Based in Bishop’s Stortford

Rebecca Beecham

It's Nice To Meet You

Welcome to my webpage!

I’m Rebecca and I live in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire with my Husband and our Son.

I’ve always been extremely passionate about travel and have been fortunate enough to have visited some amazing places around the world, including New York, Florida, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hawaii, Dubai, Thailand, Jamaica, Mexico, Italy, Egypt, Turkey, Cyprus, as well as many other European destinations. I have also been on a few cruises too.

As you can see, I am a fan of the States, with Las Vegas being my absolute favourite! That mix of beautiful sunshine, great food and amazing attractions keeps me going back to Vegas time and time again. With each hotel having its own theme, it’s like visiting a new place every time I go, with Caesars Palace at the top of my list so far.

As your very own Travel Counsellor I can offer you a dedicated personal service where nothing is too much trouble. Your holiday time is precious and I am here to make sure that you get that tailor made holiday you have been dreaming of!

So whether you are looking for a relaxing beach holiday, a jam packed activity getaway, a city break, a cruise or that once in a lifetime trip, I am here to make it happen. As well as that, I can also help with all those little holiday extras such as car hire, transfers, insurance and attraction tickets.

So if you have a something specific in mind or you are just looking for some inspiration, then please do not hesitate to contact me. I am available all day everyday including evenings and weekends.

I look forward to helping you plan your next holiday!

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My Blog

I absolutely live and breathe travel and I love to write about my experiences! Please take a look through my posts - you might find your own holiday inspiration.

Viva Las Vegas

27 June 2018

For those of you that know me well, Las Vegas is my favourite place to go on holiday. It has great weather, fabulous hotels, every type of cuisine you could want and non-stop entertainment. For our fifth visit to Sin City we went in early June for seven nights flying with Virgin Atlantic. I really like going at this time of year as the weather is so good. If you like it hot, then it’s a great time to go. This time we stayed at the MGM Grand which is a hotel we haven’t stayed in before. The hotel is towards the south of the strip but is actually really convenient because it has a monorail station which takes you along the strip. Not all of the hotels have a monorail station so for those not wanting to walk the strip every night this is a great way to get around. There are a number of pools at MGM as well as a lazy river, so you were never short of a sun bed. Our favourite restaurant in Las Vegas is still the Cheesecake Factory located at the Forum Shops in Caesars Palace. We had two great meals here during our week. The menu is extensive and of course the cheesecake is to die for. A meal here for two including drinks, starters, main courses and cheesecake cost around $7. During our stay there was a boxing event on at the MGM, so we decided to get tickets. This was something we had always wanted to do in Vegas and although the fighters in the main event weren’t anyone well known in the UK, one of them was American and was clearly popular in the US. It was a fantastic event and I’m so pleased we decided to get tickets as the atmosphere was incredible. A couple of nights we took an Uber to the premium outlets at each end of the strip to do some shopping. One thing that Vegas isn’t short on is shopping! The outlets are great because they have lots of designer shops at discount prices and then there are a number of other shopping places on the strip too from high street shops to high end designer shops. Another really nice meal we had was at the Wolfgang Puck restaurant in MGM Grand, which I would recommend. Here, a meal for two including a main course each, a side to share, desserts and a cocktail each was around $90. As always, we had a fantastic time in Las Vegas and I have no doubt that we will be back for more of the same. We plan to stay in as many hotels on the strip as we can so look out for my next Vegas blog to find out where we end up next time!

