This is a great time to visit London Zoo. The largest penguin pool in the country has just been opened . Penguins look really happy in their new home, which is bigger and deeper, and where they can exhibit more their natural behaviour.

London Zoo was voted the Best Tourism Experience 2010 so you shouldn’t miss it next time around! Visit ZSL London Zoo for more information and Hotelopia  for the best  hotels in London !

Golf started in Scotland before the XV century. The last few years it has gone from being a mostly rich man’s sport to becoming popular little by little.

In the 90’s a group of golfers called Natural Born Golfers in Berlin created urban golf: the main difference with traditional golf was it was not played on a course but on the streets. It spread throughout the world.

Nowadays, urban golf is also called cross golf or street golf, but it´s all the same thing, a game played through steets, over bridges, even up mountains and on beaches. The holes can be anything, from a bin to a pile of tyres. It usually uses a softer ball for safety, or a biodegradable one for seaside courses.

From Berlin to Paris or Valencia, this sport has more players each day; the same spirit of traditional golf but with a bit of adventure that tops up this “upper class” hobby. Feel wild!

This is a very special week in Dublin, from today until next Sunday 29^th of May it is Dublin Writers Festival. Dublin was named a Unesco City of Literature last year, joining only three such cities worldwide: Edinburgh, Melbourne and Iowa.

The festival is an annual gathering of Irish and international poets and writers. They will be reading their last books and there will be conferences and debates about them. One of the highlights of this festival will be an evening with Michael Palin, the author and Monty Python star will be looking back over his varied career. Check the details here.

If you like literature this is a great opportunity to visit the Irish Capital and have a wonder around. Don’t forget to book your hotel in Hotelopia.

The weather has been very good in the last month and in a coutry like this, it is impossible not to enjoy the sunny days. We now want to give you a list of some of the best gardens in the UK, Iconic gardens that should not be missed:

(See this link for family and kitchen gardens.)

Bodnant, Clwyd
Grand terraced lawns, a laburnum tunnel, a renowned collection of Chinese rhododendrons, a gloriously romantic waterfall and an 18th-century pavilion make this the most celebrated garden in Wales. It even comes with views of Snowdonia.
(01492 650460; www.bodnantgarden.co.uk)

Brodsworth Hall & Gardens, Yorkshire
Formal garden with follies, a fern dell, Italianate terraces and rose dell.
(01302 722598; www.english-heritage.co.uk)

Castle Howard, York
On a grand scale, this contains formal gardens, the remains of a 19th-century parterre and a rose garden. Woodland walks, sculptures and landscaped park.
(01653 648333; www.castlehoward.co.uk)

Crathes Castle, Grampian
Award-winning walled garden with colour-themed areas that include golden, blue and pastel shades.
(01330 844525; www.nts.org.uk)

Hidcote Manor Gardens, Gloucestershire
Hidcote set the trend for dividing a garden into rooms separated by hedges and walls. Sublime planting; the hot borders are world famous.
(01386 438333; www.nationaltrust.org.uk)

Iford Manor, Wiltshire
Italianate garden with terraces, cloisters, gazebos and statues.
(01225 863146; www.ifordmanor.co.uk)

Kiftsgate Court, Gloucestershire
Famous for its roses but also colour-coordinated herbaceous plantings and a contemporary water garden.
(01386 438777; www.kiftsgate.co.uk)

Mount Stewart, Co. Down
Rare and tender shrubs thrive here. Formal garden, sunken Spanish garden, rhododendrons, lake walk.
(028 4278 8387; www.nationaltrust.org.uk)

Painswick Rococo Garden, Glos
An 18th-century garden, painstakingly restored, and with unusual architectural features, too.
(01452 813204; www.rococogarden.co.uk)

Powis Castle & Garden, Powys
Spectacular hanging terraces with giant yew hedges. Formal gardens woodland and views of Severn valley.
(01938 551920; www.nationaltrust.org.uk)

Rousham Manor, Oxfordshire
The original 18th-century landscape remains almost entirely intact and exudes peace and harmony.
(01869 347110; www.rousham.org)

Sissinghurst Castle Gardens, Kent
Inspirational, loved by gardeners the world over and iconic for its classic design of garden rooms, vistas and exuberant planting schemes.
(01580 710700; www.nationaltrust.org.uk)

Stourhead, Wiltshire
Temples, bridges and trees reflected in the still waters of a lake combine to create a memorable painterly scene in this famously beautiful 18th-century landscape.
(01747 841152; www.nationaltrust.org.uk)

Stowe Landscape Gardens, Bucks
This magnificent “Capability” Brown landscape has been receiving visitors since the 18th century. Full of symbolic features that include temples and statues. All should visit.
(01280 822850; www.nationaltrust.org.uk)

The route of the Olympic torch has been revealed. It will land in the UK on the 18th of May 2012, a year on today. Then it will start the route around the United Kingdom with the idea of being, at some point, within an hour journey from 95% of the population.

