Plus Stuff

Where'd everybody go?

2007-07-26T13:44:00.000-01:00

We have a new set up for our community page which includes photos, blogs and all the other cool stuff. You can go there now by clicking on this link.

Plus Launches New Website

2007-03-14T09:43:00.000-01:00

On Friday last week saw the launch of a new phase in the development of Plus with the launch of our new website www.plusted.com.

The new phase encompasses the redevelopment of the pluspass and the development of our web 2.0 travel platform incorporating Google mashups, community and activities.

The site will be run in parallel with www.plusvillages.com with customers having the choice as to which site they want to use. Plusted will be the home for the pluspass, pluspass hostels, activities, blogs etc. while plusvillages will focus primarily on Italy

pluspass

As we were developing our new website we took the opportunity to revisit the pluspass and to make some significant changes from the way the pass works from both a hostel management and the end users point of views.

Major Changes

We have now split the pass into 6 different zones that are relevant to geographical areas and cost the cost of a bed night.

We have reduced the number of nights to each pass to 5 thus eliminating a perceived cost barrier to entry from our customers.

We have changed the number of nights stay available to be booked with the pass to unlimited provided the customer has available nights left on the pass.

There are now combi zones available on the pass. Which allow customers to buy a combination of different zones at discounted rates.

The Zones

The Stone Zone- England, Wales, Scotland, France, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands

The Bull Zone- Spain and Portugal

The Paddy Zone- Ireland and Northern Ireland

The Stein Zone- Austria and Germany

The E Zone- Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary Czech Republic Poland Etc.

The Sun Zone- Italy Greece and Turkey

Cheers Pops

Go slow day

2007-02-21T17:54:00.000-01:00

This looks really cool .I found it while looking for information on the prime minister's (Prodi) resignation, a situation that is rather common occurrence in Italy. They've had more governments than I've had hot pizzas. 60 new prime ministers in as many years since the end of WWII. They don't have so much a ministerial chair as a bare patch of carpet where they stand for a limited time. Anyway, the go slow thing. Life has certainly slowed for me since joining the mothering sorority (fraternity just doesn't sound right) Time is measured in feeding periods and length of time time between nappy changes, sometimes only 10 mins between.
I was happy to move to Italy as I knew it had a slower pace of life after London and now they have honoured it with a day devoted to going slow. Some acquaintances of mine may argue that I don't need a day to relish going slow, I've been doing it all my life.
Why the need to go fast? Unless you are behind the wheel of a supercar (Mclaren F1 or Ferrari spring to mind) with the top down there really is no need to go any faster than necessary. I agree with the need to look around you and see what's happening in the rest of the world. Taking the baby for a walk has certainly slowed things down for me, stopping every few feet to wipe up spit or find the toy that's gone overboard.
I remember watching the world go by from the window of the train years ago, wondering what people around Europe got up to in their daily lives. I guess most of the time its everyone watching everyone else rushing around. Unless you are in Italy of course.

FATPACKERS ARE HERE

2007-02-15T07:59:00.000-01:00

Well last year it was flashpackers, in the years before they were called backpackers. Now in a country you could only call America comes the Fatpacker. I picked up this little gem at Willy Volks Blog at Glading.

Apparently the definition of Fatpacking is:
an alternative to Boot Camps, Fat Camps, Fat Farms and a less rigorous version of Outward Bound- is for people who love the outdoors, but who are a little bit overwieght or a little older and prefer not to feel rushed by superfit-atheletes or obsessive hi milage hikers.

Fatpackers offer 1 or 2 week hiking vacations durring which Fatpackers guides help reshape the participants bodies while having an 'unforgetable wilderness experience'. Apparently Fatppackers can loose as much as 5 pounds a week (possibly more if you stumble accross a grizzly bear)

Even better for those chasing a bit of stardom there is even talk of a reality show. Be careful though my mate Chris a camera man informs me that TV cameras always stick on a few extra pounds.

For those interested check out Fatpackers here.

Should a Hostels Details be Included in a Website

2007-02-12T15:51:00.000-01:00

I have just received an interesting email from an unnamed website requesting us to remove a hostels contact details from our content pages due to the fear of customers making direct bookings to a hostel.

Now I have to ask myself several questions:

Do people really leave a website to make a booking directly with the hostel?
Why would people leave a website unless they're having a bad experience or they thought that by ringing or emailing the hostel they could get a better deal?

Isn't it a matter of customer service that we enable our clients to have easy access to us enable them to contact us to change a booking, tell us they are going to be late or to ask us for directions rather than the customer having to struggle to find the relevant info?

There is no way that Plus will change our policy of adding contact details to web pages where appropriate.

Let me know what you think

Something Really Cool to Do in Dublin

2007-02-10T09:22:00.000-01:00

Last week the Plus crew headed of to Dublin for the Hostelworld conference. The conference was up to the usual high standard you would expect. A great time was had by all. Congratulations to all the hoscar winners especially Jetpak in Berlin who seemed to scoop most of the major prizes (or was it one too many beers consumed by myself) they seemed to win everything. Well done to Grannie and her team for doing such agreat job.

