A wonderful sunny place to visit is Portugal, with heaps of culture and things to do. Some of the best Portugal villas are situated on or near the Algarve. Steeped in history, you can choose to sunbathe on its many beautiful beaches, enjoy a family day out at a waterpark or hire a car and explore the stunning landscape along the beautiful coastline.

Vilamoura is a popular area with many sports and leisure activities on offer for the whole family, such as the Vilamouraténis Center which offers lawn bowling, swimming, golf, riding, squash and shooting. Indulge in a spot of retail therapy at the Marina Shopping Centre and try your hand at the area’s very own casino for a fun, glamorous night out.

Albufeira is another great location whether for a fun-filled stag weekend or a quiet family holiday – the area can accommodate both. There’s the Old Town with pretty white-washed houses, and narrow cobbled streets, with restaurants and coffee houses offering a picturesque view of the sea.

Then there’s the famous ‘Strip’, brimming with bars and clubs where you can party into the small hours. Other popular areas include the Duoro Valley – classified as a World Heritage Site where visitors can enjoy the area’s famous Port Wine, or cruise up the famous Duoro River by taking one of the many boat trips available throughout the day.

Or if you fancy roving further afield why not make Florida your holiday destination this year? Florida villas are some of the most beautiful in the States. The perfect place if you’re planning a family trip to Disney World Resort, you can opt for a villa just a short 30 minute drive from the park itself, where the kids can explore the Magic Kingdom as well as the Animal Kingdom Park, to name just two of the six on offer. Enjoy a number of attractions, restaurants, sights and sounds.

Orlando itself is bursting with things to see and do, with copious shopping malls and golf courses galore! Or why not admire some wildlife at Gatorland or SeaWorld’s Discovery Cove? In the evening you can be dazzled by the world-famous Cirque de Soleil or the quirky Blue Man Group, otherwise you can check out one of Orlando’s special dinner theatres for a fun-filled night of food and entertainment.

Another area worth exploring is the gorgeous Gulf Coast with numerous lakes and rivers for plenty of fishing opportunities, or you can opt for a cruise and take in the picturesque sights. There are also many fantastic fish restaurants to choose from. You can also go croc-spotting and admire many other types of wildlife at Everglades National Park. And if you want some brief down time, you can relax in a luxury villa, catch some rays by the pool and enjoy a cosy family night in, away from the demands of everyday life.

Lifecruiser Love Holiday Villas
 

Orlando is perhaps most known for the Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando Universal Resort, SeaWorld and Gatorland, but for us golfers also as a warming up winter escape place with many top golf courses as well as other attractions and activities for the whole family (lots of gardens for the wife).

As an old golfer since 26 years, I’ve picked out a few golf courses to try out, which I found interesting. Of course, what is interesting varies for different persons, but if you’re a fairly good golfer with at least a rather low golf handicap, you might like these ones you too.

Falcons Fire: given four stars by GolfDigest as well as rated as America’s Top 15 Women Friendly Courses by Golf for Women, it’s a must play, conveniently located close to the Walt Disney World Resort and Orlando International Airport, rates from $49-$79. (falconsfire.com)

Golf Hawks Landing: at the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort (the worlds largest Marriott) with beautiful wildlife with native birds, rates $39-$129 depending on time of the day when going out. (golfhawkslanding.com)

Hunters Creek: Another must play public golf course with strategically placed bunkers I could need the experience from. Spacious, rolling fairways among 13 lakes sounds like a relaxing but demanding enough golf round for me. Rates $16-$69. (golfhunterscreek.com)

Mystic Dunes Golf: 2 different nine holes. The front nine similar to a British Isles link’s course, the other nine as classic Carolina courses, with wetlands and marsh areas and cypress forests. It’s perhaps the rolling sand dunes and 5 sets of tee boxes that makes me think it would be my kind of course. Golf Getaway Packages starting at $135. (mysticdunesgolf.com)

Grand Cypress: A golf resort with 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus Signature golf, with luxury Orlando hotel accommodations which my wife would love to stay at (OK, me too), relaxing at the spa getting a massage or in the pool while I’m golfing. (grandcypress.com)

There are so many great golf courses in the Orlando area, that at least I don’t think that you would be disappointed, what ever golf course you choose. Some other great websites to check out if going to Orlando are orlandogolftrail, orlandogolf, golforlando and golfnow.com/orlando.

