Monthly Archives: March 2014

Happy Mother’s Day From Penguin

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This Sunday, 30th March is Mother’s Day, a day dedicated to those hardworking mums who put up with smelly, messy children for most of their lives. Today is a day that you can use to thank mums all over the world for their hard work, or you can just thank your mum. It can be in any way you want, with a small personal gift, with a weekend away, or just by taking a moment out of your day to spend some quality time with her. Whatever you choose to do, make it special.

Spa Breaks

Very few people don’t enjoy being pampered, and especially if you have endured the stress that being a mother brings, a spa day or two, or even an hour or so, won’t go amiss. Give her the gift of relaxation, where a qualified masseuse works out all her aches and pains accompanied to soothing music and fragrant scents.

Do Something Interesting

[penguin] cafe france blogNot got a run of the mill mum? If she prefers spending her days out and about, why not hire a car in Paris and take her on a tour of the sights? Trips to France are ideal as it is easily reachable by boat, and you can enjoy some quality time with mum while at the same time getting some fresh air. Why not visit the Louvre, or have a look at the Eiffel Tower? You could even take a few moments to have a delicious bagel in one of the many French cafes and simply watch the world go by.

Presents!

Make sure to give your mum at least a card this mother’s day. Even a small token will show her that you have thought of her, and in the end, even a small thing can make a big statement. However be careful to make sure not to get her anything she really doesn’t like, as some mum’s don’t like flowers or trinkets. You should know; she’s your mum!

Enjoy It!

[penguin] gift blogSome people spend far too much time running around, worrying about their daily lives and the stress and fatigue it brings about. Take a step back to relax with your mother, remind her of what she means to you. If you take time out to enjoy the time you spend with her, you may even begin to appreciate her on another level. It is one day a year, so make it count!

Beautiful Lakes in the South of France

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The South of France is a beautiful holiday destination to visit in the summer, particularly for those who love stunning beaches, but aren’t that fond of taking long haul flights to the likes of Hawaii and beyond. Some of the best locations to swim in the South of France are, ironically, not by the sea, but are instead by the region’s various rivers and lakes. These beaches may not be sandy, but their isolated locations and lack of tourists along with gorgeous views more than make up for their outward rocky appearance at first. Here at Penguin Car Hire, with fantastic deals and opportunities on hire cars from Boulogne-Sur-Mer to Toulouse, we look at the more beautiful Lakes and rivers, perfect for holidaymakers, located in the south of France.

Lake Bugarach

[penguin]lake bugarach blogA tiny lake just south of the village of Bugarach, located in the shadow of nearby mount Bugarach, this lake is beautifully quaint. Surrounded by rolling hills and with various nature walks through the forests nearby, Lake Bugarach is perfect for holidaymakers who are looking to get more in tune with nature.

Montpeyroux

Located on a hilltop, Montpeyroux is a small village which accurately reflects the quaint and relaxing atmosphere of the countryside. Situated in the picturesque Lidoire Valley, Montpeyroux is located right next to L’Allier River, where you can see the water cascade its way through the rocks of the valley, down tiny waterfalls and running alongside itself in beautiful rivets made over hundreds of years.

Take a homemade picnic and sit on one of the large rocks stranded in the centre of the river, where you can enjoy the quiet sounds of L’Allier flowing by while basking in the beautiful weather of sunny South France.

Frigoulet

[penguin]french lakes guinguette blgoThe river near Frigoulet village has a popular family beach framed by dense forest on one side. The other side often receives visitors on family days out, attracting both local residents and tourists. The beautiful archway bridge across the river is often used as a diving board for local children, but it is not recommended for tourists!

If you fancy a bite to eat, you can always visit a nearby ‘guinguette’. The traditional word for a classical French pub, a guingette can serve small snacks and sandwiches for a very reasonable price.

Whatever your holidaying preferences, take your trip out in style with Penguin Car Hire. With a first class directory offering hire cars from thousands of destinations worldwide, you can be sure with our comprehensive search and booking engine, you will find the very best rate for a holiday hire car.