While in Dublin Antonio, Rani and I cruised Dublin looking for cool stuff. I had a bit of a heads up, as I had arrived on Saturday and met up with a mate of mine and over a few beers he told me about this cool XBOX LIVE gaming centre. So on the Wednesday after the conference we decided to suss it out.

Wow, 2500 sq feet of gamer paradise. 50 plasma screens that can all be linked together, leather chairs and couches. You can play individually or as a team and you can play against players from anywhere in the world thanks to the net. They regualary hold leagues and competitions every night of the week infact.

Yep, we even got to play Battlefield 2 between our selves and Andrew who was showing us round. Well all that I can say is that I think that my generation slightly missed the boat and that Antinio has spent far too much time hunting birds in Madrid and whiling away time infront of a screen at home.
Thanks to the Manager Tony Murray and Andrew for showing us around. I think that i may have an idea for our Atomic bunker in our Prague hostel now.

Now all that I need to do is convince Katy to buy me an XBOX, I'm hooked.

£120 per Bag -You're Dreaming BA

2007-02-08T19:21:00.000-01:00

£120 for every extra bag. As the line goes in the movie the Castle "tell him he's dreamin" I honestly don't know what planet the directors of BA live on. Maybe they have to charge the customers exorbitant fees because they got shafted by the unions last week! You have to cover your costs somewhere.

I think that somehow this will end up being a PR bloodbath and passengers will vote with their bums and buy seats on other airlines. Mind you there is probably only one exception to this, where there is a choice between paying £120 and flying Ryan Air I would much rather take out a second mortgage to pay the £120 to BA.

Welcome to the latest addition to the Plus Office

2007-02-02T10:40:00.000-01:00

Well after 9 months and 36 hours in the making she finally arrived, thankfully a few days after my birthday and not on New years eve. The boss is now supplanted by the baby. Sleep is achievable but only in bits, like 3 hours here, 4 hours there, maybe a short nap later on.

It may look like I rushed back into the office but hey, it was only to check emails and upload some photos. I don't really work with a baby on my lap! Its only taken me 3 weeks to get the photos up afterall, with all the feeding, changing, burping, changing again going on.

Still yet to pick out her first backpack and buy her first travel ticket, however she has barely left her car seat for all the trips around the neighbourhood, hospital checks and grocery shopping. At least I know I can still get around if I want.

It's a funny situation to be in to now have another being to think about when it comes to travel. There's all her gear to think about, spare clothes and nappies, at least the food thing is not a problem. So long as I'm there she has food on tap, so to speak. I just need somewhere comfortable to sit.For an hour.

Dad will get to share the feeding joy in a couple of weeks after I work out how the pump works. He can do the evening meal then. Will keep you posted on her travels in the future.

Happy New Year and All that Jazz

2007-01-02T15:00:00.000-01:00

Happy New years and Tanti Agurri

Well it's back to the grind today. Although I have been back only nigh on 8hrs it seems like a lifetime. I guess when we all have some sort of hols or vacation it takes a few days to get into the swing of things.

However there is no way I am going to start the year by moaning. We have some really cool stuff happenning at Plus in 2007. I am not supposed to tell anyone this, but we have our new hostel in Prague opening at the end of March. Its a bit different though. It has an internal swimming pool, A PLUS Girls floor, each floor has a self catering kitchen, bar and restaurant etc. Our website is about to be launced as soon as it is i'll post it here.

I need help!!

Over a few wines at christmas (as you do) we were discussing are todays travellers /backpackers any different than 20 years ago beside technology and the ability to move around.
Are our reasons for travelling any different? Do the ideals of yesterday still hold true today? Were we treehugging hitchhiking hippies or was it a growing up phase?

I really wonder, as I know people in the backpacking industry who preach the old fashion values but in reality are capiltalist as you can get. Isn't it a contridiction and hypocrtical for the former to be true?

Its Friday Aftenoon and Barcelona is looking great

2006-12-22T14:15:00.000-01:00

Its Friday afternoon. It's the last day of work before Xmas and once again I am looking for cool stuff for our customers. I came across this website and blog on Barcelona.

It is a community site, for anyone interested in Barcelona, travelling to Barcelona, living in Barcelona…..or just wanting to join in the fun!

It's been set up by people who are currently living in Barcelona, often travel to Barcelona, or are actually from Barcelona!

What they all have in common is that they LOVE Barcelona!

So before you buy your Lonely Planet, Rough Guide or Lets Go get the lastest up to date info from the guys that actually live there

Merry Xmas to All
Pops

Driving a Piece of East German History

2006-12-18T14:08:00.000-01:00

Ciao
Hey, I've finally got back to the office after two weeks away polishing up the old Italian. It went really well but a speed demon I am not.

The resort where I work is closed down over christmas and it seems that half of Italy's stray cats are hanging round our office scrounging food. It reminds me of the song Kitty Cat from the Presidents of the United Staes a few years ago. OUTSIDE!!!!

