Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil

When you visit Rio de Janeiro and you find yourself on the wonderful Botafogo Beach the Sugarloaf Mountain is quite a view.
Just one of many monolithic cliffs on this part of Brazil, Sugarloaf Mountain is situated on a peninsula in Guanabara Bay.
Travellers can also reach the top of the spectacular cliffs using a cable car which gives them a spectacular overview of the ocean and the city of Rio de Janeiro.
Given the steep incline of the mountain hiking is not possible but rock climbing enthusiasts are in for quite a treat as there are great routes to the summit.

Rio city view from Sugarloaf Mountain

Sugarloaf Mountain seen from Cristo Redentor

Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil

Sugarloaf Mountain view from the beach

Best beaches in Portugal, a top three

Since summer is just around the corner listing the best beaches in Portugal seems to be a great idea.
The Iberian country has an extensive shoreline of about 943km not including the islands of Madeira and the Azores. You can imagine there are a lot of amazing beaches to discover.

Praia da Carrapateira
A very popular destination for surfers, this beach is miles long and you can find a variety of accommodation choices. If you don't know how to surf but you plan on learning this is the place to do it, there are some great surfing and bodyboarding schools to be found in the area.

Path to praia da Carrapateira

Praia da Carrapateira

Praia da Morena
Close to the city capital, Lisbon, Praia da Morena is indeed worth visiting. As a few other beaches on Costa da Caparica, it's surrounded by dunes and you can find some really nice beach bars to spend some quality time. Due to the proximity to the large city of Lisbon the beach can be somewhat crowded in high season.

Praia da Morena, the dunes

Praia da Morena

Praia da Rocha
Located on the Algarve coast, this is surely one of the top best beaches in Portugal. The view is mind-blowing and the water is clear blue and calm. You wont find the big surfing waves of Carrapateria here.

Praia da Rocha

Praia da Rocha, Algarve, Portugal

 

Top Upcoming Las Vegas Nightlife Events at Vegas Hotel Nightclubs

Las Vegas is heating up with spring and summer, and so is the Vegas nightlife. While I’m talking about the lineup of DJs and performers, I also mean the people visiting Las Vegas. With spring and summer comes the bikinis and mini dresses that pull even Casino Boy away from the tables and onto the dance floor. Commonly referred to as the party capital in the United States, Sin City is home to some of the hottest clubs around, each located within one of the notorious Vegas Casino Hotels. With it’s world famous nightlife, Las Vegas nightclubs during the rest of spring and summer 2013 will be hosting parties with the best music performers and DJs. Casino Boy has done the research to find the hottest Las Vegas nightclub events in May that nobody with a life would want to miss. Casino Boy will be there...will you?

Top Nightclub Parties at Vegas Casino Hotels for May 2013:

1. MGM Grand Fight Weekend: Hakkasan Las Vegas Nightclub - Tiesto with Special Guest DJ Bambi on May 3rd and Calvin Harris May 4th
The weekend of the Las Vegas Mayweather vs. Guerrero fight will be a huge weekend for travel, which means the Vegas nightlife will be crazy. Not only will each Vegas Hotel be packed for watching this fight, but the Vegas nightclubs are bound to crank all weekend. While Casino Boy typically likes to avoid the overcrowded weekends in Vegas, there’s no passing up these DJs at Hakkasan Las Vegas. Hakkasan at MGM Grand, the new Las Vegas nightclub, will host a killer lineup for the Mayweather vs. Guerrero weekend including Tiesto with DJ Bambi on May 3rd, and Calvin Harris at Las Vegas Hakkasan on May 4th. Try to spot Casino Boy’s moves out on the dance floor...it may be too hot to handle.

XS Nightclub Vegas

2. Avicii at XS Encore Friday, May 10th
I’m not sure about you, but “Something’s Got a Hold of Me” whenever I listen to Avicii live. One of the most world famous DJs, Avicci in Las Vegas at XS makes for one of the best Vegas nightlife experiences around. This world renowned Swedish DJ knows how to get the crowd going, and his performance on May 10th at XS in the Encore Las Vegas hotel is a can’t miss event in Vegas.

Surrender Nightclub Las Vegas

3. Diplo At Surrender May 18th
Mixing a variety of music genres, Casino Boy won’t be missing Diplo in Las Vegas at Surrender Nightclub in the Encore Las Vegas hotel. This Vegas event is bound to get just about anyone out on the dance floor as Diplo’s classics and remixes bring music to life.

Tryst Nightclub Las Vegas

4. Lil John Saturday May 25th at Tryst
Yeayuhhhh Casino Boy will definitely be at Lil John’s performance on Saturday May 25th at Tryst Las Vegas nightclub within the Wynn Las Vegas hotel.

5. Palms Casino Resort Moon Tuesday Full Moon Party ft. Alie Layus
Located within the Fantasy Tower at the Palms Casino Resort, one of the best Las Vegas hotels for partying, Moon Nightclub will be the place to party for the full moon in Las Vegas on May 28th, 2013. Alie Layus and Kid Conrad will be turning up the heat for Tuesday local night at Moon at the Palms Las Vegas hotel.

