With an ancient history, Leros is a mountainous island with high cliffs painted in green color. Sustaining its fresh and calm environment in this increasingly polluted surrounding, it is bestowed by Mother Nature. Leros Island depicts and stands for the astonishing beauty of life with typical little white houses with blue doors and windows, built in Italian style scattered all over the place. Beaches always help to make you stay there for longer period of time. The most famous beach of Leros is Alinda, whereas Panagies and Dyo Lisgaria are very close to it, having nice restaurants and café. Being a natural port, it’s a popular hub for sailing with a capacity of thousands of luxurious yachts.

Leros don’t only astound others by its marvelous creation but also by its history and related myths. Going via mythology, Leros was firstly populated by the goddess Artemis. She had sent Calydonian Boar to Aetolia, where the King’s son murdered it. The goddess became so angry that she killed him. Now, looking at his sister’s grief she turned them into hens and took them to Leros where the soil was so fertile that they would never die of hunger.

Archaeologists believe that the first residents of the island were peoples from Asia Minor and Phoenicia. They took part in the Trojan War, and also fought the Persians by the Athenian side in the 5th century BC. It was then ruled by Macedonians and Romans.

Starting from traditional culture to rocking nightlife, from beaches to delicious food, from sailing to popular café’s, you can have it all in one shot (city life +beaches). Enjoy, folks

The world’s largest open-air beer festival is under way in Munich with as many as six million visitors from around the world expected to descend on the German city to take part in the 176th Oktoberfest.

The annual festival opened with the mayor of Munich wielding two swift strokes to pound a spigot into the first massive keg of beer and then saying the traditional words, “it’s tapped”. The sixteen-day annual Oktoberfest is one of the biggest travel draws in the Bavarian region of Germany. Every year visitors at the festival down as much as six-million liters of beer as well as consume around half a million chickens and hundred oxen. Sauerkraut, spaetzle and schnitzel are the usual favorites among traditional German foods while most festgoers prefer the special Oktoberfest beer which is brewed only from August through October

Apart from beer and music, Oktoberfest is also famous for its many cultural attractions. Venues are often brimming with dancers enjoying the polka while bands belt out lively strains of folk music. For families, there are children’s games, magic shows and colorful parades. The Oktoberfest is on till October 4th and lovers of good beer and German food can look up www.ooaha.com for some the best Munich hotel deals.

Mexico is one of the most popular travel destinations among the Latin American countries. Every year thousands of international tourists arrive here to bask in the golden beaches, explore the Meso-American ruins or experience Mexico’s thriving cultural scene.

Mexican culture is a unique blend of Meso-American heritage and European, especially Spanish influence and one city which embodies this is Guadalajara. The city is known as the cultural capital of Mexico and is home to a large number of theaters, art galleries and museums. One such destination is the Degollado Theater where some of the most notable theatrical productions in the country are staged.

Also known as the Teatro Degollado, the theater is located in the downtown district of Guadalajara on the Plaza de la Liberacion. The Degollado Theater was opened to the public on 13th September 1866 and its inaugural performance was Gaetano Donizetti’s famous opera Lucia di Lammermoor. Today the Degollado Theater has a full seating capacity of 1414 people and its repertoire includes both classical as well as modern pieces.

The theater building is also an architectural marvel whose portico is especially impressive. Based on a neo-classical design the portico is supported by massive Corinthian columns and topped by a triangular shaped pediment. Other attractions in the theater are late 19th century paintings by Jacobo Galvez and Gerardo Suarez.

Visitors keen to visit other attractions of the city can check out www.ooaha.com for best Guadalajara hotel deals.

One of the oldest capitals in the world, Budapest is a city teeming with both natural and architectural wonders. Its castles, historical monuments and the embankments along the River Danube attract visitors from across the world and have found place in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites.

One of the best known attractions in Hungarian capital Budapest is the series of thermal baths and spas that are fed by the natural hot springs right in the heart of the city. There are as many as 118 springs and boreholes which supply the city’s spas and baths ever day with 15.4 million gallons of water in temperatures ranging between 70 and 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

The oldest of the thermal spas in Budapest go back to the Roman times when they colonized the area just west of River Danube and built enormous spas there. The newer baths belong to the Turkish period when the spas served both recreational and medicinal purposes. Two of the best preserved baths from the Turkish period, the Kiraly thermal baths and the Rudas Medicinal baths are still famous among locals as well as tourists.

Visitors to the Hungarian capital can check out www.ooaha.com which lists some of the best Budapest hotel deals.

South Korea is a land of varied cultural attractions. While its many temples, shrines and monuments reveal the influence of ancient religions and traditional practices, the place to discover the rhythm and colors of contemporary living culture are its marketplaces.

One of the most colorful marketplaces in South Korea is the Jeongseon Market. Located in Gangwon-do, this Five-Day market is the place to visit if you want to look for mountain herbs, Korean vegetables, spices and corn rice wine. The specialty of this market is however the Goraengji, a Korean vegetable that only grows in the mountain regions or on plateaus at an altitude of 500 to 700 meters above the sea level. Other well-known products or the Jeongseon Market are the wild greens available during the spring and the medicinal herbs which make their appearance only in the autumn.

Along with its fresh produce, the Jeongseon Market is also a popular haunting place for traditional Korean dishes. One of the most-sought after items is a bowl of Kotdeungchigi noodles which is dish made from buckwheat noodles. Interestingly the meaning of Kotdeungchigi is “hit the nose” in Korean, so called because people tend to scoop the noodles in a hurry and then predictably get hit on the nose! But don’t come back from the market without sampling the corn makgeolli which is type of local wine.

