The Only 7 Star Hotel in the World Has Competition

The Burj Al Arab, shaped like a sail and towering above the ocean on it's man-made island, may be quaking on its sand foundation as there are many projects claiming to be equal to or better than the best and most hotel in the world currently in the process of construction.

Firstly, the Burj Al Arab has possibly been dealt a blow in terms of the most famous hotels in Dubai. The Atlantis the Palm Dubai just opened with the most expensive fireworks show ever in the world and sits at the head of the Palm Jumeirah Islands, the latest man-made island network off Dubai's coast which was a much more ambitious project than even the island that now supports the Burj Al Arab. However, it is not classified as a seven star hotel but a mere five stars. You wouldn't know it from it's extremely hyped opening ceremonies, though. Also, the Burj Al Arab soars to the title of world's tallest operating hotel, but the Rose Tower in the same city, once complete, should take over that title. Although, it may not reach the opulence of 7 stars.

There are several other projects set to seriously rival the Burj Al Arab, however.

• Royalties Castle in the Philippines
• Morgan Plaza in Beijing
• Laucala Island in Fiji
• Flower of the East in Kish, Iran
• Grand Chola in Chennai, India
• The Centaurus in the somewhat surprising location of Islamabad, Pakistan

Ever since the Burj Al Arab came to be known as the only 7 star hotel in the world and now (as it has competition in this category) one of the most famous hotels in Dubai, others in the world dreamed of creating something similar. Nobody has yet claimed to be an 8 star hotel project but can that be too far behind? When and if that comes to pass, it surely would have to be something special to authentically hold that title. Until then, we will just have to make do with 7 star hotels as the penultimate level for luxury.

Jeremiah Iverson is a world traveler and has made it his passion to find cheap accommodation for any budget. Search http://asianahotels.net/ to book the Burj Al Arab and cheap Dubai hotel deals at the best possible price available on the internet. You will get the best deal is asianahotels.net has over 900,000 hotel deals allowing you to get the best price. Is that enough for you?

Window Safety Checklist - Homeowners Must Read

Broken glass is definitely a health hazard, for anyone who is near it, when the glass is actually broken. After the glass is broken and is laying on the ground in pieces, people can still get hurt. Here's a basic window safety checklist for homeowners that everyone must read. It will provide you with some simple tips that could prevent a loved one from getting seriously injured in the future.

1. Contact your local building department or fire department, to get the basic requirements for using your window as a fire escape. Your windows can be used to jump out of, if there is a fire inside your home.

2. Make sure that young children avoid playing around windows. You should always teach your children, never to throw large objects or balls in the house.

3. You might think about installing a window ladder, if you live in a two-story home, which could be made of rope or chain. These latter's can be thrown out of the window, while latching onto the window sill, in case there's a fire. It would provide you with an alternative from jumping out of the window. Don't under estimate these fire ladders, they can be extremely difficult to climb down.

4. If you leave large sliding glass doors open on a regular basis and clean them spontaneously, others might not realize they're closed, because they're so clean. Simply put a piece of tape on the window to prevent other people from thinking there open. You would be surprised how many accidents happen, from clean windows.

5. Last but not least, one of the most important problems with windows. Think security, if you leave your windows open and leave the house, someone now as easy access. There are plenty of ways to make your windows secure, using locks that clamp on to the side of the window. This will allow you to leave the windows open about 4 inches, leaving you the desired ventilation and preventing burglars from entering your domain.

If a window is cracked, or broken it should be replaced as soon as possible. Try to avoid fixing broken glass your self if you don't have any experience. Plenty of people get hurt every year, simply underestimating how sharp broken glass can actually be.

Home Window Ideas

Greg Vandenberge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Looking for some new Home Improvement Ideas

Add Some Nature to Your Bathroom

It seems that jut about everyone has regular bathroom tile designs nowadays. Some people might have some patterned tiles, but for the most part, people just seem to have boring, mono-colored bathroom tile designs. If you are tired of these boring bathroom tile designs, consider replacing your bathroom tile designs with pebble tiles.

