26 September 2019

This last few months have led me to embark (pardon the pun!) on a journey into learning more about Cruise holidays. Don’t get me wrong, this is a subject that I had very little interest in due to the usual misconceptions around this subject. How minds can be changed is incredible! Too formal they say, too stuffy, set mealtimes are no good for me, it will be too boring stuck on a ship. How little did I, and the anti-cruise masses know? My head has been turned, let’s review what I have found so far. So, we start with the launch of MSC Bellissima, a beautiful new ship. Just one night on board in Southampton and going nowhere. The beautiful promenade with the ever-changing LED panoramic roof, enticing you beyond the main dining room and on to the speciality restaurants. Fillet steak to die for, teppanyaki, sushi (yuck, not for me!), gelato and even a working chocolate factory. It’s not bad for a first foray into the world of cruise. Next, a day in Manchester for the Travel Counsellors cruise roadshow. We are shown how to compare a cruise holiday to a land-based holiday. It makes me question why do we fly to just one destination? We seek out a 5* hotel and stay there for a week or two. We spend our evenings searching out the best restaurants which turn out to be mediocre, as quite often does the service. Do we ever calculate the full costs of a land-based holiday? All the money spent on meals, drinks, etc and there’s pretty much no free entertainment. I’m starting to see cruise holidays in a whole new light. Then comes the launch of the ground (sea?) breaking Celebrity Edge. An invite is offered to spend 2 days seeking out all that this amazing modern luxury ship has to offer. This ship truly must be seen to be believed, it’s all just fabulous! Where to start? Eden, a wonderful space, 3 floors high, changes throughout the day, from the relaxing morning breakfast chill to the hedonistic entertainment and its now famous silent disco in the evenings. The 4 amazing restaurants where you can enjoy your evening meals on your select dining option. The tantalising array of seafood at Raw on 5 through to the champagne bar on the Magic Carpet, a floating deck which moves during the day to transform into a new and exciting venue dependent on which deck it is placed at. There’s the spectacular theatre shows, a chilled out cocktail bar where the barman demonstrates how to mix 8 different martinis in one swift move and pour them into a statue of glasses, all their colours and flavours brought to life. If your budget will allow, I can’t recommend The Retreat and its wonderful suites enough. Such a special place for relaxation, and sheer bliss at sea. My luxury outside stateroom was more than I could have imagined. Kelly Hoppen oozes design and decadence from every corner of this ship and this is not lost here. Even the public toilets on board are a work of art with swirling roses projected on to the wash basins. The infinity balcony was amazing. To enjoy the cooling sea breeze from my view of Southampton IKEA, just to imagine how it would be looking out on the Mediterranean Sea approaching the first of many amazing destinations on your itinerary. So, a short nod to Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, visited as part of the CLIA conference I attended in May. White gloved impeccable service, traditional staterooms, suites, great entertainment and heavenly food. Needless to say, after watching the ballroom dancing demo, I decide this ship is not for me. Then comes an invite to join the new Saga ship, Spirit of Discovery for a mini cruise to Bruges for 2 days. Mmm, Saga I hear you say, this one’s going to be a bit fuddy duddy and full of old people surely? All my images of a Saga holiday completely blown away by this beautifully created new ship. The ambience was lovely, the food and service impeccable. We had Fleur East choosing the tunes on the Lido deck and later in the nightclub too. A wonderful day by the pool, sipping cocktails, under brilliant sunshine and stunning blue skies over the port of Dover and you could imagine you were somewhere on The Med. It’s all in a day’s work and someone’s got to do it right? So many choices, shall we do a light lunch or afternoon tea instead? Of course, ended up doing both! You can’t walk past those delicious smoked salmon sandwiches and the cutest little scone with jam and cream, can you? I have to say I’m pretty sure I couldn’t do more than 7 nights on a cruise ship because of all the food and drinks on offer, the temptation is just too much to resist. Within the same week, we head over to Amsterdam to embark Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam. Different again, we learn how they are known for their fantastic live musical entertainment options, the fabulous destinations they sail to and how they just love to offer their exploration cruises. Just imagine sailing out of Amsterdam Harbour and on to the Norwegian Fjords seeking the Northern Lights and dream of a bucket list trip to Alaska. A tour of the ship reveals spacious luxurious cabins and suites, a lovely pool deck, a wine blending experience and finished with a delicious lunch in The Pinnacle Grill. When I look back on the words I have used in this blog, I see – amazing, fabulous, incredible, wonderful, fantastic, impeccable, beautiful – who would have thought that when I embarked on this journey I would feel so inspired by this subject I had so little understanding of. The purpose of Fam trips is to give us first-hand experience of what these ships have to offer. I now feel confident to offer my clients the right ship to suit their individual wants and needs. So, you may ask, which ship was my favourite? I think you can probably guess it was Celebrity Edge. There’s a small desk area on board called Future Cruises. You can simply look at the future itineraries and options including those for Celebrity’s new ship Apex, exactly the same as Edge but launching Spring 2020. It’s only a quote, I said, I may not book, I said, oh, a small deposit and I can make up my mind when I get home? OK sign me up, husband and a couple of our friends too. I’m happy to say we can’t wait to go on our very first cruise and the destination is Mexico, Key West and Grand Cayman. I’m sure we would never have picked these places for a land-based holiday, but we are so excited to be visiting them on Celebrity Apex, Wow!

