Ciao UK Blog

Enjoy the last weekend of summer with Ciao!

The bank holiday weekend is set to be a bright and sunny and if you’re still deciding how to enjoy the last few days of summer we’ve come up with a few ideas to help give you a kick start!

1. Barbecues: With the barbecue season drawing to a close, there’s no better time to pick up a bargain online. Whether you’re looking for something small and simple, or something more extensive, there a great range available to suit all types of occasion. Don’t forget to take a look at our users' hints and tips to help perfect your cooking skills too!

2. Gardening: This could be your last chance to give your garden some attention before the weather turns cold. So if you’re feeling a little green fingered make sure you take a look at our gardening tools. But if you’re a novice when it comes to planting and digging, don’t panic! There’s plenty of advice available on the Ciao community pages to give you a helping hand

3. Outdoor pursuits: If you’re more of the sporty type and fancy  doing a bit of exploring in the sunshine, you may want to check out the different mountain bikes, roller blades, scooters, walking boots and camping equipment on Ciao. With tried and tested user reviews, you can ensure you make the right choice for you

4. Weekend breaks: For those of you wanting to make a last minute getaway, there are lots destinations to choose from and if you’re on a tight budget there are still a whole host of savings to be made online too

If you want to share your weekend plans with the Ciao community or have any advice for how to make the most of the bank holiday sunshine, please let us know what you’re up to - we’d love to hear from you!

Top 10 Universities in the UK

It’s semester break, but the summer has nearly passed and the new term at universities is about to start. There are thousands of students in the UK and also many young people who just finished school and don’t know which university course to choose yet. But it’s not only about finding your study course - also the choice of a university is crucial!

Our community members and Ciao resent you a rating with the 10 best universities so you have a better idea of where you are going or where you would like to go.

1.       Cambridge University

2.       Leeds University

3.       Nottingham University

4.       Sheffield University

5.       Open University Milton Keynes

6.       Warwick University

7.       Birmingham University

8.       Lancaster University

9.       Oxford University

10.   Durham University

Where would you like to study? Head over to ciao.co.uk, read reviews from other users on university courses, universities and scholarships or write your own comment.

We’re looking forward to your opinions and wish you a good start!

Notting Hill Carnival-a Caribbean experience in the heart of London

Every year thousands of people meet over the August bank holiday weekend to celebrate what is one of the most popular street events in Europe. On a tree mile route, Notting Hill Carnival offers guarantee fun for everyone, ranging from steel bands, food stalls and an amazing array of music and rhythms.

So what better option if you have no other plans for the long weekend? Ciao has a great range of hotels across London and for this occasion convenient and affordable bed and breakfast in Paddington and Notting Hill so you won’t miss a thing.

Don't miss the opportunity to have an amazing weekend in one of the most entertaining activities in the UK, a great and unforgettable event for all.

If you have been to Notthing Hill Carnival already and want to share your experience with other members head over to Ciao and write your own review!

New on Ciao: 5 new Buying Guides

Do you want to buy a new coffee machine, a printer, a digital camera, a flatscreen TV or a laptop? Maybe you’ve set your heart on the latest and greatest model – but with so many choices and different criteria out there, it’s hard to know where to start. Which are the features that really make a difference to the quality of the product and what will make it right for you?

To help solve these problems Ciao today launches a range of new Buying Guides to give you a comprehensive overview of all the essential buying criteria when you’re looking for any of these top new products:

1. Coffee machines
2. Digital cameras
3. Printers
4. Flat screen TVs
5. Laptops

The guides have been designed to help narrow down the huge choice of products to the ones that are going to work best for you. After that we suggest you refer to the Ciao community to find out what other members thought of the products they bought so you can make the best possible choice for you.

We’d love to get feedback on what you think of our new Buying Guides. Perhaps they’ve helped you make a tricky decision or perhaps there’s a particular product you would like to see included in the next editions? Or maybe you’ve got some ideas for how we can make them more useful to you in the future? If the answer’s yes, let us know – we’re looking forward to reading your review!

Research results: Mixed impact of recession on Europe

We wanted to know what impact the recession has had on shopping habits so we created a survey to find out.

