” Where should we stay?” This may be the most vexing question facing anyone planning a holiday, especially travellers whose resources are limited. But finding affordable accommodation does not mean having to settle for surly desk clerks, paltry meals & a cramped hotel room whose only window faces a brick wall. Breathtaking views, attentive service, great on-site food & the full range of amenities are all available at a cost that won`t make you cringe. You just have to know where to look. That`s where ” Secret Hotels” comes in. Compiled by the editors of ” Budget Travel” magazine, this out-of-the-ordinary guidebook acquaints you with an enticing array of lodgings including beachside cottages, hilltop villas & gracious, family-run guesthouses where you can stay in comfort & style without having to worry about breaking the bank. Setting its sights on eight of the world`s top travel destinations, including Provence, Tuscany, Tahiti, the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Cornwall, Bali & the French Riviera, ” Secret Hotels” scopes out the hidden treasures that, till now, have mostly been known only to the locals. The description of each hotel is accompanied by sumptuous colour photos of the grounds & interiors, & contact information & rates are provided. ...

A personal tour of twenty of the UK`s most beguiling castles, estates, palaces & manor houses in this much-loved area of western Engl&, including Daylesford, Stanway, Sudeley Castle & Hilles House. Author & architectural historian, Jeremy Musson, & Cotswolds-based photographer Hugo Rittson Thomas, offer privileged access to twenty houses, from castles & manor houses, as well as eighteenth- & nineteenth-century mansions, revealing their history, architecture & interiors, in the company of their devoted owners. In the footsteps of artists & designers including Humphry & George Repton, & Victorian visionary, William Morris, who inspired the arts & crafts movement, & others such as Detmar Blow, Norman Jewson, Clough Williams-Ellis & Oliver Hill, we find a series of fascinating country houses of different sizes & atmospheres, which have shaped the English identity. Each house has their own story, but their distinctive honey-coloured stone walls, set amongst rolling hills, in different ways express the ideals of English life. Most of the houses included here are privately owned & not usually open to the public. In this beautifully produced book, they can now be enjoyed through the eyes of their owners, as well as an experienced architectural historian, & an award-winning photographer. ...

A horse`s tomb that has become a place of pilgrimage, a tree held up by a pillar in the garden of a Sufi convent that would herald the end of the world if it fell down, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk`s glass, a carpet that predicts the end of the Ottoman empire, fragments from the Black Stone of Mecca, the covering of a fountain from Pearl Harbor in the Pacific, a church under the protection of Muhammad, a synagogue that was a landmark for Ashkenazi Jews, a garment worn by the Prophet that was inadvertently ironed, a handful of hot ash that saved the Ottoman empire. Far from the crowds & the usual cliches, Istanbul is still a reserve of well-concealed treasures only revealed to those who know how to wander off the beaten track, whether residents or visitors. An indispensable guide for those who thought they knew Istanbul well, or who would like to discover the hidden face of the city. ...

Capture the beauty of colourful kimonos, the intricate designs of fans, the peace of an ancient temple & enjoy the uniquely elegant Japanese way of life in the course of these pages. As you focus on colouring in & forget the stresses of everyday life, you`ll find calm returning. ...

National Geographic’s “ Secret Journeys of a Lifetime” is packed with lavish photographs & detailed insight into some of the most inspiring journeys out there in the world, bringing to life 500 unique destinations that have managed to fly under the radar of even the most seasoned traveller.. Divided into themed chapters, the book features the ” World at Your Feet, ” ” Last Wildernesses, ” ” Island Getaways, ” ” The Road Less Traveled, ” ” Secret History, ” ” Spiritual Havens, ” ” Hidden Treasures, ” ” Undiscovered Villages, ” & ” City Secrets.” There are also ” My Secret Journey” sidebars, written by National Geographic contributors, that describe & personalize travel experiences providing insight on additional excursions. Each chapter contains several lists of ” Top Tens, ” shorter features describing experiences in a wide variety of categories, from quirky museums & quiet city garden oases to atmospheric ghost towns & the best spots for amazing ocean views. ...

Where were Cut Throat Alley & Heathen Street? How many could be hanged at one time & where? Who won the battle of the town undertakers? Secret Kingston upon Thames goes behind the facades of the familiar to discover the lesser-known aspects of the town`s fascinating past. Kingston upon Thames has many secrets, & as you walk along the streets you are walking through history. There are clear reminders of the town`s past everywhere, waiting for you to stop, look & listen to their intriguing stories. On a journey through this ancient town, local tour guide Julian Mc Carthy tells these forgotten or untold tales. You may think that you know Kingston upon Thames, but take another look around & you will find more than you could possibly imagine. ...