This article was written by Ariel Abbott, Editor of CheapoVegas.com

Punta Chiappa, Liguria, Italy

The Ligurian Coast in the North-West of Italy matches in beauty the nearby French Riviera.
With the capital at Genoa, Liguria has a lot of lovely coastal villages but Punta Chiappa seems to top them all.
This is a great place to explore the Mediterranean cuisine as the village has a lot of restaurants by the sea right next to the traditional fisheries of Punta Chiappa. You will get a great selections of dishes with an incredible view of the coastline.
Other than just enjoying the sea and the beach one can always try to have a walk by the coast to the larger community of Camogli, it's a great scenery of unspoiled nature.

Punta Chiappa sunset

 

Camogli beach

Camogli town port

  

Punta Chiappa, Ligurian Coast

Australian casinos are well worth a visit

When it comes to casinos in Australia which are of particular historic interest there can be little question that the single most notable one is the Wrest Point Hotel and Casino, which can be found in the Hobart area of Tasmania.
What makes this casino the single most historically significant in the country is simply that it was the first one opened following the legalization of casino gambling in Australia. Given how the industry is thriving there now, what many visitors to the country may not realize is that casino gaming has only been legal there since 1972, with the Wrest Point Casino having opened in February 1973.
It is also probably the casino with the most beautiful setting of any in the country, which will also make it a popular place to visit for anyone traveling to that part of the country.
Located on the banks of the Derwent River, the setting is truly breathtaking, making it an ideal place to consider staying during your trip as well.

On the other hand, when it comes to historically significant casinos in South Australia, there is the Adelaide Casino, which is found inside the Adelaide Railway Station, in a part which is no longer used for that purpose. This rail station has been heritage listed for the quality of the outer façade, and with the refurbished casino located inside; it is a major tourist attraction in that area.

However if you are visiting a bigger city like Melbourne, then you may want to try the Crown Casino, which is on the edge of the Yarra River, and is part of a larger entertainment complex. Like the Star Casino in Sydney, this does not have the historic significance of the first two, but the game selection compares to any online casino.

Being located in perhaps the major tourist centres of Australia, both of these are unquestionably amongst the most famous and popular casinos in the country.

Wrest Point Hotel and Casino

The Adelaide Casino

The Crown Casino in Sydney

Havasu Falls, Havasupai Canyon, Arizona

Hiking in the Grand Canyon, Arizona is one of the best experiences you can have in North America. Havasu Falls is located on a remote location of the Havasupai Canyon, part of the Grand Canyon on the Colorado river.
Getting there is no easy task, but is well worth the effort. If plan on making the trip make sure you start early in the morning and have everything you need including a reservation for camping space.
The Havasupai people that call the area their home for more than 800 years own the land today and go a long way to promote the place to tourists.
The waterfall has a really nice natural pool at the bottom, perfect for swimming and cooling down after a long hike.
There are also a number of picnic designated places in the area so the place so you can also have a great meal near the Havasupai Falls.

Havasupai hiking trail

The amazing Havasu Falls and pool

 

Natural stream on the Havasu Canyon

Travel to Socotra island, Yemen

Socotra is an island in the Indian Ocean, belonging to Yemen as an offshore territory. This is indeed a place worth mentioning since it has a really special landscape with interesting plants and animals. Nature went a long way in order to adapt with such a hot and windy climate.
Because of the unique and amazing biodiversity on the island, the entire place is now an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Because the island is somewhat new to tourism, with the airport opened only in 1999, you should not expect luxury accommodation. This is a place for nature loving travellers that want to experience see things unique to Socotra.
The amazing white sand beaches, the desert roses, the reef and the signature dragon blood trees are among the things that will take your breath away. You can rent a car or go on camel riding tours to explore the island.

Socotra desert rose

Socotra Yemen white sand beach

Socotra unique dragon blood trees 

Socotra unique desert rose

Puerto Vallarta resort, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta is a city situated on the Mexican coast of the Pacific Ocean, just inside the Bay of Flags.
This tropical resort has a lot to offer, from all-inclusive luxury hotels to interesting pieces of architecture from the early municipality of the 20th century owned by the Union en Cuale company.
Puerto Vallarta is a popular travel destination in the region and has a reputation for being the friendliest city in the world. This adds up to being dubbed the San Francisco of Mexico for its gay-friendly look.
Popular landmarks of the resort are:

• The Malecon, similar to Havana, a walkway along the ocean shore.
• The Beaches, especially Playa Conchas Chinas, a great secluded place.
• The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
• The Crocodile Farm at the Coastal Centre.

Sunset from a hotel terrace, Puerto Vallarta

 Puerto Vallarta beach

Puerto Vallarta secluded beach 

Puerto Vallarta church

Bodie California, a ghost town

The ghost town of Bodie is a state historic park in California. This is an old mining town which boomed around 1876 when a big deposit of gold was discovered in the region.
At his peak, Bodie was a fully developed town with 65 saloons, an entertainment centre, a Chinatown and Red light district.
The decline arrived in 1880 when new opportunities  in other mining town such as Butte, Montana lured the men away. The single men that just wanted to get rich quick moved on and Bodie became a family-oriented community.
The town kept going as a quiet community until 1912 when the last paper was printed and the Mine was closed. Bodie was first labelled a ghost town in 1915.
Since 1940 caretakers were hired to maintain and protect the town from degrading. With 110 structures still standing Bodie is now a State Historic Park in California and has around 200.000 visitors every year.

 

The ghost town of Bodie

 

Bodie ghost town, the Church

Abandoned old Chevy, Bodie

Bodie gas station