Top 5 London Markets

Loads of visitors to London head for the tourist drags of the West End like Oxford Street but London also has many markets that not only have a wide range of wares on offer but also take the visitor to parts of the city they may not otherwise get to see:

Borough Market is held beneath railway arches that branch out from London Bridge Station. This setting has made the area a popular location for film shoots and Bridget Jones amongst other had scenes filmed here. Borough market is a wholesale farmer's market heldd every Saturday with a great range of fresh produce such as vegetables and British cheeses (Neal's Yard Dairy). After a hard morning slogging around the stalls why not make a beeline for the nearby George Inn (77 Borough High Street, SE1) for a relaxing drink.

Camden Market is a major tourist attraction. Here you can buy clothes, antiques, music (including tonnes of bootlegged stuff), candles (lots of candles), healing crystals and other assorted New Age nick-nackery. Some people insist it used to be a lot better but even 15 years ago you still had to rummage through piles of tat before finding something worth buying. That's half the fun. Camden Town is also well known for its buzzing night life.

Columbia Road Flower Market is a great place to floral pottering. Located close to Shoreditch tube this is a very nice way to spend a Sunday morning. The Market's on between, 9am and midday and there are plenty of lunch options in thelocal area.

Covent Garden. Now that you've got into the market habit why not visit the former convents garden, just off the Strand. You may be none the wiser as to it's popularity since it's so expensive and quality is mixed. But the market area is fringed by some nice shops and the London Transport Museum Shop is good for London souvenirs.

Greenwich Market. You can get there with the Docklands Light Railway but a boat ride is a great way to get to Greenwich (ferries depart regularly from Embankment), a really nice part of London. There is a lot to see here, apart from the Market which sells arts and crafts, books and clothes.

The Whole Hog: 7 Magnificent Adventure Holidays

If you're planning a holiday that's a bit different why not go the whole hog and opt for one of the following extreme adventure holidays? HolidayCheck is happy to share some ideas that'll have you rummaging for your passport.

Icebreaker cruises – These are not just a chance for shy people to get to know one another. A nautical adventure par excellence awaits those intrepid souls (fool)hardy enough to brave the northern seas. Icebreakers cruise the partially frozen waters of the Baltic, for example, and those on board are occasionally offered the chance to take an icy plunge in the ship's wake. HolidayCheck user Simone reckons this is, 'an absolutely unique experience'.

Tornado chasing – Every year the American Midwest is ravaged by marauding twisters that tear through houses as if they were made of matchsticks. Despite the very real misery that these storms cause, a niche travel industry has mushroomed around the phenomena. People track and chase the swirling pillars of destruction, getting as close as they can for that ultimate thrill.

Race into space – Steven Hawking is up for this and operators are already running commercial flights to the edge of space - 60 miles above the planet's surface! At the very edge of the Earth's atmosphere these select group of interstellar tourists can experience the kind of weightlessness that their wallets experienced after they paid for the ride.

Surf a volcano - What a paLAVA! Nicaragua's most recently formed volcano, Cerro Negro, offers those whose middle name is 'Danger' (and anyone else who's up for it) a chance to ski down ashen slopes. Talk about off-piste!

Trail of danger – The Chinese mountain Hua Shan is criss-crossed by many trails. The one that leads to the summit is carved into a virtually sheer rock-face. Thousands of brave walkers make the climb each year.

Devils Swimming Pool – The Victoria Falls offers a spine-tingling confluence of splendour and risk for the dare-devil visitor. The Zambezi plunges 400 foot down a rocky gorge, sending clouds of mist into the African sky. That's why the locals call the place Mosa-oa-Tunya ('the smoke that thunders'). Close to the edge of the falls there is actually a well known natural basin perfect for bathing. Check for crocodiles first.

Wreck diving – The pressure's on. Hardly surprising if you're 12,000 foot below the waves off Newfoundland looking at the wrecked hull of the Titanic. The macabre opportunity to survey the ruined hull of the White Star Line's luckless vessel is now being touted by specialist tour operators.

Read more www.holidaycheck.co.uk - your first stop when planning your holiday! Read reviews from other travellers, look at holiday snaps and videos or chat to others at the forum.

Themed Hotels: An overnight stay the adventurous way!