Purposefully imitating Voltaire`s classic Candide, another dark comedy which derives its humour from life`s tragedies, Habiby`s The Secret of Saeed the Pessoptimist is a classic of Arab literature. The story of Saeed, a Palestinian who becomes a citizen of Israel, is a story of fact & fantasy, tragedy & comedy. At once a comic hero & luckless fool, his life is full of terror, aggression, resistence & heroism. As an informer for the Zionist state, Saeed`s stupidity, candour & cowardice make him more the victim than a villain; but in a series of tragicomic episodes, blundering from disaster to disaster, he is slowly transformed from gullible collaborator into a Palestinian intent on survival. The novel, informed by the author`s own experience in Israeli politics, is both biting & funny. The Secret Life of Saeed the Pessoptimist was named in the top ten novels set in the Arab world by The Guardian in 2010, won the Al-Quds Prize in Palestine in 1992 & The Israel Prize for Literature, awarded by the State of Israel. It is the only novel to have the top literary award in both countries. ...

Embark on an exploration of what lies behind our eyelids when we surrender to the secret life of sleep. What makes us cross the line from waking to slumber? According to Harvard scientists it’s our `sleep switch` – a cluster of neurons in the hypothalamus. For the ancient Greeks it was the god Hypnos, caressing you with his wings. For the Blackfeet Indians, a butterfly. From the meaning of dreams to the dangers of sleeping pills, Kat Duff brings insights from the latest in sleep science, the paintings of Salvador Dali, the musings of Michel de Montaigne, & rituals from around the world to paint a portrait of an activity that we all cherish but know little about. Why do we sleep? What happens in our brains when we sleep? Why are sleep patterns in Western industrialised countries so unhealthy? Is the boundary between sleep & wakefulness as clear cut as we might have supposed? Tackling the full breadth of what sleep means to us, The Secret Life of Sleep blends cutting-edge research with captivating narrative to explore a hidden world that is both intimate & mysterious. ...

Why is the Portuguese coat of arms set at an angle of 17 on the facade of Rossio station? Where in Portugal was The Magic Flute played for the first time & why did Mozart dedicate it to his master Cagliostro? What is the theory concerning the fifth dynasty of Portugal, traces of which are found in the street layout? Where can you find the most beautiful azulejos secreted around the city? Why & how did Lusitania become Portugal (Porto Graal), the place harbouring the legendary Holy Grail? Where can you find the Lisboan serial killer s head preserved in formalin? Why was the south doorway of the Jeronimos Monastery designed according to Hebrew Kabbalistic principles? What symbols are concealed within the Saint Vincent polytych at the Museum of Antique Arts? Who in fact are the Sebastianists, messianic in the style of Shiite Muslims, awaiting the return of the lost King Sebastiansince the Middle Ages Lisbon has been a favorite site for the development & application of the theories of alchemist kings, masonic ministers, occult poets, followers of hermeticism & the secret knowledge of the Knights Templar, who found refuge in Portugal after they were banned from the rest of Europe in the 14th century. Vitor Manuel Adriao, acclaimed historian & philosopher, is heir to all this esoteric knowledge in Portugal. Here for the first time he reveals his incredible knowledge in this truly initiatory guide, with a mind-boggling interpretation of the arcana of a city which some consider is on the way to becoming the spiritual capital of Europe. An exceptional guide. ...

Let Secret Lisbon guide you around the unusual & unfamiliar. Step off the beaten track with this fascinating Lisbon guide book & let our local experts show you the well-hidden treasures of this amazing city. Ideal for local inhabitants & curious travellers alike. The places included in our guides are unusual & unfamiliar, allowing one to step off the beaten track. Now in it`s third edition, Secret Lisbon features 160 secret & unusual locations. Inside Secret Lisbon: The most beautiful hidden tiles of the city, the head of the serial killer Lisbon preserved in formalin, the Kabbalistic principles of the south portal of the Jeronimos Monastery or the theory of the fifth Portuguese empire of which we find so many traces in the geography of the city, charming forgotten dead ends, the outstanding panoptic architecture of a former hospital, the impressive wax masks from the Dermatology Museum, a secret passage at the hotel Avenida Palace, the mysterious abbey below Palacio Foz, the reason why the coat of arms of the Portugal is inclined at 17 Degrees on the facade of the Rossio station.. . Don`t miss
- Each chapter of this Secret Lisbon travel guide book corresponds to a different neighbourhood of the city so that one can always find a hidden or secret place to discover. Perfectly planned walks
- Make sure that you do not miss any Secret location, by discovering each one featured in this guide by planning a walking tour of each neighbourhood.

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