Dubai

08 August 2017

This was not my first time in Dubai but it was my first time staying on The Palm. We arrived just before midnight and found getting through the airport very quick. Our transfer was waiting to take us to our hotel for the next 5 nights, Anantara The Palm. Again, check-in at the hotel was really quick and we were escorted to our room. We were staying in a premier lagoon view room which is one of the nicest hotel rooms I’ve ever stayed in. There was everything you could possibly need in the room and our balcony overlooked one of the lagoons which we could use 24 hours a day. The bathroom had a beautiful sunken bath, a separate walk-in shower, separate toilet and twin basins with Elemis products. I would have been happy if we had stayed in the room the whole time! We were staying on a half board basis where we could use this at either lunch time or dinner time and at dinner, we could use the buffet restaurant, the Asian restaurant Mekong or the Australian restaurant Bushman’s as well as the beach bar. Our first day was a completely free day so we started with a good breakfast. The breakfast buffet had everything you could want from cooked English breakfast, to fruits, cereals, continental options, omelette station, pancakes and waffles. The food was excellent and this quickly became my favourite meal of the day. We made the most of the beach, swimming pool and bar all day which was great. There were always plenty of sunbeds available and the staff would bring round, cold towels, cucumber and ice lollies throughout the day. The following day, we left our sunbeds early to go out on a sunset desert safari. We were picked up in a jeep type vehicle and driven out to the sand dunes where we met a number of other jeeps. The tyres on the vehicles were prepared and we were soon off driving up and down the sand dunes - great fun even if it did make me feel a bit queasy at times! We stopped a couple of times for photo opportunities before being driven to the camp. Here, we were able to try sand boarding, ride a camel, try on the authentic dress and have some henna. Food and drink was included and we were treated to some traditional dancing and even had an opportunity to get up and try it for ourselves! At the end of the evening we were driven back to the hotel. Today, we had another busy day as we went for afternoon tea at the Burj Al Arab followed by a trip up the Burj Khalifa. Our afternoon tea experience was amazing, 7 courses all overlooking Dubai. The food was exceptional but then what do you expect in the world’s most luxurious hotel. Afterwards we made our way to the Burj Khalifa which is located at the Dubai Mall. As we went up in the lift, the anticipation built as to what we would see when we walked out at the top of the tallest building in the world and we weren’t disappointed. The view of Dubai from there was outstanding. You could stay as long as you liked at the observation deck, walking all the way around making sure you saw Dubai from every angle. As we were at the Dubai Mall, we stayed for the evening wandering around the shops. There was a mix of designer and high street stores as well as some local shops and an aquarium! All that shopping could only mean one thing - dinner at the Cheesecake Factory! Anyone that has read my travel blogs will know that the Cheesecake Factory is my favourite restaurant and so it’s no surprise that I managed to squeeze in a visit while we were in Dubai. Walking off our huge meal, we made our way outside to the Dubai Fountains and then had a wander around the Souks opposite the Mall. Our last day arrived in a flash and we spent the day in our favourite spot by the pool drinking cocktails. For the evening meal we decided to try one of the speciality restaurants, Mekong. The majority of the menu was included in our half board but there was the odd dish that required a supplement but it wasn’t very much. My 3 course meal consisted of spring rolls, sweet and sour chicken and rice and pistachio crème brulee and it was fantastic. I would definitely recommend trying out the Mekong Restaurant and if we had longer then we would have loved to try the Australian Grill too. Our final evening we took a taxi down to the “The Walk” at Jumeirah Beach and had a wander around the shops and along the beachfront. It was about a 15 minute taxi ride and there are so many restaurants here, I wouldn’t know where to start. You could certainly find a different place to eat every night if you were staying on a bed and breakfast basis. I was say 5 nights is just about enough time to see the main sights in Dubai but I could quite easily have stayed for longer. Maybe next time!

