28 March 2018

I was lucky enough to win a trip to Thailand hosted by Emirates and Centara hotels. I visited in March. Following a great flight on the A380, where I was pleasantly surprised by the leg room in economy, it was on to our first hotel for two nights. We stayed at the Centara Grand Ladprao, Bangkok. The hotel is a long way out of the city for holiday makers, so I’d only recommend this hotel for business travellers. Saying that, it had a lovely pool and felt like a real oasis in the middle of a crazy nonstop city. I wish I’d had more time poolside! Whilst we were in Bangkok our amazing guide, Anon (who spent the whole week with us and became a part of the awesome TC family) took us to some fab places. On our first morning we went on a wonderful and fun longtail boat tour of the waterways. We stopped at the Barge museum where we could view the royal family’s barges. It must be a sight to see when all 50+ of them are in use on the Grand Canal! Following our brief time in Bangkok we hot footed it (three hours in a coach to be precise) over to Hua Hin on the coast. We stayed for two nights at the Centara Hua Hin Resort and Villas. What a gorgeous hotel. It’s very large but spread out over a huge area so it really doesn’t feel busy. We were there at full occupancy too, but there were no issues getting a sunbed or a mojito! The hotel has a real colonial feel to it, the villas with private pools are wonderful and perfect for families with older kids and couples. The beach is lovely, a bit rocky in the sea, but no big drama. The sea can be a bit rough so something for families with small kids to be mindful of. The pools here are lovely, so it’s no biggie. The hotel has a great gym and kids club, and choices of places to eat and drink. My personal favourite was Coast bar which was overlooking the beach. Hua Hin is great for nightlife so it’s a good option for those that want a few bars outside of the hotel, but it’s not too crazy busy and the bars seemed to shut around 1-1.30am. After a night out in Hua Hin we were treated to an early morning visit to the market. It was great to see all the weird and wonderful produce and see it being prepared. Not one for the light hearted after a heavy night out as it’s quite smelly! We then were taken for a private cookery lesson, using the produce we’d purchased. I for one am not a big cook, however I really enjoyed this and took home some recipes I intend to make back in the UK (or pass the recipe to the husband to cook most likely). On the way to Hua Hin we visited Hell Fire pass and when we left we were lucky enough to continue our history lesson in to the “River Kwai” story. We visited the "Bridge on the River Kwai" which I found really interesting and something that’ll stay with me for a long time to come. It makes you really think about how lucky we are. I’d highly recommend this to everyone visiting Thailand. We then made our way to the jungle and the River Kwai, where we stayed at the Resotel on the actual riverside. This is a simple 3-star jungle chalet style property, but it’s fine for a couple of nights. They do have a more upmarket floating hotel on the actual river for those wanting something a bit special. We went on a bamboo raft down the Kwai where a few of us decided to swim for it and off we floated down the Kwai, another memory I will never forget. Our trip ended with one night back in Bangkok at the Centara CentralWorld. This is a stunning five-star hotel in a perfect location for your holiday. Close to everything and the most shops and malls I’ve ever seen in my life. This hotel has a cool rooftop bar and champagne bar, again wish I had more time here! Then it was back home - exhausted!

14 November 2017

Flew out of Bristol with Easyjet for four nights in Lassi, Kefalonia, without the kids! The first fantastic thing is Lassi is only fifteen mins from the airport, so even though our flight arrived late it wasn’t a huge issue. We stayed at a lovely little simple self-catering property called the Simatos Apartments. Wonderful location, only a ten min stroll to the beach, three mins to the bars and restaurants of Lassi. The beach here is fantastic, long and wide, golden sand. Plenty of tavernas and larger bars along the length, most of which have sunbeds of differing quality outside, some the usual plastic and parasol and some double gazebo type set ups with thatched roofs. We opted for two luxury ones with thatched parasol and this was only seven Euros each for the day, bargain! Lots of tunes coming from the bar and waiter service to my sunbed! The sea here is warm and clear, very safe for kids, we went snorkelling for ages and went all along to the next couple of bays. The usual water sports available to hire. In the evening Lassi has a great choice of places to eat and drink, not overly lively or busy, no real disco type bars so it’s a perfect resort for all kind of clients, except those that want to go clubbing! We took a trip into Argostoli (the capital of Kefalonia) one day, wow what a lovely capital it was. Great little stroll around the shops, and the harbour is fab to walk around with an ice cream watching the turtles swim around. We took a boat trip for the day from here too which visited all around, which was well worth it. On our last day, we hired a car and drove the whole island. Our flight wasn’t until around 10pm so we checked out at around 8am from our apartment. First stop was to look at the famous Myrtos Beach, this is well worth a stop to take a few pics, you can’t swim here (well it’s recommended you don’t) as the current is very dangerous and it’s very deep very quickly, so we took advice and stopped for a pic and moved on. Worth noting the drive here is not for those that may get travel sick, the roads are very windy with a steep cliff on one side and narrow roads, so it can be a heart stopping drive for some! After here we headed towards Assos for mid-morning coffee. Wow - what a village, stunning little alleyways and beautiful Bougainvillea on the houses, which leads to a gorgeous tiny and quaint little beach with about three cafes. We were in the café with our coffee with about half a metre to the left of us being the beach, it’s that small and pretty. The kids would easily be happy sitting here on the beach messing in the water whilst mum and dad have a beer. You need to get here early July-Sep as parking is a nightmare. After Assos we headed to Fiskardo for lunch. This is like a bigger more sophisticated version of Assos. All the yachts were here, lots of lovely boutiques, furniture and homeware stores, cafes, and lovely restaurants. We wandered here for a while then had some lovely seafood for lunch whilst watching the yachting crowd. Again, parking here can be tricky. After leaving Fiskardo we started to head back South to make our way back to the airport, we stopped at Sami, and Skala. To be honest I wasn’t that taken aback by either of these places, however I appreciate we only saw the coast road in these places and didn’t maybe get right into the heart, Skala is where you’d go for more nightlife however. Back to the airport, dropped off the car, on the plane, home, back to kids and reality! I’d recommend a short break here and of course longer holidays to couples, families and friends, it was just wonderful!