The results show that in the 5 Ciao countries across Europe, there are major differences in the way people have reacted.

Across the board people are spending more time researching before making a purchase. In the UK, one in five will no longer make a purchase without extensive online research. In Germany, this figure rises to 27%. In France it is 13%, while in Spain and Italy one in ten people said that their research had increased.

Most affected overall by the credit crunch are Brits and the Italians. 82% and 86% respectively said that they felt the economy had affected them personally. The most resilient nation is France, where an impressive 63% said that they had yet to really feel the downturn. This is very much the exception: for most people, the priority is in saving money and using the internet to do so.

The good news for Brits is that we’re getting a better long-term view: 54% of people are making a conscious effort to save more money. In Germany, only 29% are focusing on savings, a figure that rises to 57% in Spain and 41% in France and 65% in Italy.

Here are some more facts we found interesting:

• The credit crunch is actually improving the nation’s health: one in three Brits is saving  money by cutting back on their smoking habits.
• The Germans are cocooning themselves away from the economic impact: one in ten Germans has prioritised home decoration as their top money spending activity (more than twice the number of any other European country).
• One in four Italians are spending their time volunteering instead of shopping.
• 36% in France said they are responding to the credit crunch by spending more time partying with their friends!

How do these facts measure up against your reaction to the financial situation in 2009?

Cocktail parties…A simple and stylish way to impress your friends!

The weekend is fast approaching and if you’re short of ideas for how to kick back and relax over the next couple days why not try something a little bit different and host a cocktail party?!

Cocktail parties are a great way to entertain and impress your friends and are pretty simple to organise too. And if you fancy whipping up something a little more exciting than a cosmopolitan for your guests, why not check out the Ciao website for a few recipe suggestions? We have a great range of cocktail books reviewed by our community to cater for types of occasion, and if you’re super speedy and find one you fancy, make sure you place your order today and with any luck your book will be with you in time for tomorrow!

For those of you with something to celebrate or if you just feel like going all out, why not check our cocktail making accessories too?  From shakers and mixers to cups and decorations we have all you need to help you party in style this weekend.

Don’t forget to let us know your favourite cocktail books and accessories too. By getting involved and adding your recommendations to the site you can become part of the Ciao community.

The Red City- an enchanted and mystical experience

Marrakech or Marrakesh, is the third largest city in Morocco with the busiest square in Africa. Full of traditional markets and food stalls, this North African city is probably one of the best destinations to visit all year round.

Ciao has the best reviews and opinions from the Ciao community itself. People like you who wanted to share their experience and best city spots to visit whilst visiting the fortified city.

If you are looking for a gastronomic experience, or searching around for hotels in the beautiful city of Marrakech and don’t know where to start, you have come to the right place. At Ciao you can find plenty of hotels to rest in at night whilst you explore Marrakech and all its main attractions. Read the reviews, compare the hotels by hotel class, prices and by the number of rooms available and we will get the best online prices that can be found online to suit your needs!

If you have been to Marrakech and want to share your experience with other members head over to Ciao and write your own review! Or simply leave us a comment. Enjoy Marrakech!

Favourite ice-creams for summertime

It's not always sunny in the UK but it's certainly been hot this year. It's also time for people to take a break and enjoy summer holidays.

Summertime is boomtime for ice cream and frozen lollies, so we thought it would be fun to share the Ciao community's favourites with you:

Ben & Jerry's Phish food
Wall's Vienetta
The Skinny Cow
Nestle Fab
Haagen-Dazs Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

You can leave a review on ciao.co.uk if you agree, or review your favourite if it's not listed.

Ready for a sport challenge?

Which sport do you prefer? Golfing, dancing, skiing or playing football? With Nintendo Wii everything is possible. If you like Nintendo’s sport games, you’ll love the new “Punch-out” game. This new boxing game for Nintendo Wii offers a long play fun and better graphics than its forerunner. Look at our video-review of the month and discover “Punch-out”:

Which is your favourite Wii game? Do you play lifestyle, strategy or party games? Leave us your comment or go over to Ciao to share your own review or video-review about your favourite game with other community members. Have fun playing!