My First Cruise

04 May 2017

Having never been on a cruise before I opted for a mini three night Taste of Bruges and Paris on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas. I had pre-booked parking at Southampton and on arrival, we dropped our luggage off with the staff and parked in the car park opposite. It was a 5 minute walk from the car park to the check-in terminal where we went through security. After security, we proceeded to the check-in desks where we were issued with our Sea Passes. We were then able to get straight on the ship. The whole process was quick and easy with very little queuing. I would say it took no more than 30 minutes to go through security and check-in. We had booked a balcony cabin which was surprisingly spacious. There was ample wardrobe space with plenty of hangers and room to store your suitcase once you had unpacked. We had a separate sofa and coffee table area and a dressing table and mirror. The bathroom consisted of a shower, WC and sink area. There were lots of cupboards and drawers in the bathroom and bedroom to put everything away keeping the room itself clear. As we arrived at lunctime and weren’t due to sit down for our evening meal until 7.00 p.m, we went to try out the buffet at Windjammer Café for lunch, which of course is all included in the cost of the cruise. It was a large self-service buffet area with plenty to choose from including snacks, drinks, main meals and desserts. After lunch and a drink, it was time to try out the state of the art gym before getting ready for dinner. We went back to our cabin to get changed and our cases had been delivered. The gym onboard is fantastic with every piece of equipment you could want and both times we used the gym we were able to get straight on what we wanted. It was never overcrowded. On My Time Dining we could go anytime between 5.30 p.m. and 9.00 p.m. The menu was excellent with plenty of choice for each course and you could order as much or as little as you wanted. You could even order 3 main courses if you wanted and again all included in the cost of the cruise! The service was excellent and we never waited very long between courses and the food was fantastic. The entertainment in the theatre that evening was a Beatles tribute band, although with an early start the next morning to go into Bruges we didn’t stay long. We opted to have our breakfast delivered to our room the next morning as we were going to be out early to take our transfer into Bruges. The continental breakfast room service was complimentary and there was a cover charge for the cooked option but again you could order as much as you wanted and you selected the time you wanted it delivering. We went for the continental option on the first morning and had a fruit plate, yoghurt and granola, oatmeal and honey, cereal, a chocolate donut and a blueberry muffin. It was all really nice and set us up for the day. We took a short transfer ride into Bruges on a pre-booked transfer and arrived there for 9.00 a.m. We wandered around the local market and went for a hot chocolate in a lovely café until the shops opened at 10.00 a.m. This was the first time I had been to Bruges and it was lovely. There are so many little shops and cafes and of course lots of chocolate shops. You can take a ride on a horse and cart around the town and there is a boat ride down the river too. The streets are all cobbled streets with lots of side streets going off with individual style boutique shops. Time flew by but by the time our transfer came to collect us 5 hours later it was getting really busy so I would recommend going into Bruges early to avoid the crowds. Tonight was a formal night so for those who wanted to dress up they could. There was a complete mix of dress in the main dining room from jeans and a shirt to dinner jackets and bow ties and ball gowns. The menu had changed slightly although a couple of the speciality options were the same as the night before which is great if there are a couple of things you want to try out. The entertainment was continuous with plenty for people to choose from throughout the day and night and something for everyone from live acts, to quiz’s and movies on the big screen. The next morning we had a late breakfast in the cabin and this time we opted for the cooked option. The perfect breakfast to set us up for the day. Today we decided not to leave the ship and instead spent some time looking around the ship at everything it had to offer. There are some lovely shops on the Royal Promenade including jewellery and watches, duty free shopping and a Michael Kors shop. There is a pizzeria, Sorrento’s which is complimentary, the Cupcake Cupboard, Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream and the Café Promenade. After collecting hot chocolates from Café Promenade, we made our way up to top deck to sit out in the sun. For lunch today we decided to try out Johnny Rockets. There was an additional charge of $6.95 per person but you could order as much food as you wanted. We went for the onion rings, cheesy bacon fries and a burger each and I have to say it was worth every penny. The burgers were amazing! Tonight we had booked a table at one of the speciality dining restaurants Chops Grille and again, this was worth every penny. The food was exceptional and the service went above and beyond. Grease the musical was the main show in the theatre and because we didn’t have time to have our desserts and get to the show on time, the restaurant offered for us to go back after the show for our desserts (something to look forward to after the show). Cocktail in hand, we took our seats for the show which was absolutely brilliant. It was a shorter version (90 minutes) of the West End Show and was really really good and of course we had our desserts to return to afterwards which were divine! The next morning, disembarking was really straightforward, it took us about 10 minutes to walk off the ship and back to the car park. The whole cruise from start to finish was fantastic. The process to get on and off was simple, the ship had everything you could ever want, the food was amazing and the service exceptional. I will definitely be going on another cruise and can highly recommend Royal Caribbean. I would encourage anyone who hasn’t been on a cruise to try it. The fact that it departs from Southampton is convenient and it’s a great way to try it for a few nights to see if you like it. I think I’m now converted!

