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It’s hard to choose the top 5 things to do in Vancouver!
One of the prettiest harbor cities in the world, Vancouver, Canada is a fresh food lover’s dream, a ski bunny’s delight and an outdoor fan’s version of heaven. Vancouver centers its activities around the water and here’s where you’ll find the best restaurants, markets and many of the scenic activities. And the really good news is … if you want to stay a while Cheap Rooms has plenty of cheap hotels in Vancouver. Just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Getting flights to Vancouver is easy – plenty of airlines service the main west coast Canadian city from Los Angeles or San Francisco and many other west coast hub cities. There’s plenty to see and do in Vancouver and Cheap Rooms makes it easy to get to and stay there so that you can focus on fun!

Vancouver has a vibrant nightlife scene, whether it be food and dining, or bars and nightclubs. The Granville Entertainment District has the city’s highest concentration of bars and nightclubs and many are open into the small hours. Large crowds gather here on weekends and the party atmosphere is further enhanced by the practice of closing off streets to car traffic. The district has more than 20 bars and clubs and you can also dine in fine style. The city’s gay and lesbian district is in the Davie Village area.

Vancouver is a great outdoors city and if you have a car the number 1 attraction is the Sea to Sky Highway. It takes you from Vancouver across the spectacular Lion’s Gate Bridge to Whistler and beyond and is considered one of the top 5 drives in the world. It is a fabulous drive and on a beautiful Spring day with clear blue skies you’ll be hard-pressed to keep the superlatives spilling from your mouth!

A little closer to town, Van Dusen Botanical Gardens are on West 37th Avenue and are a wonderful respite from your mad vacation schedule. If the weather is being kind, pack a picnic lunch and good coffee (plenty of that abounds) and head for the gardens to enjoy the beautiful setting with views clear across to the North Shore mountains.

Is there a more fabulous view than the waterfront area of downtown Vancouver? Surely not! If you’re staying here you are in walking distance of all the main attractions. Go to Robson St for mainstream shopping (all the big chains are here), or head across to Granville for the more quirky boutiques, upmarket shopping and interesting side streets. There’s an underground shopping mall and the Broadway area has some neat shops.

Time for a day trip to a spectacular island? Good, Granville Island beckons. Perhaps the most spectacular ‘city’ island in the world, Granville is a day tripper’s dream. There are arts and crafts, unique shopping and a market atmosphere. There’s plenty to eat in the myriad stall so no need to pack a lunch – just arrive and enjoy! Catch the ferry over from downtown – and make sure you stop in the micro-brewery!

Best restaurant in town? That’s a terribly hard question, but, if you’re after the kind of fusion food that Vancouver, with its multi-ethnic population and abundance of fresh, local ingredients should boast, then go no further than Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar. This is an extravagant restaurant for sure, but the delicate flavors, seafood bias and dishes like salmon terrine, scallops, matane shrimp and kurobota pork cheeks will leave you in raptures.

So much to see, so little time! (And what a perfect gift for your significant other for Valentine’s Day – a vacation in Honolulu, Hawaii!) Even if you have all the time in the world, Honolulu is bursting with so much to do that it’s hard to know where to begin. Beaches? More than a few? National monuments? Yes, some of the most significant in America. . Exotic safari adventures into the back country. Indeed! And the really good news is … if you want to stay a while Cheap Rooms has plenty of cheap hotels in Honolulu.

Getting flights to Honolulu is easy – plenty of airlines service the Islands from Los Angeles or San Francisco and many other west coast hub cities. There’s plenty to see and do in Honolulu and Cheap Rooms makes it easy to get to and stay there so that you can focus on fun!

No doubt you want some beach time while you’re and there’s plenty of that at world-famous Waikiki. Of course, your hotel probably has a pool too and there’s nothing quite like cocktails poolside to tell you ‘It’s Vacation Time!’ Staying downtown makes you close to all the attractions and of course beach-side is ideal for kids.

The things you should see in Honolulu include the famous Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial. Both are standout attractions, if that’s the right word, and you’ll enjoy the sense of history, the information and the remarkable sacrifice these men made. It’s a very moving experience and something everyone in the family should see. Transport is easy to arrange to the memorials from wherever you’re staying.

If you’re looking for some exercise to walk off all the hotel food, look no further than the Diamond Head State Monument. It’s a superb hiking trail that goes to the top of a volcano. The views are spectacular. It’s not hard to get to from Honolulu downtown and you’ll need good shoes and plenty of water.

If you’ve never seen the inside of a submarine, now’s your chance. The USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park is on Arizona Memorial Drive and it’s your chance to get up close and personal with how tough it must have been to spend any time at all in these little sardine cans. It’s fascinating to see how not one single inch is wasted on a sub and the audio tour is full of information.

Fancy travelling a little further afield to see something you won’t get back home? Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve has world-class snorkeling with live coral and tropical fish in a protected marine environment. This is the place you’re really thinking about when you think ‘Hawaii’ – clear, sparkling waters, tropical waters and smooth sand that crinkles under your toes. It’s about 20 kilometres from downtown and the you can hire snorkelling gear there. Come early and beat the crowds, but once you’re in the water, you won’t notice another soul!

The history of Hawaii is captured in the Iolani Palace in the city center. This was once the official residence of King Kalakaua, the last king of Hawaii. You can see inside the building on a guided tour or a self-guided audio tour. Both are good. You can also see the servants quarters and kitchens for a look at how the other half lived.

Beautiful Indianapolis may be the 23rd largest city in the country, but this coming Sunday, it’ll be the center of the biggest action in the world. Super Bowl! This is the first time Indianapolis will play host to the Super Bowl. Super Bowl XLVI plays out at Lucas Oil Stadium, on February 5, 2012 in Downtown Indianapolis. Now, if you don’t manage to make it for game day, we heartily recommend a visit at any other time – and, best of all, we’ll tell you where to stay in Indianapolis. There are lots of cheap hotels in Indianapolis on Cheap Rooms.

Lucas Oil Stadium is your ‘must see’ (if only to weep because you weren’t there for the game) tour. You get to go behind the scenes, view the new stadium in all its spectacular glory. This is state of the art stuff with a retractable roof and brilliant new seating. See all the memorabilia and see just how good a large, modern stadium can be.

With more than 200 restaurants and clubs, well-known sports palaces and a 10-block state park that features top museums, green space and a convenient canal walk, Indianapolis boasts a superb downtown area to walk freely.

The canal walk is super convenient – so many main attractions are on the walk or close by. Hire a gondola, ride a bike or just walk along the pretty river. It’s a great morning out after the night before and you can stop for breakfast, coffee, lunch or a quite drink when the fancy takes you. The walk is a loop that takes you on a 3-mile easy hike through downtown Indianapolis.

There are a couple of exciting things to see on the canal walk – one of which is the Indianapolis Zoo. This extraordinary place is home to a vast collection of rare and exotic animals. The most exciting exhibits center around the water – not bad for a mid-west state! – and the dolphin exhibit in particular. Check out the touch experience at the shark tank too. Jaws anyone?

Now, death may not be your favorite subject, but Indianapolis’ Crown Hill Cemetery shouldn’t be missed. It’s huge (something like the 3rd largest in the US) and contains more than 200,000 grave sites, including that of President Harrison, John Dillinger and Howard Garns (the inventor of Suduko). The cemetery is a popular picnic spot as well as an entertaining afternoon’s walk.