This tropical paradise is the quintessential Hawaiian experience.

Gone is the hustle and bustle of Honolulu, which is on Oahu.

Instead, you have a much less populated island that features breathtaking vistas all over the island.

On Kauai, you will find something to meet your travel need, no matter what that might be.

Kauai has rainforests that you can take a zip line tour through.

Kauai has a natural canyon that is as impressive as the Grand Canyon.

You’ll also see a number of impressive waterfalls – including the falls used in the “Fantasy Island” television program opening credits.

You can hike in Kauai, or you can lay be the beach and watch the monk seals, which are native to the shores on the island.

If golfing is your thing, you’ll find plenty of golf courses in Kauai.

If you’ve come to Hawaii for the coffee, you won’t be disappointed either.

Sure, the infamous Kona coffee originates on the Big Island, but you will find coffee farms on Kauai as well.

Kauai is also home to some fine luxury resorts, mostly in the Princeville area of the island.

Are you ready to discover Kauai?

The post Discover Kauai appeared first on Consummate Compendium.

If so, you can take a trip along the Costa Calida and check out Murcia, Spain.

You can easily make the trip to Murcia a day trip from Alicante.

You can even get a Murcia car hire for your exploring.

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Murcia, Spain is a popular place for students, with around 30,000 students in Murcia during the school year.

In fact, it is called “University City.”

If you prefer to look for cheap flights to Murcia, the San Javier airport services the area.

Plenty of international airfare carriers fly into the Murcia airport.

Once you land, you can get a car hire in Murcia, or take a bus or taxis, to get to your Murcia hotel.

There are plenty of hotels in Murcia, including cheap Murcia hotels, but they can book up quickly.

Fans of water sports will enjoy Murcia as it is located at the northern shore of Mar Menor.

For other fun, you will find museums and cathedrals to explore in Murcia.

One of the must-see attractions in Murcia is the Cathedral of Murcia.

There is more to the cathedral than just enjoying the interior.

You can climb to the top of the tower and enjoy sweeping views of the city and the surrounding area.

Other things to do in Murcia include:

• the Almudi Art Palace
• Museo de la Ciudad museum
• Gran Casino
• Spa La Manga, which is located at the Hyatt Las Lomas Village & Spa

The post Take A Trip to Murcia, Spain From Alicante, Spain appeared first on Consummate Compendium.

Since then, I’ve noticed that I left a few attractions off that list.

In fact, I have 3 more must-see attractions in Alicante, Spain that you will want to add to your itinerary.

Basilica of Santa Maria

The Basilica of Santa Maria is the oldest active church in Alicante. It was built between the 14th and 16th centuries in Gothic style. It was actually built over the remains of a mosque. In the 18th century, a portal in Baroque style and a Rococo-style high altar – both of which you can still see today.

Central Market

If you want to be able to mingle with the locals while in Alicante, you should check out the Central Market. It is in an early 20th century building. Stop by in the morning, except on Sundays when it doesn’t happen, to do your shopping or just people watch. Flower sellers can be found out back. And take note of how one of the two stories of the building is a half basement. This is due to the sloping streets of Alicante.

Fogueres Festival Museum

The Fogueres Festival Museum focuses on the history of the famous Alicante Las Hogueras de San Juan festival. The festival takes place in Alicante each June and is known for its characteristic bonfire. At the museum you can see mock bonfires, costumes, ‘ninots indultados’ (effigies) and film clips from previous festivals.

The post 3 More Must See Attractions In Alicante appeared first on Consummate Compendium.

As of late summer 2010, TripAdvisor lists 482 hotels in Alicante.

Whether you are looking for Alicante resorts along the Alicante coast or another Alicante location, you should have no problem finding what you’re looking for in accommodations in Alicante.

The Villa Venecia Hotel Boutique in Benidorm is currently the top rated Alicante hotel. According to their website, the hotel is the first all-inclusive Mediterranean hotel along the Costa Blanca. Nightly rates range from €115 – €216.

