04 May 2021

I guess I should have entitled this blog messing about on the canal, but it does not have the same ring to it. I have been on two narrowboat holidays in my life, and I can't work out why I have not taken more of this type of holiday as on both occasions I have had a fabulous time. Some of my memories of the first time are a little hazy as it was over 25 years ago but I will always remember my mo

06 January 2021

Most people seem to think that December is all about getting ready for Christmas and it is often overlooked as a month to travel but it can result in a great value trip when resorts are often a little quieter than they are in the summer months. A short break before the festivities start can be just the tonic. I originally wrote this blog for my Facebook page contrasting the two breaks that I took

09 May 2019

My journey started with an Air Canada flight from Heathrow to Vancouver where we were hosted jointly by the Vancouver Tourist Board and Rocky Mountaineer for a fun 48 hours in this wonderful city. I had last visited in 1992 but apart from some newer buildings and a few extra activities, very little had changed and it was great to go back to Stanley Park, Capilano Suspension Bridge park which now

17 December 2018

When I won a place on this Club Med educational ski trip to Val Thorens I was delighted as it meant I got to ski for a weekend and to find out more about the great product that Club Med offer. We flew to Geneva and it was 2hr 30-minute transfer to the resort. The welcome was warm and well organised with our room keys and lift passes waiting for us. We were escorted to our rooms which were warm

25 July 2018

My husband Tim is a keen motorcyclist and has visited the Picos de Europa in northern Spain with his biking buddies on numerous occasions and I decided it was time I found out what all the fuss was about. We took the 25-hour Brittany Ferries crossing from Portsmouth to Santander on the Pont Aven. It is a long sailing but there are plenty of facilities on board including a pool, cinema, lounge,

26 May 2018

My holidays for the last few years have taken on a bit of a Caribbean theme and 2018 was no exception with a last minute trip to Saint Kitts & Nevis. These lovely islands just 10 minutes apart by water taxi could not be more different. St. Kitts with its deep water harbour and Georgian fort and scenic railway long popular with cruise ships seems a world away from sleepy Nevis with its converted

26 May 2018

The Maldives have been on my list of must-see destinations for a long time so when I got the chance of a short visit I jumped at the chance. First stop was Atmosphere by Kanifushi an island in the Lhaviyani Atoll just a 30 minute seaplane transfer from Male Airport and what a great way to arrive. The scenic flight afforded great views of the resort as we came into land. The welcome was like not

26 May 2018

When I suggest the resort of Ras Al Khaimah to clients I am often met with the word "where"? Well I can tell you that it is one of the seven Emirates and depending on traffic some 45 minutes from Dubai but in many respects a world away. Ras Al Khaimah is much more laid back than its high rise neighbours focusing more on the beaches and adventure based activities which it is promoting. It still

26 May 2018

I have been lucky enough to visit Dubai on many occasions. My first visit was in 2004 when I went on an educational visit that also included Abu Dhabi and Qatar and at the time it was like nowhere else I had ever been before and much has changed between then and my latest visit in 2018. We saw a lot of hotels some of which no longer exist but we still managed to get a real feel for the place. We e

19 October 2017

We flew non-stop to Lima with British Airways landing in the early evening. Our first hotel the Antigua Miraflores is a traditional hotel hidden among the high rise buildings, a real gem of a hotel. Day 2 We drove an hour south to Pachacamac for a visit to the museum, pyramids and temples of Inca and pre-Inca civilisations before heading down the coast to Paracas. The San Agustín Paracas ho

22 June 2017

When it was announced last November that one of the choices of destination for our Gold Conference was Jamaica, I jumped at the chance to go. This Caribbean island has long been a favourite with tourists across all sections; from the budget traveller to the great and the good of the music industry and even royalty. We flew in to Montego Bay, just a short transfer from our accommodation at Ha

03 May 2017

If you are not familiar with it Antigua (and its sister island Barbuda) are islands in the Caribbean just an 8 hour flight from the UK making it popular with winter sun seekers. With 365 beaches to choose from and steady winds it is a favourite of beach lovers and sailors alike. Families and couples looking for relaxation and a little luxury are well catered for with many beautiful hotels and v

