11 December 2018

Who says you can’t ski in Andorra in April? This was the second time we have dared to go this late in the season to Andorra. You always worry about the lack of snow wherever you go in Europe in April but over the last 20 years we have gone later and later, and touch wood never been without it. This year we actually had too much snow on two of the days and were unable to ski as the conditions were too difficult. I like warm skiing so was not a happy bunny (good job the après is good!) This time we travelled with a group of 15 friends to celebrate their 50's. Boy did we have fun, both on the slopes and off! The flight was into Lleida in Spain and then a two hour plus transfer depending on the snow. We stayed at the Himalaia Pas Hotel which is a good 3*+ and it was perfect for a group. Rooms were clean, warm and the food was excellent with plenty of choice. Pas de la Casa is a high-altitude resort with access to over 200 miles of piste. It’s in the Grandvalira ski area. You can ski to Soldeu, El Tarter and Arinsal. It’s lively and very affordable with amazing après. There are plenty of ski schools with English instructors and they are off an excellent standard. Pas, as it’s known, might be a small resort but it has a big reputation. There is a huge selection of bars and restaurants and it’s very cheap for drinks and reasonably priced, good quality food. There’s a varied mix of apartments and hotels to choose from, all dependent on your budget. All of this makes it a top destination for skiers on a budget or groups looking for a resort where there’s as much fun to be had off the slopes as on them. It might lack a little bit of the traditional ski resort charm but if you’re after an affordable and fun ski break, it certainly ticks all the boxes. We will be back.

11 December 2018

Parga is definitely one of the most beautiful towns in Greece that I have ever been. It is located just under an hour from Preveza airport on the mainland. Having visited in the early 80's I had never forgotten how beautiful it is and always wanted to return. It has certainly taken me a few years - although it has grown in size it has not been spoilt and I was so pleased to see this. It is still very much a relatively well-kept secret. Parga's tourism industry thankfully remains low key which is central to its appeal. There are some lovely new boutique style hotels on the outskirts and down in the town there are plenty of smaller BB hotels and apartments to suit all budgets. Parga is built amphitheatrically on the slopes of a mountain. It has a few bays and two lovely beaches with so many bars/restaurants/tavernas and food stalls to eat at that you will never get bored. The streets are cobbled/paved and mainly pedestrianised, you will need to be fit to explore so be warned. You can enjoy water sports and diving on the beach of Krioneria Beach along with chilling out in one of the new beach bars. One of the most remarkable sites of Parga is the 14th century Medieval Castle built on the hill and well worth exploring to enjoy the views. If you feel less energetic and just want to chill then take a boat trip out to Paxos, Anti-Paxos or Corfu for the day. Well worth a visit.

11 December 2018

At the end of September 2018, I travelled to Vietnam with my husband and our best friends. It’s been a destination that was at the top of our bucket list for many years. It is such a beautiful and diverse country. So much history, good and bad. We started in Hanoi which was busy, crowded, noisy and with so many scooters. I honestly thought we would never get out of the city without being run over! The old French Quarter where we stayed was a real maze of tiny alleys, packed with tiny bars and loads of street food places. One of the top things to do in Vietnam is to eat at a street food stall so we did it. Surprisingly there was nothing on the menu that disgusted us, some unusual things but no animals or insects! We travelled down the country by sea plane to Ha Long Bay and had two nights on a beautiful Indochina sail boat. Cruising Ha Long Bay is one of the top 10 things to do in Vietnam and it was the highlight of the trip for me. This archipelago of over 3000 limestone islets in the Gulf of Tonkin is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Not the cleanest place I have been but scenery wise it was spectacular. Onwards to Hoi Ann which is a very pretty town with cobbled streets, canals and a beautiful beach. We used push bikes to explore the countryside, we learnt how they still farm by hand and had a cookery class with the locals. A very restful town. Then onto Saigon or now known as Ho Chi Minch City (HCMC for short). This city again is plagued by scooters and traffic. Its classed as a new city but with so much history. We spent time at the American Museum and were moved by the horror and history of the 1950's Vietnam War. We explored the Cu Chi tunnels and saw how the Vietnamese survived and killed their enemies. We all had a very emotional few days in this city. Our last few days were spent on the wonderful island of Phu Quoc. Its Vietnam's biggest island and is down in the bay of Thailand. It has the most beautiful beaches and is their paradise. Lots of construction work going on and will be a very busy place in a few years so glad to have seen it before that happens. I loved Vietnam and would recommend the destination to all ages.

