24 January 2023

Looking for luxury in the Indian Ocean? Look no further than the Victoria Beachcomber Resort & Spa in Mauritius. This resort is located on the northwest side of the coast between the tourist hub of Grande Baie and the capital city - Port Louis, facing the amazing sunsets. The Victoria Beachcomber is one of the most popular family resorts in Mauritius however it is a tale of two halves. The main part of the hotel is ideal for families with its abundance of facilities and large spacious rooms. Facilities include a children’s and teen club, bars and restaurants, diving academy, sea and land activities & access to Mont Choisy Le Golf. Accommodation is roomy and there are various options including deluxe rooms, swim up rooms and 2 bedroom apartments. The Victoria also offers a new concept called ‘Victoria for 2’ which is exclusively for adults. Accommodation comprises of 40 beautiful ocean facing appointed rooms, opening onto the marine park, access to a dedicated pool, bar and a al-carte restaurant. Various board options are available including all-inclusive. The Victoria also has a few Beachcomber sister hotels in Mauritius, which are worth a look at: Trou Aux Biches, Royal Palm, Dinarobin, Paradis, Shandrani, Canonnier & Mauricia. It’s safe to say you will be in good hands in Mauritius at a Beachcomber resort, there is something for everyone. Get in touch if you would like a quote @ dianne.quinn@travelcounsellors.com

21 November 2022

My love affair with the Algarve goes back so many years I remember my first holiday abroad with my family in my early teens to a villa in what seemed a different world. We travelled to the Algarve Carvoeiro via Manchester Airport and stayed in a traditional villa with a pool what wonderful memories. Roll on a few years and yearly sometime twice a year, I return to the Algarve because it feels like home with much needed sun. 300 days of sunshine is the unofficial slogan of the Algarve! Two of my favourite destinations are Quinta and Vilamoura both located in the coastal southern region of the Algarve approx. 20 mins from Faro Airport which is easily reached by many UK airports in approx. 2hrs 40 mins. Vilamoura is such a fun place to visit, great for families. With its beautiful beach areas and great shops or traditional markets, you’ll never be bored. A fantastic marina where you can enjoy live music at one of the many bars. Great paddle tennis clubs and magnificent cycle lanes. Quinta has the most amazing restaurant located in the golden triangle area. Great golf links, horse riding and tennis /paddle tennis courts. Both are only 15 minutes away from each other in a taxi so you can have the best of both worlds. One of my favourite places to stay is The Domes Hotel in Vilamoura (recently taken over, renamed and partly refurbished). Just a stroll from Vilamoura marina and iconic Falésia beach, this luxury resort is set on its private seawater lake surrounded by gorgeous gardens and lawns, with a 1.2km wooden boardwalk leading to bars, observation pergolas and waterside restaurants, all scented by olive and carob trees. With a private lake of its own, this five-star resort introduces the Algarve to the unique character and soul of legendary Domes Resorts. Luxurious and inspiring, for those in a relentless pursuit of their passions, opportunity beckons for a lifestyle one is not afraid to touch, with extraordinary character, and immersive experiences that allow you to remain in sync with the landscape while enjoying opulent, world-class accommodation as well as cosmopolitan Vilamoura nearby. The only hotel with access to Praia de Falesia beach, Domes Lake Resort Algarve is a scenic landscape of greenery, natural beauty, and wonder that enjoys unique views of the marina and skyline on the horizon. The private seawater lake is surrounded by unmatched gardens and stretches of lawn, a 1.2km wooden walking deck that leads to bars, observation pergolas, and restaurants set on the lake, scented with fig and almond trees. Of the three pools spread across family and adults-only designated areas, the natural sand bottom pool is a one-of-a-kind experience. The hotel itself boasts a monumental interior with a majestic ambiance of sights, sounds, and aromas bound together under painted Domed ceilings, full height hanging fabrics, and natural light through magnificent windows. The Mosaics, the bronze details, the colourful tiling blend with a temperature colour contrast of peacock blues, burgundies, nature-inspired wallpaper, and rugs that evoke a palace-like atmosphere and sophistication unique to Domes in the Algarve. Of the three pools spread across the designated family and adults-only areas, the beach-like pool with its natural sandy bottom is a one-of-a-kind experience. The KiEPOS children’s activities teach them to grow their own greens, herbs and flowers and in doing so learn about both sustainability and healthy eating. Tempting activities in the direct vacinity include sailing, snorkeling trips, diving and golf at world-class courses just a few minutes away, as well as unique local experiences including clam- and oyster-picking, bird-watching and guided tours through the channels of the Ria Formosa Natural Park. Please get in contact if you would like me to quote for your future holidays in the Algarve and The Domes Resort where we at Travel Counsellors have a fabulous working relationship.

