Specials Packages Hotels In California | "Flower festivals, gardens in bloom March 10"

Source        : http://www.mysanantonio.com
Category    : Specials Packages Hotels In California
By              : Hotels In San Diego
Posted By   : San Diego Rancho Bernardo CA Hotels

Specials Packages Hotels In California

Snow is still in the forecast for some northern locales, but other places are getting ready for spring. And the season's beauty will be on display with festivals and flower shows around the country, from events showcasing cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C., and Brooklyn, N.Y., to celebrations of dogwoods, camellias and azaleas in the South, to apple blossom and tulip festivals in the Northwest.
Here are some of the best and biggest festivals and flower shows around the U.S. this spring, along with some notable botanical gardens where something is always in bloom.

EVENTS

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Atlanta Dogwood Festival, April 19-21, Piedmont Park, Atlanta, www.dogwood.org/
Biltmore Blooms Festival of Flowers, March 21-May 31, Biltmore Estate, Asheville, N.C.,
Boston Flower & Garden Show, March 13-17, Seaport World Trade Center, Boston,
Camellia Walks, through March 23, Middleton Place, Charleston, S.C.
Celebrate Spring, March 1-April 30, Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Ga.
Chicago Flower & Garden Show, March 9-17, Navy Pier, Chicago
Daffodil Days, April 6-28, Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum, Bristol, R.I.
Daffodil Festival, April 26-28, Nantucket, Mass.
Dallas Blooms, March 2-April 7, Dallas Arboretum
Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, March 6-May 19, Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.,
Festival of Flowers, March 21-24, Bellingrath Gardens, Theodore, Ala. (near Mobile)
Garden Conservancy's Open Days (more than 300 private gardens in 18 states open to public on select dates March-November)
Hatsume Fair, March 23-24, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, Fla.,
Garden Club of Virginia's Historic Garden Week, tours at various sites April 20-27
Lilac Festival, May 10-19, Rochester, N.Y.
National Cherry Blossom Festival, March 20-April 14, Washington, D.C.,
Philadelphia Flower Show, March 2-10, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia,
Sakura Matsuri Festival, April 27-28, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn, N.Y., www.bbg.org
San Francisco Flower & Garden Show, March 20-24, San Mateo Event Center, San Mateo, Calif.,
Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, April 26-May 5, Winchester, Va
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, April 1-30, Mount Vernon, Wash.
Tulip Time Festival, Holland, Mich., May 4-11
Tulip Time, May 2-4, Pella, Iowa
Washington State Apple Blossom Festival, April 25-May 5, Wenatchee, Wash.
Wisteria Festival, March 17, Sierra Madre, Calif.

PLACES

Bloedel Reserve, Bainbridge Island, Wash.
Cleveland Botanical Garden, Cleveland
Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix
Dumbarton Oaks Gardens, Washington D.C.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, Fla.
Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass.
Holden Arboretum, Kirtland, Ohio,
International Rose Test Garden, Washington Park, Portland, Ore.
Huntington Botanical Gardens, San Marino, Calif.
Lan Su Chinese Garden, Portland, Ore.
Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pa.
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, S.C.
Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Mo.
New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York,
San Francisco Botanical Garden, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco,
U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory, Washington, D.C.
Wave Hill, Bronx, N.Y.
Winterthur Garden, Winterthur, Del.

Specials Packages Hotels In California | "Easter Getaway Transport Guide – Road, Rail, Air Travel And More"

Source      : http://www.guardian.co.uk
Category    : Specials Packages Hotels In California
By              : Hotels In San Diego
Posted By   : San Diego Rancho Bernardo CA Hotels

Specials Packages Hotels In California

Weather forecasters are predicting the recent cold weather will continue until the end of April. This means Britons' short-term travel plans are likely to be heavily disrupted by the ongoing wintry conditions.

Here is a round-up of expected conditions on the roads, railways and at airports and ferry ports.

Road travel

• The RAC expects more than seven million motorists to be out and about over the Easter weekend.

• Outstanding roadworks are still in place in some parts of the country, including on the M1 near Milton Keynes and part of the M4 near Reading. Disruptions are expected in both directions on the M25 between junctions 23 and 27, and junctions 5 and 7.

• Check the AA traffic news site for the very latest updates.

Trains

• The number of trains running over the Easter weekend will be up 10.6% on 2012, with 73,312 services predicted to be running, compared to 66,012.

• Engineers are expected to be out across the Easter weekend, but Network Rail says several areas will be subject to major improvement works, including London to Milton Keynes and Stevenage, and around the St Pancras area in general; between Lincoln and Sleaford; between Newcastle and Carlisle; and between Glasgow Central and Crossmyloof/Pollockshields. Station improvement works will be carried out at Reading and Birmingham New Street, which may also cause disruptions.

• Check with National Rail for planned engineering works or to check your journey before you travel.

Planes

• If weather conditions deteriorate passengers at all airports should call ahead to make sure their flights are still scheduled to depart.

• Heathrow airport is predicting that today will be its busiest departure day with more than 116,000 people heading abroad for last-minute skiing or guaranteed sunshine over the Easter weekend.

Coach travel

• National Express says it is usually able to run services whatever the weather, although inevitably there may be some delays. When it is bad enough for it to suspend services it will post a notice on its website.