21 March 2017

In April 2016, my husband and I went on a four night mini cruise with our best friends aboard Royal Caribbean’s new ship – Ovation of the Seas. The ship is huge, like nothing I've seen before - and I've seen many ships. I really was wowed. She's based in Asia for the Far East itineraries and the signs are in English and Mandarin, with a Noodle Bar instead of Johnny Rockets. We opted to stay in an inside cabin which had the new innovation of a "virtual window". In basic terms this means it has a wall with a huge HD screen which shows the outside in real time, so you get the day light, night light, dock side, ocean, exactly as you'd see it from a balcony or window. As it was only 4 nights we didn't get to go far, just visiting Cherbourg, Le Harve and Belgium (this is the only stop I got off at so I could visit Bruges, which is lovely!). The ship has everything you could possibly want and need. I particularly loved the Music Hall, which had an amazing 80's band and then onto into a night club. There are other places with different styles of music too, so there’s something for everyone. There is the obligatory evening quiz in one bar which was great fun, along with sing along at the piano. There's lots of interactive technology on this ship and lots of the art pieces do things, like the amazing butterfly wall which when you touch or swipe over a butterfly they fly off. The restaurants on board are fantastic. The usual buffet was jam packed with every choice you could imagine and we also managed to eat in all the speciality dining. The highlight of our cruise was dining in Wonderland. This is one of the speciality restaurants and you have to pre-book - it costs around $35 pp. It's a 7 course tasting menus but it's very interactive and out of this world. I don't want to tell you any more so it's a surprise for you if you dine in here yourself. This was a great long weekend and I can't wait to return with my kids in October 2017!

15 June 2016

I was lucky enough to win a place on a team trip to Mauritius. We travelled in May, and flew with Emirates. I flew out of Birmingham and experienced the Emirates Business Lounge which was great with free flowing drinks and lovely food. The flight from Birmingham to Dubai was on an older 777 but Business class on here was good, although the configuration of 2/3/2 meant you had to climb over someone to get out if you were in a middle of a 3 or by a window, but saying that the seats/beds were really comfortable, great food and fab service. From Dubai onto Mauritius we were business on the brand new A380 “wow” what a plane. The most amazing business class I’ve ever experienced, the best seats/beds in the sky in business I’d guess. We stayed at the wonderful resort of Le Morne, it’s about a 90 min transfer from the airport to here. Much quieter than some of the other resorts, with no town/village as such to walk to, so does depend on what holiday you’re after as to if this would be suitable. But for peace relaxation, amazing scenery (the Le Morne mountain resembles Table Mountain in SA) and fantastic beaches then Le Morne is perfect. We stayed at one of the Beachcomber hotels, Paradis. Beachcomber have 8 hotels on the island, so have something for everyone. Paradis is next door to the slightly more upmarket Dinarobin but you can use the facilities at both hotels, so think of it as one large property, pay less though to stay and Paradis and it’s a win/win situation! Paradis, has a lovely down to earth (no need to be all dressed in designer wear for breakfast, or dinner for that matter, just smart), the staff are wonderful and have all worked here many years, so you feel like it’s one big family and nothing is too much trouble, it’s a really lovely relaxed but personal service. The rooms are all HUGE, the balcony of my Deluxe room was bigger than many hotels I’ve stayed in alone. Fantastic view of the Indian Ocean and lovely big sofa on the balcony too. We saw some of the new upgraded rooms, which offer a more modern feel with clean lines and lighter furniture, however the newer rooms are further away from the amenities. They have some wonderful private villas for the guest that wants total privacy. The food was pretty good, Dinarobin next door also has some nice dining options to choose from. I didn’t have a meal that “wowed” me, but it was all of a good high standard none the same. Fantastic kids club and sporting facilities and watersports, mean this all adds up to the right holiday for many different kinds of clients. My one lasting memory of the trip was the amazing draw dropping pool at Dinarobin, the biggest swimming pool I’ve seen at any hotel in 26yrs of this job, lovely infinity pool right on the beach with the Le Morne Mountain in the background. It really will be a picture in my head I’ll always remember. I can’t wait to go back and take my family and I’d happily stay at Paradis without a second thought.