Hospes Amerigo is another top-rated hotel in Alicante. Guests can enjoy a spa, a rooftop pool, a bar, a restaurant and a tea and coffee bar. Nightly rates for this Alicante hotel range from $126 – $217.

Located in the center of Benidorm is another top-rated Alicante hotel, the Hotel Royal. This hotel is near the Old Town and Levante Beach. Nightly rates range from €62 – €160.

Hotel Don Pancho in Benidorm is another top Alicante hotel you can find along the Costa Blanca. It is situated just 100 meters from Levante Beach. On July 27, 2010, the Hotel Don Pancho was awarded the “Thomas Cook the Award for Excellence” for customer recognition of exceedingly high standards of service and quality of accommodation. Nightly rates range from €85 – €170.

The Gran Hotel Sol y Mar in Calpe is only a few meters for Arenal Beach. This Alicante hotel has a nightclub, a spa, restaurant, pool and more. Nightly rates range from €81 – €196.

You can look for more top-rated hotels in Alicante, you can refer to the TripAdvisor website.

Hotel ratings are also available on traveling booking websites, such as Expedia and Travelocity.

Other places to look for Alicante hotels include

• Orbitz.com
• OneTravel
• Hotwire.com

The post Best Rated Hotels Alicante, Spain appeared first on Consummate Compendium.

While Alicante’s beaches are a major draw, there are other attractions in this Spanish city that you will want to check out.

Here are the top 5 attractions in Alicante:

1. Castle of Santa Barbara

This 9th century castle was built by the Moors into Mount Bencatil. It is free to visit the Castle of Santa Barbara, which is one of the largest medieval fortresses in Spain. You can walk up to the castle to take the elevator at Avenue de Juan Bautista Lafora.

2. Nightlife

In Alicante, the nightlife is a big part of the city. You won’t find happy hour starting in Alicante at 5pm though. In Spain, happy hour starts close to midnight. During happy hour, you can enjoy cheap drinks and the occasional free shot. Old Town Barrio, located in the center of the city, is THE place to go for happy hour in Alicante. Hot bars include Mulligan’s, Dos Gringos and Carpe Diem. After that, move to the clubs in the Puerto district around 3am.

3. Postiguet Beach

Possibly the most popular beach in Alicante, Postiguet Beach is a good place to go any time of day or night. Don’t worry about safety at night because there are streetlights at the beach to keep it well lit. You will also find plenty of restaurants and bars within walking distance.

4. Old Town

The Old Town district of Alicante has wide, cobbled streets that you can walk. You’ll find old churches, great architecture and museums along the Old Town streets of Alicante. See the Santa Faz monastery, the Basilica of Santa Maria, the Cathedral of St. Nicholas of Bari and the Gravina Museum of Fine Arts.

5. Tabarca Island

For a nice getaway, take a catamaran to Tabarca Island. It’s a nice, peaceful place to spend the afternoon. You can hike along the coast or enjoy a picnic near the water.

The post Top 5 Attractions In Alicante, Spain appeared first on Consummate Compendium.

Romería de la Santa Faz marks the traditional Christian pilgrimage each year on the second Thursday following Holy Week.

The eight kilometer pilgrimage gets started at 8 am at San Nicholas Cathedral. It ends at Santa Faz Monastery.

Along the way, short breaks called “paraetas” are taken where you sip typical Alicante wine and eat anise rolls.

The post Festivals in Alicante, Spain: Romería de la Santa Faz appeared first on Consummate Compendium.

Las Hogueras is an Alicante festival that coincides with the Summer Solstice.

Each year on June 20th fireworks are launched into the sky to mark the start of the Alicante festival.

Las Hogueras de San Juan lasts through June 29th each year, with the climax on June 24th when bonfires are set all over the city.

Music, dancing, bonfires, food and fireworks are some of the things you can enjoy at this Alicante summer festival.

