04 June 2018

Every time I booked a customer to Iceland it made me want to go more and more so I eventually booked to go in January 2018. What made the holiday for me was all the trips we did and if you are considering a trip to Iceland you must get out and about and see as much as you can of this wonderful country. We stayed In Reykjavik which was a good base. We stayed near the harbour but actually the town centre is a better location, I have since found some amazing hotels that I now recommend to my clients and I am getting great feedback on them. We stayed for three nights which I would suggest as an absolute minimum, I now recommend 4-5 nights to my clients as it give you that little extra time to take in the destination and have some more free time to enjoy the city. I will say Iceland is not cheap when you are there to eat and drink, so you do need to be aware of that. We found that a nice restaurant for a main course each and a bottle of wine was around £100.00. I would also recommend you try and make sure breakfast is included at your hotel as we did not have it included and we were spending around £30 each morning on breakfast. Drinks on average are around £8-£10 but lots of places have happy hours and they are generally 241 so not too bad, if you want a drink for your room then definitely buy at duty free. Another tip is to make sure you book the transfer shuttles from the airport, I always include these for my clients as taxis locally are very expensive and the journey from the airport to Reykjavik city is around 1 hour. Now onto the trips we did Northern Lights by Super Jeep - This is not the cheapest way to see the Northern Lights but in my opinion (and also in several of my clients I have sent on this since returning) it is worth every penny. These Jeeps can get to places that the standard tour coaches and minibuses can't. We booked the trip for our first evening as, if the conditions are not right for the lights, the tours get cancelled and re-arranged for the following night so it is definitely best to book for your first evening. We were lucky and saw the lights that night but there was a lady in our jeep that was on her third attempt, but she was happy as she had had great fun each night in the Super Jeeps without seeing the lights. The Jeeps pick you up around 8pm from your hotel and they take you in the direction that they think will give the best chance of seeing the lights. The guides are experts and ours told us some great stories, you could tell that they genuinely wanted you to see the lights and they were doing their best to get you into the best place to see them. As I mentioned we were lucky and it did not take long for us to find the lights. The driver gave us some lovely hot chocolate and was happily taking pictures for us too. We got back to the hotel just before midnight, but the trips can last longer depending on how far away they need to go to find the lights. Make sure you wrap up really warm as it was very cold and you definitely must had some good, warm, waterproof footwear. Blue Lagoon - No trip to Iceland is complete until you have been to the Blue Lagoon. Considering it was absolutely freezing the whole time we were there I can’t say I was looking forward to putting my swimming costume on but once in the lovely warm water I soon forgot about the cold. It was quite early in the morning so not overly busy which was nice. I would recommend going as early as possible as it can get very busy and I don't think I would have enjoyed it so much if the whole lagoon was full and overcrowded. Golden Circle Tour - I had no idea what to expect from this trip beforehand and I had no idea what a treat we were in for. We saw the most amazing waterfall I have ever seen in my life. I also really enjoyed the Geysers. I could have stood and watched those all day. The trip takes you away from the city and I feel I got to see the real Iceland on this trip. The trip can also be done in the Super Jeeps which I would imagine is even better, but the Super Jeep trips are much more expensive, and I must say the guide we had on our coach was absolutely fantastic. He clearly loved his job and country and he told us some fantastic stories and interesting facts along the way. We would have also liked to do a whale watching trip but it was the wrong time of year to see the whales. We did see some boats go out, but we heard that they didn't get to see anything special, it is more March - October for the Whales. All in all I would highly recommend Iceland for a short break. We really enjoyed our time there and the trips were fantastic, it is not the cheapest weekend away but a once in a lifetime place for me and I got to tick seeing the Northern lights off my bucket list.