11 December 2018

What can I say about this beautiful Caribbean Island that I have been lucky enough now to visit a few times and each time I fall more and more in love. It’s an easy flight, short transfers and the quality of hotels amaze me. I am often asked which my favourite is and I have to admit I have a few. You will need to contact me to find out! The locals are lovely and welcoming, the beaches are the best I have seen in the Caribbean and the weather is always sunny. What more can you want? I have travelled from the beach to the capital city, enjoyed the scenery along the way and it’s all been exciting and safe. I shall be back without a doubt. I just love Punta Cana.

09 November 2012

I have recently been on a ‘Fam Trip’ which is where a travel agent gets the chance to visit a destination with a tour operator or tourist board and really experience the whole thing. I recently travelled to Majorca on one of these trips. We met on a wet and miserable morning at East Midlands and checked in and flew with Monarch on time and with no issues. On arrival, we collected bags and headed to our tour bus for the trip. Villa Select use a car hire company called Autorigs. They are on the airport and everything was dealt with very quickly. We were spending the first 2 nights at the north of the island in Puerto Pollensa which is a favourite place of mine. I went there many years ago and loved it so was a real treat to visit again and see all the beautiful villas that Villa Select manage. The first visit was the Villa C’an Peric which is where we were spending our first two nights. Set in glorious countryside, this stone-clad, bungalow style luxury villa just outside of Pollensa offers peace and privacy and is of a very high standard. To the front of the villa are the pool and a spacious sun terrace with loungers. The gardens are lovely and well-kept and there is a BBQ for those wonderful long evenings. The villas have three bedrooms and two bathrooms all with air conditioning. We quickly freshened up and were on our way to see the rest of the villas. Villa C’an Plomer is in the old town of Pollensa. It’s ideal for those that don’t want a car and want to be close to the action of the town. With three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a pool you would be happy here. Villa C’as Teo is close enough to walk to the old town and far enough away to be in the countryside. It’s a beautiful villa with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. It has all the mod cons and a pool. Villa Ignacia is the smallest villa that we saw with only one bed and one bathroom - ideal for that couple that just want to get away from it all. It is located in the countryside so a car is essential. Villa Aqua Marina was without a doubt my favourite. It is totally unique and chic. It’s a four bedroom and bathroom villa with all mod cons and is just beautiful. After spending two days in the North East of the island we moved down to the resort of Cala D’or which is on the East coast and only 30 minutes from the airport. We stayed in the Villas C’an Terrassa and enjoyed the closeness to the town and harbour. The villa has four bedrooms and bathrooms so is ideal for groups of friends or families. We also got to see Villa El Delfin (lovely) and Villa Blanco (huge). As you can see we were very busy with lots of site inspections of the villas but we also had time to wander around the two resorts and familiarise ourselves with the many restaurants, bars and the beaches. This is very important information for selecting the right villa for the right customer. We also enjoyed the company of Wendy and Georgina who are the ground handlers on the island employed by Villa Select to look after the guests. What they don’t know is not worth knowing about on the island. They were professional and totally on the ball. It was a very good trip to a beautiful island.

07 November 2012

I am one of the very fortunate Gold Travel Counsellors to have attended the most amazing ‘Gold Conference’ in the stunning destination of Mauritius. This annual trip is a thank you from the company for being one of their top performing agents. I have been to the island before in November 2003 so I was looking forward to visiting again and seeing some different hotels. The weekend was hosted at the Dinarobin Hotel which is on the west coast, with the amazing backdrop of the Le Morne Mountain. The hotel is 5* and has not only an 18 hole golf course but an amazing spa which is pure extravagance. The sister hotel ‘The Paradis’ is next door and you are able to use the facilities of both hotels giving you the opportunity to eat in four restaurants. The weekend was fabulous and we enjoyed such wonderful meals. The ambience of both hotels is second to none. After the Gold weekend, I moved to the Shandrani Hotel which is only five minutes from the airport on the south coast (another “Beachcomber” hotel). The hotel is on a private peninsula lapped by the Blue Bay Marine Park. It has three beaches and a 9 hole golf course. The hotel is fully all-inclusive and is such good value for money. Five restaurants await you. You can learn to water-ski or sail, you can watch the underwater marine life in a glass bottom boat or just chill on the beach. What more can you want on a paradise island? Mauritius is a beautiful island, full of surprises. Without a doubt, it’s one of the prettiest places on Earth. On my last visit I was lucky enough to visit Le Tousserock, Belle Mare Plage, The One and Only Le Saint Gerain, Legends, Maritim, Hilton and the Sugar Beach - all of which I can recommend.