28 May 2016

I am extremely lucky to do the job that I do and the trade launch of the new Royal Caribbean Cruise ship Harmony of the Seas is an great example of this. The best way to give you a flavour of the fantastic things you can do on board the biggest cruise ship in the world is to tell you how I spent my day.... 8am - 10am start the day with a session in the gym or in my case the spa with a Seawee

18 April 2016

Having never been on a large cruise ship for more than a night I jumped at joining this great educational on the Carnival Dream. The fact that we had two nights in Louisiana before the cruise was a fantastic start. After flights with Delta through Atlanta (there is no direct flight to New Orleans yet) our first night was in Lafayette at the Homewood Suites which had very large suite style rooms

19 October 2015

I have been lucky to visit the beautiful islands of the Seychelles twice and on both occasions the trips have exceeded expectations. The visit was arranged by the Seychelles Tourist Board in conjunction with our local agents and was a great mix of hotel inspections and time getting to know the islands. My first trip was in 1992 and my husband and I did a couple of the excursions that were in

31 May 2015

When my husband Tim heard that the 2015 Gold Conference was to be held in Mexico he decided he would like to join me but refused to go just for the official 4 days so we added on a few extra days in which to explore the are under our own steam. We stayed at the 5 star Secrets the Vine which offers the AM Resorts all inclusive "unlimited luxury" concept. It is a beach front hotel with 4 pools, 6

31 May 2015

I have been lucky enough to have been to Courchevel a number of times as my husband's cousin has an apartment on the outskirts of Courchevel 1650 where we can virtually ski in/ ski out which is great but at Christmas we decided to opt for a chalet hotel where we would be in the company of others. The chalet hotel is a great concept with all the advantages of a chalet - a hearty breakfast, aftern

18 October 2014

Sri Lanka had been high on my wish list after I had an educational visit cancelled in 2005 so I was really looking forward to my visit. It was great to arrive and depart in style with Business Class flights courtesy of British Airways. The flights to Colombo make a quick touchdown on Male in the Maldives in both directions which makes for interesting viewing during landing and take-off. On a

07 June 2014

Ok, so I have to put my hands up and say that this was a trip that I was dreading as I am not someone who is great when it comes to crowds and have never been a great fan of rides and theme parks. But I have to be honest and say that I actually enjoyed myself. I guess part of this came from staying in the delightful Loews Portofino Bay Hotel which is one of the onsite hotels at Universal. The prop

12 April 2014

When we visited St Lucia in early March 2014 the island had been on my "to do" list for a while as it seemed to have so much to offer. We were not disappointed. We flew from Gatwick with Virgin Atlantic and took a short helicopter transfer to Castries which afforded a great view of the island. Our hotel, the 5* Capella Marigot Bay (formerly Discovery), was a short drive from the airport on the

23 November 2013

Having been on a number of different styles of cruises I jumped at the chance to take a river cruise. Riviera are market leaders in the river cruise market with a range of 4 and 5* ships sailing on the Rhine, Moselle, Main, Elbe, Rhone and Seine as well as the Danube. I sailed on the 5* Lord Byron and she was delightful - if a ship can be described this way! At 110 metres long she carries a max

23 October 2013

I have been very lucky and visited Turkey twice in the last two years. In June 2012 I did a week long gulet cruise with a group of friends and family. The cruise took us from the pretty marina of Gocek as far as Olu Deniz and Fethiye calling at deserted islands and beaches along the way often in the company of dolphins. The cabins were very comfortable and the crew very friendly and efficient -

15 July 2013

In need of a break after a busy couple of months, Tim and I decided to jet off to Morocco for a few nights of winter sun and we were not disappointed. Instead of the regular city break to Marrakech or a beach stay in Marrakech we opted to split our four night stay equally between Marrakech and the Atlas Mountains as neither of us are really what I would call "city people" and this was a great c

15 July 2013

We started with a couple of days in San Diego sampling the delights of this great city with an Old Town Trolley Bus Tour, Seal and Dolphin Tour and a lovely walk along Mission Beach to stretch our legs. We then took the Pacific Surfliner (Amtrak) to Port Huneme just north of Los Angeles to collect our bike. On day 1 we were joined by Tim's cousin Stuart and his wife Julia and headed down th

28 May 2013

I have been lucky enough to visit Abu Dhabi twice in the last nine years - firstly back in 2004 on an educational trip where I really only saw the hotels we were checking out and more recently on the Gold Travel Counsellors Conference where I got to experience a lot more. Abu Dhabi is a great destination in its own right or as a stopover when flying with the award winning national airline Etiha

