Travel Lightbulb

Today's photo is a little unusual, but it does come under the banner of a 'travel photo' nonetheless! It comes courtesy of Jamie Sheppard who took it on a recent trip to Bangkok. Let's hear more about the gruesome contribution! Bangkok is well known for its variety of street food, and cheap street food at that. Everything is available from chicken and shrimp and pork. Perhaps the strangest street offerings come from Khao San Road, a well known traveller hub in the heart of the old town. Here, for around 50 pence, you can feel like a contestant on "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here", and sample a range of bugs that include whole scorpions, giant cockroaches and even larger crickets. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately!) I only tried the crickets and beetles, which actually weren't too bad. They were salty and extremely crunchy, but as long as you can get past the thought of the bug alive and think of it as a tasty snack, you'll be alright! How...

Amsterdam is a fantastic city with a great buzz about it, and choosing a place to stay is not easy. Location is important with any city break, and I've found a beautiful hotel that's not only in a great position, but is world class. The Conservatorium Hotel is ideally located in the heart of the city's major museums, and parallel to the designer fashion district. It's also a short stroll from the Jordaan neighbourhood, so you'll be able to discover the gabled houses that dot the grand canals for which the city is so famous. The hotel has 129 rooms with suites of varying sizes. They pay homage to the building's original lofty ceilings, and almost half the rooms have been made into a stunning duplex layout with exposed structural beams. An integral part of the hotel was the creation of the restaurant and bars. They're not just for hotel guests, but are also popular with locals residents. There is a lounge with oversized sofas; an informal Brasserie; ...

Today's photo was taken in Barbados a couple of years ago - there are sometimes wonderful sunsets in the Caribbean, and there is also a phenomenon called a green flash. This happens when you have a really clear sky, and when the sun dips down below the horizon, you see.....a green flash! It's really strange. Sundowners (cocktails while watching the sun go down!) are big news in the Caribbean, and this evening was no different. The only thing that makes me sad about sunsets, is they mean you have a day less of your holiday left - boo! Oh, and can you spot the cruise ship on the horizon? Please get in touch if you'd like to see your own photo featured here. You can contact me at the email address on my contact page, or on my twitter (@travellightbulb) or facebook pages. Have a great weekend!

Luxury is not the first word that springs to mind when I think of travel in South America, but that's exactly what I bring you today. The Singular is a stunning hotel in Chile, located in Puerto Bories in the heart of Chilean Patagonia. All of the rooms in the hotel face the Patagonian fjords, and the views are just stunning. They make the most of the views with floor to ceiling windows, and the rooms are also very well appointed, and spacious. There are many regional choices on the menu here, and the restaurant is in one of the original brick buildings and have been decorated beautifully. As you can imagine, to go along with the amazing food, the Chilean wines are superb. The hotel offers over a huge selection of excursions, and the guides will tailor them to all levels of difficulty. Guests comment on how amazing the guides are; and what is fantastic is that as well as being experienced, they're also included in the full board price. You can sail to glaciers;...

Despite travelling all over the world I have to admit, I've never been on a cruise. I have lots of family and friends that have been on cruise holidays and loved them, but for some reason I've just never done it. I'm not really sure that the idea of a full on two week holiday where you're relatively confined to a ship appeals to me, but when friends come back raving about them, I do wonder if I'm missing out! Photo courtesy of AMA Waterways One prospect I am intrigued by is a river cruise. They are becoming increasingly popular and there's growing interest in this market, especially from experienced ocean cruisers who are looking for a way to visit new regions and so called 'bucket list' destinations. You may be surprised at the options available - you can do anything from cruising around the popular European rivers and Nile trips, to exotic cruises along the Mekong and Yangtze rivers. Photo courtesy of AMA Waterways So is one river ship the ...

Today's photo contribution is a very different sort of travel pic, which comes from Peter Henry.... After a five week drive through England; Spain, Portugal and Spain on the way back from our road trip, it was time to put the feet up on the return ferry crossing (Santander to Plymouth)! After horrendous UK 'summer' weather, we had no rain for the whole five weeks - bliss. The photo shows us catching the last rays, whilst approaching Plymouth Sound. Great photo Peter, thank you for the contribution. If you have a photo you'd like to contribute, please send it to the e-mail address on my contact page, along with a short paragraph about where it was taken. Many thanks!

Hotel Vila Galé is a funky hotel located on the outskirts of the town of Lagos in Portugal's Algarve. It's situated a short walk across the road from Meia Praia Beach - a four kilometre long sandy beach which is so big, you can always find a quiet spot. It's bigger than most places I feature on Travel Lightbulb, but it's the design that really caught my eye when I visited, and it definitely deserves its place here. This four star hotel has 248 standard rooms and 38 suites.  Portuguese style inspired the decoration of the hotel, and the rooms are large and modern. That description matches most of the public areas too. There is a fashion theme to the bar (see catwalk shots on the columns in the photo below) and outfits created by Portuguese designers are draped over mannequins in many areas of the hotel. The pool area is not only huge but also stunning, and there are plenty of sun loungers and a pool bar to quench your thirst on hot summer days. The hot...

Today's photo comes from journalist Nick Coppack who took the pic on a recent trip to Budapest. Let's hear more from the man himself.... No trip to Budapest is complete without a walk up Gellert Hill. Situated on the banks of the Danube River on the Buda side of the city, it rises 140 metres into the air and offers stunning views of Pest. A maze of paths (take your pick!) lead up the hill from Gellert Square to a picture-perfect summit that features a number of sculptures, including Hungary's own Statue of Liberty (commemmorating the liberation of Hungary from the Nazis) and, as this picture shows, Bishop Gellert, who played a vital role in converting Hungarians to Christianity around 1000AD. Thanks for the contribution Nick, it's much appreciated and I love the photo and the story that goes with it! If you'd like to see your own photo here, then why not send it to the email address on my contact page, along with a short paragraph about where the photo was ta...