This month, we’ve added a couple of hotel breaks with a difference.  So if you’re struggling to choose from our 25,000 hotels, then here are a couple of options to narrow down the choice.

See the traditional side of Portugal away from the Algarve and book a break into a living history hotel with Pousadas de Portugal.  Hotels are set in wild and rural locations or within restored castles, monasteries or fortresses that have been brought back to life as historical Pousadas.

Also, Hotelopia becomes Boatelopia for a limited time only, as we’ve secured some specials on Egyptian Nile cruises.

If you’re visiting Egypt, then compliment your stay with a cruise along the River Nile. The boats are fully equipped with all mod-cons and take in all the top sights including to the High Dam, the unfinished Obelisque and Philae temples and the Valley of Kings and Queens.

Search now and see what options are available, including routes, cruise dates, and how to book.

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Barcelona, Spain’s Catalan capital sits comfortably as one of Europe’s most popular city break destinations and we’ve made it Hotelopia’s destination of this month.
Wander down La Rambla, Barcelona’s most famous and elegant avenue, where you’ll find not just the greatest selection of shops, bustling markets, but also Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter.
Alternatively visit the spiritual home of Spanish football (according to Catalonia at least) at Barcelona FC’s Nou Camp Stadium, or soak up some awesome architecture including possibly the world’s most famous “unfinished church,” Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia.
What’s more, when you’re seen enough of the sights, then head to the beach. Barcelona is included on the golden stretch of sand, which stretches right along the east coast of Spain, making a visit here, not just an exciting city destination, but a potentially relaxing beach break.

Check out our printable travel guide to the city with suggestions of things-to-do and see, places to eat, where to shop, as well the hottest nightlife spots.

Plus we’ve included deals on the very best city centre hotels, which includes the four star Evenia Rossello Hotel, available from just £80 per night.  Read the reviews from customers who have already stayed here – the comments are glowing.

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For Brits who just can’t keep their bits covered on holiday, here is Hotelopia’s guide to favourite nudist hotspots in Europe.

Note that many of Europe’s top nudist beaches are in Spain.  According to legislation, the Spanish Naturist Federation states that nudism is just one of your rights here, allowing you to happily get your kit off on the beach.   So feel the freedom.  Just don’t forget the sunscream.

1.  Tahiti Beach, St Tropez, France: Since the 1960s, the south of France has become topless tolerant, and even embraced bare bodies sunbathing on the beaches.  Probably the best place to risk whipping off the bathers is Tahiti Beach in St Tropez for the all-over golden tan.

2.  Es Trenc beach, Majorca: This is a favourite beach for most Hotelopia staff here in Majorca, although I’m not sure how many of us head to the nudist section.  This paradise beach features not just white powder sands and turquoise waters but lots of nuddies somewhere in the middle.  Be warned!
3. Platja Mitjorn, Formentera: As the baby of the Balearic Islands, Formentera offers miles of relatively empty golden sands, and a natural paradise for those who forget to pack their swimwear.
4.  Paradise Beach – Mykonos, Greece: operating on a 70% topless, 30% nudist basis, this beautiful Greek beach offers the freedom to get back to nature.  What’s more, no one will complain.
5.  Platja d’en Bossa, Ibiza: There’s nothing reserved about Ibiza’s longest beach, Platja Mitjorn.  Spilling over from the island’s hedonist days, it’s as acceptable to get your kit off here, as it is to keep it on.
6.  Studland Bay, Dorset, UK: And if you’re reluctant to leave the UK, then Studland Bay in Dorset has been the location of a nudist hotspot for years.  Although there have been reports that the beach is eroding, there’s nothing stopping visitors from getting naked here.

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If you feel more like a “beached whale” rather than a “beach babe” on holiday, the chances are, you’ll also avoid having your photo taken.

After reporting yesterday that tourists are turning to airbrushing to touch up their holiday pics before sharing on websites such as Facebook, here are Blogelopia’s top tips to looking good in photos:

1.    Posture: Apparently, if you stand up straight in pics, you look instantly thinner and lose a dress size.  If you suck in at the same time, you’ll look like a goldfish.
2.    Avoid harsh light: That rules out any sunny daytime shots then (unless you’re cowering under the shade under a nearby palm tree).  Alternatively, if you’re not looking your best, only get photographed at night, and without the flash.
3.    Avoid thongs, mankinis, and other bad swim wear: Invest in a big sarong and cover up all your bad bits.  Unless of course, like Peter Stringfellow, you live in Majorca.  Because then you can get away with wearing a thong on the beach (almost).
4.    Invest in instant image altering camera equipment: The HP Photosmart says it can reduce a man’s beer belly and make women a dress size smaller.  I just wonder what it does to the rest of the figure.
5.    Tagging on Facebook: If you’re tagged in other people’s pics and it’s too late to un-tag:  Blame it on the sangria:  That’s right.  Everyone goes a little wild on holiday.  Why shouldn’t you?
6.    The camera never lies. If you really want to do some airbrushing, then download for free Google Picassa, reduce red eyes, resize, add some colour play around and if in doubt, superimpose a picture of someone else.