15 June 2016

We visited Dubai as a family (kids ages 4 and 11) for May Half Term. I’ve been before with work but many years ago, so was really excited to re visit after all this time. We travelled out of Heathrow with Qantas on the A380 and I have to say I was very disappointed in their economy class, the seats were very uncomfortable when compared to the Emirates A380 economy, so I’ll always recommend being on a Emirates plane on this route and not a Qantas plane. The service was shockingly bad, terrible food, no drinks served until around 2.5hrs into the flight, rude staff also, so it’s an airline I’ll not recommend to my clients until I experience them again I feel. We stayed for a week on the Palm at the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray. This is a hotel I’ve sent many families and honeymooners to in the past, it’s a high end 5 star. It’s all the way around the palm, so does take a good 35-45 mins from the airport and I’d say 20-30 mins into the city. So again may not be the best location for all, depends what you’re after. The hotel isn’t much from the outside but once you get inside it’s wonderfully opulent with a real Arabian and Turkish feel to the décor. No expense sparred kind of décor. The rooms are huge, we had a double deluxe which consisted of 2 x double beds, and a lovely lounge area too with sofa, desk etc. Lovely balcony and huge bathroom. We were on Half Board which meant we had a choice of about 7 restaurants in the hotel itself to choose from but could also dine in other “Jumeirah” hotels, of which the closest is the Madinat around 20-30 mins away on Jumeirah Beach (hotel runs a shuttle bus a few times a day to here and also their water park Wild Wadi and the Emirates Mall). So plenty of food choice. The standard of food was very high and we had some wonderful meals, even the regular buffet restaurant was fantastic and the food was varied every night. Worth pointing out that if you’re big eaters and like a full lunch as well as your evening meal then I’d recommend you pre book Full Board and eating in the hotel if you pay as you go is extremely expensive. As is drinking for that matter. A regular coke/sprite is £5 a glass, cheapest bottle of large mineral water is £6, Beer is £10, Prosecco is £15, so this isn’t a holiday for big drinkers unless you have a deep pocket! On that note if you are on a family holiday it’s a tad annoying that apart from the beach bar (which it’s hard to get a table in the evening, especially if you don’t want to be buy smokers) there’s no where to sit and have a drink in the evening if you have kids with you, apart from the lobby which totally lacked in any atmosphere so you didn’t want to sit there anyway. The pool is “wow” a huge infinity pool and never felt overly busy, the usual busy sunbed situation however does occur here! This big main pool has 2 lovely shaded shallow areas so lots of kids in here, life guards everywhere too. There’s also a lovely pool which is shaded in the kids club with toys and slides, so we spent a lot of our pool time here, never struggled to get a sunbed. Around the pools you can get free bottles of mineral water and ice lollies too, so that’s nice. The kids club was “okay” nice for a Air Conditioned area for the kids to go to when it got too much (was 40 degrees when we were there), but they never seemed to run any of the advertised activities or actively encouraged kids to engage and go in. So it felt that all the kids did was sit on the Xbox, which to be fair my 4 yr old loved! The kids club is open until 9.45pm. Dubai has so much to go and see and do, we did the Atlantis waterpark which was fab, the Wild Wadi (was okay, needs a bit of a re furb and more for younger kids), if you only can do one water park then do Atlantis. We went and saw the fountains at the Burj Khalifia and wandered around the Dubai Mall, and we also did the 4x4 safari with dinner in the Dunes, which was my 11yr olds favourite bit of the trip. Dubai again has something to offer all different kinds of clients. The only people that may not like Dubai is those that want some real culture and history as it’s lacking in that area.

10 October 2016

At the very last moment (2 weeks notice) we decided to treat the kids to a holiday of a lifetime by taking them to Lapland for Christmas. We went on the 23rd Dec and returned Boxing day and travelled with Santas Lapland who are part of Esprit. I sell Esprit a lot to my skiing families and I was interested to experience them myself, as well as experiencing Lapland, again is a destination I sell a lot to families. The flight out from Stanstead (a selection of airports are available) was fantastic, they had the kids up singing carols over the tannoy, gave out sweets, did a colouring competition so it was real fun. On landing in the coldest airport ever (it was minus 26!!!) there was a crazy elf waiting at the conveyor belt and a lovely Sami with his Reindeer outside, so everyone got in the Christmas mood very quickly. We were all split into different coaches and were in the "winter berries" and this would be our team for the few days. Lots of carols were sang en route to Saariselka, and were ambushed by some elves roadside that threw snowballs at the coach. We knew we were in for a few days of excitement and surprises and It was just a 30 min transfer. Saariselka is one of the more traditional and small Lapish resorts you'll find clients can go to. Very different from Rovanemi which is a bit like "butlins in the snow" from other clients feedback. Saariselka is tiny, just a hand full of shops, about 5 places to stay and about 3 restaurants. That's it. The scenery is stunning. The first stop was to collect our Thermal snow suits, and other bits. I thought this would be stressful but it's so well organised and the gear given to us was of very good quality. We stayed at a basic 3 star property called the Kieppe. It's advertised as a 4 star, but I certainly wouldn't’t rate it that. It's warm and clean and the family room we had was spacious, plenty of hot water too! It's just basic, no mod cons and a 3 min walk to the bar you have breakfast in (which again was basic, luckily I knew this and had taken cereals and porridge with us to feed the kids). Accomodation in this area is generally basic so if you’re after something more luxurious I can talk you through other options. The first morning we spent on a stunning Tobbogan run. It's fab as you just stroll down and there are plenty of discarded sledges at the base of the run, you just pick one up and walk up, none of us got cold or wet, the thermal suits and gloves were really good. Later that day we'd booked the Northern Lights snowmobile safari. Wow, this was fantastic (even though we weren't blessed with seeing the lights this night, too cloudy). The kids were put in a long sleigh all wrapped up with lots of other children and they are pulled behind the guides. The Husband and I then shared a snowmobile and off we went. It was one of the best things I've ever done on holiday, very well organised and very safe. We stopped midway for hot berry juice and biscuits around a lovely roaring fire, whilst the guides talked about the lights and the wildlife in the forest. Again none of us got cold. Happy Christmas!!! We woke on Christmas day super excited as this was our "search for santa day". Now I'm not going to give too much away, because if you do go on to book this trip I don't want to ruin the element of magic and surprise for you but we saw the big man himself (private family visit, unlike the main big UK tour operator who take you as a large group). Things included on this day in the exclusive Santa's Lapland place (your now a good 400km into the arctic circle and I cannot tell you how pretty it is!)are childrens snowmobiling, sledging, husky experience, reindeer rides, and lunch too. Everything here is free and included! This evening was our Gala Dinner and our dinner every night was taken at the Tunturi hotel, around a 5 min walk from our place. The food was filling and plentiful but is basic. The Gala Dinner was a slightly better quality of food affair and the did a few games for the kids. The final day we had time for more sledging before having to sadly come home. One of the main things i learned from this trip are that you can’t get enough out of Lapland in a single day, it's really not much more to have a 3 or 4 day break and do it properly. I'd be really careful about the supplier I place my clients with as not all Lapland holidays give you the same level of experience. For instance with Santa's Lapland their "elves" are only seen in Santa's Lapland places and only sing and play with the kids and only speak "elfish" whereas the main UK tour operator, their "elves" are in fact their reps who do everything, so that does lack a bit of "magic" for the kids. Also with Santa's Lapland our search for santa day encompassed all the free included things in one place in one day (you can pay for extra excursions like our Snow Mobile safari and these are taken separately on a different day). Whereas the leading UK tour operator only offer "taster" sessions and once you're in return your told when your taster session is for each thing, it possibly won't be on the same day as each other so this means is lacks a bit of magic and making the most of your time. Of course the big draw is Santa himself and the private family meeting is fantastic with Santas Lapland. I can't wait to return one day when my 4yr old is a bit bigger!

