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Fed up with ordinary luxurious hotels? Here is a new kind of accommodation: Floating hotels. There are three in three different countries: Sweden, Canada and Dubai.
We will, first, talk about the unusual Utter Inn:

@ Håkan Dahlström

This one is located in Sweden, about an hour away from Stockholm. Reach Västerås Harbour and get on an inflatable dinghy. It will wait for you on Malaren lack, about 1 mile away from the bank.
This room looks like a hut of the fisherman from outside only. Once inside, You will go down 9,8 feet through stairs to reach your room, a kind of aquarium with picture windows.
You will then be able to enjoy of this quiet atmosphere and to get nearby islets by canoe. This innovation is made from Mikael Genberg, a Swedish artist who imagines hotels always unusual.

The King pacific lodge

@ lander2006

Princess Royal Island, an uninhabited island in British Columbia, Canada, provides the largest primeval forest in the world which is a natural park, called « Great Bear Rainforest ».

Located in Barnard Harbour, you will be able to observe a fabulous color mix. Your mind will get away with this blue ocean and this green wild life. You will also catch site of some sea lions, porpoises, sea otter, and with luck, whale’s seasonal migration.

To get this place, you will need a 2h flight in a private chartered plane from Vancouver to make, firstly, a stop in Belle Bella (Northern coast), and to get on a hydroplane.
This hotel is made from wood and stone, a real Canadian style. In winter, it has “a rest” in Prince Rupert Harbour, to get back the heavenly edge of Princess Royal Island.
It is made of 17 rooms and 3 suites.
The plus: After a diner, you go around with a thermos of mint chocolate. When you will get back, someone ready to make a massage will be waiting for you.

The Burj Al Arab, the 7 stars tour

@ Seattle-Amateur

Looking like a huge sail, the Burj Al Arab is on its own the symbol of Dubai. Made of gold and marble, it is one of the most distinctive hotel structures which exist over the world.
It is also the biggest hostel over the world, with a high of 1053.15 feet above the sea level. At the 27th floor, all rooms offer an exceptional view onto the Persic Golf.
How to get there? Get the Burj Al Arab hotel in Rolls Royce, from Dubai airport. You also have the option to get there through the air, an heliport was installed on the top of this hotel.

By bengazi

Ben Keene and Mark James, 2 English guys, founders of this ecologic project, have had the idea to change Vorovoro (a desert island in Fiji Island) to a place with ecologic and moral values.
This project is planned to end up in 3 years and it is named: “Sustainable development” or “tribe wanted”. It is based on an entire respect of nature, no wasting, a green energy, a better waste management, and a life without swimming pool nether air conditional.

By Edaifx

An appeal was launch to anyone having some ideas to make this project growing. In 2006, 5000 participants are required, for a period of 1 to 3 years, full-fledged tribe’s members. They can follow the island’s progress permanently. More and more people feel concerned about this kind of tourism, also called ecotourism.
However, they can’t decide everything. They have to discuss it with Tui Mali: he is one of the fourth inhabitants on this island, with his brother and their respective wife. He has accepted to open his territory to bring more resources, especially in rising fishing and formation.
As project functioning, there are always 100 members out of 5000 on the island, honoring the golden rule: not spending more than 3 weeks a years in this future ecologic paradise. Politic on the island is democratic: 5000 participants, 5000 votes.

To compensate CO2 discharges, made by the plane which brought them to this island, they will have to support ecologic projects, such as sustainable energy funding.
This project will be over at the end of the year 2009, and a new island will be rendered to its inhabitants.

Youtube

Bushnell

Bushnelll has perfected a new technology: the Backtrack, a compass with a GPS technology, is able to memorize 3 places and to indicate the distance left to reach your final point. This tool is a mix between the latest GPS technologies and a digital compass with automatic calibration. It has an exactness of 10-16,4 feet in rural area and about 33 feet in urban area.
It resists to bad weather and works with two batteries for about 120h and puts itself on standby after 10 minutes.
It is light and compact. It will fit easily in your pocket.
An example: You are on holiday, in your hotel, and you want to take a look around, you just have to push the bottom and put your Backtrack in your pocket; you will never have to worry anymore about getting lost. As well as if you park your car in a huge car park, you will get your car easily once your will be done with your shopping.
This advanced technology compass can be useful for a lot of people: sportive people, adventurers, and also everyone who doesn’t have the quality to angle (and we are a lot )
It will cost you between 60 and 70 Euros to be able to find your way without any problem.

glittery salty plains in Uyuni (Bolivia) by Michael Martin

The magazine Geo has published a range of the best desert’s pictures, which offer us to travel around the world through arid landscapes.
Deserts give us a strange and mystical reaction in view of a huge vastness, but it holds contrasts and colors hard to remake in others environments. Desert is a freak of nature in all continents but it holds different landscapes each time; it goes from lunar landscapes in Atacama (Chile) or glittery salty plains in Ayuni (Bolivia), to rose-pink dunes in Gobi (Mongolia), or to sacred mysteries in the Australian desert.

Storm in the desert of Nambi (Namibia) by Michael Martin

Camels in Archei’s gorges, Chad by Michael Martin

Tassili’s plateau, Algeria de Michael Martin

@guideslabalise

Impossible to miss it. Willem and Carla are the owners of this harbor crane located in Harlingen, Netherland, an hour away from Amsterdam.

This crane was transformed in a luxury hotel. Inside, everything is made for your comfort: In your room, you will find a stereo system, a plasma TV, a DVD player, toilet, shower… All of thit, made with a gorgeous decorating and design.

