Have you ever slept inside a dog? Dog Bark Park Inn

Dog Bark Park Inn
Idaho USA


"Dog Bark Park Inn is a bed & breakfast guesthouse inside the World's Biggest Beagle.
Guests enter the body of the beagle from a private 2nd story deck. Some of the dog's decorative furnishings are carvings by Dog Bark Park chainsaw artists Dennis & Frances.
Inside and up another level to the head of the dog is a loft room with additional sleeping space plus a cozy alcove in the muzzle."
http://www.dogbarkparkinn.com/

At Dog Bark Park Inn sleeping in the doghouse is a good thing!

Named a Best of America by Reader's Digest, July 2009

Welcome back after the summer break. Today's entry is about DOG BARK PARK INN. As you can see, it is not a very usual design for a hotel or B&B.
To start practicing your writing, you can describe peculiar hotels, restaurants, bars, etc you have visited this summer or any other time.

MORE ON CULTURAL TOURISM

Now you can tell us about your experiences on cultural tourism: special, funny, mysterious, unexpected, particular places you have been to.

For those who prefer to write about what they'd love lo visit, please do it!!!

Write a comment!!

Here's some help:

http://www.dcheritage.org/

http://www.culturaltourism.org/

www.nasaa-arts.org/artworks/ct_contents.shtml

http://www.culturaltourism.com.au/

http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=36700&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

http://www.intute.ac.uk/cgi-bin/browse.pl?id=114470

http://www.art.cfa.cmu.edu/environment/galleries-and-cultural-life

The facilities that every good hotel need to have.

As you might know, depending on the country, hotel uses different types of classification to let us know the kind of facilities they could offer. Sometimes, requirements deals also with the culture and costumes the clients could demand. Read the following article about a famous hotel in Milton Keynes, UK, and try to think if a Spanish person could evaluate a hotel by looking at the listed factors.

Use the "comments" option to add questions that you would never asked about the facilities offered by hotel. Would you add anything?

Many of our students travel really often and tell us about their impressions and discoveries while they are away.
Would you like to write about that very special corner, place, hotel, city, shop, ... you found out last summer, two years ago or last week????
Come on, use your keyboard right now!!!

I'll try and write about the first one. I'll show you a wonderful place I "discovered" a couple of summers ago that takes you for a while into the Arab world : extremely delicious teas, wonderful sweet treats and home made tasty confectionery and baking!! You can even smoke one of those exotic pipes. The tea list is written (drawn) on a wonderful paper, the decoration is superb, the place is incredible and the owners the best hosts. The customer is their most valuable jewel. You will learn what excellence in service and professional dedication mean.

There is also a small cozy hotel of 7 exclusive rooms you have to see.

The front door comes from a palace in Tetuán, some bronze lamps are handmade, original pigments from Marrakech

They offer whirlpool tub, wifi, satellite tv, welcome tea, wonderful breakfast, welcome fruit basket, etc. Really value for money.

The place: Arabia Riad
Address:Plaza del duque 5, 10003 CÁCERES

http://www.arabiariad.com/

Now it is your turn!!!!

The hottest hotels 2009 (the Times online)

What are the main features a good hotel need to have? Do you think most of the clients share the basic ones? What is a luxury hotel for you? Have a look at the following hotels rank proposed by The times On line and comment here you favourite ones by explaining why.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/where_to_stay/article5389541.ece

By the way... have you even stayed in any of the listed hotels? ;)

Are you prepared for the new academic year?

You have been on holiday, and then after some exams, here we are, waiting for the next academic year to begin. At the beginning of a new course as well as the beginning of a new year people make lists of good intentions. Have you got one for this new course we are about to begin? Tell us about it.

Or you can tell us about your holidays. I've been to Italy and I have to say it's fantastic: the Roman ruins, the churches, the squares, the museums, and also the weather. Where have you been this summer?

Resort Tourism

"A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company. Such a self-contained resort attempts to provide for most of a vacationer's wants while remaining on the premises, such as food, drink, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping. The term "resort" sometimes is misused to identify a hotel that does not provide the other amenities required of a full resort. However, a hotel is frequently a central feature of a resort, such as the Grand Hotel at Mackinac Island, Michigan. A resort is not merely a commercial establishment operated by a single company, although in the late twentieth century this sort of facility became more common".