I found this really cool thing to do when you are in Berlin or Dresden and want to go back in time. Not quite a De Lorean but nevermind. Hire a Trabi!! Check it Out

Driving a Piece of East German History

Posted Dec 13th 2006 8:30PM by David Luna

Ever wonder what life was like on the east side of the Berlin Wall? Well, you can still experience a remnant of that bygone era behind the wheel of an East German icon: the Trabant. The Trabant's determined 25HP engine and non-existent electrical system make the car resemble a riding mower more than a modern automobile, but that's what makes driving one so exciting.

Tour company Trabi Safari maintains fleets of Trabants in Berlin and Dresden. Their tours marry sightseeing with a unique "do it yourself" experience as tourists drive themselves in authentic Trabants on the streets of Germany. Drivers receive a very short operations tutorial before the trip. (Instructions include: "This is the gas. Very important!" and "Don't touch this button.") After everyone is briefed, the Trabant convoy follows the tour guide whose voice is piped in over the car's (aftermarket) radio. The hour and a half journey is really about piloting East Germany's Ultimate Driving Machine, so the audio tour is fairly light on historical narration.

Tour prices range from 25 to 35 Euros per person and reservations are required. If German isn't your thing, you will need to request an English language tour guide.

What is it about Sunday Mornings

2006-12-10T09:38:00.000-01:00

Well here we are again. It's Sunday morning and I am work again why Katy snoozes through a lazy Sunday morning lie in. I wasn't going to go to work. But as my PC at home for some reason doesn't want anything to do with blogging software and its such a nice morning. I thought that I might as well get organised for the week while sipping coffee over looking the chianti country side. Lifes not all that bad!

We have loads of stuff on at the present. We are just about to open our new hostel in Prague, so I am in the process of buiding a new website for that along with a major revamp of the Plus website
Both are due to go live before christmas. And I wonder what I am doing here on a Sunday again!

I was scanning through a few blogs last night and came across something that I had a chuckle about. Hostelworld is taking on Google!!!
If I had a Euro for everytime that I heard that Hostelworld was being bought,out taken over or getting out of hostel reservations I think that I may be rather rich! Me thinks that there may be quite a few people in the Irish IT indusry that have spent to much time kissing the Blarney stone. Mind you you never know- Ray needs a new Porsche soon.

For those in Florence over the next couple of weeks check out the Christmas Market- The Heidleberg markets in Piazza Santa Croce. The Hotdogs with Saurkraut are amazing!! Apparently there is also a Scottish market as well, so i will check those out next week.

Trying to Juggle Work, Travel and Study

2006-12-06T18:18:00.000-01:00

Well its day three of My Italian language course and to be honest it seems to be going quite nicely. My vocab is increasing and pronuciation is getting better. Giovanni and Agostino are working to remove my kiwi accent so that i will be able to pronounce i and e without people missunderstanding what I am saying.

The only downside is the 6.00am start in the morning which means prising the old eyes open and stumbling into the shower without trying to kick the cat. A quick shower, brekky and off to the train station hopefully if I time it right its a 20min train ride and then a 20 min walk or 45 min train ride if i miss the train.

Then its a couple of espresso's and straight into the Study.
6 hrs later I emerge with Italian verbi and adjectivi slowly stroking their way across my eyeballs and ringing in my ears to catch the train again.
Then its off to work at mission control at Plus.

Last night while I was checking out travel blogs. I came across North Americas 1st Ice Hotel at The Travelnet. Its a cool article about the hostel in Quebec and how it was constructed etc. Not quite our market, but hey we can dream!!!

Travel Blogger I Promise

2006-12-03T17:47:00.000-01:00

Well its high time that I actually posted something on Plus Stuff. Hands up. I admit I've been really slack and have not taken as much care and attention of the blog as I should have and it has ended up a tiny bit commercial.

On my honour I promise to do the right thing, to post every day and to keep the blog law. I guess you can't help your upbringing.

Todays been a bit of a weird type of day. I have been trying to tie up loose ends at Plus this morning as tommorow I am going back to school. After nearly 2 years of living and working in Italy I am taking myself off to Study Italian in Florence at The Michelangelo Insitute . The Course is 2 weeks of Intensive Italian. Basically lessons in the morning and conversation in the afternoon.

One of the reasons for my lack of Italian is because I work in the Travel industry and the international language of tourism is English ( sorry I should say inglese). Another reason is my pet hate; websites that automatically think that you speak Italian because you are using a computer that has an Italian IP Address. Please BA, Emirates and even Google, please let me select what language I want to view a site in, not waste time trying to find the appropriate one.

How time has flown though. Last night I was checking out some stuff on the web and came across a Blog from Bootsnall . I can't believe that it is nearly 8years since I first signed up as a member. They're still as crazy as ever but check them out as they have some great deals for travellers and backpackers.

Getting Technorati

2006-11-23T08:17:00.000-01:00

Check out more travel blogs on Technorati

November Sun in Sicily

2006-11-21T15:59:00.000-01:00

It was like school over for the summer hols, well almost. Pops, Rani, Hans and I grabbed the chance to get in a quick weekend holiday in before the winter rush to prep everything for next year, that and we had been promising Renzo we would vist all season.

Hans did all the hard work, finding the air tickets for 10 cents each (10c!!!) plus taxes. Well they did start out at 99c so we weren't complaining. OK there was the break of dawn departure from Pisa but after a week of overcast views from the office window and diving temperatures it was worth it.

