SunnyRentals.com is one of the fastest growing sites for holiday home rentals with a European focus. The site is available in 8 languages, and the number of holiday homes, villas, chalets and apartments that we have available for rental increases by thousands each month.
We are soon launching a Partner Program, so that sites like yours can add our search technology and holiday homes content to your website - when you refer guests and new owners to SunnyRentals.com, you get paid based upon their activity on our site.
If you would like to participate in our beta test (starting in a few weeks) by adding a SunnyRentals.com search box to your website, I'd like to discuss some details with you.
Kind regards
Velimira
- SunnyRentals.com
A place when we can talk about travel, holidays, vacations, tips, food and more...
Thursday, September 16, 2010
New Season ahead!
As the summer time draws away and yet another year is about to go by soon, we are all overwhelmed by the yearning for the past season…sunny beaches, clear skies, cool lakes, great waves, what an adventure…hmmm, sweet nostalgia…But cheer up - winter season is ahead and it is time to plan your ski holiday…sipping hot chocolate or mulled wine, next to the fireplace in the rustic chalet…Browse through thousands of properties scattered around Europe's mountain ranges - Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland!
"Dishonest", but vacation-starved families are trying to save money while bending hotels occupancy rules
My attention was drawn to this article by chance and we thought it is worth sharing it with you - allegedly it is a common practice for big families, of nine (!), goes the author, with seven children, from a baby to a teenager, and with a shrunk holiday budget, to reserve only ONE hotel room when on vacation. As "tempting" as it might sound, squeezing a party of this size into a room meant for two and playing the "don't ask-don't tell" game with hotels, subsisting on takeout pizza and overpriced restaurant food during your vacation, is probably not the dream holiday…True, but what can you do about it?The moral of the our featured story is that…really, there always is a better solution and it is just one click away - holiday houses and apartments with more room, convenient location and fully equipped kitchens, are a better option.
Renting a vacation home has more benefits than overcrowded hotels:
- you don't have to lie about the size of your party
- private accommodations are spacious enough
- your family saves a lot on the rates and fresh home cooked meals
Save yourself the hide-and-seek game, and browse through thousands of properties on SunnyRentals.com - sit back, relax and enjoy your holiday…click!
Renting a vacation home has more benefits than overcrowded hotels:
- you don't have to lie about the size of your party
- private accommodations are spacious enough
- your family saves a lot on the rates and fresh home cooked meals
Save yourself the hide-and-seek game, and browse through thousands of properties on SunnyRentals.com - sit back, relax and enjoy your holiday…click!
They say that the phrase “eat locally” suits best the Italians!
The rich flavours of their simple and seasonal cooking, legacy of the Etruscans, are what makes the cuisine unique. If you are into a culinary adventure, this is probably the best place to start your tasteful journey!
Staying in a holiday home in Italy is probably the best way to experience the authentic lifestyle of the locals!
Book your family house in Italy and start a delightful adventure inspired by the Tuscan lifestyle!
Staying in a holiday home in Italy is probably the best way to experience the authentic lifestyle of the locals!
Book your family house in Italy and start a delightful adventure inspired by the Tuscan lifestyle!
Hurry up and book your holiday villa in Spain now!
The recent global economic downturn has largely affected tourism by prompting new trends among travellers and by contributing to the rapid growth of old ones.
Private villa renting offers more for less, and more vacationers than ever are independently seeking out deals on the internet, searching to benefit from the advantages of holiday homes. Saving up to 50% on hotel accommodation, villa rentals offers a compelling getaway – it allows the travellers to relax in the comfort and convenience of their privacy, far from the crowds of tourists, experiencing the beauty of the local culture.
Spain is the third most visited country in the world and tourism is one of the most developed sectors in the country, generating more than 10 per cent of the GDP of the country. The financial crisis has hit the country and has had negative effect its economics and tourism sector, especially. Even though, the country's luring coasts and sunny beaches have brought travellers back to Spain and the country is a popular destination among holiday villa renters, reporting a sudden rise of tourist numbers this year.