• If passengers are in any doubt about how the weather may affect their service, they are advised to ring 08717 818178. You can also use the company's Twitter feed – @nxupdates – for latest service updates and @nxcare for customer service.

London Underground

• The Jubilee, Metropolitan and Northern lines are all subject to part closure over the Easter weekend, from Good Friday until Easter Monday.

• There is part closure of the Circle and District lines on Easter Monday.

• All other lines are open and should be running smoothly. Check the planned works calendar for more information.

• Check the live departure boards for up-to-the-minute updates

Ferries

• A cross-Channel ferry strike has been called off, alleviating the possibility of extended delays for passengers at Calais, Dieppe and Cherbourg among others.

• Check ahead with your ferry provider for any expected disruptions and delays.

Weather warnings

• Forecasters predict the cold weather will be in place across the Easter weekend for the vast majority of the country, although it should at least be dry.

Frank Saunders, Met Office chief forecaster, said: "The prospect of drier and brighter weather will be a welcome relief for many, but the prolonged low temperatures will mean that any lying snow will be slow to thaw. People should be aware of the potential for tricky driving conditions if they are travelling this weekend."

• Check with the Met Office website for short- and longer-term forecasts.

Travel hotspots – browse our collaborative map of where to avoid

Guardian readers have plotted the black spots to avoid on busy bank holiday weekends and getaways – click on a balloon to find out more about which area to avoid.

Specials Packages Hotels In California | "Golf Travel"

Source      : http://www.thestar.com
Category    : Specials Packages Hotels In California
By              : Hotels In San Diego
Posted By   : San Diego Rancho Bernardo CA Hotels


EMERALD COAST, NICARAGUA—Golf turns up in the most unlikely places. During his trip to the moon in 1971, Apollo 14 astronaut Alan Shepard whacked a couple of golf balls into deep space.

Specials Packages Hotels In California

Recently, the game has surfaced on Nicaragua’s Emerald Coast . Central America may not be quite as distant as the moon, but this part of the world is mostly unexplored and is nearly as exotic. The Mukul Resort, which just opened at the beginning of February, is part of a new beach community that curls along a virgin 6.5 kilometre stretch of Pacific Ocean sand on Nicaragua’s west coast. The mountains and tropical coastal forest roll down to the very edge of the ocean and the squawks and chatter of the monkeys and the rainbow coloured birds ring out through the stillness. Now though, there is the occasional thwack of the golf ball. The resort includes the Guacalito Golf Club which was designed by Scottish golf architect David McLay Kidd, known for his awarding winning work at Bandon Dunes in Oregon and the Castle Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. The course, which also opened at the beginning of February begins and ends at Manzanillo Beach and in between rises and twists over the forest and the hills. The green at the eighth hole can only be reached by a suspension bridge built by local craftsman and is attached firmly to the mighty guanacaste and tamarindo trees. The 18th green, the exclamation point of a stunning par 3, seems to slide right into the beach, so that after the round, you could walk off the course and straight into the Pacific surf. The current green fee at Guacalito is US$145.
The multi-million dollar development is the brainchild of Don Carlos Pellas, one of the most influential men in Central America. The family’s 135 year old company has interests in financial services, sugar, healthcare, technology, transportation and Flor de Cana rum. The resort includes beach villas and cliffside bohios and when the Pellas family isn’t in residence, guest can book suites in their 20,000 sq. ft. beach home.
Montecristo Lifestyles Estate is another oceanfront, real estate community located on the coast of Nicaragua which is currently making its debut. Montecristo will also feature a major golf course, a 7,060 yard layout that begins along the river plain and then climbs into the mountains, with big time views of the ocean and rivers. The front nine is expected to open later this year.
Nicaragua isn’t the only spot in Central America where golf is booming. In January 2011, the Black Pearl Golf Club opened on Roatan, a Caribbean island that juts up out of the ocean about 65 kilometres off the coast of Honduras. (Sunwing features flights to Roatan from Toronto.) The island is best known as the former hideout for 17th century pirates and more recently the scuba and snorkeling set who love to explore the stunning Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second largest barrier reef on the planet. But golfers too are making their way to Roatan for the course designed by the father and son team of Pete and Perry Dye. The dad is infamous for his nasty island green at the TPC Sawgrass in Florida and he’s added a similar challenge at Black Pearl. The 11th is a 157 yard par 3 with a slippery green popped in the middle of a lake. The tough tee shot is leavened with a stunning view of the Caribbean.
Costa Rica also sports some good golf. The Four Seasons Resort in Costa Rica features an Arnold Palmer design which opened in January of 2004. Ranked in the top 100 courses you can play outside of the United States by Golf Digest, the course traces the high ground of the Peninsula Papagayo with views of the ocean on most of the course. The signature hole is the #6, El Bajo, a 446 yard par 4 where the tee shot plummets 200 ft., down to a valley that leads to a green notched into a cliff above the water.
To paraphrase the late, great Stompin’ Tom Connors, ‘Golf is everywhere man, golf is everywhere.’
Ian Cruickshank is a Toronto based writer. His column usually appears on the fourth Saturday of each month.
JUST THE FACTS
The Four Seasons Resort in Costa Rica features an unlimited golf package starting at US$495. Guests can play as much golf as they want during their stay and also receive complimentary Titleist golf club rentals, practice range access and a US$50 spa credit. Children 12 and under play for free at the resort with a paid adult round.