05 January 2022

My daughter Charlotte treated me to a short break in Seville as a birthday present and because she now has a full time paid job!!! Having checked weather and flight prices Seville was coming up as the preferred alternative, and as it was about 33 years ago since I`d been as a teenager and it was time to re-visit this beautiful Spanish city, and we opted for the first weekend in November. We took Thursday afternoon direct flights from Manchester arriving early evening, then a short 15 minute taxi journey into the city and by 8.00pm we were checked into our hotel room, which was situated across from the Plaza De Espana and about a 15 minute walk into the heart of the city. Even though we had arrived quite late there was still plenty of opportunity to go out that evening and enjoy dinner, as the restaurants and bars stay open later. During our 3 day stay the weather was perfect, clear blue sunny skies and an average daily temperature of 22 degrees, we really did choose a great weekend!!! It became chilly in the evening and we needed a jacket or fleece, but skies were clear and there wasn’t a drop of rain! Its worth noting that Seville is one of Spains hottest cities year round, it can be very hot in the summer time, however many hotels have pools or small roof top pools, and this would be welcome after a days sightseeing to return for a cooling dip. During our stay the pool was closed but we were able to have a late afternoon chill on a sunbed around the pool in the sunshine!!! On our first full day of sightseeing we stopped by the Plaza De Espana which was a 2 to 3 minute walk from our hotel. We watched Flamenco Dancers entertaining the crowds, watched the rowers in their little boats on the moat around the square, and saw families enjoying their horse and carriage rides. The history and architecture of this beautiful Plaza was amazing. A short stroll took us through the Marie Luisa Parque and in no time at all we were in the heart of the city. Seville is pretty compact and can be done easily on foot as we did, however for those that like to travel like a local there is the local modern tram system and buses, or as every city has these days the “Hop on Hop off bus”. We had tickets pre-booked for the Alcazar, as this can get quite busy, plus with COVID daily numbers were limited. The Alcazar is the number one tourist attraction in Seville, and its recommended during peak times to pre-purchase your tickets. Once inside; the Palace and the Gardens are breathtaking, and they provide a real haven of tranquillity in this busy city. We spent about 3 hours strolling the gardens and taking in the history of the Palace. There`s a little café here that serves refreshments and resident Peacocks and Peahens can be seen wandering the grounds. There are many restaurants to choose from in Seville, and tapas is very much a popular choice! We happened upon a cute little tapas restaurant in a side street after leaving the Alcazar, and like the locals we sat in the side street on little wooden stools and enjoyed a selection of small plates and a glass of local white wine. I felt the food was good value we paid roughly 24 Euros for a couple of glasses of wine, water, 6 small plates and bread & Butter, which I felt was inexpensive in comparison to other cities visited. The weekend was busy with people in the city celebrating one of their many festivals. Restaurants and bars were busy and in hindsight we should have booked tables ahead, however we went with the flow and found that it created a lovely vibe and a great buzz to the weekend! After experiencing the Alcazar, the following day we visited the La Giralda and timed it perfectly as the priest was saying mass to a small congregation, the building is magnificent, so many different areas to the Cathedral, and it was very busy with church goers as well as tourists. As in all cities we were lured by the shops and spent some time in the many boutiques in the side streets as well as the branded stores such as Zara & C & A, which are all housed in beautiful buildings. Charlotte had booked tickets for us to see “Metropol Parasol” often referred to as the Seville Mushrooms (Setas De Seville), it`s a wooden structure located at La Encarnacion Square in the old quarter and designed by architect Jurgen Mayer. It was completed in 2011 and claims to be the largest wooden structure in the world. The views from every angle of the structure were fantastic looking out over Seville in every direction. On our last day we were drawn back to Plaza De Espana and were surprised to see a classic car show was taking place, featuring every colour of vintage Seat 500`s that you can imagine. They were displayed around the square and made for a great photo opportunity for the keen enthusiast. Another walk through the Marie Luisa Parque took us the Guadalquivir River, where we followed the river to the other side of Seville to the Triana district and by the Mercado de Triana, a lively market hall near the arched Puente de Isabel II bridge, with food stalls and small eateries serving salmorejo soup, croquettes and other tapas. By the river, Calle Betis has more restaurants and bars, plus venues presenting live flamenco music. Shops selling ceramics cluster around the Centro de la Cerámica Triana, a museum about the craft. We headed back across the river before passing the largest most important arena for bull fighting in Spain – Plaza De Toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballeria de Sevilla – thankfully no bull fighting was taking place whilst we were there! Another Tapas lunch and some further shopping for Seville Marmalade and Turron (nougat) and we then headed back to the hotel. We`d kindly been given a later check out room so we could enjoy the day in Seville, before we returned to the airport for our evening flight back to Manchester. Seville Airport is easily manageable however at the time of our visit some construction work was taking place. We felt COVID procedures at the airport and hotel were handled extremely well. Overall a fantastic weekend that we would certainly repeat!

05 October 2021

We had such a fabulous time in Crete during September 2020, that it seemed inevitable that we would return again sooner rather than later! Our Silver Wedding Anniversary is the 4th October and if you`d have asked me 2 years ago where I envisaged spending it, I would have answered India & The Maldives, but given the current situation and restrictions a trip back to Crete was more than welcome, and we travelled as a family of 4 in mid September 2021. Initially we had intended to return to the harbour side village of Sissi, however a last minute change saw us booked into a lovely boutique hotel in the hillside village of Koutouloufari, about a kilometre up the hillside from the coastal resort of Hersonissos and about 25 minutes from the airport. The village sits next to Piskopiano and Hersonissos Old Town. It was great to see another corner of this beautiful island, and even though we weren`t seaside, the resort afforded tremendous views down to the sea and around the bay. Our hotel warmly welcomed us and it was great to hear that the hotel was fully booked for the coming weeks. We were especially grateful to receive an upgrade to a 2 bedroomed suite with hot tub on the balcony, and again super views over the coastline. The hotel staff were friendly, approachable and couldn`t do enough for their guests, we found the food excellent, rooms spotless and 2 super swimming pools enhanced this property. I especially liked that we never had to "fight" for a sunbed and there were always plenty available at all times during the day. The village of Koutouloufari had a lovely atmosphere, typically olde worlde Greece, there was a good choice of restaurants catering to all tastes and pockets, some very unique craft shops and the obligatory supermarket where a decent bottle of ouzo could be purchased to bring home as a gift!!! Having just read the book "The Island" by Victoria Hislop (only been on my book shelf for 10 years and never been read!) I planned a full day boat trip to visit the former leper colony of Spinalonga. I found it interesting listening to our guide telling us about its history, the island once belonging to the Venetians, and then the Ottomans, before becoming a leper colony in the early 1900`s - it really brought the book to life for me, and I would recommend anyone visiting Crete to take the trip. Once leaving the island we had a lovely lunch on board the boat and a swim at one of the pretty beaches before arriving at the cosmopolitan resort of Aghios Nikolaos, with it lake, pavement cafes and boutique shops. It`s over 30 years ago since I have been here and it has really altered into a very upmarket area to stay. As we had stayed in Sissi last September, we had a couple of day trips back to the village, to revisit a couple of our favourite restaurants, swim in the harbour and potter around the town, everything was still as I remembered it from last year, even down to the menus. The weather at this time of the year I found was perfect, we had just one "off" day but chose this day to walk downhill to the coastal town of Hersonissos when it was a lot cooler. Hersonissos is a big spread out coastal resort with a bustling vibe, a few beaches, many restaurants, bars, cafes and souvenir shops, it also has a big choice of resort style hotels offering everything from B & B to all inclusive. I preferred the hillside village location of our hotel but Hersonissos is a popular holiday resort enjoyed by many and it was good to see it really busy. Again we had a fabulous holiday here and I can see us returning for another visit in the not too distant future.

