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Fancy basking in the sun this Christmas?

diciembre 11th, 2012 | Posted by Iberostar Hotels & Resorts in DESTINATIONS - (0 Comments)

Did you know there are more than 5,000 islands in the Caribbean? To find the perfect Caribbean island for your Christmas holiday, you should start by deciding what you’d like to see and do. Although you’ll find sun and sand whichever one you choose, not all Caribbean islands are identical. And the same goes for the countries.

So what springs to your mind when you think of Christmas in the Caribbean? Do you picture a peaceful, relaxing and quite spot, or do you prefer active tourism in a place with lots of things to see and a lively nightlife? Or perhaps all you want to do is enjoy a few gentle strolls, a little retail therapy and discover treasures that you’d never see at home?

It’s worth taking your time to discover your ideal Caribbean destination. And to help you make up your mind, I’ve come up with a few ideas.

You could choose a destination like Cuba, which combines warm sunshine and the endless beaches of Varadero with long strolls around Havana, people-watching and taking in the colourful contrasts, colonial-style architecture and quirky cars that can be seen on the streets.

Or perhaps you’d rather learn to dance bachata and merengue on the vast beaches of the Dominican Republic, try your hand at countless water sports and discover its mouth-watering gastronomy.

If you have a passion for culture, nature and music, but are anxious not to miss out on fabulous beaches and a perfect climate, then Jamaica is just what you need. Its mountain peaks, more than 120 rivers, magnificent waterfalls and fine white sandy beaches form the perfect mix for a unique and thrilling holiday experience.

And if you’d like a combination of nature and history, then get away to Mexico this Christmas. Apart from the fabulous beaches that line the country’s coastline, the Mayan Riviera boasts stunning flora and fauna and one of the most admired ancient cultures, whose buildings are still dotted around the gorgeous Mexican landscape.

 

“IBEROSTAR Hotels & Resorts has marvellous hotel complexes in the finest destinations in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Mexico. So where will you be heading this Christmas?”

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Fancy feeling all the excitement in the lead-up to the World Cup and Olympic Games at first hand?

octubre 16th, 2012 | Posted by Iberostar Hotels & Resorts in DESTINATIONS - (0 Comments)

Brazil is immersed in a double countdown as the future host of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

The truth is that Brazil is already one of the most attractive holiday destinations. The birthplace of Pelé, Carlinhos Brown or Ayrton Senna doesn’t really need any sporting events to rank it among the top ten most visited countries. That character of its people, their lifestyle and culture… they’re all quite simply irresistible!

Who hasn’t dreamed of seeing or being seen as they strut their stuff on the beaches of Copacabana?  Who hasn’t dreamed of sunbathing on one of the countries countless paradisiacal beaches? Who could resist the chance to explore the Amazon River on a cruise? And who wouldn’t give in to the temptation to experience at least once in their lifetime the Carnival in Rio or Salvador de Bahía? For all these and many more reasons besides, there’s no need for any sporting excuse to visit Brazil…although what a magnificent opportunity to combine all this with the Olympics and world class football!

I can’t even start to think what the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Olympic Games will be like in a venue of the stature of the Maracaná Stadium! Although we can be pretty sure that both ceremonies will be full of colour, rhythm, samba and joy. Year after year the Brazilians thrill us with their carnival celebrations, their colourful festivals and rhythms that seep into your very soul. And these are the same Brazilians that will be organising an event as important and exciting as the Olympics!

And what about the football? In Brazil, football really is the king of all sports! In fact, people get more excited about football than anywhere else in the world. So the thrills are guaranteed. We could travel around the country from match to match and in each place there’d be some sight to marvel at. The World Cup matches are set to take place in such fabulous places as Rio de Janeiro, Salvador da Bahia, Manaus, Brasilia and Porto Alegre. What better excuse could there be than a football game to discover these amazing destinations?

The importance of these two major sporting events and the country’s unquestionable attraction means that Brazil looks set to become one of world’s most irresistible destinations in the future. And I’m determined not to miss out!

“If you’re keen not to miss out on these two major sporting events and would also like to experience truly irresistible thrills and excitement during your holiday in Brazil, then IBEROSTAR Hotels & Resorts has 3 hotels, all in prime locations. Salvador da Bahia is home to the Iberostar Bahia and the Iberostar Praia do Forte, as well as the Grand Amazon Hotel Ship, which moors in Manaus and is a unique opportunity to tour the country’s finest beauty spots”.

 

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Riding the waves with Elisa

julio 27th, 2012 | Posted by Iberostar Hotels & Resorts in The View | THE WORLD OF IBEROSTAR - (0 Comments)

 

Riding the waves with Elisa

A dose of excitement is an essential ingredient for any memorable holiday, mixed with a few unforgettable experiences and a generous helping of lifelong memories. But if in addition to all that there’s enough to share with all our friends and family at exactly the same time as we’re savouring it, then doesn’t that make the whole experience even better and more intense?

