Discount Cigar Store & More

As people in general become more stressed in a society that focuses so much on being financially successful, the option of opting out of it all becomes highly desirable. Just using the imagination of putting oneself on to an island with sunshine, sea breezes, tropical palms swinging in the gentle zephyrs aloft – all conjours up a scene so inviting and desirable that people are prepared to knuckle down to the demands of the system we live in and work hard to achieve things that otherwise would not be possible. So when one is getting married, a tropical honeymoon destination in the South Pacific is grabbed with both hands.

 There are not many people who would not agree that this would represent a dream honeymoon, but due to the constraints of finance, it is not always possible to live the dream or to make it a reality. However there are many locations where it does not cost a fortune to have an amazing holiday – little chalets inland which are surrounded by lush tropical planting may not be the absolute beachfront location, but are often very close to the beach, and still provide a getaway which is what a honeymoon is all about. These often have very interesting aspects which make holidays in them very appealing as a tropical honeymoon destination in the South Pacific.

While there are many islands in the Pacific, most people tend to stick to the more well known ones such as Fiji, The Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga – especially the outer islands in the northern group of Vava’u which have amazing beauty and are very unpopulated and unspoiled with clear waters of deep turquoise and where a vacation on either on a skippered or bareboat yacht is offered, not a sound to be heard when cruising under a sail into a sheltered anchorage. Truly a tropical honeymoon destination in the South Pacific that becomes amazingly appealing to those who are boat lovers and enjoy cruising.

Of course the islands do also provide a standard which is now becoming increasingly popular in latter years and that is 5 star accommodation. This is a market that is steadily growing and which people are more than happy to save up for so they can enjoy a special location for a special occasion. There are 5 star resorts in all of the main centres in the Pacific region. Increasingly popular are the self contained small boutique villa properties where a hotel standard of service is offered, but guests have the option of using not only the lagoon as their swimming spot, but also a private swimming pool in their own villa courtyard. This provides a real getaway situation for couples wanting to escape the masses when on holiday. What could provide a better option for a tropical honeymoon destination in the South Pacific paradises?

Carolyn has been the Marketing Manager for initially Reflections On Rarotonga and then more recently for Rumours Luxury Villas & Spa Rarotonga. Carolyn has 10 years experience in the marketing sector for 5 star accommodation and as the position has been a full time one over the 10 years, has worked through significant changes in the methods of marketing that have become more effective in an ever changing world.

Carolyn was born in New Zealand but has lived for the last 9 years in the Cook Islands and the blend of travelling between New Zealand and the Cook Islands has given valuable assistance to marketing trends and being able to implement these in the 5 star markets. She has travelled extensively through the USA, Europe and more recently Indonesia, which has also been of significant assistance in gaining marketing experience when staying in similar 5 star properties to the one she is marketing. http://www.rumours-rarotonga.com/

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/exotic-locations-articles/why-are-tropical-honeymoon-destinations-in-the-south-pacific-so-very-popular-now-1389087.html

Nobody who saw the movie “Titanic” will ever forget Leonardo di Caprio’s exuberant proclamation “I’m king of the world!” And while the ships created in the image of HMS Titanic are no more, the experience of being treated like royalty is still available for all those who choose the seven to sixteen day seagoing experiences offered by Crystal cruises.

Crystal Cruises Ports Of Call

From the sunny Caribbean an the shores of Puerto Vallarta to the dazzling white of Arctic glaciers and ice floes; from the quaint Guernsey Isle village of St. Peter’s Port to the tropical breezes of Polynesia’ and from the Greek isles to Scandinavia, Crystal Cruises will transport its clientele to six of the seven continents in elegance and style.

The hospitality of Crystal Cruise ships does not end with their gangways. Crystal Cruise guests will enjoy onshore accommodations at the very best hotels in all Crystal Cruises ports-of-call, and will have access to onshore activities more suitable to James Bond than to the regular traveler. Crystal Cruises can arrange such adventures as Porsche test drives or MiG flightseeing.

