Andy Gilhooly
I'm based in
Edinburgh
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It's Nice To Meet You
Many thanks for taking the time to visit my webpage. Great to meet you.
My name is Andy Gilhooly and I am an Independent Travel Counsellor based in Portobello, Edinburgh.
Sydney, Rio De Janeiro, Johanesburg, Tokyo, Marrakech, Vancouver, Hanoi, Essaouira, Mauritius, Auckland, Bangkok, Dubai, Haiti, Kuala Lumpur, Jamaica, Mexico, Los Angeles, Barcelona, Budapest, Lanzarote, Majorca, Porto, Charleroi, Tenerife, Tel Aviv, Valetta, Dusseldorf, Amsterdam, Zeist, Chicago, Seattle, New York, Cape Town,Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Nassau, St.Thomas, St. Maartin, Prague, Stockholm, Oslo, Turku, Copenhagen, Mumbai, Delhi, Pretoria, Orlando, Fort Myers Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Key West, Bratislava, Rijeka, Dublin, Belfast, Cairo, Venice, Memphis, Sofia, Dominican Republic, Koh Samui and Varna.
I am absolutely passionate about travel and as you can see I have visited many destinations worldwide. I have also been organising travel for small and large groups for over 30 years.
Whatever your enquiry please be assured that you will receive 100% commitment and assistance at any time of the day.
I have arranged worldwide travel for many people and specialise in Florida, USA. I promise you the highest level of personal service and would be delighted to assist with your travel plans. Accessible Travel is also a speciality so please get in touch as you will receive everything required.
Travel Counsellors are the only Travel Agency to be awarded the Queens and Kings Award for Enterprise and have been voted "Best Travel Agency" by readers of The Guardian and The Observer newspapers many times.
Your money is 100% safe and is protected financially by ATOL and the unique Travel Counsellors Financial Trust, giving you total peace of mind. No other Travel Agency offers you this full protection.
Your enquiry will be treated as if it is my own holiday. As I say "Miles to Travel, Many or Few, I'll go that extra one just for you."
Travel guides
Explore my guides and blogs
Scenic Eclipse Central America Discovery Cruise
Scenic Tour On the 3rd April (Day 1) we flew down with Copa Airlines from Miami to Panama City and had a pre Cruise night at the amazing Panama Hilton. Private transfer all included by Scenic from the airport to the Hotel. What a superb Hotel and what a fascinating City it was. Staff from Scenic were waiting at the Hotel and we were fully updated on everything. On Day 2 Scenic put on lovely coach
11 May 2023 7 min read
Kalkan
I recently had a short break to the amazing town of Kalkan in Turkey. I flew with Easy Jet out of Edinburgh. It’s a 4-hour, 20-minute flight then a 90 minute transfer but well worth the wait. I stayed at the 5-star Likya Residence and Spa. It’s about a 10-minute walk into town but a stunning hotel set on the hill overlooking Kalkan. The rooms, food and people were amazing. We sunbathed each mor
21 Jun 2018 1 min read
Maldives
It was then off to the Maldives for a short 4-night fam trip. Great and short flight with Emirates out of Dubai - just under 4 hours which was great. On arrival it was onto the seaplane for our trip to Atmosphere by Kanifushi. A great 40-minute journey to this lovely Island. We had an amazing welcome from the staff and were then shown to our rooms. We had some time to relax and then had a great
14 Jun 2018 2 min read
Gold Conference
Great flight with Emirates over to Dubai then met up with other TC’s for our 45 minute transfer to Ras al Khaimah and to the Waldorf Astoria. Checked into this amazing hotel and then it was off to the pool to cool down. The rooms are huge and stunning. At night it was the welcome dinner at The Doubletree Marjan Island. We were really well looked after. It was then back to the hotel and more fes
13 Jun 2018 2 min read
Nashville
Arrived in Nashville after a fairly lengthy flight from Portland via Chicago. Picked up and taken to the lovely Cambria Hotelk which is close to Broadway and a really modern hotel. Quickly checked in and then off to the welcome reception. It was then time to explore Broadway where every bar had live music - playing what a fun street. The next day it was off to RCA Studio B for a great tour of
12 Jun 2018 2 min read
Oregon State USA
