Best beaches to swing a hammock

1. Dahab, Egypt

Dahab means ‘gold’ in Arabic – a name given to the area because of its golden sands. With a unique location on the edge of the Sinai desert, Dahab certainly remains an untapped treasure; budget accommodation almost on the beach means you can virtually roll out of your sleeping bag and into the water. Backed by mountain ranges, Dahab’s Bedouin settlement, Assalah, is a favoured beach-bum haunt, with unspoilt charm and chilled beachside

cafes, while up the coast are favoured and famous diving spots. Expensive resort-style hotels are at El Kura, where the bus stops; Assalah village in Mashraba Bay is much more chilled.

2. Curonian Spit, Lithuania

This 98km lick of sand is a wondrous mixture of dunes (some as high as 200m) and forest – the smell of pine will impart an otherworldly quality to your hammock time. Wilhelm von Humboldt believed that a trip to the Curonian Spit was essential nourishment for the soul, and Thomas Mann was also drawn to this timeless wonderland. It’s said that around 14 villages are buried under the endless, shifting dunes, making the Spit a kind of
Baltic Sahara. The towering 52m ‘Great Dune’ is in Nida; to get there take the ferry from Klaipeda to Neringa (costs around €10 per car), then drive or cycle 50km.

3. Jambiani, Tanzania

This the Beach that Time Forgot, where men in fishing dhows set sail at sunset for the reefs, women gather seaweed daily, and people like you are constantly boiling to a crisp under the baking sun. There’s not much to do here (certainly not swimming; tides are low) except loll about and crack open a few coconuts. Remember: you’re inZanzibar, Mythical Africa, so just kick back and drink it (or your coconut milk) in. Rent a bike from the fishing village to explore the beach’s limits; ask a local fisherman to take you for a boat ride at dusk so you can see the beach in all its sun-dappled glory.

4. Kerala Coast, India

Beachy types generally don’t hop up and down with glee when India is mentioned, but those in the know are enraptured. Tucked in along India’s 600km-long Kerala coast is a string of coconut-palm-fringed beaches adjoining lulling surf and bluest-of-blue waters. There are the larger resorts, such as Kovalam, but also many more unspoilt delights where your hammock will be overworked as you gaze at rub-your-eyes-raw semicircular bays, or expanses of sand so long you’ll think they’re a mirage. Thrillingly, there’ll be no one else around to pinch you and tell you you’re dreaming. The spa at Varkala Papanasam Beach is the best spot to watch the sunset;
follow the pilgrim trail 42km from Thiruvanathapuram.

5. Pulau Perhentian, Malaysia

The palm-fringed beaches of the Perhentian Islands, covered in tropical rainforest, are about as natural as they come: calm, hassle-free and with virtually no signs of commercialisation. Except for snorkelling, diving, frolicking, swimming, sunning your body or pretending you’re either Brooke Shields or Christopher Atkins inThe Blue Lagoon (1980), there’s nothing to do. Depart from either the Tok Bali or the nearer Kuala Besut jetty; speed boats take about half as long as regular ferries, which make the trip in about 1½ to two hours.

6. Kai Islands, Indonesia

There’s a growing chorus that says these remote white-sand beaches are the finest the world has to offer. Development has been slow around the Kai archipelago, so the beaches remain unspoilt and as nature intended. If you’re not big on pristine powdery sands, azure seas, rare and varicoloured birds, arresting fish and wondrous coral reefs, then stay away. Everyone else: enjoy. Upon arrival at Pasir Panjang or Kei Kecil, you’ll find locals ready to organise accommodation for you in a basic beach cottage; ensure that the agreed price includes the daily delivery of fresh water and meals.

7. Isla Mujeres, Mexico

This unpretentious island off shore from Cancún, just 7km long and barely 1km wide, is light years away from the glitzy mainland scene. Its tropical beaches make it a cult fave, with those on the south side known for calm turquoise waters. For get-on-down Caribbean fun, visit Playa Norte, a popular beach with waiters who’ll bring drinks to your spot on the sand. More secluded options include Playa Paraiso and Playa Indios. Boat tours run by fishing cooperatives disembark along Rueda Medina; hire mopeds, bikes, or golf carts once on the island. For more see www.isla-mujeres .com.mx.

