27 June 2018

For all those thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies out there, Universal Orlando is the place for you. There are three amazing parks to choose from - Universal Studios, Universal Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay waterpark. Sadly, I visited before Volcano bay opened but I've heard it's amazing from my clients. Universal Studios Harry Potter fans will love Diagon Alley, Escape from Gringotts ride and Hogwarts express - the fabulous train ride that takes you over to Islands of Adventure. They have lots of little amazing shops where you can buy wands, Harry Potter costumes and souvenirs. Kids and adults will love it. You can buy Butterbeer and all the weird and wonderful sweets featured in the movies. Other rides to try… TRANSFORMERS: The Ride-3D. I really enjoyed this one, the special effects are amazing. The boys love it. Shrek 4-D Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit™. This is one of my favourite rides. Make sure you choose your music and then watch your video when you get off the ride. It's even better in the dark too. Despicable Me Minion Mayhem™ Revenge of the Mummy™. This ride was favourite with my kids. Fast and furious and very scary. Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon™ Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl The Simpsons Ride™ MEN IN BLACK™ Alien Attack™. This one is a favourite with my kids too. Fast & Furious – Supercharged™ Now open. And for the little thrill seekers Animal Actors On Location!™, E.T. Adventure™, A Day in the Park with Barney™, Curious George Goes to Town, Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster™ and Fievel's Playground™. Islands of Adventure. I think this is my favourite park. Here you have even more Harry Potter - the fabulous ride Harry Potter and the forbidden journey. The kids loved it, but I felt a bit queasy after this one. Most people say this is their favourite ride in the park. There’s also Skull Island: Reign of Kong™, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man®, The Incredible Hulk Coaster® (love this one, it's amazing), Doctor Doom's Fearfall®, Storm Force Accelatron® Prepare to get wet on the following rides. These water rides are brilliant fun, but you will get very wet so make sure you take some spare dry clothes with you. Great fun. Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls®, Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges®, Jurassic Park River Adventure™, Jurassic Park Discovery Center™, Pteranodon Flyers™ And for the little thrill seekers there’s Dr Suess Landing, The Cat in the Hat™, Caro-Seuss-el™, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish™, If I Ran The Zoo™ and The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!™. If you are visiting in October, then make sure you go to Halloween Horror nights. It's one of the best things I've ever done. Hilarious and very scary. I would recommend staying in one of the Universal on-site hotels. I have stayed at the Cabana Bay, Portofino and the Hard Rock. Cabana Bay is fabulous for families, the pools are amazing, and it's got a real friendly atmosphere. It's right next door to Volcano Bay too. Portofino is very Italian in style, luxurious and stylish. Hard Rock is great for everyone. There’s a rock music theme, cool and trendy vibe. Fabulous clubs for kids and pool area. The benefits of staying at Hard Rock, Portofino and Royal Pacific are that you get unlimited Xpress passes so you can skip the line on most of the rides. This is definitely a bonus and well worth it. Whichever hotel you choose, or even if you stay in another Orlando hotel, then you will have an amazing holiday. I've been twice and can't wait to go back again. It is amazing. Have a look at some of my pictures.

