21 October 2018

Jersey is an island waiting to be discovered. Imagine beaches washed clean by the tide, fresh sea air and barefoot paddling in the shallows. Imagine a weekend of waking up to views of cliffs, sea and sky, with the promise of bright and breezy beach walks in Jersey’s sunlight. Imagine a place where you can be together in the warm summer sun. A place where you’re free to reconnect and revitalise. With a flight time of under an hour from UK airports, you don't need to imagine. You can finish work on a Friday and be in Jersey in time for sunset with a beer in your hand. This is Jersey. An island shaped by the sea where some of the most astonishing tides in the world circle the coast and feed the land. An island that's small on size, but big on personality, where country lanes open to cliff top views and the sea is never more than ten minutes away. An island of rediscovery packed with activities to experience and explore. Wednesday 10th October 2018 ********************************* 07.15 Meet your hosts at London Gatwick Airport South Terminal. 08.05 Flight BA2270 departs London Gatwick 09.05 Arrive: Jersey Airport 09.30 Depart airport in your group. Drivers will make themselves known 10.00 – 12.40 Begin a private tour of La Mare Wine Estate and enjoy a morning exploring local food and drink culture, before stopping for lunch in the café. This popular Jersey attraction is a working estate and offers handmade wines, spirits, preserves and more – all made on site from both traditional and modern local recipes 13.00 – 16.00 Meet Kazz for an afternoon Coastal Adventure where you can refresh and revitalise whilst learning to forage. Look out for edible and medicinal plants, seaweeds and shellfish! The tour will finish with a cook-up where you will have the opportunity to taste the foraged goods 16.30 Check in at The Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa – your luxurious home for the next two nights. 18.30 Meet in the hotel reception. Transfer to Seafish Café – St. Aubin for delicious and locally caught, sustainable fish and chips* 21.30 Transfer back to hotel Thursday 11th October 2018 ****************************** Breakfast in hotel at your leisure 09.30 Depart hotel with your group 10.00 – 12.00 – See Jersey like never before as you abseil Mont Orgueil Castle! This incredible castle protected Jersey against the French invasion over 600 years ago and offers culture, history as well as breath-taking views 12.00 Enjoy a locally prepared picnic lunch on the beach (weather dependent!) 13.45 – 16.00 An exciting RIB trip out to Les Ecrehous with Jersey Seafaris - great for dolphin and seal spotting! Explore the reef and enjoy the wildlife and peaceful surroundings 16.15 Return to hotel 18.30 Meet in the hotel reception. Transfer to El Tico for dinner in one of Jersey’s oldest beach cafes. 21.30 Transfer back to hotel Reminder: Please now check in for your BA2777 return flight to London Gatwick Friday 12th October 2018 *************************** Breakfast in hotel at your leisure 09.30 Check out of hotel and depart 10.00 Arrive at Jersey for Zoo and embark on a private tour. Whether you’re after fun, tranquillity, knowledge or a place to soak up the sunshine, this stunning 32-acre park with valleys, woodland and some of the world’s rarest animals is the perfect chance to experience ‘the jewel in Jersey’s crown’. Enjoy lunch at Café Firefly 13.30 Depart Zoo 14.00 Arrive at Jersey War Tunnels Jersey War Tunnels is a poignant reminder of the German Occupation of Jersey during World War II. A series of exhibitions reveal details about the resistance, co-operation and eventual liberation. As well as the main tunnel complex, you can enjoy quiet moments in the Garden of Reflection or put your puzzle solving to the test in the Escape Room activity 15:45 Depart War Tunnels 16.00 Arrive at L’Horizon Beach Hotel and Spa for a site tour. Afterwards, enjoy some tea and cake in the hotel 17.30 Depart L’Horizon Beach Hotel and Spa and head to the airport 17.45 Arrive at Airport 19.25 Flight BA2777 departs Jersey You really will enjoy a great time if you consider a trip to Jersey!