Finally, ignore all of the above. Why care what other people think?! You’re on holiday, and your friends, workmates etc aren’t.  So loosen up, enjoy the moment, and say “cheese.”   Happy holidays!

There’s surprising news from price comparison website Confused.com that’s found taking a holiday can be a stressful experience!

According to the survey, under-30s find it difficult to adjust to having fun in the sun  taking at least two days to relax.  While 40% of women surveyed found holidaying nerve niggling citing losing their luggage as well as the organising men and kids as key blame factors.

Other causes of increased stress levels include delayed flights, family arguments and bad weather.

And contributing to the rise in stress levels are language barriers and a cultured environment which proved too much for the not-so-tolerant tourist.

What the study failed to show was the level of stress that Brits have when showing off their holiday photos.  With the obession with social media and photo-sharing on websites such as Facebook, it seems more of us are using photo editing tools such as Photoshop and Google Picassa to make us look airbrushed.

Usually, reserved for the front cover of glossy magazine photoshoots, it appears that holidaymakers are getting to grips with airbrushing and using simple photo editing tools to take away flabby tummies and eliminate red-eye.  The resizing tool is also useful for giving the illusion of a great beach body without having to go on the pre-beach diet.

Photo tips for a diet free holiday coming up I think….Now if that doesn’t relieve the stress of going on holiday, I’m not sure what will.

If you’ve ever been tempted to save a few quid in transit by spending the night in an airport, then check out this handy website, www.sleepinginairports.net.

The website provides travellers with the ultimate guide to sleeping in some of the world’s biggest airports.

Filled with real travellers’ experiences, the website, tells you where’s safe and whether it offers a good night’s sleep.

Bottom of the list is Paris Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris where travellers have complained about dirty bathrooms and being inappropriately propositioned.

One reviewer writes,  “Want to live dangerously? Travel via CDG! Want to live even more dangerously? Order a meal at the filthy food-court underground at the old terminal.”

Might be worth splashing out £34 (£17pp) then for a airport hotel at Paris’s Charles de Gualle for safety.

Top of the list though is Singapore Changi airport, which actually caters for passengers in transit.  The airport features comfy chairs, shower rooms, shops open 24/7, and rest areas.  I passed through Singapore airport a few years ago and the reviews are spot on. The airport is spotless and encourages in-transit passengers to spend the night.

Ryanair could learn a thing or two from German airliner Lufthansa.  The German carrier is generously guaranteeing passengers compensation if their holiday becomes a washout.

The airline’s special summer rate gives washed out holidaymakers a ray of sunshine as they will receive €20 for every day it rains on holiday.  To qualify, a rainy day counts as a day when at least five millimetres of rain per square metre falls during the passenger’s trip.

This cover is provided for 10 days of the trip meaning passengers can be refunded up to €200.
To reclaim the cash, soggy passengers are asked to contact their insurers on their return, with proof of travel with Lufthansa, flight confirmation, boarding cards  and details of days when it rained.

In addition, French tour operators Pierre et Vacances and FranceLoc are promising the same type of rainy day cover to customers – let’s hope none of them have been holidaying recently in washout Britain.

For holidaymakers returning home to the UK from Europe with a wallet full of euro currency, Blogtelopia has good news for you.

Businesses across the UK are gradually starting to adopt the euro meaning that you can start spending in selected outlets.

Emerging euro-towns include Bournemouth, where around fifty outlets have agreed to take the new currency.

Also Swanage on the Dorset coast also accepts the Euro, as does the little village of Rye in West Sussex.  There’s also a nightclub in Birmingham and a few spots in Edinburgh’s Royal Mile that are euro happy.

For everyone else, pop into your local Marks & Spencer which now also accepts euros.

And if you live anywhere near Dunster in Exmoor, you can spend euros as easily as pounds, as this village has laid claim to being the first place to openly accept euro as well as pound (the same exchange rate applies).

So it seems that UK businesses are becoming early euro adopters – it’s just such a shame that with the fall in the British Stirling, the UK Government are so slow to catch on.

After Ben Southhall beat 34,000  applicants to bag the Best Job in the World as newly installed caretaker of Hamilton Island on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, it turns out that another Brit has just struck lucky.

A holiday booking website launched a competition to find a willing candidate to blog their way around the world.  And the winner is a recently made redundant Brit, 24 year old Richard Conway who will be paid £20,000 to travel the world and blog his experiences on the One Heck of a Summer Website.

He will spend five months making the 32,000 mile trip around the globe and taking in cities including New York, Las Vegas, Dubai and Barcelona.  If anyone is feeling remotely jealous by this news, then you’re in good company – Grrr.