Thailand

30 December 2016

For the first time in 8 years, we decided to take our annual holiday somewhere other than the USA and after some deliberating, it was Thailand that we landed on! We flew direct from Heathrow to Bangkok, where we spent the first 2 nights at the Rembrandt Hotel. It was a great hotel in a really good location, close to the sky train so it was easy to get out and about. Due to the recent passing of the King of Thailand, the Grand Palace was awash with local people queuing to pay their respects in the funeral hall. Our guide “Peter” explained that the local people start queuing from around 05.00 a.m. and some of them will not get into the funeral hall until late in the afternoon. After waiting for around 30 minutes, due to the unexpected arrival of a member of the Royal family, we were lucky enough to get into the most famous temple in Thailand and it was truly breathtaking to see the Emerald Buddah. Our second day in Bangkok was spent hitting the shops and there are certainly plenty to go at! In the evening, we went to watch some Muay Thai boxing at the Rajadamnern Stadium which was a great experience. We had ringside seats to all of the 9 fights and it was a great atmosphere and lots of fun. We then flew to Phuket and were collected and taken to Elephant Hills, where we were to spend our next 2 nights. Elephant Hills is an elephant sanctuary in Khao Sok. Accommodation is in the form of luxury tents and for someone who wouldn’t dream of spending a night in a tent, I was pleasantly surprised. Our first afternoon of activities consisted of canoeing where we saw monkeys, snakes, toads and a kingfisher. We were then taken back to camp for our elephant experience, which was absolutely amazing. All of the elephants at Elephant Hills are rescue elephants that were taken in when it was no longer legal for them to be used for work. We observed the elephants for a while as they played in the water and then once they had got themselves really muddy, it was time for us to scrub them clean. The elephant we chose was called “Mod Dang” and armed with a hose pipe and some coconut skin we scrubbed her clean. Each of the elephants has their own guide who they stay with during their lifetime and he told us that Mod Dang was really greedy and liked to eat everyone’s food as well as her own! After cleaning her, we then went off to prepare her food. We chopped pineapple and sugar cane and prepared a special parcel which contained the nutrients that the elephants need to keep them healthy. Next it was feeding time and it was obvious that Mod Dang’s favourite food was pineapple, as she dropped the sugar cane and protein parcel to the floor! She cleared all of the pineapple from our baskets as well as what she could from others baskets before going back to eat what she had dropped on the floor! It was an experience that I will never forget and one that I would highly recommend to anyone going to Thailand. Elephant Hills is all about putting the welfare of the elephants first and this is why they have just won the “Thailand Green Excellence Award” in the category of Animal Welfare. Elephant Hills supports the local schools and in the evening some of the local school children came to the camp to perform some traditional Thai dancing for us. The food in camp was excellent and in fact was some of the best food we ate all holiday. After our time at Elephant Hills, we were taken back to Phuket where we spent the next 9 nights at the Centara Grand Beach Resort in Karon. I am so pleased that we picked this hotel, not only was the hotel itself fantastic but it was also in one of the best locations. It was positioned on a hill right between Karon town centre and Patong. Patong is a really busy and lively town and personally is not somewhere I would have wanted to stay. It’s great to be able to experience it but was also nice to come away. Our position on the hill meant that we were a five to ten-minute tuk-tuk ride to Patong and within walking distance of Karon Town. Had we been any further up the hill then it would not have been within walking distance of the town so it was just perfect. The hotel is right on the beach and had a number of pools, a lazy river and a couple of slides. We were staying there on a bed and breakfast basis and I can honestly say that the breakfast was one of the best buffet breakfasts I’ve seen. We booked ourselves onto a tour to Phi Phi Island and had one of the best days. We were collected from the hotel early by a representative of Anchor Andaman Tours and taken to the marina where we met our guide “Tom Cruise” and our driver for the day “Captain Jack Sparrow”. We set off for Maya Bay on Phi Phi Lae, where the film “The Beach” was filmed. It’s such a beautiful island but one where you have to arrive really early or be staying local to experience it without so many other people around. We drove past Viking Cave on our way to Phi Leh Lagoon where we spent some time swimming and jumping off the boat (not me)! We then made our way to Monkey Beach which was my favourite stop on the trip. We only spent about 10 minutes on the island but it was fascinating to see so many monkeys some of whom were obviously intrigued by us and others who couldn’t care less. The rest of the day was spent snorkelling, having lunch and relaxing on Bamboo Island. It was a great trip and one I would definitely recommend to people. I would also recommend the Anchor Andaman team who made the trip so much more enjoyable by the stories they told and the way they interacted with everyone on board. On the trip we met a really lovely Australian family and a couple from Canada who were also staying in Karon, so the next night we all went for a meal together in the evening to No 6, which is a well-known restaurant up in the hills and we got the best table in the restaurant to watch the sunset over Phuket. We experienced so many great things during our time in Phuket, we ate locally, we had Thai massages and we bartered on the markets. Thailand has definitely given us the confidence and enthusiasm to try something new and it is somewhere I would definitely go back to. There are so many different towns and islands where you could stay that you could go back many times and stay in a different place each time. Another great holiday to add to the list! If you’d like to find out more about this amazing destination, get in touch with me today!