8. North Stradbroke Island, Australia

Straddie is among the world’s largest sand islands – and ’sand’ equals ‘beach’, right? The Queensland island’s 30km white sand Main Beach is backed by an expanse of dunes, making it popular with 4WDs. There are a number
of more secluded spots around Point Lookout. Here, the only thing to do is surf, sun yourself, and perhaps paddle in rock pools teeming with marine life, or watch whales or some unique Aussie animals. From the mainland, the Big Red Cat ferry runs up to 16 trips a day, seven days a week; for details see www.seastradbroke.com.

9. Ko Pha-Ngan, Thailand

A lovely island, with mostly deserted beaches that are perfect for solitude lovers and infatuated couples… except
for Hat Rin, which holds its famous full-moon parties every month, perfect for hedonists and pleasure seekers.
Surrounded by coconut trees and mountains, the twin beaches of Thong Nai Pan are a favourite of the Thai royals,
which probably explains why development has been kept at bay. The bliss is so overwhelming as to be almost (almost) unbearable. Tha Laem Nai is the lagoon depicted in The Beach by Alex Garland; for information about the marine park visit www.phangan.info.

10. Punalu’u, USA

Hawai’i’s black-sand wonderland has won a few ‘best beach’ awards in recent times, and it’s truly an astonishing sight: Punalu’u’s startling blue waters lap up against the jetblack beach, which is backed by rows of deep-green coconut palms. This is one place where your hammock will really come in handy – it’s scenery that demands your constant, supine contemplation – and you might even spot a hawksbill turtle wandering onto the sand to lay its eggs. Don’t touch them, though – they’re an endangered species. Hawksbill turtles (known locally as Honu’ea) nest here from May to September but remember - hands off. Human bacteria can prove deadly.


Source : http://www.lonelyplanet.com

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What's the right credit card for you?

There are hundreds of different credit cards to choose from - but make sure you pick the right one for your needs.

The credit cards section of moneysupermarket.com is jam packed with best-buy deals. But not all the market-leading cards on offer will be suitable for you.

People who pay off their credit card bills in full each month, for example, need a different card to those who have outstanding debts, while someone planning a wedding or a kitchen refit will benefit most from another deal altogether.

That's why we have come up with some top tips for how to find the best possible credit card, whatever your circumstances.

I have outstanding debts. What is the best credit card for me?

If you already have debts built up, whether on a credit card or in the form of a current account overdraft, then a balance transfer card offering an introductory rate of 0% is your best option.

The Barclaycard Platinum Card, for example, is currently giving new customers looking to transfer debts from elsewhere 20 months at 0%, subject to an up-front balance transfer fee of 3.2% of the total debt to be moved on to the card. People who apply for this card through moneysupermarket.com will benefit from a £10 reduction to the balance transfer fee.

Other advantages of the card include a 0% introductory deal on purchases for the first three months and a reward scheme. However, if you are using the card as a way to pay down your debts while avoiding interest charges, then further spending should not be part of your plan.

The representative annual percentage rate (APR) charged on the card once the balance transfer period comes to an end is a hefty 17.5% variable, so it is in your interests to concentrate on reducing the balance rather than adding to it.

The same is true of other balance transfer cards such as NatWest Platinum, which offers 0% on debts transferred across for the first 18 months, subject to a 2.8% fee.

It too offers 0% on purchases for the first six months, and rewards on shopping, travel and wine, but charges anyone who fails to clear their balance within 18 months a representative APR of 16.6% variable.

I need to make some large purchases and want to spread the cost. Which credit card should I choose?

Whether you are getting married, have recently moved house or need to fund some vital home improvements, most of us will at some stage need to spend more than we have available in our current and savings accounts.

The good news for those looking to spread the cost of their spending is that there are lots of deals on the market offering 0% on purchases for up to 15 months.

The Marks & Spencer credit card, for example, gives you 15 months at 0% on purchases, after which the representative APR jumps to 15.9% variable.

Meanwhile, Tesco's Clubcard Credit card also offers new customers 15 months at 0% on purchases, nine months at 0% on balance transfers, subject to a 2.9% handling fee, and has a standard representative APR of 16.9% variable.

Both these cards also offer generous reward schemes to ensure you get more for the money you spend, more details of which are given below.

I pay my balance off in full every month. Which credit card is best for me?

If you always clear your balance in full, there is little point choosing a credit card based on the rate of interest charged.