Autumn is the best time of the year to enjoy the last beams of the summer sun, avoiding the August crowds and heat, and saving on property rates. Book a newly built terraced house in Malaga, just a throw away from the luring shores; rent a holiday villa close to the luring beaches of Spain in a quiet location in the countryside; reserve luxurious family Andalusian-style house in picturesque Manilva or relax in a cosy villa in lively Elviria!
Click here to browse through more than 1000 compelling holiday houses in Spain on our website.
Private villa renting offers more for less, and more vacationers than ever are independently seeking out deals on the internet, searching to benefit from the advantages of holiday homes. Saving up to 50% on hotel accommodation, villa rentals offers a compelling getaway – it allows the travellers to relax in the comfort and convenience of their privacy, far from the crowds of tourists, experiencing the beauty of the local culture.
Spain is the third most visited country in the world and tourism is one of the most developed sectors in the country, generating more than 10 per cent of the GDP of the country. The financial crisis has hit the country and has had negative effect its economics and tourism sector, especially. Even though, the country's luring coasts and sunny beaches have brought travellers back to Spain and the country is a popular destination among holiday villa renters, reporting a sudden rise of tourist numbers this year.
Autumn is the best time of the year to enjoy the last beams of the summer sun, avoiding the August crowds and heat, and saving on property rates. Book a newly built terraced house in Malaga, just a throw away from the luring shores; rent a holiday villa close to the luring beaches of Spain in a quiet location in the countryside; reserve luxurious family Andalusian-style house in picturesque Manilva or relax in a cosy villa in lively Elviria!
Click here to browse through more than 1000 compelling holiday houses in Spain on our website.
Travel to eat!
Randomly clicking through my “good food” search results, I was surprised, but not utterly amazed to find out that in some parts of the world, the month of September, has been pronounced to be a National Blueberry Popsicle, National Biscuit and National Better Breakfast, all three at the same time, month.
My great excitement and emotional arousal came from the fact that my cheese pizza celebrations are finally justified - especially on the 5th of September. This surfeit of excuses to immerse myself into a feast-for-the senses celebrations got me thinking about a recent, but rapidly growing trend amongst the travellers today - culinary tourism.
Following the above highly expressive literally lines, dedicated to my affection for, let's call it not-so-healthy food, I guess I shouldn't be saying this, but, yes, we are what we eat. And in searching new experiences the modern traveller wants to explore the lifestyle of the locals and the cuisine is an important aspect of any authentic experience.
Food and drink tourism has drawn much of the attention of destination marketers as one of the most essential components of the overall experience and visitor satisfaction and they have been increasingly using it as a tool to broaden their markets and influence the vacationers' travel decision.
The desire to try traditional and authentic dishes makes countries such as France, Italy and Spain, very popular destinations among culinary travellers, for their long-live traditions and culture in food and beverage making. To find out what's best where, check out our top gourmet suggestions.
1. Vedi Napoli e poi muori
See Naples and die! goes the old saying suggesting either the amazing beauty of the ancient city or the uncontrollable binge – pizza- eating you get yourself into. Allegedly, the home of modern pizza, Naples is the place to take your taste buds for old-fashioned temptingly delicious and ridiculously cheap pizzas. With the “Cheese Pizza Day” ahead, now is the time to browse through our 170 holiday homes in Naples and book your villa, so you can celebrate in style! :)
2. Spanish Tapas
While tapas in their variations has invaded the modern 'snacking' cuisine, they are ubiquitous in Spain, and who serves the best ones is a contentious question. Served hot or cold, the tapas are a fusion of flavours, aromas and taste – battered squid, olives filled with anchovies or bell peppers, chilies, slowly cooked chorizo, garlic, turnovers filled with meats and many many more.
Where do you find the best tapas – Andalusia, San Sebastian or Madrid?Follow us on a delicious expedition through Spain and stay in comfort in one of the 3000 holiday villas and houses!
3. France: Pas-de-Calais
“Nola jan jakitea, nahikoa jakitea da” or "To know how to eat is to know enough" goes the old Basque saying. Food lover will enjoy the simple dishes, prepared with fresh local produce – fish stews, meats slowly cooked in beer, poultry gratins, accompanied by the rich taste of earthy vegetables. Taste the variety of cheese produced by the local farms - Vieux Boulogne, Coeur d’Arras, Rollot and Belval, Sire de Créquy.