Who wouldn't want to book a hotel bed in a hot air balloon or a bouncy castle? Even if those options don't exist yet, anyone itching to try out something more adventurous than a common or garden hostelry is well accommodated in one of a new breed of themed hotels. HolidayCheck, one of Europe's major hotel review platforms, is happy to present eight distinguished establishments:

Crane Hotel (Holland)

Hafenkran Hotel in Harlingen, Holland hoists the holiday expectations of its guests to surprising heights. The driver's cabin in this decommissioned crane is operational, allowing the guest to determine precisely his or her own ideal sea-view. HolidayCheck user Chris enthuses, 'Perfect. Aesthetically pleasing design with fine attention to detail. You can set everything yourself (lighting
and air conditioning etc) via a console by the bed. It's really special.'

Cave Hotel (Tunisia)

Discover your inner Neanderthal at Hotel Marhala! This antidote to high-rise ostentation is located in caves below ground. 'Those looking for an authentic adventure (in the positive sense) are well catered for here,' reports HolidayCheck user Frank-Michael

Jail Hotel (Switzerland)

Experience adventures, thrills and excitement all at once when you sleep 'behind bars' at the converted prison hotel 'Löwengraben' in Luzern. The place has been a hotel since 1998. Stripy jim-jams compliment the jailbird look. 'If you're looking for a reasonably priced room in central Luzern, coupled with a novel hotel experience, this is a good place to try', according to HolidayCheck user Mark.

Plane Hotel (Sweden)

Everyone knows you can't get a decent night's sleep on an aeroplane. Things are different at the Jumbo Hotel in Stockholm. This old Boeing 747-200 is roomy and comfortable and guests can even indulge their flights of fancy in the cockpit suite.

Tree House Hotel (Germany)

Pining for your childhood roots? Book in at the tree house Hotel Solling and see how the hotel sector is branching out to cover every possible novelty niche. This place is not only a great choice for kids, it's also a treat for budding adventurers of all ages. Nobody leaves here without a smile on their face!

Igloo Hotel (Switzerland)

Live like an Eskimo in Trübsee Igloo Village in Engelberg. Guests can even build their own igloos. HolidayChecker user Daniela enthuses: 'Everything here, from the chairs to the beds, is made of ice - right down to the tiniest details! It's brilliantly done.'

Underwater Hotel (USA)

In the spirit of Jules Verne's '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea', the Jules Undersea Lodge is built on the seabed 40 feet below the surface. Big windows give guests the chance to appreciate the submarine panorama to the full. There is no direct access to the world above so you have to check in and out with the assistance of a diving suit. Similar hotels are planned for Fiji and Dubai.

If these are a bit too exciting for you, never mind. Just head on over to www.holidaycheck.co.uk to look at and book thousands of hotels worldwide.

10 Disgusting Foods from around the World

What? You thought my disgusting everyday foods post was nasty? But that was just a warmup for the main showing! Here's a delectable selection foods people wouldn't blink twice at when served in their native country, but probably make most of us want to return our lunch.

Drunken Shrimp (China)

A bowl of live shrimp swimming in strong alcohol (baijiu), which is supposed to stun them and thus make consumption slightly easier!

Chicken Cartilage (Japan)

Otherwise known as Nankotsu, this dish is common in Japanese drinking establishments. Apparently it's not bad – just rather hard and chewy!

Pig Testicles (Mexico)

Also known as Prairie Oysters or Criadillas, this falls under the category of 'Surprisingly good if you have no idea what it is.'

Scrambled eggs with pigs blood (Hungary)

A speciality in Hungary, where the first pig slaughter of the season is a big deal. After chasing the unfortunate swine down, someone slits its throat and collects the blood in a pan. Added to this appetitising dish is...plain old scrambled eggs! Apparently has a brain-like appearance, but the taste is not bad at all!

Ants eggs (Belize, South America)

Otherwise known as 'Ghetto Caviar', this is quite popular in Belize. To get yourself a taste, all you have to do is find yourself a suitable ants nest, dig it up and then dig into the eggs. I'm told the taste is akin to citrusy alcohol. From personal experience involving an improperly sealed bottle of Campari, I can certainly believe in the citrus flavour.

