15 May 2019

My favourite city....one I have been to a couple of times before and always wanted to take my family once they were older. The last time I was here, 2002 - 9/11 was still very much in everyone's thoughts. This time we had plans to shop until we dropped - walk until we had no legs left and of course see the Freedom Tower and go to pay our respects to the 9/11 victims at the memorial. It would appear that as we landed everyone and their dog had too. What I was impressed about was that although it looked packed to the rafters in the border control area, they had a system in place that meant that we were through in about half an hour tops. What I didn't envisage was the mile-long queues for the yellow cabs. We waited and we waited. We got on our way into the city after about 45 mins queueing. My tip? Pre-book a transfer, and if you don't want to pay for a private transfer, then pre-book a shared shuttle transfer! Once we had checked into our hotel at Westin Grand Central, we just had enough energy for a walk into Times Square. Boy - were we glad we stayed out of that area?! I stayed up there before and it was manic! The Westin Grand Central hotel was only about 15 mins walk tops but we all agreed, it was in a much quieter spot, and both my boys preferred the location. I won’t bore you with every minute detail of our fabulous weekend away, but a few tips I picked up along the way..... Pre-book your transfers - the taxis might be cheaper but after that flight you just want to get going...not queueing! Don't break the bank to stay at Times Square. Whilst it is fab, its packed, its pricier and it’s just nice to be able to walk in and walk away from it all. 9/11 Memorial - This is the one everyone heads for and is run by the Government. It’s very good! However, we loved the 911tributemuseum.org which is actually run by victims’ families, volunteers, emergency workers from that fateful day. They give a private and very moving account of that day. You can also visit their own smaller museum which is very personal and very touching! Staten island Ferry - This is absolutely free. Worth the walk down to Whitehall in the lower part of Manhattan and you get the exact same opportunities as a paid circle line cruise to see the Statue of Liberty. Just make sure you’re on the right side going over to Staten Island and on the left side coming back. The ferry turns around in about 40 mins, so you’re not over there for long if you want to come straight home. Central Park....hire bikes and spend a couple of hours in this beautiful park which is smack in the middle of this mad city. Open top buses.....pre-buy your tickets, you might just get one or two things free thrown in. But also use the subway, its quick, efficient and very safe. Overall, we just want to go back! we walked, cycled, bussed, cabbed and subwayed all over this wonderful city. Do you want to go? Have I whet your appetite for a short break in this city that truly never sleeps, then call me!

13 January 2015

So after 26 years working in the travel industry, I had yet to visit Tenerife. So August 2014 saw an opportunity to go and I grabbed it with both hands. Staying at 4* Paradise Park in Los Cristianos - All Inclusive. I had been highly recommended this hotel by my own colleagues and own customers, so as you can imagine, I had high expectations. The hotel itself was a good all round All inclusive. I can thoroughly appreciate why people returned year after year. The staff were very friendly, very accommodating - nothing was too much trouble. The food was of good variety and could please the most discerning of clients. The hotel itself, was I thought, perhaps a little cramped. Different buildings on differing levels surrounding 1 swimming pool. There are hotel rooms in the main building and apartment style rooms opposite. We were in the latter. I certainly don't believe for a minute that the apartment rooms were of 4* standard. A good 3*. The superior rooms in the hotel had recently being refurbished and were definitely 4*. If you are a couple thinking of staying here then these are the rooms for you. Its about a 10 minute walk down hill to the sea front. A nice walk out on an evening after your meal, but boy its quite a walk back, especially in the heat in August! The hotel do run an air conditioned minibus throughout the day departing every hour from the hotel and running you down to the centre of Los Cristianos/Playa De Las Americas. This doesn't operate in the evenings. Another thing to add about your walk outside the hotel - I've never ever come across as many lucky lucky men selling anything from knock off Raybans to the very latest knock off Michael Korrs bags. You just very quickly learn to ignore them and they actually are very respectful and move on. We spent most of our time at the 2nd family pool over a small walkway called the Atlántida pool. This is the one shown in the one of the pictures. A lovely pool and sunbathing area. Overall a nice mix of clientele, young and old alike. Would I return every year like some guests in the hotel? Not really....although we had a lovely family holiday, there is a big wide world out there and too many destinations for me to explore.