Orlando Florida

07 October 2016

I have just returned from the most amazing trip to Orlando, Florida where I was lucky enough to be one of 50 agents selected for the annual Visit Orlando Super Fam - an educational that takes place every year and is said to be one of the best! Our itinerary for the week was jam packed, showcasing the best that Orlando has to offer. We stayed at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge for the first three nights of the trip which is one of Disney’s deluxe resorts. It’s an African themed hotel within a real safari park with the animals roaming the grounds. Our first two days were spent exploring everything Disney at Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. We were lucky enough to experience the VIP guides who gave us whirlwind tours of all the parks and ensured that we didn’t have to queue for any of the rides. The icing on the cake was returning to Hollywood Studios after the park had closed to ride Toy Story Midway Mania as much as we wanted. This is an interactive 4-D ride where you have to shoot at the moving targets in an attempt to beat your team mate. I don’t want to brag but I won every time! And then just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, the following night we were treated to a Dinner and Dessert Party on Italy’s Terrace in EPCOT which just happened the be the most perfect location from which to watch the Illuminations: Reflections of Earth show. This breathtaking live pyrotechnics and fireworks show brings together the past, present and future of our planet and its colourful nations. After three nights at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, we then moved to the new Universal Orlando Resort hotel Loews Sapphire Falls. This is a beautiful modern hotel with a relaxed Caribbean style theme. A morning was spent at the amazing Discovery Cove, where we all took part in a dolphin swim which was unforgettable. Discovery Cove is an exquisite tropical island paradise where you can swim with dolphins, snorkel among thousands of colourful fish, hand-feed tropical birds and unwind on pristine sandy beaches. It offers the perfect balance between adventure and relaxation. However we couldn’t relax too much as our afternoon was full of thrill rides at Busch Gardens in Tampa. As well as lots of high speed rollercoasters, we also got to try out the brand new family spin coaster called Cobra’s Curse. After another jam-packed day, it was time for our free night to do as we pleased in Orlando. While some of the group were brave enough to go to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, myself and a few others decided to try out a new restaurant at Universal City Walk called The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and Savoury Feast Kitchen. This is a 19th Century steampunk themed restaurant with an amazing chocolate shop to go with it. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting City Walk, the food was fabulous and at reasonable prices too. Our next day was spent at Sea World with a fantastic behind the scenes tours of their rehabilitation centre which is fascinating and lots of great shows and rides and then after a quick freshen up back at the hotel we were back to Seaworld after the park had closed for an exclusive ride on the new rollercoaster Mako. Not for the faint hearted! Tonight we were treated to the most amazing meal in Sharks Underwater Grill which has been recognized amongst the best of the best restaurants in Orlando and this was followed by exclusive access to Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin. Over the next two days we got to discover Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure including everything that is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter World, riding the Hogwarts Express, visiting Diagon Alley and drinking Butter Beer as well as riding some of the best rides that the parks have to offer. One of my absolute favourite rides was the new Skull Island Reign of Kong which is a must for anyone visiting the park. Tonight we headed to International Drive where we drank champagne as we rode the Coca Cola Orlando Eye and had lots of fun with the wax work models in Madame Tussauds. Our dining venue for the evening was a Greek Restaurant called Taverna Opa which was lots of fun. The food was fantastic and there was plenty of music and dancing on the tables! No trip to Florida would be complete without some shopping so on our last day we had a few hours at the Orlando Premium Outlets followed by a few hours at the Mall of Millenia before having to make our way back to the airport. This was a fantastic trip and one that will probably never be beaten and I would say that anyone who hasn’t been to Orlando Florida should give it a try. There really is something for everyone there and families of all ages will find something they enjoy. If you want to know more about Orlando then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.

Paris

19 July 2016

When my husband told me he had tickets for the Euro 2016 semi-final and final in France I immediately saw this as a great opportunity to take a holiday in the French capital of Paris. Having never visited Paris before, I expected it to be very much like any other city such as London or New York but I was wrong. We had opted to stay in the Bastille area of Paris just a few minutes' walk from Le Marais which is a really nice area with lots of little lanes full of cafes, restaurants, bars and boutiques. Our hotel was the 3* Paris Bastille which I have to say for a 3* property was very nice. It was in an ideal location with a metro stop directly opposite and the Gare de Lyon station just a 10 minute walk away. Before we went I had booked tickets for a hop-on hop-off river cruise. The tickets cost £14 for a 1 day pass and £16 for a 2 day pass. With a 2 day pass we got to see all the major sights of Paris. The boat stops at 9 different points along the River Seine enabling you to see Hotel de Ville, the Louvre, Champs-Elysees, Beaugrenelle, Eiffel Tower, Musee d’Orsay, Saint-Germain-des-Paris, Notre-Dame and Jardin des Plantes. You can get on and off the boat as many times as you like with the last boat leaving the Eiffel Tower at 9.30 p.m. We cruised along the River Seine past Notre-Dame and getting off at the Louvre where we walked past the iconic glass pyramid and through the Tuileries Garden. We carried on walking right the way down the Champs Elysees stopping in some of the shops along the way to the Arch de Triumph and then onto the famous Eiffel Tower. The second day using the boat tickets enabled us to go back to the places we wanted to spend more time at and for me this was the Eiffel Tower. Having only ever seen the replica in Las Vegas, I was amazed by the tower, it really is stunning. Thursday evening we enjoyed a show at the Lido which is along the Champs Elysees. The show is a cabaret show with a mix of singing, dancing, mime artists, sword swallowing and lots more. It’s a great show to go and see and one that I will be recommending. It is typically French which makes it even more enjoyable. On Friday we caught the train from Gare de Lyon to Marne la Vallee which is where the train stops for Disneyland. The train takes you right up to the gate which is really convenient. We had a 1 day 2 park hopper ticket which enables you to go between Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios as much as you want throughout the day. For anyone that has been to Walt Disney World in Florida, the Paris version is very similar but just on a much smaller scale. All of the rides, restaurants and the Magic Parade are just as amazing! More sightseeing took us around Le Marais and up to the Sacre Coeur on Montmartre hill. The Sacre Coeur is a must for anyone visiting Paris, it’s a tough walk but so worth it and there are plenty of cafes at the top to stop and have a nice drink and a pastry! A Paris night time illuminations tour took us around the city by boat and coach before heading up to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower just in time for it to be lit up. The views are absolutely spectacular but it’s not for the faint hearted. Paris is such a beautiful city with so much to see and do and is now firmly at the top of my favourites list.