03 May 2019

Have you ever wondered what it might feel like to be David Attenborough narrating those amazing scenes on the Frozen Planet series? Imagine travelling to the top or the bottom of this earth, to the North Pole in the Arctic circle or down to Antartica. Searching for Polar bears in the North and so many different types of Penguins in the South. Amazing trips of this kind can be discovered with Hurtigruten. Established in 1893 when the need for travel along the western coast of Norway, was, with many villages, only accessible by sea. There are now 12 ships within their fleet and they are no longer just working ships (although some still deliver post and cargo). With no more than 500 guests on board, the elegant yet comfortable cabins & suites offer superb design and Scandinavian style, creating the perfect setting to relax after a great day of exploration. There are engaging onboard activities; all ships have an expedition team who offer lectures on relative topics such as wildlife / sea life, climate change, sustainability, culture and destination specific themes. Then there’s the actual activities off the ship, this is where the fun really starts! Kayaking or hiking with the Expedition team, searching out the wildlife. Small boat cruising whale watching or dog sledding, snow shoeing, bird watching and sharing the history of this stunning environment. My favourite bucket list trip would be the Hurtigruten Classic voyage, a journey that takes you along the coast, through Norwegian fjords, over the Arctic Circle and hunting out the Northern lights. Visiting 34 ports in total from Bergen to Kirkenes. I have been to Bergen before on a business trip. With it’s colourful houses, hospitable locals & stunning scenery, I would love to go back. Little did I know I could have boarded one of these incredible ships to set sail over the Arctic circle and beyond. I have vivid memories of the salt fish Bacalao I had there. It has been one of the most popular fish dishes in Norway for many years. The dish is served in a casserole pot that consists of salt fish, stock, olives, tomatoes, onions and pepper, just delicious. However, the glass of white wine accompanying it comes in at £45 a bottle so beware the local prices. On a Hurtigruten voyage, everything is included, from Full Board, including drinks during meals, complimentary exploration jacket, the loan of boots & trekking sticks. No tips are expected. I've always associated Hurtigruten with the amazing wintery and cold destination voyages, with guaranteed Northern light skies and polar bear / penguin sightings. But don't be surprised to hear about what they offer from South America, crossing the Equator, you can take in the Incan wonders of Machu Picchu after discovering the astonishing native wildlife of the Galapagos Islands. Why Hurtigruten? You decide - North or South? With over 300 adventures to choose from on four different continents, you can be sure to find something that best suits you.