11 August 2015

We flew in style with BA in Club World (AKA Business Class!) fabulous lounge at Gatwick to have some breakfast in before getting on board and then a lovely quiet cabin with full flatbed seats. The food on board was fantastic and had a wine selection to die for! The on board entertainment I would say was just average. The first thing that really surprised me is that it’s only an 8hr 15 min flight there (7.5hrs on the return)! This makes it a really viable option for a 1 week long haul trip. The weather as you can imagine was hot with very high humidity. I’d recommend going in our Autumn/Winter/ Spring rather than the Summer. We stayed at Club Med Punta Cana. I’ve visited Club Med before (Sinai Bay in Egypt) and I am a real lover of their concept and offers (I have many families that I book to Club Med). The Club Rooms are a tad more basic than some of their resorts; I’d say a 3 star quality. The Deluxe Club rooms and the 5 Trident (5 Star) Triara space are for clients wanting a bit more luxury. The other thing to note is that the resort is opening the very first “Zen Oasis” in December which will be an adult only area and having seen one of the completed rooms, they really do offer the “wow” factor! It feels like a resort, within a resort. Zen offers adults the option to completely get away from it all or go into the main area of the resort and be more active and join in with the animation. The beach here really is amazing! I’ve travelled to many Caribbean islands and this is up there with the finest. Think long, wide white sand beaches. Many palm trees too, so lots of shade available. The sea isn’t too rough so it's ideal for all levels of swimmers (no lifeguard on duty on the beach however but not really needed). There is a lovely big pool, with a huge shallow end, so ideal for toddlers. The surrounding area of the pool was quite hot so you’d need your flip flops on to walk around. There’s no breeze by the pool either so the whole pool area was generally hotter than the beach (which had a lovely breeze most days). The day time animation offered by Club Med isn’t as in your face as some resorts. They have the usual aqua gym, and kids clubs walking around and then the famous “crazy signs” dance around the pool after aqua gym, that’s about it. They then have loads of sporting activities you can join in with, from land options like Tennis, Archery, Crossfit and Spin to water activities like paddle boarding, sailing, windsurfing, kite surfing (no water skiing here though). The stand out activity exclusive to Club Med is their new tie up with Cirque du Soleil in the form of a “Creative” circus school area all free of charge an exclusive. This resort is the only one to have a double trapeze and then the new Creative area has all kinds of bungee classes, running sideways up the walls, to the ariel hoop, trampolines, cirque make up lessons, juggling, unicycle….The list goes on! I tried the bungies and the running sideways along the wall, did my own cirque make up and refreshed my old juggling skills! In the evening the resort has a theatre where they put on a show most nights. It’s mostly the GO’s (this is the name their staff go by, guests are GM’s), but one night they have an outside company in and they put on the most amazing Michael Jackson show, I thought it was him it was that good a real must see! The food in the resort is good; the best restaurant is the Hispanola, which is a buffet restaurant. They’ve just employed a Michelin starred chef to oversee this one and in the evening they have lots of lovely dishes (think Tapas style) from all over the world. They do have a beach restaurant which will be getting done up this Winter which is going to be an adults only dining option over the water. In the evening for those party animals they often have a beach party or night club in the beach bar, it doesn’t get too rowdy or late so doesn’t affect anyone, but it’s a good touch, if you have the energy that is! The kids club is also fantastic, a huge area taking them from babies upto teen's with again many things going on day and night for them. Having never been to Dominican Republic I was pleasantly surprised and I’d return without any hesitation.