My time on Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas

02 June 2016

On Friday 20th May 2016, I was one of the many lucky agents to be first on board Royal Caribbean’s brand new ship Harmony of the Seas and I was totally blown away! She is now the world’s largest cruise ship and is literally like a floating city. Our day started off on deck 16 where those brave enough could try out the world’s tallest slide at sea, The Ultimate Abyss. This dry slide will take you 10 storeys down finishing on the Boardwalk, where you might want to get yourself a drink to calm those nerves. The Boardwalk on deck 6 has a spectacular full size carousel for the young and the young-at-heart. It’s like an old fashioned floating seaside town. There are also some great places to grab something to eat here, such as the Boardwalk Dog House, the Mexican restaurant Sabor and Johnny Rockets. We then went inside and down onto deck 5 to experience the Royal Promenade. We had a quick pit stop at the Boot & Bonnet, an authentic English pub, before heading past the Rising Tide Bar, the only bar at sea that levitates and descends across 3 decks – great for people watching! Our next stop was at the state-of-the-art Bionic Bar. Here you order your drink on an ipad and the robot does the rest. This is a really great experience and I can highly recommend the vanilla vodka cocktail. Cocktail in hand we then moved back outside onto deck 8 to what was one of my favourite spots on the ship, Central Park. I love eating out and here there are plenty of places to choose from such as Chops Grille, Park Café, Jamie’s Italian, 150 Central Park and Vintages wine bar. For people like me who love to “people watch”, it’s definitely worth considering booking a balcony cabin overlooking central park! Turning our attention back to food, we then moved right back up to deck 16 to check out the Windjammer Marketplace, a buffet-style restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food looked exceptional and as tempting as it was to try it out we had to wait as our 3 course meal was to come later. Taking the lift down to deck 12 we could experience the magical restaurant Wonderland. This Alice in Wonderland themed restaurant is filled with imaginative cuisine and décor. Each place at the table comes with its own paintbrush which you can use to paint water over the menu to reveal the food choices. It really is a dining experience like no other and is definitely one you should book in advance. Just in time as we were all ready for a sit down, we reached the adults only solarium. A place for a bit of relaxation and quiet time. But unfortunately our time here was short lived as we still needed to see so many other areas of the ship. Our next stop was all about the kids on deck 14. Here you can find the Puzzle Break: Escape the Rubicon. Locked in a room you have 60 minutes to navigate your way through hidden clues and puzzles that will unravel the mystery of the Rubicon! It’s a real race against time to escape. The opportunities for the kids are endless with the Adventure Ocean Theatre, the Adventure Science Lab, the Adventure Art Studio and the Craft Workshop. There are also 6 different kids clubs catering for 6 months right up to 17 years as well as the many other activities on board such as the rock climbing wall, the flow rider, ice skating, the zip line and the perfect storm water slides….. Trust me, no-one is getting bored on this ship! With the kids taken care of, we then got to experience the beautiful relaxation area of the Vitality at Sea Spa. They use luxury Elemis products on board and there are so many treatments on offer, you could literally have a different one each day and still not get through them all. Our final stop before heading off to the dining room was to take a look at the cabins and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of room inside and the excellent use of the space. There was ample room for all of your clothes even if you’re like me and don’t know the meaning of the words “pack lightly”! The balconies come with furniture so you can sit out and enjoy the view and even those inside cabins come with a view thanks to the incredible virtual balconies which livestream the view from outside onto the inside wall of the cabin. We had literally walked miles but it was finally time to take a seat in one of the three main dining rooms. After drooling over the menu for a good 15 minutes, I decided on the tomato soup with goat’s cheese bon-bon, followed by roast sirloin of Hereford beef with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and gravy and then sticky toffee pudding for dessert. I cannot put into words how good that food was. After lunch we made a quick dash through the Royal Casino to make our way to the Royal Theatre where we were the first people to be treated to the opening scenes of the first-time at sea production of Grease the musical and after 5 minutes, I was left wanting to see more but it wasn’t to be as our time on board had come to an end! As we made our way off the ship I couldn’t wait to tell my husband that I had found our holiday for next year – 7 nights in the Caribbean on board Harmony of the Seas of course! Royal Caribbean most definitely got it right when they said:- “This isn’t a ship This is a journey like no other Where nothings ordinary The everyday is spectacular This is where extraordinary happens The ultimate adventure This is Harmony of the Seas”

