04 June 2020

So I thought I ought to see for myself, I’ve booked a lot of clients to the Maldives I wanted to see if it lived up to the hype, believe me it DOES ! Yes it’s a long journey most great destinations are, we flew to Male airport via Dubai with Emirates, truly recommend them good leg room and service even in economy, we flew to Dubai on the huge A380 then transferred to a smaller aircraft for the leg to Male I was impressed with both flights, even Wi-fi on the A380 ! They boarded both planes by seating zone so no scramble to board, so sensible. We then picked up a small internal flight 35 minutes and then a 20-minute boat ride all very smooth and well organised by my local agents. When we arrived at the resort check in was uncomlicated and quick. We were soon settled with a G&T and dinner. scenery beautiful, beaches great, food and drink great and staff who cannot do enough for you. So worth the hype YES most certainly! We Chose a beach property rather than a water villa, it was cheaper but we love beaches so a no brainer for us, strange to pay a supplement for a ground floor but we wanted to come off the patio straight onto the sand. We weren’t disappointed. One morning I got up and opened the curtains in our room, apart from the lovely view there were a couple of surprises ! A man cutting the Coconuts off a tree just outside our patio, nothing too strange you say but it was a man with a step ladder, a leather strap to lean against at the top of the tree and a machete oh and with bare feet ! - No team of men, no supervisor, no Cherry picker and no H&S rep! Gladly nobody died! Then I looked to the right hand side of our room and there was a Rainbow in the distance (no rain)! fantastic, then the sun came out for the day, and so did we till sunset..... marvellous. We had a lovely Anniversary day, Karen opted for the beach rather than the pool for another spot of paddle boarding, she was determined to master the sport and in the seemingly endless calm conditions there won’t be a better chance. One evening we were invited to a “meet the management “cocktail event” with some other guests which was a pleasant way to spend an hour before dinner, Nice chilled music on the beach with the sunset. When we eventually returned to our room the house keeping staff had left some petal designs on our bed. Very thoughtful of them, The weather forecast for Maafushi island Dhaalu Atoll where we stayed warned of a shower so we were ready to take cover as and when It arrived, the wind got up a bit and the heavens opened for about 20 minutes mid-morning. Well we were “caught” in the pool so thought it best to stay there sit it out and have another drink at the swim up bar. It was a short sharp shower as is often the case on a tropical holiday it was dry and roasting again within minutes, the great staff were completely unfazed by it. Karen’s beach volleyball starting about 10 minutes late was the only visible effect. Many lovely mornings were spent with a coffee on the patio before breakfast. Great WIFI allowed me to work a little from the patio most days as well (before Karen awoke obviously!) We had great food and wonderful service at all the restaurants (3) a big thank you to Cecilia and Patrick who treated us so well. This is a great holiday and a resort I have no hesitation recommending this to future clients. I so want to go back!

07 September 2019

Karen and I took a 4-night break to Barcelona in December. It was so rewarding; warm sunshine, blue skies, fantastic culture and a café lifestyle but without the crowds. Flying from Southend made it even more enjoyable. Staying at a traditional 4* hotel The Rivoli on the “Ramblas” our hotel was just a short walk from the Plaza de Catalunya so it was beautifully central. The Ramblas leads to the beach and marina. We fortunately had a suite on the top floor with a balcony overlooking the Ramblas, courtesy of the hotel being aware it was our anniversary and me making them aware I was a travel consultant. I will always advise the hotel of any special celebrations for me or my clients, sometimes it makes a difference, it certainly did here! We took in great shopping, fantastic food and plenty of culture. We visited the world-famous Gaudi’s, La Sagrada Familia over 130 years being built and still going, it’s a UNESCO Heritage Site as well. Oddly enough it only recently received its official building permit! We also visited the famous architects Casa Mila exhibition centre. There really is great scope in the Catalan capital. A visit to the “Camp Nou” stadium home of legendry football club FC Barcelona is also a popular tour however being our anniversary I wisely stuck to the shops, tapas and culture!

18 August 2019

We stayed at the Catalonia Royal Tulum resort, a fantastic resort right on the beach. It’s adults only and we had a really good time. We upgraded to a “Privilege room” which gave us unlimited use of the spa and access to an extra restaurant, it wasn’t a dear upgrade but worked out really good value for money. The hotel is strange in as much that none of the rooms have a sea view. They back onto the forest (or as Karen liked to call it, the jungle) which is alive with wildlife which more than makes up for it. The coatis (a small cute brown animal), are very obvious on the walk to the beach as well. They all seems to be generally omnivores so no need to worry about them hunting each other which pleased Karen! Unless you're eating a banana they won’t even look at you...we also saw some storks wading in the small gentle river. We went in September which is supposed to be the wettest month but apart from a couple of afternoon showers the weather was great and very warm, so lots of time sitting in and around the pool with an amazing fountain in the centre. What more can I say? Great staff, great food and choices, nice resort, not too big, enjoyed by us both so much we didn’t want to leave.

09 June 2021

It’s a cliché but we love a quick jaunt to Spain, we try to go at least once a year, finding something authentically Spanish on the Costa Del Sol is not an easy task though. I have travelled and stayed in more exotic places with powder white sand for sure but it being just 2 1/2 hours away is a draw, particularly when we could fly from Southend airport, alas not at the moment. Over the years we have stayed and visited many places from Estepona to the West, Marbella, Calahonda and Benalmadena on the “Coast” as the locals refer to it. I first became a fan when I worked very closely with a supplier of quality apartments and resort accommodation and visited every few weeks for work. We’ve people watched at Puerto Banus, walked the “Paseo Maritimo” with its Chiriquintos travelled the train line from Malaga’s Pablo Picasso Airport to Furengirola, stayed in top hotels, enjoyed the fantastic Marina at Benalmaden, visited the top of Mount Calamorro by cable car for a drink, view the birds of Prey and its stunning vista’s of the costa. But for all its anglo feel its treasures for us is staying at the very Spanish La Carihuela, effectively the old fishing village of Torremolinos, we book an apartment on line one and eat with the Spanish who frequent this very authentic enclave.

23 September 2019

I have been to the Costa Del Sol in the south of Spain many times but never manager to get to Gibraltar. So I promised myself I would visit the iconic “Rock”. It’s a true blend of Britain adjacent to Spain, British Police, M&S and fantastic weather. I flew into Gibraltar airport which is an experience in itself as the runway is actually intersected by the boarder with Spain, consequently the border has to be shut every time a plane lands. I stayed at the elegant "Rock Hotel." The food and service were good and there's a pool too. There are beaches to sunbathe on and a marina too but for me it was to see the rugged rock, look across to North Africa joined by the legendary apes. The apes (actually Barbary Macaques) were brought to the Rock and legend says if the apes leave Gibraltar so will the British, so as a consequence they are well looked after. The Spaniards believe the Rock belongs to Spain, but Britain fiercely regards the Rock as British. If you look at a map you can easily see the strategic importance of it, it’s a narrow entry point to the Mediterranean Sea. So, whoever controls Gibraltar controls everything entering the Mediterranean from the West!