25 October 2022

The Jewel in Tunisia’s Tourist Crown, is what they say. Just over 3 hours flying time from London to Enfidha and as you step off the plane you are enveloped by the warmth of the sun, somehow this always gives me a thrill. The airport is quiet impressive with water features and not many people, perfect! We were met by a charming driver who tried to engage with us, but his English and our Arabic were both of poor standards, so we drove with nods and smiles. I later found out the French is widely spoken here and that’s a bit more familiar with me, phew. The transfer time to our hotel was just 35 minutes across barren land with the occasional olive grove. Any tall structure was claimed as a nesting spot for storks, and there were a lot. Our home for the week was the Les Orangers Garden Resort Hotel and we received a warm welcome and a cocktail, lime I seem to remember, quite refreshing! The reception area has cool water running through it and interesting pieces of artwork which all make for a smart arrival, yes, a week here will be just fine. There are countless, (really countless) places to sit, relax, read or chat, throughout the landscaped gardens and reception areas, I quite like that. The garden boasts a 500 year old olive tree, wow that’s seen some stuff and around this tree evening entertainment and curious cocktails are offered. The hotel resort is on the beach with a stunning pool alongside. Shaded canopy beds line the beach and billow in the warm sea breeze. The beach bar serves all you could want on the beach… chilled rose wine! Plenty of staff ensure that you don’t have to wait to get served and they do it with a smile. Just feel the sand… never have I felt softer sand, the sea is warm in September. You may be sharing your beach with a camel but they are tended and make for a good picture. There's daily yoga for those who want to and it was really good. For a trip out take a taxi to the medina dating back to 1474 and constructed on the site of an Aghlabid (that’s an Arab dynasty) structure at the end of the 9th century. Go back in time in the souqs around the kasbah for souvenirs and get a real feel for this ancient country. Cocktails by the pool, roof top bar, slow cooked tagine and moonlit beach walks all the ingredients of a perfect holiday and Les Orangers did not disappoint and I for one will be back!

22 June 2021

We found ourselves looking for a fun festive place to celebrate Christmas away with our sons ages 16, 14 and 11. We chose Iceland and booked 3 nights at the Hotel Borg. The hotel came recommended and did not disappoint. One of the wonderful things about Iceland is that it is just under 4 hours flying time from London but seems a world away in landscape, traditions and culture. We arrived at Keflavik and had just a 45 minutes transfer to our hotel, The Hotel Borg https://www.keahotels.is/en/hotels/hotel-borg Oh, it was cold! But what extremely polite people, they really could not do enough for us. We had a couple of suites at the top of the hotel, large rooms with large very comfy beds and big radiators pumping out heat. The hotel is centrally located just round the corner from Hallgrimskirkja is the largest church in the country and a stunning building to admire. The country is heated by hot water piped from nearby hot springs. You will be struck by the smell of rotten eggs from the water system, but amazingly you get used to it! It is worth noting that food and drink is relatively pricey here, but the food is good. The food and drink tour of Reykjavik is recommended, where you can discover local food away from any tourist trail. We were collected in a Super Car with huge wheels. This was a highlight for the boys, and I think my husband secretly loved it to! We were hoping to drive out of the city to see the Northern Lights, sadly it was snowing heavily, and we were unable to see them. However, we did see breath taking geysers and to the excitement of the boys our huge vehicle got stuck in the snow. Our driver had to reduce the air in the tyres and we got going, (to my huge relief!). We had a quick trip to the Ice Bar where you have to wear a fetching silver thermal cape to keep you warm. We had shots of something lovely, vodka I think, from glasses made of ice, at an ice table, on ice stools in an ice cave, (the boys had juice!) it was really fun. Christmas eve and the excitement is tangible. Today is a trip to the Blue Lagoon https://www.bluelagoon.com/ This amazing New Wonder of the World is a short drive from Reykjavik. Packing your swimming gear whilst its snowing outside is uncomfortable but this county can do that to you! Well swimming in hot water with snow falling around you is great! There are caves to swim into, saunas to relax in and waterfalls to massage your back, it’s a whole fantastic experience, we all loved it and drove away with a warm sleepy glow about us. Christmas day and after a gift giving we ventured out in the snow and enjoyed snow mobiling. We rode out to find artic foxes. Two on each snow mobile it was really exhilarating. We didn’t see the foxes but we saw their prints, it was a very exciting trip that we all really enjoyed. There are many excursions to enjoy in this otherworldly country from volcanos, whale and puffin watching, horse riding and the Golden Circle Tour taking in blowholes, geothermal valleys and breath-taking scenery and much much more. If your phone does not have a good camera I really recommend getting a good camera to capture this amazing place. Iceland is a wonderful place to go for either a short break or longer, it will take your breath away.