Las Vegas

11 September 2015

Celebrating my sister-in-law’s 30th birthday, me, my husband Gary, my brother Stephen and his wife Keely flew from London Gatwick to Las Vegas with Virgin Atlantic, in the upper cabin of the plane. As always, the food, drink and in-flight entertainment were excellent. Upon leaving Las Vegas airport, we took a taxi to our hotel on the strip which is just a mile away. I don’t think that you can ever really explain to anyone just how big the hotels on the strip are and it is during this journey from the airport that you begin to be amazed by the sheer size of the hotels and the strip itself. We were staying at the Egypt themed Luxor hotel for 7 nights and had deluxe pyramid rooms close to each other overlooking the pool. Our favourite restaurant in Las Vegas is the Cheesecake Factory and so this is where we headed to on our first night. We walked from Luxor to Caesars Palace as the restaurant is located in the Forum Shops at Caesars and had a really fantastic meal, although we had no room for cheesecake but I wasn’t worried as I knew we would be back before the week was over. Our days were mostly spent sunbathing by the pool with a couple of exceptions…. On one day, Stephen and Keely took a trip to the Grand Canyon. The went by plane to the south rim of the Canyon to the National Park. Having been to the Grand Canyon on a previous trip, we stayed behind to catch some more rays! On another occasion, Gary and Stephen went to the Bodies Exhibition inside our hotel. They said that it was well worth doing and displays every inch of real life human bodies in detail. A couple of nights we took the monorail and bus to the premium outlets to do some shopping, stopping on the way at Freemont Street and the Mob Museum. The Mob Museum is an interactive museum detailing the history of organised crime and law enforcement of downtown Las Vegas. After all that sightseeing and shopping we were ready to eat and lucky for us, they have a Cheesecake Factory at the Premium Outlets. So we had two more great meals there followed by cheesecake, my favourite being Snickers Bar Cheesecake. We also went to a couple of shows. We saw the Cirque Du Soleil Michael Jackson show “One” at Mandalay Bay, which is worth every penny. It is by far the best Cirque Du Soleil show I have seen. The acrobatics, dance and performances are set to Michael’s back catalogue of hits with an amazing treat towards the end, which I won’t spoil for you. We also saw the famous West End and Broadway show, Jersey Boys at Paris, which is also excellent. Another really nice meal we had was at an Italian restaurant called Buca Di Beppo in Excalibur. The food is served in proper Italian family style, for sharing. If you’re a cheese lover like me, I can highly recommend the baked Ziti main dish with the cheesy bread Florentine. We had a night at Ominia nightclub in Caesars Palace (very expensive night)! In true Vegas style, it is not just your average nightclub. The main room features multiple layers, a huge dance floor, antique mirrors, and posh leather seats. But the main attraction is the gigantic LED chandelier that ascends, descends, morphs and transforms over the dancefloor, it is incredible! The rest of our evenings were spent on the strip, visiting as many of the hotels, attractions and shopping that we could squeeze in. We went to The Venetian to see the gondolas on the Grand Canal, The Mirage to watch the Volcano show, The Bellagio to see the famous fountains, Paris to the Eiffel Tower replica, we rode the rollercoaster at New York New York, we went to the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood, MGM Grand, Excalibur and Caesars Palace. By the end of the week our feet were aching! The best tip I can give anyone travelling to Las Vegas is to take a comfy pair of shoes. The strip is over 4 miles long and everywhere is always further than it looks! As always, we had a fantastic time in Las Vegas and I have no doubt that we will be back for more of the same.