Pebble tiles are unique tiles that consist of actual pebbles that are attached to a flexible mesh backing. Because these tiles are made from actual pebbles, these tiles have a unique texture and color depth that regular tiles just do not have. Moreover, pebble tiles come in a variety of colors and can be cut into just about any shape or size you can imagine. This versatility will allow you to be able create hundreds of different bathroom designs.

Many people enjoy creating actual scenes with pebble tiles for their bathroom tile designs. For instance, one person might create an entire zoo scene, complete with giraffes, monkeys in trees, and even a kangaroo for a child's bathroom. Another person might create a beautiful ocean scene with rolling waves and bright sandy beaches for a guest room. Still another might create a beautiful rain forest scene with exotic flowers, trees, and plants. With pebble tiles, the possibilities are as endless as your imagination.

Because pebble tiles are made from pebbles found in nature, pebble bathroom tile designs usually cause a natural and peaceful feeling to the bathroom they are in. Thus, pebble bathroom designs are great for bathrooms where you like to take long luxurious baths in. Most people who have pebble tile bathrooms find taking baths surrounded by the natural scenery almost more relaxing than a day at the spa. It is certainly much cheaper than a day at a health spa.

For most people, the bathroom is the first place they go when they get out of bed in the morning and the last room they visit before the crawl into bed at night. For this reason, changing your boring bathroom tile to a peaceful and relaxing pebble design will bring more peace and tranquility throughout your day. What could be a better first sight in the morning than a beautiful natural scene? And what could be a better image to contemplate before you fall asleep?

Another plus to changing your bathroom designs to pebble tile designs is that pebble tile is much easier to clean than regular tile. This is because the grout in pebble tile forms a smooth surface with the pebble tile, leaving no space for muck and dust to collect like in regular bathroom tile. Instead of having to scrub and bleach between tiles, you will simply have to wipe off the smooth surface. This ease of cleaning will save you a lot of time and effort during your regular housekeeping duties. Just imagine what you could do and what you could accomplish with that extra spare time. The only question that remains is, "What are you waiting for?"

Kyle Tyler Helps you get creative! - Learn more about how you can easily decorate your bathroom with bathroom tile designs.

Visit Kyle's website at: http://www.PebbleTile.Info

Subfloor Damage From Poor Bathtub Installation - Read Bath Tub Fixture Manuals

You should never under estimate the amount of damage that water can do to your wood subfloor. Especially if this wood is underneath your bathtub. If the bathtub is not installed properly, you could find yourself replacing the wood underneath, within a short period of time. This repair is not uncommon and as more homeowners and handyman seemed to be doing projects like these, without the proper experience, it's becoming even more common.

I wish I had a solution to the problem, however, I don't. The best advice I could give anyone who is going to be involved in any home remodeling project, would be to get some books on what ever task you are about to undertake and read all of the information that you possibly can about the products you are going to be installing. This is extremely helpful for anyone who has never installed a bathtub or any bathtub fixtures.

If the product fails and was installed properly, the manufacturer should be responsible for the water damage. I have been reading the manufacturer's installation manuals for quite some time now and every once in a while, I find something that is of great value to me and I get to pass it on to my readers. That's what I'm doing right now.

Whether you want to remodel your bathroom to save money or you want to accomplish a task that you haven't done yet. I would recommend, taking the time to understand, exactly how the water flows off of and on to another section of the bath tub or shower on its way to the drain. Understanding the basics of bathroom remodeling can save you big money in the future.

Save yourself some money and make sure that you install your bathtubs properly. Taking a little time before you start to read the bath tub fixture manuals, can save you some money and grief in the future.

Find More Facts On Home Water Damage.

Greg Vandenberge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Check out These Amazing Home Damage Videos.