20 November 2014

I flew to Toronto with Air Canada, left at 15:00 so was a nice flight, arriving in at 10pm their time, 3am UK time..so stayed up as long as we could to help with jet lag! Nicely surprised by the amount of leg room in economy on this flight, food was very good too, as airplane food goes! Traffic into the city was heavy, and lots of building work, should normally only take around 30 mins but took us an hour. Upon arrival at the Shangri La my mouth hit the floor, what a stunning hotel. The feel when you walked in was that of a hip, sexy warm and welcoming boutique style bar/restaurant/hotel...the smell is gorgeous too. The biggest floating fire place I've seen with lots of lovely sofas dotted around. I can understand why the lobby is known as the city's "living room". They have live music every night, very indiscreet and as the evening wears on you get a cool crowd in there taking it all in. We were lucky enough to be staying in their 1 bedroomed suites, which are stunning. Living room with shower room off of it, huge bedroom and king bed and then another gorgeous bathroom with a huge Jacuzzi and shower. Worth noting that the windows are huge floor to ceiling windows and from my Jacuzzi I had a view of the CN tower, this is amazing at night when the city is all lit up. Everything in the room is controlled by an iPad, including the curtains, air con even calling room service and setting your alarm call, should you wish that is! We ate some finger food in the lobby whilst enjoying some quirky cocktails...the food was lovely. Next day we visited Ripleys Aquarium...now don't be fooled, this is an Aquarium like no other I've ever been to, even if you don't have kids you really should visit (9am or around 4pm is the best time), I could have easily spent a couple of hours here, in the winter it's a good bet for families to keep the kids entertained and warm, lots of hands on and play stuff for kids. Worth the money I promise! We then hopped next door to the CN Tower, again this is a must see, I think the best way to experience this is from the 360 revolving restaurant as it has huge floor to ceiling windows. Up on the observation deck it's all netted so the view I felt wasn't quite as good. Interesting to see the little islands just off the mainland here and know that you can visit these in the Summer, there's even a nudist beach, apparently! We had a wonderful meal in Bosk this night (hotel's restaurant), wonderful meal. There is another restaurant too called "Momofuku" attached to it which is a famous chain with another place in NYC, multi tired dining concept, the 7-9 course taster menu on the top floor sounds lovely and very good value. The following day was the trip we were all looking forward to, that being Niagara Falls. We of course were on the Canadian side so we went on the Hornblower boat, the other one most have heard of is the Maid of the Mist which goes from the USA side. Having seen the latter boat it looks about 100 years old is tiny and personally I'm glad I wasn't on it. Little tip is to go to the back of the boat as it's not as busy and no one is short changed from any place they view on the top deck. Keep a hold of the kids as there is lots of rocking around and the sides of the boat aren't that high. We had lunch at the Sheraton on the Falls, personally didn't rate this hotel a standard dated 3star, don't see any reason why anyone would stay in Niagara itself anyway. We were then spoilt and flew over the falls in a Helicopter too. If you do need to stay in Niagara I'd suggest taking the 20 min drive after the falls into "Niagara on the Lake" which is a lovely quaint old Canadian village with one off boutiques, little guest houses and restaurants, there is also a historical fort to visit here too, and the world's smallest chapel. Great vineyards in this area too, worth a stop for a bit of wine tasting and shopping, try the world famous Ice Wine. We visited a couple of outlet malls whilst there and there is a great choice, some of our group felt the prices for the shopping were actually better in the main mall in Toronto called the Eaton Centre. Worth noting that you can walk underground from the Eaton Centre into the Fairmont Royal York hotel, good to know if considering a shopping break in the Winter. We flew back business class with Air Canada which benefits from full flat beds, wow what a way to travel, arrived back at Heathrow a lot more refreshed than when travelling economy that's for sure. Looking forward to visiting Canada again in the future.

11 August 2015

Flew with South African Airways from Heathrow to Jo/burg, great leg room seats in bulkhead in economy, thought the Star Alliance lounge was poor however. On arrival transfer all good. Stayed the first night at a lovely boutique hotel called 54 on Bath super nice, great extra touches, breakfast was lovely. Huge bed. Went to Mandela Square for lunch and wandered around the shops at Santon City, which was huge. Wandered around Rosebank Mall in the afternoon which is joined to the hotel and this is where the gym is. In the eve we went to Melrose Arch and ate at Moyos which was fun. Next day we flew to the cutest airport ever called Kruger Mpumalanga, nice easy short flight on a tiny plane. This is the gateway airport into the Kruger if you're not flying into one of the airstrips at the lodges themselves. Drove to Ulusaba, you need a 4x4 if you drive this, however flying in or road transfer is best as we got very lost. It should have taken 3 hours to get here, took us about 5! Ulusaba (Richard Branson's private game reserve) is drop dead gorgeous....huge bed, huge bath, amazing food, very chilled out and relaxed - no need to dress up. Sean, our ranger, was amazing - very friendly and knew heaps. The attention to detail here and the personal service is what makes this place special. It's all inclusive too, and the quality of the wine, Champagne and food is outstanding. Lovely pool here too to chill in the day time. We then took a private 4 seater Cessna flight over Swaziland to Mkuze Falls. This lodge is in the Kwazulu Natal area and is totally different terrain, very hilly and much colder. The lodge was of a 3star I'd say, food isn't too great, but if you're expecting a 3 star you'd not be disappointed. Our guide sadly lacked enthusiasm. 4hr taxi to Durban, lovely driver, Learnt a lot from him about the history and politics. Drove near St Lucia, which is a World Heritage site, on the to do list for next trip. Durban was okay, line of high rise properties along the beach, so most of beach in the shade, reminded me of Surfers Paradise in Australia or Benidorm, slightly run down. Nice for a good walk, 5kms each way from one end to another. We walked up to UShaka Water Park, this would be great option for families. Personally I don't see any reason why anyone would want to do to Durban unless on business, it really wasn't that great. The Hotel was okay, 4star, typical large corporate chain, nothing special. We then flew onto George which is the best placed airport to grab your car and explore the central Garden Route. Again we used Avis. We drove to a place called Belvedere which is like a quaint English village. We stayed at a lovely place called Belvedere Manor, where you get your own little white washed wooden house, range in size from 2-3 bedrooms, so it's a home from home. There is an on site pub, bistro and pool and lovely gardens. It's a 5 min drive to Knysna, which is a place I fell in love with. This has to be on everyone's to do list for SA, the best oysters I've ever had in my life. Lovely seaside town, lots of little lovely shops and bars and restaurants. We then had a very interesting few hours, which involved driving to a gorgeous and huge beach in a neighbouring town to Belvedere which we (or husband rather) lost the car keys (car we'd had about 8 hours by this point) in the sand! We then had to flag down a lovely couple to drive us to Belvedere, where we called Avis. Wow what a service, they brought us a brand new car at 9am the next morning, and it cost us just the excess on our car hire (about £150), goes to show when things go wrong as long as your with a reputable supplier you'll get looked after! We visited Tsitsikama Forest and Coastal National Park, wow what a place for walkers and hikers. We had just a few hours here so we took the easy option and walked to Storms River, taking in the lovely rope bridges. If you had a few days you could stay here in a little wooden lodge and do the famous Otter Trail walk. Following this we drove to the seaside town of Plettenberg Bay. Gorgeous sweeping beaches similar in feel to Knysna and certainly a good alternative for a base. We had a my special 40th birthday dinner just outside at Tsala Treetops lodge......wow what a place for a special night I just wish we'd stayed overnight in a treetop lodge! We then left this part of the Garden Route and drove onto Gannsbaai for my "bucket list" trip of diving with Great White Sharks....sadly the weather wasn't good enough and It was cancelled...just means a return visit is on the cards! We stumbled upon a place called Walker Bay here, again this is a wonderful day trip for people, just the best scenery and walk along sweeping white sand. In Whale season this is the spot with small lodges lining the coast offering perfect viewing from your balcony! Whilst driving onto Cape Town we stopped at Hermanus...another stunning out of this world place, it was lovely being here and perfect for Whale watching (In Season). Amazing houses around the edge, and again lots of lovely little bars and shops. The Garden Route is very safe and felt very much like driving in Europe. The roads are very long and sweeping so lends itself to lots of cyclists too. We then hit Cape Town,, glad we had Sat Nav! We stayed at the world famous Cape Grace Hotel on the waterfront, and wow what a stunning hotel it is. Very geared up for families too. Our room was gorgeous with a Juliet balcony that opened over the harbour overlooking the yachts. The V&A waterfront is a typical city lovely waterfront, with malls, bars, restaurants, buskers, lots going on. We sadly didn't have time to do the boat over to Robbin Island, that's on the next trip. We did however get up Table Mountain and we were rewarded with cloud free views over the city. We drove through some lovely places on the outside of the city like Clifton and Camps Bay and I think next time we'd choose to stay in one of these 2 areas away from the centre (although the Waterfront is perfect or short trips and first timers). We also visited Boulders Beach, with the penguins..again this is a must do and you can swim here (just wander along from the main visitor centre), The gorgeous beach is one of the most interesting I've ever been in. The cost of living is super cheap at the moment and your money goes very far in South Africa. I'd return in a heartbeat and take the kids without a second thought as it really does offer an adventure of a life time... Until next time!