18 June 2018

Top 10 Things to do with kids in Abu Dhabi Only a seven-hour flight from the UK, this emirate makes for a unique and thrilling holiday destination with kids. Pick from world-class theme parks, activity parks and water parks, desert excursions and incredible wildlife sightings – all in a setting of near-constant sun shining down on pristine beaches. We’ve shared our top picks for the best activities to do during your family holiday in Abu Dhabi. • Head out on a desert safari. Abu Dhabi’s surrounding dunes were one of the main filming locations for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. Options vary by age but can include quad-biking, camel trekking and camel farm visits, dune-bashing, sandboarding and even spending the night in a Bedouin tent. • Ride the world’s fastest rollercoaster, Formula Rossa, at Ferrari World theme park. After hurtling along at a speed of up to 240km/h (150mph), you can also experience the world’s highest rollercoaster loop courtesy of the Flying Aces ride. • With younger kids in tow, head for long-established Hili Fun City with its old-school rides including dodgems, mini-trains and a carousel. • Go wild at Wadi Adventure, a man-made white-water rafting, kayaking, wakeboarding surfing venue worthy of a day’s fun. Also on-site is a giant swing, a high-ropes course and a climbing wall. • Cool off at Yas Waterworld, where more than 40 rides, slides and attractions, from a tots’ aqua playground to drop slides, mean fun for all ages. You can even surf and bodyboard here. For an alternative with younger kids, try Murjan Splash Park. • Go wildlife-spotting on the nature reserve of Sir Bani Yas Island, where the Arabian Wildlife Park breeds and rehabilitates animals at risk of extinction, including hyrax, ostrich, oryx, giraffes and hyenas. Guided nature and wildlife drives and walks, horse-riding and mountain-biking are all good ways to discover this spot. • Visit the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, a veterinary facility where you can see birds being treated, tour a museum and watch free-flight displays, all giving you an insight into the traditional Emirate sport of falconry. • Take a guided tour of the mighty Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Even kids can’t fail to be impressed by its 82 domes, 1,048 columns and chandeliers gilded by 24-carat gold. • Shop ’til you drop in Yas Mall, or head for the kids’ attractions. There’s Fun Works with its adventure rides, soft play, toddler playgrounds, Softair Battlezone and Lego: Pop-in and Play. Go for a bike ride along the Corniche. This 8km stretch of waterfront includes a beach park with play areas and plenty of cafés and restaurants at which to refuel.

11 June 2018

Booking a holiday and then counting down the days until you can set that ‘out of office’ on your work email account is one of the most exciting times of the year, isn’t it? We look forward to making those memories for so long. But how protected are you? And how much do you really know about it? Having the peace of mind that no matter what, your holiday is safe is priceless and it’s not something you can find everywhere. But the minefield of financial protection is not easily negotiated so we’re trying to make it clearer to help preserve your precious holiday funds. Why do I need to worry about financially protecting my holiday? In short, if you don’t and something happens to one of the companies involved in your trip, you could lose out. If you’ve booked a package holiday, your holiday is financially protected. If you’ve booked your flight and accommodation separately and one of the companies fails, you could end up in a situation where you’re having to pay for an alternative flight or accommodation. Even if you book accommodation with a travel agent, if they fail, you could end up losing your money and be left without your hotel room. Your holiday insurance isn’t fail-safe either, as it isn’t guaranteed to cover a travel company going bust. Read on to understand more about the financial protection available for your holiday… What are the different types of financial protection? ATOL ABTA Section 75 Insurance Independent protection What is ATOL? The Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (ATOL) regime is a financial protection scheme for holidaymakers regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). In the UK, all travel companies selling package holidays with flights must hold an ATOL. If the company isn’t registered in the UK, they aren’t legally required to hold an ATOL and you might find you aren’t as covered as you thought. And unfortunately, by that stage, it’s probably too late. If a travel company with an ATOL stops trading, the ATOL scheme protects all customers who had booked with that company. If the company goes into administration before you travel, your money is protected, and you’ll be able to apply for a full refund. If you’re on holiday when the travel company goes bust, the ATOL scheme guarantees you’ll be able to finish your holiday and return home. When you book a protected holiday, you’ll receive an ATOL certificate as soon as you pay for your trip. The certificate explains how you’re protected and what to do in the event of a company collapsing. If the company is a registered member, you’ll spot the ATOL logo and a four or five-digit number on their website and in brochures and adverts. (You can also check that the company is an accredited member of ATOL on the Civil Aviation Authority’s website) My travel agent is an ABTA Agent. What is ABTA? If you’ve booked a package holiday from an ABTA agent, your money is protected. However, you might not be financially protected if you haven’t booked a package holiday. You will need to speak with your travel agent if you are relying on this level of protection. I paid for my holiday using my credit card. If the travel company goes bust can I claim through my credit card provider? (Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974) If you’ve booked your trip and have paid on your credit card, you might be able to make a claim against your credit card company. This claim is under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, so you might hear people talk about “section 75”. Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 applies to goods and services paid for with your credit card and includes online bookings. If you’ve paid for your travels using your credit card, it means that you can claim against the creditor, which in this case is the credit card company. To make a claim against your credit card provider, the amount you’re claiming for must be between £100 and £30,000. However, you may still be able to make a claim if the amount on your credit card is less (a deposit, for example) as the claim against the credit card provider is directed at the total cost of your trip. One Travel Counsellor helped a group of 25 when the travel company they booked their holiday with went into administration: “They thought all was lost as they had planned a Christmas in the sun and after my advice they have instigated section 75 on their credit cards.” If you paid using a debit card, you may be able to use chargeback to claim some or all the money back. You will need to contact your card provider and speak to them about your claim. Doesn’t my travel insurance cover me if the company I’ve booked with goes into administration? Not every travel insurance policy will cover you if a company goes bust, so it’s best to read the small print and check with your travel insurance provider. It’s also worth checking whether the provider will cover you for the whole holiday if you’ve booked your flights, accommodation and car hire separately. As an example, you might find that your travel insurance will cover you if the airline goes into administration but that you can’t claim for a refund on your accommodation or car hire. If you’ve booked through Travel Counsellors, your holiday is 100% financially protected so your money is safe. In the event of an issue, your personal Travel Counsellor will contact you to discuss the options available, such as travelling to a different destination or changing your flights to another airline carrier. In many cases, our customers don’t even need to know when a company has gone bust – we just do the necessary work behind the scenes. Is my money 100% safe when booking with Travel Counsellors? Yes. And it’s the highest level of protection you could wish for because it’s fully independent. Set up in 2004, it sits alongside our ATOL cover and financially protects every part of every trip, whether it be the whole holiday, a flight, hotel stay, car hire or even airport parking. It’s completely robust meaning no matter what happens, your money is safe.

