Jetsettersblog

Cape San Blas in Port St. Joe, FL Tops the List

New York, NY – Petside.com (http://www.petside.com),  the popular online destination for pet owners and pet enthusiasts, has released its list of the Top 10 Dog-Friendly Beaches, each selected for its outstanding features and promise of fun for dogs and their owners alike: http://www.petside.com/wellness/top_10_dog-friendly_beaches.php

 “At Petside, we know that a day at the beach is even better when you can bring your four-legged companion, so we looked far and wide to identify America’s friendliest dog beaches,” said Joshua Fried, Director, Petside.com.

“This year’s list includes some spectacular spots from Florida to Oregon and many locations in between.” Cape San Blas (Port St. Joe, Florida) aces with its year-round, leash-free policies and plethora of dog-friendly activities.

A sailing program welcomes dogs aboard and the many pet-friendly restaurants nearby are sure to please patrons of both the two and four-legged variety.

In addition to the playful waterfront at Cape San Blas, the following spots rank as the best places for pups to feel the sand beneath their paws: 2. Quiet Waters Park (Annapolis, Maryland) reserves a fenced-off area as a special beach just for your pooch.

Moreover, the beach sponsors the annual “Howl-O-Ween Barkin Bash” costume parade for dogs and their owners. 3. Block Island (Rhode Island) is a small dog-friendly island open year-round. The beach has a relaxed leash policy, and bans all motor vehicles, making it a safe haven for your furry friend to roam around. 4. Cannon Beach (Cannon Beach, Oregon) is a four mile stretch of beach along the Pacific conveniently located near a town filled with dog-friendly hotels, restaurants and shops. Dogs must stay on-leash, but the view is worth it.

5. Fort De Soto Park (St. Petersburg, Florida) has the unique “Paw Playground,” consisting of fenced-in areas for both big dogs and small dogs. The park provides dog showers, a dog beach and fresh drinking water.

With a new airline dedicated to travel for cats and dogs launching soon
() , it’s even easier for our furry friends to take much-needed vacation time.

Dog owners looking for more places to relax in the sunshine with Fido can visit this link

  to see the entire list of Petside.com’s Top 10 Dog-Friendly Beaches.

About Petside.comPart of iVillage Networks, Petside.com (www.petside.com ) was created by NBC Digital Networks, in partnership with Procter & Gamble Productions, Inc., as a comprehensive source of information and services that helps pets and their owners get the most out of life. Offering customized content and a highly personalized experience, Petside.com is ranked among the top 5 pet Web sites and offers unique editorial features, expert Q&A’s, tools and how-to videos.

Located in the lush center part of Martinique, near the town of Morne Rouge , La Maison de la Nature offers to the visitor a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere, with unique views on the Mount Pelee volcano.

A full itinerary had been designed through the park estate, guiding your visit, from a few minutes to a full hour of walking time through gardens featuring more than 100 species of tropical plants.

Maison de la Nature estate is actually going under a full program of renovation in order to maximize your experience. Inauguration is scheduled for October 10th, 2009.

Innovations will include a boutique with eco-related souvenirs, improved signage, installation of wooden kiosks in the parks for visitors leisure comfort and much more.

It will also be possible to privatize Maison de la Nature site for special events.

Maison de la Nature will open daily, Monday to Saturday.
Tel contact: 011 596 596 52 33 49
Address: Route de la Trace
Carrefour des Deux Choux,
Morne Rouge

Did you know that banana consists of 75% water, has 393 mg of potassium, is an excellent source of fiber, is full of minerals and vitamins (ABC and E)? These are a few of the interesting nutrition facts that you will learn about bananas, while visiting the Musee de la Banane.

Following a few months of renovation and reorganization, the Banana Museum recently reopened.

Created in 1996 on the site of a working plantation estate, this museum is nestled in the heart of a banana plantation in Sainte Marie on the North Atlantic side of Martinique, just 22 miles from Fort de France.

The visitor is invited to learn more about the Banana history, culture, production and healthy benefits though an interactive itinerary combining the museum itself and its boutiques but also a nice promenade through the park that features 44 banana species and tropical flowers. A great discovery for all ages!