What will Lucy and Shane think when they see Elisa riding the Caribbean waves on board a fun banana boat? Exactly. They’ll realise that they’re missing out on a holiday experience they most probably deserve more than anybody. We enjoy seeing others enjoy themselves; after all, we want only the best for ourselves and those we love. And that is what the campaign that reveals IBEROSTAR’s marvellous world of vacations is all about. A 2.0 experience in which our guests share their thoughts, sensations, joy and happiness with everyone.

And to make this possible, IBEROSTAR Hotels & Resorts has arranged for a professional production team to film guests while they have fun telling their family and friends all about their holidays. Once recorded, the video message will be sent to the recipients, while guests continue to have a fabulous time at some of the world’s finest resorts. But that’s not all: they will also have the chance to see via their webcams the recipients’ reactions when the messages arrive from our fabulous destinations.

More info at iberostarconnection.com

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Rumble in the Jungle: a Brotherly Feud in Manaus

mayo 23rd, 2012 | Posted by Iberostar Hotels & Resorts in The View - (0 Comments)

Igreja Manaus

A good book really is an object of magic. While a movie is able to instantly provide an image on which to project the story that is being played out, the nature of that image is decided by the director. With a book on the other hand, it is the reader who gets to paint the scene in which the action takes place. An author might provide plenty of hints, but it is the fact that each reader experiences a book differently that makes a novel such a special medium.

Family Feud

If you’re looking for a book that helps paint a rich, evocative picture of Manaus in Brazil, look no further than Milton Hatoum’s novel The Brothers (Dois Irmãos). The story follows two identical twin brothers and describes their life-long feud. They argue over a girl as teenagers and come to blows as grown men. One brother leads a relatively successful life while the other looks on in bitter hatred and jealousy. Hatoum explores the role of the boys’ parents, who look on with sad helplessness as the two men go through their entire life with little sign of reconciliation.

Brazilian Melting Pot

While describing the family tearing itself part, Hatoum also lets us into a world which we would otherwise never know. The characters belong to the Manaus Lebanese community, a small group into which Milton Hatoum himself was born. In describing the changing life of Yaqub and Omar, the two protagonists in the story, Hatoum paints a vivid picture of Manaus from the perspective of a native in a local Arab community. The descriptions of the markets, of the street sellers and of the mixture of ramshackle and grand buildings that make up this Amazonian metropolis all come from the author’s own intimate knowledge of Manaus.

The World in Manaus

It is easy to imagine that the city of Manaus, hundreds of miles from the other major Brazilian cities that mostly pepper the Atlantic coastline, would be quite an insular place. Yet in The Brothers Hatoum vividly portrays the city as deeply multi-cultural with a high degree of tolerance between the many communities that have settled here.

Step out from your hotel in Manaus today and you’re likely to find Lebanese food alongside many other ethnic cuisine from the many communities that make up the rich fabric of life in the city on the edge of the Amazon. And if you hear some angry Arabic shouting, look out; Omar and Yaqub might just be in town!

Photo: Salles Neto via Wikimedia Commons

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Cachaça, Brazil’s Quintessential Firewater

mayo 21st, 2012 | Posted by Iberostar Hotels & Resorts in Snapshots - (0 Comments)

Are you by any chance a fan of that trendy Brazilian cocktail known as the caipirinha? If not, you’ve probably at least heard of cachaça; along with the mojito out of Cuba, this has become one of the hot tipples of the early 21st century. But unlike the mojito, this particular tipple depends on a particular kind of booze, one hailing only from Brazil.

Like rum, cachaça is made from sugarcane – but unlike most rums, not its by-product molasses but from fresh cane juice, and there are a whopping 40,000 producers in Brazil (most of them small mom-and-pops in places like Minas Gerais, Paraty, and Belo Horizonte). Also known as aguardente, pinga (which funnily enough also happens to be the most popular Cuban slang for the male member), and caninha, it comes in two varieties: white (unaged) and gold/amber (aged in wood from two to 16 years and which can go for hundreds of dollars a bottle). It generally has 38% to 48% alcohol, and some of the more popular brands include Pitú, Leblon (this is one that’s gotten a lot of promotion in North America), Cabana, and Beleza Pura.

The cachaças I’ve tried come across a little grassy for my own taste, but I admit I haven’t gotten to sample the many artesenal and aged versions sloshing around out there.  And in any case, when mixed in a caipirinha (with sugar and lime) or other cocktail, it does add an exotically refreshing note.

If you’re interested, and planning to vacation at one Iberostar’s pair of Brazil resorts or cruise on its Grand Amazon, why not tack on a hop to one of the above mentioned regions that are home to distilleries that welcome visitors. If that’s not in the cards, at least check out a cachaçaria (watering hole specializing in cachaças) near you, such as Água Doce (“Sweet Water,” another nickname for the booze) in Salvador or Cachaçaria do Dedé in Manaus.