Bathroom Decorating Ideas - Spruce Up Your Dull Bathroom

The bathroom is one of the places where you can relax with pleasure or where you can have a quiet time for yourself alone or just simply pamper yourself. Naturally, decorating your bathroom to make it more comfy is one way to create a quick fix for your home. Here are a few, quick bathroom decorating ideas to create bathroom pleasures:

1.Simple hygiene to make your bathroom brighter and sparkle like new is to clean and sanitize clogged places and remove grime and stain. A simple application of disinfectant will instantly clear your bathroom of unpleasant stains and dirt stuck in between crevices under your toilet, tubs and sinks. Put decorative fragrant bathroom sanitizers.

2.Instant bathroom decorating ideas is usually composed of solutions which require no minimal effort or none at all. So, decorating is accessorizing. A little accessory will do. Like sleek and simple towel hangers, colorful soap dishes, water proof figurines and even framed pictures or paintings will create good vibes in your bathroom.

3.Create a clutter-free zone in your bathroom. Installing glass or wooden shelves to organize bathroom stuff is one of the highlight of great bathroom decorating ideas. The idea is to keep things simple and minimal in a small to regular cramped space. Large cabinets will only take up more space, constricting the already limited space you have. One way to add style to your shelves is to have a carved hardwood with ornate design. Aside from being attractive, the wood is durable so it will not rot if splashed with a little water.

4.The illusion of space is not really a hard trick to pull-off. Space usage and minimalist-thinking are the secrets of successful bathroom decorating ideas. The use of mirrors to reflect light positioned in a strategic way like opposite a window to create an illusion of having another window or opposite each other to make a small room much larger is a surefire trick to revitalize your dull bathroom.

5.Of course, the rainbow connection should always be remembered. A splash of color in your bathroom will instantly jazz up the small space of an otherwise insignificant part of the house. Put up a bright shower curtain and match it with your window curtains. Or to even go bolder, repaint your all the walls or just one wall with a solid color to create contrast or focus on a single part of the bathroom like the tub area.

These are just simple bathroom decorating ideas in which one can easily accomplish for an instant perk up for the bathroom. Bathroom moments will surely be more comfortable and relaxing as well as pleasing to the eye as well.

For more information on bathroom decorating ideas and bathroom lighting fixtures visit http://www.lightingbathroomfixtures.com for helpful insight.

Retaining Walls Suffer From Moisture Problems

Whether you're driving down the road or through a neighborhood and you notice a retaining wall that has large cracks in it, or is severely discolored, or one that has white calcium deposits from moisture covering the entire wall, you've got problems with moisture.

The retaining wall is designed to hold the dirt back, that's it's sole purpose. It's not going to hold any moisture back unless someone has installed a waterproofing membrane to separate the soil from the concrete block wall. If the soil isn't ever going to get wet, then you probably don't need to waterproof the retaining wall.

However that's normally not going to be the case. So we need to waterproof the interior of our retaining walls to eliminate future moisture problems that could eventually, deteriorate as moisture starts to accumulate, inside of our block wall for a longer periods of time.

If you don't know anything about waterproofing, I would suggest that you hire a waterproofing expert. Waterproofing looks easier than it actually is, and might be out of your scope of work.

I'm not going to suggest that you use waterproofing paints, because I haven't seen great results with these products. However, if you're not that concerned about your retaining wall and are looking for a cheaper way to apply any waterproofing materials, these paints might not be a bad idea. Sometimes, Something is better than nothing.

If you live in a relatively dry climate, it might not be necessary to waterproof your retaining walls. But if you live in a damp or moist area, especially an area where the ground is moist all year round or more than six months out of the year, I would suggest that you waterproof the back of your retaining walls.

If you're really interested in basement remodeling and repairs, you should click on this link House Basement Repair Ideas. Get some great home repair advice that can make a big difference on any of your home remodeling projects.

Dryer Vent In Basement Window.

Greg Vandenberge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

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What Ever Happened to My Favorite Little Boutique Resort?

We have all taken vacations and stayed at marvelous independently owned boutique resorts and bed and breakfasts. We marvel at their attention to detail, their value, their friendliness, and the hard work and long hours the owners put in to make us happy. Many of us have probably said because of a good experience, "I would love to open a bed and breakfast or small resort someday."

