04 August 2023

A trip to New Zealand was at the very top of my husband's list of 'Things to do before I can't!'. He had lived out there for a few years as a child and hadn't been back since leaving at the age of 11 and had vowed for many, many years that this trip was a MUST DO to re-visit where he had spent some of his childhood with myself and our daughter. Although I knew it would happen one day, I didn't quite expect over the Christmas period of 2022 to be planning a bucket list trip to travel to New Zealand in March 2023 - I blame the pandemic!! So not quite believing it was actually happening, my husband, myself, our daughter and her partner sat in the airport lounge at Manchester Airport the evening of 22nd March 2023 ready to set off on our long journey to Christchurch where our adventure would begin.

24 March 2022

On Wednesday 4th November 2021 I set off on an early flight out of Manchester to Reykjavik for a 5 night “Iceland Adventure”. We started off at FlyOver Iceland, where state-of-the-art technology gives you the feeling of flight. Your seat suspends you so that your feet dangle as you watch and ‘fly over’ the landscape of Iceland with special effects of wind, mist and scents, along with motion, which allows you to feel exhilarated as you take the journey. Later we joined the Reykjavik Food Walk which was just fabulous and I ate some amazing traditional food… but that’s all I’m saying as part of the tour is not knowing the detail, however, I can say that I highly recommend it! We then headed down to the harbour to embark on our Northern Lights cruise. Sadly, they didn’t come out to dance for us, but it was good fun trying to hunt them down! A fabulous first day and overnight stay in the city. The next two days were full of adventure! We were excited by our Super Jeep mode of transport which firstly took us to the stunning Seljalandsfoss waterfall – it was amazing to be able to walk behind it and hear the phenomenal noise of the water, before we headed into the glacier area. Our local Ice Cave Guide fitted us with crampons, helmet and headlamp before trekking across the glacier to enter ice caves, it was exhilarating and the scenery was breathtaking…..as was Skogafoss waterfall. We were blessed with blue skies and sunshine as we headed to Langjökull Glacier for our Snowmobile experience, it was something I hadn’t done before and I absolutely loved it! Staying in the Golden Circle countryside for 2 nights, in the 5* Grimsborgir Hotel. It was so peaceful and perfectly situated for viewing the Northern Lights… sadly they didn’t show for us! Our final two nights were back in Reykjavik where on our last full day we had an early morning Whale Watching cruise and were sooo lucky to see Orca’s. Then later that night, we took a super-jeep to try to hunt down those Northern Lights one last time ….and were successful…yeyyy! Such an incredible sight. Geothermal lagoons are a must when visiting Iceland and I had the luxury of relaxing my body and mind in both Sky Lagoon at the beginning of the trip and Blue Lagoon at the end. They offer quite different experiences, with the Blue Lagoon considered one of the New Wonders of the World. We had an incredible few days….other sights we were fortunate to see include a Geysir, stunning waterfalls, volcanoes….so much natural wonder, it truly is a wonderful destination.