17 June 2021

After ticking off my first UK staycation for this year I can safely say that it was a great break away and can thoroughly recommend it! The UK is for obvious reasons very busy for this summer, and I struggled to find availability in the areas we needed to meet up with our daughter Charlotte. I luckily found an available pet friendly lodge near the Cotswolds at Croft Farm Water Park. The lodge was a late addition to the site, and was brand new, modern, extremely clean and had fantastic views overlooking the onsite lake. Covid measures were in place and check in was done over the phone. A basket of goodies were provided for our arrival in the lodge, and help was on hand for any queries or issues. Our lodge was 2 bedroomed, with 2 good sized bathrooms (1 on suite to the main bedroom) and had a lovely open plan lounge, dining area and kitchen. Outside was a lovely terrace with table and chairs with lake views and room for parking. The kitchen featured all modern essentials - large fridge/freezer, microwave, coffee machine, dishwasher. The lounge & Bedroom had full TV`s, and free WIFI was provided. The lake on site was safe for swimming, and many children & adults were enjoying the water over the weekend. The site offered canoeing, peddaloe`s, and paddleboards on the lake, with many taking full advantage of these. A cafe/restaurant/bar was also available on the lakeside which was extremely busy over the weekend. So Daisy Dog went on her holibobs! We were blessed with glorious weather and stunning scenery throughout the weekend. Our lodge was just outside the charming town of Tewkesbury and during the weekend we visited Crichley Hill Country Park for walking the trails, scenery and to enjoy a picnic (we paid only £2 for parking for the day - bargain!) and there was a small outdoor cafe/loos at the entrance. We took the longer scenic route back to see some of the pretty villages in the area. On our second day we travelled further into the Cotswolds to visit Broadway Tower which commands views over 16 counties and is the second highest point in the Cotswolds (parking was £3 for the day) and there were plenty of places to enjoy a picnic with stunning views and scenery. The park area again featured lots of walking trails, deer could be seen within the grounds, and the site had a couple of cafes, shop and toilets. We visited on a Sunday morning, the Tower area was nicely busy but we had no trouble getting a table at the cafe to enjoy a coffee. After lunch we took a tour around the delightful villages of Chipping Campden and Broadway, to see the beautiful thatched cottages, quirky craft shops and local deli`s and cafes. We enjoyed a couple of meals out at local country pubs (booked ahead due to Covid & how busy places were) full Covid measures were in place, we were warmly welcomed and the local food was great. I felt we only scratched the surface of places to see, and should I return I would visit Cirencester, Worcester and see more of Tewkesbury and the villages in the Cotswolds. Overall it felt great to get away for a short time and I highly recommend it!

16 September 2020

As the pandemic continued over the summer time in the UK, it became clear that it was not going to go away quickly. A few countries had started to open again to holiday makers, and I felt it was important to take a short break overseas to experience Covid procedures at the airport, in flight and in resort for myself to be able to speak and re-assure those clients who were booked to travel imminently and those considering travelling. Manchester Airport had strict guidelines in place, social distancing had to be adhered to throughout, masks worn by everyone and plenty of hand santising stations were available. Jet2 check in staff were helpful and efficient, checking that passengers had the correct documents for Greece, and tagging luggage. Security was fairly quiet, plenty of staff on hand, social distancing in place, but the same rigorous checks were made – all very smooth and we felt safe throughout. Once airside, all restaurants, cafes, bars and shops were open with the same Covid procedures you would experience if in town. We flew with Jet2 Airlines, the flight was full, staff re-iterated the masks were compulsory throughout the flight unless eating/drinking. There was no standing in the aisles/no queuing for the loo`s and this was strenuously enforced, with 1 or 2 announcements needing to be made for the odd 1 or 2 that weren`t listening!! Arrival in Greece was speedy and took no time at all, passports checked first and then a separate area for the QR codes to be checked on our Health forms, nobody was temperature checked and nobody pulled aside for testing. Once collecting luggage we were soon on our way, in a small mini bus rather than the standard 50 seater coach, and arrived quickly in resort. All very easy and not too much difference to travelling under normal circumstances. Our hotel was a smaller beachfront property, very boutique in style and we`d opted for B & B, to give us flexibility to eat out at restaurants in our resort of Sissi. The room had been thoroughly cleaned/sanitised and sealed for our arrival. It looked and felt spotless and we had a super seaview on the first floor. The cleaners were not allowed to access the rooms, any servicing of rooms had to be pre-booked at reception the day before, which suited us perfectly. In the hotel when inside the main areas we were required to wear masks, but once around the pool, garden or outside areas they could be removed. Breakfast was buffet service, however to avoid many people at the stations, or handling cutlery – the food was served to you by the waiting staff, I felt this was sensible and most likely beneficial – less food waste and people most likely did not eat as much!! When approaching the buffet stations, masks still needed to be worn, but could be removed once you were seated. I did not see this as an inconvenience. The number of sunbeds around the pool areas and within the gardens had been reduced in numbers to aid social distancing, again not a problem. The sunbeds were disinfected every evening and re-sealed for the following day – if the seal was broken they`d been used by other guests, if the seal was intact they were freshly disinfected – most guests seemed to opt for the same sunbeds every day! We wandered in to town every day and yes it felt a little quieter than what I would have expected at this time of year, but most restaurants were open and ticking a long nicely with steady streams of clientele. The locals were friendly and pleased to have holiday makers in the resort. The restaurants again followed strict Covid rules, all staff wore masks, reduced table numbers outside, and plenty of hand sanitisers for use. We enjoyed some fantastic well priced meals in a good choice of restaurants, and always felt safe throughout. Our departure home was as seamless, Heraklion Airport was well organised and quite busy with flights departing to many European destinations, and Covid procedures were in place and again strictly imposed. We had a fantastic holiday, it seemed miles away from the doom and gloom experienced at home, and I would recommend anyone who was struggling to make up their mind on if/whether to go abroad to not hesitate, it truly felt safer than the UK.

11 June 2020

JUNE UPDATE Hello Just a short update from me to say that I hope this message finds everyone safe and well in these unprecedented times. As lockdown starts to ease, I thought it time I sent a brief update to you all. Can I please start with saying a huge thank you for all the messages of support, via Facebook, text and email, and also for the many lovely phone calls received enquiring about myself and my families wellbeing, it is very much appreciated and I have been very overwhelmed. Many of you have been posting pictures of your beautiful gardens, and the countryside when out on your exercise, and I have really enjoyed seeing what you have all been doing during lockdown to keep yourselves busy, especially some of the more quirky ideas! For the Bush family in between working we have been enjoying gardening, discovering new local dog walks, cooking & baking! BUSINESS & TRAVEL At the moment we are still unsure when travel will fully open again. For those affected by holiday cancellations, I`m so sorry you have not been able to travel & enjoy your holidays, and I thank you for your patience and understanding whilst you await refunds, as you can imagine this is a huge task recouping monies from airlines, tour operators, and hoteliers. I’d also like to say thank you to many of you for moving your holidays to 2021, I hope you will look forward to them next year. At the end of March we undertook a massive challenge of repatriating thousands of passengers stranded overseas that were caught up with airline cancellations and border closures worldwide, I`m pleased to say that all my clients that needed repatriation were safely home by the end of March, and I had the following message from some clients who had to cut short their travels in India and return home early: “Hi Helen The more and more I hear on the news about stranded holiday makers including those in South India, their fight to come home and the conditions they are having to live in or being hospitalised in, the more and more grateful I am to you for getting us all home safely and quickly as you did. No amount of thank you’s will convey how grateful we are to you. God Bless you Helen. Debbie, Mum, Alison, Tina and Ashlee x” As many of you know I work on a commission only basis, and for the forthcoming months I will be working for nothing, until travel resumes, and forward bookings are made. Could I please ask, that to help build my business back up, when the subject of holidays comes up in conversation, please pass my details on to friends, colleagues, and family. I would be most grateful. OTHER NEWS Last month Travel Counsellors were presented with the Queens Award for Enterprise, this is the third time the company has won this accolade, and we are one of 220 organisations nationally to be recognised with this prestigious award. At the end of May, in a survey run by Money Saving Expert, we were recognised as the Number One company for cancellation refunds during the pandemic crisis, and how they are being handled during this time. On the 1st May, Travel Counsellors introduced it`s new “TC Flexible Promise” for new TC Package holiday bookings, we will allow clients to transfer their deposit to a future date if they decide they want to delay their departure as a result of the current uncertainty, right up to 8 weeks before departure. T & C`s apply. OPEN FOR BUSINESS At the moment we still have no idea how or when travel will open up fully, however I am starting to see a few tentative enquiries now coming through for 2021, and I am very much open for business. If you have a holiday booking travelling later in the year and you need guidance or just to talk it through please let me know and I will give you a call, or if you are looking for inspiration/holiday ideas/brochures for 2021 drop me a line and I will contact you to see how I can help. We may not be able to travel just now, but we can plan ahead and dream about travel for the near future. Thank you once again and I look forward to speaking to you soon, Best wishes & keep well, Helen