This year more than ever, small independent resorts and B & B's need your vacation dollars. Not only have they always had to compete against the large impersonal chain hotels and motels while having a fraction of their advertising and marketing budgets, but they have always had much higher operating expenses because of the great amenities they have for their guests compared to chains.

This is not the year to decide to cut back on vacationing at your favorite boutique resort or B & B as they may not be around next year.

We have all called to make reservations at a favorite place, only to sadly find out it went out of business and thought, "that was such a nice little resort, we have such wonderful memories there, I wonder why it went out of business." They went out of business because people stayed at chain hotels on their vacations.

Many people don't appreciate small businesses in America. It is like what happened with the "Wal-Marting" of America. Wal-Mart moved into small towns, people start shopping at them. All of a sudden their neighbors who owned small businesses went out of business. Downtowns declined, property values went down, Wal-Mart got rich and people said, "what happened to our town?" Every time they shopped at Wal-Mart, they were responsible for the decline in their own towns.

The same is true with small resorts. Everyone loves staying at them. But, this year, the year of the staycation may drive your favorite small resort out of business and you will have no one to blame but yourself. Small resorts need your help more than ever. They need for you to get relaxed and pampered at them. They need for you to forgo vacations overseas. Stay in the US and support fellow Americans with your vacation dollars.

And don't just go on weekends. Everyone wants to go to a boutique resort on a weekend. For instance nice small resorts turn away hundreds of guests wanting to stay with them on Valentine's Day because they are full. Go before Valentine's Day. Go midweek. Go off season on vacation. That is how you will help small resorts and B & B's.

This is the year to vacation at your favorite independent hotel. Vacation in the good old USA!

Tom Mulhall with his wife Mary Clare own The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa located in sunny Palm Springs, CA. Their resort site is http://palmsprings.com/hotels/clothingoptional/index.html Their resort blog is http://theterracottainn.blogspot.com

Terra Cotta is considered the most mainstream topless and nude sunbathing resort in America and is perfect for couples trying nude sunbathing for the first time. Los Angeles Magazine has picked them as one of their 4 favorite vacation resorts in sunny Palm Springs for couples.

Tom is a past president of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce and is involved with promoting small business in America.

How to Protect Foundation Plumbing Pipes?

If you install any underground plumbing pipes, in your concrete building foundation, you will need to protect them, from the concrete. You can use a variety of products and the most common of them will be a Styrofoam wrapping that can be purchased at most plumbing supply stores.

Let's start with the waste pipes, that are made out of plastic. The concrete could actually start to put pressure on the plastic pipes as the concrete starts to expand and this pressure could actually damage your new waste pipes.

You don't need to wrap all of the plastic waste pipes, only the parts of the waste pipes that will be exposed or in direct contact any concrete, but you do need to protect every copper water supply line that will be buried under the ground or exposed to the concrete, with a plastic sleeve. These products can be purchased again at most building supply or plumbing supply stores.

If these pipes aren't protected properly, you could find yourself within a short time, repairing the pipes that are either inside of your concrete foundation or buried underneath your concrete foundation. Either way, this isn't going to be a good thing.

You definitely need to wrap a plastic sleeve around the water supply pipes that are going to be buried or in direct contact with the concrete. This is a must and most building departments will require your plumbing pipes to be wrapped, before it they will sign off on your rough foundation plumbing inspection.

However, for the waste pipes, you can actually use cardboard to protect them. If you're short on funds, why not grab some cardboard boxes, dismantle them and start using cardboard to wrap the pipes, with a little duct tape.

There are plenty of ways to save money in the construction business, buy a few books, read a couple of articles, with a lot of pictures in this can provide you with lots of construction information, from experience building contractors.

Check out some of the best selling Home Building Plumbing Books all on one website

If you're really interested in basement remodeling and repairs, you should click on this link Home Repairs. Get some great home repair advice that can make a big difference on any of your home remodeling projects.