The ladder, which was used to access to the crane, was replaced by an elevator. The advantage of this amazing hotel is that it can swivel through an angle of 360° by means of a remote control. The only thing you have to do is going upstairs with the ladder from inside your room, and commanding this engine. There, you will also find a pleasant spot where you will be able to picnic with unobstructed view guaranteed.

About price, it will cost you about 300 Pounds per night with breakfast included.

Virgin Galactic (Virgin’s subsidiary) and the agency Voyageur du monde will enable you to go to the space like a real astronaut. A medical aptitude and a three days formation will be required to be able to take on board.

@Direction l’espace avec Voyageurs du Monde © Virgin Galactic

Everyone has dreamt about it at least once in his life.

In 2010, the agency Voyageur du monde will take you there, on board of the Spaceship2. You will be driven, first by the Whitenight till the altitude of 5249 feet, then, SpaceShip’s jet engine will take over and propel yourself to a speed of 217.480 miles per hour. Your body will have to bear more than 3 Mach (about three times the sound speed). Once out of the Earth’s atmosphere (limit between Space and Earth), the five novices will be able to unfasten their seatbelt and go for a walk, in order to look up to this amazing landscape. This trip takes about two hours.
Don’t be worried about landing. The SpaceShip was made to glide once its engines are off. This spaceship will go back to its starting point, New Mexico, and land with delicacy.

Le SpaceShipTwo et le WhiteKhight de Virgin Galactic Photo © Virgin Galactic

According to the company, one trip per week will be possible. It is the first that an empowered company is doing this kind of travel.
This destination was, till now, only for special customers. Will it become THE destination of the future????

La vue promise par Virgin Galactic Photo © Virgin Galactic

What about the price???

Stop dreaming. Going to stars has an amount. It will cost you 136000 pounds in exchange of 2 unforgettable hours.
We all agree that this king of tourism is still for wealthy people, but if we have a look deeply, the Russian program costs 20 millions of dollars and a 6 months training is required. This French agency offers a three days training and 136 000 pounds! It is a king of better price.
This price will get down in some years with a view of satisfy more inquiring mind.

You can already book tour ticket on http://www.virgingalactic.com/ .You will get in touch with someone from the agency that will help you.

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@ le pavillon vert

Located in south of France, about 3 miles from the city of Avignon, “Le Pavillon Vert” offers you to sleep in centennial trees. Far away from cities’ racket, you will enjoy calmness in a green paradise, a Provence’s scent.
These cottages, all unique and for 2 people, are 25 square meters and provide a big terrace, a bathroom, a small kitchen (supplied with a belt-driven system), air-conditioning (or heating) and internet (wireless).

@ le pavillon vert

A kind of hut which reminds you the ones everyone had made once in his life. It gives you, for a little while, the impression to get back to your childhood

@ le pavillon vert

It is also a way to discover an amazing panorama up from your terrace.
Themed breaks are also offered, such as golf, singing stays, or romantic stays.
It will cost you about 120 pounds per night (dolly bag breakfast, orange juice, warm drinks, Viennese pastry, and homemade jam) and for an extra bed (children from 6) earmark 20 Pounds.

@ monsterfabr

The city of Venice disguises with its best masks to do justice to the traditional carnival. Venice is a perfect scenario for this celebration; even if there is no décor, its environment is as magic as real.

Venice is made of 120 islands, joined with 400 bridges, a city that fights against floodings to protect its singularity and its beauty nonpareil. The Venetian school had an influence on some artists such as Rubens or Velázquez and had molded the baroque style http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque of the XVII century.
The spectacular yearly carnival is celebrated between the 13th and the 24th of February, and the beginning takes place at the St-Mark.

@ monsterfabr

Throughout the XVII, nobility, already, used to dress up to be able to mix up with people going unnoticed. The carnival was enjoying its height through the XVIII century and manages to reach aristocrats and travelers from all Europe looking for pleasure and distraction.
It has been already 20 years that Venice became a huge cultural and touristic pole, where masks are the protagonists.
Travel to Venice to enjoy the 2009 edition and to live this magic that will bring you in a mysterious and fantastic world.

@The printed blog

The Printed Blog is a free news paper which was born in Chicago and in San Fransisco. Its biggest particularity is not its publication itself, but more the fact that it contains, on paper, contents generated on internet.
Even if we have already seen something similar before, it is the first time a newspaper, made entirely of blogs, is published.
It will be financed by local commercials and profits will be shared into bloggers. The Printed Blog has 300 bloggers as information source, and will be given out weekly and for free.
Even if, for now, it will be published only in these two cities, this newspaper yearns for being published daily and projects to launch an edition with specific contents about the most relevant cities in United States.
Interaction between lectors
On the website of this newspaper, which will be in use online theprintedblog.com, lectors will be also able to recommend blogs in order to incorporate them in syndication. Of course, the newspaper itself has a blog.

Deep studies about how important worksites are and how it can affect employees were done.
Sensible hypothesis result from it, but there is nothing better than images to prove it is true.
The theory says that a great environment enables a free employees’ creativity, stimulates new ideas to find out an exit from our subconscious and influence inspirations.
Leo in Smashing Magazine has got, on Flickr, a bunch of real inspiring worksites.  Have a look at these pictures and say what you think about.

Clean lines and a colorful touch which inspire Apple’s creators

In Pixar’s studios, employees can design their own worksite

And of course, the famous Google’s offices which look like a fantastic dream

You can find other images on Office Design Gallery.

You have other images about this topic to suggest?
Nothing beats a bench in park or a hamock at the seaside… That’s real holiday!!