08 November 2022

A little update on my new business and how it is going… I am a self-employed Travel Counsellor running my new business under the name Dianne Quinn Lux Travel Counsellor. I run the business out of my home in Hale Barns, Cheshire. My aim is to provide a first class personalised service to my clients. I have always loved travel and many moons ago completed a BTEC in Travel and Tourism at College when I was 18. It's funny how the world goes around in a full circle. After completing the course and receiving a distinction I went to work at Nord Anglia an Education Company providing English courses to the international market. I was part of the Asian market team which gave me my first insight to customer facing, international business management and selling. After a few years I moved to an IT support role at IBM and quickly moved up the ranks to Team Leader, Group Manager, Crisis Executive for the service delivery team and my last role was Delivery Project Executive providing end to end delivery for some of the largest outsourcing deals national and internationally based. I left IBM when, with my husband we set up a family business in Civil Engineering and Construction. I set up the back office function initially dealing with invoicing, accounts, wages, pricing, health and safety and admin. This business has grown in size and now we have a back office team that I manage. So why take on something else? As I said I love travel and my youngest son was starting high school, I had been heavily involved in charity work with the Toy Appeal providing Christmas sacks to underprivileged children. With a small amazing team we ran fundraising events for the charity over a few years. The country went into lockdown, fundraising became impossible and then my lovely dad passed away unexpectantly. It's one of those times in your life where you re-assess, take a breath and look to do something positive in your life! So I thought what’s next then I started to look for new opportunities. After speaking to a friend Rebecca Igoe about her own personal journey with Travel Counsellors I bit the bullet after lockdown and joined… Since joining Travel Counsellors in February 2022, I have completed lots of training and met wonderful people. I started my training with a lovely bunch of like-minded ladies scattered across the UK. We started the journey together and still catch up and offer each other support, help, encouragement and an ear when required. Most of us attended the CLIA conference in May this year and met face for the first time it was like we had been friends for years. I have learnt so much and forgot how much I enjoy the process of gaining more knowledge. I have recently been certified as a CLIA Ambassador, taken many cruise, airline and destination training and continue to grow. I have been lucky to make some nice bookings for friends and family to lots of different places Dubai, Australia, Holland, USA, Barbados, Ibiza, Tenerife, Portugal and Iceland. In recent weeks I have joined forces with one of my new friends Nikki Ashe who I started my training with and we have set up a team - working together and sharing leads and work. I continue to travel with my family so setting up this team makes sense it ensures that there is always one of us available when our customers are travelling. In addition we have a support team behind us, provided by Travel Counsellors to deal with any emergencies or out of hours support and providing the financial guarantee. I am so excited to grow my business and love working for Travel Counsellors. I cherish the flexibility it offers me and my family, I can grow my business how fast and how I want to and the support the company has given me is fantastic. I have learnt so much and continue to learn and grow personally. Get in touch if you want to learn more about Travel Counsellors and don’t forget to get in contact for all your travel needs I would love to help and provide you with the dream trip, holiday, vacation memories and experiences. Keep following me on Linked In, Instagram and Facebook and share with your friends.

08 February 2022

After many holidays over the last few years that have been booked, re-booked, rescheduled from and cancelled due to COVID travel restrictions we finally booked and set off to sunny Barbados and it did not disappoint! We usually visit the Middle East or Asia at Christmas and even though we are frequent visitors to Barbados we normally travel in the May half term to this destination. We have never visited Barbados at Christmas time because we thought it would be too busy. How wrong could we be it was perfect ! We are a family of 5, I have 3 sons aged:10, 12 & 14 so we opted for St Peters Bay apartments where we have stayed many times, it’s like home from home. We stayed in a 3 bed beach front apartment, B&B board which for us as a family is great. My boys love a 5 course breakfast ! We would normally eat out either lunch or dinner and stay in resort for one of the options. With a fully equipped kitchen it was great, the boys could either have lunch or dinner in the apartment escaping the mid-day sun or chilling in the evening and you could find me and my husband having a bar snack accompanied by a little lunch time cocktail or enjoying happy hour – everyone was happy. There are many reasons we love Barbados and return to this destination. Firstly the people, I have never met anyone without a large infectious smile and happy to accommodate, story tell and get you into the Bajan way of life. The pace is slower - it may take a few days to adjust however when you reach that point you are in serene heaven. The beaches and sea is everything you dreamed of – crystal blue waters, miles of sandy beaches - diving to wrecks, swimming with the turtles, collecting shells and soaking in the view. Sunsets are magically and for us the dining options on the Island were vast, mouth-watering and plentiful. Immersing yourself in what Barbados has to offer is the order of the day for a busy family like ours even though I do secretly like an hour in the sun with a good book ! We hired a catamaran for the day that allowed us to visit parts of the island you were unable to by car, unspoilt beaches, watching the marine life swim by and snorkelling adventures. The boys learnt how to water ski and water board. We hired jet skis and the boys love the Mabel ! My husband was often found in the gym in the morning and I loved to go and get groceries from Masseys who doesn’t love a food shop in Waitrose? If you love golf you will love Barbados there are so many courses you can visit but a word of warning I would always pre book restaurants and tee times before you leave to avoid disappointment. Barbados is a slower pace however they know how to party, when booking restaurants or beach bars ask when or if they have live music as these are always best days! You should never be sad when you go home as dreams needs to come to an end for a little while until you get home and book your next trip ! I didn’t even wait to get home as I worked my little magic and booked our next trip on our last day ! Barbados the Island of dreams…