Greg Vandenberge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Thanks for reading our articles

Types of Countertops

When remodeling or building your home, you naturally want it to look as beautiful as possible. You put a lot of thought into every decision. The countertops are no different. You want to make sure you get a beautiful surface that can handle lots of use, and is somewhat affordable. Here are a few options.

Laminate is a popular choice because of its versatility and reasonable price. You can get it in a huge variety of colors, and even choose different finishes and patterns.

Stone, of course, is highly popular. Typically it is more expensive but it is well worth it because of its beauty. Granite is the most durable and the most popular. It looks beautiful and handles stress well. Marble is also used, but it is a softer stone than granite and damages more easily.

Some people use a form of wood for their countertops. It is known as butcher block. This can be beautiful, but keep in mind that wood is a soft material so it is easy to damage. It will also stain more easily if something spills and it will attract more germs.

You can create your own look for your kitchen by using ceramic tiles. These tiles do sometimes chip, but they are easily replaced. It may require a little more maintenance to keep the grout clean, but these can add a touch of personality to the home.

When it is time for you to buy your countertops, take the time to consider those mentioned above. Of course, these aren't the only types of countertops available, but they are some of the more popular. The best thing you can do is to learn what you can about them, price them, and make an informed decision.

Ideal Countertops (http://idealcountertops.com/) does countertops in Charlotte, NC. Billings Farnsworth is a freelance writer.

The Damage One Small Water Leak Can Do

What I'm about to explain to you, cost the homeowner about $1200 and it could have been fixed, with a two dollar rubber washer. When I say two dollars, it could have been even less than that, but we'll stick with two dollars.

The story you are about to listen to, deals with the renters, the owner of the rental house and the water damage repair contractor. The water damage repair contractor makes the money, the owner of the home, loses the money, and the renters, really don't care, because it's not their home anyway.

If you own property, and rent it out, I would like to advise you to, do a walk-through on your properties at least every two months. If this homeowner, would've seen the water heater damage, he could have simply went down to his local home improvement center, or plumbing supply Center and purchased a new water heater connection pipe or the rubber washer, that was leaking and repaired it.

Instead of checking up on the property, regularly, I don't really believe that the homeowner, ever went back to check on the property, once it was rented. I always feel sorry for these guys, I have to repair, all of the water damage, replace all of damaged materials, and the homeowner needs to fork out the money. The water leak ruined the water heater and it also needed to be replaced.

This is the damage that one small leak can do. I often hear people joking about it, and I even seen it on a television show one time, when the entire house collapsed and at the end of the show, the plumbing repair contractor, held up a $.15 rubber washer and told the homeowner's, that this was the problem and if they would've replaced it, their house would still be standing today.

I understand that this is the movies, but things like this really happen. So pay attention, inspect your homes on a regular basis and save yourself hundreds if not thousands of dollars in the future.

If you're really interested in basement remodeling and repairs, you should click on this link Home Repair Advice. Get some great home repair advice that can make a big difference on any of your home remodeling projects.

Click Here To Learn More About Water Heater Damage and Repairs

Greg Vandenberge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Thanks For Reading My Articles

Home Improvement - Saving on Your Energy Bills

As we all know with the changes in supply and our increased focus on environmental issues heating costs continue to rise every year. The Natural disasters which seem to occur more often and other world events inflate the prices of home heating expenses, for electric, gas and oil furnaces. However all is not doom and gloom as there are steps that you can take to lower your bills and save some money for other things or just to brace for the next rise in energy costs for your home.

Think about the tips below and see what you can do to lower your bills by conserving energy in your home.

Insulate Windows. Go though your house and check your windows. Make sure theyre well sealed. A good test is to do a smoke test. Turn off all fans and stand close to a window and produce some smoke perhaps with a match taking care not to burn yourself or anything! If theres a minute leak of interior home air to the outside the smoke will move in the direction toward the window. Kits can be bought at your local hardware or home improvement store for insulation.

Buy a Ceiling Fan. Because warm air rises youll want to get the warmer air down low by buying a ceiling fan. Reversible switches come on most all models and can be used in summer time too. The relative cost of the ceiling fan and its usage costs are quickly made up in savings.

