11 September 2018

We were lucky enough to travel to beautiful Tuscany for a week. The Hotel Paggeria Medicea in Artimino was our home for seven nights on a bed and breakfast basis. We flew from Birmingham to Pisa airport where we collected a hire car and drove 55 minutes to Artimino. Our room was an executive room with flat screen TV, Wi-Fi, tea/coffee making facilities and a bathroom with shower and Jacuzzi bath. In the grounds there is a pool, pool bar and tennis courts. The hotel is approximately 20 minutes by train from Florence. We drove to Signa, parked the car for free and then paid just over €10 return for the two of us. The train takes you straight into the centre of Florence. Florence is stunning. We spent the day there and purchased a ‘hop on, hop off’ bus ticket for €23 each which enabled us to see everything in and around the beautiful city. Another place to visit is Vinci, the birthplace and home of Leonardo Da Vinci. It was about 40 minutes from the hotel and well worth a visit. A stunning location with beautiful countryside. In Artimino itself there are a selection of restaurants with a great choice of meals and locally produced wines available and one gelateria selling wonderful ice creams! The restaurant at the hotel was in a stunning location with lovely food and there are some lovely walks around the hotel. However, the roads are very narrow and winding so driving wasn’t very fast and sometimes it was difficult to pass. On the way back to the airport we visited Pisa for a few hours which was lovely. It’s about two miles from the airport but worth doing just for the scenery. Tuscany was exceptionally beautiful with wonderful scenery. Well worth a visit!

15 June 2018

I have once again been very lucky and visited the beautiful Greek Island of Kefalonia. This was our third stay in the resort of Katelios at the Magnolia Hotel. It was an adults-only hotel which is a small, family-run hotel owned by a Canadian/Greek family. There are options for B&B, half board or variable board but we stayed on B&B. It is only about 15-minutes’ walk into the village and you will find a selection of tavernas. There is a very wide range of food to choose from. Most days were spent lazing by the lovely pool, but it is so easy to get around the island. This year we hired a car from the local ‘Venus’ car hire office very near to our hotel. They have very reasonable prices. The roads are good (sometimes narrow) but there really isn’t much traffic around. Agostoli is the capital. It is well worth a visit to see the sea turtles in the harbour and also to visit the local shops. We visited the Captain’s Table restaurant near to the harbour where the food was amazing and really great value. The airport at Kefalonia is undergoing an extension which hopefully will make departure a bit less chaotic! What a fabulous holiday!

16 June 2017

We have just returned from an amazing second visit to the beautiful and unspoilt island of Kefalonia, staying in the small fishing village of Katelios. The Magnolia Hotel is a family run hotel, that’s adults only. It's a small hotel, either bed & breakfast or half board. We chose bed & breakfast both times. It's a short stroll into the small village on the sea shore, where you will find a few tavernas and bars catering for all tastes. The food is excellent, having locally caught fish, very tasty greek salads, various meat dishes including mousaka, souvlaki and many more Greek delicacies! Around the hotel area there are some lovely walks, passing by some amazing flowers and shrubs, turkeys, chickens, ducks and herds of sheep! It is almost like stepping back in time; many of the locals have their own little plots of land where they rear their livestock and grow their own vegetables and fruit, including lemons, apricots and oranges. There is a local car hire firm in the village or you can collect a car from the airport, either that or use the transfer to your accommodation. There are also some amazing beaches around the island and some secluded coves only accessible by boat! In the evening there are places to visit which are only a taxi ride away, such as Skala, which is 8 km away. It’s more lively than Katelios with a lot more bars, shops and restaurants and worth a visit at a taxi price of approx 15 euro each way. Also a must is a visit to old Skala and Kelari Taverna, where the views are spectacular and the food is amazing! Here you can sit and watch the sun go down over the countyside and the sea – it’s so beautiful. Kefalonia has something for everyone and most people who we met had been there on more than one occasion. Beautiful Kefalonia - a gem!