My Bucket List

21 August 2015

My Bucket List There are so many amazing places in the world that I would like to see, that picking just ten was really difficult but here they are, my top ten places that I would like to visit:- 1. The Masai Mara in Kenya during migration. I would love to see the famous wildebeest migration as well as all of the other animals in the wild. This dream was very nearly a reality after I managed to persuade my husband that we should go to Kenya over South Africa. After some negotiating and persuasive charms we booked the holiday, a week in the Masai Mara at the Governor’s Camp followed by a week on a beach in Mombasa. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to cancel the trip and we ended up back in Las Vegas for the third time but I am determined that we will have this holiday one day. 2. Australia. Australia has so many great places to visit but for me it would have to be The Great Barrier Reef for its incredible snorkelling and diving experiences and Sydney to visit the famous Harbour Bridge and Opera House. As a big cricket fan and a follower of the Australian cricket team, my husband would also want to try and squeeze in some sort of cricket related trip or activity. 3. Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore (see I told you I couldn’t pick just ten places). The problem here would be I wouldn’t know which resorts to choose. They all look absolutely amazing, with beautiful beaches, traditional Thai food and so much culture but an absolute must for me would be to see the elephants and volunteer at a rescue centre or nature park for the day. 4. Paris. Some might say the most romantic city in the world and this trip is already in the pipeline, although not for romance but for football. My husband has tickets to the Euro 2016 semi-final and final in France and I have managed to turn this into a week’s holiday, hoping to take in some of the iconic sights that Paris has to offer. 5. Rome. For a start, Italian food is my favourite, I could eat pasta all day long, if my waistline would allow me too, followed by their famous ice creams, it sounds amazing before I’ve even seen anything! The backdrop to many films, the famous St Peter’s Square in the Vatican City would be a must see along with the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. 6. Peru. Like most people wanting to visit Peru, it would be to see the ancient Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. I’m not sure I would manage a 7 day trek, so maybe a 2 or 4 day trek would suit me or, is it cheating if I take the luxury train? 7. Lapland at Christmas. Anyone that knows me, knows that Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year. Still at the age of 33 I get excited on Christmas Eve and will never go downstairs first on Christmas morning, just in case Santa is still there! To see the man himself and his reindeers in Lapland, take a husky sled ride and maybe even see the Northern Lights would be a dream come true. 8. Bora Bora. Sounds silly but I saw this on an episode of the Kardashians once and thought it looked totally idyllic or maybe that was because they were staying in super luxurious exclusive accommodation. Never mind, a girl can dream!! 9. Route 66. With 2,400 miles stretching from Chicago to Santa Monica and crossing 8 states a Route 66 road trip would take some beating. Having already visited a number of places in America, it is somewhere that I will never grow tired of, although I may need that Bora Bora holiday afterwards to have some relaxation! 10. Monte Carlo. I am a people watcher and I do this almost everywhere I go so to spend time surrounded by the rich and famous would be my idea of a good time. Sitting outside a bar at the Harbour watching the yachts come and go with a glass of champagne….. where do I sign up? So that’s it, my top ten. I would love to hear what’s on your bucket list or maybe even help you cross some places off that list.

My customer stories

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Rebecca has been very patient with me and helped me to make the best decisions for the trip I have booked a trip for my partners birthday and Rebecca even included a guide book as part of my gift. I am very impressed with the service I have received and how easy everything has been made for me.

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Rebecca arranged our mini-break to Belfast. We sorted it all out by email and phone. It was so easy. I didn't have to do a thing. She even booked our airport parking and checked us in online. I had not heard of a travel counsellor before but I can't think of a single reason to go holiday shopping anywhere else. Superb customer service. Great prices and all our money protected. Highly recommended.

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My mum and I booked our trip to Dubrovnik with Rebecca. She sent us various flight and accommodation options which were all a good standard and around the area we wanted to be in. However we found a different apartment that we liked the look of and Rebecca was able to book the accommodation we requested which was great. Rebecca was in contact throughout the process and responded quickly to emails and phone calls answering any questions we had and keeping us informed. I would definitely recommend this process to anyone who is unsure when booking parts of trips separately or finds it difficult to know where to start when booking a holiday or even those who just dont have the time to research the trip they want to plan. You get a far more personal service than you would in a travel agent and Rebecca was there every step, her service was brilliant and we will recommend her to family and friends in the future.

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