14 June 2016

Everyone should visit Las Vegas at least once ! My most recent visit was my fourth time in Vegas to celebrate my Sister's 40th Birthday . We stayed at the wonderful Mirage hotel , centrally located on the famous "Strip " . It has a huge pool area outside which is perfect for relaxing and soaking up the sun after a night out on the Strip . You can hire your own private cabana for the day if you want to spoil yourself . The hotel has many great restaurants so you don't need to leave the hotel if you don't want to . The rooms are large with really comfortable beds and most rooms have great views of the Strip or pool area . We crammed a lot into our short time in Vegas . After a day shopping in the famous Mall's we ventured to Freemont Street ( How Las Vegas used to be ) , downtown Las Vegas . We went on the new Zoomline Zipline high up above the street . A great experience that you must do . On our second day we wondered up and down the Strip , looking around all the different resorts . There are so many fabulous ones to choose from all with their own theme . Venetian , Bellagio and New York New York are my favourite . We also did the Rollercoaster at the New York New York hotel which is not for the faint hearted . Day three we went across the road from the Mirage to the Linq hotel for the High Roller experience on the Big Wheel . This was one of the highlights of the trip . It is the tallest wheel in the world and has the best views of Las Vegas and the surrounding area . On our last day we hired a Mustang Convertible and drove to the Hoover Dam ( 45 mins away ) and Mount Charleston ( 1 hour away ) . If you have time you must do this just to get out of Vegas and experience something different . There is much more to Vegas than gambling and casino's . If you like great food , amazing entertainment , shopping and having a great time then Vegas is for you ..... Love it and can't wait to go back .......