04 May 2021

12/09/2020 – 16/09/2020 Inspired by ebikes hired on our ride from Vienna to Budapest we purchased our own back home, which makes any journey far more pleasurable if you are not regular lycra clad cyclists, which we are not! Having packed our kit into paniers and a couple of rucksacks. Our trip starts from our home, Bentley, GU10, we cycled the Shipwrights Way to Petersfield. This is a very beautiful ride starting at Alice Holt and links villages and towns in East Hampshire through some beautiful countryside. The name of this trail reflects the journey of oak grown at Alice Holt to the dockyard in Portsmouth for medieval shipbuilding, in all around 50 miles. https://www.forestryengland.uk/alice-holt-forest/shipwrights-way-trail-alice-holt So, letting the train take the strain at Petersfield, we travelled to Portsmouth Harbour where we caught the ferry to Fishbourne, 45 minutes later we were back on the bikes. Our aim is Shanklin on the south east coast, where we are meeting friends for dinner. Getting into holiday mode we stopped for an ice cream from The Dell Café in Puckpool before 13km on to Shanklin. Our friends met us at The Hideaway on Shanklin Beach, https://hideaway-shanklin.co.uk/ An outstanding restaurant and bar! Our journey continued the next day to Ventnor, 7km. We hugged to coast where we could and were blessed with great weather every day. Bonchurch is particularly pretty. At Ventnor we visited the Botanic Gardens and were very impressed with their Cactus and succulents. Our overnight accommodation was a Shepherds Hut in Shorwell, very bijou! Lovely chiminea for toasting marshmallows… yummy and very welcome after 17km ride. Our ride from Shorwell along the south coast to the west of the island is stunning. The beaches are any to rival the Mediterranean! After 18km we reached The Needles. We found a very busy tourist area, which was not our cup of tea, so we peddled on to lunch at The Hut. This is THE place to go on the island. Stunning views on the coast at Colwell Bay, delicious food and drinks. I would come to the Isle of Wight, just to go to The Hut https://thehutcolwell.co.uk/ Our journey took us next across the island via busy Newport to Seaview and The Seaview Hotel, https://www.seaviewhotel.co.uk/the-hotel. Seaview is a lovely place - we had delicious fish and chips, washed down with a large gin and tonic, from The Old Fort which we ate sitting on the sea wall while reflecting on a super few days, touring the island. Our ferry the next day was from Fishbourne so we cycled into Cowes for lunch in the harbour watching the sail boats come and go, before heading home. Ferry to Portsmouth, train to Petersfield and cycle to Bentley. We ate like royalty, kept fit, enjoyed beautiful scenery, saw friends and would highly recommend this trip, or similar, to anyone.

