world travel: July 2011

Thursday, July 28, 2011

malaysia best hotels pictures

malaysia hotels

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

hotels in islamabad

hotels in islamabad

Sunday, July 24, 2011

dublin best placest pictures and history

Dublin (

/ˈdʌblɪn/; locally /ˈdʊblən/ or /ˈdʊbələn/; Irish: Baile Átha Cliath, pronounced [blʲaˈklʲiə] or Áth Cliath, [aː klʲiə]) is the capital and largest city of Ireland.^[2] The English name is derived from the Irish name Dubh Linn, meaning "black pool". It is a primate city with a population of over 1.2 million, containing over a quarter of the country's population.^[3] Dublin is situated near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey, and at the centre of the Dublin Region.Originally founded as a Viking settlement, it evolved into the Kingdom of Dublin and became the island's primary city following the Norman invasion. The city expanded rapidly from the 17th century, and for a brief period was the second largest city within the British Empire and the fifth largest in Europe. After the Act of Union in 1801, Dublin entered a period of stagnation, but remained the economic centre for most of the island. Following the partition of Ireland in 1922, the new parliament, the Oireachtas, was located in Leinster House. Dublin became the capital of the Irish Free State and later of the Republic of Ireland.Similar to the other cities of Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Waterford, Dublin is administered separately from its respective county and has its own city council. The city is currently ranked 29th in the Global Financial Centres Index and is listed by the GaWC as a global city, with a ranking of Alpha, placing Dublin among the top 30 cities in the world.^[4]^[5] It is a historical and contemporary cultural centre for the country, as well as a modern centre of education, the arts, administration, economy and industry.

The name Dublin is derived from the Irish name Dubh Linn, meaning "black pool". The common name for the city in modern Irish is Baile Átha Cliath, meaning "town of the hurdled ford". Áth Cliath is a place name referring to a fording point of the River Liffey in the vicinity of Father Mathew Bridge (Church Street). Baile Átha Cliath was an early Christian monastery which is believed to have been situated in the area of Aungier Street currently occupied by Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church.

The writings of the Greek astronomer and cartographer Ptolemy provide perhaps the earliest reference to human habitation in the area now known as Dublin. In around AD 140 he referred to a settlement he called Eblana Civitas. The settlement 'Dubh Linn' dates perhaps as far back as the 1st century BC and later a monastery was built there, though the town was established in about 841by the Norse. The modern city retains the Anglicised Irish name of the former and the original Irish name of the latter.From the 17th century the city expanded rapidly, helped by the Wide Streets Commission. The population grew from about 10,000 in 1600 to over 50,000 in 1700, and this in spite of another plague epidemic in 1649–51. Georgian Dublin was, for a short time, the second city of the British Empire after London and the fifth largest European city. Much of Dublin's most notable architecture dates from this time. In 1759, the founding of the Guinness brewery at St. James's Gate resulted in a considerable economic impact for the city. For much of the time since its foundation, the Guinness brewery was the largest employer in the city but Catholics were confined to the lower echelons of employment at Guinness and only entered management level in the 1960s.

Dublin City Council is a unicameral assembly of 52 members elected every five years from Local Election Areas. It is presided over by the Lord Mayor, who is elected for a yearly term and resides in Mansion House. Council meetings occur at Dublin City Hall, while most of its administrative activities are based in the Civic Offices on Wood Quay. The party, or coalition of parties, with the majority of seats adjudicates committee members, introduces policies, and appoints the Lord Mayor. The Council passes an annual budget for spending on areas such as housing, traffic management, refuse, drainage, and planning. The Dublin City Manager is responsible for implementing City Council decisions

As the capital city, Dublin seats the national parliament of Ireland, the Oireachtas. It is composed of the President of Ireland, Seanad Éireann as the upper house, and Dáil Éireann as the lower house. The President resides in Áras an Uachtaráin in the Phoenix Park, while both houses of the Oireachtas meet in Leinster House, a former ducal palace on Kildare Street. It has been the home of the Irish parliament since the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922. The old Irish Houses of Parliament of the Kingdom of Ireland were located in College Green.Dublin, like much of northwest Europe, experiences a maritime climate with mild winters, cool summers, and a lack of temperature extremes. The average maximum January temperature is 8.3 °C (47 °F), while the average maximum July temperature is 19.6 °C (67 °F). On average, the sunniest months are May and June, while the wettest month is December with 73 mm (3 in) of rain, and the driest month is July with 43 mm (2 in). Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year.Dublin records the least amount of rainfall in Ireland, with the average annual precipitation in the city centre being 695 mm (27 in). The main precipitation in winter is rain, however snow showers do occur between November and March. Hail is more common than snow, and is most likely during the winter and spring months. The city experiences long summer days and short winter days. Strong Atlantic winds are most common in autumn. These winds can affect Dublin, but due to its easterly location it is least affected compared to other parts of the country.