Our mate Renzo was celebrating his 30 something birthday and was happy to pick us up from the airport, however there was a small issue over which airport. He had it in his head we were landing at Palermo. Luckily that airport is only 25mins from Trapani!

We drove down through Marsala, home of the fortified wine heading towards the south western part where Renzos campground Sporting Club Village lies, looking out towards north Africa.

We were greeted by early morning sunshine and started stripping off jackets to t-shirts, so nice to get out and about after working in the office all summer. I had heard so much about the pastries and cakes in Sicily I could'nt wait to try them out. I wasn't disappointed either.

My goal was to try authentic Sicilian cannolli as it was something I had heard so much about. Breakfast for the boys was something resembling a hotdog which they unanimously agreed must be brought back to Tuscany. Mine was some ricotta filled pastry cup, I'm still drooling. Renzo left us to wander the town while he headed over to the fish market to pick up lunch. As Pops is a huge seafood fanatic Renzo promised him a very special lunch.

It was nice to walk around Mazara del Vallo without being caught in a tourist crush, it being Saturday morning most locals were heading towards the schools to pick up the kids before heading off for lunch. The streets and alleyways thorugh the old town were intriging. Tiny narrow pathways, balconies which you could touch from the one opposite. Some had been beuatifully restored while others had been left to practically fall down.

The waterfront has had some major development, with a long row of sea facing bars, restaurants and cafes which must be filled totally during the summer months. Most places looked closed or only opened in the evening.

Every shop we walked into the locals were so friendly. It was a great chance to practise my bad Italian but everyone was really patient and helpful. We found a cafe for a pre lunch drink and just enjoy the sunshine and warmth. Later we found Renzo wasn't making it up about lunch.

He'd picked up 2 types of fish from his friendly fisherman which he proceeded to cook on the outside fire at his house ( a built in bbq and pizza oven in one no less) , freshly caught that morning. He introduced us to the local bread, which apparently can last up to 5 days in the open out on the fishing boats. After a year of Tuscan bread which is very crusty and hard this stuff was soft and very tasty. Better still was the 'pesto' that went with it, made of totally fresh virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Yummo! We needed a siesta afterwards.

The campsite is closed for winter but the restaurant stays open as it is a popular place for the locals to go, and after seeing the antipasti range I'm not surprised. I vowed to come back just to try the huge variety of starters just as a meal on their own! Loads of different seafood, frittata, crostini, cold meats and local inventions. I learnt the difference between a Sicilian pizza and a Tuscan one, the Sicilians make their bases a bit thicker and the dough with a bit of butter.

After dinner was the party upstairs in the bar, recently renovated and reopened that night the back wall is exposed shellrock with some different levels of seating. Renzo's mates had a special surprise for him with his presents, some interesting gadgets and 'collectibles' including a nipple mug and a Bob the Builder set. Luckily we gave him some whiskey so all was not lost. The birthday cake was sensational, of course, and difficult to stop at one piece. The bar was also home to the locals who are learning to salsa. It was interesting to watch one guy spinning his girl almost into the potted palm!

Breakfast ( well it was actually much later than that) the next day was more pastries, but this time I found a distant relative of the traditional English meat pie but with a distinct Italian twist, a flaky pastry filled with tomato meat ragu and there were even peas! This one HAS to come back to Tuscany!! We decided to walk into town from the campsite which only took 20 minutes along the waterfront.

Unfortunately our office commitments meant we could only stay one more day, which is a shame as I wanted to explore some of the local area further. I found a book on the archealogical sites nearby which are some of the best preserved around the Med so I have made a mental note to get more time off next year.

Our last evening was surely a lesson in international relations, playing charades with 2 kiwis, a dutchman and 10 Italians, in Italian. It was really good for the language skills, first of all working out what the word was in one language and then translating into the other, all by miming! The easiest category by far was food. I learnt a few new words and it's amazing how some hand signals are international as well. Some of the guys went to buy dinner which were Arancini, very tasty rice balls about the size of a tennis ball, coated in breadcrumbs with either a mozzarella centre or mince ragu. The mozzarella ones were my favourite. Another one to add to the cooking repetoire when I got home.

The early morning departure home was another prerequisite of the 10cent flight, but we managed a quick bite to eat at the Trapani terminal, hotdogs again and coffee. The weekend was over all too quick, but a welcome break nonetheless. We said our goodbyes to Renzo and his amazing hospitality. The sad part is I still didn't even get to try any cannolli!!

The End of Year family get together

2006-11-21T14:00:00.000-01:00

Pops doing his groove thing

Some Plus ladies

Last week it was that time of year again where all the workers get together for the annual meeting, dinner and communal hangover. It was a great opportunity to meet up again with all our co workers from around Italy, the back office staff and ground crew from all of the campsites as well as the managment teams. We had the staff training session earlier (there's always a catch for a free dinner) where we heard speakers from many of the campsites describing their achievements for the year and goals for the next, and also from the 'Professore' who focussed on teambuilding skills.

