Archive for the 'Beach Houses' Category
How to Find the Best Restaurants in Myrtle Beach, SC
Whether you live in Myrtle Beach or are just visiting, finding your way to the very best restaurants can be difficult unless you know where they are hiding. Myrtle Beach is a city within itself; however, when most people refer to “Myrtle Beach” they are really referring to North Myrtle Beach, Surfside, Garden City and Murrells Inlet. Myrtle Beach is comprised of a coastline of 60 mile also known as The Grand Strand. Each area has its own unique restaurants to offer, but finding the right one for you can be difficult.
Know the area! Beginning on the north side of Myrtle Beach is North Myrtle Beach (NMB), which makes since, but it is important to know that NMB is not a northern part of Myrtle Beach, but actually its own city much farther north than most travelers realize. As one would leave Myrtle Beach and head south they would drive into Surfside Beach, followed by Garden City, and finally Murrells Inlet. For those wanting to travel further for a great meal….south of Murrells Inlet would be Litchfield and then Pawley’s Island. You are able to drive from one end of The Grand Strand to the other by simply driving on US 17. The difference is that there are two US 17 Highways. The highways separate beginning in Myrtle Beach and coming together again in Murrells Inlet. Both run parallel to the other. US 17 Bypass and US 17 Business. Long ago US 17 Bypass did exactly what it sounds like; it went “bypassed” the busy part of the city. Today there is as much offered on the “Bypass” as there is “Business”.
Decide on what type of food you are interested in! Although the Myrtle Beach area is best known for its outstanding seafood, there are several types of seafood offered as well as many unique restaurants that one would not find anywhere else! There are the typical chain restaurants which are great if you want to stick with what you already know, but Myrtle Beach offers many opportunities for new experiences for your pallet!
Know your party! There are so many options in Myrtle Beach; however, not ever choice is great for everyone. Families and couples would make a few similar choices but would also choose very different options.
Know your budget! This is especially important in the Myrtle Beach area. Although it is typically thought that buffets (of which there are many!) are cheap, not in Myrtle Beach! You will also get what you pay for on The Grand Strand.
Understand you will Wait! Know that Myrtle Beach especially in the summer time will always have long lines for dinner. Choosing to try new restaurants that offer lunch or chose to eat early and take advantage of early bird specials will not only eliminate the long lines but will also be easier on your budget!
The Restaurants! North Myrtle Beach has an area called “Restaurant Row”, these restaurants are easily seen and are all on US 17. Most of these restaurants are large seafood buffets which typically specialize in North Carolina Calabash Style Seafood. There are many great North Myrtle Beach restaurants found in the Barefoot Landing Shopping Area that are not seen easily. A few of the Barefoot Landing restaurants are high end, expensive, and will require reservations. Examples for adults and couples would be, Greg Normans and Thoroughbreds. Families would enjoy House of Blues (great music and fun food) or any seafood buffet. Both Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach offer unique eating experiences that also include a show! Theaters such as Dixie Stampeded and Medieval Times offer dinner and a show and should not be missed, but if possible buy your tickets online before you go! Many people plan theses types of dinners when making their vacation plans and availability will go fast! Myrtle Beach has a few really great restaurants that you will not find in any coupon book. Examples would the Collector’s Cafe, which sounds like a small cafe, but is really and upscale restaurant that is geared towards adults with wonderful pieces of artwork gracing the walls; or NY Prime for a great dining experience when in the mood for a wonderful steak. Families would enjoy Hard Rock cafe, or anything at Broadway at the Beach or for the best cheap burger, River City Cafe. When in Myrtle Beach do not miss the restaurants of Murrells Inlet. This is the southern ends best kept secret. If in the mood for seafood this is where you want to go! The lines are long but worth the wait! Make reservations or go for lunch when dining in the Inlet. Getting there can be confusing. When traveling to the Inlet be sure to drive down Business 17 and when you get to the south end just before the Highways Merge back together, US 17 will actually start again. While traveling south look for the Inlet Square Mall and Fitzgerald Realty, approximately 1 mile south of the Mall you will bear to the left and follow Business 17 signs. You will travel down a quaint two lane road with more seafood restaurants than you could ever imagine. Fun choices for everyone are Drunken Jacks, Bovines, Nance’s (great for oysters), and Seafare for live mermaids and a great buffet!
Wherever you go you will not be disappointed. Myrtle Beach is more than just a Beach! Great food, great shows, wonderful shopping…..everyone can be happy on this vacation!
