25 October 2022

This year I went to St Lucia for my family holiday. With two ten year olds and a one year old in tow, I was dubious about taking a lengthy flight, but it was well worth it. We travelled with British Airways, and I couldn’t fault them. We were able to pre book bulkhead seats together, which meant we had use of the baby cot and plenty of space. The crew were fabulous, really polite and helpful, the inflight entertain kept the children occupied and the food and drinks included were just enough to keep us all satisfied for 8 hours. Arriving in St Lucia, we took a private transfer up to the North of the island. Reviews say it’s a bumpy and lengthy ride, but that was not our experience. Top tip is to arrive on a Sunday as the roads are much quieter and makes the journey much quicker. The Landings Resort and Spa is in Rodney Bay, located on a beautiful beach that is perfect for children to play and swim and adults to sip cocktails! The accommodation is ideal for larger families as they are large villas. We were upgraded on arrival to a three-bedroom villa, which to be quite honest felt like it offered more space than at home! It overlooked the marina to the back and the beach to the front, with a balcony you could enjoy for both views. I loved looking at the yachts and the walk around the marina when it was lit up in the evenings. It had a kitchen and washing machine which really helped with having a baby with us. We booked an all-inclusive rate, which meant the buffet serving hot and cold breakfast was in the beachfront restaurant, and at lunch we could eat at the a la carte in either the same restaurant, or another great restaurant on the beach. The coconut shrimps were amazing!! as was all the food. The evening meal was either served in the beach front restaurant and the children could choose from a kids menu at anytime and it had plenty of choices. Or there was an amazing a la carte that we ate at for a few nights but had a different menu to choose from each time. We loved that the all-inclusive drinks were of a high standard, the cocktails were well made, and the glasses were nice. (I don't think it's just me that hates having my drinks in a plastic cup?) All the staff were so friendly and helpful, all genuinely kind people who wanted you to have a great time and do anything they could to make sure you did. We also loved that you could order from the a la carte menu and have your food delivered to your room, this made it really relaxing for us to sometimes just chill out and stay in the villa for the evening. Non-motorised sports were also included, so we enjoyed snorkelling, kayaking and paddle boarding, albeit needing a small non-emergency rescue from the rocks. Again the water sports staff were so helpful and good fun. The nearby capital of Castries was worth a visit and is just 20 minutes from Rodney Bay. It’s well-known markets offer various exotic fruits and hand made crafts. There are numerous places to sample the local cuisine and enjoy a drink, and if you like walking, there are several nature trails located near Castries. I would recommend The Landing Resort for families that don’t like the big all-inclusive hotels that have slides and a crazy number of restaurants and bars. The Landings offers gorgeous accommodation with plenty of space. The food and drinks are of a high standard, and you are really taken care of. Our visit was in August, so not the most popular time to go given it can be rainy, but I certainly wouldn’t say the odd down pour affected us. I loved lying on a sun lounger on the balcony watching the rain and reading a book whilst it was still toasty warm. As quick as the rain came, the sun came straight back out. I definitely would like to go back again.

23 September 2020

Like many others who had to either cancel, postpone, or change their summer holiday this year, I was faced with cancelling our family holiday to Mallorca to avoid a 14-day quarantine when returning home, or change destination. Thoughts going through my mind at the time…… • Would it be the same experience when we were there? • Would we feel safe? • Are we risking being told halfway through the holiday that we need to isolate? • Could the children cope with having a face mask on the flight? Actually, could I even cope with a mask on for that long! • What happens if one of us shows symptoms whilst away? • Would we be insured? The list is almost endless, but I listened to my gut feeling, used my knowledge of the travel industry, and picked a last minute all – inclusive option to Turkey. I can assure you it was SO worth it! The airport experience was probably the best I’ve ever had (and I’ve spent a lot of time in airports having spent 15 years as cabin crew in my former life!) It was so quiet, hand sanitizer everywhere we turned with clear instructions and guidance to maintain social distancing. Going through security was smooth and felt no different to normal. The flight was full, which to be honest took me my surprise but everyone respected wearing a mask. You could remove your mask to eat and drink and the service felt very normal. My full praise to @Jet2 and their cabin crew who did a fantastic job offering their usual great service. On another positive note, the mask acted as a great preventative to the kids asking are we nearly there yet, I’m bored what can I do….. We stayed at the @Barut Hemera in Side. Once we arrived at our hotel, we were greeted to a quick temperature check, and our luggage was sprayed with a disinfecting spray - all very friendly and relaxed. We didn’t have to wear a mask in the resort, but we felt very safe as everything was set up to social distancing guidelines. Again, there were hand sanitizers everywhere, cutlery was in prepacked sanitised bags and the buffet was served by the staff. As the hotel was only at 1/3 of its full capacity, it really felt very relaxed and it came with a number of benefits such as easy to get sun loungers, and easy to book into the a la carte restaurants most nights. We spent 5 of our 7 nights in the restaurants which really added to the experience, the food was amazing! I can highly recommend the @Barut Hemera in Side. Understated luxury with modern sophisticated décor. There are great choices of rooms, some of which have a swim up pool looking onto the adults only area. Our family room was spacious, with a separate room for the children. All the staff worked so hard, under what must be tough conditions all wearing masks throughout the day which must be incredible hot in 35 + degree heat. We had a great experience, if you are thinking about going away but feel a little bit nervous about it, my advice is just go for it! • Making sure you have adequate travel insurance when you book is key. • Consider which destination is right for you in terms of whether you will need to isolate when you return. • Book a holiday with flexibility and minimal cancellation fees. • Avoid booking each component separately online. Using an agent offers a lot of benefits. (I’m your girl!) But seriously, booking with someone you trust, who you know will ensure you have the best package to offer flexibility, will look after you at any time of the day and protect your hard earned cash is more important than ever and that’s the best advice I can give. Most holidays won’t feel any different with the ‘new norm’ but you need to ensure your money is protected and that you have options to change if things don’t go to plan.

