24 June 2020

Once we can travel again I can't wait to go on holiday. How about you? I have a cruise around the Greek Islands and Turkey booked next July to celebrate my 50th birthday with Celebrity Cruises. That's what I'm looking forward to most. We are also planning on visiting Tenerife in March and also Krakow in October. Travel is my way of unwinding from my busy and enjoyable and job and after COVID-19 I think we all deserve a few holidays. In the future I would love to visit Canada and take a trip on the Rocky Mountaineer and experience an Alaskan cruise. What have you missed most about travel and where are you planning on visiting? Where will you visit next? Booking with me at Travel Counsellors gives you piece of mind that everything is financially protected and that you will be booking with someone who truly cares.

08 December 2018

This trip was a familiarisation trip along with nine other Travel Counsellors, Natalie from our head office and Andrew from Clear Marketing, who represent the hotels which we stayed in. We caught the train up to Manchester airport the night before as we were flying with Thomas Cook. Manchester is their main base for long haul flights. The flight itself seemed to go very quick and the crew were friendly. The legroom was very good, and the food onboard was very good too. Apart from paying for drinks in the economy cabin they were comparable with British Airways and Virgin. On landing at St Lucia airport, we were met by St Lucia reps and transferred to our first hotel - Viceroy Sugar Beach. It is a very pretty hotel built into the hillside and from the beach a lot of the buildings cannot be seen. The hotel is built in the bay with the Pitons either side of it. I shared a beautiful little villa with its own private plunge pool and terrace overlooking the sea and one of the Pitons and it was truly idyllic. As it's built into the hill, free shuttle buses service the whole resort and we were provided with free mobile phones to call if we wanted a shuttle brought to the room or needed anything from our butler. Our room consisted of a bedroom with a huge canopied double bed which looked like something out of the Princess and the Pea fairy-tale, a lounge area with a double sofa bed and kitchen area with free drinks in the fridge and snacks. We also had two bathrooms and a huge walk-in wardrobe. On our first night we ate Sushi in the Cane Bar with a DJ playing in the background while we ate. This set us up ready for our climb up Gros Piton the following morning. It was an arduous climb uphill with large rocks to climb up. I managed a quarter of the way and was rewarded with fantastic views over the island. We were given a tour of the hotel in the afternoon and then went down to the beach to watch the sunset - and what an amazing sunset it was too! That evening we ate in the Great room and had a 7-course taster menu. The food was of a very high standard and was coupled with different wines to try. The following morning, before setting off to our next hotel I had a massage in the beautiful spa, which is built into the trees like small tree-houses. All that could be heard whilst having the massage was the music in the background and the sound of the waterfall. Truly idyllic! On arrival at our next hotel, Rendezvous - an adult only hotel, we were welcomed and ate lunch. We were given a tour of the hotel. It was very different to Sugar Beach. The lazy river area was beautiful and had private sunbathing areas which were a great idea. We were treated to a cheese and wine tasting experience, which was very interesting, and we learnt some of the clues about the quality of red and white wines. This is one of the activities which couples can book at the hotel and is called Stolen moments. That evening we had dinner with the manager of the hotel, Yhasmine and again the food was amazing. The following morning, some of the party went on a boat trip and me and another Travel Counsellor, Louise, went into Castries and had a wander around the craft market and bought some local craft goods to take home with us, before meeting the others back at the hotel. We were then treated to a Reggae dancing lesson, which was such fun and the music was great, before going for dinner at their beachside restaurant - Malabar Beach club. I really loved Rendezvous, because it's staff we so friendly and they are an asset to the hotel. The food was great and the situation so close to Castries is also a major benefit. The following morning, we checked out and headed for The Body Holiday. On arrival, we met Damien who runs "Ital" their Vegan restaurant. Firstly, we picked our own food in the large garden area, along with his lovely wife. The aim of the hotel is to be able to produce 50% of its own food by next year if possible. She talked us through some of the produce which they grow and explained how some crops work much better in their soil than others. We then took the vegetables and herbs which we’d picked up to Ital where his chefs were cooking a meal for us. The produce which we’d picked was made into a starter, which was delicious. It was amazing to discover tastes that I’d never had before. This was followed by a soup dish, main meal and finally a delicious ice-cream made using coconut milk. After a tour or of the resort we were given the spa treatments which had been booked for our three night stay there. At the Body Holiday you have 1 treatment per day, so for a 14 night stay you get 12 free spa treatments and the only time you don’t get one is on the day you arrive and the day you leave. I was lucky enough to experience a facial, a hot stones massage and a wonderful treatment which involved a scrub for the legs and feet to leave them soft and a hand and shoulder massage. On the first evening we ate in Tao, which was amazing – one of the nicest Oriental meals I’ve ever tasted. The following day was the highlight of my trip – the Segway trip. We had a 20 minute practice, before heading out to take a trip to the top of the mountain overlooking Rodney Bay. When we got to the top, the view was outstanding! I can’t wait to do another Segway trip – something I never thought I would ever say. The rest of our trip was spent simply sampling The Body Holiday. The main things I found there was that it didn’t matter how fit you were as there was something for everyone. I took part in a stretch class and also an Aquaerobics class and all of them were of a very high standard. The food was the best out of all of the 3 hotels I stayed and they take pains to put vital nutritional information on all food in the buffet restaurant. We were also lucky enough to eat in the A la Carte restaurant Cariblue Windows whilst there. The spa is the most impressive I’ve ever seen. They have 36 treatment rooms and offer dozens of treatments extra to the included ones as well as its own Ayurvedic temple, state of the art Body science treatment and a beauty centre. There really is something for everyone. I found St Lucia to be an extremely beautiful island with some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met. I can’t wait to go back!