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Are you particular individual who adores beach lifestyle? Once searching Newport Beach homes for sale, one can see many home listings that meet your needs for residing near the seaside. Seashore life can generate you a lot more calming and comfortable. In the seaside area it is possible to see a lot of things that can give energy to your lifestyle and take away most of your anxieties taken from the large days of your labor. If you get tired simply plunge yourself in the seashore and inhale the breeze of the sea your anxieties and worries can be also be scrub out. If you wish to invest properties at Newport Beach homes for sale that is close the beaches, possessing a seashore properties for rent is also a money making business. For the simple fact that quite a few people flock into the beach simply to have fun and enjoy to the calming environment of the sea.
If you’re a particular person who is finding for a cool breeze and soft sand beaches in the regions of United States then Newport Beach is an ideal residential beach area for you. They are blessed with stunning beaches which most of the seashore destinations all over the world doesn’t possess. As soon as you get by yourself acquainted in this town, one can assuredly be captivated by the appeal of this place with its clean sand and crystal clear waters. Families and individuals can genuinely get pleasure from right here simply because the place is packed with complete beach features and lifeguards are constantly on their responsibilities for a safer swimming activity. Some of the ideal things to do in the beach are sandcastle-building, body type boarding, surfing, sunbathing below the warmth of the sun, doing picnic dining tables and grabbing some super food whilst speaking with friends.
In United States, Newport Beach with 10 miles of seashores is one of the cleanest beach destinations in the country. It’s a well-known seashore vacation spot for beach-going visitors, individuals and families. You can find stellar scenery in their coastline, Corona del Mar State Beach lovely waves and clear sands. Heading to these spectacular beach regions can generate you to sense good and invigorated. This class of recreation can really give you a reward with a repaired sensation of comfort and tranquility that can ease your anxiety away. Hiking, kayaking, and fishing are additionally the finest things to do in this area. Experiencing the nature is the finest gifts which each person can possess. The seashore is a beautiful location for absolutely everyone for complete relaxation and fun. Finding properties just near the seashore is a good option for home buyers who are engaged to see properties at Newport Beach homes for sale.
If you enjoyed bird watching, this location has also a place referred to as Newport’s Upper Newport Bay ecological preserve and reserve wherein you can do exciting events like bird viewing and mountaineering tracks that a lot of teenagers, youngsters and parents enjoyed. As you visit in this magnificent area, almost 200 species of bird, preserved endangered species, most of species of mammals, and indigenous plants can be seen in this enchanted area. Your eyes could actually be captured of the amazing details around.
Choosing to purchase a residential property in Newport Beach is heading to be a fantastic investment for those individuals who loved beaches, doing mountain climbing tracks and bird eyeing activities. Buying a house is certainly not been a simple process and most home buyers thought of it as one of the a lot difficult events in their lives. Thinking about the services of Newport Beach real estate or Newport Beach homes for sale can make your residential home search easier.
Bali Island is an island full of beauty. So the tourists both at home and abroad really liked the island. Bali island is very beautiful, various natural charm scattered there.
For those of you who want to visit the island of Bali a good idea to visit some of the most beautiful sights in the form of a very beautiful beach. This beach is perfect for relaxing with your family while enjoying the charm of the sea waves are very beautiful.
Here are five beaches on the island of Bali which is famous and became a place of choice for tourists:
1. Padang Bai
Bali is a tourist who is recognized by the Whole World in natural beauty and cultural richness that is very thick, the beach at Balipun is one of the 10 best beaches in the World, where, and what are the most beautiful beaches of this retreat?
2. Legian and Seminyak Beach
It is located on the northern beach of Kuta beach has the same atmosphere with the beach of Kuta, but the beach in Legian and Seminyak Kuta beach is distinguished by cleanliness and atmosphere are not so crowded. Legian and Seminyak Beach is a favorite place of my sunset pictures, because the atmosphere of the sunset each day is never the same and very unique.
3. Dreamland Beach
The beach is very popular tourist foreign tourists, white sand stretches very wide. And the large coral reef beautify this beach, one of the white sand beach in Bali is very beautiful and exotic. Only love access to this place because it’s rather difficult to enter the luxury housing complex and a very steep downward path, so be careful when his season.