Book your holiday home now!
My great excitement and emotional arousal came from the fact that my cheese pizza celebrations are finally justified - especially on the 5th of September. This surfeit of excuses to immerse myself into a feast-for-the senses celebrations got me thinking about a recent, but rapidly growing trend amongst the travellers today - culinary tourism.
Following the above highly expressive literally lines, dedicated to my affection for, let's call it not-so-healthy food, I guess I shouldn't be saying this, but, yes, we are what we eat. And in searching new experiences the modern traveller wants to explore the lifestyle of the locals and the cuisine is an important aspect of any authentic experience.
Food and drink tourism has drawn much of the attention of destination marketers as one of the most essential components of the overall experience and visitor satisfaction and they have been increasingly using it as a tool to broaden their markets and influence the vacationers' travel decision.
The desire to try traditional and authentic dishes makes countries such as France, Italy and Spain, very popular destinations among culinary travellers, for their long-live traditions and culture in food and beverage making. To find out what's best where, check out our top gourmet suggestions.
1. Vedi Napoli e poi muori
See Naples and die! goes the old saying suggesting either the amazing beauty of the ancient city or the uncontrollable binge – pizza- eating you get yourself into. Allegedly, the home of modern pizza, Naples is the place to take your taste buds for old-fashioned temptingly delicious and ridiculously cheap pizzas. With the “Cheese Pizza Day” ahead, now is the time to browse through our 170 holiday homes in Naples and book your villa, so you can celebrate in style! :)
2. Spanish Tapas
While tapas in their variations has invaded the modern 'snacking' cuisine, they are ubiquitous in Spain, and who serves the best ones is a contentious question. Served hot or cold, the tapas are a fusion of flavours, aromas and taste – battered squid, olives filled with anchovies or bell peppers, chilies, slowly cooked chorizo, garlic, turnovers filled with meats and many many more.
Where do you find the best tapas – Andalusia, San Sebastian or Madrid?Follow us on a delicious expedition through Spain and stay in comfort in one of the 3000 holiday villas and houses!
3. France: Pas-de-Calais
“Nola jan jakitea, nahikoa jakitea da” or "To know how to eat is to know enough" goes the old Basque saying. Food lover will enjoy the simple dishes, prepared with fresh local produce – fish stews, meats slowly cooked in beer, poultry gratins, accompanied by the rich taste of earthy vegetables. Taste the variety of cheese produced by the local farms - Vieux Boulogne, Coeur d’Arras, Rollot and Belval, Sire de Créquy.
Book your holiday home now!
Discover Cape Town!
Amazing scenery, splendid sunny beaches, centuries old vineyards and historical manors – all aspects of the unique vibe and social milieu of Cape Town – you'll soon realize that there's everything to love about it!
Are you in for a culinary adventure?
They say that the phrase “eat locally” suits best the Italians – the rich flavours of their simple and seasonal cooking, legacy of the Etruscans, are what makes the cuisine unique and this is probably the best place to start your tasteful journey!
Stay in our great holiday villas and get inspired by the locals and their lifestyle!
Stay in our great holiday villas and get inspired by the locals and their lifestyle!
The "Queen of the Adriatic" - a celestial dream of water and stone that rises from glory of the water pathways. Venice!
“A realist, in Venice, would become a romantic, by mere faithfulness to what he saw before him,” says Arthur Symons. With its narrow and enigmatic streets, arched marble bridges above the luminous water, the city is an architectural marvel. Hurry up and book your accommodation now!
http://www.sunnyrentals.com/en/search/italy/venice/venice-italy/t3164603?page=1
http://www.sunnyrentals.com/en/search/italy/venice/venice-italy/t3164603?page=1
"Lost City" of Petra Still Has Secrets to Reveal
By Mati Milstein
Literally carved directly into vibrant red, white, pink, and sandstone cliff faces, the prehistoric Jordanian city of Petra was "lost" to the Western world for hundreds of years.
Located amid rugged desert canyons and mountains in what is now the southwestern corner of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Petra was once a thriving trading center and the capital of the Nabataean empire between 400 B.C. and A.D. 106.