Onboard Activities

Crystal Cruises will make sure that its guests are well-informed about the cultures they are visiting by providing lectures on the history and customs of local populations. Crystal Cruise ships have movie theaters showing new releases, name entertainment and plenty of live musical acts, including live Jazz at the Avenue Saloon, and cigar smoking at the Connoisseur Club. They of course offer casino fun, with their Caesar’s Palace Casino staffed by Caesar’s Palace professionals, and as a twist, offer bridge lessons for those with an aversion to poker.

All Crystal Cruises passengers have access to the ships’ fitness centers, where they can indulge in exercise lessons or yoga instruction. Swimming pools and Jacuzzis, driving ranges and putting greens, shuffle board and table tennis are all available.

The Dining Experience

Like all cruise lines Crystal Cruises pay special attention to their passengers’ dining experience. The Crystal Dining Room offers fine French cuisines at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with an alternative selection of vegetarian and low cholesterol meals. Other restaurants include Italian Prego and Asian specialties at the Jade Garden on the Crystal Symphony.

Those passengers who would prefer to take their meals on deck are pampered with a range of buffets and those who like to sleep in after an evening’s entertainment can find late breakfast at the Trident Grill and Ice Cream Bar. The British tradition of Afternoon Tea is observed each afternoon in the Palm Court, to music from a live string ensemble.

The three ships of the Crystal Cruises fleet are usually booked up months in advance, but the chance of feel like ocean-going royalty is worth the wait!

European discount cruises will not shortchange you on your shipboard amenities, gourmet meals and snacks, live music and stage shows, movies, and casino fun. You will be pampered by ship staff throughout your cruise and return from your onshore adventures each evening knowing that your cabin will be ready with a freshly turned-down bed so that you can get the sleep you need to prepare for the next day’s excitement!

Nuevo Vallarta promises a great vacation to all its visitors. Nestled within the Banderas Bay, Nuevo Vallarta with its new hotels and resorts has become the latest attraction for many vacationers. Find out the discounts on reservations with condos, apartments, luxury villas, bucerias and gay friendly rentals at PVRPV.COM and make your vacation even more luscious & delightful. If you are visiting Nuevo Vallarta, then ATV tours are not to be missed as they are really thrilling. Pilot the roads leading from Bucerias to El Valle on your ATV. This three hour expedition runs twice a day; 8:30 am and 1:30 p.m. Speed through rugged mountains, and splash all the dirt and water you want in the Indio River. Explore the lush orchids, jungles and sand of Nuevo Vallarta. Visit and enjoy in the farmlands, canals and plantations of this beautiful resort. You will surely be thrilled while controlling your ATVs, and exploring the exciting terrains and labyrinths of Nuevo Vallarta. Visit PVRPV.COM and make reservations now for villas, private villas, homes, condos and apartments in Nuevo Vallarta and Puerto Vallarta. A cruise on the Bay is the other most important attraction that will make your trip even more exciting. See the enticing city from the cruise and relish all the striking view of the hills adorned with jungles. Not only will you enjoy the view of the hills, but you will also love the experience of swimming in the deep waters with the fish in the best snorkeling spots. If you are lucky and you visit during season of the whales, then you might even get the chance to see the whales closely. Visit the private island of Pizota, which offers secluded, gypsy spirit to its visitors. You will never remain thirsty on this island, as the open-bar is always laden with drinks. Swim, snorkel, sunbathe and explore this Indian village, you will surely find something new to amuse you. This 9 hour expedition is worth experiencing. Contact 1-877-462-7720 for more information and make reservations soon. Visit and see for yourself the cultures of the surrounding states, Nayarit and Jalisco. You will get to hear plenty of fascinating stories about the ancient people that inhabited these small states. If you get a chance to converse with these tribal people, you will get to know about the differences in the lifestyles of the city and these places. If you take a tour and visit Las Palms, see the small town plazas and churches that occupy this place. Also visit the cigar factory, tequila factory and try a free sample that you will surely remember for a long period of time. This tour offers a great chance to explore the ancient lifestyles and feel the real Mexican flavor. If you need assistance and help in finding a condo or a villa, contact PVRPV.COM and be assured of best services. If you are fond of fishing, or even if you are new to fishing, you might want to try deep sea fishing in Riveria Nayarit and Nuevo Vallarta. You may come across some of the largest and the best fishes such as marlin, sailfish, tuna, wahoo and mahi. If fishing is not your sport, take a sailing tour on a luxury sailboat to the tropical blue waters of Banderas Bay and take pleasure in the awe inspiring view. Watch the dolphins, manta rays and sea turtles swim across your way, and if you find a remote beach you may even go swimming or snorkeling on your own, and explore the natural wonders of the sea. Get more information on rental properties in Puerto Vallarta, also abbreviated as PV and contact PVRPV.COM at the following numbers. Their Mexican office number is 322.222.0638. In case you are calling from the USA or Canada, call on local Vonage number 206.388.3703. You can email Tim at tim at pvrpv.com. For more details visit PVRPV.COM which has been successfully servicing the tourists & local community for the past four years. They have a knowledgeable and friendly staff that may help you about rental properties in Puerto Vallarta

