22 October 2022

Qatar Educational in October 2022 About Qatar Where the sand meets the sea and where cultural authenticity meets modernity. The small Gulf state of Qatar has recently undergone an epic makeover, with shoppingmalls and outlandish five star hotels in the city and along the beaches, as well as football stadiums (ready for the 2022 World Cup) all springing up along the desert floor. Yet, amongst all the modern skyscrapers and expansive boulevards, the capital Doha maintains its traditional Arabic roots, particularly in the bustling alleys of Souq Waqif where locals come to barter and buy from the maze of small shops or dine at the eclectic mix of eateries. For a glimpse of Qatari heritage, visit the revered birds of the Falcon Souq; check out Al Koot Fort (Doha Fort) or head to the Museum of Islamic Art. At the purpose-built developments of Katara discover impressive theatres, galleries, performance venues, top restaurants and a well-maintained beach. See also the magnificent Doha Waterfront Promenade, which stretches along Doha Bay with enticing eateries and the dhow harbour. Invitingly described as the ‘Arabian Riviera’ the Pearl-Qatar is a man-made island where Mediterranean-style marinas, internationally renowned hotels with private beaches, luxury shopping and dozens of restaurants await you. Just off the coast of Doha, crescent-shaped Banana Island provides an exciting and luxury escape from the city’s hustle and bustle. For something more thrilling, head to the desert for some dune bashing, or visit the impressive Khor Al Adaid, a UNESCO recognised natural reserve. On Qatar’s south western tip is Salwa, a perfect place for all lovers of sun, sea, sand and serenity. It’s where you’ll also find the adrenaline-pumping Desert Falls Water and Adventure Park. Our itinerary covered as much as possible in 5 days... Hilton Salwa Beach Resort & Villas overnight - perfect for a beach holiday, on site waterpark! Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels - right in the centre of the Souq Waqif, this is a dry area so no alcohol served. Amazing to see the locals with their Falcon's! Discover Doha Tour - Doha, Museum of Islamic Art, Doha Corniche, Dhow Harbour, Katara Cultural & Heritage Village , The Pearl ( (??????? Jiwan Restaurant - this restaurant is a must do. the food was delicious and the decor beautiful! Guided tour of National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) - really interesting museum Guided tour at Souq Waqif - loads of cobbled streets selling everything! Dinner at Parisa Souq Waqif ?????? ???? ?????? - we called this the sparkly restaurant, its was covered in sparkling mosaic tiles. Banana Island Resort Doha By Anantara - this island is 25 minutes from Doha by ferry. It has water villas and loads of facilities. It was my favourite place although it is dry! Discover Mangroves of Qatar Tour - The Al Thakira Mangrove Forest - we kayaked through the Mangroves and watched the sunset which was spectacular. Dinner at La Mar restaurant InterContinental Doha - lovely restaurant with great views of the Doha skyline. Delicious food and great cocktails. Guided Tour of Al Shaqab Equestrian Center - very interesting how they look after their horses and how expensive they are! Al Shaqab Guided tour at Education City, Mosque, National Library, Oxygen Park - Education City, Qatar National Library, Education City, Mosque, Oxygen Park - we saw one of the Fifa World Cup stadiums and the Sports museum was a highlight, has something for everyone. Lunch at Café 34 - overlooking the Education City stadium on the golf course this was a lovely spot for lunch. Desert Safari with dinner at Regency Sealine Camp - Regency Sealine Camp - amazing trip and a must do! one way to see the sunset in the desert. The rooms at the camp were beautiful too. St Regis Hotel Doha - the service at this property is second to none. The staff are all so friendly. My favourite hotel that we stayed in. An amazing trip where we saw the diverse locations. The whole country is spotless with very little crime and everyone was so friendly. You have to respect their religion in public places by covering shoulders and knees, however in the hotels it is more relaxed. Alcohol is expensive too. All in all definitely a place I would love to go back to :)