04 June 2018

I was lucky enough to go on a fantastic educational trip to California with Travel Counsellors in April 2018. It was only a very short trip for five nights, but we packed in so much and we had the most amazing time. There is so much to see and do in California and I will be returning in the future. We flew in and out of Los Angeles and our itinerary consisted of two nights in Huntington Beach, two nights in San Diego and one night in Palm Springs. It was a self-drive itinerary and our longest journey was only around three hours. The drives between each destination were very easy to do although I would recommend that you include a sat nav on your car rental. Our first stop was Huntington Beach just south of LA, a lovely coastal town with a very cool and relaxed vibe. It is a popular area for surfers and I could have spent hours watching the surfers from the pier. There are lots of bars, restaurants and shops in the town centre. On our first morning we hired bikes for half a day. This was great fun and I would highly recommend doing this, the ocean front has a lovely flat paved area suitable for cyclists and it was a great way to get around and explore the town. That afternoon we enjoyed a harbour cruise and, in the evening, we were treated to our own bonfire on the beach which was really enjoyable. The next day we drove to San Diego, which took us around three hours as we took the scenic coastal route. I would recommend taking this route as opposed to the highway as we saw some amazing views. On arrival we had a quick visit to Sea World and on that evening, we visited a baseball game. The baseball game was not something that I would of chosen to do personally but I absolutely loved it and I would highly recommend going to see a game if you are in San Diego, I had no idea what was going on in the game but the atmosphere was brilliant, the game was the local San Diego team (The Padres) against The New York Mets - we were told the San Diego team were not the best and were unlikely to win but they did which made the locals even more crazy. Day two in San Diego was spent with a mornings sight visit and breakfast at the beautiful Hotel Del Coronado. This hotel was built in 1887 and it has a lot of history and we were told some great stories by our guide, you may recognize the hotel out of the film 'some like it hot'. We was not lucky enough to stay here but when I return I will definitely be including a few nights here and I would have loved to have spent more time here enjoying this beautiful hotel and stunning beachfront setting (see my photos). Afterwards we visited the USS Midway museum this is located in downtown San Diego. The aircraft carrier served the US Navy between 1945 and 1992 and it is now a museum and you can actually go onboard and experience and see what life was like for the many sailors that lived and served on her. From here you can walk to the Sea Point village which is a lovely area of San Diego to enjoy some time, we also had lunch here as there was many dining options available as well as some lovely shops to browse in. This evening was dinner and site inspection of the Catamaran resort located in Mission Bay. I loved the location here as the property is beach front with the most amazing views, yet you are still only 10 minutes’ drive from downtown San Diego and SeaWorld. There is also a lovely paddle boat that operates from the dock here and goes over to its sister property the Bahia so you can dine or spend time between the two sister hotels. Our last and final stop was Palm Springs. We only spent one night here so I don't think I had enough time to fully appreciate and take in the area, it is certainly very different to the coastal areas we had been used to and I would recommend a stop here if you want something a little different than the usual coastal places, whilst in Palm springs we visited the Tramway which takes you 5783 feet up into the San Jacinto mountains, the cabin rotates so everyone gets to see the fantastic views and once at the top you can do various trail walks, have a picnic or spend time at the visitors centre, I found it had a lovely tranquil feeling at the top but make sure you take a jumper as the difference is temperature can be as much as 30 degrees from the top to the bottom. After a few cocktails at our hotel this evenings dinner was at The Ritz Carlton Rancho Mirage - wow what a hotel. This would definitely be my choice of hotel if I return to Palm Springs, the hotel had such a lovely feel to it and the views were once again amazing, some of the rooms even have their own fire pit on the terraces. Day five was time to head home but not before a Jeep Safari, I still cannot quite believe all that we saw and did this day and all of this was before the 2 hour drive back to LA and then the 9.5 hour flight home. We were collected in small Jeeps and taken on the most amazing drive through canyons, across the San Andrea fault and we also fitted in a small hike. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone visiting the area and in my opinion is a total must in order to appreciate the area that you are in, our guide was fantastic and told us all about how the Indian tribes used to live, plus lots of interesting facts and stories, the scenery was amazing and a total contrast to the rest of the trip I was so pleased I got to see this area of California as it is not somewhere I would of necessarily of included in my own holiday itinerary but now I have seen it I would highly recommend it especially for those that don't want to spend all of their time on the coast by the beaches. If you would like to hear more about my trip to California or you are interested in a trip here yourself, please do get in touch as I would to help you arrange your Californian road trip.

