Around the World

Planning to visit the Centro Colombo shopping mall in Lisbon, Portugal? There's more than meets the eye at the Colombo Centre Mall than glitzy shops and fine dining restaurants - the interiors of the mall itself!  Brace your neck to look up to the soaring domed roof, swivel it around the magnificent spread of the interior layout in general and drop it to look at the mosaic floors.  You will be impressed by the contemporary architectural style, credited to architect José Quintela da Fonseca, which at the same time retains the old world charm of the era of wonderful explorations & discoveries. You will see quaint names of streets of a bygone past amidst familiar names of contemporary branded products and services in the shops and fine dining areas.

When visiting Mumbai, Maharastra, India instead of dining out at restaurants serving Italian, Chinese or Mexican food, you would be well advised to try out the varied cuisines of India.  Head to Restaurant 29 in a group to savour the delectable vegetarian delights of the 29 States of India. You will also be delighted with the service - quick, non-intrusive, helpful. Hands-down, one of the best services we've had in a restaurant! You can also get a complimentary sweet dish - won't tell you how, as that would be spoiling the fun!

You can have a special escapade this summer in France with unique experiences in Paris, Bordeaux and Toulose to make your vacation an extra memorable one. Details posted here are sourced from a print advertisement of the official website of tourism in France.

For those looking for budget service apartments in Margao, Goa, look no further than the ones managed by Jovito Fernandes of Vilanova Holidays.  Spacious, clean, quiet, not too far from the central market place of Margao - the service apartments are value for money. It really makes far better sense to stay together in one service apartmen t especially when travelling in a group, rather than booking multiple rooms in a hotel , so as to con t rol the costs. First off, let me tell you about its location.

We had a wonderful two nights stay at Vilanova Service Apartments, located in Shirvodem, Margao Goa. It is managed by Jovito Fernandes.  We found it very economical and conveniently located, as mentioned here . We booked a 2BHK service apartment to accommodate three of us comfortably. The apartment is clean and hygienic  and ha s all the basic essentials. This post is a personal review of our stay there and we would highly recommend it to families with children and groups of friends.

Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada Toledo or Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo, simply known generally as the The Cathedral of Toledo, is devoted to Virgin Mary. The Gothic architectural style holds you in awe and you continue to be spell bound as you quietly make your way around the interiors of the Cathedral.  It is advisable to keep aside an hour or even more just to visit this Cathedral, the reason being that there is not just the main C hapel to admire, but over half a dozen chapels within. The magnificence within each one of them is a photographer's delight. Contact details are provided at the end of this post for any further i nformation.

Montserrat Barcelona Spain is an unusual mountain range which is home to Santa Maria de Montserrat, a Benedictine Abbey. It is a truly lovely place, a must-visit place on your itinerary. It is not just the spectaculary scenery from high above the city that will mesmerize you, but also the simple beauty of the Abbey itself. It is not too far away from the city of Barcelona - just approximately an hour's journey away. At the destination, you need to board a cable car or what is known as the rack railway from the bottom of the mountain to proceed upward to arrive at the retreat itself. Remeber to visit the Museum of Montserrat and the audiovisual room too.