 

Bucket List Week 4 – Scuba and Sky Diving

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A Bucket list can consist of anything, from big events to tiny things that you had never even considered doing before. It can be something as little as trying every flavour of ice cream, to a big event such as completing a marathon. Here at Penguin we believe in travelling the world, visiting fantastic landmarks and enjoying the great sights of the different traditions and cultures worldwide. We’re not saying you have to travel to be happy, but for those of you who love travelling and are looking for some stunning locations and activities to tick off your bucket list, we can give you some ideas.

Skydiving

[penguin]skydive blog

An exhilarating feat, not for the faint hearted. Skydiving sessions happen everywhere in the world, depending on where you live or where you would like to dive. Normally divers on their first go will be accompanied by a professional, who chooses to open up the parachute at the right moment. The freefall portion of the skydive is the most exhilarating, the idea of rushing towards certain death, followed by the relief of the parachute opening – the rush of adrenaline you feel when this happens is often one of the major appealing points of diving.

Plus you get a great view of the surrounding area as you drift back down to safety, so for a truly inspirational view, why not try skydiving in Hawaii, where you can see the whole island laid out in front of you as you fall?

Great Barrier Reef – Australia

 

[penguin]scuba blog

Famous for being the world’s largest coral reef, with over 3,000 individual reef systems and coral cays, and with a range of diving experiences available depending on your level of diving skill, you can see the great barrier reef up close, no matter how much experience you have with diving!

 

Plus with accommodation suitable for families, couples and singles, the Great Barrier Reef is a great spot to visit for everyone! If you’re in Australia for a week or two, you can also hire a car in Townsville in order to see the local sites, after enjoying the fantastical views of the Great Barrier Reef.

New experiences can be found anywhere, from the ends of the earth to your back garden. Why not look at the rest of our bucket list collection, if you are putting together an ideal bucket list of your own and would like some great inspiration from the best locations worldwide.

50 States Road Trip – Massachusetts

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Massachusetts is the 3rd most densely populated states in the USA. The state has played a significant role in shaping American History. Plymouth was the site of the colony founded by the pilgrim passengers of the Mayflower in 1620 and the oldest institute of higher learning in the entire 50 states; Harvard University was founded in Massachusetts in 1636. Massachusetts was also the first U.S state to legally recognise same-sex marriage, in 2004. A leader in higher education, healthcare technology and financial services, Massachusetts has a lot for tourists to offer.

current state

[penguin] witch salem blogSalem

Famous (or is that infamous?) for its Witch trials, take a step into the history books as you learn about the historic importance of this city, and its connections with the witch trials of 1692.

A lot of Salem associates with the witch trials of 1692; police cars have witch logos on them, an elementary school is named Witchcraft Heights and most of the athletics teams in the schools are known as the Witches.

Salem is also home to a number of quaint New Age and Wiccan boutiques, as well as being a popular location for holidaymakers around Halloween!

Cape Cod

For the chance to see some extreme weather, head on over to Cape Cod. It is a beautiful cape that, due to its location, receives slightly colder winters and slightly warmer summers. Consisting of 15 distinctive towns each sporting their own unique charm, Cape Cods beautiful beaches that attract hundreds of tourists and honeymooners in the summer months.

If you are planning on visiting Cape Cod on your holidays, make sure to check the local weather report, as every five-six years a tropical storm accompanied by high winds tends to hit the Cape, so take care!

[penguin] nantucket blogNantucket

A beautifully quaint little island located to the south of Cape Cod, Nantucket is well known for its sparkling beaches and iconic home designs. Nantucket’s beaches are known to be some of the most pristine and beautiful beaches in the world. Littering is strictly prohibited and punishable, as it could damage the fragile ecosystem of the island.

Plus with houses, cottages and time share rentals available, you can own your own little piece of paradise during the holiday season.

Next Stop

Our next state is the state of Rhode Island. Why not hire a car in Providence, Rhode Island’s capital city by using Penguin’s Car Hire service?