08 January 2014

Monday 9th Sep 2013 It was a restless night but not too bad as we have a long road trip today so I can chill and relax. We embarked on our short little trip on a bit of “Route 66”. We first stopped at Pontiac a name I’d only related to cars before. Let me tell you it’s a MUST SEE on any customers Route 66 itinerary. We visited the hall of fame and museum and were personally shown around by the Mayor of all people! This place is so interesting and has plenty to see, I’d say around 3 hours here would be good, or maybe arrive early afternoon with an overnight stay. Apparently they host old fashioned 50’s lindy hop nights which I imagine are well worth seeing. We left Pontiac (reluctantly) and got back in our Dodge Caravan for the 2 hour drive on to Springfield. En route we stopped for lunch at the Cozy Dog Drive Inn, famous for cameo on Man vs Food. Having never eaten a corn dog before I was hooked, they are yummy (and totally fat free I’m told….hmmmm not sure on that!). We drove on the original Route 66 brick road, (of which there is only 1.5 miles left) and took some great group pictures. Eventually arrive in Springfield, no nothing to do with The Simpsons (much to the disappointment of my 8 year old!). It’s the state capital and is teeming with history as Abraham Lincoln’s hometown. You can walk around his old house (although hardly any of the artefacts are original which is a shame). I’d strongly recommend a visit to the Abraham Lincoln Museum as this was very interesting and was laid out in such a way that it’s not too heavy going and is very interactive for the kids. Our hotel tonight is the Hilton Springfield. Even though the public areas aren’t as flash as the Hyatt in Chicago, I actually preferred this hotel as I felt it was brighter and airier in all areas and the room. It’s worth noting we had rooms on the Hilton Honours Gold and Diamond floor. We had a nice chance to meet the wonderful suppliers who’d helped in putting this trip together and we got to tell them how trips like this can benefit travel agents. We then went on to have a great meal at O’beds microbrewery and again were met by the Mayor. The food here was fantastic. We ended up in a great local’s bar and listened to a wonderful blues band adding to an amazing atmosphere and unforgettable night. Tues 10th Sep 2013 We headed out to a great tour of Springfield in an old fashioned Wooden Trolley, this was interesting with the opportunity to take some fab pictures After our Trolley Tour and the trip to the Abe Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum we have a lovely 4 hour drive ahead of us. We stopped en route at a real biker’s diner called “poopy’s”. I won’t share the story behind the name but feel free to Google! It served huge American portions and was reasonably priced, I recommend a stop here and if travellers feel the need they can get a tattoo done in the diner shop whilst waiting for their burger! Our next stop was the Rocky Waters Winery in Hannover. This is a lovely suggestion for a client’s itinerary and a bargain at just $5 each including the tasting of 14 wines. It’s a family owned business and the wine was excellent, we even got to meet the lovely family dog. They have a lovely wooden cabin here available to rent out, on their lake which could be a great suggestion. We then arrive at tonight’s lodging the “Irish Cottage Hotel”. This area location is hard to explain; somewhat of out of town (Galena is the main town here that people come to visit.) If budget won’t allow a stay in one of the local guest houses in Galena then this is the best option. Super comfy bed though! We had dinner at the Eagle Ridge Golf Club, which is huge. There are three 18 hole courses and a 9 hole course. You don’t need a handicap to play here so it’s a really good one to tell clients about, some great views from the outdoor terrace at the bar which serves some fantastic food. Weds 11th Sep 2013 We had a lovely Trolley Tour of Galena first thing which was really nice, a picturesque traditional little US town that you’d probably never heard of but really felt like good old fashioned America. The high street is a shopper’s paradise with little individual one off independent boutiques and trinkets, no main brands at all. I’d love to come back here and have more time (and money!). Sadly we then had to say goodbye to Illinois as we headed back home. Before this trip my expectation of Chicago was that it would be very similar to New York. In reality though I thought Chicago was a wonderful city, much nicer in my opinion than New York, not as stressed or expensive but with so many similar things to offer like the sightseeing, shopping and the big Broadway shows. It also has more green spaces, a free zoo, and some great beaches…I think a stop here in the summer would be brilliant. As for the rest of the journey I learnt so much about the US and her history and it really opened my eyes as to how to sell other parts of the USA that aren’t the obvious big city or theme park destinations.