03 October 2014

You haven't experienced Italy until you have seen the gorgeous Amalfi Coastline. It’s all about the view! So over 20 years since my educational to Sorrento and the one excursion - Amalfi/Positano drive - I remember most vividly, I find myself going back to Amalfi to celebrate 20 years of marriage. On arrival at Naples we were met by a personal meet and greet service and the transfer down to Amalfi, past Sorrento, Versuvius and the like, began. Not for the faint hearted, these roads are often narrow. Very bendy but my word once you’re over the top of the mountain, the views are quite simply amazing! I had booked a standard 3* hotel – it was by no means the Ritz, but having read the reviews I knew it was just a bed to sleep in. To say I was pleasantly surprised on arrival would have been an understatement. Our balcony was the largest I have ever had, with the most amazing view below of Amalfi town and the sea. The walk down into town was obviously quicker than walking back up that steep hill. Never had as much exercise, but we didn't mind. We were childless for the weekend and the 15 minute walk became part of the norm. Our first experience of the prices had to be after our first walk down into the square, at the foot of the Cathedral. A pint and a lemon Gelato (ice cream to me and you) x 2, cost us a staggering 28 euros. That fella definitely saw us coming, but do you know what - I didn't care. I was in one of the most beautiful places in the world and I was loving it. A day trip to Capri was next on the cards and if I was in awe of Amalfi, I was blown away by the beauty of this most fabulous little island. Booked on the open top ferry boat over to Capri, which took about hour and a half, we caught the hydrofoil back and the journey was half the time, but if I wouldn't have missed the coastline passing the likes of Positano for the world. In a busy little harbour port area called Marina Piccola, you can catch the funicular up to the town of Capri. Loved the day mingling with the rich and famous, dining, drinking and shopping or should I say looking in the most exquisite boutiques. You would not believe the cost of a pair of shoes, well maybe you would. I can dream! In summary, if you want to go somewhere special and see the most beautiful coastline you will ever see, then please consider the Amalfi coast. I cannot sing its praises enough. I will definitely be going back. Call me and I will be more than happy to discuss options to suit you. I promise you, you will not regret it!

06 June 2013

So after all these years in travel I had yet to experience all-inclusive in Spain. I booked it over 12 months ago, having booked the hotel for previous clients. I was happy with my choice....Hotel Invisa Ereso, a 3* hotel in Es Cana. I remember years ago taking a Thomson educational out to the beautiful island of Ibiza and visiting Es Cana just for the day and I remember then, vowing to bring my own family back here one day. My boys are 13 and 10 and our 'ideal' holiday is usually to self-cater and then choose to eat out at different restaurants and bars each evening. I know that the boys are at an age where my main priority was to keep them happy. Happy children = happy parents! Upon arrival we were greeted by friendly reception staff who quickly checked us in. It must have taken all of three minutes. I had booked a Quad room, with no particular view. Although as I always do with all my guests, I had emailed to the hotel manager directly to ask for the best possible view. Our quad room was only one of six which was full sea view. It was really big and much more spacious than I expected. I have to say in all my years of travelling, I have stayed in hotels of all standards and I must state here and now, this is one of the cleanest hotels I have ever come across. It was exceptional! Meal times were explained to us at check in. At breakfast, lunch and evening meal times the restaurant was fully open. In between, you could get snacks from the pool bar or from 4.30 the restaurant. Why anyone would still want to snack in between mealtimes at this hotel is beyond me. The food for a 3* hotel was fabulous. There was more than enough choice and variety, even to cater for the fussiest of eaters (my husband). There were Mexican, BBQ, Chinese and Gala nights. I'm not sure what I expected about the 'drinking' side of the all-inclusive concept. Actually, I cannot believe how civilised it was. Very few people drinking during the day, meant my concerns were unfounded. The entertainment team of Matteo and Carlos worked tirelessly to ensure that kids and adults were entertained during the day. Football, killer pool, killer darts, shooting comps, and then to finish off the day there was a water polo match at 5pm. If you won anything, you were presented with your diploma that evening. My boys thoroughly enjoyed it, knew everyone in the hotel, mixed with all the kids and didn’t want to come home! The hotel had a lovely mix of families and couples of all ages. Although, as half term approached, you could see the hotel was filling up with more families and the older clientele was going home. Again, this is a 3* hotel so if you want 5*it’s not for you. I heard very few moans and groans throughout my stay. One or two had issues with the kids splashing in the pool and just being kids but why go at half term if you don’t want to see kids enjoying themselves? This hotel suits all sorts of people but is most suited to families with children. Overall, my summary is that we had a great time. I can honestly say that if you are thinking of coming here to Es Cana, looking for an extremely clean, very friendly, 3* all-inclusive holiday, then you will have a lovely time. It does exactly what it says on the tin. If you’re interested, call me for more info.