14 April 2019

The invitation and journey I was recently invited to enjoy an overnight stay on the newly launched MSC Bellissima. The theme of the weekend and naming ceremony was #BeautyAtSea and she didn’t fail to disappoint on that score. As I flew from Manchester into Southampton airport, I could see her from my window seat. Embarkation Check in and security completed, we boarded the ship and were welcomed by the beautiful Atrium with the most amazing sweeping Swarovski crystal staircases which led up to the next deck. Here we caught sight of the 80-metre-long LED dome screen creating an ever-changing atmosphere above the Mediterranean style indoor promenade of shops, restaurants, bars and chocolatiers. The Flavours Our lunch reservation wasn’t due for a couple of hours, but we were all feeling a little peckish. How amazing to find that each of the speciality restaurants had tastings available, what a treat. Into L’Atelier, the French inspired brasserie. Small plates enticed us in. Tiny portions of fillet steak with the creamiest mashed potato with Bearnaise sauce topping it off, all washed down with a perfectly chilled glass of Rose wine. Kaito Teppanaki was our next stop, a delicious bowl of egg fried rice with vegetables, competently chopped by chefs behind the teppanaki show kitchen hobs. On the opposite hob, fillet steak being griddled to perfection. A sushi bar is also available, but not my preference so I give this one a swerve. There are other speciality restaurants on offer – age matured steak at the Butcher’s Cut and a tapas bar HOLA! created by the 2 Michelin star chef Ramon Freixa, I’m sure are all wonderful but the above two are my favourite. Luxury at Sea The Yacht Club is an exclusive access area on the ship for guests that choose to pay to upgrade to this luxurious experience. It has a completely separate area on board and services on offer are a personal butler service, The Yacht Club Lounge, a private pool and separate restaurant area. Back on the amazing pool deck, it’s a pity the Southampton skies don’t match the lovely blue hues of the Horizon pool. But you can imagine yourself drifting off under the sunshine of the many fabulous destinations this beauty will be travelling to on her first season out of Southampton. There’s champagne everywhere you look, enjoying a complimentary glass as you peruse around the chocolatiers, watching the chefs tempering chocolate and building chocolate works of art within the working kitchen. The welcoming Champagne bar serves a refreshing glass of my favourite, Lanson Black Label as a pre-dinner treat. A Family Ship This is such a great family ship with lots of fun stuff for the whole family to enjoy. In the Arizona Aquapark there’s four action packed water slides, an Aquaplay area and an innovative Himalayan bridge where kids can attach themselves to a rope and cross the ship 80 metres above the water. There are kids and teen clubs, Junior Club LEGO and Chicco caters for the little ones when you need a bit of down time – all provided free of charge. The full-size basketball pitch transforms into a nightclub in the evening. The entertainment team get everyone up dancing in their glowing colourful outfits. Try your hand as Lewis Hamilton on the Formula 1 simulator and mount the podium as the winner! Just wow! This was the first night I have ever stayed on a cruise ship and now I am pretty sure it won’t be my last. Cruise is such an amazing value for money holiday. I am in awe of the quality of the food, service, entertainment and there is so much to do and see. The fact that I haven’t even considered the endless places to discover on her journey this year makes me smile. I had such a great time and we never even left Southampton! Please contact me if you would like to experience this beauty for yourself and I can tell you where she will be heading this Summer.