29 May 2019

Myself and 4 friends have just got back from Vidamar Resort Villas in Albufeira. We were celebrating my forthcoming big birthday (I am still only 39 1/2 so it doesn't count yet!) From the airport, it is 40 minutes in a taxi, much easier than using the transfer coach that stops everywhere. The villa we stayed in had 3 bedrooms and a private pool. It was perfect for the group and so well equipped you could easily go self-catering. There is a supermarket 10-minutes’ walk away that sells everything and Albufeira Old Town is only 10 minutes in a taxi, costing around 15 Euros each way. We spent most of the time around the pool and then out into Albufeira in the evening. If you want to hire a car, you have an underground car park that you can access from your villa so the car is kept cool, not out in the sun all day. Was a great place for a group of people and the hotel is 5* so the restaurants, pools and bars were really good and very reasonable. Highly recommended! Now for the rest of the celebrations this year!!

25 April 2019

My family and I went back to the Olympic Lagoon Resort in Paphos for 11 nights in the Easter holidays. We stayed there last year too and loved it; hence we went back, and we never go back to the same place! The hotel is spotless, you cannot fault it at all. The staff are all so helpful and friendly too. A few of them recognised us too which was lovely! Our 2 boys aged 12 and 9 loved the football coaching and then when this was over, they played matches with new friends. Our 5-year-old daughter went to the kid’s club from 10 until 1pm every day, which was the highlight for her! The kids club staff give you a pager so if your child wants to be collected, they just page you. It works really well. They close for an hour from 1pm until 2pm and then the children can stay until 7pm and after that is a movie. The food is amazing! Every night in the main restaurant there is a theme such as Indian, Grill, Mexican or Cypriot. There is so much choice and even a kid’s buffet. The hotel also has 2 speciality restaurants (Asian and Cypriot) and an adults only Italian restaurant. Men need to wear trousers to dine in the adults-only restaurant and you need to book early to avoid missing out during your stay. There is also an American diner serving fab burgers/steaks/ribs, all table service.The drinks are all branded and all part of the all-inclusive - even all the cocktails. I can recommend the Espresso Martini's! The entertainment in the hotel is really good, the shows are so professional. We saw Jersey Boys, Greatest Showman, Grease and others too. The entertainment team bring in bean bags for the kids to sit on at the front near the stage so they can see it all! The beach is opposite the hotel, it is quite rocky and pebbly but for a better beach you can walk around the coast along the promenade. We walked to the Kings Avenue Mall in Paphos which is around a 30-minute walk from the hotel. Loads of shops, good to go to on a cloudy day! Just outside the hotel are some bars and restaurants and a small supermarket and a pharmacy. I would recommend upgrading to a pool view room, in the morning you have such a fab view of the pool and sea from your balcony. Room 4350 was perfect! We love the hotel and will certainly go back again! You have to book early because the hotels get fully booked so quickly!