Tobacco beetles can not only eat your cigars down to dust, they can cost you a pretty penny. While not a new pest for cigar lovers, it is the leading insect that threatens stored tobacco. These critters do not discriminate. They will attack tobacco at any stage of manufacturing, up to retail and travel to your humidor.

Though it is the most common, the tobacco beetle is not the only predator that preys on tobacco. Several other insects such as the tobacco moth, the tobacco worm and at least 12 other species of insects feed on the plant. Many of these insects were trapped either in tobacco factories, warehouses or found on cigars left in room temperature inside homes.

The tobacco beetle, which is larger than the cigarette beetle, is mainly a tropical species. It is identical to the cigarette beetle except that it is larger and is black instead of brown. The tobacco beetle attacks cured tobacco in much the same way as the cigarette beetle. The tobacco moth is sometimes a serious pest of flue-cured tobacco on the farm, farmers say. Infestation may begin even in the curing barn and continue until the tobacco is marketed. Most damage occurs in the pack-house, where the tobacco is bulked before being graded. Infestation may develop from moths flying from commercial storages or farms nearby, or it may be already established on the farm and carried over from year to year in scrap tobacco, peas or beans, stock feeds or other host foods. Tobacco dealers and manufacturers constantly practice insect-control measures and maintains damage-free on insect infestations.

Having a humidor is not a guarantee as friend from Davie found out. Despite stashing away his stogies in his safe haven, he returned and found his Cubans with holes like a strainer. That’s because the illegal cigars were not properly cured and the insects were not destroyed before the cigars were put away, allowing them to multiply. “I couldn’t believe my eyes,” he said. He lost hundreds of dollars on the coveted cigars “ For a while I thought someone had opened the humidor or I thought someone had sold me a dud.” But a friend explained to him that Cuban cigars are the most prone to developing beetles because they don’t fumigate their tobacco. The don’t take the same preventive measures as the other countries do. But if you do have Cuban Cigars beware!

Below are steps to eradicate tobacco bugs in your humidor and how to prevent them from returning.:

1. First, double bag all the cigars that were in the humidor with the contaminated cigars, even those which don’t have holes. They probably have eggs and larvae. You can also use tupperware containers. One inside the other (Because of the extra moisture produced by the freezing, the extra bag or container will act as a deterrent for the moisture the freezing might produce). In a regular frost free freezer the temperature should be 10 F. to 15 F. above Zero. If in a deep freezer the temperature should be -10 F. Keep the cigars in the regular freezer for 30 days and in the deep freezer for 15 days.

2. While the cigars are in the freezer, clean your humidor with a vacuum. Leave it empty and open for at least a week. The bugs will die without its food source, the tobacco.

3. When it is time to remove the cigars from the freezer, transfer them to the refrigerator for 24 hours. Then let your cigars reach room temperature as they sit outside for another day. Return your cigars to your humidor and humidify them again. Be patient, don’t try to speed up this process.

4. When ever you come across Cuban cigars freeze them immediately, following the steps above. Better safe than sorry.

Long ashes everyone.

Cuban cigars originate from the Caribbean, which has a tropical climate very different to Europe. As a natural product, your Havana cigars need to be kept carefully. They are used to being in a warm climate with a relatively high humidity.