For us it was a great opportunity to talk to those who had participated with Plus and see what we can change for next year, as well as talk to some of those we didn't get around to seeing that often. The best bit was getting to see those that we don't normally hang with, like the accounting and reservations departments having a boogie when the DJ started up.

Anyone who has been to an end of year office function may be familiar with paper plates, photocopiers, cheap plonk and stale finger foods, this was the total opposite. Our parent company has many faces- hostels, campgrounds and restaurants being some of them but add to that the recreation and conference complex in Florence South. The Otel provides a dinner, bar and vareity show facility so we were treated to some of the performances that go on throughout the year, including a glowing poi dance, an awesome array of arias from an opera singer through to comedy and cover tunes.

The food was non stop, naturally, antipasti, pasta, mains and dessert to die for, it's a shame that it only happens once a year. Well its back to the Plus office again, to continue with our partners that are open over the winter and to gear up over the coming months for those that reopen next year.

A taste of traditional life at Mar-Mar in Cinque Terre

2006-10-20T09:41:00.000-01:00

Cinque Terre was until a few years ago a remote group of villages lying along the Ligurian coastline where access was only by boat, train or rugged winding tracks.
Today it is a UNESCO protected site with awesome walks, scenery and a well preserved traditional way of life.
Plus is very pleased to announce its partnership with the team at Mar-Mar in Riomaggiore to bring you the best accommodation in Cinque Terre over the Christmas period. Comfortable rooms in local apartments, most with kitchens and some with sensational views over the sea make Mar-Mar the ideal place to stay to get away from it all.
For Christmas and New Years many of the villages stage their own fireworks displays and small parades, with Riomaggiore the best place to view everything going on along the coastline. You can either sit on the rocks and watch it all go off or take to the water in a local boat.
Experience the traditional rural Italian life with plus and Mar-Mar. Book now for December and January through www.plusvillages.com.

Get Festive in Venice with Residence Santa Croce & Plus

2006-10-20T08:34:00.000-01:00

Plus has put on its party hat and dressed up with Residence Santa Croce in Venice to bring you the best accommodation to spend the festive period with. Venice is host to not just fantastic Christmas celebrations but awesome New Years parties and of course the unforgettable Carnival.
Residence Santa Croce is the easiest to find hostel in Venice, a short walk from both the main train station and central bus depot.
The hostel has spacious modern renovated rooms, all ensuite, situated alongside the Grand Canal.
You can book yourself a place in the festivities and the hostel through www.plusvillages.com now.

Plus & Gallo D'Oro welcome you to Florence

2006-10-20T07:59:00.000-01:00

Plus is proud to announce another addition to their Italian group of accommodation providers the Gallo D'Oro hostel in Florence.
Max and Silvia are your hosts and will give you an authentic warm Italian welcome to their hostel over the cold winter months.
They offer cosy dorm rooms, great opportunities to meet other backpackers and home cooking in a friendly atmosphere.
Florence for Christmas and New Years couldn't get any better than staying at the Gallo D'Oro so don't miss out on the fun. The hostel is located in the city centre so you are a short walk from the bars, clubs, shops, major attractions and all the action. You can now book your accommodation through www.plusvillages.com.

COLLECT PLUS POINTS TO SLEEP WITH US FOR FREE

2006-10-19T13:02:00.000-01:00

When you book your accommodtion through www.plusvillages.com you are entitled to collect pluspoints towards a free night's accommodation. When you have collected 10 stamps (10 nights) you will be given a voucher for 1 free night's accommodation to use at any of the Italian listed Plus locations in our brochure.
Even if you have booked your initial night through another website you are given a free stamp to get you started (up to a maximum of 3 nights), just show your printed confirmation at checkin.

Here is the not so small print - THE PLUSPOINTS VOUCHER IS NOT REDEEMABLE FOR CASH AND CANNOT BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PLUS PASS. THE VOUCHER IS ONLY ACCEPTED AT PLUS LOCATIONS IN ITALY AS LISTED IN THE CURRENT PUBLICATIONS AND ON THE PLUS VILLAGES WEBSITE AND ONLY FOR THE NAMED PERSON SHOWN. THE VOUCHER IS NOT A GUARANTEE OF AVAILABILITY, PLEASE CHECK THE AVAILABILITY OF THE LOCATION BEFORE BOOKING. PLUSPOINTS VOUCHERS ARE NON TRANSFERABLE. VOUCHERS THAT HAVE BEEN ALTERED WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. PLUS ACCEPTS NO LIABILITY FOR LOST, DAMAGED OR STOLEN VOUCHERS. THE VOUCHER IS VALID FOR 1 INDIVIDUAL BED NIGHT.

Plus head to the Adriatic Coast

2006-10-02T13:38:00.000-01:00

Time to get the sand between your toes. Sunflower Beach Backpackers has the best location and the best backpacker atmosphere in Rimini. Excellent facilities, awesome funky staff, comfortable rooms and all the sun, sand, sea and surf (well kite surfing at least) you could ask for.
Plus has teamed up with these guys to bring you the best in budget accommodation on the Adriatic Coast. You can now book your beds at the Sunflower Beach hostel through our website.
The fun doesn't stop at the end of summer either, throughout the winter period Sunflower Beach keeps the temperature rising with regular parties and access to the hottest clubs in Rimini. The perfect antidote to the winter blues.