24 October 2018

Anyone who knows me knows that I love South Africa. I was introduced to this beautiful country 14 years ago by a very special friend who also introduced me to some amazing South African friends who now feel like family. Along with my closest family and friends, we have spent many years revisiting our favourite places in the Western Cape, around Cape Town, the Winelands and the Overberg but that needs to be a separate blog all of its own. So why I am writing this now? I attended an event organised by the South Africa Tourist Board last November. My friends and family wondered why I needed to learn any more about a place I had visited so many times. But, here’s a thing, it’s a really big country and I’ve only seen just a tiny part of it! At the end of a day of learning about so many other beautiful and interesting provinces, there was a quiz, with a prize of 10 days in South Africa - and I won! As a Travel Counsellor, it’s important for me to learn about a new destination and to immerse myself in to new experiences. These trips can help me to offer independent and honest advice about what to do and where to visit. The Secret The itinerary was kept a secret until our group meeting at Heathrow where each group was given an envelope with their destination details. My group of fellow travel agents headed to Kwa Zulu Natal (KZN), an Eastern province known for vast areas of natural beauty, the Battlefields, Durban on the Indian Ocean (this made a nice change as the Atlantic sea in Cape Town is freezing!), the Drakensberg mountain range and so much more. Getting there We flew to Johannesburg from London Heathrow Terminal 5 with British Airways then connected to Durban with South Africa Airlines. We travelled in June, which is winter in South Africa. After a brief stop in Durban we began our whirlwind tour of 9 different hotels, taking in a circular route of the whole province of KZN, led by an amazing Tour Guide who luckily did all the driving for us too. First stop, Fordoun, a beautiful hotel and spa where relaxing was the order of the day after our long journey, offering sumptuous food served in a beautiful setting. The sunrise was spectacular, we woke early to see a low mist over the valley and as each half hour moved on the mist slowly revealed the most stunning views. To begin our journey through this beautiful province, we first stopped to see the museum and amazing statue at Mandela’s capture site in Howick, the place where Mandela had been spotted under the guise of a taxi driver and captured for the start of his incarceration. Later in the trip we had the chance to visit the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, the Hector Pietersen Memorial Square and Nelson Mandela’s House in Vilakazi Street in Soweto. I now have a much better understanding of South Africa’s history and how things have changed within my lifetime. The Battlefields and The Drakensberg On to Spionkop Lodge and as we were heading inland towards the Drakensberg mountains, it suddenly became cold. It was a good job there were hot water bottles put into our beds that night. The South African winter is quite like a good UK summer, nice and hot during the day when the sun is up but becomes very cold in the evenings and early morning so best to layer up. From Spionkop, we took our first Battlefields tour which was informative and enlightening to the harsh conditions of the battle on the mountain and over the Tugela river. Spionkop is such a significant battle that three future government leaders were present, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi and Louis Botha. As a result, South Africa, and that battle, played a significant role in moulding the contemporary history of the world in the years to come, simply because of the way the battle influenced these three men. Next stop, Cathedral Peak Hotel, right in the heart of the Drakensberg mountains. What I noticed about KZN is that the scenery is stunning, lush green hills and little of groups of Rondavel houses dotting the landscape. It’s been a long time since I went horse riding, probably as a child, but these horses were so calm, just wanting to trek behind each other through the well-trodden mountain scenery and back home into the sunset. The following morning brought the excitement of quad biking and I would say this was one of my highlights of our stay here, I couldn’t stop smiling. Fugitives Drift was our next port of call and what an amazing place this is. Unfortunately, we had run out of time to do the tour of Ishalwanda (for next time), but the tour of Rorke’s Drift narrated by our host from the lodge was incredibly moving and you felt you were actually there for the battle between the British soldiers and the Zulu warriors. The Game Drives A long 4.5-hour journey brought us over to Hluwhluwe River Lodge, our base for the Game Drives in Hluwhluwe Imfolozi Park. A massive 96,000 hectares make up one big amazing game reserve with fantastic viewings of the Big 5 and many (unfortunately) endangered animals. We were so lucky to see many rhinos, giraffes, zebra and buffalos, and even spotted an anteater which is extremely rare. Then we were fascinated to turn a corner by the river to watch a herd of elephants ripping down trees who were eventually spooked by the arrival of two leopards. Hippos and Crocs The following day we headed to the coast and on to St Lucia, a lovely town set on the banks of the estuary. We enjoyed a picnic lunch whilst spotting whole families of hippos, yawning in the sun and submerging themselves out of sight. There were Nile crocodiles languishing on the banks of the river and a variety of wild water birds to be spotted. To our delight, we were then taken to a nearby traditional Zulu village. As it was Sunday, we were honoured to take part in a family service and some of us were lucky enough to take part in the dancing and singing which ensued, babies and children all joining in with the elders of the group. We started to complete our circular route of Kwa Zulu Natal, a long but comfortable journey down the coast with our fabulous tour guide Thoko Jili (our African Queen) and our amazing host Bonnie O’Garey from South African Tourism. This small group of, now good friends, chatted and sung our way to our next destination, The Fairmont Zimbali Resort in Umhlanga, near to Durban. Now for a taste of luxury! Such a shame we didn’t have time to make the most of the pools, outside leisure facilities and coastal walks, but there was an amazing free-standing bath in the middle of our room! Durban – I’ll be coming back! We only had a day in Durban but wow, we managed to fill that day full of fun! First of all, it had to be a trip to the beach to dip my toes into the Indian Ocean, and I can definitely say I can swim in this sea compared to the oceans in the Western Cape. Next a quick trip to the local market for some great leather handmade sandals, souvenirs and beaded jewellery. The next adventure was a trip on a Segway (never been tried before) which was amazing! Once you get the hang of it, you are away! From the football stadium over to the beachfront, pier and back. With stunning views of the ocean, it was so exhilarating! After building up a great appetite we were then invited to enjoy a “Bunny Chow” experience. Durban is a city known for its exotic Indian curry dishes. A lovely spicy curry served up in half a hollowed-out loaf - absolutely delicious. All washed down with a nice cool Savannah! Johannesburg and then home… A brief tour today of the up and coming areas of Johannesburg showing street art, galleries, trendy hotels and hip bars. A taster of the culture of this amazing city. After our moving visit to the Apartheid Museum, we then continued to the township of Soweto on the outskirts of the city. Our final adventure of this trip was a guided bicycle tour of the streets of Soweto – through the streets of children playing, roadside entertainers singing and dancing. We were given a brief history of the Soweto student uprising in 1976 and then ended the tour with a poignant visit to Nelson Mandela’s House. Vilakazi Street is perhaps the most famous street in Soweto, or in all of Johannesburg, South Africa. The street claims a rather unique distinction, being the only street in the world to have once had as residents two Nobel prize winners - Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and Reverend Desmond Tutu. After a completely packed 10 days of stunning African scenery, amazing hospitality, much learning, adventures, fun and laughter we gather ourselves on to the coach to the airport and home. Many happy memories stored. South Africa you have been amazing yet again!