14 June 2016

I have always fancied going skiing but somehow never got around to it . So when an amazing opportunity to experience a Club Med ski holiday came up in February we jumped at the chance . We fly to Zurich and had a 3 hour transfer to St Moritz . The scenery en route to resort was amazing , with stunning picture postcard snow capped mountains . Our hotel the Roi Soleil was lovely . Really friendly staff , a pleasant bar area and comfortable rooms . The food was excellent with an amazing choice of food from around the world . The hotel is All Inclusive which is great as St Moritz isn't known for it's cheap drinks ! We did the beginner ski school arranged by the hotel . Having started with a day and a half on the nursery slopes we moved up to the higher slopes . The conditions were perfect , the slopes were fairly quiet and with plenty of space to ski and with none or little queues for the chairlift . Once again the scenery was stunning .It was amazing just to sit with a drink outside watching the experienced skier's flying past . St Moritz is great for all abilities , plenty of slopes for beginners , intermediate and advance skier's . The mountain bar's and restaurants are great for watching the world go by with a Gluwein or two . By the end of the week we had progressed on the blue slopes and felt really comfortable on the ski's . We had an amazing week and really enjoyed the skiing and the Apres Ski back in the hotel after a day on the slopes . We walked into St Moritz a couple of times . It's a lovely place with a lake for winter or summer activities . There are lots of shops , bars and restaurants . There are lot's of places to walk too if you don't want to ski . Having really loved my first ski experience I cant want for the next one .

04 November 2014

My trip to San Francisco was a surprise for my "special” Birthday. We only had 4 nights to cram as much as possible into our short stay. So we woke up early every morning and started our day with a typical American breakfast. The portions sizes are huge, so it definitely sets you up for a full day of exploring this amazing city. On our first morning in San Francisco we walked down to the Fisherman's Wharf area of the city for our cruise across the bay to the most famous attraction "Alcatraz". This is a must see for any visitor. It was so interesting. You must do the audio tour where real life prisoners talk you through the various areas of the jail. Everything is just how it was left when the jail was closed many years ago. We had the afternoon in Fisherman's wharf area after Alcatraz and visited the famous Aquarium, Pier 39 and had lunch, of course the famous "Clam Chowder ". There are street entertainers, a mini fairground, great shops, bars and restaurants here. A really great atmosphere, a great place to stop for a glass of wine while watching the world go by. The next day we hired cycles and cycled the "Golden Gate Bridge”. You have to do this. It was one of the best experiences I've had. We had lunch in Sausalito and got the ferry back to the city late in the afternoon. The ferry was packed with tourists and bikes. The ferry goes past Alcatraz again. If you have a little longer you must cycle up in to forest to see the Giant Redwood Trees. Our final day we spent in the downtown area of the city, visiting Chinatown, Union Square and Lombard Street. The shops are brilliant, with all the famous stores, Macy’s, Converse, Abercrombie & Fitch etc. A must is the Cheese cake Factory for lunch, this is on the top floor of Macy’s, amazing food and cocktails and of course fabulous desserts. I loved my Whistle Stop tour of San Francisco and would recommend it to anyone. I will we going back for sure and maybe next time will stay a little longer and include it along with a driving tour of California and Yosemite National Park. I can't wait to return.

07 April 2014

I was extremely lucky to be part of a small group of Travel Counsellors visiting the beautiful island of Barbados. From the moment we landed in Bridgetown we were met by such friendly and genuine people. One of the things that makes any visitor instantly welcomed to the island. We stayed for two nights at The Turtle Beach hotel (by Elegant Hotels) on the south coast, where we enjoyed a fabulous buffet dinner as well as being entertained by local dancers. The beach here is stunning with golden sand shelving gently into the ocean. The sea is a little rougher than on the west coast, but still excellent for swimming and beautifully warm. The best thing about staying on the south coast of Barbados is that it is so close to St Lawrence Gap where you can party the night away with the locals. Well worth a visit. We stayed then for a further five nights on the west coast at Crystal Cove and Tamarind (Elegant Hotels). Once again we were made to feel so welcome by everyone. On most days we were transported around the island on various excursions. The island is only 34 kilometres long and 23 kilometres in width so it is very easy to get around, whether it be by local transport or the famous "mini moke" buggies that you can hire. My highlights of the excursions were zip wiring along a 1000ft of track at AerialTrek, learning to surf with famous Bajan surfer Brian Talma, a polo lesson at the famous Ape's Hill and of course no trip to Barbados is complete without a visit to the Mount Gay Rum distilleries. Whether you choose to go all-inclusive or just bed and breakfast in one of the many fabulous hotels around the island, you cannot fail to be amazed at the quality and choice of some of the best restaurants I have ever been to. There is so much to do on this small island and seven nights really wasn't long enough. I just can't wait to go back.