Plus announces the arrival of St Christopher's Inns

2006-09-27T12:33:00.000-01:00

It's big, it rocks, it's St Christopher's Inns.We are proud to announce the latest additions to the Plus group of hostel accommodation. You are now able to book your bed in top quality backpacker accommodation with the St Christopher's group through our Plus website.
This great value budget chain has hostels in all the major European cities including 6 locations in London, hostels in Bath, Brighton, Newquay and Edinburgh. They have also set up excellent youth hostels on the continent including Amsterdam, Berlin (as of November 1st 2006 the Circus @ Rosa Luxembourg Str will be known as St Christopher's Berlin) and soon to open in 2007 the first all purpose built backpacker hostel in Paris.
The high standards of service, cleanliness, security and fun that all St Christopher's Inns provide reflect the same pride that Plus has in all its accommodation.
St Christopher's also have the ultimate in backpacker fun with their awesome Belushi's Bars, pubs and cafes.
Book your St Christopher's bed through the Pluspass and you automatically receive membership of the Beds'n'bars discount card for food and drink.
Live your life with St Christopher's and PLUS.

Plus welcomes Hatter's Hostels

2006-09-27T09:56:00.000-01:00

We are taking off our hat to Hatter's hostels in Manchester. They are the latest hostels to become available to book on our Plus website.
Hatter's provide high quality budget accommodation in two locations in Manchester, firstly with the Hatter's Hostel, and the recently converted hotel Hatter's Hilton Chambers.
Both hostels offer comfortable dorms with ensuites, fully equipped guest kitchens, modern interiors, internet access and a warm Northern Quarter welcome as standard.
Ideally located in the centre of Manchester you are minutes away from the life and soul of the city.
Plus recognised these great quailities of Hatter's reflecting the same high standard we believe in for all budget hostels.
You can either book individual nights or prepay your accommodation with Hatter's through the Pluspass.

PLUS PRAGUE

2006-09-27T09:40:00.000-01:00

It had to happen, and we've done it in Prague. What better place to locate our first brand new Plus Hostel than in Prague.
Plus Prague will be the largest hostel for backpackers with the best facilities and typically high standards you have come to expect when it opens in March 2007.
With over 500 beds on offer, from private twins to dorms of 4, 6 and 8, all spacious and designed with attention to the little things. Such as personal reading lights, extra room in the bathrooms, ensuite bathrooms for all dorms, guest kitchens on all floors and that's not all.
Our hostel will also contain a travel desk, supermarket, restaurant, latenight bar and DJ. Meanwhile downstairs you can expend some energy in the gym, swimming pool and spa. For the ladies we even offer an exclusive Plusgirls space, specifically designed with the independent female traveller in mind.
You get all of these great facilities, the same dedication to security, cleanliness and fun as with all of our accommodation providers at backpacker prices.
We look forward to seeing you there soon.

Mr Rocky comes to Tuscany

2006-09-12T14:12:00.000-01:00

The thunder from down under, Mr 'Rocky' Park, the owner of Travel World Corporation in Korea came to visit the Plus Office last month. It was a great chance to catch up and find out what has been going on at Travel World lately.

Rocky was proud to show off his new edition of the Travel World Europe Guide which includes some of the Plus destinations in Italy and some extensive city guides. Many Travel World customers have already enjoyed staying at Plus Camping Alba D'Oro and Camping Roma.

Rocky was very happy to try the local specialties including the Chianti wine and the bistecca. He was also very impressed by the scenery and natural locations of our Florence and Tuscany campsites.

As he was reaching the end of a 2 month journey around Europe his last stop was in Rome, another good opportunity to catch up with the guys at Plus Camping Roma to see their latest developments.

We hope Rocky had a good flight home and we look forward to maybe seeing him again next year.

Another late night....

2006-09-07T15:54:00.000-01:00

Italy is famous for it's festivals and traditions dating back to the dark ages. Figline Valdarno in the heart of Chianti is no exception. Tuesday night, 5th September was the grand finale of 4 days of festivities including a medieval pageant, medieval dinner in the town square, displays and the all important Palio. Not quite the same spectacle as the more famous one in Siena but pretty demanding none the less.
Riders representing the small localities around the south of Florence test their coordination, timing and horsemanship to collect as many rings dangling from a target as possible on the end of a lance.
The evening was not without its thrills as one rider got his lance impaled in the target while a second one lost his into the crowd. The competition had 3 representatives- Porta Senese, for those villages closest to the Siena border, Porta San Francesco around Regello and Porta D'Iva.
The overall winners were Porta Senese, the Ed's home turf, so we were chuffed to bits. Points were awarded for costume, portrayal of medieval life, skills, crafts and of course the number of rings. With 3 rings to 2 it was a clear winner.
The evening was rounded off with a spectacular fireworks display that no doubt echoed across the Arno valley.
Still keen to try out next years Siena palio though.

Ferragosto Fun!