St Patrick’s Day Festival

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Today is St Patrick’s Day, one of the most well-known holidays for those of Irish descent. St Patrick’s Day is celebrated enthusiastically across the world, but nowhere celebrates better than the Irish themselves. Those of Irish American descent may find themselves caught up in parades and various celebrations, but if you’re looking for the best place to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, Ireland is the place to be.

From the 14th to the 17th March 2014, the whole of Ireland gathered together to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in St Patrick’s Festival, located in Dublin, Ireland, and full of exciting events and performances that continued throughout the weekend.

St Patrick is one of Ireland’s most famous saints and most of what is known about him is derived from the Declaration thought to have been written by Patrick himself. It depicts Saint Patrick’s life before he became a priest, when he was kidnapped and sold into slavery on Gaellic Ireland, where he worked as a shepherd. During his days there he claimed to have ‘found god’ and brought it back to mainland Ireland, where he converted many of the Pagan Irish to Christianity until he died on the 17th March.

DUBLIN IN FEBRUARY 2006The St Patrick’s Day parade uses Ireland’s commemorative era as inspiration and throughout the next few years will be looking at the themes of ‘Past Present and Future’ when it comes to celebrating St Patrick’s Day and Ireland’s history. Plus next year the festival will pose the question ‘Who do we aspire to be in the next 100 years?’

Eight pageant companies will bring beautiful creations to life that culminated in a gorgeous and awe-inspiring parade that started at 12pm today. It begins on Parnell Square in Dublin, passing through O’Connell Street, over O’Connell Bridge, Westmoreland Streets, Dane Street and through to where it finishes at St Patrick’s Cathedral. If you’re visiting Ireland on holiday, why not hire a car in Dublin and head over to catch the festivities?

[penguin]st patricks day blogOther events that occurred throughout the weekend was a number of Music and Street performance vendors, including fun-fairs and various entertainment rides and information about the history of St Patrick’s Day, making it a great day out for you and the kids.

All this culminates in the Greening the City event, among other events, which starts at 6:30pm and sees various iconic buildings throughout Dublin ‘going green’ meaning that they are bathed in a green spotlight. It is a momentous event and one not to miss for those aspiring photographers out there!

National Corn Dog Day and the Super Bowl

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Tomorrow Saturday 15th March is National Corn Dog Day! A traditional American fast food snack, the corn dog is commonly associated with large sporting events in America among other popular snacks such as the giant turkey leg, the funnel cake and churros. The Corn dog consists of a hot dog sausage coated in a thick layer of cornmeal or cornflour batter, stuck on a stick and then deep fried until it is a nice golden brown.

[penguin]corn-dog blogCorn dogs were first thought to have been introduced by German Texan sausage makers who applied for dipping, cooking and holding apparatus in conjunction with the deep frying of various foods on a stick. One of these foods was the sausage, and so the Corn Dog was created. The Americans are well known for their intense sporting enthusiasm and it is hard to get into the cheering spirit without a snack or two to keep your energy levels up.

The most famous event of the year for sporty America is normally the Super Bowl; the championship game of the National Football League which was held on February 2 this year. Each Super Bowl is played in a different host stadium, and a total of 22 different stadiums have hosted the Super Bowl so far.

The stadiums are chosen three to five years in advance and it is considered a pretty big honour to be able to host the Super Bowl. Wembley stadium has even occasionally been mentioned as a possible future Super Bowl host stadium, but so far the Super Bowl has not yet been hosted in a region that lacked an NFL franchise.

[penguin]american-football blogThe Stadium that has played host to the Super Bowl the most frequently is the Louisiana/Mercedes-Benz Superdrome, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hop into a New Orleans hire car to take a look at this iconic stadium while you are on your next holiday to Louisiana.

Will you be taking part by supporting any of these events? Do you follow a particular American Sporting team and are looking for a way to take your patriotism that one step further? Corn Dogs are such a staple when it comes to watching sports in America, even if you’ve never tried one it is good to take the plunge just to see what you could be missing out on.