12 December 2019

An opportunity to experience Namibia on the ‘trip of a lifetime’ was available, to go on safari, to visit Etosha Heights, go to Damaraland, stay in Swakopmund, climb Big Daddy and photograph Deadvlei…..plus fly between these places by private jet – wow, I just had to go! After an 11 hour flight from London Heathrow to Johannesburg, followed by a 2 hour flight from Jo’burg to Windhoek we met our fabulous team at the airport and wandered out to board our Grand Caravan ‘plane which was to be our transport for the duration. As we set off on our 1 hour flight to take us to our first lodge, Okonjima, home of the Africat Foundation, I had to pinch myself that this was really happening! The main reception area of the Lodge overlooks a waterhole which was fantastic to just sit and watch the activity. We had a tour and talk on the conservation work they carry out before going to see some rehabilitated cheetah’s. Dinner that evening was very special, outside around a traditional Boma. A 5 am alarm call started day 2 for our first game drive. Full of excitement we tracked the leopard and a hush came over us as we watched her stalk water hog. It is so special seeing giraffe, elephant, zebra, onyx as you turn a corner and the camera clicks were busy left, right and centre! After lunch, we took the 1 hr flight over the Etosha National Park, with a great bird’s eye view of the Salt Pan of Etosha, to SafariHoek Lodge in Etosha Heights. A very warm welcome by the staff in song greeted us. Our afternoon game drive was incredible with some great spots to include lions, elephants, giraffe, buffalo plus much more – we were blown away. Our sundowner stop had us full of chatter as we toasted the sunset and captured more photos. An early start on day 3 took us on another fabulous game drive, where we were full of oooh’s and aahhh’s at seeing a baby elephant with his mum, as well as black rhino and zebra amongst other animals. The evening dinner saw us learning about the dress of the Herero Tribe ladies and trying it on ourselves. A storm had started and the overnight rains were incredibly welcome, especially as this had brought them the most rain at any one time for 109 years - we had obviously taken our UK weather with us! Our mid-morning flight took us to Damaraland and Twyfelfontein Country Lodge. Every day of this trip brought a new adventure with differing landscapes. Damaraland gave us Bushman rock paintings from thousands of years ago which are so interesting, and Desert Elephant tracking. We were fortunate to view so many elephants during our afternoon drive including a 10-day old baby elephant, you are mesmerised watching them and could easily sit for hours doing so. We visited the unique Damara Living Museum on day 5, it was fascinating to learn about their culture and to listen to their native ‘click’ dialect…..it was a real highlight to go there. This afternoon flew us over the Skeleton Coast on our route to a 2-night stay in the oldest hotel in Namibia, the Hansa Hotel in the coastal town of Swakopmund. From here there are lots of adventures to choose from. We took a Mondesa Township Tour after lunch which gave us an insight into the local market, the history of the Herero Tribe and the opportunity to sample some local food including the Mopane worm – the latter ‘enjoyed’ whilst listening to a fabulous acapella group of singers. Day 6 was our adventure day, starting with a Marine Boat Trip where we were fortunate to see a humpback whale, thousands of seals and had the odd pelican joining us on board the boat! After our enjoyable morning, we set straight off to Sandwich Harbor, where the sand dunes of the Namib Desert touch the Atlantic Ocean. This view was reached by 4x4 on a sand dune bashing tour…..it was so much fun and the screams coming from us as we tipped over the edge of the sand dune could possibly be heard for miles! This was such a wonderful experience and we thoroughly enjoyed taking fun photos making the most of the backdrop. We left Swakop’ mid-morning of day 7 for the dramatic 1.5 hour flight over the Skeleton Coast – I had the pleasure of being co-pilot - as we flew to Sossusvlei. This is home to one of the highest sand dunes in the world, Big Daddy, which we were to conquer the following morning by walking up it and then running down into Deadvlei to view the remarkable trees standing in the middle of a salt pan which have been dead for over 600 years! Day 8 had us up and out early from our superb hotel, Le Mirage, for the one hour drive to the foot of Big Daddy. The climbing in sand took some getting used to and started off quite steep, but before we knew it we were at the top taking in the magnificent views. We took a short cut down and it was magical hearing the sand crunch beneath our feet as we took big running strides down the side of the dune…..ending up a foot taller with the amount of sand in our shoes! After our stroll through the salt pan viewing the trees we re-joined our vehicle and headed to Sesriem Canyon to see the stunning rock formations and is one of the few places in the area where water is held all year round. Our return to Le Mirage gave us a couple of hours to enjoy the Namibian sunshine before our last sundowner overlooking the plains, watching an Oryx wander around (as you do!) We had a fabulous farewell dinner down in the wine cellar which we reached via candle-lit steps – we were truly spoilt. Our time in Namibia was limited, hence us travelling by private aircraft to allow us to experience the different places however self-drive is a popular travel option….although you could always include both to allow you to see as much as we did! It is the most amazing destination with lots to offer.....this incredible experience will stay with me forever.