The Banana museum is opened daily from 9 am to 4 pm

Location: Habitation Limbe
Quartier Fourniol
97230 Sainte Marie
Website: www.museedelabanane.fr
Email: contact@museedelabane.fr

BOYNE FALLS, Mich. — A recent AAA survey rated Boyne Mountain among the ten most popular driving destinations in Michigan based on queries from Michigan residents planning summer vacations.

Boyne Mountain was the only resort destination included on the list. The resort’s attractions include two golf courses, an indoor waterpark, spa and salon services, disc golf, tennis, hiking and biking, a putting course, sandy beach with kayaks, sail boats and row boats as well as daily adventure camp for kids and evening activities for families.

This summer, travelers seeking a reprieve can take advantage of valuable deals offered during the peak of summer with new specialty packages. Boyne Mountain has introduced an economy Room & Round golf package that starts at $72 per person and provides golfers lodging and one 18-hole round with cart.

If spa is more the lure, the resort’s new Solace Spa Renewal package includes lodging for two, breakfast for two, a $200 spa and salon credit, unlimited spa access and group fitness classes all starting at $299 per night. And with Avalanche Bay, Michigan’s largest indoor waterpark on property, a lodging and waterpark package for a family of four starts at $147 all summer long.

“We were so proud to learn that Michiganians regard us as a top destination for spending their hard earned dollars and vacation time,” said Ed Grice, general manager of Boyne Mountain.

“We have a great team of individuals who, on a daily basis, go the extra mile to ensure the vacation experience had by each of our guests is the best it can possibly be. Without them, we would not be able to offer the superior service that keeps vacationers returning to Boyne Mountain.”

Other driving destinations that rounded out the top ten list include Mackinaw City/Mackinac Island, Traverse City, Frankenmuth/Birch Run, Dearborn (The Henry Ford and Museum), Munising, Sault St. Marie, Dundee, Saugatuck/Douglas and Lansing.

For reservations or more information, please visit www.BOYNE.com  or call 800.GO.BOYNE (462-6963).

BOYNE is a collection of mountain and golf resorts, retail stores and real estate opportunities based in Michigan. Each of the collection is a member of the Boyne Resorts family of resorts and attractions and includes Boyne Mountain Resort in Boyne Falls; Boyne Highlands Resort in Harbor Springs and The Inn at Bay Harbor – A Renaissance Golf Resort in Bay Harbor as well as Bay Harbor Golf Club, Crooked Tree Golf Club, Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark, Boyne Country Sports and Boyne Realty. With countless lodging and meeting facilities, eight championship golf courses, premiere snowsports terrain, two spas, distinctive dining, spectacular events and Michigan’s largest indoor waterpark, we ask……what are you up for?

For more information on BOYNE, please visit www.BOYNE.com

CLEBURNE, Texas — Dancing over, around and next to Lake Pat Cleburne, the new Cleburne Golf Links is as close to a true Scottish Links as any golfer in the Dallas/Fort Worth area will find without a trip over the pond.

Much like the Old Course in St. Andrews, the outward nine extends north to a point furthest from the clubhouse where you will find the ninth green and then turns back around to the south, offering dramatic views to the lowland holes adjacent to the shoreline and across the lake.

When asked to explain the primary focus of the design, John Colligan, Principal of Colligan Golf Design explained, “Our primary objective was to make sure that the design and features of the course did not compete or overpower the site.

We wanted the course to work in concert with the gently rolling terrain, native grasses and breath taking views”. This approach also helped to minimize the amount of material which needed to be moved and kept the budget below the three million dollar mark.

It is Colligan’s belief that the Golf Course Architect has a responsibility to the golfing public, as well as the Owner to be prudent in the design process in an effort to keep green fees reasonable without sacrificing the look and feel of the golf course.

“We were very excited when city officials agreed that this should be a course that will help to grow the game of golf,” Colligan said, “We have incorporated great putting, short game and practice range facilities along with a beginner/junior tee on each hole which play to a total length of 2695 yards”. In addition, each hole offers four tee sets which measure 5399 from the front and up to 7068 from the back set. The course also features Miniverde greens, Tifsport bermudagrass tees and fairways, GN-1 bermudagrass primary rough,

Sahara bermudagrass secondary rough and a mixture of several native grasses which make up the tertiary rough.