02 June 2020

In May 2019, we took a trip to the Seychelles, another place on my long haul bucket list to tick off! Unfortunately for us on our outward journey we had a significant flight delay which meant a missed connection onto Mahe from Dubai, resulting in an impromptu 24 hour stopover in Dubai! Not a problem for us, we love Dubai and have been on numerous occasions and it could have been worse as it might have been Manchester Airport! I have to say our Head Office and the airline were fabulous, and on arrival into Dubai, our Head office had already booked us onto the next connection, and the airline transferred us to a lovely city hotel with a gorgeous pool, arranged for our luggage to be brought on, and provided us with all meals. We arrived into the Seychelles a day late, but having had the stopover we were really refreshed and slid straight into holiday mode! The transfer from airport to our hotel at Beau Vallon Bay was roughly 30/40 minutes, and the journey took us through lush countryside, plenty of hilly roads, and through the main city of Victoria. Beau Vallon is one of the main resorts on the island and there is a good selection of hotels & apartments within this little beach side resort. Our hotel was beachside, clean and comfortable, not super luxurious but great value for money, with friendly staff, a small swimming pool overlooking the beach, a choice of restaurants, but most importantly a fabulous location right on the beautiful white sand beach. We chose bed & breakfast giving us flexibility to eat out when we wanted to. There were a good handful of restaurants, cafes and bars in the area, more than enough for our 7 nights stay. I would just point out that the Seychelles is not the cheapest of destinations for eating/drinking out, therefore I feel it is important to bear this is mind when choosing your board basis in your chosen hotel - a half board option may give you better value for money. We had a super hotel restaurant right on the beachfront serving a great choice of food daily, with drinks and everything was yummy and cooked fresh to order. It became a popular place every evening with guests coming to watch the sunset from the bar deck area, and the sunsets never failed to disappoint! Most mornings were spent on the beach watching the world go by, always a small handful of beach vendors but nothing intrusive. I particularly enjoyed watching a small group of people come to the beach every morning with their dogs, and taking them into the sea with surf boards, I must point out the surfboards were for the dogs and NOT for their owners!!! We also became immersed in watching teams training for a world open swimming competition in the sea, held on the 12th May at Beau Vallon Bay. We had the teams from Hungary, Brazil & Italy stay in our hotel and it was interesting watching these young athletes training for hours, unfortunately the actual competition took place on the day we left. During our stay we took a full day boat trip to see 2 of the other islands where clients go to holiday, these were Praslin and La Digue, this was a lovely memorable day out, perfect blue sky weather, good sea conditions with flying fish to be seen from the boat. Praslin was our first stop, and we were taken to the Vallee De Mai Nature Reserve to see the famous Coco De Mer Palm trees, apparently these only grow in the Seychelles, and are quite stunning, we then moved on to Anse Lazio Beach for swimming - this beach is pure paradise, picture postcard white sand and one of the most photographed beaches. Later that morning we were back on our boat for the short ride to La Digue. The main mode of transport here is bicycle and these can be hired at the small ferry port. We enjoyed a super buffet lunch at a local restaurant before visiting Union State National Park to see the giant tortoises that live here, and there are lots of them.....quite smelly if I`m honest!! We then moved on to another stunning beach Anse Source D`Argent another well photographed beach. The sea here is crystal clear, beautifully warm and you can find yourself surrounded by tiny colourful fish all happily swimming around you! On another afternoon we ventured out by local bus which was as cheap as chips, to the island capital Victoria, a busy small bustling harbourside city, a half or full day is plenty of time to potter around here for the limited sightseeing and interest that there is here. Our short trip to the Seychelles was soon over, I would certainly return and think it would be great to do a twin centre with one of the other islands if I returned. The islands have some fabulous luxury hotels for the more discerning client, and its also a great choice for a honeymoon. On this occasion we enjoyed having a more simpler smaller property and I would highly recommend these beautiful tropical islands and the gorgeous scenery.

02 June 2020

In September 2019 we took a family holiday to the Far East, having never been to Singapore this would be the highlight of the start of the holiday and we left wishing we had spent more time there. We chose a city central 4* hotel that is on the Travel Counsellors best sellers list, a its always good to experience a hotel that we recommend on a regular basis and scores highly. The rooms booked were standard lead in rooms, recently refurbished, compact but absolutely perfect for a short city stopover. On our first morning we had a super buffet breakfast, the choice was immense and we found ourselves fascinated by a robot in the restaurant that cooked omelettes and scrambled eggs!! The early start continued with a full city tour of Singapore, taking in the Marina area and the the "Merlion", followed by a trip to the beautiful Botanical gardens, on to China Town & finally a visit to Little India, where we took advantages of the local street food being sold, which was delicious! Our city hotel also had the advantage of a great pool area, and as the weather was hot & sunny, it was great at the end of a busy day to return for a swim. Charlotte, our daughter had on her wishlist to visit the Gardens By The Bay, specifically to see the "Super Trees", we did this late one afternoon, and followed it with a visit to the Marina Bay Hotel, and their cocktail bar at the top of the hotel "Ce La Vie", this had a great vibe & was very much enjoyed by our 2 grown up children!! The views of the sunset, city, gardens & Super Trees lit up were fantastic. A short internal flight from Singapore took us to Kota Kinabalu on Borneo, and this was to be our opportunity for some rest and relaxation, plus another highlight which was to see the Orangutans of Borneo! The 5* resort hotel did not disappoint, it catered for couples with an adults only wing, and families with rooms that catered and offered more for families. There were a good choice of restaurants, a wonderful buffet breakfast served every morning, and a lovely beach that was never over crowded. At the hotel we enjoyed a dawn rainforest walk to see the sunrise over Mount Kinabalu, and breakfast at "The Lookout", also seeing many creatures & animals on the way up. As Charlotte celebrated her 22nd Birthday in resort, the hotel booked us both in for a complimentary spa treatment each, which we thought was a lovely gesture. Our full day to Sandakan meant a very early 5.00 am start to catch a short flight to the other side of the island, from here our friendly guide Tam, met us with a driver, and 4 wheel drive air conditioned vehicle. We firstly visited the Sun Bears and the Probiscus monkeys, followed by an excellent lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon we did a canopy walk through the rain forest and were lucky enough to see orangutans in their natural environment high up in the tree canopy. Our final stop of the day was Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, to see more orangutans. Tam forewarned us that at that time of year given that their was an abundance of food in the rain forest, the orangutans had no need to come to feed, and that very morning none had been seen. However, on that afternoon they did not disappoint us and there were lots to be seen, including a huge male that is very rarely seen, and a mother with her baby! It was a truly magical encounter, and we felt very honoured to have seen these splendid creatures so close up. Again on the final day Charlotte was spoilt even more by the hotel for her birthday, receiving a cake in the room, another cake in the Japanese restaurant were we had dinner, and she was presented with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, and serenaded at dinner by the hotel band. The hotel were so attentive, staff in all departments were friendly and professional, and we would return without a shadow of a doubt to this beautiful place. The final leg of the journey was a short stopover in Kuala Lumpur to break up the homeward journey, having visited here previously on this occasion we did only a little sightseeing. On the last visit The Petronas Towers were closed, therefore we took the opportunity to book to go up the Towers, to learn about how they came about, and also to take advantage of the super views across the city, before going out for dinner on our final night of the holiday. This was a fabulous family trip and we would most certainly do another visit to Singapore and Borneo in the future.