The city sat empty and in near ruin for centuries. Only in the early 1800s did a European traveler disguise himself in Bedouin costume and infiltrate the mysterious locale.
In 1985, the Petra Archaeological Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, and in 2007 it was named one of the new seven wonders of the world.
Indiana Jones Location
Several scenes from the Hollywood blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade were filmed in Petra. The movie's fictional Canyon of the Crescent Moon was modeled on the eastern entrance to Petra, a 250-foot-high (76-meter-high) sandstone slot canyon known as the Siq that leads directly to Al Khazneh (the Treasury)—perhaps the most stunning of Petra's dozens of breathtaking features.
In the film's climactic final scenes, actors Harrison Ford and Sean Connery burst forth from the Siq and walk deep into the labyrinths of the Treasury in their quest to find the Holy Grail. But, as usual, archaeological fact bowed to Hollywood fiction when Indy came to Petra.
In reality, the Treasury is nothing more than a facade with a relatively small hall once used as a royal tomb.
"You can't really say that anything in Indiana Jones is accurate," Haifa University archaeologist Ronny Reich said. "I was once asked in the United States if one of the responsibilities of Israeli archaeologists is to chase down Nazis. I told them, 'Not any more. Now we just chase down pretty women.'"
A giant urn carved above the entrance to the Treasury bears the marks of hundreds of gunshots. Bedouin tribesmen living in and among the ancient ruins say the damage was caused when local men would open fire with rifles, seeking the loot thought to be inside the urn (actually made of solid stone).
There are dozens of tombs and other carved or constructed structures and sites within Petra.
Advanced Society
The Nabataeans, before they were conquered and absorbed into the Roman Empire, controlled a vast tract of the Middle East from modern-day Israel and Jordan into the northern Arabian peninsula. The remains of their innovative networks of water capture, storage, transport, and irrigation systems are found to this day throughout this area.
Scholars know the Nabataeans were in Petra since at least 312 B.C., says archaeologist Zeidoun Al-Muheisen of Jordan's Yarmouk University.
Al-Muheisen, who has been excavating in Petra since 1979 and specializes in the Nabataean period, says no one has yet found any archaeological evidence dating back to the fourth century B.C. The earliest findings thus far date back only to the second and first centuries B.C.
But more clues remain beneath the surface. "We have uncovered just 15 percent of the city," he says. "The vast majority—85 percent—is still underground and untouched."
Numerous scrolls in Greek and dating to the Byzantine period were discovered in an excavated church near the Winged Lion Temple in Petra in December 1993.
Researchers at the American Center of Oriental Research in Amman, the capital, are now analyzing the scrolls and hope they will shed light on life in Petra during this period.
Once Rome formally took possession of Petra in A.D. 106, its importance in international trade began to wane. The decay of the city continued, aided by earthquakes and the rise in importance of sea trade routes, and Petra reached its nadir near the close of the Byzantine Empire's rule, around A.D. 700.
Visitors today can see varying blends of Nabataean and Greco-Roman architectural styles in the city's tombs, many of which were looted by thieves and their treasures thus lost.
Today, local Bedouins selling tourist souvenirs hawk their wares not far from the place where Arabs believe Moses struck a rock with his staff, causing water to burst forth: "A knife for the wife? A gun for the son?"
Literally carved directly into vibrant red, white, pink, and sandstone cliff faces, the prehistoric Jordanian city of Petra was "lost" to the Western world for hundreds of years.
Located amid rugged desert canyons and mountains in what is now the southwestern corner of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Petra was once a thriving trading center and the capital of the Nabataean empire between 400 B.C. and A.D. 106.
The city sat empty and in near ruin for centuries. Only in the early 1800s did a European traveler disguise himself in Bedouin costume and infiltrate the mysterious locale.
In 1985, the Petra Archaeological Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, and in 2007 it was named one of the new seven wonders of the world.
Indiana Jones Location
Several scenes from the Hollywood blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade were filmed in Petra. The movie's fictional Canyon of the Crescent Moon was modeled on the eastern entrance to Petra, a 250-foot-high (76-meter-high) sandstone slot canyon known as the Siq that leads directly to Al Khazneh (the Treasury)—perhaps the most stunning of Petra's dozens of breathtaking features.