29 January 2013

After a very busy winter working long hours in the office, I desperately needed some fun on the snow. Normally, my annual ski would have been booked way in advance, but not this year. With only three weeks’ notice, we booked a late deal to Sestriere in the Italian Alps. A 07.15am morning flight from Manchester meant a very early start on the M62 over the Pennines. I had already pre-booked the T2 multi storey car park in advance and got a great rate. It was a good job as we were diverted off the motorway for motorway closure repairs which added time to our journey. Why is it that whatever time you get on that motorway....there are problems! I must make a mental note to try and get a Doncaster or Leeds flight for my summer holiday! The flight is only one hour and 30 minutes from take-off to landing and we arrived in a very busy Turin airport. Anyone who has been skiing knows that these airports resemble a cattle market on a busy Saturday! We survived a busy luggage retrieval area and found our ski rep waiting along with numerous coaches ready to take people for a week on the slopes. We were booked in the Olympic Apartments, which were built for the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics. They are good, basic apartments of a 3* standard. I’ve stayed in better but they were perfect for this holiday. We had fantastic views of the piste. There is a bar, restaurant, supermarket, pool table for the boys, swimming pool, gym...I could go on. The facilities were more than adequate. The resort was very busy with Italians (it must have been their school holidays) but I liked the buzz. For the next six days we had some fantastic sunshine - nice hot weather - and had the best time skiing. We were very lucky with the snow. It is a high resort, so one of the few remaining resorts in that area that still has a decent amount of snow coverage. Every morning we would get the Gondola from outside our apartments and take the 15 minute journey over to Sauze D'ouz. We loved it over there, especially first thing on a morning. There are fabulous wide open runs which were very quiet, in fact you could ski for miles and not see a soul. Perfect! The boys loved it. At twelve and nine years of age, they have been on probably half a dozen ski holidays and are very competent skiers. They’re probably better than me....but don't tell them! Needless to say, the holiday went far too quickly and before we knew it we back on the plane, feeling refreshed, exhilarated and realising that it would be another whole year before we could repeat the experience.

17 February 2010

A promise I had made to my children a couple of years ago, was here. We were going to see Mickey Mouse in Florida. I had booked non stop Virgin Atlantic flights, from Manchester. Experience had taught me that travelling with kids, on a 9 hour flight, I needed as much entertainment as I could get. Boy...I was not wrong. We each had our own seat back TV’s. The boys had been given their own Virgin K -id satchel which was filled with tons of stuff. We were on our way!!! Upon arrival, Orlando International airport was surprisingly easy enough to navigate through. After the necessary lengthy queue for border control, everything else was literally plain sailing. I had pre booked a car with Alamo. We could pick from a selection, we chose a Chrysler Voyager, which was an absolute dream to drive. Never having driven in the US before, I admit I was quite apprehensive. But, my worries were unfounded, I had booked a GPS and with that, it was only 1/2 hour before we were handed our keys to our Condo. I had purposely not gone for a Villa. Having stayed in a beautiful villa here about 12 years ago, I had decided that this time, I wanted to have 'Villa' facilities, within a complex. After weeks of research I finally chose the Vista Cay complex, on Universal Boulevard. 5 mins to Universal Orlando, 15 mins to the Disney parks. WOW....is the only word I can describe the luxurious condo we were given. A fabulous 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom 'Watervilla' overlooking the lake and pool area. We could not believe our luck!! So for 2 weeks, we were living in absolute extreme comfort, with the added bonus of laundry facilities, hence no washing was brought home. I can think of nothing better than coming home from a long day in the parks and just chilling either in front of a huge 50inch plasma screen, enjoying the veranda and the fabulous view of the lake and Orlando, or relaxing in the Jacuzzi, whilst the kids play in the large pool. THE PARKS....well what can I say. This holiday is not for the faint hearted. The Americans do nothing by halves and I can honestly say, that there is actually something here for everyone. My boys are really not that interested in the characters, they wanted the rides. The bigger, the better. I remember back in 1997, my husband going on ''Summit the Plummit'' in Blizzard Beach. The longest, fastest water slide in the world. Well here I was 12 years later, stood at the bottom of it, whilst my 9 and 7 year olds, were having a competition with their Dad on who could come down the fastest. I think Lewis (9) managed 56 MPH, Daniel (7) managed 52MPH and their Dad managed 56 MPH. Not bad going!!! We had a fantastic time on holiday. One we wish to repeat in a couple of years. If you're thinking of going, please don't hesitate to pick up the phone or drop me an email. If you have any questions then just let me know, Louise