24 May 2016

I was lucky enough to be given a four night educational trip to Dubai from 7 May 2016. I have never been to Dubai but had sent many of my clients there and have always wanted to go. We flew from Heathrow with Qantas and got upgraded to business class! Wow what an experience, I have never flown anything but economy before. The crew were so friendly to all passengers and very chatty. We also saw the premium economy seats which were more than comfortable and the First Class seats which were amazing! Like having your own suite! We stayed for two nights at the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Hotel. The rooms were beautiful, every need had been thought of and the sunken bath was as big as a double bed! The following day we visited the Burj Khalifa - the tallest tower in the world! Great to visit but definitely pre book before you go as you save so much money. The views are amazing! We also had a walk around Dubai Mall - it is huge! So many shops in one place, a lot of shops we see on the high street but also many more. Segaworld, Kidmania and an indoor ice rink are also in this mall. Great to go to when it gets too hot outside! We then went to the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU) and had a traditional lunch and a talk about the culture in Dubai. Very interesting. We had free time at the hotel for an hour which meant we could see the pool, beach and spa. All are out of this world. The kids club was fantastic with the kids pool fenced off so no one can escape! A great pool for children and still relaxing for adults. The meal at the Zabeel Saray was in the Indian restaurant. The best Indian meal I have ever had! Prawns were delicious and so massive. The next day we had breakfast and went to the Burj Al Arab for a hotel visit. This hotel is the only 7* in the world! The décor is so intricate and different to any other hotel! As you enter the hotel there is a huge waterfall. We saw the Royal Suite which is bigger than my actual house! This was £12k per night! Other suites are much less but the hotel was full so we didn't see them. They have a new pool area being built at the moment which will be a great addition. The service you get here is second to none, such a unique hotel and iconic building. We then went on to the Madinat Jumeirah. The Madinat is made up of three hotels; Al Qasr, Mina A Salem and Dar Al Masyaf. All are linked by a river that you get small boats to each property/restaurant. Such a lovely way to travel and with great views of the Burj in the background! I loved all of these properties, they have something for everyone and if you are half board you have the dine-around facility so you can eat in all Jumeirah hotels. We checked in to the Jumeirah Beach Hotel which was breath-taking when I saw the view from my room! Burj Al Arab straight in front of me! Wow! After a quick change we got into a jeep that took us on a desert safari! This was so fun, unless you get travel sick! We flew around the sand dunes in the jeep for around 15 minutes then had something to eat (not that we felt like eating at that point!) There was a belly dance show and camel rides. Good to see the sunset too! Our last day in Dubai was a site inspection of the JA Oasis Beach Tower and JA Ocean View Hotel, both are in the Dubai Walk area. This area is much more affordable but still on the gorgeous white sand beach. The JA Oasis Beach is great for families, the apartments are so spacious with 2/3/4 bedrooms. The fridge is stocked up for your arrival, great touch! JA Ocean View had lovely beachy décor, lovely airy feel to it. Rooms can interconnect too, which is good for families. We then went back to Jumeirah Beach Hotel for a site inspection. This I think is my favourite property, I certainly can imagine going back with my family. The sides of the hotel is where you will find the suites. They overlook the desert or the Wild Wadi waterpark. The rooms are all being updated but they are all very well equipped. You never have to buy water, it is constantly stocked in ALL the hotel rooms we visited. There are several restaurants, the main buffet restaurant is massive! Full of everything you could wish for! We also had an hour in Wild Wadi waterpark which was such fun! The slides are brilliant, loved it here! In the evening we went to downtown Dubai where the Burj Khalifa is. We visited the Manzil Hotel, this is a trendy property with a boutique feel. There is a great courtyard area in the middle of the property. You wouldn't know you were in a busy city! Then we had a site inspection of the Palace Hotel, which again had a boutique feel about it and great views of the Burj Khalifa which lights up at night. The Dubai fountains outside the Mall come on every hour for around 10 minutes, they are really pretty. We ate in the Thai restaurant at the Palace Hotel, this restaurant has a great view of the fountains and the Burj Khalifa. The following day we had an early flight back to Heathrow with Qantas. We travelled in economy this time, but the seat pitch was very good and the crew again were lovely. All in all I had the best four nights in Dubai and can certainly recommend it. I would be more than happy to go back with my family - in fact I am working on it as we speak!

05 June 2015

Family holiday to Menorca in August 2014. Myself, my husband and three young children travelled from East Midlands to Mahon with Thomson Holidays for 11 nights in the sun! Great flight, and short which was a bonus when you have a baby on your lap! We had pre booked a taxi transfer to avoid hanging around and having a longer than necessary transfer. We stayed in Vista Blanes Apartments in Cala N Forcat. The apartment was clean but basic with a great view of the large pool. We soon got settled and enjoyed the freedom of self catering board. The resort is so family friendly with most restaurants having a play area to keep the children entertained. Loads to see and do in the area and easy to get around by car. We loved the Island so have re-booked a different resort for 2015! :)