2006-09-01T13:21:00.000-01:00

The one day on the Italian calendar where everyone goes nuts! And the guys and girls at Plus Camping Girasole pulled out all the stops.
15th August 2006 and the bar and cafe was transformed into the Girasole Nursery for the night. Babes with bottles and bonnets handed out punch and watermelons while Eugene kept the crowd on their feet for hours.
Not to be outdone the restaurant staff of Il Girasole donned animal outfits and painted faces, while the gang at Lo Strettoio became Clan McNorcenni in their best Braveheart kilts and big hair.
Everyone got into the spirit of things making it an awesome night out.

Plus Office Outing

2006-08-09T16:57:00.000-01:00

Wow, what a day. The boss sent Rani and I on a staff training mission to Plus Park Albatros in SanVincenzo so it was a great chance to escape from the office.
Park Albatros is one of our newest Plus destinations in Italy, opened in March of this year and has it's own private beach access, which was a bonus as the temperatures were soaring during the staff training.
When we had finished I thought it would be a great idea to get some first hand experience of the local surf scene so we headed down to the shore. Brilliant sunshine, waves crashing on the beach and plenty of room to stretch out. The waves may not have been anything an antipodean surfer would write home about but it was great to just float about in the warm water.
We had to then wash off the salt so it was back to the campsite and a chance to test drive the brand spanking new shower block, I've nicknamed it the Bamboo Bath house already. Ahhh, bliss, high pressure hot showers with enough room to get changed and a place to put your things off the floor. Ok they have the push button thingy but the time under the nozzle was realistically long, and I've had some experience of some very annoyingly short push button showers in my time.
Now, if only we had some other urgent staff training to do at Park Albatros...
ciao for now,
Katy

The New Look Pluspass webpages

2006-08-07T09:44:00.000-01:00

Ciao tutti! After working our asses off over the past 8 months we are proud to finally reveal the new look pluspass pages. We have been working really hard to improve the the pluspass site for both users and accommodation providers.
There are now over 35 awesome destinations to choose from across Europe, more excellent deals, cool freebies and funky promotions so you can get the most out of your pluspass.
We reckon the pluspass is still the fastest way to pay for all your accommodation needs in Europe as you can buy before you leave home, book your beds before you leave, or while you are out on the road.
Check out the generous deals we have sourced from our mates around Europe on the Pass Deals page and see just how far your pass can get you.
If you have any comments on the new look site we'd be happy to hear from you.
The Plus Crew.

Pops goes Busabout the place

2006-07-17T07:49:00.000-01:00

Buon Giorno all!!

What a week last week! Pops had the enviable task of showing the highlights of Tuscany to a photoshoot crew snapping all the pics for Busabouts new brochure for next year. With a crew of 4 and 6 happy backpackers to show off the best of the local area to he was flat out driving for 4 days.
The first day was sussing it all out then one day in Florence, a day at the beach, a day in Tuscany and a few evenings reflecting over some fantastic chianti wine and traditional tuscan cooking, everybody was most impressed.
Now he's back in the office and everything is getting back to normal again, but it was certainly great to find out there are some hidden gems in the local area, like the waterfallnear Figline, the beach at Grosseto, and the fabulous L'Osteria restaurant at Localita Badia a Montemuro.
Chef Luciano treated the group to a sensational traditional Tuscan lunch, complete with cold meats, salami, bruscette, cheeses, local chianti wine and 2 types of pasta. The guys were in dire need of a siesta after that but still managed some great shots inside and out, especially with some of the locals as extras.
We look forward to seeing the completed brochure, and our best wishes for the future go to the guys that took part.

How to do Rome in 48hrs

2006-07-05T10:17:00.000-01:00

You’ve just arrived in Rome with a couple of days to kill. How is it possible to see all there is to see in such a short time? This is the guide to get the most out of Rome in the shortest amount of time.

19:00
Hopefully check in at the hotel has been fairly straightforward so now it is to venture out in search of a good meal. A meal in the old Trastevere part of the city has several benefits. Firstly there is a multitude of touristy type sidewalk restaurants and pizzerias to choose from and secondly they are within gentle strolling distance of several significant landmarks, including the well preserved Pantheon.

Rome is just as appealing by night as by day, with the heat of a Roman summer, night time walks may just save a few hours of excessive sweating during the day. Any of the little back streets between the Pantheon and the Spanish steps are perfectly placed to allow a generous meal of pasta and a good carafe of wine to be walked off quite easily.

21:00
Make your way to the Spanish steps to sit and hang out with the locals, while the view from the top of the steps in front of the church Trinita dei Monti offers a great view out over the city. Wander through to the Trevi Fountain and buy dessert in the form of a gelato and try your luck with the change. Throw one coin over your shoulder to come back, two coins to come back and get kissed or three coins to come back and be married.

22:00
Keep on walking through the streets until you reach Piazza Venezia, so named because of the Palazzo overlooking the piazza that resembles the Doges Palace in Venice. The balcony on the second floor may look familiar, it was the podium from which the dictator ‘il duce’ Mussolini delivered his fascist speeches. The other landmark overlooking the piazza is the unmistakable monument to Vittorio Emanuele II.