02 September 2017

For August bank holiday 2017 I visited Rome for a 3 night stay. I travelled with my Mom, her best friend and her daughter. This was a special trip as both my Mom and her best friend Gail have both turned 60 this year and they had always wanted to visit the city together, so Laura and I joined them for the trip. This was my first time in Rome and I must say it is now probably my favourite city in Europe. Everywhere you looked the buildings were just amazing, and I could not believe how they created such amazing buildings all those years ago. There is so much to see in Rome that I would recommend a four to five night stay, we only stayed three nights and although we did get to see the main things we wanted to see, an extra night or two would have been ideal. On Arrival We flew into Fiumicino airport and I had pre-arranged a private taxi transfer to take us to our hotel. I would highly recommend this as the journey is approximately 45 minutes depending on traffic and it was quick, easy and stress free having a driver waiting for us on arrival. Alternatively, there are local buses or an express train that will take you the Termini station for just 14 Euros each and this takes approximately 30 minutes. Our accommodation We stayed at a property called the Trevi Palace Luxury Apartments. Our room was not an apartment more like the usual hotel room you would expect. The rooms were very nicely decorated and above all else the location was just perfect, as we were less than a five minute walk away from the Trevi fountain and surrounded by lovely restaurants and cafes. Sightseeing Of course no trip to Rome would be complete without a visit to the amazing Vatican City. We took a group tour which took around two hours. We visited around 3pm and this seemed to be a good time to visit as it was much quieter. We also visited the Spanish steps and the Colosseum, The Colosseum was the highlight of the trip for me as it really is an amazing sight. Again, here we did a group tour. We used the hop on hop off tour bus to mainly get around. I always use these in cities as they are cost effective way to get around any city plus they have the audio headsets so you know what buildings you are passing and it is a great way to find out more Eating out - Italian food is my absolute favourite, so I was always torn between what to have wherever we ate. Cost wise, a pasta dish varies between 10 -15 euros and for a pizza it was around 8 - 12 euros, Steaks were between 15 - 25 euros and one night we did treat ourselves to Chateaubriand, which was 70 euros (two sharing), there are so many gorgeous restaurants you will be spoilt for choice but I would highly recommend a visit to Piazza Navona which is lovely place to eat of an evening. Top tip - Near the Trevi fountain is a hotel called the Relais Fontana di Trevi, they have a gorgeous little roof top bar which has a lovely view over the Trevi Fountains well worth visiting for a glass of wine and we never found it to be overly busy so always managed to get a seat. Another lovely rooftop bar to visit is on top of the 5 star Raphael hotel, you do have to pre book even to have a drink but the view is spectacular and we watched the sunset over the Vatican, beautiful. If you would like to hear more about my trip or I can help plan a visit please do get in touch I would love to tell you more!