Shut Doors. If a room is not being used then shut the door and leave it closed. This is really useful if youre not using the room for any length of time. Rooms that are used some of the time will have the door fanned and cold air will escape into the others rooms. Of course this will cause your boiler to work harder, and drive your heating costs up.

Close Curtains and Mini Blinds. If a wintry day is sunny or even if there is minimal sun, make sure you open them during the daylight hours but shut them as soon as it starts to go dark. The warmth from the suns rays will help warm the house and by closing the curtains you can keep it trapped for the night time. Re-open them when the sun comes up the following morning.

Weather Proof Doors and Seal Windows. Drafts arent necessary around doors if they have been weather stripped. Look around the bottoms of doors, and if air is streaming in then weather proof it. Check windows too because wear and the age of windows can let in cold air too. Caulk and seal windows, and if interior of seal is damaged replace it with the correct seal type.

Realign Doors. Doors just like windows can over time begin to sag from their original tight fitting position. Before winter sets in go around and really look at how your door closes. Adjust them for a good fitting.

Replace the Air Filter. You can eliminate unnecessary high cost bills by conserving energy by simply changing out a clogged air filter. Not only does the clogging cause your system to run slowly, but the danger is it can get into the motor and cause a fire, or just burn up the motor itself.

Close House Vents. In autumn and winter shut up the vents that allow circulation of air during the summer time. In the winter the goal is to keep all cold air out. Cold air under the floor boards infiltrates the house and drives up heating cost.

Check Roof Top Insulation. If its been a few years since you last checked out the insulation in your attic then go up and look around. Insulation should have enough air pockets to trap the cold air and push it back from the interior of the house. Old rotten insulation is usually brittle and flat. Replace the insulation with new and youll see evidence of your energy conservation in your heating costs.

By implementing just a few of these tips you will see start to see results. There is so much more that you can do too. Go online and read other different ways to conserve energy. Talk with your local energy provider to see if there are tips for your area that will help lower your bills, and drive down costs for everyone. In the end you wont regret that youve used the tips!

Paul Duxbury offers more advice at his Home Improvement site at http://home--improvement.blogspot.com

Building Stairs With Recycled Concrete

What a great idea using your old side walk or driveway to build a nice stairway for your front or back yard. Using the old concrete instead of sending it to the landfill. Wow talk about earth friendly. Who would have thought that using recycled concrete would create a beautiful center piece in your landscaping plans.

That's enough about that lets get to the nuts and bolts of building the stairs. I came across the idea by visiting one of our favorite breakfast stops in Fallbrook. I had been walking down these stairs for quite a while when it dawned on me that the stairs where kind of jagged. When I took a closer look I couldn't figure it out, What kind of building materials did they use.

Then I realized it was recycled concrete in other words someone's old side walk. They even used the old concrete to make some nice planter boxes and retaining walls. The whole area really looks nice. The landscaping created natural look with a old world look to it.

How do I build the stairs using recycled concrete? Simply put first thing you need to do is get some recycled concrete. If you are going to be tearing up a old sidewalk, driveway or patio then you won't have to look far.

If not you can contact some local general or demolition contractors. They would love to have someone haul away their concrete. The reason for this is they have to pay around five hundred dollars for every ten tons hauled away from the jobs they are working on.

The more recycled concrete you need the easier it will be to get it. If you need a lot you will be able to contact a concrete recycling plant and get the phone number to a local contractor that hauls broken up concrete to their plants. These people can drop off a large load if you have a large area to drop it.

Remember that most contractors don't want to be bothered because they are busy working or planning on working. The easier you can make it on the contractor the more likely you will get what you want from them. They usually aren't interested in doing extra work just to make you happy. You can get a lot by being courteous from most people.

Now that you have the concrete you can start building. The concrete will be stacked on top of the other concrete to form the steps. Depending on how long of a stairway you are building you will have to level the dirt and stack the recycled concrete to make the stairs.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

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