07 June 2021

Marrakesh, (the English spelling, but wildly used is the French spelling, Marrakech) really does have it all for an exciting, adventurous, friendly, fun, active and relaxing holiday. From arriving at Menara Airport your transfer is only 15 minutes to the centre of the walled city. Morocco's official spoken language is Moroccan Arabic, which is slightly different from other forms of Arabic. Nevertheless, thanks to its varied historical influences, part of the population also speaks French. Those working in tourism normally also know English and Spanish. If you are slightly less confident driver I would not recommend driving here, you are contending with scooters and donkeys! There are so many beautiful hotels in the city of Marrakesh and also surrounding the walled city. There is a lot of hustle and bustle and calls to prayer in the city, so it really depends on your wishes for quiet or not. The people are friendly, however, tourists do stand out and you will be approached to buy things or be shown areas to visit. I would suggest politely refuse and use guides recommended by your hotel or the tourist office. We stayed outside the Medina at Dar Lamia in Ouahat Sidi Barhim (www.darlamia.com), a superb estate located in the western palm grove of Marrakesh and about 15 minutes to the centre. Taxis are very cheap and can be booked easily. They are happy to arrange a time to collect you at a pre-arranged spot. My family and I visited for New Year’s and January is the coldest month, however we were still able to sunbathe by our pool and just wrapped up in the evenings. This is a good time to go for golf as the weather is perfect for a round or two! There are a lot of courses and are most well maintained. The Ideal months to visit are March to May or September to October when temperatures 21° to 32° C. The hottest month is July with an average temperature of 29°C but can get to a whopping 43°C! There are so many things to do from shopping and exploring the souks in the Medina to discovering the beautiful waterfalls in the Atlas Mountains. After our guided walk up the mountains (sensible foot wear is a must) we tucked into Lemon Chicken Tagine sitting by the water, it was perfect! Jemaa el-Fnaa is the main square and epicentre of Marrakesh and worth a visit to experience the buzz, vibrancy, snake charmers, dancers and music. It is also amazing as the sun goes down and the square changes. We enjoyed fantastic food. There is very much a French influence and some top restaurants. We ate a the roof top restaurant at the La Farnatchi (www.lefarnatchi.com) in the heart of the Medina. This is owned and run by a friend of ours and is actually a 5* hotel. Local chilled rosé wine with delicious meze and indulgent desserts, what was not to like! The YSL Gardens, Jardin Majorelle, are a definite must to visit. They are not vast so will not take long, but very beautiful and vibrant. At the time we visited there was a fantastic YSL dress exhibition which was a super surprise, as this was a girl’s trip (the boys were playing golf!). Always ideal to book in advance, even in January there was a long queue, possibly better to avoid the weekend. We were recommend to buy a ticket for the museum, which includes the garden, and the queue is shorter. After this we wandered the shops before taking lunch at Le Grand Café de la Poste (www.en.grandcafedelaposte.restaurant) opposite Zara, how handy! THE best Croque Monsieur ever! They do also have fancy food, but we were in shopping mode. Tiles, argon oil, soaps and sparkly slippers were some of the treasures we took back from our trip here. We ventured to have a hammam at our hotel, I think this is best in hotter weather when the atmosphere in the hammam would be more conducive to this. Spas and treatments are very good and recommended, well you are on holiday! There are so many restaurants and cafes, from casual to high end. Our last night we went to Plus61, this was recommended by an influencer on Instagram and it really was superb (www.plus61.com), fabulous cocktails too! Another recommendation would be Les Deux Tours (www.les-deux-tours.com) 5* luxury spa hotel, 10 minutes from the centre of Marrakesh . We had dinner here in the beautiful airy Salammbo restaurant, they were very accommodating of our large party (7) at short notice. I can’t wait to go back to Marrakesh, there is still so much to do and explore and definitely to eat! For either a short break (just under 4 hours from Gatwick) or a longer holiday, it will not disappoint. Why not celebrate New Years with a Murder Mystery over dinner in your Marrakesh villa, yes, it really was a trip to remember!

06 May 2021

A weekend away is good for the soul and Barcelona has everything a soul needs – history, architecture, food, art, music, shopping, great atmosphere and Cava! My visit was with my sister and we went in memory of our mother who had recently passed away and who loved Spain. We stayed at Hotel Barcelona Universal on Av del Paral-lel between Port Vell and Sant Antoni districts and walking distance to La Rambla. October is not the hottest month to go but we wanted to mark our mum’s birthday while there, so warm outer wear was needed. Walking is the best way to see this beautiful city and soak up the atmosphere in the alleyways off main streets. It also burns off some of the excess calories that are easily piled on. Get restaurant and bar recommendations from friends and Instagram. A friend recommended Sensi Bar and we headed their first. Great recommendation and started our weekend off with Cava and Tapas, perfect. We felt perfectly safe walking at night, but I would always suggest public transport or a taxi. Our first full day was a food tour of St Joseph Market, located very near our hotel. The variety of fish, meat, vegetables and fruits is outstanding and a feast for the eyes and a little bit of shopping. The Sagrada Familia is a must but pre book entrance tickets to avoid a queue. Just the most stunning cathedral and still in construction! We found a cute bar nearby for refreshment before walking on towards the beach and reflecting on the beautiful building. This is when a summer trip is a good idea, as the beach was in need of sunshine! There are bars and restaurants along the front that I can imagine would be perfect on a sunny day. Our hotel had a roof top bar and pool, so this was a draw to get back to the hotel and sample a cocktail or two overlooking the Barcelona skyline while watching the sun go down. The metro system here, I am informed is good, however we were keen on walking and didn’t get to experience this. Day 2, shopping here is great and we ambled up the Rambla to Placa de Catalunya where we jumped on an open top bus, after browsing the shops. A great way to view the Gaudi buildings, so pretty! Placa Del Rei was our lunch time spot for sit down with a cool string duo playing some cracking tunes. We dragged ourselves away to head to the harbour passing the zoo and Citadel Park, really pretty space. Who doesn’t like fireworks and a visit to the Magic Fountains at Parc de Montjuic are fantastic and rival the Bellagio in Vegas - music, colour, fountains and fun. We grabbed a beer from one of the local sellers and enjoyed the spectacle. I think getting a spot to sit early is a good idea but we were happy to stand watch. Day 3, The Picasso Museum is a short walk from our hotel passing lots of alleyways which open into unexpected squares with little shops and cafes. One can pass time very easily just casually walking and soaking up the atmosphere. The Museum is lovely, take a tour using their recorded handsets, its eye opening to hear about the paintings. The building is very beautiful too. Pre book tickets, again to avoid queues. This was our last day and we just enjoyed revisiting one of our favourite bars just off La Rambla, El Gotic, very art deco with super friendly staff and great food! Our only regret of the weekend was a flamenco show we got roped into watching. That was 2 hours of our lives we will never get back! It was awful, don’t get talked into it. This is a perfect city for a weekend getaway, 2 hours from London, and the airport is just ½ drive from the centre of the city. There’s lots more to do, so I will have to go back for another weekend away!

