Do you say I love you with sparkling jewllery and shimmering pearls, a gold chain or a silver bracelet? Will she marvel with wonder when she opens her crystal drop earrings? A stylish watch that she continuously checks while she counts down the minutes until her date with you. A charm for her bracelet is a special token to remember a beautiful Valentines Day spent together.

Say I love you with some hair and beauty help (though you’d never tell her she needs that would you…), with so many tools, cosmetics and products on the market there’s one for even the most laid back of girls routines. Treat her to a sleek set of GHD straighteners to take the fuss and bother out of taming temperamental tresses, or a collection of dedicated shampoos, conditioners and styling products for that salon perfect wash and finish that’s so sought after.

Bansko Ski Resort

Skiing in Bansko Great Powder & Fast Runs

The base skiiing area of Banderishka Polianna is served by a new lift, completed in 2003. With over 50 miles of trails and runs for skiing and snowboarding, the 25 ski lifts and drag are kept busy in the winter. Whether you need bunny slopes or expert runs, all levels of skiiing can be found at Bansko. The peak is over 2,600m high and easily reachable by ski lifts at the resort. The vertical drop back to the base area is over 1 kilometer, with another half-kilometer back down to the town. The World Cup for Alpine ski racing for women was held here recently, for both downhill and super, and the men’s slalom combined with a super. Regular competitions are held now, with 60 cannons blasting out snow to extend the seasong into April each year. If you want great value for money, you can’t find better than Bansko, and the great snow, apres ski and activities for adults and children make this a super holiday destination.

Snowboarding at the Resort

Snowboarding in Bansko ROCKS!!

If you are a snowboarder, then you will love this Balkans area. You can even build your own jumps here, and tailor a rull run with your friends to match their style and abilities. If you are interested in competitions, then you will find that the Shiligarnika run has daily races, and prizes are awarded.

Hiking in the Pirin Mountains

Hiking in the Pirin Mountains

Bansko is a delight in summertime, with gorgeous weather in the resort and local vicinity. Beautiful valleys surrounded by sharp granite peaks of the Pirin Mountains are cover with wonderful trails. You can start directly from the town, hire a driver, or rent a car to drive to further trails. Tour buses and local private guides can also be found at good prices. All levels of trails can be found in the area, from gentle day hikes, to seriously difficult trails with climbing and camping. Overnight and longer trips are easily arranged at a wide variety of tour companies in the town, and excellent supplies are available for all your hiking and camping needs.

Mountain Biking near Bansko

Mountain Biking - Get off Road in Bansko

Newly popular in Bansko is the sport of Mountain Biking. As recently as 10 years ago it was unheard of here, but now you can find experienced guides to show you fabulous trails. Maps of the area show over a thousand kilometers of trails now, including old logging tracks, trails along streams and rivers, runs with long vertical drops, and gently forested and quiet trails. Be sure to plan for a full day at least, and if you want longer, you can be assured of weeks

Rafting and Kayaking

Rafting and Kayaking - Get on The Water

If you want to get onto rivers for rafting and kayaking, the Pirin Mountains are quite amazing. Winter snow runoff assure full and fast flowing rivers all spring and summer, especially on the Struma River. White-water rafting and kayaking there is superb as the river runs down into the Sandankski Valley. For gentle-water trips, peaceful and relaxing, try the Mesta River. You can travel down river for a day, or longer if you wish. This entire area is pristine and exquisite, and will delight you with wonderful memories for years to come.

More and more people realize that bicycles can be much more useful than cars. Bikes are cheap, environmentally friendly, keep their owners in good health and as much more fun means of transport for travellers exploring a new destination. HostelBookers, the budget accommodation specialist names the top 5 bicycle-friendly cities and hostels in the world:

Amsterdam, the bike capital of the world, is home to the famous Amsterdam Bike Ramp which holds thousand of bikes. With a safe and extensive bike route network, bountiful governmental support and promotion, it’s no wonder 40% of the city’s traffic moves on two wheels. In the heart of Amsterdam city centre, Hostel Van Gogh provides cool modern facilities at a great price – including cycle hire for guests. It is just a few steps from the Van Gogh Museum, Rijks Museum and Amsterdam City Art Museum. At Hostel Van Gogh guests can pedal to the many bars, shops, clubs and restaurants on offer. The hostel is also just a 5-minute walk from the famous clubs and open markets of Amsterdam. Dorms start at €25per person per night and private rooms at €28pppn.

Named one of the Top Ten Places to Live in Europe, according to Forbes, Copenhagen is also home to the world’s most successful bicycle community program. In Denmark, most of the population has a bike, and for many years Copenhagen has been known as The City of Bikes. Every year Copenhagen invests on bike infrastructure additions and improvements. Just a few minutes from Copenhagen’s Central Railway Station, guests will find Hotel Ansgar. With its central location guests are only a few minutes walk from Tivoli Gardens, the famous shopping street of Strøget and Town Hall Square. The quiet street is perfect for getting to grips with the hotel bike rental. There are 81 rooms to choose from, ranging from singles to quads and all are equipped with Wi-Fi. Private rooms start at €43.60pppn.

The best thing about cycling in Berlin is the wide streets – Karl Marx Allee is 90m wide – and there are no uphill struggles. The government has decreed that all new roads in Berlin must have cycle lanes, and they are dedicated to ensuring the existing ones are updated. Currently there are over 620km of cycle paths and 190km of off-road routes. The Three Little Pigs Hostel in Berlin is housed in a former 19^th century convent at famous Potsdamer Platz Square. Guests will be just a short cycle ride away from the buzzing districts of Mitte and Kreuzberg, and they can rent bikes directly from the hostel. Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburger Tor and the Reichstag Building are just around the corner as is the best of Berlin’s nightlife. Dorms start from €11.46pppn and privates from €18.52pppn.