27 May 2013

Our first stop on arrival in Tromso was the Rica Grand Hotel overlooking the waterfront so we could drop our bags off before a quick ship visit to the Midnatsol, the sister ship to the Trollfjord which we were to join later. The ships are identical apart from the colour scheme with Midnatsol using yellows and reds and the Trollfjord more muted in greens and blues. The ships have a selection of cab

27 April 2013

In April 2013 I was able to visit the wonderful island of Cyprus for the second time (my first was with my family in 1990). The trip was hosted by Aegean Airlines, The Cyprus Tourism Organisation and Constantinou Bros Hotels and I would like to say a big thank you to all concerned for their wonderful generosity and hospitality to myself and 18 colleagues. We flew from Gatwick and the Aegean fli

05 June 2012

Our trip began at the One & Only Hotel in Cape Town where our room overlooked both the Marina and Table Mountain. The hotel is a short walk to the V&A Waterfront, a great place for shopping, eating or watching the world go by. The city sightseeing bus set off from just outside our hotel and took in all the major sights, while offering interesting commentary. We took in Table Mountain, taking a rid

19 September 2011

I don't know anyone who has ever had a bad word to say about Kefalonia so when we were deciding on a destination for a last minute holiday before Alistair disappeared off to university it seemed like the ideal choice. We certainly were not disappointed. Fiscardo, our chosen resort, was picture perfect being one of the few areas largely unaffected by the earthquake that hit the island in the 19

13 June 2011

I was lucky enough to spend two whole months touring New Zealand with my family (husband Tim and son Alistair) during November and December 2006. We covered most of the major sights on both the North and South Islands during this time and have some amazing memories. We started our adventure in Auckland staying in the very centre of the city and spent a few days exploring the city including the

13 June 2011

I have been lucky enough to visit Australia twice in my life so far. The trips were very different as the first one back in 1987 was on my own and I spent time with friends and family mixed in with some time on my own exploring. I started my trip with a stay in Perth with old friends of the family and they showed me around Perth and accompanied me on days out to Rottnest Island, Freemantle, Ma

13 June 2011

I was lucky enough to spend just over a week in Tasmania with my family (husband Tim and son Alistair) as part of our round the world trip in January 2007 and to be honest the eight days we had there was just not long enough to do the island justice. We landed in Hobart where we picked up our hire car and headed straight out towards Port Arthur which is famous for its convict settlement. This i

03 January 2011

Despite having been a skier for over 20 years my husband had never been to Austria so I decided that it was time to rectify this and Lech was chosen. Lech has been described to me a as the resort the Courchevel aspires to be but never will be, and as Tim has been to the Three Valleys on numerous occasions it seemed a sensible choice. The only draw back was that as we wanted to stay in a Chalet H

04 December 2010

I think it would be safe to say the biggest reaction I had from people when I told them I was going to Bonaire on holiday was "Where?" Well it is in the Dutch Caribbean (formerly the Netherlands Antilles) around 70 miles off the coast of Venezuela. With its sister islands Aruba and Curacao it makes up the ABC Islands and from January 2011 will be solely using the US Dollar. We flew from Bristol vi

21 July 2010

In June 2010 I was privileged to attend the Gold Travel Counsellors Conference in Las Vegas staying at the Encore at the Wynn. I must confess that not being much of a gambler or a city person I was not as excited as you might expect but I was very pleasantly surprised. Las Vegas was not as tacky as I had expected and in fact the hotels and shopping were something that needs to be seen to be believ

24 November 2009

I have been lucky enough to visit Oman twice this year, once on the Gold Travel Counsellors Conference in June and again with my family over the October half term holiday, and had a marvellous time on both occasions. In June we stayed at the Al Bastan Palace Intercontinental just out side Muscat at Al Bustan. It is a very impressive hotel located on a lovely beach and I would have considered re

14 July 2009

Having visited many areas of the Far East, China has always been high on my list of countries to visit and I was delighted when I was awarded a place on an educational trip to the country. We had four days in Beijing which allowed us to visit many of the sights including the Temple of Heaven - I loved the grounds the best, as groups of local people gather to sing songs together and play unusua