02 June 2020

We have been really lucky this year and had some fantastic holidays, our final trip of the year was a twin centre stay in St Lucia. For this trip it meant that we needed to fly to/from London Gatwick to go directly to this super Caribbean island. Our first impressions were of a very green, mountainous, lush island. The transfer was quite lengthy due to the mountains and this is something you should bear in mind when choosing your resort or accommodation. On saying this we arrived at our first hotel just outside of Rodney Bay on the North West of the island, and all thoughts of the transfer were forgotten when we arrived at our first hotel and were greeted by wonderful hotel staff, a cold scented towel and a refreshing rum punch! Our home for the next 3 nights was a stunning 2 bedroomed, 2 bathroomed enormous villa, with 2 full length balconies either side, one side with resort views, the other with marina views and we were blown away with the service received here, the beautiful beach just 1 minutes walk from the villa, and the excellent restaurants serving delicious food, breakfast through to dinner. We had bed and breakfast as part of our hotel stay, and this was served on a delightful patio with views across the beach and towards the mountains. During our stay we ventured into Rodney Bay to a restaurant we`d had recommended for dinner, and the seafood and fish were outstanding, slightly expensive but a lovely ambiance and well worth it. We were able to walk out quite easily from the resort hotel, and a 15/20 minutes walk took us towards Pigeon Island, where there were a scattering of local beach bars/restaurants, our favourite being "The Thirsty Parrot" which became our "go to place" for a lunch time snack and a cold Piton beer. On Day 4 the hotel arranged a transfer to our second hotel on the same coastline but further south. This hotel was booked on an all inclusive basis, which was perhaps as well given it`s slightly out of the way location. We found the all inclusive to be excellent, being able to choose from a menu rather than buffet style for every meal. A good choice of restaurants was helpful too as this gave variety during the stay. Michael quickly found that Sushi was his lunch time favourite! One of my main positives about this hotel were its staff, so friendly, professional and hard working, they quickly picked up on guests names, remembered them and constantly addressed guests by their name, I found this a very good touch, especially when they also remembered your favourite tipple! Our room lady also left some lovely quotes on our pillow every day, which I also found to be a nice touch too. During our stay here it was Thanksgiving Day, and the hotel arranged a delicious Thanksgiving Dinner with some excellent entertainment in the restaurant, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The hotels small beach was reached by a short "ferry" ride, and was famous for the filming of the original Dr Doolittle film back in the 60`s, in fact there is still a bar/restaurant there called Doolittle`s. The beach area always provided some form of "entertainment" usually in the form of the "canoe sailing banana man dressed as Santa" arguing over his beach patch with the "Coconut man", their lively spats were always very amusing! Our trip to Saint Lucia soon came to an end but I find the Caribbean in November is a lovely time to visit, quieter than January/Feb/March, and offering great rates, mainly good hot sunny days, but you may get a quick drop of warm rain in the late afternoon or overnight, but this should not put you off!

13 November 2019

I was asked to take part in a Travel Counsellors educational trip in April to Boston and Cape Cod, and of course I said yes please! It was to be a short 4 nights trip staying in 3 different hotels, and seeing Boston, Plymouth and the Cape Cod Peninsula, so a very busy itinerary. On arrival in Boston we were greeted by glorious sunny weather, which was fabulous and then checked into the equally fabulous Four Seasons Hotel, overlooking Boston Common. We enjoyed a lovely dinner that evening and a site visit at the luxurious Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the rooms here were beautifully appointed and the dinner at the French inspired Bar Boulud Restaurant was a great introduction to Boston cuisine. Our first full day in Boston started on a great note – yet again glorious sunshine. We took breakfast at a local `Deli` which served great home made artisan food, washed down with a coffee, before part of the group ventured off on a cycling journey around Boston, and the rest did a city tour by land and boat seeing the main sites – The Charles River, The State House, Boston Common, Botanical Gardens and the Faneuil Hall. We then did a trip up the Prudential Tower, constructed in 1960, this is the second tallest building in Boston. Great views can be had of Boston and surrounding areas from the 5th Floor Observation Deck. The group then met to explore Quincy Market, where we had a late lunch. The choice for lunch here was endless, with many stalls all serving different cuisine – I of course opted for the Lobster Roll! We then followed lunch with some free time, where we meandered back to the hotel, but not before we dropped into the famous “Cheers Bar” for a beer or two. In the evening we treated to the Blue Man Group Show, something I had previously heard about but had never seen and this was really entertaining. A site visit of the Four Seasons followed and then another beautiful dinner was hosted by the management of the hotel, where we served fresh seafood – oysters, crab, King prawns all beautifully presented on a towering platter over ice, and this was just the starter! Day two and the weather took a serious turn freezing, icy rain, however this did not dampen our spirits as we had been fore warned to expect all weathers at this time of year. Our journey today would take us to the `Cape`, visiting en route The Sandwich Glass Museum founded in Sandwich by Deming Jarves back in 1825. This visit was followed by lunch in a local Cape Cod pub. We arrived at our second hotel by the sea, the Sea Crest Hotel at North Falmouth. This is very much a beach side summer holiday property, all very quiet in April, but in the summer time would be bursting with visitors, taking advantage of the miles of beautiful, clean beaches and the lovely craft shops in the area, and of course the great food that they seem to have. Later in the day it was time to go and view another couple of properties in Falmouth, we saw the lovely Treehouse Lodge and The Woods Hole inn, both owned by the same family, with the latter being ideally placed for the town and the ferries across to Martha`s Vineyard. The following day we left Sea Crest and headed to the picturesque town of Chatham, I was excited and pleased to be visiting the Chatham Bars Inn & Resort as I`d had clients recently stay and had clients due to visit in the summer. The property did not disappoint and had a wide range of accommodations from boutique style rooms in the main building, individual cottages, to stand alone houses large enough to take the biggest of families, all stylishly appointed. Lunch was hosted by the hotel and was another fine display of lovely food, and another few Ib`s gained by me! This area seems to have a food speciality – Brussels Sprouts, and they seem to appear on every menu as either roasted or crispy Brussels Sprouts and are delicious! Our afternoon involved a visit to the Plimoth Plantation at Plymouth which is a living history museum founded in 1947. It attempts to replicate the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony, established in the 17th century by the English Colonists who became known as “The Pilgrims” – what an interesting place and an afternoon well spent. Our last evening was to be spent at the Mirbeau Hotel & Spa in Plymouth, we were allocated beautiful rooms with feature fireplaces, all very cosy and were able to enjoy the hotels spa facilities before a final hosted dinner in the hotels restaurant – more Ibs gained! Our final day dawned and before our flight home we took a tour of the Patriots Place and Patriots Hall of Fame, home to the New England Patriots Football team. A quick trip then to Wrentham Outlets for some retail therapy before being dropped at Boston Airport for our flights back to Manchester via Philadelphia. This was a fabulous taster of what Boston and Cape Cod have to offer, Boston can be visited all year round as a city break, but of course is more widely used as the gateway to New England, especially during Autumn for “The Fall”. Cape Cod has some of the most beautiful, clean beaches and is a great summer time destination within easy driving distance of Boston.