4. Sanur Beach
Sanur and the surrounding area one of the first growing tourist areas in Bali, we can feel the atmosphere of the village with peace than in other coastal areas. Since large scale renovation Sanur beach is turned into a very beautiful beach and friendly. The many activities and areas that are resort2 Sanur Beach Sanur makes one alternative beach worth visiting.
5. Amed and Tulamben Beach
Amed and Tulamben Beach are adjacent beach, almost like a second character of this beach. But the Amed coast is still virgin and not many domestic tourists who come here. Tulamben beach is favored by the Diver who want to dive here. Because here there is a sunken U.S. warships and not too deep. Thus, this beach is one of the exotic beach retreat,
Beach House At Byron Bay
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Byron Bay is Australia’s most easterly point, 153 39 east, located on the north coast of New South Wales. With its beautiful beaches, where the ocean meets with pristine coastal rainforests and provides you the most relaxed lifestyle, Byron Bay is a popular tourist destination with all types of accommodation available in & around Byron Bay. Byron bay beach house is one of the most famous and the luxurious beach house at Byron bay. Byron bay beach house offers a year round tropical paradise of beaches, best accommodation and rainforests with the average temperature in summer of 27 degrees and 22 degrees in winter. Byron bay beach house offers something for everyone, whether it is a relaxing holiday sitting by salt water pool or enjoying the amazing beaches, taking a look at the huge variety of shops or sitting in the many cafes and restaurants. There is so much to do and see in Byron bay beach house during the day, but at night this is when Byron comes alive. The local pubs and clubs provide a large range of live entertainment every night of the week. After dinner at Byron bay beach house you have a choice of going to one of two cinemas where alternative movies are showing. Or there is free entertainment as you wander down the street. Sometimes you can find yourself being caught up in this incredible sound and dancing in the street with people you don’t know, having the most magical at Byron bay beach house. In this atmosphere everyone’s friendly and everyone’s out to let their inhibitions go.
Byron bay beach house also provides you the separate facilities for the couple to enjoy your honeymoon or any special day of your life. Couples only accommodation represents places where the accommodation is suitable for adults only. Byron bay beach house Ideal for that romantic weekend, midweek getaway or a much needed break from work or family pressures. Byron bay beach house offers beautiful cabins and cottages; others are guesthouse style private suites. All are child-free adult retreat zones. All rooms are luxuriously appointed with fresh wicker interiors and accented with splashes of lively color and all large beds being sensually cascaded with light netting. If you really want to enjoy your romantic weekend then Byron bay beach house is the best place for you.
An Overview of Luxury Orange County Houses In Newport Beach are some of the most popular luxury Orange County houses, which are located within a short distance of many recreational and entertainment opportunities, yet are also surrounded by thousands of acres of protected natural wilderness. Residents who live in these homes have many privileges to enjoy and many amenities to take advantage of, including social and recreational activities, private beach access and walking paths that lead to the private parks of Island Garden, Reef Point and Ocean Garden. There is plenty of opportunity for residents to enjoy fine dining,exciting entertainment and high end shopping at the many venues throughout the area. Many people choose to live in Newport or this very reason.
Laguna Beach is also an area with many beautiful luxury Orange County houses, and it is not far from Newport Beach. These new homes for sale in Laguna Beach offer style and design that matches the enthusiasm of the city. The grand nature of these homes compliments their surroundings with stunning outdoor living areas with outdoor fireplaces and exteriors that reflect the natural beauty of the surrounding land and sea. Home buyers will also find sunken courtyards that open to the sky, wine tasting rooms and cellars, home theater rooms and personal retreats in the finest homes that are available. Many new homes are architecturally influenced by the styles of European villas, each one being designed by award winning architects who are renowned for their innovative designs and clever imaginations. Architectural themes that are used throughout the area include Provencal, Spanish, Tuscan and Santa Barbara stylings.
Newport Beach and Laguna Beach are two of the most popular and most beautiful areas in the county in which to buy a new luxury home. New houses built in these cities in Orange County are the top tier when it comes to home buying, especially those which are built by new home building companies. They afford home buyers the option to customize their house to their liking, with upgrades and features that are available according to plan. Many features in new homes which used to be considered luxurious options are now included features, which include options such as granite countertops and undermount sinks, solid wood doors at the fronts of the homes and throughout the interiors, hardwood floors and designer carpeting, stone exteriors and accents, and nine to ten foot ceilings on the first floors. These and many other features are included by home builders as a testament to their commitment to always offering the very best to home buyers who want to build luxury Orange County homes.
