03 June 2019

I recently went on a conference to Southampton where we had the privilege of visiting a couple of the ships in port, one of these being the Queen Mary 2. I must say that I am not normally a ‘boat’ person but as soon as I set foot on the beautiful ship I felt right at home. You were made to feel welcome by all the staff you met on the way. We were greeting in the terminal building by the young men dressed in their red uniform and their little hats with a glass of bubbly. The ship itself is stunning inside, it is like a magnificent 5* hotel, there was nothing out of place and it just felt homely. We were given the freedom to roam the ship so that we could get a feel of what it would be like to be a passenger, I must say that I maybe could have tried a trip on her. The cabins/staterooms were immaculate down to a welcome letter for the new guest arriving that day. Some of the rooms even had a winding staircase up to the bedroom. One of the suites we visited had a decked area which we were told would host a party of 40 people. The restaurant would be how you imagine it to be on such an iconic ship, beautifully laid out with the waiters waiting to greet you. All the waiters were impeccably dressed and served you with one arm behind their backs, the food was simply delicious, and I enjoyed every mouthful. We struck up a conversation with the lady that was serving us and asked what it was like travelling transatlantic, as a none ship person it was interesting to hear that if you suffered from travelling then it was best to avoid the winter months and to stick to our summer months as this was a smoother sailing. I loved looking around this ship with everyone being so friendly and helpful.

31 May 2019

Having never been to Barcelona, my husband and I decided to treat ourselves to a lovely city break. We even took our very own little TC Ted with us for an adventure. We went in April 2019, the weather was warm as long as you were in the sun, the shade of the buildings made it feel a lot cooler. We actually stayed in Calella which was just up the coast and travelled by train each day into the city. We started our first day in Calella, it was still a little quiet as it was out of season. They have a great promenade along the sea front, which was full of people walking and jogging, it also had great accessibility access. We sat and watch the world go by at a lovely bar/cafe on the beach which had an amazing children’s play area, this was fenced in, so the little ones were safe. The train to Barcelona was around €20 for two return tickets and took approximately an hour. We actually got off the train a stop too late and ended up further up the city than we intended to be, the rail system is so easy to use we just didn’t realise it was our stop till too late. Still this meant that we could have a wander around and explore. We bought a little map from the station to help us plan a route to what we wanted to see, we headed towards Magic Fountain, this was a really popular spot for tourists, I think this would have been more spectacular in the evening when it was lit up but was still great to see. We then headed to the Gothic area via La Rambla, this was full of little cafe/bar areas but was a little too busy for my tastes, so we made our way to the quieter side streets. The gothic area is full of little streets and quaint art galleries and other niche shops, we headed to the Cathedral but unfortunately there were a lot of school parties waiting to gain entry. We then headed over to the harbour area, wow there were some stunning yachts to be seen here. The area was also full of street sellers where you could find your favourite brand handbag, trainers, sunglasses etc. The following day we returned for a trip in the cable care, a little bit worried when we set of, I will not lie, I have never been on one before But once it set off I was fine, this took your across the harbour where you could either have a return trip or wander round the park, there is also another cable car a little walk away that takes you around the other side of the hill. On our last night we stayed in Calella to sample the food and found a fab Indian restaurant, run by an English Indian rather than a Spanish Indian (the owners’ words). We really enjoyed our few days away and already planning our next one.

18 January 2019

One of my favourite destinations must be Jamaica. My husband and I went for our 25th anniversary, the first one without my children (I was worried about how my house would be went we got back). I fell in love with the beautiful country straight away. We stayed in a hotel at Negril and from the moment we got there the staff could not do enough for us and the other guests. From cleaning your sunbeds throughout the day if it was windy and the sand was being blown about, to making special cocktails like the Bob Marley ones we had - mmm delicious! The food served was great and varied and we never got bored with the choices like some all-inclusive hotels. It was different every day. They had barbeques on the beach serving Jamaican jerk chicken, which was absolutely yummy. The beaches were as described - white beautiful sand and we saw lots of couples getting married. It was a great setting for them, I wish I could have done that when I was getting married. The water is so crystal clear and has so many different colours of blue it’s amazing to see and the fish will swim around you. I think they were just nosy and wanted to know who was in the territory. They were harmless and would move away if you tried to go near them. Every morning we would walk hand in hand down the beach before breakfast and before it got too hot to walk anywhere. The beach is 7 miles long, we didn't walk the whole length, but it would be great for someone who liked to walk or even run. We got friendly with another couple whose husband was an avid sailor. He would use the boats on the beach and take himself off, he offered to take my husband out for a sailing lesson which he loved and thoroughly enjoyed his time on the water. I just watched from the sunbed, I don't do boats on the sea. I'm not good with the bobbing about on the water. We visited the famous Rick's Café on the end of the cliff. Wow, what an experience that is. When you look out at the sea that is really all you can see, there is no landscape in sight and the sunsets from this location were stunning. You had to get there fairly early though as this place was packed out about an hour before the sun went down. Well worth the cost of the drinks in there just to watch that sun setting. They also had cliff diving (brave people) and even the smaller children did it. I just sat and watched them, it was very entertaining. The lifeguards put on a bit of show going to the highest point and diving off, this was great fun to see and they absolutely love doing it (and also love getting the tips of us all as they got back out!) We had a trip to the Black River and also YS Falls. At Black River our Captain was very knowledgeable and had food with him to feed the crocodiles, this made them come out of the water so that we could all take some amazing picture - they were huge. They scared some of the children (and me!) The Captain told us loads of stories on the way round to keep the tour interesting. Our tour guide for this trip was great and she too was telling stories about Bob Marley and keeping the whole bus entertained. She made a good trip into a great trip. Our next stop was YS Falls - just wow. The guides were amazing, they would take you around the falls, look after your belongings and take your phone so they could photograph you everywhere you went. We had pictures and videos of us in the water by the falls with the waterfall behind us and it was stunning (and blooming cold). Holidays go so quickly when you love where you are, and I definitely didn't want to come home from this one. I would recommend Jamaica to everyone I meet, and I have already done this with my family and friends. Give it a try - you will love it.