12 November 2019

In November 2018 we took a quick 7 nights winter break to Barbados, after I luckily won some free nights accommodation. Surprisingly other than than visiting Jamaica, I have never been to the Caribbean, and having sold Barbados time and time again in the last 33 years of working in travel it was great to get the opportunity to see this beautiful island. We stayed in 2 different all inclusive properties, and they were both excellent, but both quite different. I could not choose either one to be better than the other. The only conclusion I came to was that Sugar Bay was perhaps better suited to adults, and Turtle Beach was better suited to families, as well as adults. Both hotels are placed perfectly on white sandy beaches in the South of the island. The sea isn't as calm as the west coast but proved great fun! From Turtle Beach it was easy to walk out into St Lawrence Gap, where there is a busy selection of bars, restaurants and shops - great for a night out! We chose to eat out one evening and chose a local restaurant for dinner that served a mix of Thai & Indian food which was delicious! In the middle of the holiday when moving between hotels we opted to hire car to get between, but also to spend some time seeing a little of the island. I found the driving to be quite easy and straight forward as they drive on the same side as the UK. We had a lovely drive out past Bridgetown, and up the coast to Holetown, where there is a great selection of hotels, some lovely restaurants and craft shops, it felt a little more upmarket in this part of the island. I have numerous lovely clients who had recommended we tried The Tides for lunch and it did not disappoint, with hubby enjoying the chicken Thai curry, and I had the "catch of the day"....yummy! As part of our stay we spend a lovely day at Crystal Cove, one of the sister hotels to Turtle Beach and situated on the West coast, it was great to see yet another hotel, especially having sent many clients here over the last few years. The hotel felt a little more boutique in style, and had pretty cottages along the beach for guests to stay in. The lunch time BBQ food served pool side was also extremely good! When in Barbados a trip to Oistens Friday Fish Fry is a must! OK, its a very touristy thing to do but it`s great fun mixing with the locals and holiday makers, plus this place serves up some of the freshest tastiest fish, we opted for King Fish, washed down with the local Banks Beer, listening to the local band playing! Everyone seems to have a great time, its a busy buzzing place with a great atmosphere! Our 7 nights stay soon came to an end and it was time to return back to the UK. It was great to see Barbados at that time of year, just before the peak season started. The weather was great and it was good to be able to re-charge the batteries before the festive period and the winter!

25 September 2018

To celebrate my son Harrison’s 18th, my daughter Charlotte’s 21st, and my upcoming 50th birthday in October, we made a trip back to Atlantis The Palm in Dubai. This was to be our third visit back to this hotel and the preferred holiday choice of our kids based on the last two occasions we holidayed here! Dubai continues to thrive, and the buildings still keep going up! It has changed so much since our first visit back in 2005. The weather in September was still in the early 40’s, with the average daily temperature being 43 degrees and dropping in the evenings to about 37 degrees. Care needs to be taken with the heat and especially with children, of course once indoors everything is air conditioned to the max! As we travelled as four adults this time, we stayed in a fantastic, two-bedroom terrace suite which was spacious to say the least with two full bedrooms, two big bathrooms, living/dining room, dressing room, guest cloakroom and a lovely double balcony with views of the Palm, sunbeds and table and chairs. The suite also came with complimentary access to the Imperial Club where breakfast could be taken, afternoon tea was served, and evening cocktails and canapés were enjoyed. This was a really worthwhile benefit. All guests staying at Atlantis receive complimentary access to Aquaventure Waterpark, which is great for all ages. There is a brilliant choice of water slides/rides, the group rides - Aquaconda and Zoomeranga being two of my favourites. For the less adventurous the lazy river and rapids will suit, and the thrill seekers will love the Leap of Faith! For anyone interested in interacting with dolphins or sea lions, there are payable experiences for this. The hotel offers a vast choice of restaurants from their own buffet restaurants to Gordon Ramsey’s Bread Street Kitchen, NOBU or the unique Ossiano Restaurant offering floor to ceiling views of the aquarium. First time visitors to Dubai have a wide range of activities and sightseeing opportunities, such as taking a trip out into the desert in a four-wheel drive vehicle for dune bashing, followed by a BBQ dinner in the desert, complete with camel riding and belly dancing. Anyone not afraid of heights must take a trip up the Burj Khalifa Tower, currently the tallest tower in the world. A good time to go up is just before dusk to experience the sunset. The world’s fastest elevators travelling at 10 m/s, will take you in no time to level 124 where the views are not to be missed. A city tour will give those who want to experience a little of the original Dubai the chance to see the Mosque, The Dubai Museum, the Gold and Spice Souks, and an opportunity to take an abra boat ride on the Dubai Creek. If you like to "shop till you drop," Dubai boasts some of the best shopping malls in the world, the main one being the Dubai Mall. Located in the same area as the Burj Khalifa, the mall is surrounded partly by a lake and the dancing fountains which come to life every 30 minutes and put on a captivating water, music and light spectacle. The mall has over 1200 shops with all the big designer names being housed there. Here you will also find an aquarium, ice skating rink, cinemas and a whole host of dining options. Getting to Dubai is easy with most UK airports having at least one direct flight a day. There are many other airlines offering indirect routes into the city too. In Dubai you can choose from a massive range of accommodation, whether this be a luxury hotel on the Palm or Jumeirah Beach, a city hotel stay, apartments or hotels in the Marina or Creek areas, most budgets can be catered for. The new metro system and affordable metered taxis make getting around Dubai easy and cost effective. Whether it`s a holiday in Dubai or a stopover en route to somewhere further afield, Dubai has something for everyone!