Tips on Beach House Decoration
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As it comes to beach house, the first thing you can think of is golden sunshine and sand. It is certain that you would prefer spend all your time outside sunbathing or taking a dip, yet to some extent you also want to retire to your beach house.
Wood or tile floors will be great for your beach house, as these are easy to maintain and will not trap dirt or sand. Pile up some pillows and cushions on the floor to sit or lay on. For your covers, use materials such as denim, linen or twill as these do not wear fast and are easy to clean. For the fabric designs, you can chose motifs of palm trees, tropical flowers or sea shells.
Do not carpet your beach house as the synthetic material will stick out like a sore thumb in your outdoorsy room. Opt for an area rug instead. An area rug will add color to your beach house.
Get one made from natural fibers such as sisal or sea grass that will wear the rough outdoors, with the salt water, rough night breezes and sun. Sisal will complete the whole outdoors look you are aiming for.
Being smack in the middle of the outdoors, your colors will be light earth tones, your materials and fabrics natural and durable. Avoid bold bright tones and instead go for the more natural color palette that will enhance your serene ambience and complete the colors of your surroundings. White and ivory would work well for your walls, while a soft sky blue would be great for your ceiling. Your furnishings should stand out well in white, sea green, yellow and blue.
You don’t have to have window treatments for your beach house as you want it to be as airy as possible.
But if you must, go for sheer curtains or shutters in pristine white for a complete look.
There’s a whole market of free accessories waiting for you down at the beach. You can get all sorts of coral pieces and shells in different shapes and striking colors and patterns to display on shelves in your beach house. Place them with some sand inside clear glass jars and in wooden bowls to serve as centre pieces on your table.
Go for chairs made from wicker furniture, as these will withstand the ravages of the natural environment. Set up a wooden table outside, underneath a large beach umbrella for more direct contact with your outdoors. A hammock would also be great to laze around in.
At the end of it all, remember that the more space you create the more relaxing your beach house will be. Avoid stocking up on too many pieces of furniture. Have enough space to move around and feel comfortable in. You can get a lot of great ideas from thrift stores and the like. Once your beach house is complete, it should serve as the perfect get-away in which you can relax and rejuvenate during your vacation.
style=”margin-bottom: 0in;”>Whether you are a native or just visiting the beaches of Southern California are some of the best places to go and spend a day in the sun. In the summer people from all over the Los Angeles metropolitan area flock down to the beach. If you are traveling from a country where you are not as
spoiled with sunshine as Californians, you will find the beaches in California inviting all year round. Many beaches in Los Angeles and Orange county are as famous as Los Angeles itself. All over the world people have heard of Venice Beach, Santa Monica Beach and Malibu beach.
The beaches of Southern California are many and varied. So how do you pick which beach will be the perfect beach for you? Depending on what you are looking for from a day at the beach, you can rest assured you will find it in California. From partying into the night to just relaxing in the sun with your kids you can find the perfect spot. If you enjoy water sports, Southern California has some of the best beaches for That too.
Hanging with the hipsters
For many visitors to California, the trip is not complete without a trip to Venice Beach. Famous as a hangout for the stars as well as home to Muscle Beach, Venice is one of the most iconic beaches in the world. Venice is a beach where people go to be seen. You will find a teeming street life here in the summers. Street performers, rollerbladers and gymnasts are among the people competing for your attention. If you are after the typical Hollywood beach experience, complete with rollerskating bikini chicks, Venice Beach is your place to go.
Doing it like the Hoff
Santa Monica Beach is probably just as renowned as Venice. For years the beach was a weekly fixture on TV sets all around the world as Pamela Anderson and David Hasselhoff ran around Santa Monica in slow motion. Many tourists come to this beach just to walk on the hallowed grounds of Baywatch. Santa Monica has a lot more to offer though. The Santa Monica pier is as well known as Anderson’s red swimsuit. The fairgrounds on the pier has attractions for kids of all ages, even offering a roller coaster as well as many smaller rides and attractions. Right off the pier you will find a buzzing down town area with plenty of high end shopping and dining. On top of all this you will also find beautiful bike and pedestrian paths that overlook the beach and the Pacific Ocean.
The beach is pretty good too.
