Travel

SPONSORED Canada is rightly known for its incredible landscapes and wildlife - but its cities are just as epic and packed with brilliant attractions. Visitors can walk around the edge of the CN Tower's observation deck hundreds of feet up in Toronto, do yoga in front of the Hogwarts-style Parliament building in Ottawa and stay in a hotel made of ice in Quebec City.

Nurse Tim Sheppard booked a week's trip to the Aquis Sandy Beach Resort in Corfu for the half term holiday with his partner Hayley Palk (inset, with Tim), and his two children Eloise, seven, and Amber, five. He described the resort as the hotel from hell - with most of the nine bars and restaurants closed. The family claim that their trip featured mouldy sun beds (bottom right); green slime in the swimming pool; broken drains; a litter strewn beach (top right and bottom left); rubbish stacked in corridors; a cracked and splintered entertainment stage; and dirty water at the buffet. Mr Sheppard, from Exeter, has revealed horror pictures of his £2,200 trip - booked through Thomas Cook.

Aviation expert Alex Macheras,19,pictured, travels the world on inaugural flights. Enjoying cockpit views, empty cabins and champagne-filled VIP parties while testing these new jets, the Londoner reveals the perks of the job to MailOnline Travel. This year he has flown on short haul deliveries to Helsinki, the Swiss Alps and Frankfurt on Europe's first A320neo but more often than not can be found on long haul flights to Thailand and Uganda among other destinations, trialling the Airbus A350.

Cory Richards, a 35-year-old Montana-based National Geographic photographer, speaks to MailOnline about his brave expeditions to Mount Everest (main images) and beyond - of which he said: 'When an avalanche swallowed me on Pakistan's Gashermbrum II mountain, I was sure I wasn't coming out alive.'

According to the filmmaker visibility was so poor at the London airport that some planes were actually forced to circle before landing or divert to another airport. The video has been viewed over 25,000 times online, with many impressed by the filming and the skill of the pilots. According to Plane Clever, by Christopher Bartlett, modern airliners can ‘land virtually automatically in fog’, but the air traffic controllers will space the aircraft out more as they land and depart.

Havana is exactly how you imagine it: blazing heat, vintage cars, good cigars and wonderful music. In many ways it is hard to put your finger on what makes this beautiful, crumbling, historic and vibrant city just as special as it is. But MailOnline Travel discovered there's a lot more to this beautiful Cuban city when we travelled to the Caribbean island for the 11th Havana Club Cocktail Grand Prix (inset).

The Siena International Photo Awards, held at the Teatro dei Rozzi on Sunday, revealed winners across 11 categories in total. Pictured main is Mount Etna erupting in Italy, winner of the Nature category, bottom left a killer whale drawn to a fishing boat in Tromsø, Norway, winner of the Wildlife category and bottom right a skier leaps from a 32-foot cliff, also shot in Tromso, Norway, which won the Sport category.

Photographers have submitted their best examples of photos taken either just before sunrise or just after sunset - known collectively as Golden Hour - in locations from Dubai (main), to Australia (top left) and India (top right).

Conceived by Janine Hung, a graduate architect based in the Philippines, the floating lodges (pictured) boast kitchen and bathroom-equipped living quarters and gardens in their underbelly that can raise fish and grow vegetables. Beneath the surface, the solar-powered structure has 'tentacles' (inset) which capture and collect rubbish, and filter polluted water - either storing it for human use or returning it to its source clean.

Amy Evans, pictured centre, a 21-year-old McDonald's worker from Aberdeen, Scotland, believes she got ill as a result of her room in Ayia Napa, Cyprus - pictured - which she says was covered in 'mould, blood and vomit'. The Club 18-30 trip was booked through Thomas Cook, along with insurance, but Ms Evans claims that according to the travel company, she wasn't covered because she failed to disclose her asthma in her insurance application. The travel company has now reversed its decision and confirmed to MailOnline that it would be covering her medical expenses after all.

A futuristic-looking plaza will be transforming the Florida waterfront from 2018 and to reach it, you have to walk into the sea. But fortunately, you won't get wet as the whole complex will be set on a floating base that's inspired by the technology used on submarines. Currie Park (main) will occupy a 19-hectare vacant area off the coast of Lake Worth Lagoon in West Palm Beach. As well as featuring restaurants (right inset) and shopping areas (left inset), the huge complex will also have events at the auditorium and a circular pool that overlooks the sea.

Want a journey that really is more interesting than the destination? Then you might want to fly to one of these bizarre airports. In the North Pole there's an airstrip built on floating ice and in South Africa a runway with a 2,000ft drop at the end (inset). And if movie star John Travolta invites you to his Florida property, you've got the option of taking a private jet right to his front door (bottom left). Other unique airports revealed by MailOnline Travel include an airstrip built 2,221ft above sea level in a mountainous region of China (top left), a desert airport built once a year for the Burning Man Festival (top right) and a runway built entirely on ice in Canada (bottom right).

Michael Hughes, who grew up in London, has been touring the world and taking these whimsical photos since 1999, photographing souvenir objects in front of their real-life counterparts. Pictured clockwise from top left: The Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy; the Houses of Parliament in London; The Eiffel Tower in Paris; the Statue of Liberty in New York; and (inset) the ancient pyramids in Cairo, Egypt.