01 April 2018

We hadn't planned an early break, but as the weather was particularly cold and awful we found ourselves pining for some warmth, so when the invitation arose for us to join friends in Abu Dhabi for a few days in March, we jumped at it! We took the 19:10 direct overnight flight from Manchester to Abu Dhabi with Etihad Airways, a great flight which had us arriving around 6½ hours later into a very pleasant 24 degrees early the following morning! We stayed just a short distance from the airport at the beautiful Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal, where we found ourselves checked in and eating breakfast by 9:30am! The hotel has one of those ‘wow’ locations – it overlooks the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque which is a stunning building and especially so at night when it is lit up. The entrance into the hotel lobby is beautiful and welcoming with fabulous chandeliers and flower displays, along with a very pleasant fragrance. We had a Deluxe Room which was very spacious and well-appointed with a fabulous view overlooking the pool, canal and beyond. We stayed half board which included a buffet breakfast and dinner with an abundance of choice. The staff here cannot do enough for you and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We, along with our friends, took a sightseeing boat trip from our hotel, along to the Corniche where we took full advantage of the white sand and clear blue sea for a dip, before heading to the mangroves where we saw the flamingos and other birdlife. Our friends were travelling home before us, so we spent their last evening at the Li Jiang Asian restaurant where we dined on the terrace overlooking the Grand Mosque, such a special and memorable experience. We had a great day out using the Big Red Bus to travel around. Abu Dhabi has lots of construction work currently taking place which was interesting to see and learn of the city’s exciting plans – I hope to return in the future to experience some of these new additions. One recently opened attraction, in November 2017, was the Louvre Abu Dhabi which we enjoyed visiting. The building itself is architecturally worth a visit to see, as well as the museum inside. The end of the day took us to the Grand Mosque. Entry is free and an abaya is provided for ladies to wear to meet the respectful dress guidelines. It really is quite stunning, and as you can imagine we took one or two photographs! As we came out, the sun was setting, a perfect time to visit. As we only had a short time in Abu Dhabi there is plenty we didn’t do, so it’s a perfect excuse to return! With the direct flight offering, it is a perfect alternative for some winter sun for either a short or long stay.

01 April 2017

This was our first big holiday on our own since having our daughter 20 years ago, a trip to celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary....no pressure to get this right then! We arrived at our first destination, Cape Town on the 10th March 2017 for a 4 night stay at the boutique Hotel Queen Victoria hotel in a great location close to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront – great place to wander around with its array of restaurants, bars, shops and street entertainment with a really good vibe. Day 2 - Up bright and early on a lovely clear and sunny day, we head out after a fab breakfast to catch the Citysightseeing hop on-hop off red route bus to take us to the Cableway station and up to Table Mountain via cable car. We are lucky with the weather, it is warm and the views are spectacular – perfect for walking around and taking photos. We travel back down and join the bus to continue our tour through lovely beach resorts including Camps Bay and Bantry Bay before eventually reaching the Waterfront for a quick lunch before joining the bus again for the Yellow Downtown Tour. Day 3 - Fabulous Sunday treat at the iconic Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel today, we took Afternoon Tea on the garden terrace, we thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it! Day 4 – Pick up the car today and off we set towards Cape Point. First stop Llandudno, well, living close to the North Wales one, we had to have a photo! Stunning scenic drive over Chapman’s Peak, plenty of photo opportunities of the fabulous beaches and coastline below. Entrance fee paid on arrival into the National Park and we head towards Cape Point. We opt to walk rather than take the Funicular...very blustery, but well worth the visit. Next we drive round to the Cape of Good Hope, stopping for the Ostriches crossing the road in front of us! Heading back towards Cape Town we stop off to see the penguins at Boulder’s Beach before reaching Kirstenbosch Gardens where we stroll around the magnificent gardens – they are stunning, well worth a visit. Days 5 to 7 – Today we leave Cape Town to drive to Franschoek in the winelands. Our first night is spent at ‘La Residence’, a truly special place. The following two nights we stay in the village at the friendly ‘Leeu House’, a well located property within walking distance of many restaurants and shops which were a pleasure to stroll around, but we also made sure we allowed some time to relax in the pretty gardens and pool area . Wine tasting at Leeu Estates and Mont Rochelle, followed by a picnic in the vineyards was a really lovely experience and one which must be done! Day 8 – Today's journey takes us on a flight to Port Elizabeth followed by a 90 minute drive to Pumba Private Game Reserve for a 3-night stay in a Water Lodge. We were very much looking forward to our stay at Pumba for our first ever safari, but it far exceeded our expectations – we absolutely loved it! The two game drives per day at 6:30am and 4:30pm led by our extremely knowledgeable Ranger were exhilarating and exciting – there was never a dull moment with road block elephants and zebras crossing! We saw the Big 5 and more...a fabulous experience which has left us with such special memories. When can we go again...! Day 11 – Sadly today was our last breakfast sat in the restaurant overlooking the water, which was particularly busy this morning with several elephants at one end, hippos at the other and a display by the African Fish Eagles overhead...not a bad way to end our stay as we say goodbye to Pumba! Our final destination is on the coast at Saint Francis Bay where we spend our last three nights at The Sands @ St Francis – a great little B&B with the most stunning location overlooking the ocean, where it is compulsory to sit with your doors open, to relax and listen to the waves from your patio...absolute bliss! A perfect end to a perfect trip to South Africa...special memories we shall never forget.