Friday, July 22, 2011

cozumel expensive hotels

cozumel hotels

Monday, July 18, 2011

serena hotel pictures and bio

Serena Hotels is a hotel chain that operates in Afghanistan, Kenya, Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. It is one of 96 companies that makes up the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), the for-profit arm of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). The Group trades under the name Tourism Promotion Services (TPS Serena). The company is listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange and has 19 properties in Africa.
The five-star Nairobi Serena Hotel is the flagship hotel of the group. It features 183 rooms and 7 suites, including 1 state suite. The Maisha Health Club is arguably the best in Afghanistan. Along with several other Serena properties it is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World.
The five-star Serena Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan was designed by renowned Pakistani architect Nayyar Ali Dada and opened in 2002. It features 220 rooms with state-of-the-art facilities, a ballroom for 200 people, three unique restaurants, a shopping mall, and a health club with a swimming pool. The hotel's rooftop banquet and main lawns can accommodate up to 1,000 guests. It is also a member of the Leading Hotels of the World.
In early 2007, Serena took over management of two properties in Rwanda from Southern Sun. These hotels have been renamed the Kigali Serena Hotel and the Lake Kivu Serena Hotel.
The Kampala Serena Hotel is a 5 star rated establishment surrounded by 17 acres (6.9 ha)of manicured gardens and lawns. The hotel has its own private helipad. It boasts of 152 private accommodations, including 32 executive rooms and 12 suites, one of which is a presidential suite. This hotel was the location selected to host the Queen Elizabeth II during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2007 (CHOGM 2007).[2] Adjacent to the hotel is the Kampala Serena International Conference Center with seating capacity of up to 1,500 delegates and capability for simultaneous translation of up to nine languages.
Serena Hotels took over management of 3 hotels in 2009 namely, Lake Victoria Serena Resort located in Uganda equidistant between Entebbe international airport and Kampala Town. Serena also took over management of Selous Wildlife Lodge and Mivumo River Lodge Located in the Selous Game Reserve in Southern Tanzania.
Serena Hotels have announced the building of Lake Elementaita Luxury Tented Camp which should be completed in December 2010.

serena hotel bech

serena hotel pictures

serena hotel dring oom

serena hotel

serena hotel best images

Sunday, July 17, 2011

amsterdam airport

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol ( /ˈʃɪpɒl/;[4] Dutch: Luchthaven Schiphol, Dutch pronunciation: [ˈlʏxtˌɦaːvə(n) ˈsxɪpɦɔl]) (IATA: AMS, ICAO: EHAM) is the Netherlands' main international airport, located 20 minutes (4.9 NM (9.1 km; 5.6 mi)[3]) southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer. The airport's official English name, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, reflects the original Dutch word order (Luchthaven Schiphol). The airport used to have the IATA code of SPL, which has fallen into disuse and has been replaced by AMS. The airport is the primary hub for KLM, Martinair, Transavia, Amsterdam Airlines and Arkefly. The airport also serves as a European hub for Delta Air Lines. It is considered to be an Airport City.
Schiphol is an important European airport, ranking as Europe’s 5th largest and the world's 20th largest by total passenger traffic. It also ranks as the world’s 6th largest by international passenger traffic and the world’s 17th largest for cargo tonnage.
45.3 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, a 4% increase compared with 2009.
Schiphol's main competitors in terms of passenger traffic and cargo throughput are London Heathrow Airport, Frankfurt Airport, Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and Madrid-Barajas Airport.
In 2009, around 67% of passengers using the airport flew to and from Europe, 12% to and from North America and around 9% to and from Asia; cargo volume was mainly between Schiphol and Asia (45%) and North America (16%).[7]
In 2009 direct passenger flights were operated to 265 destinations, with a further 19 freighter-only routes.[7] The airport is one out of eight airports in the world to have a rating of four or more stars in Skytrax's grading system.[8]
Schiphol has six runways, one of which is used mainly by general aviation aircraft. The northern end of the Polderbaan, the name of last runway to be constructed, is 7 km north of the control tower, causing lengthy taxi times (up to 20 min) to the terminal.[9] Plans have been made for a seventh runway.[citation needed]
The airport is built as one large terminal, split into three large departure halls, which converge again once airside. The most recent of these was completed in 1994, and expanded in 2007 with a new part, named Terminal 4, although this part is not recognised as a separate building. Plans for further terminal expansion exist, including the construction of a separate new terminal between the Zwanenburgbaan and Polderbaan runways that would end the one-terminal concept.
Because of intense traffic and high landing fees, some low cost carriers decided to move their flights to smaller airports, such as Rotterdam The Hague Airport and Eindhoven Airport. Many low cost carriers (like EasyJet or Bmibaby) continue to operate from Schiphol, using the low-cost H-pier.
Schiphol is the home base of KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines), Arkefly, Martinair, Amsterdam Airlines and Transavia.
The Schiphol Air traffic control tower, with a height of 101 metres (331 ft), was the tallest in the world when constructed in 1991.[citation needed] Schiphol is geographically one of the world's lowest major commercial airports. The entire airport is below sea level; the lowest point sits at 11 feet (3.4 m) below sea level (or 4.5 feet (1.4 m) below the Dutch Normaal Amsterdams Peil (NAP)); the runways are around 3 metres (9.8 ft) below NAP.[10][11]
Schiphol is equipped with 18 double jetway gates in preparation for airlines introducing the Airbus A380 to date none have. Malaysian Airlines are expected to do so in 2012.