The map of the world is one of the most familiar illustrations there is. But it looks very different here – because it’s been resized according to where people like going on holiday. The result is that Russia looks peculiarly shrivelled, along with Africa and South America. America, too, does not look quite so mammoth. However, Mexico, Cuba, Portugal, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Turkey and Thailand all look strikingly bloated.

Foxtons founder Jon Hunt owns Wilderness Reserve, a 5,000-acre estate in rural Suffolk. Among lawns, wetlands and forest are manor houses, cottages and farmhouses available as holiday lets. Just an hour from London, it has become a hit with stars like Daisy Lowe and Alexa Chung (top left), who stayed in Sibton Park (main picture) for her last birthday. There are also a series of smaller properties including the quaint one-bedroom Hex cottage (top and bottom right). This beautiful thatched forester's cottage is where MailOnline Travel booked into. There is no electricity, but that just adds to the charm of this cosy bolthole.

One of the best things about Maho Beach, for many, on the Caribbean island of St Maarten-St Martin was seeing KLM’s 747s roar overhead to the airport nearby. But the last ever hair-raising landing by a jumbo belonging to the carrier was made on Friday. Many aviation fans took to Twitter to mourn the end of the era. User Maliniak said: 'Maho Beach without [the] KLM 747 will never be the same.' Kazi Ahmed ‏wrote: 'Avgeek or not the magnificent KLM 747 at St Maarten airport was a sight to see. Sad it has been retired.' Maho Beach is one of the world’s best plane-spotting locations, with thousands of brave holidaymakers flocking there every day to stand directly under the flight path as passenger jets buzz overhead.

A breathtaking new book by National Geographic showcases stunning photographs highlighting 50 of the Earth's most pristine, scenic places, including the breathtaking Skellig Islands off the coast of Ireland (main), Canyonlands National Park in Utah (bottom left) and a volcanic crater lake in Iceland (bottom right). MailOnline Travel has assembled a selection of some of the most striking landscapes featured in the book named, appropriately, Wild Beautiful Places.

An American dad's actions have gone viral after he was spotted handing out sweets to fellow passengers on a plane so his three-year-old wouldn't go without the trick-or-treating experience on Halloween. He encouraged the fliers - if willing - to hand the treats he gave them to his little girl when she went around the airplane on the traditional all Hallows walkabout on the Boston to San Francisco flight.

The saying goes that 'a boat is a hole in the water in which you pour money' and many boat owners frequently bemoan the lack of use their vessel gets. However the increase in peer-to-peer online marketplaces over the past three years has seen recreational boaters matched with boat-owners, chartering companies and captains. In short it's just like house-sharing website Airbnb - but for boats. Owners see their ships get the love and use they deserve while renters get to try out new sailing experiences, from submarines to superyachts. MailOnline Travel has rounded up six of the top companies that can match you with just the boat you need for your trip away. Top left is a superyacht from The World Is Not Enough, top right is the brand new Hanse 505, available in 2017, bottom right the schooner that featured in The Rum Diary starring Johnny Depp, bottom left is a high-tech luxury offering from Sail and inset is a yellow submarine in Liverpool you can stay in for just £62 per day.

Adorned with gold leaf and intricate embellishments, the pagodas peppering Asia are wonders to behold. From the 14th Century Gyeongbokgung Palace in South Korea, to the Shwedagon Paya Pagoda in Myanmar - decked out with almost 5,000 diamonds - all of the temples have a common theme: peace and tranquility. Along with the bold design, the pagodas are also impressive for their sheer size. Top right is the pagoda at Meidai Lamasery Inner in Mongolia, bottom right Chureito Pagoda Fujiyoshida in Japan, bottom left Thambuddhei Paya Pagoda in Myanmar, top left Shwedagon Paya Pagoda in Myanmar and centre is Gyeongbokgung Palace in Korea.

Christopher Horsley, 24, from Lancashire, shot his camping trip to Marum, an active lava lake of Ambrym, Vanuatu with expedition founder, Geoff Mackley and fellow climbers Nik Halik and Kevin Keator. The intrepid traveller acted as both a photographer and expedition guide for the trip. After camping for the night on the crater floor (main), the team (inset top left and bottom left) descended into Marum and using a drone captured the roaring lava lake.

Crusoe the dachsund is one of the internet's most famous pooches with an Instagram following of 258,000 and over a million likes on his Facebook page. After a spot of surgery for a bad back over the summer, the photogenic canine is back on all four paws and his owners have shared a series of snaps showing his recent vacation to Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. He was pictured enjoying a tea at Lake Louise (top left), hiking at Peyto lake (top right) and enjoying a pampering session (bottom left and inset). Despite being an internet star, the sausage dog carried his own backpack (bottom right).

With shadowy lighting, clunky noises and long corridor-like platforms, it's easy to feel a little uneasy when waiting for a train at the station after dark. And it appears dozens of travellers have had spooky experiences around the rail tracks, with reports of spine-chilling apparitions patrolling lines. From a screaming woman at King's Cross, London, to a growling dog in Moulsecoomb, Sussex, here's a round-up of some of the most haunted train stations across the country...

Prices are generally lowest pre-Christmas and in January says Daily Mail's Peter Hardy, while half-term (February 11 for many schools in England and Wales) is the most expensive. Easter weeks (April 8 and 15) are both busy and costly, but there is still plenty of availability. If you're booking now, look for deals in resorts including El Tarter, Andorra (top left); Kronplatz, Italy (top right); Plan Peisey, France (bottom right); and Mayrhofen, Austria (bottom left).