26 March 2013

As you can imagine, I have a long wish-list of places I would like to visit and Barcelona was very high up under the city break options. When our friends invited us to join them in Barcelona to celebrate a significant birthday, we jumped at the opportunity! We travelled out of a sunny but cold Liverpool, arriving just over two hours later to a very wet Barcelona! However, this didn't deter us. After checking in at our hotel we were soon making our way into the centre via the efficient Metro system and walking along Las Ramblas. Fortunately we were blessed with lovely sunshine for the rest of our stay. Barcelona has so much to see and do. We opted for the hop-on/hop-off tour bus on the Thursday which enabled us to see so much of the city and we then returned over the following two days to places of particular interest to us. My husband was keen to visit Nou Camp Experience, the stadium of FC Barcelona. We all really enjoyed the self-tour and felt it was definitely worth a visit - even for a non-football fan such as me! Friday was a walking day and oh did we walk! Almost 13 miles (yes, we did have a pedometer!) We had decided to return to the Montjuic area as we viewed it from the bus. We were keen to see from outside the Museu Nacional d'Art Catalunya as our friend is a keen photographer and it really is a very attractive building with stunning views over the city. We spent some time there taking lots of photos and just soaking up the beauty. We then headed to Poble Espanyol, the 'Spanish Village' which has lots of lovely art and craft wares to view and try. We had a pleasant couple of hours wandering round before sitting in the sunshine for a delicious lunch of paella and sangria! That afternoon we took the cable car from Montjuic down to Barceloneta which gave us fabulous scenic views of the port area. After dark, we returned to the Museu Nacional d'Art Catalunya to watch the fountains lightshow. The water changed colour and 'danced' to the music - stunning and well worth viewing. On Saturday we headed to Sagrada Familia to photograph Barcelona's most famous building. It really is quite an amazing sight. Later on we took an afternoon stroll along the promenade of Port Olimpic and Port Vell. We had a wonderful few days in Barcelona.....I recommend you go!

28 November 2017

We decided early on in 2011 that we would like to ‘escape Christmas’ for one year, and as Thailand has always been on our wish list of places to visit, this was where we decided to go. What a fantastic choice we made - we LOVED Thailand! We went to Manchester Airport on the afternoon of the 15 December for the overnight Etihad Airways flight to Abu Dhabi connecting onwards to Bangkok and then an Air Asia flight to Phuket. We had chosen to stay in Khao Lak, approximately 90 minutes’ drive from Phuket Airport, so we did have quite a long journey initially, but it was well worth it! Our first four nights were spent at the JW Marriott Khao Lak where we stayed in a pool access room which allowed direct access from the bedroom into southeast Asia’s longest swimming pool, it is a lovely hotel and we would very happily return! Whilst there, we took an excursion to Khao Sok National Park where we had had a lovely Thai lunch and bamboo rafting through the jungle which was so beautiful and tranquil – all in all, we had an absolutely fantastic day - highly recommended! On the Monday, we set off for the two-and-a-half-hour car journey to Ao Nang, Krabi where we were to spend the next six nights and Christmas! We had opted to stay right in the heart of Ao Nang in order to be able to wander out to bars and restaurants, as well as having easy access to the boats for visiting the islands, so our hotel the Peace Laguna Resort was ideally located. It was busier here than in Khao Lak, so although we had enjoyed the peace and tranquillity there for a few days, it was nice to now have a bit more going on – especially in the eyes of a 15-year-old shopaholic who learned the art of bartering very quickly! We spent our days here taking the long-tail boats out to the nearby islands with their stunning beaches and turquoise seas, we visited Railay Beach, Poda Island, Chicken Island and on Christmas Day we took a speedboat excursion to Hong Island – it was all very lovely. Boxing Day dawned and we headed off to Krabi Airport for our short flight to Bangkok where we spent our last three days at the Royal Orchid Sheraton, situated on the river. Our room had the most fabulous view of the Chao Phraya river and we were fascinated watching the numerous river boats. We knew Bangkok was going to be a very busy city and we were not disappointed – we have never seen so much traffic! There was a great buzz in the city and of course we had to take a ride in a Tuk-Tuk! We visited temples to view the country’s longest Reclining Buddha and the solid gold Golden Buddha, which was very interesting. We agree with the slogan ‘Amazing Thailand’, it really is a fabulous country with friendly people and we cannot wait to return.