When to go there depends on what kind of person you are, if you cope with the heat or rain. Most of the rain falls June-September. I think I’d prefer to go there in the spring. I would definitely try to avoid the hurricane season, especially with my wife’s bad weather curse, remember? (lol)

If we ever are in the same area, let me know and we do a golf round challenge. That is, if you dare? My golf handicap? Officially 5,8, but I’m not sure if I live up to that. I’ve been trying to raise my handicap – have been down at 3,2 when I played every day, now I play more seldom.

©Lifecruiser Love Golf Travel

Some other golf travel related posts at Lifecruiser:

Tips for nightlife in Algarve (twilight golf)
Enjoy UK golf breaks and take in these top three courses
Swedish Golf Season Start 2011
PhotoHunt Golf self-reflection
Golf pleasures in and out
 

There are theme parks galore. There are ocean-side beaches and gulf-coast beaches. Golfing, fishing and deep-sea diving have always been favourite activities of locals and tourists alike. Florida attracts 84 million visitors a year, and the state has so many golden beaches, palm-lined promenades and top attractions that more than half those visitors will return in the future.

A cruise will give you a Florida taster, but even if you spend fourteen sunny days docked at a terminal in St. Petersburg or Miami, you will only begin to scratch the surface of what Florida has to offer.

Walt Disney World and Miami receive a lot of press and publicity, and it is difficult to imagine Florida without Cinderella’s castle or the glitterati and star-studded clubs that line the streets of South Beach. However, Florida also has a quiet and more romantic side.

If you are docked anywhere near one of the following destinations, be sure to venture off the cruise ship and explore. Florida’s quiet and romantic side might be difficult to find, but it is still there, hidden amongst the mangroves.

Caladeski Island State Park

A tranquil and uncrowded shoreline is a difficult commodity to find in Florida. From Pensacola and Daytona to Vero and Fort Lauderdale, the beaches are packed with families, revellers and sun worshippers. If you are looking for a romantic hideaway where you can escape the cruise ship crowd as well as the teeming masses on the beach, look no further than Caladeski Island State Park. Located near Tampa, you cannot access this idyllic island retreat by car, but need to take a boat. This is the perfect place for you and your loved-one to disappear for a few quiet hours. Hike, swim, have a picnic or paddle a kayak through the tranquil water, this is how Florida was before 84 million visitors arrived.

Sanibel Island

Located on the lower Gulf Coast, Sanibel is world-renown for its beautiful beaches and seashells. Whelks, olives, conchs and the junonia, the island’s most celebrated shell, can all be found on Bowman’s Beach. Bowman’s Beach is one of the most remote swaths of sand on Sanibel Island. You need to walk through beach grass, pines and wetland just to reach Bowman’s Beach. However, it is a small price to pay for the type of scenic beauty and peacefulness you will find on this remote outpost of white sand.

Book with Virgin Holidays Cruises now to see how much you could save on a late cruise deal!

Lifecruiser Love Romantic Florida
 

One particular type of these resorts that is growing in popularity, are the ones which offer tennis camps. Over the past decade, tennis affiliated resorts have attracted thousands of enthusiasts, however, only a few have gained distinguished notoriety. Such tennis resorts include:

Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt

To say that this resort is nestled in the hills of Tirol, Austria would be an understatement. The stunning Wilder Kaiser mountains create the backdrop for this resort, however, the view is hardly why hundred flock to the resort each year. Since 1978, Peter Burwash International has taught tennis camps at the resort which features 14 courts. In addition to housing some of the most successful tennis camps in the world, the Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt has 6 indoor tennis courts and a multi-lingual staff.

Club Med- Sandpiper Bay Florida

Club Med has long been specializing in tennis, and the Sandpiper Bay all-inclusive resort has the leading Club Med Tennis Academy. The resort has classes for both children and adults making it a great choice for any family, and even offers programs for children as young as 4 months. Among the list of tennis programs are free daily clinics, day camps, and professional training which can cater to any skill level from novice to advanced. Guests who choose to stay may also choose the resort’s all inclusive option.

Roy Emerson Tennis Holidays – Gstaad, Switzerland

The Gstaad Palace is the host of the Roy Emerson Tennis Camp, and is one of the most renown hotels in the world, as well as a prized historical marker in Switzerland. The resort only hosts the camp annually and only has four courts, however, guests can expect to be coached by the famous Roy Emerson himself. For six days, guests receive intensive training – there are 5-hour-a-day clinics held each day – and can expect to play several double matches.

Lifecruiser ♥ Tennis