29 November 2016

I have just returned from an amazing five day familiarisation trip to Barbados with 25 of my Travel Counsellor colleagues and what an amazing time we had. Over the five days we saw nine hotels and also managed to do four excursions on the island. I feel as though I have seen so much of the island and got a great knowledge of the hotels that we visited during the trip. We flew from Gatwick with British Airways. The flight was just over eight hours which is really quite quick for the Caribbean. On the way home it was even shorter at 7.5 hours. I was also lucky enough to experience business class on the way home and so the journey went really quick for me and to be honest I was quiet disappointed when the plane landed back to Gatwick as I was quite happy in my luxury seat, waited on hand and foot. Our first two nights were spent at the Turtle Beach hotel which is an all-inclusive property located on the South Coast. There are many local bars and restaurants within walking distance of this hotel so it is very good if you want to go out and experience the local vibe. We had a gorgeous view of the ocean from our room and overall the hotel had a lovely laid back Caribbean feel to it. We only ate in the hotel for breakfast and one evening meal but all the food that I has was lovely, the only slight issue I had here was the ocean was quiet rough in comparison to other areas of the island I visited. The next day we was taken to Harrison’s Cave which was a great way to get out of the mid-day heat and experience these natural caves that were only properly discovered in 1970. We were taken around on train type vehicle and given a guided tour with lots of information about the caves and how they were discovered. After this we were taken to St Nicholas Abbey where there is a Plantation house, museum and rum distillery - I would definitely recommend a trip to here as you get a real experience of what life would have been like on this plantation many years ago. We also saw some amazing views on our journey to and from here as well as getting to taste the fabulous Rum and enjoying a lovely lunch in this beautiful setting. After heading back to our hotel to enjoy our free hour on the beach we then headed back out to the Sea Breeze hotel where we had a hosted dinner. Day two was spent visiting some beautiful hotels - The Sandpiper was definitely my overall favourite. What a hotel! Pure paradise. A small unique hotel set on the beach with great facilities and gorgeous rooms. The hotel had a lovely relaxing feel to it and it was easy to see why it is one of the small luxury hotels of the world. From here we went onto the Coral Reef club which had a real colonial feel to it. The rooms were set out in beautiful gardens and I loved the spa here and wished I had time to experience one of the treatments but unfortunately it was on to the next hotel which was the Fairmont Royal Pavillion. We did a site inspection here as well as having lunch which was in a stunning setting overlooking the beach which is absolutely gorgeous. All of the rooms here are ocean facing and it is easy to see why many people return to this hotel year after year. From here we moved onto The Waves hotel which is where we would stay for our final three nights. The hotel has recently been refurbished and it has a lovely modern feel with a relaxed atmosphere as soon as you walk in you can see and hear the ocean and the sea here was so much calmer than at our first hotel. The Waves hotel is a spa and wellness hotel and I was lucky enough to experience a spa treatment here. I opted for the back massage which I would highly recommend to anyone staying here, all of our group were very happy with the treatments they had chosen as well. There are two sides to this hotel, the beach side and the spa side. I would definitely opt to stay on the beach side as all of the rooms here have the most stunning views. The next day we visited the Crystal Cove Hotel. This is an all-inclusive hotel with a unique pool bar and cave. I would recommend this hotel to families as it has a great children's club and water sports facilities. A lot of the hotels we visited are part of the Elegant resorts group and one of the things I really liked about this group is you can use the facilities of each hotel and they provide a great water taxi service between all of their properties on the west coast. From here we headed to Bridgetown for a sunset Catamaran cruise. This trip was the highlight of my time in Barbados and I will certainly be recommending this to my clients, it has to be one of the most amazing trip Barbados has to offer. We swam with turtles and snorkelled over several shipwrecks. We sailed into the sunset whilst enjoying a lovely buffet on board and then drank cocktails and danced until the sun disappeared. Day four was spent doing another unique excursion that I had never done before, a trip on a submarine. We went 140ft down to the bottom of the ocean and saw some amazing sea life and coral, I must admit this trip would not be for anyone who is claustrophobic but would recommend for those that want to see what is at the bottom of the ocean without getting wet! We then went on to the famous Mount Gay rum distillery which is a must for anyone who likes a tipple of rum. Personally it is not my favourite drink but one of my colleagues was happy to take my free samples from me. Today was finished off with three more hotel inspections; The Colony Club, The Tamarind and The House. On our final day we had some free time so I used this time to enjoy the beach and ocean at Waves and reflect upon all that I had seen and done on this beautiful island. Barbados really has got something for everyone the hotels range from modest 2/3 stars right up to the real top end 5 stars. It is an island that you really do need to get out and about to appreciate. So if Barbados is on your holiday wish list, please do get in touch as I have no doubt that I can ensure your trip will be as memorable as mine was. I have lots more picture on my Facebook page if you would like to pop over and take a look https://www.facebook.com/LisaLockhartTC/

01 April 2016

This was my first visit to Las Vegas and it definitely won't be the last. We only stayed for 4 nights and if it is your first time here I would definitely suggest staying a little longer. Next time I go I will be incorporating it with another destination, hopefully with San Francisco and San Diego as these are 2 places on my bucket list. I absolutely loved Las Vegas there is so much to see and do, We stayed at the Bellagio hotel which was fantastic although all of the hotels on the strip were really nice and I don't think I would be disappointed with any. All of the hotels are themed and it amazed me how much detail there was in the hotels. I took a picture inside the Venetian hotel and it actually does look like I am at St Marks Square in Venice !!! We did partake in a little gambling each evening and if this is your thing then Vegas is a must for you but if you are not a betting person then Vegas is still a great place to visit and has so much more to offer than just casinos which is what it is mainly associated with. Unfortunately we ran out of time to do the Grand Canyon and Hoover dam trips but on the plus side this gives me a good excuse to return here in the future....