Hitting the waves
If surfing is your thing. Surf City is your beach. Huntington Beach is home to the national surfer championships every year. More relaxed than the beaches in Los Angeles, this Orange County hot spot has the perfect surfer attitude. The beach is wide and the water is fairly shallow which makes it a great place to go with younger kids as well. If you are looking to surf, keep in mind that on most days during the summer, the no surfing flag goes up at noon over most of the beach.
Huntington Beach is also a great spot to go for some after dark beach fun. The wide beach front and the numerous fire pits make it a great spot for beach parties.
Her?
Another excellent location in Orange county is Balboa Beach. Take the ferry over to the Balboa Peninsula and just stroll around among some of the most expensive beach front properties in the world. Or you could get a guided boat tours of the bay and come face to face with a sea lion or two. The bike path run right along the beach and the city of Balboa is a quiet and charming small town. Balboa has it’s own well knows ferris wheel as well as bumper cars and a few other attractions. Perhaps most interesting is that Balboa was the location for the Bluth family’s banana stand in Arrested Development.
Picture perfect
One of the most beautiful beaches and beach cities along the Southern California coast is Laguna Beach. Nestled in between dramatic cliffs, the beach itself is relatively small. The draw at Laguna is the quaint beach community. From the picturesque light house, to the beautiful plant arrangements around the beach front you will never run out of opportunities to round up your family for a group shot. The city of Laguna matches this quiet beauty wonderfully. Dominated by low cottage type wood building Laguna has its own very distinct feel. Along the beach lone you will find that Laguna has an abundance of arts and crafts stores. Beautiful glass work and hand made jewelry are among the many eye-catching items you will find.
For the wee ones
Travelers with very small children might be weary of brining their kids to the beach. The surf can be powerful and the undertows a real hazard for inexperienced beach bums. The area around Huntington and Balboa beaches is the perfect solution for families with small children. Through out the Balboa bay there are numerous mothers beaches. Beaches that are shielded from the surf of the Pacific. These beaches are perfect for letting toddlers enjoy the water. Mothers beaches are usually quite small and can be hard to spot. Many of them are pointed out by road signs but it is still a good idea to get directions online to the beach you pick before hand.
No matter what kind of beach experience you are looking for you can find it in California. If you are planning a trip to the Golden State; make sure you go for a drive up the Pacific Coast Highway. The scenic route will take you along all the famous and not so famous beach cities of California; making it one of the best ways to experience the unique beach culture.
Different places, different people, different house styles and designs. Check this out.
1. Naga Hut: India
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This unique house design is an Angami Naga dwelling located at the Naga Heritage Village, Kohima, Nagaland. Nagaland is a hill state located in the far north-eastern part of India.
2. Bolgatanga Painted Village: Ghana
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During dry season when there is little work in the field, women in this village in Ghana are busy painting their houses. These painted houses are located in Village Of Pottery Art and Culture or simply VOPCA, a village 8 km west of Bolgatanga. These houses are popular tourist attraction in the area.
3. Maison Obus: Cameroon
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These extremely unique traditional houses are located located in Cameroon.
4. Maison Ndebeles: Africa
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This colorful house is located in Africa.
5. Xinle Houses: China
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These traditional houses are Xinle house design of the Xinle civilization that flourished in China 7,200 years ago.
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The Xinle Civilization flourished about 5500 to 4800 BCE during the Neolithic period at the lower Liao River.
6. Kanak House: New Caledonia
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This house design is home to a Kanak, the indigenous Melanesian inhabitants of New Caledonia in the southwest Pacific.
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Almost 50% of the inhabitants of the beautiful tropical island of New Caledonia are Kanak people.
7. Yoshinogari Dwellings: Japan
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These unique designs of houses are reconstructed dwellings in Yoshinogari, a large and complex Yayoi archeological site in Kyushu, Japan. It is believed that such houses existed from 3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE.
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This complex and large archeological site has a total area of about 40 hectares. This site is a major tourist attraction.
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Specifically, the Yoshinogari site is located in Yoshinogari, Saga, Japan.
8. Toro Pit Dwelling: Japan
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Not far from Tokyo, Japan’s capital, is another archeological site where unique traditional house designs can be found – Late Yayoi archeological site. It is located in Suzuga-ku the city of Shizouka. The pit-house above is believed to have been built in the 1st century CE.
9. Fijian Hut: Fiji
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These beautiful huts are located in the Nausori Highlands in the interior of Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu. One of the most picturesque villages in the area is Navala.
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The Nausori Highlands are a great place to learn about Fijian culture.