02 September 2018

We set off early on a Friday morning for Southampton, using the fantastic services of Cambridge Executive cars. We arrived late morning and waited to check in. We were asked for copies of our ESTAs and the address of our hotel I'd arranged with Travel Counsellors - this is worth remembering to have on you. Once on-board Queen Mary 2, we found a bottle of sparkling wine in our room which was a lovely compliment from Cunard. Our cabin, considering there were four of us in there, was spacious and our great cabin steward always appeared to put the upper berths out of the way like magic whenever we left in the morning. There were no stops at all on our seven-day sail, so the ship had plenty of activities to keep everyone amused. There was a cinema - the same size as one on dry land. This turned into a Planetarium and there were shows on most days. There was also a theatre which during the day hosted talks and we were lucky enough to listen to the racing driver Jacky Stewart. As well as activities such as fencing lessons, ballroom dancing on the largest dance floor at sea, quizzes and bingo, and the children and teenagers were well looked after with their own clubs. We couldn't believe that they had kennels onboard too, every day you could see people walking their dogs in their private area. Little known fact, dogs don't get sea-sick, but cats do! The food was amazing. We ate in the speciality restaurants for a cover charge of 15USD per person eating Italian one night and South American on the other. They were worth the extra money. The buffet which also did midnight snacks and afternoon tea had everything you could think of and there was so much choice. The food in the main Britannia restaurant was also of a very high standard. We were up at 4.45am on our last day to watch Queen Mary2 sail into New York and past the Statue of Liberty. We sailed under the Brooklyn Bridge which was lit up and already teeming with traffic. It's a sight I don't think I'll ever forget. On arrival, we got a taxi to our hotel. We stayed at the fantastic Park South hotel - a small boutique style hotel around 10 minutes’ walk from the Empire State Building. The room was large by New York standards with two double beds and a large bathroom. On our first day, we picked up our New York Explorer pass tickets and then headed towards Central Park, walked down past Trump Tower and the famous St Patrick's cathedral dwarfed by the skyscrapers. We ate lunch in the Rockefeller Plaza which was jam-packed with tiny family-run eateries of all kinds. Then we walked up to the bustling Times Square - full of people, lights everywhere and skyscrapers. We ended our day at a cute little pavement café looking up at the amazing Flatiron building. The following day we went up the Empire State building. Make sure you leave plenty of time to visit this as the queues are long and slow. At the top we could see the whole of New York, it was such an impressive sight. Macy's department store was a great experience too. Even the most seasoned shopper would find something there! We then did the Night Bus tour. This was a highlight of my trip and made even better by the commentator who was hilarious with her anecdotes and stories. On the third day, we decided to do the Top of the Rock trip in the evening as it was nearly 100 degrees, the evening would be cooler, and we'd see the city lit up. We ate breakfast in our favourite breakfast and brunch haunt called Spoon before heading to Midtown. We attempted the Hop on Hop off bus tour, but it was too hot to sit more than three stops, so we decided to walk. We did some gift shopping at Macy's and then walked back to the Flatiron building and ate in a well-known Italian deli for lunch, which serves the most amazing sandwiches and Gelatos. In the evening we went up to The Top of the Rock, the view was astounding with planes from La Guardia airport skimming over the top of us and the Empire state building lit up in front of us. It was very well organized and a lot quicker to get to the top than The Empire State building. I can see why it's been voted the best sight in New York. Our last pit stop that evening was to Central Station to see the Grand Hall which was beautiful. On our last full day, we decided to head to Downtown by taxi. We decided to do the boat trip which sailed past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on the first sailing at 10am before it got too hot. We saw the entire bay during the cruise and got some great photos. It took around an hour and was well worth doing. We then walked down through the Financial quarter and stopped at the 9/11 memorial to see the impressive fountains to mark where the Twin Towers had stood. Every persons' name who had been lost that day was etched into the metal-work and it was a very poignant sight. We walked onwards to Battery Park and ate lunch in a pub overlooking the bay before heading back to get ready for dinner. We ate in Little Italy on our last night and wandered around China Town too. I really liked the Little Italy area as it had a nice vibe to it. We finished at the famous Cannoli King with their famous Cannoli’s filled with cream cheese. My top tips would be to go to the Top of the Rock at dusk. Must dos include the night bus tour and the boat trip around the bay (do it early). For food make sure you visit Spoon and if you're in Little Italy go to the Cannoli King.