Beautiful Hotels and Resorts – The Manta Resort

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Here at Penguin we love holidays. Who doesn’t love holidays? Holidays are the only way to take a step back from everything, relax and see the sights at a leisurely pace. However a crucial part of the holiday is where you choose to spend it. Some people may enjoy a holiday in the sun with an all-inclusive hotel, allowing for just a little spending money to get you by on market days. Other people will save as much money as possible on the hotel by just going for the basics, and then splashing out on informative tours and trips out.

Whether you are a sunbather or a sight-seer, certain hotels and locations are simply too stunning to pass up and they are guaranteed to make the experience of a lifetime. They may cost a pound or two more than a normal 3 star hotel or all-inclusive holiday package deal, but the memories created by staying in these gorgeous locations are well worth the hefty price tag. 

The Manta Resort

Imagine waking up after a long luxurious nights rest, and rolling over in your bed to see…the sea. The Manta Resort, located in the sunny tropics of Zanzibar is a resort like no other in that it has a specially designed underwater room. The entrance to the room is above sea level, with a beautiful wooden chalet standing atop wooden stilts and the iconic underwater room built underneath which is also anchored to the sea bottom by thick chains.

5956802620_bb66ded10a_zThe bedroom floats four metres below the surface of the sea, where you can take a look out into the murky depths, keeping your eyes out for the beautiful tropical fish that can be seen, right from your bed! Plus the view from the top veranda at night is breathtaking, with the unhindered sight of a million bright stars, where you will honestly feel as if you are miles away on your own private island.

Currently there is only one underwater room available at the Manta Resort in Zanzibar, but there have been plans for extra rooms to be added in the future. Why not splash out for a few nights of pure wonderment as you enjoy the beautiful sights of the deep sea without ever having to get your feet wet!

At Penguin we understand how important reliable transport can be, and that it can make or break your holiday, particularly after a long flight that leaves you wanting to simply flop down onto the hotel bed. We provide an easy to search hired car directory anywhere in the world, simply type in your location and go!

 

50 States Road Trip – Maine

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Maine is the most north easternmost state in the province of New England and is well known for its rocky mountains and jagged coastline. With dense forests and awe-inspiring waterfalls, its natural beauty rivals that of countries such as Norway and Scandinavia. The state experiences a range of weathers, from cold and brisk in the winter to fairly warm and humid in the summer.current state

Puffins

There are a number of Puffin nesting places along the coast of Maine, as well as on various smaller islands just off the Maine Coastline, including Western Egg Rock and Seal Island. However by the early 1990’s, these  numbers had dwindled to just a single pair of puffins living south of the Canadian borders.

Atlantic_Puffins,_Scotland

Local lighthouse keepers made efforts to preserve these birds and now there are around 150 pairs of puffins living on the Matinicus Rock Island, and the number is still growing. Take a trip out to the coastline of Maine to catch a glimpse of these beautiful birds.

 

Eartha

Maine is also home to the world’s largest 3D scale model of our revolving earth. A massive 41.5 feet in diameter, it was given the title of the ‘World’s Largest Revolving/Rotating Globe’ by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1999 and still holds the title to this day. It took two years to build and represents the Earth as we would see it from space.

Stephen King

The world famous horror, sci-fi and fantasy novelist Stephen King was born and grew up in Scarborough in Maine, and many of his horror novels and short stories revolve around various towns in the state. A special tour guide SK-tours will provide a tour around all the sites in and around the city of Bangor which feature in the author’s many horror stories.

Bangor is better known in the Stephen King world as its fictional name; Derry, and the tour visits up to 30 sites including places where Stephen King used to live and work, as well as various sights and informational spots that inspired him to create various stories. The tour lasts around 3 hours. Alternatively you can always hire a car in Bangor and make your own way around the various sites.

Next Stop

We head south in continuing our road trip to the state of Massachusetts, well known for Cape Cod and the city of Salem, known for its infamous Witch hunts.