07 January 2020

If you’re a food, culture and ski lover like me then I can highly recommend a weekend break to Granada, Spain. I took a trip there at the beginning of December and managed to see the famous Alhambra, browse the shops, enjoy tapas, and squeeze in a day skiing all in one weekend! We flew from Manchester directly into Granada Airport, then took a bus from outside the airport into the centre for just €3, which took 30 minutes, it couldn’t have been easier. Granada has kept its Moorish routes, Spanish charm and is famous for its tapas culture. Each bar serves a complimentary tapa with every drink – my idea of heaven! From traditional rice dishes and stews, to croquets, cured meats and fried fish, you never know what you will be served, but the more drinks you have in the same bar, the better the offering of tapas becomes. With a wine or beer costing us €2 - €3, it’s great value for money. Puerta del Carmen, in Plaza del Carmen was one of my favourite bars, (not because it was a champagne and oyster bar) but because they offered fabulous tapas and the old décor was beautiful. After a rather late night on Friday, we had a lazy Saturday morning then took a stroll up the cobbled streets of the Albayzín district (declared a world heritage site in 1984) to Mirador San Nicolás, which has fabulous views of the famous Alhambra. Whilst we didn’t take a tour of the Alhambra, I know the best time to go is in the morning before it gets very busy and you need to book ahead. The sun was shining, you could see the snow-capped mountains on the horizon and the entertainment was from local busker musicians playing guitars and singing. After that, we headed down to Paseo de Los Tristes which is at the foot of the Alhambra to browse the small market stalls in the plaza selling handmade crafts and jewellery. We stayed at Hotel Monjas Del Carmen which is in the centre right beside Plaza Nueva and had a great bar and restaurant, but if you were looking for a larger apartment, I would recommend the Oro del Darro Suites which is also in the centre and has a picturesque location however it was fully booked when we were there. Whilst many of the hotels offer parking, getting yourself into the car parks is rather a skill, you need to be a good driver and have a small car to get around Granada centre due to its very narrow streets, so I’d recommend sticking to public transport and staying on foot. However, watching others attempt the narrow streets is quite entertaining! Sunday was an early start, we jumped in a taxi to the bus station and got on the 8am bus up to Sierra Nevada for a full day of skiing. We hired our ski gear from one of the many local suppliers, bought our ski passes from the kiosk and we were on the slopes for 10am. Whilst we did get very lucky with the snow conditions, Sierra Nevada has snow cannons well distributed and we enjoyed a full day skiing, navigating around a little ice at times but it was great. There are limited places to eat on the mountain, so we chose to eat in a lovely restaurant at the bottom in Pradollano. It was warm sat on the terrace in the sun, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch with a cerveza (maybe two) before heading back up the mountain on the gondola. The last bus back to Granada left at 6pm, so plenty of time to enjoy a full day out. On our last day, we enjoyed breakfast sat outside one of the many street cafes, watched the world go by and meandered around the many shops, not forgetting a stop for at Sabor a España, which does amazing sweet treats like traditional turron, chocolates, marzipans and garrapiñadas which are the most delicious sugar coated nuts. Overall, a fabulous and inexpensive city break that can be enjoyed all year round. There’s so much that we didn’t get chance to do, like visit the Cathedral, or watch traditional flamenco dancing, so there’s definitely an excuse to go back.