31 May 2018

I say whistle stop as this was our first trip out of the UK for 2018 and was to be a three-centre holiday enjoyed over 10 days! Our first stop was Ho Chi Minh City formerly known as Saigon. You arrive in Saigon and the first thing you are greeted by are the scooters and mopeds – 8 million in total! Crossing a road is hazardous, no attention is paid to crossings and you see everything conceivable on the back of these mopeds – goats, dogs, families of four, crates of chickens, flower displays, water bottles – anything is transportable in Ho Chi Minh City! As time was limited, we did a short city tour followed by a trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels to see the network of underground tunnels located within the Cu Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City. These tunnels were used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. We were able to go into one of the remaining tunnels open to the public. However, 20 metres was far enough for me due to the extremely low ceilings and having to walk crouched down. How the locals lived like that on a daily basis is astonishing! We had a beautiful city hotel which was pleasantly located, your money goes a long way here and the cost of a 5-star hotel was ‘cheap as chips’ and we felt spoilt. That same evening, we spent time at the Glow Sky Bar overlooking the city. As internal travel is cheap (‘Vietjet is Vietnams equivalent of Ryanair!) we travelled an hour by air to Nha Trang. Nha Trang is a busy, noisy city, great for an evening out, shopping in the night markets or a walk on the promenade, but it was great to have the peace and quiet of a beachside resort hotel about 20 minutes outside of the city. Our hotel was beautiful; we had a gorgeous cliff villa with our very own pool and again this did not break the bank! The resort was stretched along a 1-kilometre part of the coastline, so it was useful to have buggies to transport you around the resort. The staff at the hotel were a delight, nothing was too much trouble for them and everyone greeted you with a smile, a hello or a nod of the head, even the gardeners who worked tirelessly to keep the grounds pristine. Days were spent by the pool and evenings were spent in Nha Trang, courtesy of the hotels free shuttle bus 4 times a day into the resort. We enjoyed some great meals in town and they were exceptional value at £10-15 for a couple including drinks. Our final part of the whistle stop tour was to the northern city of Hanoi, about two hours by air from Nha Trang. We stayed in a trendy, boutique style hotel which is very popular in Hanoi. Again, as the time was limited, we chose a couple of excursions that were hosted by young, local people in a small group. Our first tour was a walking foodie tour and we had a full tour of 12 people from OZ, the USA, the Philippines and the two of us from the UK. ‘Bell’ our local guide took us to seven eateries and to be honest, if you saw them on your own, there’s no way you would use them! However, this was an excellent way to taste the local cuisine and we got to sample dishes such as: banh mi pate (a Vietnamese sandwich), bun cha (rice vermicelli with pork meatballs) kem xoi (green sticky rice with ice cream) and ca phe trung (hot egg coffee). Bell also gave great information en route to these places. We walked along the railway line with houses right on the tracks, past the dog butchers (never again!) and through the markets, the sounds and smells fill up your senses! Our second tour saw us visit the main highlights of Hanoi such as the cathedral, the university buildings and the Ho a Lo prison used by the French colonists in Vietnam for political prisoners and later by North Vietnam to house US prisoners of war during the Vietnam war. It was ironically named the Hanoi Hilton by the US prisoners. Hanoi is a beautiful, fascinating city with a lovely lake in the centre, it seems to have more appeal than Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam is a vibrant, youthful country that seems to have come through the troubles of its past. I would return in a heartbeat.

30 May 2018

Having visited Budapest in the past, myself, husband Michael and our close friends Nicola and Rayon decided on a kids free weekend visit to the Slovakian city of Bratislava. When you mention that you are going to Bratislava, most people say ‘where?!’. Bratislava, like Budapest, is sat on the banks of the Danube River. An early Friday morning departure and Monday night return allowed for a great four days stay in this charming city, often overlooked for its nearest rivals Prague and Budapest. The country of Czechoslovakia split in 1993 to form 2 new countries The Czech Republic with its capital Prague and Slovakia with its capital Bratislava – both countries are therefore relatively new and Slovakia operates under the Euro. The Old City has a vast choice of restaurants, bars, shops and cafés for all tastes and pockets. The evenings had a great ambience with people sitting out to dine and locals enjoying ice-creams, coffee and cake. The city is also host to several micro breweries and we enjoyed drinks and meals at one of these on our last afternoon in the city. With Bratislava being so close to Austria, we were able to take a day trip by local train from Bratislava to Vienna. The cost was €14 per person return and the journey takes roughly an hour. Once in Vienna, the open top bus enabled us to see the main sights of the city within the day before returning to Bratislava for the evening. Nowadays there is a great emphasis on using local knowledge and people in many destinations and we were pleased to do a local excursion just the four of us with a young lady from the city who took us on a great afternoon walking tour. We sampled a local shot of Borovicka accompanied with brown bread and salt – a traditional Slovak welcome. Following this we experienced 360 degree views of Bratislava from the fortifications of the ‘Michalska Brana’ (Michael’s Gate). Klaudia, our local lady, then led us on to a local pub carefully tucked away down a side street (we’d never have spotted it!) and here we tested the locally brewed ‘Punk’ Beer which was spot on! The tour also took us to St Martins Cathedral, Bratislava Castle and we jumped on the local tram to visit a hidden monument to WW1. After enjoying a picnic with local Slovakian delicacies, it was time to head back to the final pub for another local beer. The ‘funeral’ pub was a popular gathering place for locals on a sunny Sunday afternoon and was a welcome place to wind up the tour. As Bratislava is on the Danube riverside, it was lovely to take a walk along the banks of the river and see all the river cruise boats leading up to the city with their guests ready to explore another port of call. The riverside seemed to house a more modern section of restaurants, shops and shopping mall, again, a lovely change from the city and great to be able to watch the comings and goings along the riverside with an aperol spritzer! Overall I’ve found Bratislava to be good value for money, a really interesting place with great people and would definitely return to this quaint, surprising city.

21 February 2017

In October of last year I was chosen by Travel Counsellors to represent the company on an Educational trip on the brand new six star cruise ship Seven Seas Explorer. This brand new ship was launched in July 2016 and was dubbed 'the world's most luxurious ship'! The Seven Seas Explorer is a $450 million, 750 passenger, all suite, all inclusive ship, and she certainly lived up to this. From the minute we were met at Rome Airport, to embarking the ship in Civitavecchia, and disembarking in Athens, we were treated like royalty! We experienced a mini 5-night itinerary, starting in Rome, then on to Sorrento, a day at sea, Napflion on mainland Greece, and the Greek Island of Mykonos, before disembarking in Athens. Regent offer a programme of included excursions which clients can select from a few months before they sail. These can range from a short 2-hour walking tour, to a full-day highlights tour, the tour guides were extremely knowledgeable and professional and all excursions we experienced were excellent. Dining on-board is food lovers delight!! The ship has a main dining room the "Compass Rose" where guests can take dinner at any time - no set dining with the cruise company. In the evenings, guests can also experience the ship's speciality restaurants of which there are 3 on this ship: Chartreuse for authentic French cuisine, Pacific Rim which is their Pan Asian restaurant and Prime 7 their steak & seafood restaurant. Resevations are required for these 3 restaurants, and they are included in the cruise fare. For a more casual dining experience there is the option of Sette Mari. Breakfast and lunch can be taken poolside, or up on deck if preferred and again there was a great amount of choice. Our stateroom was beautifully appointed as you would imagine with a new ship. It featured a balcony to sit out on, a living area, bedroom, dressing area and a private marble and stone detailed bathroom. On arriving at our stateroom we were welcomed with a bottle of champagne and a fresh fruit arrangement. We enjoyed free WIFI throughout the sailing. During our day at sea, we opted to spend time by the pool, usually this area can get very busy on ships when it is a day at sea, however I noted that this was not the case on the Explorer and there were plenty of sunbeds and sundeck areas for everybody. There is only one main pool with Jacuzzis on this ship, and it made for a lovely relaxed poolside atmosphere, with staff serving drinks to all as and when required! For anybody wanting to keep fit whilst on holiday this ship has a state of the art gym and offers a host of complimentary exercise classes. We chose to do the deck walk for exercise! We also had an afternoon at the Canyon Ranch Spa, and enjoyed a massage and then a dip in the spa`s infinity pool overlooking the back of the ship. This is all-inclusive luxury cruising at its best. Once you have paid your fare there is little else to budget for, your dining, drinks, entertainment, a selection of excursions, and gratuities are included. The staff on-board do not expect tips and they do their job beautifully, looking after your every need and remembering your favourite tipple! The Explorer offers the highest guest to staff member ratio. I felt extremely privileged to experience the beautiful cruise ship and it is one that I will recommend and never forget!

