Author Archives: schatzi

Try a Trip to Paington

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Making up one third of the English Riviera as it does, it comes as no surprise that Paignton offers the consummate sea resort vacation experience. What may come as a surprise are the sheer number of events, activities, and amenities that the area offers both near and far from the sea itself. Guests and visitors to Paignton rarely expect the full on experience that the town can offer away from the beaches that make up its primary draw. A trip to Paignton has a certain charm that you can no longer find anywhere else making it perfect for families, couples, and the cultural.

Paignton was a fishing village for much of its history, as merchants preferred to do business in Torquay and Brixham, but a new harbour was constructed in 1837. After that, a seawall was put in place to protect the now famous sandy beaches of the town. The area achieved resort status when the railway finally reached it in the late 1800s and the rest is history. Today much of the town has been built on level with the beaches and colorful beach huts line its promenades. It is as if Paignton had been built with the enjoyment of the sun, sand, and sea in mind. The pier, harbor, theatres, and even the Paignton Green are all within easy reach of the beaches and the accommodations that line them.

When you plan your trip to Paignton, remember that there is plenty to do once you have torn yourself away from the seaside itself. The town is surprisingly interesting, particularly in the evening. All year round, festivals and events including a weeklong children’s event are held on the Green. You may explore the town’s history and architecture by visiting notable locations like Oldway Mansion, home of Isaac Singer, or travel to the Zoo or the working organic farm, nature reserve, and shop that is Occombe Farm. Finally, the offerings of Winner’s Street promise tempting local antiquities and curiosities for the shopping minded. At night, consider strolling the seafronts and promenades. You can find excellent food and entertainment here throughout the year, most notably at the historic Palace Theatre. Whatever you may be looking to do on your holiday, you can find it in the town of Paignton.

Top 6 Party Travel Destinations

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I’ve been working in the travel industry for the past 6 years and have been traveling/partying pretty much all of my life. You can pretty much call me an expert on the subject. I have been all over the world and consider the following destinations/parties the wildest and best I have been a part of. 1). Carnival in Salvador, Bahia Brazil 2.) Summer in Ibiza 3.) New Years in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 4.) Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain 5.) National Beauty Pageant Week in Cartagena, Colombia 6.) Summer in Mykonos, Greece

1. Carnival in Salvador, Bahia Brazil
Brazilians consider Salvador, Bahia as the best and most fun Carnival in the country. The Guinness Book of World Records considers Carnival in Salvador as the biggest street party in the world. Millions of people hit the streets and it’s literally 5 days of chaotic fun. I’ve been traveling to Carnival in Salvador for the past 6 years. It’s definitely the craziest party I have been to. Just imagine millions of people on the streets just going crazy with some of the hottest bands from Brazil playing in the background. It’s also singles paradise as one of the main themes during Salvador is “Solteiro em Salvador” meaning everyone is single in Salvador. If you are looking to experience Brazil Carnival look into Carnival in Salvador, Bahia especially if you are looking for a Wild and Crazy time.

2. Summer in Ibiza, Spain
Ibiza is the party capital of the world! It’s the perfect combination of great weather, beautiful people, incredible beaches, and the hippest, most sophisticated nightlife in the world. If you love electronic/house music, it is definitely the can’t miss destination of the summer as the best DJ’s in the world make Ibiza their home from the End of May until the End of September – any other time most of the clubs in Ibiza are closed (Pacha is the only club open all year). I’ve been going to Ibiza for the past 4 years and you definitely have to go VIP and hit Pacha, Amnesia, Privilege & Space. Drinks are extremely expensive (about 10 – 20 euros per drink), but if you get VIP and do bottle service, you will have your own table and spend just about as much. Depending on the party, bottle service can be as low as 150 euros per person to 300. Clubs get extremely packed during the summer and at some parties you can barely move around. If you are traveling there, you might as well spend a little more and enjoy it, rather than feel like a sardine. I personally enjoy traveling to Ibiza in July (All major DJs are there and it’s not as hectic as August) or September (Closing parties are incredible). August is the busiest time of the year and I try to avoid it as the hotels raise prices and the clubs are overly packed.

