years ago, the top of a 12,000-foot-high volcano in the Cascade Range exploded. The massive pit left behind became known as Crater Lake, the centerpiece of a national park in southern Oregon that displays nature at its rawest and most powerful. Forests of towering evergreens and 2,000-foot-high cliffs surround the lake, where extraordinarily deep waters—at 1,943 feet, it's the deepest lake in the United States—yield an intense sapphire-blue hue. If winter hiking and cross-country skiing aren't your thing, wait until early July to visit, when the roads have been plowed and the trails cleared. Rim Drive, a 33-mile road that encircles the lake, has picture-perfect views from all sides. For a closer look, follow the mile-long Cleetwood Cove Trail to the shore. Brace yourself before diving in: The water temperature rarely rises above 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Nearby: The laid-back mountain town of Bend, 112 miles away, makes a nice home base for a Crater Lake day trip.

information clik here

Mathios Village, Emborion

Villa Mathios & Mathios Village is a family-run hotel near the Caldera cliffs. It is purposely set amongst the green vineyards of Akrotiri, away from the hustle and bustle of the more tourist-orientated towns. We believe this is an ideal, romantic place for couples, as well as for people with special interests in Archeology, Geology, beach-combing and over-all comfort and relaxation in mind. Villa Mathios & Mathios Village offers all the comforts of deluxe lodgings. This includes a Multi-lingual Reception for providing information, a fax service, internet-access, safety deposit boxes, left luggage, a laundry service and an in-house Travel Agent. We have 2 open-air Swimming Pools (with private facilities and disabled access) in a spacious courtyard, a Jacuzzi, a full service Pool-Bar, Barbeque-area, a family-atmosphere Television Lounge, Gym, Souvenirs Shop with great discounts and free parking.Villa Mathios & Mathios Village has a variety of rooms ranging from singles to quadruples and family rooms, all equipped with modern, private bathrooms, direct-dial phone services, and balcony seating. We also have Traditional suites, Grand suites and Villas with one- or two bedrooms, which can accommodate 2-6 people and are perfect for families / couples seeking a romantic getaway with dramatic views of the historic volcano and surrounding cliffs. For our more discerning guests, Villa Mathios also offers Honeymoon suites, which combine traditional Santorinian hand-made furnishings with modern conveniences (TV, air-conditioning, mini-bar, hair-dryers, and direct-dial phones). A great idea for Honeymooners!!!!! And for pure luxury, our VIP suites have bathtubs, one has a Jacuzzi and the Windmill Suite is built out of Santorinian volcanic rock!!! In the evenings, our guests have the privilege of enjoying the best, homemade, traditional, Greek meals prepared by Mama (as recommended by many European and American guidebooks). The Taverna / Restaurant is open from 10h0022h00 where homemade Greek specialities, fresh fish, pasta and vegetarian dishes are served. Remember to try some of mathios wine Santorinian wine from our own vineyards!!!!!! In our spacious, open-air courtyard, we organize Greek nights with Barbeques, live Greek music provided by Giorgos (my brother) and his Bouzouki, and of course Greek dancing. The Pool-Bar is open throughout the day and offers a variety or refreshments, salads, alcoholic drinks & wine, snacks, desserts and homemade ice creams. The unique Black Sands of the Calderas Beach, overlook the Volcano and are only a 200-meter walk away. Here they offer organized scuba diving. The world-famous Red Beach is only a 900-meter walk from our front door and the White Beach is next to the Red Beach.The excavations of akrotiri 1450 bc in 700 meters from our hotel

Hotel Details

Breakfast Included 

Restaurant 

Internet Access

Airport Pick Up 

Wheelchair Friendly

Bar

Luggage Storage 

Swimming Pool 

Telephone/Fax Facilities

Travel Desk/Travel Info 

Bureau de Change 

Free Carpark

Gym 

Babysitting Service 

WiFi in lobby

Web access in lobby 

Web access in Room 

WiFi in room

Breakfast  

Mathios Village, Emborion 

Santorini Airport, Emborion 

84700 | 0030/2286/081152

information click here

Most Beautiful Lakes in the World part 2

Alberta, Canada 
Peyto Lake

In the Canadian province of Alberta, Peyto Lake lies amid the Canadian Rockies. Its waters pop with a brilliant turquoise more often associated with warm-weather paradises like Antigua and Bora-Bora. Photo: Courtesy Travel Alberta

Alberta's Lake Louise is the famous one, on all the postcards and posters. But Louise's sister lake 29 miles north along Icefields Parkway, a two-laner that winds 142 miles through the Canadian Rockies, is even more picturesque. Thanks to glacial rock flour that flows in when the ice and snow melt every summer, the waters of Banff National Park's Peyto Lake are a brilliant turquoise more often associated with warm-weather paradises like Antigua and Bora-Bora. For the most dramatic views of the 1.7-mile-long stunner, encircled with dense forest and craggy mountain peaks, pull into the lot at Bow Summit, the parkway's highest point, and follow the steep hike to the overlook.