05 January 2017

During the Christmas/New Year break we decided to take a short trip, and as Budapest has been on my wish list, flights were at a good price and the dates fitted in, we headed off for a 3 night holiday. I wasn`t sure what the weather would be like so packed warm coats, rain coats, boots and an umbrella!. The weather didn`t disappoint and we were treated to clear blue skies with cold crisp days, fantastic for sightseeing. It was easy to navigate Budapest whether on foot, hop on hop off bus, tram or on a boat on the Danube River. We saw all the main sights: The Parliament Building, Chain Bridge, Heroes Square, Opera House, Buda Castle and St Stephens Basilica in the heart of the city, the architecture is amazing! The hotel we stayed in was perfectly positioned right next to St Stephens Basilica and the Christmas Markets and there was a really good vibe in the area. There is a really good choice of well-priced accommodation in Budapest, and with a reasonable selection of low-cost flights from regional airports, it`s an ideal destination for a short break. Many of the river cruise operators start their sailings from Budapest, and I would recommend arriving early and taking a couple of nights in the city before embarking a river cruise if doing the Danube. Hungary still has its own currency (but also uses the Euro), and we felt that the city was good value. The cost of eating out was good, and there was a vast choice of restaurants to suit all tastes and pockets. We ate in some super restaurants and the food we had was fantastic, ranging from rustic French/Hungarian cuisine - to more refined dining, which did not break the bank. The local Hungarian wine was also excellent, however, the Hungarian brandy nearly blew my cap off!!! The Christmas Markets were still on offering a vast choice of Christmas gifts, local food (Goulash soup served in a bread bowl), and plenty of varieties of mulled wine. And there was a fantastic choice of shopping with many designer shops situated on the main Andrassy Ut, and Marks & Spencer`s, C & A, Zara, and other well know shops situated in the main shopping area, again with a plentiful supply of cafes & restaurants. Budapest is a great destination for a short break whether in the summer or winter and is a great alternative to other European cities and we would definitely go back! If you’d like more information about Budapest or other European City Breaks, get in touch with me and I’d be happy to help you.

20 September 2013

For our family holiday this year we decided to venture to Thailand. We travelled during the August school holidays and had a few nights in a luxury Bangkok Hotel visiting all the main sights such as the Grand Palace, the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, and the Floating Markets. We found it really easy to get around the city by local taxi and this proved to be very cost effective for the 4 of us. If you enjoy shopping then look no further than Bangkok. From the massive shopping malls such as Siam Paragon near Siam Square where you can buy a Rolls Royce, down to the night time street markets where fake designer goods are plentiful, every shopper is catered for in Bangkok. Dining out in Bangkok is fantastic, there’s such an array of choice and the value for money is amazing. For the second part of our trip we had a two and a half hour transfer to the beachside town of Hua Hin, the former summer residence of the king and Queen of Thailand. This town caters mainly for local and foreign tourists but is still very much a working port. We were lucky enough to be staying in a beautiful colonial style hotel, which was formerly the Hua Hin Railway Hotel, one of the classic hotels of the East. Our hotel was really well positioned right on the beach, had great access to shops, bars and restaurants. It was quiet and a tropical oasis. We found Hua Hin very laid back, shorts, t shirts and flip flops were the order of the day. Most evenings we ventured out into the town to sample the many restaurants in the resort, mainly choosing local Thai food. We found the meals extremely good value - never spending more than £30 for the 4 of us with drinks included. The food was always served fresh, and the atmosphere in these street side restaurants was buzzing! A highlight for us all was visiting the Hutsadin Elephant Sanctuary, where for a small donation we were able to feed and wash the baby elephants. For an extra few Thai Bahts we were able to take an elephant ride into the surrounding countryside. This was a super way to spend a full morning and the kids absolutely loved it. We did not need to pre-book and it was about a 15 minutes 400 Baht return tuk tuk journey from the resort. If you enjoy eating fish then you’d love it here. The resort has a host of fish restaurants that line the beach, extending out into the sea on wooden stilts. Most types of fish and shellfish was served fresh from the ocean. We were also lucky to experience the hotels own traditional Sunday afternoon tea. This was served looking out over the well-manicured gardens. We had an endless list of tea varieties to choose from and an even greater choice of cakes, scones, dainty sandwiches and pastries. It was a lovely afternoon!!! Overall we saw a tiny snippet of Thailand, we would certainly go back to visit other lesser known parts or the Islands. We found the Thai people extremely friendly and accommodating, and we also found that our spending money went a lot further than we expected. A fantastic holiday enjoyed by all.

25 July 2012

It is 16 years since we last went to Mauritius and that was to get married, so when the opportunity arose to visit again on the Travel Counsellors Gold conference weekend we needed no further persuasion to go! Mauritius is pretty much how I remember it; lush countryside, mountain peaks, hillside tea plantations and fields of sugar cane (although sugar production has now been replaced by tourism as the number one industry in Mauritius). The island is little more than 38 miles by 29 miles but getting anywhere still takes time as the road networks are not brilliant. Since our last visit the island has seen much development with many new top notch hotel chains claiming a small slice of this island paradise. The island appeals to honeymooners, guests celebrating a special occasion or couples travelling to get married here. However I believe it offers something for everybody and most hotels cater for families and have fantastic facilities and clubs for children. On this trip we stayed in the South West of the Island on the Le Morne Peninsula, a beautiful location with the Le Morne Brabant Mountain as the back drop to the hotels. Our first hotel was the Paradis Hotel, a super 5* beachside property with its own golf course. The rooms at this hotel were extremely spacious and featured huge bathrooms and a large outdoor terrace with comfy settees and daybeds. Just a few steps from our room and we were on the gorgeous beach with safe shallow water for swimming. The Paradis is the sister hotel to the Dinarobin and it is possible to use the facilities and restaurants of both. We were lucky enough to enjoy some delicious dinners in the hotels restaurants and an exceptional beach BBQ, the fresh fish and seafood were superb! After our conference we moved to a second property along the beach The Lux Le Morne (formerly Les Pavillions) and this hotel was stunning too! The rooms are smaller but extremely well appointed and featured a large terrace with double sunbeds and daybeds, and large bathrooms with outdoor showers. The rooms were exceptional and again just steps from the lovely beach. The hotel featured some private upper floor honeymoon suites which were perfect for a romantic holiday and included a Jacuzzi bath which overlooked the sea and beach, perfect at sunset! The Lux Le Morne again had a choice of 3 restaurants all fantastic and offering buffet dining, Thai Cuisine and beach side dining. Bonfire dinners can be arranged on the beach, excellent for a special occasion or just a treat. The other special touch that impressed me about this hotel was that in the lobby area, they had a traditional old fashioned telephone box, and from here you were able to calls free of charge to almost anywhere in the world, this was a refreshing change in a modern era where most hotels want to charge extortionate amounts for phoning from your room. The main highlight of our trip was hiring a boat for 2 hours to be taken out to sea to swim with wild dolphins, this is an amazing experience. We also enjoyed a trip to the tea plantations and tea tasting, lunch at an old plantation house and a tour of the rum distillery and vanilla growing gardens. Mauritius is a beautiful island paradise and I hope to return again in the not so distant future. The main thing for me that has not altered and still stands out is the people - they are the most friendly, genuine people I have experienced abroad, always smiling and willing to help .

