14 June 2019

I have been visiting the beautiful village of Soll in the Tirol since 1982 in both Summer and Winter. The village is wonderfully located for visiting other areas of Austria and the Sud Tirol which was ceded to Italy after the Second World War. In the winter the ski lifts link in to the wonderful Ski Welt which has a variety of runs to suit all abilities. It offers not only great skiing but also sleigh rides, Husky dog rides, snow shoeing, tobogganing and a multitude of cleared winter walks as well as langlauf horse riding and tandem paragliding. Using public transport, it is very easy to get out and about to visit Innsbruck, Salzburg and the local towns of Kufstein and Worgl. You can even visit Kitzbuhel for the world famous Hahnenkamm downhill racing. During the summer there is a wealth of walks, swimming in the lakes or outdoor pools and cycling. However the village really comes into it's own with all the festivals held throughout the summer with the opening of Hexenwasser, a witches play park on the mountain, through to the Midsummer festival, the Dorf fest and culminating in Almabtrieb bringing the cows down from the mountain for the winter. All in all this wonderful gem offers something for everyone.

06 February 2019

We departed on an overnight trip from East Midlands airport to Rovaniemi to stay at the Snowman World Glass Resort in a glass igloo. Wow was I excited as it was something I had always wanted to do since my first ski lesson nearly 40 years ago. The flight was extremely good with Santa's little helpers keeping all the children (and my husband) entertained. We were transferred from the airport to collect our snow suits and boots with very little time wasted although some of the sizing could perhaps have been better allocated. We then went on to our activities which was all included in the price. We participated in Husky Dog sledding, Reindeer sledding and then went on to see the great man himself. Food was also included which was very tasty. After all these activities we were then taken to our accommodation for the night. It was very nice being in Snowman world. However, the glass roof was covered in snow and ice and unfortunately the demister did not appear to be working. The rooms were nice, but I did feel that more mention should have been made of the very steep stairs especially if the party had small children or people with mobility difficulties. The next morning, we had a hearty breakfast and made the most of our free time visiting Santa's village and Snowman world before being collected for our Snowmobiling excursion. This was fabulous and very exhilarating. After this we were fed again and then went to participate in the crossing of the Arctic Circle. All in all, a fantastic once in a lifetime trip.

06 February 2019

This was my fourth trip to Thailand, and I must admit I was a little dubious about the destination of Pattaya. However, this resort met all the criteria for the rest of the party, for example, direct flights, short transfers and lively night life. The list seemed endless. Eventually everyone decided Pattaya it was. We arrived at the Hard Rock Hotel and had a speedy check in after a really smooth transfer from Bangkok. The rooms allocated were situated across the hall from each other and we had an amazing sea view. Best of all there was a birthday cake in the room for one of our party. All good so far. We headed off for the famous (or infamous) nightlife. To be fair it was not as raucous as I expected unless you ventured to Walking Street and that is your option. The hotel was in a really good location handy for shopping restaurants and nightlife. Breakfast at the hotel was always very varied and tasty in fact all the dining options and bars within the hotel were very good. The entertainment team worked very hard as well. The beach opposite the hotel was undergoing reclamation however this did not diminish our enjoyment of the sea views. We visited several of the islands by local ferry and they all had fabulous beaches. Other excursions included the Big Buddha and the Elephant Sanctuary who are dedicated to rescuing elephants.

18 September 2018

We travelled to Hurghada from Manchester on the 9th June flying with Thomas Cook. We stayed at the Grand Resort and booked through Red Sea Holidays. The hotel was quite good but some of the rooms looked a little tired although a refurbishment program was taking place a little at a time. However, this did not impact our enjoyment as we had gone for the wonderful snorkelling and diving that is too be found in this area. It was our third trip to Hurghada for this very reason and again we were not disappointed. The hotel was quite large and had lots of facilities with excellent entertainment in the evening. Several excursions could be booked through the hotel including a quad bike safari which was very popular along with the super safari by jeep through the mountains and sand dunes. My favourite was the glass bottom boat followed by snorkelling and then a trip to a desert island. However, this was not for the faint hearted as to access the glass bottom boat it was a steep clamber aboard. All in all, very good value for money.