Hilton Hotels ~ Paradise doesn’t worry about blackout dates

Hilton gives us a new perspective on the beach:

It’s like the aerial shots by photographer Vincent Laforet (go to Index > Perspectives > Aerials 2), minus the interesting people everywhere.  Not that people are a huge part of interesting images or anything.  I love the layering of the waves from the palm trees, through the [...]

If you had to choose between eye sight and islands

Here’s a special new ad from CareCredit (click to enlarge):

What makes this one interesting is that they’re not trying to equate LASIK with a tropical island, just telling you that you can have both good eye sight and a tropical vacation.  CareCredit offers financing for healthcare procedures that insurance doesn’t necessarily cover.  It is a [...]

Travel vocabulary ~ ‘la langosta blanca’ or ‘the white lobster’

Be careful if you’re in Bluefields in Nicaragua.  If you hear the locals chatting about "la langosta blanca," they’re not referring to the rare albino lobster pictured above.  They’re talking about the catch of the day: cocaine jettisoned from speed boats that are being chased by drug enforcement officers.  Read about it here at the [...]

Uncle Sam no longer Berkeley’s travel agent

Protesters in Berkeley are dressed in pink and taking on the Marines.  One poster that appeared on the street was photographed by Jim Castel.  He caught some of the anti-military mood in this very successful picture that probably won’t be used as a recruitment image by the military anytime soon:

This image pushes us back to [...]

Paradise Hotel 2 returns tomorrow ~ even after cast member commits suicide

Brace yourselves.  Paradise Hotel, one of the most ill-conceived irreality television shows of our time, returns on February 4th for a second round.  The show "brings a sexy new cast of singles to a secluded hotel for an adventure-filled experience to win a cash prize," according to E! Online Canada.
Pass.
Not to mention that one of [...]

LapDome? Get off your computer and enjoy your freaking vacation instead

Product ads with paradise settings come along every day. Often times, I’m left wondering if the image is a statement about where the product or service can take you or if the people doing the advertising are hoping that your purchasing the product or service will afford them the lifestyle they depict. The [...]

The world’s largest swimming pool ~ or half of it

Stories of the world’s largest swimming pool in Algarrobo, Chile have been floating around the Internet for months now, but the Daily Mail has published an article with several enlarged pictures that are worth a look.  To give you a preview of just how large it is, well, here’s a picture from Reuters:

This is literally [...]

Arizona ~ Daily Seizure from Repetitive Waterfalls

Arizona has been pushing this Seize the Day tourism waterfall ad:

This image is remarkably similar to ever other couple-traveling-and-visiting-a-waterfall ad.  Like this Hawaiian version.  Or there’s this shower ad that is missing the couple; presumably they’re in the shower instead.
This waterfall is quite beautiful, but this photo doesn’t really tell the story of Arizona [...]

Hawaiian Airlines charges ‘death fee’

There is nothing more certain in life than death, taxes, and airline fees.  And now Hawaiian Airlines is being criticized in an article by David Lazarus at the LA Times, which is worth a read for more details.  Apparently, after her traveling companion died, a woman was charged a fee of $75 to cancel each [...]

The year’s ten most horrific incidents in paradise

Here are the Rapidsea choices for the year’s ten most horrific incidents:
10. "Charge after bottle attack on stranger [over a cigarette]" Perth Now
9.  "Dolphins save surfer from becoming shark’s bait" MSNBC.com
8.  "Man shot by stray bullet near beach" Jerusalem Post and AP
7.  "Great white shark attack victim fights back - and wins" NZ Herald

6.  "Maine [...]

keep looking »