All of these grasses work together to provide the golfer with superior playing surfaces along with fantastic color and texture contrast.

Colligan Golf Design, member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects is based in Arlington, Texas and is currently working on major renovation plans with the city of Fort Worth on Rockwood Golf Course and the city of Dallas for Stevens Park Golf Course. Minor renovations in progress include Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club along with Shady Oaks and River Crest Country Clubs in Fort Worth, Texas. Golf courses recently renovated include Squaw Valley “The Apache Links Course”, in Glen Rose, and Brackenridge Park Golf Course in San Antonio, Texas.

You can have a bird’s eye view of Luxembourg while gliding peacefully through the air.

Take a balloon flight across the countryside with a champagne toast and a certificate stating you completed your inaugural flight. In spring and summer, flights run daily in the early morning or evening, while in autumn and winter, depending on the weather conditions, they may take place at any time of day. For more of an adrenaline rush, try gliding on the wind in a small plane. The gliding airfield “Op der Hoh” and the flying school of the “Cercle Luxembourgeois de Vol à Voile” are located near Useldange, northwest from the capital, and open on weekends and holidays from May to October.

For more ideas, go to www.visitluxembourg.com

Grab a bike for a trip through the beautiful countryside of Austria.
The most famous cycle path in Austria leads from Passau to Vienna along the beautiful Blue Danube. Discover the breathtaking landscape, picturesque villages and cultural highlights from Linz, the European Cultural Capital 2009, to the centuries old vineyards in the Wachau Valley.

Cycle along the Danube on dedicated bike paths through gentle hills, forests and meadows, making this trip ideal for first-timers and families. Countless attractions, castles, abbeys and excavation sites tell stories from as far back as ancient Roman times, and the Austrian hospitality and cuisine will make this trip an unforgettable experience. This tour offered by BikeToursDirect can be tailored to your preferences including number of days, daily distance, built-in rest days and any special interests. The cost for one-week tours start at €555, running from April to October, with hotels, luggage transfers and bike rentals included.

To book your trip and learn about other tours, visit www.austria.info

With a hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia, Turkey offers some of the most breathtaking views in the world and the thrilling sensation described as “sailing in the sky.”

Located in central Turkey, Cappadocia is famous for its ancient “cave culture”; residents have been converting the soft volcanic rock that defines the area’s geology into churches and homes – and more recently hotels and restaurants – for six millennia.

The extensive cave structures coupled with Cappadocia’s dramatic blend of jagged rocky peaks and glistening valleys make the landscape unlike any other in the world. From 1,000 feet in the air with the sun dancing off the tiered caves and the seemingly endless rows of narrow rocky peaks, Cappadocia is easily among the world’s must-see balloon destinations.

For more information, visit www.goturkey.com

With its beautiful coastline and collection of 1,185 islands, Croatia offers Adriatic diving at its finest.
Summer is the best time to dive, with temperate waters and visibility ranging from 60 to 90 feet.

The Adriatic offers subterranean caves, tunnels, canyons, crevices, pillars and arches carved by centuries of erosion.

For those who prefer to stay above the surface, the national park of Paklenica is one of the most popular areas for kayaking, and is located close to the city of Zadar on the Adriatic Coast. The River Dobra in the Gorski Kotar area is also a great places for rafting, kayaking and other water sports.

To learn more, visit www.croatia.hr

Malta’s rugged terrain and clear seas offer all manner of adventure sports with activity levels to suit both beginners and the experienced.
For the spirit of adventure, there’s rock climbing, caving and paragliding, or for some family fun, try go-carting.

The climate, terrain and scenery are ideal for walking, cycling and touring by car. Enjoy a leisurely ramble or join a jeep safari for a wilder, off-road view. The Islands are a paradise for divers with warm water all year and excellent visibility.

The Islands are also superb for sailing – schools offer lessons for the active while harbor cruises are ideal for those who prefer to relax on board. Fancy an alternative sea view? Try jet skiing, water skiing, paragliding, wakeboarding and more.

For more ideas, go to www.visitmalta.com