Instead, you should take out a card that rewards you for spending by giving you cashback on the cost of your purchases, or offering discounts on other goods and services.

The best cashback card on the market at the moment is the MBNA American Express Card with Cashback, which gives you up to 1.5% cashback on all purchases.

Other cards worth a look include the MBNA Visa Card with Cashback and the American Express Platinum Cashback Card, which gives new customers up to 5% cashback in the first three months.

Meanwhile, market-leading reward cards include the Tesco Clubcard Credit Card (see above), which gives you one point for every £4 spent, plus Clubcard points when shopping in Tesco stores.

The Marks & Spencer Credit Card mentioned above is also attractive. It gives you one point for every £1 spent in store and one point for every £2 spent elsewhere.

I have a poor credit rating. What credit cards can I have?

Most of the cards mentioned in this article are best-buy deals reserved for people with unblemished credit files.

If you are unsure whether you would qualify for them, you can avoid your credit rating being further damaged by rejected applications by using the moneysupermarket.com Smart Search tool to check which cards are likely to accept you first.

Even if your score is not good enough to access cheap deals now, however, credit cards also offer a way to improve your chances of being accepted for market-leading deals in the future through so-called credit builder deals.

These include the Capital One Visa Card, which has a representative APR of 28.9% variable, and Barclaycard Initial, with a representative APR of 29.9% variable.

However, you must be careful to pay the balance off in full every month as not only will this help to improve your score more quickly, but high interest rates on these cards would also cause any debts to quickly spiral out of control.

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Best Balance Transfer Credit Card Offers - June 2011

Consumers in the market for a 0% balance transfer credit card this month will find a good selection of long duration, low fee offers available. As June begins, a number of companies are offering 0% rates on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months or more, well above historical averages.
As has been the case for most of 2011, Citi credit cards are offering the longest balance transfer deals. This month, both the Citi Platinum Select and Citi Diamond Preferred Cards are offering 0% APR balance transfers that last 21 months. Discover, which had previously offered a 24 month balance transfer, also has two strong offers lasting 15 months or more. How long these deals will stay on the market remains a big unknown, especially given the recent weakness in the economy. However, consumers fortunate enough to be seeking out low rate cards in June have multiple options.

June’s Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards

Citibank’s 21 month 0% APR promotion, which applies to both purchases and balance transfers, is the longest currently available. Citibank is offering this deal on both the Citi Platinum Select and Citi Diamond Preferred cards. These cards offer identical benefits and differ only in name. In addition to offering the longest 0% rates in the industry, these two cards also carry very low 3% balance transfer fees. Many cards that only offer 0% APR balance transfers for as little as six months charge 4% fees. By offering the longest 0% rates and the lowest fees, these offers trounce the competition.

Citi® Platinum Select® MasterCard®
	0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers and Purchases for 21 months. After that, the APR will be 11.99%-20.99% based upon your creditworthiness. Extra Cash from Citi: enjoy discounts on gift cards, travel, merchandise and more Citi® Identity Theft Solutions Secure, free online account management No annual fee* View Detail :
Intro APR Intro Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed 0% 21 months on Balance Transfers* 11.99% - 20.99%* (Variable) None Yes Excellent

Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
	0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers and Purchases for 21 months. After that, the APR will be 11.99%-20.99% based upon your creditworthiness. $0 Liability on unauthorized purchases Citi® Identity Theft Solutions Secure, free online account management No annual fee*
Intro APR Intro Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed 0% 21 months on Balance Transfers* 11.99% - 20.99%* (Variable) None Yes Excellent

Discover, which did not increase the length of balance transfer offers this month, significantly improved two main offers by reducing balance transfer fees from 4% to 3%. Their longest balance transfer offer, a 0% APR for 18 months, is available on their Long Duration Balance Transfer card. However, there is a slight drawback for consumers who desire a 0% APR for both balance transfers and purchases, as this card only extends a 0% rate on purchases for 6 months.
A second Discover offer, the flagship Discover More Card, fills the gap for consumers who want an all encompassing 0% APR. This card charges no interest for 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers. This makes it an ideal fit for consumers who need to transfer balances from a Citi card or for those who desire the higher quality of customer service provided by Discover, a perennial leader in the J.D. Power Credit Card Satisfaction Survey.


Source : http://www.smartbalancetransfers.com

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