In the film's climactic final scenes, actors Harrison Ford and Sean Connery burst forth from the Siq and walk deep into the labyrinths of the Treasury in their quest to find the Holy Grail. But, as usual, archaeological fact bowed to Hollywood fiction when Indy came to Petra.
In reality, the Treasury is nothing more than a facade with a relatively small hall once used as a royal tomb.
"You can't really say that anything in Indiana Jones is accurate," Haifa University archaeologist Ronny Reich said. "I was once asked in the United States if one of the responsibilities of Israeli archaeologists is to chase down Nazis. I told them, 'Not any more. Now we just chase down pretty women.'"
A giant urn carved above the entrance to the Treasury bears the marks of hundreds of gunshots. Bedouin tribesmen living in and among the ancient ruins say the damage was caused when local men would open fire with rifles, seeking the loot thought to be inside the urn (actually made of solid stone).
There are dozens of tombs and other carved or constructed structures and sites within Petra.
Advanced Society
The Nabataeans, before they were conquered and absorbed into the Roman Empire, controlled a vast tract of the Middle East from modern-day Israel and Jordan into the northern Arabian peninsula. The remains of their innovative networks of water capture, storage, transport, and irrigation systems are found to this day throughout this area.
Scholars know the Nabataeans were in Petra since at least 312 B.C., says archaeologist Zeidoun Al-Muheisen of Jordan's Yarmouk University.
Al-Muheisen, who has been excavating in Petra since 1979 and specializes in the Nabataean period, says no one has yet found any archaeological evidence dating back to the fourth century B.C. The earliest findings thus far date back only to the second and first centuries B.C.
But more clues remain beneath the surface. "We have uncovered just 15 percent of the city," he says. "The vast majority—85 percent—is still underground and untouched."
Numerous scrolls in Greek and dating to the Byzantine period were discovered in an excavated church near the Winged Lion Temple in Petra in December 1993.
Researchers at the American Center of Oriental Research in Amman, the capital, are now analyzing the scrolls and hope they will shed light on life in Petra during this period.
Once Rome formally took possession of Petra in A.D. 106, its importance in international trade began to wane. The decay of the city continued, aided by earthquakes and the rise in importance of sea trade routes, and Petra reached its nadir near the close of the Byzantine Empire's rule, around A.D. 700.
Visitors today can see varying blends of Nabataean and Greco-Roman architectural styles in the city's tombs, many of which were looted by thieves and their treasures thus lost.
Today, local Bedouins selling tourist souvenirs hawk their wares not far from the place where Arabs believe Moses struck a rock with his staff, causing water to burst forth: "A knife for the wife? A gun for the son?"
"Last-chance tourism: the boom, doom, and gloom of visiting vanishing destinations."
The idea that one day soon it would be possible to see a polar bear only in the zoos and destinations such as the Great Barrier Reef, the Maldives, the Everglades, or the ice cap on Mt Kilimanjaro will vanish, because of the climate change, has created a new trend in the travel industry—operators and tour agencies are increasingly recommending the travellers to experience the world’s most endangered sites before they disappear or 'get messed up'.
While on one hand this phenomenon can serve to help raise awareness and recognition of the seriousness of the problem, and provoke the social consciousness, on the other hand, travelers seeking to marvel upon polar species, vanishing fauna and authentic cultures, before they are gone forever, could increase the negative human impact on nature.
The travel phenomena is termed ‘last-chance’ or ‘doom’ tourism in the popular media, and put in the context of societal angst against globalization, climate change and technological progress, easily accumulates the desire of tourists to witness vanishing landscapes.
Does this make YOU wish to see a polar bear?
While on one hand this phenomenon can serve to help raise awareness and recognition of the seriousness of the problem, and provoke the social consciousness, on the other hand, travelers seeking to marvel upon polar species, vanishing fauna and authentic cultures, before they are gone forever, could increase the negative human impact on nature.
The travel phenomena is termed ‘last-chance’ or ‘doom’ tourism in the popular media, and put in the context of societal angst against globalization, climate change and technological progress, easily accumulates the desire of tourists to witness vanishing landscapes.
Does this make YOU wish to see a polar bear?
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