23 March 2017

For a luxury retreat in The Cotswolds, why not visit The Fish Hotel? Set in beautiful surroundings in The Cotswolds, The Fish Hotel is both comfortable and luxurious. It is nestled in a hillside within a 400 acre private estate, called The Farncombe Estate. One of 3 hotels, The Fish, Dormy House and Foxhill Manor. There are 68 bedrooms and Suites located in five different buildings as well as five Hilly Huts. A 20 minute walk across picturesque countryside to the Village of Broadway. There is a range of activities to do during the day or you can just walk around the estate taking in the views and perhaps stop at the bar for a drink and maybe if the weather is good, sit on the patio in the sunshine. We were on a bed & breakfast basis and we ate at The Dormy House, the food in both was excellent. Our room at The Fish was in a private block called The Barns Wallace, it was so comfortable. It had its own log burner with 2 easy chairs next to it with sheepskin rugs on them so you can "snuggle" into them and enjoy a relaxing drink before dinner. Just to advise, if anyone was thinking of taking the family dog on holiday, The Fish are happy to accommodate dogs too so they get a little bit of luxury as well. I mentioned The Hilly Huts, these are shepherd huts which have been especially built as beautiful accommodation for that "something different!" experience. They are new for 2017 and look so pretty, I think that will be my next adventure...

14 March 2017

My husband and I have just returned from an amazing short break to Venice. We flew direct with Easyjet from Luton, taking approximately 1 hour 45 mins. On arrival, we had pre-arranged a water taxi to get us to our hotel. This took about 35 mins and was a great experience. It actually docked just opposite our hotel which was on The Grand Canal. Our hotel was The Carlton on The Grand Canal. We were greeted by a very friendly doorman and receptionist. As we were early checking in, we decided to drop off our luggage and go out to explore Venice. What a beautiful city! Most people would catch the local water bus called "The Vaporetto" which you are able to pre-buy a ticket for as many days as you would require. It is very easy to walk around though, especially if you have a map and some comfortable footwear! We actually only booked a one-day pass which lasts for 24hrs from validating it. This will take you to where ever you require along The Grand Canal, with 'stops' all along for getting on and off at various areas you may wish to visit. There are also quicker ones which save you stopping all the time, should you want to get somewhere a bit quicker. Be warned though - these water buses can get very crowded and are not for anyone with claustrophobia! There are so many places to visit in Venice but I think that by far the most beautiful is "St Mark's Square" it is stunning with many things to see, St Mark's Basilica, The Doge's Palace, The Bridge of Signs which joins the Doge's Palace to The Prison. If you're in St. Mark's Sqaure, food and drinks can be expensive and I would recommend walking a couple of streets away and sitting and watching the world go by in some of the smaller local street-side coffee shops and bars. They are so much cheaper and worth a little walk. If you want some local shops to walk around, there are some amazing little boutique style shops. Street stalls, pizza and ice cream stall also. We found the "Tourist Menu" in the restaurants well worth the price, approx 12 Euros each for 2 courses (one meat and one pasta) The local alcoholic drinks were about the same price as the UK Our hotel did not have air conditioning, which was ok, even though the weather was warm as we were able to open the window in the room and pull down the blind. I would however choose a hotel with air con if I was going in July or August, as the weather is very hot. The hotel offered great service and was very clean and very comfortable. It's very central and very easy to access the rest of the city. I would highly recommend Venice for a 3-night break; it was a very pretty, safe and friendly city. I look forward to visiting there again in the not too distant future!

10 March 2016

My husband and I have just enjoyed a week in Lanzarote. We stayed at The Seaside Los Jameos Playa. A beautiful 4 star hotel. Very close to the beach and all the local shops, bars and restaurants. The rooms are decorated in blue and white, with very comfortable beds, a flat screen tv, fridge and well equipped bathroom. On this occasion we didn't hire a car, but on previous visits to the island we have hired one. The roads a great, easy to get around and plenty of places to visit. The local street market in Old Teguise is well worth a visit, it is on a Sunday. Grab some bargains, some local produce, enjoy some local foods or just walk around the old town and take in the atmosphere. The beach near to the hotel is darker sand as the island is volcanic. The beach stretches for miles and you can either walk into Puerto del Carmen, which is the next town along, on the beach or the pathway into town is wide and flat. The food at our hotel was fantastic, loads to choose from, well cooked and plentiful. We tried the wine too (rude not to!) and this was lovely too. If anyone reading this requires any help or assistance with booking to visit the island of Lanzarote, please let me know! Always Happy to Help!