22 October 2017

Our journey to Chania began very early in the morning. We flew with Ryanair from Stansted and having paid to skip the line at security we were eating our breakfast within an hour of arriving at Stansted. We took my 16-year-old niece Daisy and our daughter Alicia who is 13. The flight itself was quick and on arriving at Chania airport we found our driver already waiting for us to take us to our resort of Aghia Marina, situated around a half hour drive from Chania itself. The resort of Aghia Marina is the middle of three resorts which straddle the coast road. The other two resorts being Kato Stalos which is the quietest and Platanias which is the opposite side of Aghia Marina and is the busiest of the three. Our accommodation was called the Minos Village and was probably the nicest we've stayed in on our numerous visits to Greece. We had two large bedrooms, two bathrooms, a well-equipped kitchenette and a huge balcony overlooking the pool which ran along the top of the building. A bonus was the air conditioning which was free - very unusual in Greece. Within 5 minutes’ walk we were down on the seafront, but still being in the old village it felt like a lifetime away from the hustle and bustle of the beach and was surrounded by traditional Greek tavernas. Our first day was spent familiarising ourselves with the area. On our first night we ate at a taverna which had been recommended to us and specialised in Greek meze food. As Daisy had never visited Greece before we felt this would be a good way for her to try Greek food and if she didn't like it, she could just try another one of the dishes. We ate Greek dips, Saganaki (fried cheese) and Greek salad amongst other dishes too. On one of our first days we went down to the beach. The beach at Aghia Marina stretches for miles - starting at Kato Stalos and finishing at Platanias and is beautiful golden sand. It's lined with tavernas and bars and each had sunbeds which were free of charge for the price of a drink, which is a fantastic idea. We also introduced Daisy to my husband David's favourite Greek food - Gyros. This consists of pitta bread stuffed with tzatziki (yogurt and mint dip), sliced pork or chicken, a few chips and a little tomato. One of the highlights was a trip to Chania. It has a beautiful, preserved harbour lined with brightly coloured buildings. Behind the harbour are the cobbled streets of the old town, crammed with little jewellery shops and traditional tavernas. We went out on a boat trip to two uninhabited islands - one to spot the wild Kri-kri goats, but unfortunately none were to be seen and then onwards to a tiny island where we could snorkel and see octopus. On another day we took a drive out to the pretty port town of Kissamos and wandered along the seafront and people watched at a café and then drove back via the German war cemetery. It was hidden away off the main road and though it was pretty and peaceful it had an air of sadness as though it had been hidden away deliberately. We also visited the pretty village of Kalives on a customer's recommendation and ate a meze lunch - it seems Daisy had really embraced the Greek food, followed by a drink in a seafront café so the girls could play in the sea. Towards the end of the holiday we visited the British war cemetery at Souda Bay near Chania. Compared to the German cemetery it was easy to find and the lines of graves were lined to look out to sea as the sun sets. It was a truly beautiful view and brought a lump to my throat that they'd picked such a peaceful spot looking out to sea and towards Chania. It's one place I will remember for the rest of my life. Greece has a special place in my heart. Crete possibly more than anywhere else as I met my husband there and I would visit it again in a heartbeat. The girls had a great holiday. I would recommend the area and accommodation we stayed at whether you want a beach based relaxing holiday or as a base for sightseeing Western Crete.