This has earned several nicknames over the years including the Wedding Cake and the Typewriter. The tomb of the Unknown Soldier lies here under armed guard along with the eternal flame. If the monument is open there is a fantastic view over the Rome rooftops, a glimpse into the Roman Forum and the Colosseum behind it. This is closed at dusk but many of the ruins are lit up at night.

23:00.
If the night air has revived you there is the option of checking out the local night life as there are plenty of bars and clubs open around the central city area. Also there are some in other piazzas such as Piazza Navona and Campo dei Fiori that stay open until the early hours. Otherwise it’s back to the hotel to get ready for tomorrow.

08:00
It pays to start early, particularly in the summer to beat the crowds and the temperatures but luckily the city is not too spread out to get from one sight to the next. The metro system is basic to use to say the least, there are only two metro lines that criss-cross the city and the buses are clearly marked with destinations. Termini is the central bus and metro terminal. Tickets must be bought before boarding and validated in the yellow machines, starting from €1 for one journey.

No visit to Rome is complete without a trip to the Vatican. San Pietro is on the western side of the river Tiber with the dome of St Peter’s visible from most parts of the city. The Vatican museum rooms are open from 8.45 in the morning until 4pm, with the last entry just before 3.30pm, during the busy summer months. It is open until 1pm on Saturdays and low season, while it is closed on Sundays and religious observances. You need plenty of time to walk through the 7km of museum rooms to reach the Sistine chapel where you can admire the detail and wonder at the creation on the ceiling by Michelangelo. It pays to have some sort of description of the frescoes handy to explain what you are looking at. The Pope gives his public address on Wednesday mornings at 11am.

13:00
If you are still hungry for more there is the vast interior of the Basilica itself, the crypt below and the view from the dome above down into the square. Now is probably a good time to find some lunch before taking on the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Take plenty of water with you in the summer months as wily vendors will sell small bottles at exorbitant prices. Along lunch also gets you out of the hottest part of the day.

15:00
Entry tickets to the Colosseum can be bought at the gate but if the line is too long you can go to the ticket window at the base of the Palatine hill and buy them there. The line here is generally much shorter as not many tourists go up the hill. The remains of the Emperors palace stands at the top overlooking the forum and quite stretegically down on the Temple of the Vestal Virgins. This hill is also said to be where Romulus founded Rome.

Beside the Colosseum stands the Arch of Constantine, which was an exercise in recycling of old monuments by Emperor Constantine to reward himself for beating Maxentius. The Colosseum has been damaged over the last 1800 years by earthquakes, invaders and marble merchants but the recent restoration projects has seen parts of it restored to give a good idea of its original state.

16:00
The Via Sacre leads from the Colosseum up into the Foro Romano, the centre of the ancient Roman trading world. The ruins include the original forum, Julius Caesar’s funeral pyre, his Senate building, the Temple of the Vestal Virgins and the arch of Septimus Severus. The forum was buried over several hundreds of years of flooding, each layer has been stripped back to reveal another Roman era, and in some cases where two eras have merged, as in the case of the Temple of Antonino and Faustina. The door that stands halfway up the exposed wall shows where the ground level was during the 8th Century when the 2nd Century temple was converted to church.

There are plenty of tour guides available as history students and licensed guides offer their services with tours of the forum and the coliseum. The stories they tell really help the ruins to come alive. Across the road is Trajan’s Forum with the very conspicuous Trajan’s column. This marks the edge of ancient Rome and the continuation of the modern city. Unfortunately most of ancient Rome lies beneath the Via dei Fiori Imperiali, the road built by Mussolini to parade his troops up and down before going off to battle.

17:00
The rest of the day can be spent either indulging in some people watching at any of the cafes in Piazza Navona and admiring the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi sculptured by Bernini, or relaxing in the shade in the park at the 17thC Villa Borghese. Then its back to those clubs you missed last night.

08:00
This really depends on when you decide to leave. An early evening departure may enable you to take in one of three options provided you start early. The baths of Caracalla is a 10 hectare space that once held 1600 people there to take advantage of the bathing, shops, libraries, gardens and public entertainment. These open at 9am closing 1 hour before sunset and 2pm on a Monday. You would need around 3-4 hours including travel time to view these.

The other option is to visit one of the vast catacombs that are buried beneath the city. These are miles and miles of tunnels, burial vaults and Churches dug by the early Christians to escape persecution by the Romans. The burial vaults are countless metres tall and the tunnels run down over several levels. The resulting rabbit warren requires a guide to take you through and out again safely. You can choose from the ones on the Via Appia Antica, which are the largest, or the Catacombs of San Callisto which are next door to the Catacombs of San Sebastiano. They open at 8.30am closing at noon, reopening in the afternoon from 2.30pm until 5pm. Again you would need 3-4 hours to take one site in.

10:00
The third and final choice is to leave the whole touristy thing out and indulge in some authentic food experiences. The food markets north of the Vatican are held just off Viale dele Millizie and the ones in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele near Termini offer a selection of fresh and locally made produce.

There you have it, all the major attractions of Rome achievable in just 2 days. The choice now is, do I really want to leave just yet?

If you want to find out more about the attractions in Rome, like their opening hours and entry fees check out our Travel Guides section at www.plusvillages.com