08 January 2014

‘Discover Illinois’ with Cellet Travel Services Sat 7th Sep 2013 We met our small group of six at Heathrow T3. I’ve not been here for a while and they’ve spent a lot of money doing it up, looks nice. We used the self-service check in, this was easy and stress free. I’ve not flown Virgin from Heathrow before, only out of Gatwick. I’ve always had bad service, broken seats and seat back TV’s so I was pleasantly surprised to experience a fantastic flight. The new configured planes are great. We flew economy and the seat pitch was great and the width fab. I didn’t feel any need to pay for extra leg room. We arrived in Chicago refreshed and looking forward to a great few days. We checked into the Hyatt Regency O’Hare. It’s a nice hotel, 4 star, lovely public places which are modern and have had lots of money spent on them. I felt the room itself (I was in the Regency Suite) was dark and lacked attention to detail when it came to the finishing of room decor. It was huge though, but with a very small bathroom. This is in an out of town area called “Rosemont” and it’s a great place for an airport stopover, mainly due to the fantastic new “factory outlet” which has just about every kind of shop you need and plenty of dining options. It’s great to hear from the customer services team that our clients can drop off their luggage with them whilst they shop and if they were on a domestic flight they’d go as far to check them in on line, print off their boarding passes and even drive their luggage to the airport!!! There’s also a neighbouring entertainment complex for the evening time. Sun 8th Sep 2013 I woke from a great 1st night’s sleep, the comfiest bed ever, thank you Hyatt! Today we walked around the city taking in the many sites. We went up the Willis Tower (or if you’re speaking to a local they still like referring to it as the “Sears Tower”). Sadly there was loads of fog so we didn’t quite get the views or that scary feeling when standing on the glass overhangs…but the fact I knew I was 103 floors up in the air was scary enough! However the bonus was no queues at all. You should visit the Hancock tower too as the views here are also wonderful and you can see all the North side of the city, the lake and the beaches whilst enjoying a Mojito or 2 or 3! We had lunch at Bubba Gump at Navy Pier. Navy Pier is very touristy and apart from catching the boat trips from here, I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re on a short stop in the city. However, we did catch a great boat trip called the “architecture cruise” from the Shoreline Sightseeing boat company. It was very interesting and informative, a nice way to have a break from all that walking! Following on we then popped into the Essex Inn for a site inspection, a hotel looked after by Cellet here in the UK and one of the many UK operators use. For a fairly central location great for someone that doesn’t want to blow the budget and also very family friendly with interconnecting room options. Another huge family USP is its unique place as the only city hotel with a pool with a lifeguard during open hours!

14 May 2012

Having always wanted to visit Marrakech I was super excited to going for the first time along with some fellow Travel Counsellors. We went in May 2012 for three nights. The first night we stayed at the four star Es Saadi Resort and Gardens. The pool area was nice and the pool was heated perfectly but the inside of the hotel was quite dated however and I'd say would only suit a family on a tight budget. We visited the Palace on the first afternoon and had a private tour, this was really worth it as we wouldn't have had a clue about what we were looking at otherwise. The architecture was wonderful and the flowers and trees were lovely. It's only about £2 to pay to get in, then you can hire a guide for a few extra pounds. The following day we visited the Medina in the main square which is called "Djamaa El Fna ". I'd really recommend going in the day for the first time as it can be quite daunting, again we were lucky enough to have a guide with us as quite frankly it's a maze of alleyways with all the stalls, and you could easily get lost. Haggling is the name of the game here and it's so much fun. The locals are very friendly and you should not be worried about going in and getting some bargains. We visited the following evening too and again the atmosphere was amazing, all the sights and sounds, the places was a buzz. We weren't daunted as we'd been in the previous day so felt quite at ease. We didn't really get to sample any nightlife as there doesn't seem to be a wealth of bars or clubs, but some of the major hotels do have some nice bars and a couple of clubs. For the last 2 nights we stayed in a lovely Riad called "la Sultana", this was a lovely property and so quirky, unlike anything you’re likely to find anywhere else except in Morocco. My highlight of the trip however by far was going into the Atlas Mountains and having lunch at Richard Branson's property the "Kasbah Tamadot" wow what a stunning location. The service and food was impeccable and the setting just wonderful. I will return on my own holiday one day!

