Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain

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Retiro Park is a large 118-hectare park in Madrid, created between 1630 and 1640. It began when Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel (Count-Duke of Olivares), offered the king (Philip IV), the land next to the Jeronimos Monastery for the distractions of the Court around Madrid. The place was not too far from the Royal Palace and the area was wooded. Some buildings were built as the Palace of the Buen Retiro, the theater, the ballroom, the Army Museum and the room of the Kingdoms. There is a large octagonal pond, a rose garden, fountains, 12 important statues in the Gallery of the Park and two palaces: Velázquez and Crystal (now showrooms), many trees (around fifteen thousand), French gardens and flowers. Among its most remarkable gardens we find the garden of perennials, the gardens of Cecilio Rodriguez (with Andalusian style), the French parterre and the garden of architect Herrero Palacios. The park is considered a lung of Madrid.

Tips

The park is open all year round and admission is free.
You can get there by bus or metro.
You will find plenty of space to walk and you can also go rowing. This is a good place to walk in hot summer days.

Club Med Columbus Isle, San Salvador Island, Bahamas

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Club Med Columbus Isle is located in the Bahamas on the island of San Salvador, with blond sand and turquoise waters of the Caribbean. The resort has 216 rooms in one-storey bungalows with colorful colonial architecture. There are two restaurants with sea views, the Christopher’s has a terrace for smokers and the Pinta Beach Lounge is open since 2017 and offers snacks throughout the day. There is also the swimming pool and the theater. The village welcomes families with children from 2 years old but the Junior Club Med has activities only for children and teenagers between 11 and 17 years old during the months of July and August only. There are several activities on site such as table tennis, sailing, beach volleyball, kayak, weight room, spa, etc.

Tips

The drinks package that is included in your stay, includes drinks by the glass and at the bar only: water, fruit juice, soda, hot drinks, cocktails with or without alcohol, branded alcoholic drinks local and / or international and wines. If you want champagne, cans, wines à la carte or some premium brands, you will have to pay them.

You can also enjoy to make some visits outside the village; for example, to see the statue of Christoph Columbus (who discovered this island) and the plaque that commemorates the 500 years of his discovery with a replica of the Santa Maria (name of the ship).

Sacro Monte (Sacred Mount), Varese, Italy

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The Sacro Monte (Sacred Mount) in Varese (in the Campo dei Fiori Regional Park), belongs to the group of nine pre-Alpine mountains Saints in Piedmont and Lombardy; registered in 2003 in the UNESCO list of World Heritage. It consists of fourteen chapels dedicated to the mysteries of the Rosary, which lead to the sanctuary of ‘Santa Maria del Monte’, a place of pilgrimage since the Middle Ages, constituting the fifteenth chapel which retains an organ in 1831. The construction began in 1604, along two kilometers of a plot cobbled. The Borgo di Santa Maria del Monte, where the sanctuary is , is connected to the rest of the city by a small road and also by a historic funicular recently restarted.

Tips

You can park your car in the parking lot and if you do not want to continue on foot, there is an elevator that will take you almost to the top. From there, you have a beautiful view of the city and mountains.

If you do not want to drive with the car in the narrow mountain road, there is a bus that will leave you in the parking lot and you can continue by walking trails or just take the elevator if you do not want to do any effort.

Wear preferably sneakers because it is not easy to go through the cobblestone paths with slippery shoes or heels.