Baby Mouse Wine (China)

Unfortunately, it really is just what it sounds like – a bottle of rice wine with the added bonus of several baby mice floating around in it. Deeelicious.

Spider on a stick (Cambodia)

Certainly one of the world's more unusual fast foods (and one I would not get within 100 metres of), but popular in many areas of Cambodia. Apparently this practice gained popularity during the Khymer Rouge days when food was scarce...and the taste just grew on the locals! In some places, hundreds of these tasty 8-legged treats are cooked and eaten every day!

Cynar (Italy)

Probably good if you're feeling stopped up, but not much else I would imagine. This Italian digestiv is made from artichokes! While Wikipedia informs me it can be drunk with cola, lemonade, tonic water or soda water, I'm more convinced from the personal reviews, which indicate that the taste is more akin to overcooked, burning artichokes.

Beer Jelly (USA)

Popular at student parties, this rather unappetising (possibly) dessert item is basically beer, gelatine and maybe a few cheese pops for that je ne sais quoi! (Literally...)

Baalut (Phillipines)

Finishing up with a really delicious one: take a fertilised duck egg, bury it in the ground, leave for a few weeks, then dig up and enjoy!

Apologies, by the way, for including fewer pictures with this entry, but I really didn't have the heart to look most of them up and you guys will probably thank me for it anyway!

Looking to book a holiday, find out more about a hotel, maybe get some travel ideas or just chat to fellow travellers? Well click your way over to holidaycheck.co.uk for all that and much more. Remember, anyone who submits 1 hotel review with four holiday snaps before the end of September has a chance to win a great little Travel Translator. Handy for all those lost in translation moment, or simply just showing off to your friends!

The Top Gay Holiday Destinations of 2009

What are the hottest destinations for gay travellers in 2009? HolidayCheck's users have been pretty much everywhere and have given a lot of feedback on the best gay-friendly places to check out. That's how we can be sure of offering 5 unbeatable tips.

Gran Canaria – The Gran Canarias gay scene is concentrated in the southern part of the island, especially around Maspalomas and Playa del Ingles. The nightlife is frenetic and can be found around the Yumbo Center in Playa del Ingles. There are loads of bustling bars here, around 40 of which cater to a predominantly gay crowd. The Yumbo Centre is a typical shopping centre during the day, but at night it's probably the biggest gay scene in all Europe. The Playa del Ingles nudist beach is a popular place for gays and lesbians to hang out.

Mykonos - This style-conscious gay paradise is also popular with artists and the fashionista set. This combination gives the island a special quality that's just hard to beat. The island is very small and 90% of the action is concentrated in Mykonos town. Gay beaches to explore are the Super Paradise Beach and the Elias Beach.

Barcelona - Barcelona is a cosmopolitan and open city. It's also a favoured gay destination. There's plenty on offer culturally too and although there is no specifically gay area there are a lot of gay bars in the 'Eixamle' district as well as gay shops, discos and pubs too.

Maledives - Even if some are generally intolerant of the scene,the island is nevertheless a popular place to visit amongst the community. Some hotels in Ari Atoll (Hotel Diva Maledives for example) and Baa Atoll (Hotel Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu for example) are more than happy to welcome gay holidaymakers.

Ibiza - There's scarce a resort in Europe that caters for gay holidaymakers to the extent that Ibiza does . The locals are a tolerant and easy going bunch and are happy to welcome a broad mix of visitors to the island. The gay scene is concentrated in Eivissa old town. As far as the beach is concerned, the southern end of Platja d’es Cavallet is a popular meeting point.

For more fun facts, reports and travel information, head on over to HolidayCheck and check out our recent press releases...before moving on to our hotel reviews, photos and videos, naturally.

10 Disgusting Everyday Foods

What makes it ok to eat one thing, but not another? Who knows? But considering how squeamish most Westerners are in comparison to other nationalities, it's amazing how this list of rather nasty foods get so regularly onto our plates and into our shopping baskets!

Stilton – Everybody loves cheese, but less so cheese with mould injected into it. I'm not sure who came up with the idea of injecting penicillium roqueforti into Stilton before leaving it to mature, but it's sure proved a popular, if disgusting, idea.

Haggis – Want to gross out your friends? Take the heart, stomach and lungs of a sheep,

mix in some other lovely ingredients and boil the whole thing in the stomach of the aforeme

ntioned sheep for a few hours. Then tuck in!