Or even easier – just belly up to the Iberostar bar…

Tim-tim! (Cheers!)

Photo | rmx

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The Search for Paradise

mayo 14th, 2012 | Posted by Iberostar Hotels & Resorts in Mystery Guest - (1 Comments)

We gave away trips to  Paradise!

Many tried but only the quickest won! We want to congratulate the winners that found Paradise!

Casey Kurth, Christopher Munson, Karina Tsymbal, Leonor Blaya Martinez & Ashley Thomas !

We hope you’ll tell us all about your trip!
And the rest of you, don’t despair, guys. Stay tuned, because we’ve got a lot more great contests coming soon!

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Brazil’s Greatest Writer: Paulo Coelho

febrero 29th, 2012 | Posted by Iberostar Hotels & Resorts in Local Characters - (0 Comments)

Lauded as one of the greatest Brazilian authors in history, Paulo Coelho has shaken the world of literature quite literally in the last decade or so. His fictional books and autobiographies, often rooted in his own life experiences, have won him accolades and worldwide popularity.

Since his first book published in 1982, Coelho has sold more than 100 million books in over 150 countries worldwide, and his works have been translated into 71 languages, earning him the title as the all-time bestselling Portuguese language author.

Brazil’s Influence on Coelho

Undoubtedly, his birthplace Brazil played an important role in his success as a writer. Although his works are rarely associated with his home country, Brazil’s influence on his personality and personal growth is often reflected in his writing. Brazil has helped shaped this extremely talented writer into who he is today.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Coelho wanted to be a writer since he was a teenager. His parents were so appalled that they committed him to a mental institution from which he escaped three times before being released at the age of 20. After enrolling in law school, he dropped out a year later and led life as a hippie, traveling through South America, North Africa, Mexico, and Europe. Upon his return to Brazil, Coelho worked as a songwriter for several singers including Brazilian rock star, Raul Seixas.

Fulfilling A Lifelong Dream

The turning point in his life came when he did the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain – during which he had a spiritual awakening that led him to write the book, The Pilgrimage. In an interview, Coelho shared, ” I was very happy in the things I was doing. I was doing something that gave me food and water – I was working, I had a person whom I loved, I had money, but I was not fulfilling my dream. My dream was, and still is, to be a writer.”

He went on to fulfill his dream of becoming an author, publishing one or two books per year – many of which have become best sellers worldwide. These days, Coelho and his wife split their time between Europe and Rio de Janeiro. In his hometown of Rio, he set up the Paulo Coelho Institute, where he gives free schooling to over 360 Brazilian street children in hope of giving the future generation a chance to learn.

Let the magic of Brazil inspire you as it inspires Paulo Coelho. Our resorts in Brazil are  the perfect place to start.

Photo | Germania Rodriguez

 

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Passionate Brazilian Cooking with Penelope Cruz

febrero 13th, 2012 | Posted by Iberostar Hotels & Resorts in The View - (0 Comments)

not pictured on this menu: Brazilian waxes, $45

Spice Girl

Take one sexy chef (Penelope Cruz) with chronic motion sickness, add a mouthwatering array of delicious food and throw in a rocky transcontinental love story for good measure. The result is bound to turn heads and attract the attention of male and female audiences the world over. That was probably the plan behind the 2000 romantic comedy Woman on Top, in which Cruz plays Isabella, a woman from Salvador de Bahia who is struggling in an unhappy marriage.

Isabella’s illness means that she has to drive the family car, take the lead in dancing and be on top during sex. This is all too much for Toninho, her macho husband, who in an attempt to reassert his masculinity, has an affair with a neighbor. In despair, Isabella leaves Toninho and Salvador behind as she flees to the United States and her transsexual friend Monica in San Francisco. With Monica’s help Isabella is soon making a big splash in America and becomes the star of her own TV cookery show, Passion Food.

Passion Food

The show, or more accurately Isabella, is a massive hit and soon she is followed everywhere she goes as a major celebrity.  Back in Salvador meanwhile, Toninho’s restaurant is in rapid decline without Isabella in the kitchen, and in desperation he flies to San Francisco to woo her back. I won’t spoil the rest of the plot but if you’ve watched more than a couple of romantic comedies you’ll be able to guess the ending easily enough.

Brazilian Food

It is hardly surprising that the movie producers chose Salvador de Bahia as the home of Isabella and Toninho’s restaurant, given its reputation as the home of some of Brazil’s finest dishes. Wonder around the city and you’ll find plenty of excellent seafood, with moqueca, a seafood stew, being one of the most popular options. Traditional Salvador food has a distinctive African flavor, testament to the region’s strong historical roots and cultural influence.