Therefore they will need to be protected from extremes of temperature and humidity (particularly low humidity). This is particularly difficult to achieve in air conditioned and centrally heated buildings, where the air tends to get de-humidified and cigars can dry out very quickly. Some cigars come in aluminum tubes which can help preserve them in dry climates, however they tend to mature at a much slower rate than ‘naked’ boxed cigars.

Maintain a temperature of 16 C to 20 C and a relative humidity of 65% – 70%.

In the UK you will need a humidor to maintain the humidity of your cigars at various times of the year:

Humidity

At the least, keep your cigars in a tight fitting cupboard, drawer or box, away from radiators and other sources of heat. Pick the coolest indoor spot in your house. Leave the cigars in their original boxes as this will help preserve them, stop them from being damaged, and prevent any cross-tainting of flavours between different varieties of cigars stored in the same area. If the humidity in your make-shift humidor is low, a damp sponge in a cup will serve as a basic provider of humidity.

When you purchase your cigars from Tomtom, they will be packed in an airtight zip-loc bag, which will maintain the humidity of your cigars while you transport them from the shop to your humidor. These bags are a very efficient short term humidor, however we would not recommend that you leave your cigars sealed in these bags for more than one month. Although humidity will be maintained, cigars also need to be exposed to some fresh air to allow them to ‘breathe’ and age correctly.

A variety of desk-top and travel humidors can be purchased (see ‘Accessories’) and are an essential item for the dedicated cigar smoker (more information below).

Temperature

The danger of excessive temperature (combined with too much humidity) is that the cigars can either go moldy or be damaged by weavil attack. If cigars go moldy, this is generally not a problem, as long as it is spotted reasonably soon and the mould (or bloom) only appears on the wrapper leaf. The mould can be removed with a soft brush (e.g. a badger shaving brush) and then the cigar can be returned to store in the correct conditions. If mould gets into the end of the cigar, we recommend that you do not smoke it. Weavil, or tobacco beetle, is a more serious problem. If you see any small holes in your cigar, you should take immediate action. Please call Tomtom for further advice. Never store cigars near direct sunlight or for long periods exposed to sea breezes (salt will not enhance your smoke). The lower the temperature, the higher the humidity required to compensate.

Desk-Top Humidors

There is a very wide selection of these humidors on the market. The basic design requirements are that they are sealable (and generally lockable!), but allow the cigars to breathe. This is normally achieved by leaving the base of the box unvarnished: and no portion of the inner cedar box should be laminated. The box contains a fitting, which provides the humidity: this is normally a pad containing a sponge or chalk, which can be dampened. The box may also contain a dial showing humidity and temperature.

As a rule of thumb, the smaller the box, the harder it is to maintain a steady level of humidity within its confines. These humidors do not regulate temperature. The price range starts from about 125 for a plexi glass humidor, which will hold approximately 50 cigars to 2000 and above. A comprehensive selection is shown on our accessory page. Fabulous humidors can also be created out of antique boxes which many families have inherited as writing slopes or medal cases and which have since become redundant. This is a very cost-effective way of storing your cigars in a unique and personal humidor.

Travel Humidors

Ranging in price from 100 upwards. These are not suitable for long-term storage of cigars, however they are essential if you are moving about: the wrapper leaf on a handmade cigar is very thin and delicate and will easily damage. The safest way to prevent this is to keep the cigars in their original box, in tubes or in a purpose-built travel humidor.

Cigar Cases

Generally these do not offer humidification systems built in, but will protect your cigars if you take them in your pocket for the day. There are some metal tubes with hermetically sealed screw tops that will act in the same way as a cigar tube and seal in moisture. The majority are made from leather and offer protection from damage as well as limited protection from fluctuations in humidity and temperature.

Reviving Dried-Out Cigars

This is not an exact science and not always successful. Dry cigars need to be rehumidified very slowly and with care. We suggest you speak to us

Footnote

We do NOT recommend that cigars are kept in a refrigerator for storage. It is likely that the cigars will be dried out by this process and irretrievably damaged.