Cycling in Beijing, with its nine million bicycles, is something of a rite of passage. Bike rentals start from around 10 Yuan (€1) per day plus a cash deposit. In 2010 the Beijing officials launched a campaign to get people off the car-choked roads and on to the nice flat cycle routes. They believe 20 years ago, 4/5 of the city’s population cycled to work, but now just 1/5 saddle up every day.

Built on a 400-year-old historic site which once served as the home of famous artist Mr Mei Lan Fang, Beijing Si He Courtyard Hotel is just 10 minutes from the centre of Beijing. They have a free bike rental service so guests can explore Beijing the local way. Wangfujing Avenue, Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square are all nearby. There are spacious traditional guestrooms positioned around the courtyard so you have lovely views. The antique furniture and carvings of ancient symbols add to the atmosphere. Private rooms start from €39.95pppn.

Cycling in San Francisco is becoming very popular, thanks mostly to the increase and care given to the cycling infrastructure as well as it’s trendy fixed gear culture. As far as the terrain goes, the city is extreme, with famously steep hills but along long straight boulevards and wide avenues. The government has installed over 1,500 bike racks and all new car parks must provide a certain amount of bike storage space. Around 16% of San Francisco’s residents class themselves as ‘frequent cyclists’ biking on two or more days per week.  Green Tortoise Backpackers Guesthouse offers free meals, free Wi-Fi and even a free sauna. It’s located in the city by the bay and the free bike rental means guests can travel around the city in style the green way. There are private and dorm rooms with comfy beds, a lucky few have TVs and a huge selection of movies. Set out by bike, and the hostel is just a few minutes away from Chinatown, San Francisco Bay, Fisherman’s Wharf and Little Italy. Dorms and privates start at €22.96pppn.

Aunque parezca algo extraño, esta situación es habitual en redes sociales como Facebook, en la comunidad de Turismo 2.0, en la comunidad de Hosteltur y otros canales similares en los que, alguna persona, no puede resistir la tentación de promocionar su empresa a través de canales que no han estado diseñados para ese fin.

Google+ no iba a ser la excepción, y tras su reciente lanzamiento, Google ya ha tenido que tomar cartas para evitar que su nueva red social se llene de spam de empresas, por lo que ayer por la mañana empezó a eliminar algunas cuentas que habían sido creadas para dar visibilidad a empresas.

Os dejo unas citas que he recuperado de un post de Mashable en el que dejan muy clara la posición de Google sobre este tema:

“The business experience we are creating should far exceed the consumer profile in terms of its usefulness to businesses,” Oestlien says in his post. “We just ask for your patience while we build it. In the meantime, we are discouraging businesses from using regular profiles to connect with Google+ users. Our policy team will actively work with profile owners to shut down non-user profiles.”

Para aquellos que todavía tengan alguna duda sobre como utilizar Google+, os dejo un vídeo en el que un responsable de este producto nos explica los pasos que están preparando para poder lanzar, próximamente, una versión especial para empresas.

Pese a todos estos avisos, hay bastantes empresas grandes y notorias que no han podido resistir la tentación y han creado su perfil (siendo algunas de los perfiles más relevantes de la red social):

• Ford Motor Company
• Breaking News
• …

¿conocéis más ejemplos para recopilarlos en este artículo?

In this admiring spirit, we’re raising imaginary champagne flutes to our reviewer Ruth Phillips, an oft-touring cellist and writer who has just published her memoirs: Cherries from Chauvet’s Orchard. This colourful work paints the picture of Ruth’s life in Provence with her husband, the artist Julian Merrow-Smith. Ruth writes lovingly about the area, home to our own Provencal sweetheart, Hotel Crillon le Brave, which featured in our recent France book.

Of course, we like to think we spotted Ruth’s talents a long time ago. Our proof? Have a gander at these two enticing snippets from her hotel reviews…

1) Les Servages d’Armelle in Rhône-Alpes:

‘From the excellent wine list, Mr Smith chooses a Burgundy that smells properly of camembert. Through the wooden hatch and onto our plates comes freshwater shrimp bisque, stuffed squid, fillet of beef, roasted kumquats and wild mushrooms. A big green salad, though not on the menu, is prepared for us. Everything is comme il faut. Our wine glasses are refilled somewhat over-eagerly by the waiter, who reassures us, when we gesture helplessly at the cheese platter (which boasts tommes de this and that, a melty Reblochon and a mammoth Beaufort), that the cheese will still be there in the morning. And indeed it is, along with fresh crusty bread, home-made jam, eggs, ham, Savoie yoghurt and an excellent bowl of Illy coffee prepared by Armelle, with a country jug of steamed milk. A perfect pre-ski breakfast…’

Read the full review of Les Servages d’Armelle…

2) Finca Naranja in Ronda:

‘In pours the razor-sharp light through the front windows. We are honeymooners lying in a field of sunflowers. The mountains glow mauve and raw sienna in the afternoon haze. The azure pool fills us with longing. Pillows on a raised platform at the poolside lure us. Strips of blue cotton shiver like prayer flags in the breeze. ‘And now…’ says Mr Smith, closing the southern set (prematurely I think) and opening those to the side ‘…what will we see through the west-facing windows?’ Sunlight streams in toasty and orange. We are campers in a ploughed field. The ribbon of a track weaves through the hot valley and tugs us towards a sunset trek. Bee-eaters sing and distant cowbells ring. ‘Here,’ I think, as we open all the windows to the elements like canvas flaps onto the wild, ‘is my ultimate luxury tent…’

Read the full review of Finca Naranja…

If you love Ruth’s writing, and want to read more, have a peek at her blog: Meanwhile Here in France.