Visit Salvador de Bahia and you probably won’t find Penelope Cruz emerging from the kitchen to serve up your dinner. Take the time to watch Woman on Top, however and you might just be tempted enough by Isabella’s cooking to head to a Brazilian food restaurant in Bahia and taste the local seafood for yourself!

Photo | Eric Molina

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Reality Bites: The Sharp Truth About the Piranhas of Brazil’s Amazon

febrero 9th, 2012 | Posted by Iberostar Hotels & Resorts in Snapshots - (0 Comments)

A couple of months ago I found myself face to face with a school of piranhas, and lived to tell the tale. OK, the little buggers were in a tank at Parque Explora in Medellin, Colombia, whose unusual aquarium is devoted to Amazonian fauna. Common throughout the Amazon and its connected rivers – most of which of course fall within the borders of Brazil, the silvery shapes flitting by were mesmerizing but didn’t look particularly threatening  - but then I remembered a souvenir my mom and dad brought back from a cruise similar to the Iberostar Grand Amazon: a piranha skull with some mighty wicked-looking toothies.

Indeed, it’s those pointy little choppers that have fueled piranhas’ legendary rep as vicious predators that can strip a cow (or person) clean in a matter of minutes. A lot of that, It turns out, is myth. Most of the 20 or so species swimming around out there are pretty shy and rarely attack humans. Many, many Brazilians swim and wade in Amazonian waters without incident, and most of the bites reported tend to be around docks where fishermen are gutting their catch, spilling blood and guts in the river. In fact, the scary rep is pretty much singlehandedly (singlefinnedly?) the doing of one particular species, the red-bellied piranha (above). Having said that, every once in a while stuff does happen – last month in Caceres, in the western Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, piranhas suddenly started showing up at a popular river swimming beach and taking nips — well, sometimes entire toes and such ; authorities are still trying to figure out was behind such unusual behavior. A friend of mine who was in the area recently says that local fishermen have shrugged it off as an isolated incident.

But on the whole, experts say, piranhas are pretty much just regular ol’ fish with slightly larger teeth, and a necessary part of the food chain in parts of South America (including landing on humans’ dinner plates; my aforementioned friend tells me they’re absolutely delicious broiled, grilled, in soup, and so on). If you do venture into Amazon waters, you can even take some effective precautions, such as not swimming or wading with a bleeding cut or during the dry season (when waters are low), and keeping splashing and thrashing around to a minimum. Not that I’m suggesting swimming with piranhas, of course, just saying that locals have found ways to coexist with these little buggers for centuries.

photo |  Jonas Hansel

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World’s Sexiest Woman in Brazil: Alessandra Ambrosio

enero 27th, 2012 | Posted by Iberostar Hotels & Resorts in Local Characters - (0 Comments)

Brazil is famous for many things: long stretches of golden beaches, lush jungles inhabited by jaguars, all-night-long parties, beach volleyball and most of all, beautiful people. Sultry, sexy and hot – the beauty queens and supermodels of Brazil have long given it a reputation as the land of the world’s most alluring women. From Gisele Bundschen to Adriana Lima (just to name a couple), the list of supermodels who hail from Brazil is longer than that of any other country in the world.

World’s Sexiest Women

One of the hottest Brazilian models in the fashion industry these days is Alessandra Ambrosio (right), a native Brazilian who’s rocked the world with her smouldering good looks and charisma. In her successful career as a top model, Ambrosio is best known as the face of American lingerie brand, Victoria’s Secret. She appeared on the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show for the first time in 2000, and continues to steal the limelight ten years on. Her biggest headliner was the runway walk she did in 2005 wearing lingerie made entirely out of candy. As the spokesmodel for Victoria’s Secret, she’s been dubbed by the media as one of the world’s sexiest women. She was also chosen as one of People magazine’s annual 100 Most Beautiful People in the World, in May 2007 .

Ambrosio’s Brazil

While there are probably few chances of finding Ambrosio sun-bathing on the beach, there are certainly other ways to get acquainted with her and her hometown of Florianópolis, Brazil, where she currently lives with her husband and daughter. Florianópolis is the capital of the state of Santa Catarina and boasts a beautiful setting overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

To start your tour of the city, head to the most beautiful building in town, the Catedral Metropolitana, and then wander through the Municipal Market to experience Brazil’s culinary offerings. But the star of Florianópolis has got to be the beaches – all 42 of them – wild, undisturbed and absolutely stunning. Head to any beach in Florianopolis and you’ll be teased by a smorgasbord of beautiful girls spotting gorgeous tans and clad in skimpy bikinis. If that’s not enough of beach bumming for you, be sure to include Salvador da Bahia and Rio de Janeiro – home to the best beaches in Brazil – in your itinerary!

Photo | over_kind_man

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