10. Beach Hut: Denmark
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This colorful beach hut is located in Ero Hale near Marstal on Ero Island in Denmark.
11. Underground House: Tunisia
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Believe it or not, this dwelling is actually a hotel. It is called Hotel Sidi Driss. This traditional Berber troglodyte underground building is located in the village of Matmata, Tunisia. If you have seen the movie ‘Star Wars’, the hotel served as the home of Luke Skywalker on the planet Tatooine.
The structures are created by digging a large pit in the ground and around the perimeter of this pit artificial caves are then dug to be used as rooms, with some homes comprising multiple pits, connected by trench-like passageways.
12. Thatched House: Romania
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This thatched house is located in Village Museum in Bucharest, the capital of the former communist state of Romania.
13. Traditional Cottage: Cameroon
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This lovely-looking cottage is located in Barbara’s Village at Langma Beach in Cameroon. It is a traditional style village resort.
14. Rock Houses: Iran
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This village called Kandovan is a tourist spot in Iran and is famous for its unique houses which are carved inside rocks. These houses were built about 700 years ago and are still being inhabited. The mineral water in the area is also well-known to tourist because it is believed that it can cure kidney problems.
15. Turf Houses: Iceland
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Because timbers are not suitable for house construction in Iceland due to its harsh winter climate, most houses are made of turf.
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16. Traditional Hut: Cameroon
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This hut that is made of indigenous materials is an African Hut at Bana, a small village of Cameroon.
17. Rumah Gudang: Indonesia
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Rumah Gadang which means ‘big house’ in Minangkabau language is the traditional home of Minangkabau people of Indonesia. The house has dramatic curved roof structure with multi-tired, upswept gables. Shuttered windows are built into walls incised with profuse painted floral carvings. A Rumah Gadang is owned by the women of the family and ownership is passed from mother to daughter.
18. Zalfimaniry: Madagascar
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This is a typical Zafimaniry house located in Madagascar. It is entirely made of woods.
19. Ksar Ouleds: Tunisia
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These multi-storey houses in Tunisia are made of clay because woods are not available in the area.
20. Masai House: Tanzania
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This Maasai house is located in Tanzania. The house’s design is still traditional but the roof is no longer made of thatch but made of GI sheets.
See also
20 Amazingly Unique Architectural Designs of Houses
Unique Houses of the World
10 Unique Houses From Around the World
The 21 Most Impressively Unique House Designs
Stunning Byron Bay Holiday House
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Byron bay is the best and the most beautiful place in Australia to enjoy your holidays at the beach side. Byron bay holiday house is the best place to stay there. They provide you the best services and comfort that leaves you with the beautiful memories at the end of your vacations. Byron bay holiday house has its comfortable accommodation in charming and stunning cabins and convenient facilities, Casuarinas Lodge is the ideal place to enjoy and relax and pampered with the promise of privacy and security.
Byron bay holiday houseoffers comfortable accommodation units that are elegantly designed with the natural surroundings. Byron bay holiday house is well equipped and has its own private balcony with the beach view or the surrounding rainforest. You can start your day with the sip of tea at the beautiful balcony. The conference facility provided by the Byron bay holiday house is an ideal place to host special events, executive board meetings, company conferences and other workshops. Let your stress melt away with a soothing massage or enjoy a refreshing dip at the beautiful beach side.
Byron bay holiday houseoffers a location unrivalled in a region renowned for its natural beauty and luxurious services. This holiday resort is positioned on Main Beach overlooking the Beach side, Julian Rocks and centre of Byron Bay shops, cafes and restaurants. Each luxurious cabin is spacious and well furnished to enhance your Byron experience. You can practically roll out of bed and onto the beach or let their friendly staff assists to plan all your activities.
Author is an executive. Her hobbies are travelling, Music, reading and writing. For more information on Byron Bay holiday house on their site.
Isn’t it ironic that while much is being made of light rail in Norfolk, a small city of only 53 square miles of land nothing is being made of bringing light rail to Virginia Beach, a much larger city 248 square miles of land. Sure it is great that Norfolk has light rail, but it is a small city and already has excellent bus coverage. The only reason that city has light rail is because they have literally ran out of land in which to expand roads or pile more buses onto existing roads, and they are being forced to build vertically in order to move forward. Virgina Beach could elevate the rail now, and then build under, next to, or on top of, the light rail to create an urban experience that does not exist in Norfolk, but that will never happen.