The post Festivals in Alicante, Spain: Las Hogueras de San Juan appeared first on Consummate Compendium.

Fortunately, there are easy ways to find some last minute hotels and take some of that stress out of last minute travel. You may even be able to find some great deals on those last minute hotels.

Start with places that you know. If you know of some hotels in the area you are traveling to you can call them up or go to their website to make a last minute hotel booking. This will tell you if they have any rooms available.

The price may be a bit higher than what you are expecting though.

Use Expedia or Priceline because they allow same day bookings of travel. You may even get a lower price on one of these sites than you would by booking directly with the hotel.

These sites also are good because they show you what hotels have availability in the place you are going to.

Try one of those websites that is all about last minute travel. Both LateRooms.com and LastMinute.com specialize in deals for last minute travel booking.

They may have just what you are looking for on their sites!

Go for the cheapest hotel you can get with Hotwire. Hotwire does allow same-day booking for their hotels and you can save loads of money on your hotel through Hotwire, even for last minute hotels.

The post How to Book a Last Minute Hotel appeared first on Consummate Compendium.

If so, you may be overwhelmed by all of the things to see and so in South Australia.

To make the most of your time vacationing in South Australia, there are some must-do things you need to add to your itinerary.

Here are the 5 best things to do in South Australia on your vacation.

1. Visit Kangaroo Island

Better known as Australia’s Galapagos, you can see the best of Australia’s wildlife in its natural habitat. Enjoy kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, seals, sea lions, penguins and goannas. You can get to Kangaroo Island by air or by ferry.

2. Visit Seal Bay Conservation Park

Also found on Kangaroo Island, at the Seal Bay Conservation Park you can see around 500 rare Australian sea lions. There’s even a boardwalk you can walk along for better viewing.

3. Take a Photo With a Koala

Visit Cleland Wildlife Park in Adelaide Hills where you’ll see kangaroos, wallabies and emus. Best of all, you can get your picture taken holding an actual koala!

4. Take the Ghan Train

If you want to see as much of South Australia as possible, then you need to ride the Ghan Train. You can ride this luxury train from Adelaide in Australia’s south, to Darwin in the north. The entire train ride has you spending two nights aboard the train. But there are stops if you want to get out.

5. Swim with Sea Lions, Dolphins or the Great White Shark

In Baird Bay, you can swim with all sorts of ocean animals – including dolphins and sea lions. Swim with dolphins off the coast of Glenelg, which is just 20 minutes from Adelaide’s city center. And tour operators on the Eyre Peninsula offer cage diving with the Great White Shark.

The post 5 Best Things To Do In South Australia appeared first on Consummate Compendium.

You’ll likely find plenty of options and you may be wondering which is the best.

The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed has named Smith’s Luau the “Best Luau on the Island” of Kauai.

The Smith Family Garden Luau has a lush botanical garden setting on 30 acres in the Wailua River Valley.

In fact, it is the only luau on Kauai that has a botanical garden setting.

Entrance to Smiths Luau Kauai by kmoliver

The Smith Family Garden Luau in Kauai got its start over 50 years ago, and still takes place in the same location. For 2010, the prices are:

• $78 for adults
• $30 for kids ages 7 to 13
• $19 for kids ages 3 to 6

The shell lei welcome starts at 5pm.

You can stroll through the gardens until the Imu Ceremony at 6pm, which is the preparation of the kalua pig.

At 6:15pm, music and cocktails begin with the feast starting at 6:30pm. The luau feast includes:

• kalua pork
• beef teriyaki
• chicken adobo
• sweet ‘n sour mahi mahi
• lomi salmon
• poi
• Hawaiian sweet potato
• mac salad
• namasu salad
• tropical desserts

The live entertainment begins at 8pm. You will see authentic island performances, including Samoan fire-knife dancing.

Smiths Luau Kauai by lleugh

The post Smiths Luau Kauai: Best Luau on the Island appeared first on Consummate Compendium.