Do you like this kind of tourism? or Have you been a very special resort? Tell us about it.

What do you think?? Your opinions in English, please.

Lo último
Hotel, puro hotel17/10/2007
Texto de Vicky Vilches
Ilustración de Mikel Jaso Hoy en día ya no es suficiente con ofrecer en el desayuno zumo exprimido al instante de naranjas orgánicamente cultivadas. Ni siquiera basta con que los productos de aseo para el baño estén elaborados con aromáticos aceites naturales. La búsqueda de la pureza ha llegado hasta el aire que respiramos, sobre todo ahora que las alergias proliferan al mismo ritmo que crece sin cesar la obsesión por el bienestar físico.
Por este motivo los establecimientos hoteleros que se precian de estar en vanguardia de esta moda empiezan a ofertar a sus clientes las denominadas pure rooms. Se trata de una nueva categoría de habitaciones de asepsia garantizada. Es decir, que no sólo se han limpiado, sino que también se han purificado. Para conseguirlo, se las ha sometido a un proceso especial de desinfección integral que elimina cualquier virus, germen o rastro infeccioso que haya podido dejar en la cama, en el aire o en el cuarto de baño el huésped anterior. Lo que empezó siendo una opción destinada esencialmente a las personas con problemas de alergia ha encontrado ahora una demanda inesperada en un sector de viajeros cada vez más preocupado por los virus globales que en un solo día pueden viajar desde Manila hasta Nueva York. Asia y Estados Unidos son los escenarios preferentes para esta nueva demanda de habitaciones purificadas. Por ello, algunas importantes cadenas hoteleras como, por ejemplo, Marriot, Four Seasons, Mandarin o Crowne Plaza las ofrecen ya en algunos de sus establecimientos.
Publicado en :
www.magazinedigital.com

What criteria is used to rate the "star value" of hotels?

Hotel star ratings have been around for decades. "Five stars" means doves serenade you in the shower. "One star" translates into vibrating beds and a $5 deposit on all ice buckets. In short, the more stars, the better. But beware the rub. Many different rating systems exist in the U.S. Choose the wrong one and you could be in for a sleepless night.Nearly all major travel sites have their own ways of ranking hotels. For example, there's no definitive answer on whether the Super 8 in Sioux City merits one star or two. Expedia says two. Orbitz says two. However, the rebels at Priceline say one. It all depends.You may be best off using AAA's system. Their official magazine explains "some online services are notorious for handing out stars liberally," while rankings from AAA and Mobil have (according to AAA, anyway) more stringent requirements.No matter where you go, or what system (if any) you use, keep in mind that one man's palace is another man's pit. That should help you minimize the unpleasant surprises. Happy travels!



How did the chef's hat originate? Does it serve a purpose?The chef's hat, or "toque blanche" (French for "white hat"), has been around for more than 400 years. Back in the 16th century, artisans (including chefs) were among the "free thinkers" who were often persecuted, imprisoned, or executed because of their views. To escape this treatment, some chefs hid in monasteries and wore the same type of clothing as the priests, including tall hats. However, chefs wore gray, while priests wore black. But there are other theories regarding the hat's history. One source states the hat may have evolved from the stocking cap ("casque a meche") worn by French chefs throughout the years. The color of the casque a meche indicated the chef's rank.Sometime in the mid-1800s, chef Marie-Antoine Careme decided white was a more appropriate color for toques as it indicated cleanliness in the kitchen. Careme also believed the hats should be of different heights to indicate rank. Cooks wore shorter hats than chefs. Reportedly Careme's hat was 18 inches tall.Interestingly, the number of pleats in a chef's hat is also a status symbol. Many toques have exactly 100 pleats, supposedly the number of ways a chef can prepare an egg.


From: www.topgreetings.com

Unit 3 Writing task. Opening a new luxurious hotel

A new luxurious hotel has been opened in Waikiki beach, Hawaii. You are a jounalist and you need to write an article explaining all the facilities and services that this impressive hotel will offer its guests.

Remember to use the main grammar and vocabulary topics dealt in this unit (adjectives and passive)

As usual, use "comentarios" to write your article.