3. New Years in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
New Years in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is one of the most amazing cities in the world and one of my favorite travel destinations. Its annual New Year’s Eve extravaganza puts all new year’s celebrations to shame. Millions pack the city for an all-night festival of music, food, and fun, punctuated by spectacular fireworks. From mind-blowing scenery and incredible beaches to wild nightlife and beautiful people, Rio de Janeiro will make your New Years an unforgettable experience. The main attraction in Rio de Janeiro for New Years is watching the fireworks on Copacabana Beach. The fireworks are amazing, but I’ve actually had a better time going to the exclusive parties all over the city. The beach can get a little sketchy and it is fun don’t get me wrong, but the best thing about Rio de Janeiro are the people (The Cariocas) and being at an exclusive party is the way to go because you don’t have to worry about anything. All you have to worry about is having a great time and ringing in the new year. I definitely recommend making your travel plans early as the hotels and flights sell out by mid November.

4. Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain aka San Fermin Festival
The Running of the Bulls is held every year between July 6th and 17th. It is one of the world’s craziest and wildest festivals where people run through the streets of the medieval city with actual live wild bulls! Every year over one million party-goers flock to Pamplona and party day and night drinking Sangria, eating delicious tapas and for the brave ones – run for their lives in front of angry bulls! The running of the bulls is an adrenaline rush, but it literally only lasts about 5 – 10 minutes and is at 8am every morning. What a lot of people do and what I recommend doing when running with the bulls is to party during the day, get some rest at night and then wake up early to run with the bulls. After you have run with the bulls, you can focus on partying. The pubs and streets are literally filled with people day and night.

5. National Beauty Pageant Week in Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena is the home of Colombia’s National Beauty Pageant, one of the country’s hottest events of the year. The most beautiful women from all over the country compete to be crowned Miss Colombia. The event is usually held the 2nd week in November. That week is absolutely nuts as the city erupts in Exclusive Parties, Parades, Beach Events, and the Best Nightlife in the country. My favorite event during this week is called “The Desfile de Balleneras”. It takes place in the Bay of Cartagena as marines escort the Beauty Contestants in small boats throughout the bay. The only way to check out this parade is on boat. 100s of boats line up to check out the parade, but it’s more about the party than the beauty contestants. People blast their music, have water balloon fights, move from boat to boat and party like it’s 1999.

6. Mykonos, Greece in the Summer
Mykonos is Greece’s party island during the summer. If you want to party for 24 hours straight, you can do it in Mykonos – hit the beach parties during the day, head to Mykonos Town to watch the sunset, have dinner and party at night and if you want to keep on partying there are several options for after hour spots that open at 3:00AM and go through the morning/afternoon hours. As far as Mykonos partiers – celebrities, politicians, beautiful people and ordinary mortals all flock here to see and be seen at the glitzy “anything goes” clubs for which the island is world famous for. During the summer all the clubs/bars will be packed. Peak season to go to Mykonos is end of June through mid September.

All of the destinations/parties above are a One in A Lifetime Experience. If you want to have an incredible time, I recommend pre-booking everything in advance as these events sell out quickly. I also recommend going through an expert travel company for these events like Tours Gone Wild. They do trips like this year after year and have the connections to make sure you have a great time. All you literally have to do is call them, book your trip, show up and have a good time.

Golden Retriever Training Tips – 3 Rules For Successful Golden Retriever Puppy Training

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Following these 3 Golden Retriever training tips will give you the best foundation for training a happy, respectful, and obedient family pet. Not following these may cause your dog to develop behavior problems as she grows up.