The torch will travel around big cities like Liverpool, Southampton, Cardiff, Manchester and Edinburgh but it will also visit the islands and it may also make a short visit to Dublin (this is still being studied).

Wherever the torch may be within those two months and a half, there will be a celebration: Concerts and shows will be held on 66 of the 70 days to welcome the torch into the country. So don’t miss the chance to have a life time experience!

Today is Internet day and we have decided to take the opportunity to give you some numbers on what Internet means nowadays. This information comes from the Royal Pingdom Report 2010:

- There are 1,97 billion users in Internet, this is about one third of the population worldwide.

- Europe represents 24,2% of total Internet users.
- There are more than 152 million blogs in Internet, thank you for reading ours!
- Facebook has more than 600 million users.
- More than 2 billion videos are watched daily on Youtube.

With these numbers we’ll be able to think how important Internet has become in very little time and how it has changed our way of life.

The  travelling sector has been especially affected by the Web, as it has  revolutionized the way we buy tickets, make reservation and the information we obtain about the places we go.

Because withouth Internet, Hotelopia would not exist… and without its readers, this blog wouldn’t exists either… Thank you!

Today Hotelopia wants to take you into some of the biggest religious temples of the world, their architecture and decoration are considered a work of art that is worth visiting, follow us:

-          Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome: It is the biggest temple in the world (although it is not a Cathedral) with 218 metres long and 136 metres high to the dome. Among its architects artists as important as Raphael and Michelangelo. Inside the temple there are numerous spectacular sculptures and paintings in the Renaissance style.

-          St. Paul’s Cathedral, London: It was built at the end of the XVII century and it was one of the few buildings that survived the Second World War in the city. The dome is the perfect place to have views of the city and it is the second in size, after St. Peter’s.

-          Seville Cathedral: It is the biggest Gothic cathedral in the world. It was built on the remains of the mosque. In fact, the “Giralda” (the tower) was part of the mosque that was reconverted to Christian after the Reconquest. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site from 1987 and it serves as the burial site of Christopher Columbus.

-          Cologne Cathedral: It is the biggest church in Germany and it was the highest building in the world until Washington’s Monument was built in 1884. Its Neogothic style is a landmark of the city and it is the most visited monument in the country. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage.

If you like this kind of architecture and the works of art of the Renaissance and Gothic periods, do not miss this incredible churches.

Minorca, an emerald-blue and white island

With an extension of 702 km2, and 216 km of coastline that includes a total of 120 beaches, Minorca, is the most Eastern of the Balearic Islands, and is the first place in Spain to glimpse rays of sunlight.

If you are looking for nature in a pure state, then Minorca is what you are after. The island is mainly flat; its highest peak is Monte Toro with an altitude of 358 m.a.s.l. from which exceptional panoramic views over the island can be appreciated. You can discover the hidden coves on land or by sea. Minorca was declared as a Biosphere Reserve in 1993. Its coves and landscapes are highly unique, and in addition, its biodiversity makes it even more special.

Port of Maó is believed to be the second largest natural harbour in the world, with a length of 5 km. Ciutadella, located in western Minorca, is impregnated with history and in its streets you breathe a mixture of architectonic styles that have been inherited from past civilizations.

Book your hotel in Minorca.

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A festival is always an unforgettable experience. Add to that a stunning location (on the shores of Loch Ness, in Inverness, the heart of the Highlands) and top up with the biggest rock band in the UK at the moment, and you get Rockness. This festival is making a name as one of the musts of the summer, and its finding its place among the most important Festivals of the year (it wone Line-up of the Year at the UK Festival Awards last year).

This year’s headliners can be trusted to play their best hits, as Paolo Nutini will get everyone singing along on the last day. It may not be as sunny as Benicassim or as big as Glastonbury but this festival is worth a try, you will not regret it!

Rockness will take place from the 10th to the 12nd of June near Inverness, check hotels in Hotelopia.

Maybe you watch it with sarcasm, maybe with joy and enthusiasm, maybe it is just an excuse to meet up with friends but whatever the case, Hotelopia bets you will be watching this year’s Eurovision contest (next 14^th of May).

If you do like it, you may be watching it live from Dusseldorf Arena. If you happen to be in this city during the weekend, take the opportunity to join the Germans by the Dusseldorf´s Thyssen skyscraper. The building will be transformed into a gigantic TV screen for the occasion, as live images of the competition will be projected onto its façade.

This year’s UK representation will be Blue, the world’s famous group.  Some other contestants will be Jedward, the twins from Ireland and another couple of TWiiNS from Slovakia among others. Find the best hotels in Dusseldorf in Hotelopia.