Weddings in the Smoky Mountains

Inexpensive for weekends for those seeking a bargain

What is a young man to do? You have fallen madly in love; life for the foreseeable future appears to be nothing but a bed of roses except for one thing, your bank balance

It has to be a young man’s nightmare scenario.

“I don’t care where we go as long as we’re together” she whispers breathily down the phone “anywhere will do as long as it’s with you.”

Sounds fantastic and you just called wait except how are you going to fund it.

She thinks she’s going away for the weekend, your bank manager and Credit Card Company think otherwise. Help!

The trouble is to be brutally honest your line of thinking at this particular point in time is not entirely logical and probably more powered by hormonal desires than pure commercial logic

On the one hand, there is the prospect of you and the object of your desire, locked way in some hotel enjoying a weekend of unbridled passion and a very annoyed bank manager. On the other there is an extremely pleased bank manager and the prospect of a weekend at home, alone watching the footy!

However if you can disconnect at least 50% of your body for a short while and try and think logically and examine your options carefully you will see that all is not lost.

I am talking of course of finding somewhere for a weekend on a budget.

For the more creative amongst us there are a number of locations throughout the United Kingdom where you could enjoy a weekend and not break the bank.

Have you ever thought of a low-cost weekend in somewhere like Bristol for example? From about £36 per person per night you could have your choice of ready furnished one and two bedroom city centre apartments by the Temple Gardens and on the waterfront overlooking the Floating Harbour. These apartments come with fully fitted out kitchens, lounge areas and a selection of all sorts of digital recreational facilities (DVD Players, Broadband Internet Access etc) and are well worth an investigation. If you fancy this sort of weekend then contact Saco Apartments at 0845 122 0405 (sacoappartments.co.uk).

If Bristol doesn’t take your fancy how about a couple of nights in Brighton?
For prices as low as £40 you could get a bed for the night at the George IV guesthouse in Regency Square, with sea views and in one of Brighton’s finest squares.

If neither Bristol nor Brighton takes your fancy how about the weekend in Belfast based at Arnie’s Backpackers just round the back of Queens University where cosiness is guaranteed?

It’s cute it’s cosy, guests are offered a free cup of tea on arrival, you get to chill out around real coal fires (probably burning peat rather than coal) and if you’re a nice they’ll let you stroke the two resident dogs. Prices start at £9 per person per night.

Once you have sampled this type of Weekend break you may well find your self coming back for more. Once you have got over the initial perceived wisdom that it is not possible to have a good time on a low budget then you will find this type of weekend not only addictive but good fun as well

The above suggestions are just for starters and it is easy to see how things can actually work if you are creative enough.

Plan carefully and she’s happy and the bank managers is happy too!

Scott James writes regularly on travel issues and more on the above can be found at Travel Andalusia , Cheap Flight Travel and Car Insurance America

Unbeknown to many, Paris has a surprising number of good Jazz Clubs.

L’Arbucci might be just about the best club in Paris. Found on the left bank of the River Seine in the centre of St-Germain.

The audience usually comprises of a mix between curious visitors and regular locals. It is possible to eat upstairs in the brasserie.

Then head down to the basement to listen to the jazz. |Afterwards you can then head on downstairs for the music |After you have eaten why not head downstairs for the music? |Food finished then it’s time to head downstairs and listen to the music} If you like old style Dixie Jazz then this is the place for you.

Though the left bank of the Seine is the traditional place for Jazz club’s not all of them are based there.

Au Duc Des Lombards is actually on the right bank situated in the Les Halles district.

Exquisite wood panelled walls and plenty of velvet seats make this club extremely distinctive. Posters cover the walls and describe some off the jazz greats that have played there.

The club’s policy is to bring in the best jazz players from overseas. The club has developed a policy of bringing in the best in overseas talent to play there. The club has actually developed a policy over the years that effectively means they bring in jazz superstars from overseas and mix them with local musicians.

Also in the rue des Lombards can be found Baiser Sale. You will hear a wide variety of styles in this particular club ranging from blues to Jazz, Latin and African

For such a small club the atmosphere is electric. The club has pioneered whole new musical avenues that have been explored here.

The new and novel approach to music has lead to a much laid back and friendly atmosphere within the club. One thing that has worked in its favour I suppose is that the club is slightly cheaper than most.

Les Bilboquet can also be found in the same area.If it’s reverence and history you want in a Jazz club this is the place to be.

The club was opened in 1947. Billie Holiday and Miles Davies are just a few of the international superstars to have played this club.

This policy has changed probably along with the times and it mostly local talent that can be found on the stage here nowadays. Not only music can be experienced here along with most other clubs it serves food as well as drink.

Also on the left bank is La Cave du Franc Pinot. The address of this club is 1 Quai de Bourbon.

Being neither left nor right bank is the way the club likes to describe itself.

This fairly new club has added some buzz to the Iles St Louis.

Though it is Jazz all the way in this club and mostly swing at that, there is also some modern jazz played also.

Yet again this is another club that is placed in a cellar but has bags of atmosphere. On a Sunday there is lunchtime performance and there is also food served at the club.