Tip 1: Start Early

No, this doesn’t mean getting up at 5a.m. to start training your new retriever puppy! It means that early in your dog’s life, preferably as soon as you get her into the new home, you should begin training her. You can take on this responsibility at home, or you can enroll your pet Golden in an obedience class.

Both options have their pros and cons in terms of time, cost, personal involvement and education. you will need to weigh up which is best for you based on your own situation. If this is your first Golden Retriever, or even first dog of any breed, then the obedience classes will help educate you so that the training at home is more effective. If you have owned a Golden before, or other medium sized breeds of dog, then you may be more comfortable training at home, and won’t need the obedience classes.

Tip 2: Establish Dominance

Golden Retrievers are very smart and eager to learn, but they can also be very rambunctious and playful, so it’s important that you establish your relationship with your pet early on. Your dog needs to know that she is a pet, that she has an owner, and while she may be considered one of the family, she still needs to recognize you as the household Alpha.

A dog who doesn’t understand this relationship is likely to try and assert herself as the Alpha, and may challenge you with shows of aggression or disobedience. Let her know who is in control early on and avoid this kind of behavior from developing into serious behavioral problems.

Tip 3: Be Consistent

Rome wasn’t built in a day, so the saying goes, and the same applies when it comes to training a Golden Retriever. Training can be thought of as the process of establishing good habits. Habits take time to develop, often they need nurturing first before they sink in. Consistent daily training with your golden Retriever puppy will help ensure the habits sink in faster, and stick throughout life.

A lot of dog owners believe no training is required, and others go about it in the wrong way. Taking the time to learn what responsibilities you have as a dog owner, and following these 3 essential Golden Retriever training tips will put you on the right path.

Excellent Restaurants to Visit in Brigham

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Dog-friendly Brixham holiday cottages are blessings to vacationers who have pets they cannot leave behind. If you are treating your family to a holiday, you can take them for amazing dog-friendly holidays in Brixham. There are awesome beaches, historic museums and nature parks, which you can explore with your family. In the beaches, you can embark on thrilling water activities like sailing, fishing, cruising and water boarding. You can also stay on the beach and sun-bath, swim or just enjoy the refreshing and scenic surroundings. The fascinating local attractions are countless; you won’t be spending a boring day during your vacation. You can also try the popular restaurants in the place and taste their international dishes. Here are some recommended restaurants which you can conveniently reach from your Brixham holiday cottages.

Beamers Restaurant

From your dog-friendly Brixham holiday cottages, you can reach this restaurant readily. The Chef, Simone, ensures that guests are served only the best sea food dishes. It also serves scrumptious meat dishes and succulent veggies for all types of palates. Desserts are exquisite-tasting too, which your kids would certainly enjoy. The restaurant has a welcoming ambiance and a well-trained staff that would respond promptly to your needs. You may also cook at the holiday cottages if you know how to whip a dish or two, during your holidays in Brixham. If you do not know how, then it won’t be a problem because this restaurant will satisfy your hunger pangs to your heart’s content.

The Orchid Restaurant

Having a taste of the delicious food during your holidays in Brixham is an activity you should not miss. The Orchid Restaurant is one of the award-winning restaurants you could include in your dining places. It boasts of using all organic condiments in cooking its mouth-watering dishes. The various culinary types of dishes would offer pleasurable gastronomic experience to you and your family. There are fish dishes, prawns, and other international dishes cooked in an organic manner. Many of the dog-friendly Brixham holiday cottages are just nearby, so you can eat your meals there whenever you feel hungry. It would be a great time to savour a meal while bonding with your family during your dog-friendly holidays in Brixham.

You may want to take your pet while you tour the outdoor gardens, so that it would also have some breath of fresh air. It would delight your kids for sure as they romp with their pet outside the clean environment during your dog-friendly Brixham holidays. Even outside the Brixham holiday cottages, the spacious surroundings would be perfect for your kids and their pet to play in. Remember to book in advance though any of these cottages as you might be in a rush, if you don’t.