After our time in Washington it was then over the border and into Oregon. First up was the Fort Clatsop National Historical Park. Lots of history as the explorers in 1805 used this as a base to search the region. We then checked into the amazing Cannery Pier Hotel in Astoria. Stunning hotel with amazing views. We had a ride on the Old 300 Trolley before Dinner at the Bridgewater Bistro. Afte
12 Jun 2018 2 min read
Washington State USA
Great flight with BA from Heathrow to Seattle and the views coming into the city are stunning. It was then off to the Crowne Plaza to offload our cases. It was then down to Pike Place Market for lunch and a look round. Amazing place to visit and the fish were flying around. It was then the Ride the Ducks Tour which is a great way of seeing Seattle by land and water. Then it was up the Space
12 Jun 2018 2 min read
Mirragio, Greece
I left Edinburgh on the 19th of September for a week in the 5- star Miraggio Thermal Resort and Spa. I went with Jet2 out of Edinburgh to Thessaloniki. It’s a 3.5-hour flight and the service was pretty good. We arrived at the airport and our complimentary transfer was waiting for us. The only problem was we had to wait an hour on another two people coming in from Stansted. It was then anothe
27 Sept 2017 2 min read
Thailand Trip
We started off by flying with Etihad to Bangkok via Abu Dhabi. Great service. We arrived in Bangkok and firstly were off to the amazing Royal Orchid Sheraton. Destination Asia were looking after us on the ground. A quick rest before a boat trip up The Chaoprahya for lunch at The Babble and Rum Restaurant at The Riva Surya Hotel. The food was great. It was then a boat trip on The Klong Tour a
25 Sept 2017 3 min read
Morocco
I'm just back from an awesome trip to Morocco with the Morocco Tourist Board. We stayed at the superb Movenpick in Marrakech for 3 nights, a great large hotel close to the airport and Medinah. We visited the Medinah and souks and picked up a few bargains. My advice is that it's best to go in a group or with a guide when you explore. We soaked up the atmosphere in the square and then had dinner
07 Apr 2017 2 min read
Four-day break in Venice
I’ve just returned from an amazing four days in Venice, where I stayed in the Hotel Principe on the island. The flights with EasyJet were perfect (only 2 hours 20 minutes) and we went straight to the boat ferry, which, for 15 Euros, took us to our station Guglie; our hotel was just round the corner. After checking in, we went out for our first taste of pizza and pasta at a local trattoria. There s
28 Jan 2017 2 min read
Africa November/December 2016
The first part of this amazing journey was from Edinburgh to Doha with Qatar Airways. We had a long stopover in Doha but they had a great (and free!) city tour, which included a 3-hour transit visa. We went on the tour and returned to the airport for our flight to Johannesburg. After arriving in Johannesburg, we had a look around the city and ended up in Nelson Mandela Square. It’s next to Sand
27 Dec 2016 6 min read
Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah
30th September 2016 I drove over to Glasgow Airport with my colleague Kate Milton, checked in and then we were well looked after in the Emirates Lounge, they even had the Ryder Cup on. Great start to the trip. We flew over to Dubai with Emirates and the economy cabin was very good. Great service. I watched the Ryder Cup on their live TV channel, amazing what you can get at 38,000 feet. You even
26 Oct 2016 6 min read
South Africa and Mauritius
On arrival in Joburg we split our luggage up as we could only take 20kg in total onto our small light aircraft for our short flight up to Madikwe Game Reserve. Brilliant flight up to the Game Reserve and even had a lovely light lunch. We were me by the staff from our first night at the Madikwe Hills Private Game Lodge. Did not have much time to relax as we then had the afternoon game drive. The h
15 Jun 2015 6 min read
Kuala Lumpur
Started the journey in the amazing Emirates Lounge at Glasgow airport. Superb lounge with great hot food. The next leg was a 7 hour flight to Dubai. Very relaxing on board with their superb service. After a short connection in Dubai it was the second and final 7 hour leg from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur. We arrived in Kuala Lumpur about 10pm and after a quick luggage pick up and immigration che
20 Mar 2015 3 min read
Discovering Thailand...