Next on the list is the jazz club Lionel Hampton. The general opinion in Paris is that this is a club almost without equal

Don’t be fooled by the name as the club plays a wider range of music that the name would infer. Could be a good idea that you check out the music that is planned for any particular night as you could be in for surprise.

There is a heavy emphasis on visiting Afro-American musicians (Oscar Peterson has played there. Sophistication and style are almost guaranteed at this club

Next up on our list of clubs in Paris is the New Morning The club is found on the Rue des Petites-Ecuries.

By Paris standards New Morning is an upstart club having only opened in 1981. For a new club the emphasis seems to be trying to provide the widest possible range of any jazz club in Paris.

Do not be surprised from time to time when you see impromptu performances from people who have been invited to join in from the floor. This has led to a relaxed crowd off regulars.

Also to be found on the left bank is Le Petit Journal Montparnasse. The exact address of the club is 13 Rue du Commandant Mouchotte.

This is described as a club that never sleeps. This fact is slightly incorrect in that the club does close for four hours between 2 a.m. in the morning and 6 a.m.

If you want, you can just have a drink while listening to the music or it is possible to order food as well. The music on offer is primarily big band jazz but some nights have been known to feature Salsa, Blues or Rock.

Le Petit Journal St Michel is next up on our list of clubs. This is the younger brother of the original Montparnasse club.

The address of the club is 71 Blvd St Michel. The club opened in 1971 and concentrates more on New Orleans style swinging jazz.

The club has a very special sort of atmosphere that goes with the description of a Latin Quarter Cellar Club. The dining room in which you can order food can be found just off the main staging area.

Last on our list of clubs in Paris is Caveau de la Huchette. This can be found at 5 Rue de la Huchette.

The club may keep the initial impression as being a tourism attraction but don’t be fooled. A visit to this club is extremely good value for money.

Previous owners of the building that houses the club included the likes of the Knights Templar. Don’t be fooled by the medieval vaults in the club this club has been playing jazz since 1947.

We have covered a good selection of jazz club in Paris but as is the case in most guides. Jazz clubs come and go. Taking this in mind it is always extremely useful keep your eyes open and you never know what you might find.

Stay cool.

Unlocking the Hidden Spa Secrets of India

If you think about Spas, especially with respect to the treatment methodologies and practices available then undoubtedly the place to go to for some of the world’s finest treatments would be India.

India as has once been described is one of the Spa world’s greatest trust funds. When you consider it; that is not that an unusual description especially for a country that gave us such a wealth and breadth of wonderful treatments.

It is amazing quite how often treatments have originated from India and gone on to be in such demand worldwide. The leading ones including the following: Abhyanga, Shirodhara, Yoga, Meditation, Ayurveda, Doshas and Chakras.

Yet the surprising thing about this is that despite the wide variety of treatments that have originated from India, the whole concept of spas and western-style health resorts almost definitely is a recent phenomenon with regards to India.

It was said in the old days that if you wanted to “steam”, all you had to do was step out into the baking heat of the Indian summer and the fat and cellulite would pour off you in a few minutes. That having said that there were always the centuries old tradition of the various therapies practiced at Hindu ashrams (monastic retreats) throughout the country.

These offered a wide variety of holistic and life enhancing treatments such as Ayurveda and Yoga amongst others. However, modern day India has joined the western worlds demand for more and more exclusive and exquisite treatments with a vengeance.

Today, there is nothing you cannot get in Indian Spas and to be quite frank they do it by and large a lot better than most elsewhere. From packaged contortion, aromatic rubs, aura imaging and herbal body pummelling – all are available aplenty within the fast growing market for Spas in India.

However it has to be said that it is the traditional Ayurvedic Spa treatments that flourish like a cottage industry in the southern state of Kerala that really encompass and represent India.

Like the vast range geographic and climatic differences that make up India the treatments are accordingly wide and varied. In Ananda, high up in the Himalayas where a wellness sanctuary situated in a restored royal palace in the Himalayan foothills claims to have the world’s oldest billiards table you can get the benefit of therapeutic treatments based on traditional Ayurvedic and yoga meditation.

From here you can drop down to the historic valley of India’s sacred Ganges River at Rishikesh where each and every day at Sunset you can witness the Ganga Maha Aarti, a 90 minute ceremony of music and chanting that takes place at an ashram on the bank of the river – so there is plenty of relaxation for mind as well as soul!

For the more selective jetsetter travelling within India are a chain of Hotels dotted throughout the north and west of the country managed by Oberoi Hotels. With Wellness Spas provided by Banyan Tree they are much favoured by corporate travellers especially.

In a lot of cases the Hotel industry has benefited in a rather weird and roundabout manner from India’s emergence into a twenty first century democracy. When British rule was abolished in the late 1940’s and India gained independence, the large number of Maharajas that had benefited rather well from British rule had their vast incomes from land taken away from them and by and large left with only their real estate or palaces.

The far seeing and forward thinking amongst them realised that there was income and profit to be had from converting these incredibly impressive palaces into modern day hotels and the luxury hotel and spa market in India took off with a vengeance.

It has not looked back since.

Scott James writes regularly on travel issues and more on the above can be found at India Holidays , India Travel and Indian Recipes