To visit Jeongseon, go through www.ooaha.com as the site has some of the cheapest Jeongseon hotel deals.

One of the most culturally vibrant nations in Europe, Bulgaria boasts of a long tradition of artistic and cultural achievements. Its capital city Sofia attracts visitors from around the world with its treasure trove of art galleries, theaters, museums, opera houses and concert halls.

Nestled in the green embrace of Vitosha Mountains, Sofia is a city steeped in architectural beauty and cultural grandeur, best manifested in the Boyana Church which has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Located on the outskirts of the city, the Boyana Church is today regarded as a landmark Bulgarian monument. It is primarily famous for its splendid medieval architecture and its delicate murals. Painted as far back as 13th century, the murals on the walls of the Boyana Church continue to amaze visitors of today with their fragile beauty, expressiveness and a deep understanding of human nature.

The murals of the Boyana Church include paintings of national saints and martyrs besides depicting the royal Bulgarian couple, King Constantine and Queen Irina. Painted almost 400 years before the arrival of European Renaissance, these murals are a supreme example of the best of Eastern Christian Art.

Visitors to the Bulgarian capital can go through www.ooaha.com which lists some of the best Sofia hotel deals.

To the regular traveler Iceland may seem a formidable distance away but this country near the North Pole has an amazing array of attractions for visitors. While glaciers, lakes and fjords form the best known natural features of Iceland, an exciting range of wildlife and a thriving culture also form the core of many an unforgettable Icelandic vacation.

One of the most interesting places in the country is the Iceland Seal Center at Hvammstangi. This center brings together a desire to showcase Iceland’s wealth of wildlife with a responsible style of tourism that is aware of the need to protect the delicate natural environment of the region. For visitors, the Seal Center is a delightful resource of seal watching especially in the Vatnsnes Peninsula. The center also has a crafts shop where tourists can explore local handicrafts and artifacts.

Among other objectives of the Iceland Seal Center are furthering research in areas of sealery, seal products and seal-related farming besides fostering better understanding of environmental conservation of the whole northern coastal region.

The Iceland Seal Center at Hvammstangi is open to visitors on all weekdays from June to August from nine in the morning to five in the evening. Through September visitors can explore the center from ten in the morning to two in the afternoon on weekdays. Also check out www.ooaha.com for lodging options as the site has some of the best Hvammstangi hotel deals.

Russia is a land whose geographical expanse is matched by the complexity of its history and the richness of its cultural heritage. While cities like Moscow and St Petersburg form the core of tourism in Russia, other places like Novgorod also attract visitors for their historical value.

The medieval city of Veliky Novgorod is one of the most important places of historical interest in Russia. Located in the northwestern part of the country, Novgorod lies along the Volkhov River and is famous for its medieval architecture, the best known example of which is perhaps the St Sophia Cathedral. Built under orders of Vladimir Yaroslavich, the son of Yaroslav the Wise, the Cathedral dates back to the eleventh century. Today it is regarded as one of the best-preserved medieval structures and is perhaps the oldest Russian building that is still in use.

St Sophia’s Cathedral is famous as one of the first buildings to exhibit certain architectural features which came to be identified as typically Russian – like the use of five domed cupolas and the austere walls. Other significant details include its famed bronze gates in the west entrance as well as its frescoes, originally painted in the twelfth century.

Visitors interested to explore this magnificent cathedral and other historical sights of the city would do well to check out www.ooaha.com which has some of the best Veliky Novgorod hotel deals.

The Seychelles islands are famous the world over for their pristine beaches and exotic marine life.

Located on the eastern side of the African continent, the Republic of Seychelles is composed of 115 islands which have been broadly divided into the Inner and Outer Islands. While the Inner islands form the economic and cultural hub of the nation, the Outer Islands attract tourists for their low-lying coral atolls and reef islands.

Owing to the relatively remote location, the Outer Islands in Seychelles are less frequented by tourists. However the sand cays and coral atolls lining the coasts of these islands are a treasure trove of marine life. While the Aldabra Atoll is the largest raised coral atoll in the world, the Alphonse Island is also bordered by a spectacular coral reef which houses a variety of rare marine flora and fauna. Moreover the Alphonse Island is an important nesting ground for tortoises and several species of sea birds.

For lovers of aquatic sports, Alphonse Island offers options for diving, deep-sea sailing and fly-fishing. It is one of the very few Outer Islands that has luxury accommodations as well as executive suites for visitors. Check out www.ooaha.com for the best hotel deals in Alphonse Island.

Lovers of speed can look forward to the Singapore Grand Prix Season which is scheduled to take off on 18 September and will come to a thrilling finish on 27 September.

The Formula One SingTel Singapore Grand Prix will cover a race distance of 308.950 kilometers while the circuit length will be 5.067 kilometers. The race will be held on 27 September at the Marina Bay Street Circuit and is the world’s only Formula One night race. The number of laps to be completed at the race will be 61. The best lap record is held by K. Raikkonen who finished 1:45.599 at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

Besides the thrill of a Formula One race, the Singapore Grand Prix Season includes many other entertainment and shopping events. Some of the entertainment highlights of the season include musical performances by rock band Travis, pop sensation Backstreet Boys, soul queen Chaka Khan besides adrenalin-pumping acts by top DJs like John Digweed and Carl Cox. The circuit park will also host world famous theatrical performances like Strange Dream and Herbert’s Fruit by Cie des Quidam.

Other highlights of the Singapore Grand Prix Season include heavy discounts at city attractions as well as shopping and dining privileges at some of the city’s most fashionable addresses. Visit www.ooaha.com for the best and cheapest hotel deals in Singapore.