18 April 2014

I was lucky enough to visit the 5* Intercontinental Aphrodite Hills for three nights at the beginning of April as part of an all-inclusive agent’s weekend (bliss with no children for four days!) We flew to Larnaca which is a one hour transfer to the resort, however if you fly into Paphos it is only a 15 minute transfer. On arrival at the hotel we had a lovely greeting from the receptionist and she took us to our room. The room was lovely with a massive bathroom, bed and loving area. We opened the patio doors and we have our own private pool! It was such a surprise! Our room was a junior suite with private pool and golf course view. They had thought of everything in the rooms - hairdryer, bathrobes, slippers, water, flowers, safe, iron and ironing board and pool towels. When you open the wardrobe doors a light comes on so you can see what you are doing! The hotel and grounds are beautiful. We spoke to a few guests that were there to play golf and they said the golf course is one of the best. For the active holiday makers who want to hire bikes and cycle round the resort or play tennis in the Annabel Croft Tennis Academy this is a perfect hotel! There are apartments and villas on the complex which are part of the residence. You would really need to hire a car if you stayed in one of these as they can be quite far out. The village square has numerous restaurants which you do need to pre book, the Italian restaurant was delicious! We had a look around the kids club and crèche which is one of the best I have seen. They have a paddling pool with slides and a great outdoor area which is all shaded. The weather was perfect at 25 degrees every day at least so we made the most of the pool! All in all the resort is of a very high standard and I will certainly recommend to my clients or take my family there one day!

12 December 2011

In October 2011 we went on a family holiday to Dalyan in Turkey. I have sent many people to Dalyan, however never stayed there myself. I had been on a day trip to the mud baths before but that was it. We flew with Jet2 Airways from East Midlands, they were very good and the service was great. No delays! The taxi transfer from the airport was around 30 minutes, so perfect with a 2 and 5 year old! We stayed at the Sahin Apartments. The apartments are family run and are quite basic but very clean. The staff and owners are so friendly. They cannot do enough for you! Whilst we were there our youngest son turned 2. I had emailed the apartments to let them know, just in case they could do something. They were amazing! We had birthday cake, balloons, fire works! It was lovely! The bar and restaurant at the apartments is very good. The food was some of the nicest we had! There is a Turkish Spa at the apartments which people all over the resort come to because it is one of the best! As Turkey is not yet in Euro it is still very cheap compared to the Euro countries. In the resort centre there are loads of restaurants, I did not realise the resort was so big! A mixture of restaurants so can cater for every taste! The restaurants by the river were very nice although a bit nerve racking with a 2 year old! We went to the beach, which you have to go by water taxi to get to. This takes around 40 minutes but it is a very relaxing and pretty journey. The beach is sandy and has everything you need there - bar/toilets/snacks. Nearby are the mud baths too. We stayed for 7 nights and would recommend the resort to anyone. There are loads to see and do! Easy to get around, all the locals were really friendly but not too over powering. A really good resort for everyone!