23 November 2011

In June this year I was lucky enough to win a cabin for 2 people on the pre-inaugural sailing of the brand new ship Seabourn Quest sailing from Monte Carlo. As I had never been to Monte Carlo before we tagged an extra day and night on to the short break to experience this vibrant place and we weren`t disappointed! We stayed in a small, lovely boutique style property called the Port Palace Hotel which was beautifully positioned overlooking the harbour & the fantastic yachts. The room we were allocated over looked the boats, was very spacious and nicely appointed and had a kitchenette. They served a super buffet breakfast on the outdoor terrace with Monte Carlo in the background and the marina at the front...perfect! Monte Carlo is definitely a place for people watching and it seems to ooze money at every turn, outside the casino alone there were hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of vehicles parked there. There are endless designer shops and boutiques, perfect for a spot of window shopping (& that was all we did!!!). We happened to be in Monte Carlo the weekend after the Monaco Grand Prix and my husband was so excited that the race grids, start line & stands were still in place, he could walk parts of the circuit and photograph the famous hair pin bend! It apparently takes weeks to take everything down for the following year. The following day we made our way to the port and embarked on our 5 star luxury all inclusive cruise ship - The Seabourn Quest. We were escorted from the port side to our verandah stateroom by a Seabourn butler, served champagne & canapes in our cabin, and shown around everything that our stateroom had to offer. Our minibar was replenished daily with soft drinks, wine, champagne & spirits as a matter of course. In the evening the ship set sail and we enjoyed the sail away party up on deck, under the stars with cocktails & dancing to the live band, until the twinkly lights of Monte Carlo faded in the distance. We enjoyed a sumptuous buffet breakfast every morning sat out on deck in the sunshine. Dinner in the main restaurant was a real treat, a special 6 course gala dinner accompanied by fine wines, every course served was impeccable & absolutely delicious. I was even quite lucky to be invited by the head chef to take a behind the scenes guided tour of the ships kitchens to see how they work & the one way system they have in place for the waiters & chefs,& how and where the food is stored, how it is freshly baked, and how they manage to cater for so many people, it was absolutely fascinating to see! Our ports of call included San Remo in Italy and St Tropez in the South of France, both places fairly small and compact and we had just enough time to walk round the towns, browse in the boutiques and craft shops and enjoy a coffee in a cafe, before heading back to our tender to take us back to our ship. Seabourn Cruises offer superb luxury small cruise ships, the Seabourn Quest itself takes a maximum of 450 guests and is an all inclusive cruise. Tipping is not expected and the staff on board the ships anticipate your every whim or need and nothing is too much trouble for them, they work really hard to please and offer exceptional service. This kind of cruising is in a league of its own and an experience I would love to repeat one day and that I will remember for a long time to come!

23 November 2011

For our summer family holiday this year we decided to travel a little closer to home (after travelling to Dubai for the last 2 years) and go to Malta. This gem of an island is situated in the Mediterranean Sea between Italy and the African North coast, and with daily flights this enabled us to have a 9 night holiday. Malta is steeped in thousands of years of history and the remnants of this can be seen all over this Island. I would not say that the island is particularly picturesque, it is quite rugged and barren and has few beaches, however it made up for this with the sightseeing, history, culture and the very friendly people who live on the Island! There is a huge choice of hotels in Malta and we decided to stay in the very cosmopolitan resort of St Julians, in the St Georges bay area. Our hotel the InterContinental was located in the lively Paceville/St Georges Bay area, and during the summer evenings this can be quite busy, popular with young people, although once in the hotel this does not have any impact and the rooms & grounds are lovely and quiet. The hotel offers a good choice of restaurants, spa facilities, indoor and outdoor pool and conference facilities, there is also a good choice of room types to suit all budgets and family sizes. St Julians itself has a lovely bay area and a good choice of bars, cafes & restaurants where you can sample local dishes such as Fenkata (stewed rabbit) and Ftira (traditional Maltese sandwich). We were lucky to visit when the town was celebrating its annual Fiesta, and during the weekend there were massive firework displays, street stalls, marching bands, parades and it seemed like the whole of Malta had turned out to celebrate! Getting around Malta is easy and inexpensive by local bus, the price of an unlimited travel day ticket was €2.60 each, which gives travel across this compact island, although don`t go expecting to see the traditional Maltese buses, these were replaced earlier this year by brand new modern air conditioned buses, this is a shame really as the old buses had been lovingly cared for & were part of Malta`s heritage! During our bus rides we visited the capital city Valletta which is one of my favourite places, busy by day with shoppers, tourists and day trippers from cruise ships, but quieter at night when you can go & enjoy a meal or a drink in a lovely restaurant. A visit to St Johns Cathedral is a must whilst in Valletta. As it was hot we decided to have a cooling drink in the infamous "The Pub" which is where the actor Oliver Reed died back in 1999 during a break from filming Gladiator, you can view all the memorabilia on the walls about the actor which is now like a small shrine to him! Our other favourite place was Mdina, this medieval city is perched on a plateau near Rabat. The bus journey here took about half an hour, and it has lovely winding streets, pretty cafes perched on the city walls and many local craft shops. My family and I really enjoyed Malta and we would certainly go back...people say that you either love it or hate it, but for us it definitely gets the thumbs up!

23 November 2011

I have been fortunate to visit Dubai now on 4 separate occasions with Travel Counsellors on their Gold conference weekends and with my family, and it is becoming one of my favourite places. The first visit was back in 2005 with Travel Counsellors and we stayed at the Al Qasr Hotel part of the Madinat Jumeirah Group of hotels and this hotel was a real treat, right on the white sandy beaches and overlooking the magnificent Burj Al Arab Hotel which is recognised by its very distinctive sail shape. During this trip we had a visit to this hotel, it was certainly something to be seen..very palatial, and had fantastic views from its hotel rooms right down the coastline of Dubai. Since that first visit Dubai has grown at a rapid pace so much so that on our next visit in 2009 we hardly recognised it. The Palm development had been completed, the skyline was now filled with skyscrapers and the tallest tower in the world was nearly complete. On this occasion we stayed at the Atlantis on The Palm Hotel, which had opened a year earlier. This hotel is fantastic if you like a busy, buzzing property. It features a great choice of restaurants, houses its own Aquarium and has a waterpark next door called Aqua Venture, which is complimentary to all guests staying at the hotel. We made good use of the water park during our holiday as we chose to stay at the hottest times of the year - August! I don`t think the heat at that time is any hotter than Cyprus or Turkey, and it is worth considering visiting then to take advantage of low season hotel rates and extras that the hotels provide! The Atlantis also has Dolphin Bay were you can arrange to swim with dolphins in a small group this had to be one of the highlights of the holiday for Charlotte & Harrison our children! Our next family visit was the following August 2010 and we chose a much smaller family hotel on the beach: The One and Only Royal Mirage which was again superb. The One and Only is split into 3 hotels on the same stretch of beach: The Arabian Court which is really well suited to families and where we stayed, the Residence & Spa which is adults only and the Palace Hotel, we were able to dine in the evenings in restaurants in the other 2 hotels as well as our own and this gave us a good choice of dining venues. On this trip we decided to see a bit more of Dubai and did a city tour one afternoon, this took us to the Mosque, the Gold and Spice Souks and the Dubai Museum, we also experienced an Abra on the Creek, however it was very hot on this particular afternoon as we waited for the coach to collect us from the Souks and our only saving grace was an air conditioned bus stop!!! On this visit we were able to book to go up the tallest tower in the world the stunning Burj Khalifa which was the highlight of my trip. We aimed to get to the top before sunset and travelled by a super fast elevator to the observation deck on level 124, the views were amazing and you realise what a feat of engineering this building is!! Michael my husband and my daughter unfortunately did not share my enthusiasm and could not wait to get back down!!!! On ground level is the new downtown area that features the Dubai Mall, which is currently the largest shopping mall in the world, a host of restaurants, the superb fountain show and hotels. The downtown area was about 20 minutes from our hotel and cost about £10 in a taxi to get to, and is great for an evening out or for shopping! My latest visit was in May 2011 on the Travel Counsellors Gold Conference weekend and again we were spoilt! We stayed in the beautiful Westin Mina Seyahi Hotel right on Dubai beach and with great views across to the Palm. The hotel kindly invited us to experience their Friday brunch "Bubbalicious", with show cooking and buffets across 3 of their restaurants & unlimited complimentary champagne...fantastic! During our weekend we were treated to a trip out to the desert to experience a traditional dinner, belly dancing and camel rides. Dubai is an all year round destination and offers something for everyone!