10 April 2018

I’m just back from a lovely Easter break with my husband in The Algarve on Portugal’s beautiful Southern coast. Just a short 2 hours 30 mins flight and away from the cold and snow here in the UK. Where to stay? We chose to stay at the Tivoli Carvoeiro Algarve resort for seven nights. It has a stunning, cliff edge location at the top end of the resort, overlooking the small sandy cove just below with an astonishing view of the sea, pools, gardens, but most of all those dramatic cliffs and caves that this area is so well known for. It’s within an 8-minute walk of the resort centre and main beach with a great choice of restaurants, bars and shops along the way. The hotel itself has recently had a very substantial refurbishment throughout and I have to say, it has been completed to a very high standard. To compliment this, the staff are very welcoming, offer excellent service and the fully serviced, and extensive breakfast buffet makes the hotel well worthy of its 5 Star luxury offer. Events were arranged for the Easter weekend – an Easter egg hunt and activities for children, an Easter bunny in reception offering bags of homemade popcorn, special spa treatments, and cocktails in the rooftop Sky Bar with the resident DJ whilst watching the sunset. We had booked a standard Deluxe bedroom (without balcony), but to our delight we had been upgraded to a Deluxe room with a balcony overlooking the stunning sea views. The en-suite bathroom was fitted to a high standard with a huge shower area, luxury branded toiletries, white fluffy bathrobes and slippers. The turn down service left a chocolate on the pillow every night and we even had our own Nespresso machine in the room. Where to enjoy the local food and wine? We had some fabulous meals in the local restaurants. A couple nearby that stand out as special are Primavera, authentic Italian/Mediterranean cuisine and A Rede for local Portuguese specialities (both on the main road, 5 mins walk from the hotel). We especially enjoyed the two restaurants we visited after our coastal walks along the cliffs - Casa Lamy, one lunchtime after coming across it by accident and O Pescatore, both in stunning locations overlooking the beach cove at Benagil. Fresh daily caught fish and seafood deliciously prepared. We had been recommended to visit Club Nau on Praia Grande near Ferragudo. This beach restaurant has a brilliant atmosphere on a Sunday afternoon when a local band plays from 4 – 7pm. Fabulous food (fillet steak cooked by your own fair hands on a red-hot marble stone). The local wine is good quality, whenever we ordered the house dry wine we were never disappointed. A bottle usually cost between €15-€22. A large beer could be anything from €2-€6. How to get around? There is a Hop on Hop off bus service which runs from the beaches around Praia do Carvalho via Carvoeiro centre, inland to Lagao and on to the beautiful little port of Ferragudo. Total route 1 way around 45 mins. From Ferragudo, you can hop on a water taxi to the town of Portimao (10 mins) with its traditional shops and popular sardine restaurants, or to Portimao Marina (5 mins) which leads to the beautiful stretch of long white sandy beach of Praia de Rocha and the many Beach clubs, restaurants and bars to suit all tastes. Most of the beaches offer boat trip excursions around the many caves from €25-€30. During the peak season in Summer in Carvoeiro, there is nightly entertainment on the main beach and resort centre. If you choose to rent a car, this is the perfect location to explore other resorts in The Algarve further to the East and West. Whether it is for a family holiday, romantic getaway, golf / spa luxury or just beautiful scenery in the warm Portugese sun you’re after - Carvoeiro is a lovely resort where there is something for everyone.