Just back from an amazing trip to Thailand. Went Jet Airways from Heathrow to Mumbai and then on to Bangkok. Brilliant airline with a great on board service. The food was amazing. Arrived in Bangkok and stayed a night in the Nuovo Hotel in the City Centre. Great location and the staff were very friendly. Large rooms with very big walk in showers. Visited the Grand Palace and various other Te
30 Sept 2014 2 min read
Dubai
I had a wonderful few days at The Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai. It’s only a 25 minute cab ride from the airport and the cabs are really cheap and plentiful in Dubai. The Jumeirah Beach is in front of the Burj Al Arab the 7 star wonder Hotel. I had a look round but not much to see apart from the amazing entrance. During my stay I visited a few markets and malls. The Dubai Mall is massive but wo
20 Jun 2014 2 min read
Auckland
What a stunning city. I stayed in the Grand Chancellor in Auckland City Centre. There is another one out at the airport but what a cracking location the city centre one has. It is just down from Sky City and just up from the marina where all the ferries to Davenport and Waiheke (to name a few) leave from. The room was a reasonable size, clean and modern. There was a small kitchen area and a sm
19 Jun 2014 2 min read
Sydney
I had an amazing time in Sydney. The city is vast and so many different cultures call this home. The vivid light show on the Opera House was superb and is now an annual event in mid-June. The weather was in the low 60’s in June and was pleasant enough. I stayed in the Haymarket area in the Mercure Hotel which was clean and modern. The rooms have either two double beds or a king. They have some
17 Jun 2014 2 min read
Malta Trip
I’ve just returned from an educational trip to Malta with my fellow Travel Counsellors. I have visited Malta several times but that was over 20 years ago. Malta is famous for the sport of water polo and that is what took me there all those years ago. How things have changed. The development is unbelievable. Malta is a very small island but it has lots to offer. The history of the island is in
09 May 2013 4 min read
Amsterdam and the Amstel Botel
I recently enjoyed a short break in Amsterdam and stayed in the Amstel Botel. It was a quick jaunt over from Edinburgh with Easy Jet and no complaints about the flight; well organised and all on time. I got to Schipol and straight on the train to Central Station. It’s 3.90 euros and by far the best and quickest way into the centre. The train station is right in the middle of the town. I had a q
21 Mar 2013 2 min read
Orlando
I’ve recently been over to Orlando and visited all the Disney Parks. Here is a quick update on my trip. When you arrive at the transportation centre at the Magic Kingdom, take either the boat or monorail. When it is busy the boat can be the better and quicker option. The new aspect to the park is the development of New Fantasyland for the youngsters. Lots of work is going on so it’s going to be
11 Mar 2013 3 min read
Las Vegas
I’ve been to Las Vegas a few times and stayed in The Stratosphere, Caesars Palace and MGM Grand. This time however we stayed in the Rio. It’s just off the strip but there are free shuttles to the strip every 20 minutes. The rooms are clean, tidy and large with either a view over the pool or the strip. We had a view of the strip and it was superb. There are a lot of good restaurants including th
07 Dec 2012 2 min read
Key West
Key West is superb. There are lots going on. It’s not the easiest place to get to but when you’re there its brilliant. I have driven the beautiful 100 miles from Miami and it is well worth it, certainly once. I have also flown in and my favourite is the Key West Express from Fort Myers Beach. You can also get it from Marco Island. It’s a large fast vessel with a bar. It takes about three and a hal
04 Dec 2012 2 min read
Cancun
I recently travelled on the ‘Oasis of the Seas’ and took the excursion to Cancun. It was only a 45 minute ferry ride from Cozumel to the mainland and then an hour on a coach. The coach ride was very informative and stopped at a beautiful beach just before Cancun. Cancun has some stunning hotels. They line the beautiful white beach all the way up the coastline, which is right on the border betwe
04 Dec 2012 2 min read
Florida
I have a villa in Clermont, just at the back of Animal Kingdom, and come over here about four times a year. It is heaven. If theme parks are your thing then it is a perfect location as we are just behind animal kingdom. Only a five to ten minute drive away is Disney World. We are about 30 minutes from Universal and 20 minutes from Sea World. The weather is great all year. It’s quite hot and hum
04 Dec 2012 2 min read
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Your holiday isn’t just a trip away. It’s a longed-for escape, time to reconnect with loved ones, or a dream adventure you never thought possible. That’s why I take the time to truly get to know you and understand your hopes and expectations, then use my experience, connections and passion for the destination to create a trip that makes those dreams a reality.
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When you plan a holiday with me, you’ll be given my personal mobile number from the very first call. I’ll listen to your thoughts and ideas like I would a friend and arrange accommodation, activities, and flights that are all personalised to you. And I’ll share my personal tips and recommendations, so you can experience the true beauty of each destination.
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