17 May 2011

As we have never cruised before we decided to try one of the P&O 2 night cruise to Bruges. We checked in at Southampton on Friday lunchtime and parked our car at the cruise terminal, this was around £30 for the 2 nights and it was definitely worth it! Getting on board was really easy and then we were ready to embark on our adventure! We could not get into our cabin until 3pm, which wasn’t a problem as they had already taken our suitcase at the terminal. The sun was shining, so we sat by the outdoor pool and soaked up the sunshine (and a few cocktails!) The cabin was perfect for what we needed; I think if we did another one I would have an outside cabin so we could see daylight! They have loads of storage space though and tea/coffee making facilities that are stocked up regularly. We set sail at around 5pm - just as we were preparing for our evening dinner and entertainment, which was the informal night. We chose to eat whenever we wanted so we were not tied to any times. The food was amazing, loads of choice and really fresh. At any time of the day and night you can eat in one of the restaurants! After our meal we watched Journey South sing, which we actually found to be very good! Then we went and tried our luck in the casino, spending too much money in the process! Saturday morning we docked in Zeebrugge. Breakfast was delicious and lasted until 10am, good for those who like a lie in! There were organised trips you could do with P&O, however we just got the coach to a nearby town (10 minutes) and then the train into Bruges (10 minutes)! Bruges is very pretty - lots of cobbled streets so not so good for those in heels. We had a walk around the shops and sampled the famous Belgium chocolate! We had to be back on the ship by 4pm so it could set sail back to Southampton. Saturday night was the formal night so everyone got dressed up. The Four Tops were playing and there was also a Comedian performing in one of the bars. We woke up on Sunday morning and we had docked in Southampton! We had to be off the ship quite early, but we had time for breakfast and then made our way off the ship. We could just walk to the car from the ship; it was very easy no hanging around waiting for taxis. The Ventura is HUGE! I never thought it could be so big! I am surprised we could find our cabin! All the public areas are very clean and the staff could not do enough for us. The kids club looked very good and on certain sailings they have the Mr Men characters on board! The gym and the spa were both well equipped (I had a look!) and even the treadmills looked out to sea! All in all we had a great weekend! I will definitely be cruising again one day!!

12 October 2010

We travelled to Bulgaria with 2 children for 14 nights. The flights were with Wizz Air (low cost) from Luton. I have used them many times and they have always been great. We stayed at the Selena Hotel in Sozopol which is opposite a lovely beach and the promenade. The hotel was amazing and all the staff were so helpful. Bulgaria is getting more commercialised, however Sozopol is still very Bulgarian. There is no need to go any more than B&B because it is so cheap and the selection of restaurants is immense. A bottle of white wine in the local shop is 80p!!!! There are resorts such as Duni close by so you can visit the beaches or shops there. A little road train runs every half an hour to and from Sozopol to Duni. A great country to visit to avoid Euro prices!!

26 November 2008

I have been lucky enough to visit Marbella for the weekend as part of the Travel Counsellors Annual Conference. I could not believe what gorgeous weather it was only 2 hours flight away! The skies were blue and it was around 22 degrees everyday! We stayed at the Guadalpin Marbella Hotel. It is a very modern, quite large hotel. The rooms all have kitchenette, which would be great for a family holiday. The hotel is around 200 metres from the beach promenade. This is where you will find lots of bars and restaurants, excellent place to watch the sun go down! I took part in a treasure hunt which was 3 hours long and took us all over the resort. A great way to see parts you probably would not have seen otherwise. Sensible shoes needed! The best part of Marbella for me was the Old Town; cobbled streets and quaint restaurants. We had a lovely meal at the Orange Tree restaurant. There are lots of Spanish shops to look in, although most were closed when we visited but the window displays were just as interesting. The beach is great for families as there are small play areas and a gradual slope into the sea. For a great night out visit Olivia Valere Discoteca. Its amazing! A massive open space, feels very similar to Morocco. Famous people have been such as Maria Carey! Can be expensive to drink but a great night out... I would definitely recommend Marbella as a winter destination. For a weekend or longer it is perfect! Please let me know if I can help you plan your trip to Marbella or if you would like any other information!

12 October 2010

I travelled to Borneo and Langkawi on 2005. Both places were amazing! I spent 4 nights in Borneo and 10 nights in Langkawi. In Borneo we stayed in the Shangri La Tanjung Aru. 4 nights was perfect as we saw the orangutans at the Shangri La Rasa Ria orphanage. That was really good! The time difference (+8 hours) really takes a few days to adjust to so we decided not to visit Sandakan as this would take a day out of our stay. In Langkawi we stayed at the Pelangi Beach Hotel in a sea view room. This hotel was also lovely! You could walk out of the hotel into the resort and the restaurants were delicious and very cheap! There is a boat tour you can do which goes around the whole island. This is a must as you see the fish farm, caves that you wouldn't realise were there! Langkawi is tax free so the shopping mall is a great day out! All the locals in Malaysia are very friendly. I would definitely recommend it!