Month: June 2018

How to Plan a Fantastic Snorkeling Trip to the Maldives

You can always go snorkeling whenever you are in the Maldives. The country is filled with great snorkeling spots that are nice to visit all year round. That said, some of the snorkeling spots in the Maldives are special. They offer stunning underwater scenery that you cannot find elsewhere. The best way to enjoy the stunning underwater beauty of the Maldives is to really prepare for the trip.

What you need is a good plan. You want to time the visit correctly, visit the right spots, and have an incredible time exploring the snorkeling spots you do visit. To make sure you have a fantastic snorkeling trip to the Maldives, here are some of the preparations you need to make.

When Should I Go?

The best time to go on a snorkeling trip to the Maldives is in March. The weather is perfect in March and you don’t have to worry about wind while enjoying your days there. Early April is also good for snorkeling but expects to see more rain.

The Maldives is generally wet from May to December. This is due to the Southwest Monsoon showing its full effects. Instead of going later than April, you can choose to go earlier if you want colder days and fewer crowds.

Where Should I Go?

As mentioned before, the Maldives has a lot of great snorkeling spots to visit. The Fihalhohi Island is one of the best destinations to visit if you are serious about enjoying some intense snorkeling. The snorkeling spots here are not only entertaining but also challenging.

Another great way to enjoy a fantastic snorkeling trip is by staying in resorts situated close to the best Maldives snorkeling sites. There are resorts that offer snorkeling packages and even direct access to the snorkeling spots. Places like Finolhu Maldives in Baa Atol are perfect for this type of trip.

What you want to limit is the number of sites you visit each day. Try not to rush things just so you can visit multiple spots. It is much better to take your time and visit only one or two spots because it will allow you to really take in the natural beauty of the Maldives’ underwater landscape.

How Can I Prepare Better for the Trip?

There are a few tips that will make your snorkeling trip to the Maldives much more enjoyable. First of all, focus more on quality over quantity. Instead of spending two weeks staying on one island, try moving around and allocate 3-4 days for each spot.

You also want to book certain things early. Even the most luxurious resorts and exclusive snorkeling tours are affordable when you book them early. Add discounts and special offers to the equation too; all you need is the right coupon code to enter when checking out.

Lastly, don’t hesitate to chase unique experiences to bring home. The Maldives is one of the few places in the world where you can snorkel with manta rays and sharks. These experiences are exactly why you want to dedicate a trip for snorkeling and enjoying the best of the Maldives underwater.

3 Can’t-Miss Places to Feed Your Face in OKC

Oklahoma City is in the middle of a dining renaissance as it moves from being considered the middle of nowhere to a place where business gets done. Many corporations have placed their regional or national headquarters in OKC and the talent has followed. That talent likes to eat good food and the restaurant industry has responded accordingly. There’s a lot of good eating these days in Oklahoma City that goes beyond meat and potatoes. Here are three of those places that you must check out while in town.

Cattlemen’s Café

In the event you just have to have a steak, you’ll want to belly up to Cattlemen’s Café. This restaurant has the distinction of being the oldest restaurant in continuous operation in the state. Originally it served the workingmen who brought livestock to the stockyards. Over time, it expanded into the neighboring space and turned into the café and restaurant.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served here, but if it’s steak you want, come for the lunch or dinner menu. There are 12 cuts of steak available! Add some fresh sautéed mushrooms on the side for when you need a break from the steak. If this restaurant is on your radar, make sure to find a hotel near the Stockyards area so you don’t have to go far to find Cattlemen’s.

Kitchen 324

Kitchen 324 bases its menu around ingredients sourced locally and prefers to use ingredients that are sustainably farmed and organic whenever possible. Here you’ll find entrees such as Kitchen Green Eggs and Ham that’s made with prosciutto, pesto, arugula, a homemade English muffin, and crispy potatoes.

Dinner plates at Kitchen 324 are just as inventive, with meals like braised boneless short ribs served with a blue cheese biscuit pudding and juice from the pan. Add something from the Untraditional Sides menu, such as crispy cauliflower with smoked cheddar fondue, to finish it all off. Perhaps the best part is the fact that prices are very reasonable even with the high-end nature of the restaurant.

Nic’s Grill, Diner and Lounge

There are two outposts for Nic’s burgers: the Grill and the Diner and Lounge. If you want to experience the best burger in the state in its original location, head to the Grill. But be forewarned — there are seats for a max of 17 people at a time. You may not have the opportunity to sit inside and eat due to the popularity and lack of seating at the original location.

If you want to sit down and enjoy the delicious hamburgers along with a stiff drink, head to the Diner and Lounge. There you’ll find plentiful seating with the same delicious meals that are served at the Grill and a little more. Some have compared the hamburgers to mom’s home cooking because they’re just that good.

Oklahoma City is slowly shedding its image as a flyover town that doesn’t have much going for it besides having Warren Buffet as a resident. It’s becoming a city that’s moving forward and bringing its local food scene along with it.