27 July 2017

I had an amazing time in this wonderful city and would love to share the information with you all. I was fortunate enough to be invited by the lovely specialist tour operator called Citalia to visit Rome known as the Eternal City and although I had visited the city once before, it was some years since I had last been. An early start meant that I was on the very first flight EZY8251 that EasyJet operates from London Gatwick North terminal to Rome, Fumincino airport - this being Rome's major International airport serving the capital. Our flight departed on time and the cabin crew were all very friendly and courteous throughout the flight. In around 2 hours we had landed in Rome (local time just a little after 10am) to be greeted by a lovely warm, bright sunny morning and as soon and as the group had cleared the passport/immigration checks we were all ready to board our coach with our tour guide called David for the exciting time ahead. The morning rush was in full flow in the capital with busy traffic and it was just lovely to see everything going on around as we were taken on the coach to our first stop and to visit The Vatican City, a city-state surrounded by Rome, it is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. It's home to the Pope and a trove of iconic art and architecture. Its Vatican Museums house ancient Roman sculptures such as the famed “Laocoön and His Sons” as well as Renaissance frescoes in the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel, famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling. We had a good amount of time to ourselves here and were able to go to see inside St Peter's Basilica and wonder around outside taking in all the great sights. The Vatican was packed with tourists and it was only morning here in Rome, it is certainly worth planning your day and arriving as early as you can and that way you can try and avoid the very long queues that form from late morning onwards, as more and more coach trips will come to bring tourists for all over the world to this rather special little gem. After the time at the Vatican we then met up with our lady tour guide in Rome for our 3 hour walking tour in order to explore and see the major historical sights, she kindly gave us all headsets to wear so that we could hear her talking and what she was pointing out as we wandered past. We walked and stopped for a short time at the Pizza Navona, with all the cafes and eateries dotted around and people sitting and enjoying a drink or something to eat, it was here in one of the small side streets leading off the square that I brought myself the most tastiest piece of pizza I have ever had. The walking tour then took us onto the Pantheon a former Roman temple, now a church, and on the site of an earlier temple commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus. A stop at the Spanish Steps gave us a short time to marvel at the impressive buildings that Rome has, onwards we went and our next stop the Pantheon a former Roman temple, this was followed by the famous Trevi fountain, an impressive sight to see and the famous tradition of the Fountain is for people to toss a coin over their shoulder into the Trevi’s waters, which legend has it ensures return to the city for visitors. There was a huge gathering of people at the Trevi fountain and it was looking fantastic after I believe it had undergone a major clean and restoration costing something like $2.4 million. The tour continued and we then arrived at the Colosseum and Roman forum that is a rectangular forum surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the centre of the city of Rome. The iconic sight as you approach it really does make it clear to you that you are in Rome, you see pictures of it in books and have surely heard of it but for it to be standing right infront of you makes an awesome experience and you can only imagine what it must have been like when the gladiatorial contests went on. After all this walking it was finally time to rest our legs and onto the lovely restaurant called Le Terme del Colosseo to have a very well earned tasty bite to eat. Being close to the Colosseum it makes for an ideal place to relax after all the sightseeing. I thoroughly recommend you try and find this restaurant if you can, it was like being hidden inside a cave and very nice and different and we certainly received lovely Italian hospitality while enjoying our meal and drinks here. Finally the group gathered altogether and awaited our coach to wizz us back to the airport for our late EasyJet flight EZY8258 that was due to depart Rome at around 10pm. The return inbound flight took around 2hrs 15 minutes to get back to London Gatwick. 12 hours in Rome seemed like a week with so much that I saw in such a short space of time. I have promised to return again hopefully next year, only next time I will stay longer. I hope you have enjoyed reading my journal and have found it informative Grazie, Michael