01 April 2016

A group of us went to Florida in May 2008, all adults may I add and we had the most fantastic time, this was my first visit to Orlando and it certainly wont be my last. Yes we did do all the parks and practically did not stop for 2 weeks but this destination can be as full and action packed as you want or there is still plenty of opportunity to relax if you wish. I would definitely consider a 2 center of a week in the parks and then followed by a week on the beach if you don't want to constantly do the parks and attractions. We stayed in a gorgeous villa which was perfect for us as there was 9 in our group. We hired 2 cars so that not everyone had to do the same thing and this worked really well. Now onto the parks it is very difficult to pick my favorite but I would say it would be between Busch Gardens and Universal studios. Busch Gardens is about an hours drive from Orlando but I think it is definitely worth the drive as personally I found the animals here better than at Animal Kingdom and the rides are brilliant. Universal is a must and seemed to have the best rides overall. Magic Kingdom I just had to do as I had not been before but if I went back I probably would not visit there again unless travelling with young children who want to see all the characters. I did find the parade very spectacular. Epcot fireworks are well worth seeing. As well as the parks we did bogey creek airboat rides, a helicopter trip over the parks and also did plenty of shopping in the fantastic outlet stores...I nearly had to buy an extra suitcase to get everything home...

22 March 2016

On our recent holiday to Grenada, we found our best flight option was to travel via Miami so we decided that after our stay at Sandals La Source in Grenada we would spend an extra few days driving down the Florida Keys to end our holiday and what a fabulous idea this turned out to be! We only stayed two nights – one in Key Largo and one in Key West but we managed to fit lots in during this time. It is definitely a place we will return to and would ideally spend a few more nights when we go back as there is so much to see and do. The drive is amazing and it really does feel like you are driving on water with nothing but the one road and sea surrounding you. We hired a convertible Mustang and would highly recommend this type of car if it is just the two of you. Key West was my favourite stop, the town is amazing. It is at the most southern tip of the Florida Keys and from here you are only 90 miles away from Cuba. We stayed in a gorgeous hotel at the end of the famous Duval Street which is right at the heart of the action. Key West was the home of the famous author Ernest Hemmingway and this unique town has lots of history and interesting facts. We hopped on one of the old town trolley tours which I would highly recommend doing. Another must do is the famous sunset at Mallory Square, ever since the 1960's every day two hours before sunset this area comes alive with street entertainers, local musicians, artists and many more. It was an amazing evening and the sunset was fabulous too! You can combine this destination with so many other holiday options, you can incorporate it either before or after a stay in many of the Caribbean islands like we did or maybe combine with a cruise out of Miami or even after a trip to Disney. There are so many possibilities...please do get in touch for more details and options.

22 March 2016

Wow I cannot express enough what an amazing place this is! I have visited many Caribbean islands and stayed in lots of different hotels including other Sandals resorts BUT this has got to be my favourite so far and will certainly take some beating! Everything from the staff and food to the setting and our room was absolutely first class and I could not find fault with anything at all. There is wide variety of nine different restaurants to choose from including Steak house, Japanese Teppanyaki, Italian, Mediterranean, and many more. My favourite was the French restaurant where I was served the tastiest Chateaubriand I have ever had. The resort is quite small in comparison to a lot of hotels I have stayed in and this I really liked. The evenings were quiet low key with some occasional evening entertainment. It was great because all the guests were so friendly and we met some lovely people who we would share a drink with after dinner. I looked at all the different room types whilst I was there and even what is classed as a 'standard' room are of the highest standard. If you want to splash out the sky suites come with their own private pool and butler are amazing. Apart from the hotel being amazing, the other factor that made this holiday one to remember was instead of doing the usual excursions that you might normally do on holiday we hired a car for the day and it was fab. The island is perfectly safe to do this and the local people are really lovely. We drove around the whole island and also up into the rainforest where we were lucky enough to see the endangered Mona monkeys. As our flights were via Miami we ended this fabulous holiday with a further three days driving down the Florida Keys which was another amazing experience. I have a separate blog on this part of the trip if you would like to read more about this.