12 October 2012

Getting there. We were guests of BA and travelled in style in Club Class. We checked in smoothly and were fast tracked through to the club lounge where we enjoyed a light snack and drinks before boarding our flight to Punta Cana via Antigua. On arrival we were again fast tracked through immigration and collected our luggage and on our way to our first hotel. The hotels. We spent the first two nights at the Hard Rock Hotel in Punta Cana, only a short distance from the airport which is good after a long flight. A huge hotel with everything you would wish for. It was so big it was like being in a shopping mall, there are 8 a la carte restaurants, 4 swim up bars in 11 pools, a casino, a nightclub and every room has a Jacuzzi. We were entertained the following night at the Dreams La Romana which is beautiful and much more my style of hotel. Again the hotel is only a short distance from the airport and on arrival they greet you with welcoming cool towels and a local drink. No need for wrist bands here, they whisk you through check in and straight to your rooms with all your luxuries there. If you have forgotten any of your bathroom essentials you need not worry as they have thought of everything. Room service is 24/7 (like most of the hotels in the Dominican that are all inclusive) and if your favourite tipple is champagne they will replenish your fridge daily with it. The next day we had lunch at the Zoetry Agua which was calming and gentile, then onto the Hostal Nicolas De Ovando in Santo Domingo for our overnight city stay. This hotel is an old colonial style property which is almost reminiscent of staying in a museum. The rooms are spacious and very minimalistic. Breakfast is served in a pretty courtyard and there is a rooftop pool. We made our way back from the capital and stopped off overnight at the Now Larimar. This hotel looked lovely, but we were told that we had been upgraded to the Secrets Palm Beach. The hotel is on another beautiful beach with plenty of sunbeds and an abundance of restaurants. No complaints here, we ate in the seafront ocean grill and were once again spoilt. Finally we moved onto the Barcelo Bavaro Deluxe Palace for 2 nights. This hotel is again huge, very family orientated but has an adult’s only section on the far side. There is an adult’s only water park along with children’s one so they don’t feel left out, a 19 hole golf course and plenty of a la carte restaurants along with a casino and nightclub to keep you busy. Trip highlight. There were so many highlights on the trip, but for me the boat trip to Saona Island was the best. We saw how the islanders still live and survive and how happy they are with life. We got to the island by speedboat, which was a challenge in itself especially if you know what I am like on water. We had a BBQ on the beach and even got to choose our own lobster before chilling in the sun. We had the ultimate treat at the Hard Rock by having a session in the spa, we were able to experience the whole rock spa and hydrotherapy centre with its lagoons, whirlpools and color therapy steam rooms. We used the clay steam room and relaxed in the sensory pool. Just what we needed after all of that hard work…………….. We also visited a sugar beet plantation and learnt how the sugar is extracted and used, along with a lesson in rolling a cigar in one of the factories. Favourite hotel. My favourite hotel has to be one that we didn’t stay at but had lunch at. The Casa De Campo. I was amazed and would love to have had more time there. Lunch was lovely we ate down at the beach restaurant. There is a huge marina with a great choice of restaurants and the whole complex had a very very pleasant feel to it. The hotel that I most enjoyed staying overnight at has to be the Barcelo. The atmosphere is so laid back, it is big but not too big. The staff are attentative but not intrusive and the beach is out of this world. Most fun night. This has to be the night in Santo Domingo, we danced the merengue and bachata with the locals. A great evening enjoyed by all. We felt safe with the locals and they were very welcoming and willing to teach us their dance moves. Biggest surprise. Having visited the island 25 years ago and not having the opportunity to visit since, I was really looking forward to seeing how and what had changed. The island is still being developed and there are more and more hotels springing up on such beautiful beaches. These hotels are of such a good standard, you are totally spoilt by the facilities, the choice of restaurants, and the service that you experience. They are such good value for money and for me the best I have seen in the Caribbean of late. There is still so much culture evident which is important as so many islands lose that with tourism. The locals are so welcoming and helpful and clearly love to speak and embrace you as a visitor to their island. Added bonus. Throughout the trip we were escorted by Carlos our main man, care of the tourist board/ministry in the Dominican Republic and Sabrina who travelled with us from the UK care of the UK tourist board. What Carlos doesn’t know about the country isn’t worth knowing. He kept us informed, entertained, amused and made sure that we never missed one fact about his beloved country. He is a credit to the country. Final thoughts. I have totally been spoilt. I never dreamt that the island would be so impressive and so diverse. I have had to eat my words as I know for sure that in the past I have tried to switch sale clients to other islands for fear of them not enjoying the destination. I am happy to recommend it to families, couples, golfers, honeymooners and even backpackers that like to go off the beaten track. I shall be returning myself without a doubt very soon.