10 September 2016

After lots of deliberation in deciding which resort to plump for, we decided on Matagorda because both the accommodation and the resort seemed to tick all the boxes. We flew out very early in the morning with Norwegian Airlines. Whenever we fly short haul if they do the route we always try to fly with them as they have very new aircraft and free Wi-Fi for the children. On landing we collected our car and drove the short ten minute drive to our accommodation. Driving on Lanzarote is very easy. Everything is very well sign-posted and once you're away from the main resort of Puerto del Carmen and also the capital Arrecife. We had booked a two bedroom bungalow on a small complex called Nautilus Bungalows in Matagorda. The accommodation was very spacious and quiet and we had our own large and private patio. We had two good sized bedrooms equipped with fans and an air conditioning unit in the lounge. The complex has approximately half of its units adapted for wheelchair users and the whole complex was built with them in mind, right down to the lift into the pool. Matagorda itself is a quiet and flat resort with plenty of restaurants and bars set in a small shopping centre. Most of the seafront is pedestrianized towards Arrecife and is a great area if you like walking. It's also a really good resort for wheelchair users or people with walking difficulties. We often walked towards Playa de los Pocillos and ate in the shopping centre near the Los Jameos Playa hotel as there was a larger choice there and more locals eating in that area. Our accommodation was in a central location within a 5 minute walk of restaurants and the seafront. We had several trips out in the car. The big hit was to the Timanfaya National Park - a protected area which consists of an immense number of volcanoes. The queue into it was very long, so I would advise to visit after lunch as it was quieter then. Once you’ve paid the entrance fee of about €30 for a family of four, the coach which takes you around the volcanoes and lava fields is included. It's good value for money and you get to hear all the history of how the volcanoes have affected the island. Once we'd done the tour we then had a drink at the restaurant which sits on top of a volcano and watched as they cooked chicken over the flames. Another day we visited Cueva de los Verde's named after the family who discovered them - The Greens. It was fascinating and the kids weren't expecting to see the "surprise" which the caves hold. Another morning we visited Teguise Market and spent a few hours looking at the stalls which contained jewellery, clothes and lots of other goods as well as a section with stalls containing traditional Canarian food and drink. We also visited the Puerto Calero marina one afternoon and had drinks and ice creams in a pretty pavement café. It's a pretty little resort with some nice restaurants and a great area to people watch. One of the most fun things we did was to hire one of the four wheeled bikes and bike up along the pedestrianized area, past the airport and up to the next resort of Playa Honda. You cycle along the end of the airport runway and can nearly touch the planes. I found Lanzarote hadn't changed as much as I thought it would have done over the last 15 years and we would definitely go back to Matagorda and the same complex too. It's a great base to explore the island and even though it's right next to the airport it doesn't detract from how nice it is.