23 April 2012

Well for an alternative "city that never sleeps" Vegas certainly ticks the boxes! This was my second visit to Vegas, the first was during the previous year. We stayed at the Signature, MGM. This is the all suite part of the MGM hotel and offered a fantastic rate of around £380 for 3 nights. The suites are huge and the bed was the biggest and comfiest I've ever slept in. Each tower (there are 3 in total) has its own private pool, which has bar and waiter service. The pool is a nice relaxing quiet alternative to the main pool complex at the MGM. As well as the main free pool the MGM also has the fantastically wild "Wet Republic"…wow what a great day that was! This is the latest thing in Vegas; a pool which has a bar, DJ and lots of funky tunes. It’s really worth the $20 or so that it costs to get in. We went to watch "KA" at the MGM, whilst we were here. This is a Cirque show and was worth every penny (it's worth paying the extra money to have the best seats as it makes the show even more amazing and I've seen it twice!) This is really the only Cirque show that has a story as such to follow and is probably the best option if you're taking kids to Vegas and want to see a Cirque show. On the night before our wedding we ate at Joel Rubichon's place in the MGM, not the brasserie, but the main Michelin star restaurant. What an experience that was, for any foodies this is a real must. In all honesty the food options in Vegas are great, the buffets (which you may think are expensive) are so worth the money, the quality is great and the options are generally very upmarket. We then went onto Lake Las Vegas for our final night and stayed at Lowes, where we got married lake side at sunset....words can't say how amazing this was. Having seen the chapels on my previous trip with the tourist board I knew the Lake was the place for me, not a wedding chapel. We even managed to fit in a helicopter trip over the canyon....wonderful.

23 April 2012

Wow my first time in New York, I have always wanted to come here and can't believe how huge it is! We stayed just off of Times Square at the Novotel (it has a fab roof top terrace bar), fab location easy to walk to everything (and boy did we walk miles). We took in all the main sites and sounds and we visited some fab restaurants (worth doing your research in advance to find good places to eat and make reservations), the first night we ate in the area of the city called "Hells Kitchen" and we went to the famous "5 Napkin Burger" the best french onion soup I've ever had! It's well worth buying the 3 day tourist bus ticket, this consists of 3 loops which all intermingle and you can hop on and off, we saw all the major sites incl alot of the one's tourists don't often get too, so it's well woth doing this. We'd love to of done a show also, but just ran out of time.

27 November 2008

Well upon arrival the heat just hit us getting out the plane, it's going to be a nice sunny week! Our first three nights were spent at the Anse Chastnet hotel where we had a deluxe room, that was just huge. It was like being in a massive tree house in the middle of the rain forest. This is a lovely little property that is not about mod con's and entertainment. It's the most tranquil and relaxing place I have ever stayed. There are watersports like snorkelling and scuba diving, but you won't find any bingo or banana boats here. There is a choice of 2 restaurants, one of which is on the beach and makes for the most romantic setting. The food was 5 star, absolutely wonderful. After dinner it was to the bar for a couple of drinks. There really isn't much going on, so this hotel is perfect for relaxing, but totally not right for a young busy couple or a family. For the remainder of our week we headed upto the 3 Sandals hotels on the north of the island, about 90 mins away. We stayed at the Sandals Regency, however we could use all facilities and dine out at the Sandals Halcyon and the Grande St Lucian. These hotels were totally different to Anse Chastnet, lots going on, lots of choice and lots of people! The Brits prefer the Halcyon as it's a little bit quieter and has a really nice feel to it. The beach at the Grande St Lucian was out of this world. Having the option to dine around gave us a choice of around 15 restaurants. Also with it being a 'luxury included' holiday we could waterski, scuba dive, drink champagne and even go on the ringo's as much as we liked without having to worry about money. One of the highlights of my trip was going zip wiring in the rainforest. I'd recommend St Lucia for anyone, there is something here to fit everyone's tastes and pockets. I have also arranged a large group to St Lucia for a wedding since my return.

27 November 2008

So this was my second time to the park, but my husband and daughter's first! We travelled on Eurostar from Ashford (we overnighted at the local Holiday Inn, as it's an early train). The Eurostar terminal is a pleasant place to wait, with lots of things for the kids to play with, also with a place to grab a coffee and something to eat. We travelled in standard class on Eurostar, which was fine. I have travelled in first class before and the main difference is, is that first class is much much quieter and you get your meals included served to you at your table. Upon arrival at the train station at Disneyland (we were on the direct Eurostar service which goes straight into the park), we left our luggage at the luggage drop and went straight into the park. This is one of the advantages of booking a package with Eurostar as you get the express service. This enables you to collect your park passes and hotel voucher at Ashford. After a whole afternoon in the park we had our dinner at the Rainforest Cafe in downtown Disney. We then took a pleasant walk along the lake (10 mins) to the Newport Bay. Our luggage was waiting for us at the luggage room here, so it was a simple and easy process to check in and go to our room. The next day the highlight was dining with the Princesses and Princes at Cinderella's castle (this has to be booked in advance). Our 3 year old was beside her self chatting away to Cinderella and Prince Charming. During the course of the 3 course lunch we saw Ariel and Prince Eric, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella's mice, to name but a few. Okay the food isn't gourmet and it's not cheap, but it's a once in a lifetime experience for the kids. The following day's highlight was going to Buffallo Bill's dinner show. With cowboys and indians, horses, buffalo and lots of people all getting into the spirit of things. The food here was good I thought with plenty to fill you up. Infact you could skip lunch if you do this as you are served loads. It is quite a noisy affair, so keep that in mind, as young kids may find it too much. My main tips for Disney are to book a hotel on the lake, so you can easily walk in and out of the park. Also try and go on a Monday or Tuesday, as later on in the week it gets busy. Especially at the weekends when the queues are very long. For example at the start of the week we didn't queue any longer than 7 mins, by the end of the week it was up to an hour! Do not forget your trainers as you'll walk miles.