23 May 2011

My journey began at St Pancras International terminal in London for my trip on the Eurostar train bound for Marne La Vallee Chessy station at Disneyland Resort Paris. Check-in and security procedures ran smoothly and there are always a good number of Eurostar staff on duty to help with any needs or questions you may have. Once on board the train you can sit back and relax and enjoy the ride! The train pulled out of the station bang on time and then we are on our way. There are also buffet carriages that allow you to purchase a light snack or drink. The Eurostar train stops briefly at Ebbsfleet International station and at Ashford in Kent where passengers board the train. After a short while you say goodbye to England and enter The Channel Tunnel on route to France. On exiting the tunnel on the French side the trains speedily continues and until it reaches the station at Lille for a brief stop, before continuing onto Disneyland Resort Paris. Arrival at Marne La Vallee station for Disneyland Resort Paris is excellent with well positioned sign posts indicating your way to the upper concourse to where you would leave your luggage if you have the Disney Express service. From here it is delivered straight to the Disney hotel that you are staying in – no hauling round heavy bags! No time wasted we headed straight into the Disney Parks, which only took a short seven or eight minute walk from station. To the left hand side of you is the Disney Village which offers a whole host of shops and a good choice of places to eat or grab a light snack and drink. There is a McDonalds, an Annette's Dinner, plus a 15 screen cinema. As you make your way to the Magic Kingdom your eyes become fixed upon the beautiful Disneyland Hotel at the entrance in all its glory; pastel shades of pink and beautifully colourful flowers adorn this area, which is complete with spectacular water fountains – what a welcome! A quick pass through the turnstiles and you are in. It is not long before you set eyes on some of the Disney characters that are out and about in the park. Many of the guests are having their photos taken with them! Directly in front of you is Main Street leading down towards the beautiful Cinderella's Castle and Adventure, Discovery, Fantasy and Frontier lands that lead off it. The afternoon brought a show of Mickey's Magical moments with some of the Disney characters performing on the stage in front of castle. The Magical Kingdom has an excellent choice of rides to suit all ages from the very young to the more adventurous teenagers or even adults who like the wilder faster rides. The park has the Dumbo Elephants ride, the Spinning Tea Cups, the Alice in Wonderland Maze, the Peter Pans ride where you fly up high, "It’s a Small World" - a great for little girl's, the fast rides like Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Indiana Jones Roller coaster ride and many more besides! Afternoon brings the daily procession when all the public do their best to grab a good vantage point to enjoy the fantastic floats parade down the Main street, with Mickey and Minnie at the head. This is one of the things that you cannot afford to miss; colourful and gigantic floats with all your favourite Disney characters move past you, all the while singing and dancing and waving to you all - the children just adore this and it is what I think Disney do so well! The other park that is next door to the Magic Kingdom is the Walt Disney Studios. This again is excellent with a great choice of rides, where you will find the Tower of Terror, Rock N Roller Coaster, The Crushes Coaster ride, the magic carpet and many others. You can come and go between the two parks at your convenience, meaning that you really will never be bored and have plenty of different rides to enjoy. The hotels in Disneyland Resort Paris can suit all budgets, the Santa Fe and Cheyenne Hotels are clean and comfortable family accommodation. In the Cheyenne it is possible to have a room with one double bed and 2 bunk beds for the children. The higher graded Sequoia Lodge and Newport Bayclub hotels offer a higher standard of room, having 1093 rooms and a swimming pool. The Disneyland Hotel has 476 rooms and 18 Suites. Why not go and experience the magic?

03 August 2009

This was a dream come true to be able to experience the service and be aboard a 5 star luxury cruise in the Mediterranean - The Seabourn Luxury Cruises are part of Cunard and really do live up to top quality at its best. We flew to Barcelona in Spain from where we would join the cruise, it had already been cruising in the Mediterranean for a week and myself and the group would be joining it on the second leg of its journey from Barcelona in Spain through to Lisbon in Portugal. One we embarked on the cruise ship ( Although many people as well as the staff onboard like to call them Luxury Yachts ) The Seabourn Legend , the service and attention to detail is what I noticed first , the staff onboard mostly Norwegian always smiling and ready to assist you whatever your request, very polite and able to get anything that you need. On arrival at the cabin I noticed the very high standards and the lovely way that the cabin is presented, my cabin like most had a large window, sitting area with TV, well equipped bathroom and all exceptionally clean . The cabin is kept to a comfortable temperature and there was a well stocked mini fridge with a selection of drinks. Our cruise started in Barcelona in Spain and visited Palma in Mallorca, Malaga on the Costa del Sol in Spain for Granada and the surrounding cities, the beautiful Andalucian city of Seville (where is was docked for 2 nights) and then through the Strait of Gibraltar where you have Europe on one side of the cruise ship and North Africa on the other and on up to Lisbon in Portugal where the cruise ended 7 nights later. Entertainment on board is provided by various shows that are put on for the passengers, the Piano lounge is a lovely way to unwind after your meal while enjoying your favourite cocktail. The cuisine on board is excellent and there is enough choice for all types of dinners. The service in the restaurant is top class and I never had any problem with anything that I choose to eat onboard, any special dietary requests can be catered for - you just need to make sure this is noted at the time of you making your booking. The interesting thing about sailing onboard one of the Seabourn cruise ships is that they are much smaller than the gigantic cruises liners that are entering the market nowadays and so are able to enter some of the smaller ports of call that the large cruise liners can not get to visit, this allows you should you take advantage of any excursions to discover beautiful ports and traditional destinations in many wonderful countries. I strongly recommend going on the shore excursions these you can either pre book at the time you book your cruise or alternatively you can wait until you are onboard your cruise and book the excursions as and when you want through the shoredesk. The whole experience is one that I will never forget and if you are looking for a quality cruise then I would truly recommend you look at the Seabourne cruises . I hope that my brief journal has helped in giving you some ideas and please do not hesitate to telephone or e-mail me with any questions that you may want answered.