22 March 2016

Mauritius had been on my travel bucket list for many years, and I was finally lucky enough to tick it off my list in March this year. We stayed at a beautiful 5 star adult’s only boutique hotel on the North of the island. Our hotel was beautiful, very relaxing and the staff were truly amazing. As the hotel only has 67 rooms it has a real personal feel to the place and after just a few days the staff knew our names and what we wanted to drink without even asking. The infinity pool had the most gorgeous views and it was the perfect place to chill out and relax. If you were wanting to be a little more active all water sports including water skiing were free of charge and the water sports guys arranged many other activities such as snorkelling, glass bottom boat trips, dinghy sailing, windsurfing and paddle boarding. Although most of the holiday was mainly about relaxing and getting some sunshine we did do a couple of excursions and one of the days we hired a car for the day which I would highly recommend doing. It was a brilliant day and we managed to drive around most of the whole island and go up into the national park and we saw some wonderful sights. I would highly recommend Mauritius to both couples and families, the island has lots of excellent hotels to suit all tastes and budgets. If it is a destination you are thinking of or would like to find out more please do get in touch with me.

14 June 2013

The Maldives will always hold a special place in my heart and is definitely my favourite destination I have ever been to. If you want total relaxation then the Maldives is a must. I visited 2 islands during my stay, the first was quiet a large island (when I say large it took approximately 45 minutes to walk around the whole island). It had lots of activities and things going on but it still had the deserted island feel if you wanted relaxation. It really is a barefoot paradise and the moto on the island was 'no shoes, no news". The snorkelling was amazing, I had never snorkelled before and was truly amazed at what I saw, it was truly out of this world. The second island I visited was much smaller, it took only 10 to 15 minutes to walk around. Again it was absolutely gorgeous although for me maybe a bit too small, I only stayed here for 2 nights which I thoroughly enjoyed but I would not of wanted to be here for say 2 weeks. The transfer to the islands was by sea plane and this again was a highlight of my trip, it took about 40 minutes from Male airport and flying over the various atolls and islands was an amazing sight. Another highlight of my visit was the sunset boat trip (which was free) and wasthe best trip I have ever done. We had a shawl of about 30 dolphins swimming around our boat, jumping out of the water and doing tricks. It was amazing to see these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat, certainly a moment I will never forget. On the way home from the Maldives we did a 3 night stay in Dubai to break up the long journey home and this was the perfect way to end the holiday (please see journal on Dubai). I only hope that I am fortunate enough to visit this beautiful part of the world again.

14 June 2013

This hotel had been on my wish list for a while. I had previously booked many customers here before my stay and I knew it had a very good reputation and I am pleased to report that I was not disappointed. We booked into a standard junior suite which I was very pleased with, it was very large, comfortable and had all the necessary amenities you could wish for. The staff here were excellent and nothing was too much trouble for them. It is an adult only hotel and perfect for anyone wanting a good hotel with activities if you wish or also to chill out and relax at the same time. It is set on a beautiful beach and I particularly liked the pool area as it had lots of little 'hidey holes' with day beds and you certainly did not feel on top of each other like most pool areas. The food was also very good; there are four a la carte restaurants to eat in. We particularly enjoyed the Tepanyaki and the buffet restaurant was very good, offering a huge variety of food where even the fussiest of eaters would have found something to eat. The hotel also has a fantastic spa with its own private beach which you get to use if you book in for treatments, which I would highly recommend. The hotel also has a 'Royal Service' section which is absolutely stunning. I was lucky enough to be shown around this part of the hotel and it was truly gorgeous. If you were travelling for a special occasion or maybe on a honeymoon then it would be well worth upgrading to this part of the hotel. The guests here really do get treated like royalty, they will even unpack your case for you if you so wish. I will definitely continue to recommend this hotel to my customers and would not hesitate to return here again myself.