14 September 2010

Sunshine....we needed sunshine!! As the school holidays had been so cold and wet, and daughter wasn't returning to school until the 6th September, we decided to head off to the sunshine for a week to re-charge the batteries. So on Sunday 29th August we took an early flight out to the Algarve. This was our first visit to the Algarve and won't be the last - we loved it! We collected our hire car from the airport and set off for Alvor in the Western Central part of the Algarve. The roads are great and we managed to find our way without any problems....or map disputes! Our base for the next seven nights was the Prainha Club in a one bedroom apartment. The accommodation was a good 20/25 minutes walk down into Alvor village (taxi back!!), but we loved it for it's peaceful location and direct access down (111 steps!) to the beach, where we had the choice of lovely little coves with crashing waves - bliss! There was also a lift which took you down to a wonderful little beach bar/restaurant which was built into the cliff, so by evening you couldn't wish for a better location to be sat overlooking the beach with a lovely chilled glass of wine and a traditional fish dinner in front of you! We ventured West one day with our final destination being the headland at Cabo de Sao Vicente - the most south-westerly point of mainland Europe. En route we visited Lagos - the beach and the Marina, Praia da Luz and various small coves and villages along the way. We ate our picnic lunch on a small beach between Burgau and Salema listening to the waves and watching a surfer....it was wonderful. Another day we ventured into the mountains, visiting Caldas de Monchique - a pretty little village with a spa and woodland area, before driving through Monchique and eventually reaching Foia - the highest point of the Algarve. The views were amazing and well worth the trip out. We took lunch at a little cafe and sat on the terrace overlooking spectacular scenery, whilst eating the traditional Chicken Piri-Piri ! We had a great holiday and will definitely return to the Algarve.....sometime soon, I hope!

14 October 2009

Dubai has intrigued me for many years now and I have been desperate to experience this destination first-hand. So when, after completing the Dubai Tourism training course, I was offered a place on an educational trip I absolutely jumped at the chance! Etihad Airways provided an excellent flight direct from Manchester to Abu Dhabi, which is just a one hour coach transfer into central Dubai. I was extremely fortunate to experience the wonderful Pearl Business Class with flat bed on the outward overnight flight - I felt like royalty, the service and the food was exceptional and a truly memorable experience. The Coral Economy Class experience on the return flight was also excellent - it was comfortable, had 1.4inch individual touchscreen TV's and again exceptional food and service - it was a pleasure to fly! The whole trip was amazing. Dubai is just so diverse with something to appeal to everybody, whether you like to spend your time on the white sandy beaches, shop 'til you drop in the huge Malls or try your hand at skiing on the indoor slope - you really can't be bored in Dubai. I went on an Abra across the creek to the spice and gold souks and visited the Dubai Museum which was really interesting, showing how Dubai has developed and changed in such a short period of time - this expansion is still ongoing and is visible, but is exciting too. I visited Downtown Burj Dubai where the Dubai Mall is located and experienced the Dubai Fountain, the worlds largest dancing fountain - it was fantastic - the water hit heights of around 150meters in time to music and the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement. I can't wait to return to Dubai, not only for the fabulous hotels, the impeccable service, the wonderful food, the dune bashing desert safari, the sunshine...I could go on and on as the list is endless - it truly is an experience and one I can highly recommend!