Nearby: The town of Banff, the heart of the park, is 62 miles south of Peyto Lake.

information click here

Most Beautiful Lakes in the World part 1

These 12 lakes go to all the right extremes—highest, deepest, clearest—and showcase nature at its most spectacular. Soak up the views from a boat, a cable car, a trailhead, or a castle tower.

Malawi

Lake Malawi

Lake Malawi is positioned at the crossroads
of Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania and
supports hundreds of local villages with its
rich underwater stock.
Photo: Ian Cumming/age fotostock

Home to 1,000 species of fish—estimated to be more than anyplace on earth—Lake Malawi (also called Lake Nyasa) is Africa's third largest lake at 363 miles long and up to about 50 miles wide in spots. Located in a depression 2,300 feet below sea level, it's positioned at the crossroads of Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania, and supports hundreds of local villages with its rich underwater stock (which is, unfortunately, gradually being depleted due to over-fishing). The lake's southern portion—as well as a bordering nub of wildlife-rich land, Cape Maclear—represents the world's first freshwater national park; it was also named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. A star of the waters here is the mbuna, a native freshwater fish known for eating directly from people's hands. Bring your snorkel gear—as beautiful as the scenery is, the best part about Lake Malawi is what's swimming beneath you in the crystal clear water.

Nearby: Cape Maclear, located within Lake Malawi National Park, is a perfect base for exploring the area.

information click here

Great American Beach Towns part 2

Mexico Beach, Florida

Photo: Debbie Hooper, Courtesy Mexico Beach CDC
The sand: Around these three miles of confectioners'-sugar sands, you'll see bald eagles, sea turtles, dolphins—and only a few footprints.
Marine life: Never heard of Mexico Beach? Exactly. South of Destin, on the Florida Panhandle, the 1,200 residents have avoided high-rises, strip malls, and theme parks like the plague, keeping their low-slung town to themselves. The "government" is a five-person council that's put the kibosh on anything taller than 48 feet, and the focus is on small-town fun, with gumbo cook-offs, kingfish tournaments, and fireworks fundraisers. You can kill two beach birds with one stone at the souvenirs-and-seafood shop Shell Shack. If you want to get off the beach, pop into the pool bar at the El Governor motel or take a scuba dive through a sunken oil tanker just offshore.
The sanctuary: The Driftwood Inn has four-poster beds in its rooms and DIY barbecue grills on its back deck. If you want to play at being a local, opt for one of the separate, two-bedroom Victorian houses.
The Driftwood Inn
Tel: 850 648 5126 - Doubles from $140, Victorian houses from $175.
The Shell Shack       
Tel: 850 648 8256
El Governor
Tel: 850 648 5757

Great American Beach Towns part 1

Enough with your fancy remote beaches. The Maldives? St. Tropez? With the economy what it is, we'll be lucky to get to the next state on a $73 tank of gas. We want close. We want old-fashioned. We want a town where we can park the car, drag a beach chair and a book to the sand, and then shuffle down the boardwalk in our flip-flops for fried clams and an icy-cold can of beer: a place with fireworks, friendly locals, and sticky scoop shops. So we dug up 11 great American seaside escapes, from classic fun-in-the-sun California to New England colonial charm. Because when it comes to precious summer weekends in the sun, there's no place like home.





Ogunquit, Maine

The sand: Three and a half miles of white-sand beaches on a long hook of land, separated from the mainland by the mouth of the Ogunquit River.

Marine life: Lobster? Ach, you can find that anywhere in Maine. But only in a few select spots along the state's 5,500 miles of rocky coastline will you find actual soft, bottom-inviting sand, and that's outside the hamlet of Ogunquit. To avoid the traffic of crustacean-seeking crowds, you'll also want to ditch the car. Snag a parking spot at Footbridge Bridge early in the morning ($15 for the day) and take the trolley back into town for blueberry pancakes at Bessie's. Then stroll with a cup of coffee through the galleries and too-cute shops. Cross back over at Ogunquit Beach to find the spot you've staked in the sand. Then you're free of obligations until your dinner reservation at Ogunquit's acclaimed Arrows Restaurant. It goes beyond typical beach fare, serving foie gras-and-oxtail dumplings, sea salt–roasted rabbit loin, and mango bubble pudding. And, yeah, Maine lobster, too.
The sanctuary: Book one of the 19 cottages at Dunes on the Waterfront: They have screened porches and Adirondack chairs just 200 yards from the main beach.
Dunes on the Waterfront
Tel: 888 295 3863 - Cottages from $200 a night, with a minimum week stay.
Bessie's
Tel: 207 646 0888
Arrows Restaurant
Tel: 207 361 1100