Virginia Beach on the other hand is still very much a suburb of Norfolk, and seriously needs to look at alternatives to public transportation. You can easily wait up to 2 hours for a bus here. Virginia Beach has a lot of interesting destinations in which light rail could take tourists to. The biggest, most xenophobic argument, against light rail is that criminals would want to leave Norfolk to go to Virginia Beach to rob people. There isn’t that much more money in Virginia Beach than there is in Norfolk and at best, some people may, on average, have twice as much money in Virginia Beach than they do in Norfolk.
In fact the disparity between Virginia Beach and Norfolk is absolutely nothing in comparison to what it is in other cities around the nation between city and suburb or even a good neighborhood in a city in comparison to a bad neighborhood in that same town. Virginia Beach has a different look and feel than Norfolk, more suburban, more White or “Caucasian”, a different type of energy that is more laid back, and of course your quintessential beach culture, which Norfolk may have had 50 years ago but is severely missing now. But if you were to hear some of the arguments that people in Virginia Beach have against light rail you would think that for every dollar someone makes in Norfolk, a Virginia Beach resident is making $ 20, as might be the case in a city like New York or Chicago.
Norfolk may seem like a welfare state, or that the average resident lives in Section 8 housing, but Virginia Beach is no saint either. Virginia Beach has homelessness, they have property crime, they have petty crime, they have their own Section 8 housing and apartment complexes that have the look and feel of housing projects. Things just look better in Virginia Beach, but there are plenty of people scraping to get by living hand to mouth just like there are in Norfolk. If anything Virginia Beach does a better job of hiding these people and tucking them away from the tourist areas.
The only thing that would happen if light rail were to be extended into Norfolk is that it would be easier for those individuals to leave Virginia Beach and go into Norfolk. Most of these individuals probably already do their shopping and recreation in Norfolk anyway, as the recreation and activities that Virginia Beach has, is for the privileged of Virginia Beach, not anyone else. The city is also good at hosting free events to make it look on the surface as though they are doing something for everyone else but that is a lie. If you aren’t into classic rock or country do not even waste your time.
There are those individuals that have the means to sit back and enjoy a few days off and immerse themselves into beach culture. But it isn’t cheap to live in Virginia Beach, and the rest of us have to work! I don’t even get to see Ocean View, and that is in Norfolk and they have free parking.
I may have gotten off track; Virginia Beach is so spread out that it can take a half hour to get here, an hour to get there, and that is in an automobile. The city needs to find a creative way to use light rail to tie these destinations together for tourists who cannot afford to stay at the Oceanfront that may be staying 30 miles away deep into Virginia Beach to save money, or that may be staying with residents. No tourist wants to get on a bus and deal with two or three transfers and three or four hours later trying to take advantage of what there is to see and do in the seven cities. It is easier to spend a day at the Oceanfront, another day at Ocean View, a day in Downtown Norfolk, a day at Downtown Virginia Beach; traffic is just too dense, and too much of a hassle, to deal with the rat race as a tourist around here.
Just this morning there was an accident on I-264 headed towards the Oceanfront, as there always seems to be. I know that there a military base people are headed to, and I know that there are tourists headed there, and they end up in the midst of our 4 lanes of traffic doing 70 to 85 miles per hour and they may know how to drive where they are from but they do not know how to drive around here and they get into an accident. At least once a week this happens, if not once a month. Some metropolitan areas have a church, a liquor store, a hair salon, and a convenience store on every corner. Hampton Roads seems to have a military installation, a tourist attraction, and residential neighborhoods every few miles. You must go through one to get to the other. When it can take a half hour to get out of your neighborhood just to pump some gas and get a few groceries and go back home there is a serious problem.
Norfolk residents are not interested in Virginia Beach; the blood boils and the writing is on the wall and both have made it clear how they feel about the other. At the same time, Virginia Beach is large enough that it can be difficult for a working poor resident to enjoy all of what their own city has to offer. I never go to Portsmouth, I never go to Williamsburg for the outlets or for Jamestown, I rarely go across the water to the Peninsula (maybe once every 6 months). For what I am getting into it simply is not worth it to travel there. Yet I do like the beaches and would not matter traveling to them, even Buckroe Beach. Give us some alternatives to the bus and bring light rail to Virginia Beach! I promise that I will leave my thug friends from Norfolk, in Norfolk (then again I don’t know any thugs in Norfolk but you get my point) …