27 April 2009

It's a few years now since my last visit to Tenerife and with the family all ready for a week of relaxation, we thought we'd spend Easter in the sun. So on Monday 6th April, shortly after a four hour flight and a twenty minute taxi ride, we found ourselves sitting in the warm sunshine of our balcony - bliss! We chose a hotel in the Costa Adeje area of southern Tenerife, an area I was keen to experience. Less than a five minute walk downhill took us to the modern Plaza Del Duque shopping centre with top designer shops - although why my husband tried to avoid them, I don't know! Beyond this was the Promenade and Playa Del Duque beach where we took an 'after-dinner walk' on a couple of occasions to relax in a lovely outside lounge bar with comfortable seats in which to sit whilst sipping on a cocktail and listening to the singer ... utter bliss!! We spent a couple of days strolling along the attractive Promenade - we firstly walked to the right which took us along the coast to La Caleta, a small attractive village where we had lunch in a little restaurant overlooking the sea before meandering back to the hotel. Another day we opted to walk to the left, again along the Promenade, which took us along the coastline of Playa de Fanabe, Torviscas, Porto Colon, Playa de las Americas and eventually reaching Los Cristianos - the contrasts as you walk are an experience in itself with designer boutiques, upmarket restaurants, British bars, all-day-breakfast cafes, harbours, street traders, souvenir shops, quiet beaches, busy beaches, surfing beaches. We enjoyed it all. Travelling with a 12 year old meant that a day at the recently opened Siam Water Park was top of the agenda, so off we went to spend a day being catapulted around in rubber rings and thoroughly enjoying ourselves!! The rides in the park are fantastic and some are unlike anything we had experienced before - they definitely got my daughters seal of approval, especially as the look of fear on her mother's face was apparently hilarious!! So all in all we have had a wonderful time and Tenerife is definitely a place we shall return to. We are chilled out and have had a lovely Easter in the sun - I can highly recommend it!

29 September 2008

Barbados has always been on my list of 'Places I Must Visit', (along with a whole long list of other destinations!). I just love to travel and now my daughter is that bit older, our family holidays are venturing that bit further afield. So on the 6th July 2008 we found ourselves onboard a Virgin aircraft bound for 2 weeks of sunshine in Barbados. The 8 hour flight passed very quickly and soon enough we were being welcomed in the arrivals hall by a lovely Bajan gentleman, sporting our name on a board, ready to whisk us away to the Almond Beach Village in Speightstown. We had a very comfortable journey and picked up a lot of local knowledge on the way, bus routes, places to visit, etc. We spent the first few days settling in - well, we had to take full advantage of the beautiful blue sea, gorgeous sandy beach and the glorious sunshine! One morning we took a trip into Bridgetown for some Duty Free shopping. There are a good selection of stores selling jewellery, perfume, handbags, sunglasses, etc. and well worth a visit. Our trip was organised on a complimentary basis by the hotel, but it is very easy to use the public transport in Barbados. This is something they highly recommend as they want to highlight the fact that Barbados is a safe destination where locals and tourists can be at one. Cricket is an extremely popular sport in Barbados and one which is taken very seriously by the Bajan people. So much so that one of the excursions was a 'Beach Picnic' with barbecue and cricket match between the guests and locals! It was definitely a memorable day. We hired a car one day and took ourselves off armed with a picnic, camera and map. The roads are well signposted and we managed to find our way around very easily. Our first point of call was the Animal Flower Cave at the northernmost tip of the island - we enjoyed our trip down to the cave to see the sea anemones and then we spent some time sat watching the waves crashing against the most spectacular cliffs - it was bliss. We found some wonderful view points and were taken aback by the beauty of the island, the east coast has to be visited to be appreciated. We took ourselves down a dirt track which led to an isolated beach - it was absolutely fabulous - there we were, sat alone on a gorgeous white sandy beach watching huge waves crashing (you can't swim in the sea on the east coast because of the strong undercurrent) - it felt quite surreal and a truly 'at peace, away from it all' moment. We spent the whole day visiting various beaches and sights and were so pleased that we had hired a car - we hadn't really 'seen' Barbados until that point. My recommendation would be to hire a car for at least three days, there is so much to see and do. I had been told that Barbados is a lovely island, that the people are welcoming and friendly and the weather is superb - I can only agree.