14 June 2013

I have been to Mexico twice and both times I have stayed in the Riviera Maya area. I like it here as you are between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen, so if you want to go to a livelier area they are accessible but you are not right in the middle of the action. For those that are looking for busy busy busy, then Cancun would be the best area for you although I like things slightly quieter (only my personal choice). Playa Del Carmen is also a lovely resort and has the balance of having lots of shops, bars and restaurants without been too over busy. From here you can also get the ferry across to Cozumel. On my first visit I stayed at The El Dorado Royale which is very much a couples and honeymooners hotel. It is very luxurious and the service is second to none. It is an all-inclusive hotel and the standard is very high. There are 12 swimming pools, 8 gourmet al a carte restaurants and 14 bars including 10 swim up ones. All rooms have a whirlpool in the bedroom and there are many private cabana beds on the beach and some around the pool. I would highly recommend this hotel particularly to newlyweds wanting a luxurious honeymoon. My second stay was at the Gran Riviera Princess. This hotel is on a very large complex and they use a mini train to take guests up to the main building. I particularly thought the food and drinks here were of a very good standard. There are two buffet restaurants and seven a la carte (including Italian, Swiss, Mexican, Grill, Asian and Seafood). Our room was really lovely and also were the pool areas. There are 12 swimming pools in total which I liked as you could enjoy the lively entertainment around the main pool or slope off to one of the quieter pools if you wanted a bit of peace and quiet. I really liked Mexico as you have the best of everything; the hotels are generally all of a very high standard and good value for money. It can be a very relaxed beach holiday if you wish but there is also lots to see and do such as jungle tours, Chithen Itza, Xel ha, the island of Cozumel. It is also very safe to go out and about in Cancun and Playa Del Carmen at night time if you want to get away from your hotel.

13 June 2013

I have been lucky enough to visit Dubai twice. The first time was on a works educational so I saw lots of different hotels and actually stayed in four different hotels during my trip. My second visit was on the way back from a holiday in the Maldives. Dubai is perfect to combine with further afield destination like the Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Thailand etc. Or you can also do Dubai as a single holiday in its own right. It has so much to offer with fantastic beaches, gorgeous hotels, stunning marinas, brilliant service and also the largest shopping mall in the world! What more could you need? I stayed in three hotels on my first visit which was an educational hosted by the Jumeirah group. The first was the Jumeirah Emirates Towers which is located in the city. It is a lovely hotel for a short stay or for those travelling on business as although it is a city hotel it is about 20 minutes from the beach (by taxi) and it has a really nice pool area with a view of the Burj Khalifa. Secondly I stayed in the Jumeirah Beach Hotel which was really lovely. My room overlooked the famous Burj Al Arab hotel and was decorated to a very high standard. The hotel is positioned directly on the beach and it is also next door to the wild wadi waterpark which guests of the hotel have free access to. This is a great hotel for families and young couples looking for a livelier hotel. My third hotel was the Jumeirah Madinat resort which is made up of 3 luxurious hotels (Mina A'salam, Al Qasr & Dar Al Masyaf). The resort is also on the beach front, is a very big complex and is one of my favourites in Dubai. It is centred round a large lagoon and they use gondolas to transport guests between the various facilities of the resort including, 44 restaurants, cafes and bars, leisure facilities, spas, water sports and also its own souk. My room was in the Mina A'salam hotel and my room was extremely comfortable and of a high standard. The fourth and final hotel during this trip was the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray which is located on the palm. The standards of this hotel are extremely high and I would recommend to people looking for the ultimate in luxury. My room was amazing (I had never seen anything like it). All areas of this hotel are very luxurious and it has the most amazing infinity pool area that looks over the rest of the palm. During my second visit to Dubai (which was on the way back from the Maldives) I stayed at The Address Downtown Dubai. I choose to stay here as I had already had a beach holiday in the Maldives and felt that this would be a more suitable location. The hotel is next to the Dubai Mall and overlooks the Dubai fountains and the Burj Khalifa. I would highly recommend this hotel as the rooms, service and everything about it was perfect. The Dubai mall has many lovely restaurants that overlook the fountains and I particularly enjoyed eating in these at night. I have also done several excursion in Dubai including the tour of the Burk Khalifa (Don't do this if you are scared of heights) and I also did a desert safari including 4x4 dune bashing which was lots of fun but certainly not for the faint hearted. As I mentioned before, Dubai is a great destination weather you are looking to visit on its own or twinning it with another place to break up the journey. Dubai really does have something to offer everyone.