4 Things to Do During a Weekend in Siesta Key

Few cities combine beachfront living and commerce as organically as Siesta Key. Savvy tourists know that this island in the Gulf of Mexico is one of the hidden gems of the south. When visiting here, you’ll play in the sun and shop to your heart’s content. Here are four things you should do during a weekend in Siesta Key.

Head to the Village

Siesta Key Village is the heartbeat of the city. A designed tourist mecca, it’s a place that city officials describe as “a quaint little beach village.” You can walk through several blocks of merchants, discovering marvelous shopping and dining options. Some of the retailers are recognized brands, while others are local to the island. You’ll find terrific value at both, as Siesta Key doesn’t have the massive price gouging that you’ll find at many tourist traps.

Instead, Siesta Key Village is an insular community where the locals want their island guests to have an unforgettable time. You can even barter with some of the local vendors. Remember that a kind word and a positive attitude are your best-negotiating tools.

Eat Delicious Island Cuisine

While you’re in the village, you’ll have more than 20 dining options out of the 75+ businesses in the area. Sure, you can eat a hot dog or deli food if you like, but seafood is the island’s best dining option. Eateries like Big Water Fish Market and The Cottage Restaurant deliver delicious dishes at reasonable prices.

When you want a more upscale experience, choose Ophelia’s on the Bay, Café Gabbiano, or Table Restaurant Creekside. All three places offer haute cuisine and an exotic island view. Two of them are directly on the water, while Café Gabbiano is only a short walk away from the beach. Wherever you decide to eat, you should order the catch of the day. The chefs here pride themselves on accentuating the flavors that fisheries provide each day.

Visit the Beach

This suggestion is obvious, but you shouldn’t overlook it. Instead, you must plan your days around beach time. The city has 35 miles of beaches, and it’s frequently cited as one of the best island getaways in Florida. In the beachfront area, you’ll find all sorts of aquatic activities like surfing, diving, and sailing. Beach volleyball is also a popular option among residents and tourists alike.

Stay at the Beach

Something you should keep in mind about the beaches is the parking situation. This city doesn’t have a lot of beachfront parking available. All of the spaces fill up quickly in the morning and stay that way throughout the day. You shouldn’t drive to the beach. Instead, use a ride-sharing service like Uber, which does operate in nearby Sarasota.

Alternately, select one of the great Siesta Key Hotels on Hotel Planner that are at or near the beach. You’ll save money by staying a couple of blocks away from the ocean, but it’s your vacation! Splurge for an oceanfront room! You deserve it, right?

A Siesta Key vacation is an unforgettable experience. These four suggestions merely hint at the wonderful memories you’ll make during your exotic trip to the island.

3 Good Reasons to Get Family Holiday Travel Insurance

Would you go on vacation with your entire family close by without having family occasion travel protection set up? While a great many people get cover when they book an occasion, some essentially don’t trouble. Nonetheless, it isn’t insightful to do this since you could wind up stuck in an unfortunate situation on the off chance that you don’t have fitting spread.

Here are only three reasons you ought to have an arrangement set up before you go on your next outing.

It gives you genuine feelings of serenity

What cost would you put on genuine feelings of serenity? Numerous would state it is significant and difficult to put a cost on. However when you take a gander at the value given for some, family occasion travel protection arrangements you will see it is much more moderate than you may might suspect – particularly when you consider everything that is secured. The thought is to guarantee you can benefit as much as possible from your excursion by having the capacity to unwind in the learning you have everything secured.

It covers a wide range of potential issues

Gear gets lost each day, and keeping in mind that you don’t need yours to vanish it surely could happen. Your strategy should cover you for this. On the off chance that your outing ought to be drop for reasons unknown, your arrangement ought to likewise cover this so you can recover your cash and book another excursion.

This sort of approach covers everybody in the family, which is far superior than glancing around for singular arrangements for every individual voyaging. It conveys brilliant incentive for cash and covers all the primary concerns you would need it for in any case.

It abandons you ready to anticipate your trek

Nobody needs to consider awful things occurring throughout everyday life, except tragically they do happen. Be that as it may, you can take measures to limit the torment – monetarily at any rate. With a decent arrangement you won’t lose the cash you have spent on your trek on the off chance that it must be wiped out. Family occasion travel protection will typically cover you in these cases. For instance on the off chance that one relative falls sick and you can’t proceed with your break, you will be secured to recover your cash. Obviously you have to peruse all the little print on any arrangement you are considering taking out. Check it covers you for all the urgent reasons, and never make presumptions.

As should be obvious there are some convincing purposes behind getting appropriate cover before you leave on a trek. It ought to be an opportunity to anticipate and appreciate and a decent strategy can have a significant effect in this regard.

Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of Insure more. We provide low cost travel insurance and offer a range of policies including family money travel insurance , annual, multi-trip and single-trip insurance. For all your travel cover needs, Insure more can help you in the quickest and most cost-efficient way.