Spam – Heavily processed pork shoulder, or something more suspicious? Neither seem terribly nice, but over 6 billion cans of SPAM have been sold to date! While the original name comes from 'SPiced hAM', many other ideas have been ventured: 'Something Posing As Meat' being a favourite.

Bovril – How appetising does the following sound: a thick, salty meat paste that can be made into a hot drink, a base for soups of simply spread on bread as a delicious topping! What? You'd rather have jam? Well, suit yourselves...

Black Pudding – A staple of the traditional English breakfast, black pudding owes its colour to...wait for it...blood!

Oysters – Whoever managed to turn a raw crustaceon into not only a gourmet treat but an alleged aphrodesiac should get a medal.

Gelatine – Made from collagen in animals' skin and bones – deeeelicious! Particularly disgu

sting considering we use it mostly commonly in desserts. Although I've heard chefs have had a good go at making bacon and egg ice cream, so I suppose a bit of cow extract in your pudding isn't so crazy.

Liver and onions – Although some swear by it, the idea of eating liver – as one person puts it 'a giant blood clot' – turns my stomach. Normally served with something along the lines of mash and fried onions, steel yourself before diving in...

Deep fried Mars bar – For many people, this is the epitome of delicious rather than disgusting. A Mars bar (for those who don't know, this is a milk chocolate bar with a caramel and fluffy marshmallow-like filling) is coated in batter, then deep fried for ten minutes.

Caviar – Another one scoring high on the entrepreneurial scale. I can't imagine who first came up with the idea of eating fish eggs, but whoever did it (perhaps on a bet) hit the jackpot! I suppose there's something to be said for taking risks afterall.

Tune in next week, when I'll be dishing up some of the most bizarre and unappetising dishes worldwide! I just thought I'd start on this note to remind us we eat some very weird things right in our own back yard (figuratively, not literally).

Have a nice weekend everyone!

Five Great Coffee Houses in Amsterdam

A wonderful city with a great vibe, my memories of Amsterdam are some of my best. While I admit the city has a well-developed seedy side, I felt it was a friendly place and absolutely loved the system of canals. Part of our stay including watching the annual Gay Pride parade. I think my brother and father were less convinced, but I thought it was fantastic and the atmosphere was incredibly laid-back.

In that spirit, I'd like to share the fruits of my research - five of the very best coffee houses in Amsterdam. As some of you may know, coffee houses recently had to choose between serving marijuana and alcohol. The majority of them settled on marijuana, so don't hold high hopes of being able to get alcoholic drinks at these places BUT if you do fancy a bite of a space cake, a legal toke or just a great cup of joe and some fantastic people-watching, these are the places to go...

Abraxis

Hidden in a tiny alley near the Dam Square, this coffee house has three gorgeous wood-pannelled floors to hang out in. If you head up to the top small, you will find it decorated with live marijuana plants, which can be a thrill to newcomers. The ambiance is lovely and the view from the top is wonderful. If you're not afraid of heights, skip up to the top floor and look down through the glass partition all the way down to the ground floor!

Barney' Breakfast Bar

This is one is great for early risers, since it opens earlier than most coffee houses and also serves (as one would assume from the name) fantastic breakfasts. Also, since they're up near the train station, Barney's is a good place to go when you first hit town and nothing else has opened yet.

La Canna

A large, impressive coffee house boasting three floors, a billiards room, restaurant and even rooms to rent! The service is particularly good and this is a great place for people watching: just find yourself a seat by the second-floor windows for a great view out over the busy streets.

Popeye's

Famous not for its food nor its ambiance, but rather for its owner, Popeye's is something different! Popeye himself is the owner – a jovial, chatty guy who loves nothing better than chatting with his customers, hanging around and greeting and welcoming everybody. Great if you're feeling a little disillusioned!

Rokerij

Part of a small chain with four locations in the city. The original location is probably the best, boasting great service, wonderful food and drinks and a classy, indian-themed atmosphere. Just pay attention when looking for it, or you might miss it!

For more tips, tricks, hotels reviews, pictures and videos, take a look at holidaycheck.co.uk - never had any nasty surprises awaiting you at your destination again!