13 April 2021

Want a holiday to take you away from it all? Enjoy different cultures and get fit? Fly to Vienna, pick up bikes and information pack with maps and off you go! Ebikes come at an additional cost, but we say it’s worth it! Your journey will take you along the River Danube. Through Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Fly home from Budapest. You don’t need to carry all your luggage on your bike. Your bags will be transported from hotel to hotel, so you can have clean clothes and any other little luxury you might like! The hotels are 3 or 4 * and adequate for a night each. I loved arriving in different towns and villages, checking into the hotel, parking up the bikes and then exploring! We found some amazing restaurants and enjoyed delicious local foods. Top restaurant was Kortina in Komarno. A bit off the beaten track but wow. We stopped at some places that we still cannot pronounce! Cycled a total of 289 km, about 48km (30 miles) per day We came home with a great tan, firm thighs and amazing memories!

21 October 2021

My husband and I had come to a point in our life where were able to take a pause. We had sold our business, our children had left home and we could now take time for ourselves and travel! This trip was not something we could put together ourselves, we tried and it was impossible, nearly destroyed the laptop in the process! We were then recommended Travel Counsellors, (I had never heard of them before). But how glad we were that we found Jane, our local Travel Counsellor. We met with her and explained our crazy idea and she made it happen! Our aim was to see family in New Zealand taking in other countries en route. With her and with her professional knowledge on the technicalities of ticketing, destinations and time scales we started to formulate a plan. Within a couple of weeks, two meetings and some emails we had our final World Tour. Planning it was as exciting as packing and going. Jane was very patient with us as we chopped and changed the route to get exactly what we wanted and within our budget. So, in March 2010 with a small family gathering at Heathrow to see us off, we set off for Las Vegas, and the Aria Hotel. What a great place to start, so vibrant and exciting. This flight was the first of 28 over the next 9 weeks. After not winning on the tables, but seeing the Grand Canyon, wow, we took our hire car and drove to LA, from here we flew to Auckland then on to Wellington. Here we stayed with family for a few days before boarding a tiny plane for a bumpy flight to the South Island and a camper van for a week touring the island. Helicopter to the Franz Josef glacier was thrilling! From New Zealand we flew to Melbourne, visiting friends and discovering this beautiful city. In Australia we visited Sydney and travelled up to Cairns to the Barrier Reef staying in a self-catering swim up apartment, loved that! It was now April and my birthday, celebrated with the sun rise over 4 mile beach and a glass or two of sparkling Cloudy Bay! From Cairns we travelled to Bangkok and a 7 night cycle tour of the River Kwai. To rest our tired bones after cycling, we checked in to the Six Senses in Hua Hin for a 14 night pamper and pause. We were totally chilled and loved Thailand. Refreshed, we flew to Hanoi and Halong Bay and Surprising Caves! Due to poor weather we couldn’t stay on a Junk but we were checked into a very nice hotel on the bay, all this was organised by our Travel Counsellor back at home and was seamless to us. We flew down to Ho Chi Minh City, which we found very moving, there’s lots to see here and the food was delicious. From Vietnam we travelled to Hong Kong for a few days (and shopping!) before coming home. We could not have put this programme together ourselves and have enjoyed it so much. So, when I came to another point in my life for a change, I chose to became a Travel Counsellor myself and now I am creating dream holidays for my lovely clients.