31 May 2019

Have a listen to a recent radio interview I had with Cambridge 105 Radio sharing all my travel tips. Tim & Liz did a fantastic job and made me feel very relaxed. https://cambridge105.co.uk/tim-liz-05-03-2019/

20 June 2016

What an amazing holiday I've just returned from. Barbados was fantastic and all the family thoroughly enjoyed it. This was a surprise trip for our two children, Callum and Izzie as they had no idea until the morning we travelled that they were even going away. I created a great little video on the iPad detailing the trip, which I could happily share with people to help with a surprise holiday. Barbados really is a great destination for families with the flight being around 7.5 to 8.5 hours. I was surprised at how many people were travelling with young children. With the island being only 21 miles long and 14 miles wide your transfer is very quick on arrival. We stayed at Elegant Resorts - Turtle Beach Hotel, a 4* all-inclusive property on a beautiful white sandy beach. If you're lucky enough you can at certain times of the year see nesting turtles on the beach. The long stretch of beach was ideal for an early morning stroll and the waves great for a spot of body boarding. The hotel has three restaurants, the main buffet, the waterside and an adult only Italian restaurant. All offer a wide selection of choices, sometimes buffet or otherwise a la carte. One evening we even had a BBQ on the beach. For younger children they also offer an early dining option at the waterside restaurant from 5.30 - 6.30. The bar staff were always on hand to make some wonderful cocktails, even creating special selections for the children. Waiter service was also provided around the pool and beach where you would often be served such delights as a rum punch. Sam and his water sports team played a big part at the hotel, arranging many activities, moving sunbeds to the best spot for you and offering clean beach towels as many times as you wished throughout the day. My son particularly liked the sports on offer including, football, cricket and volleyball. The onsite children's club was a big hit with Izzie. This was available from 9am - 9pm and you could just pop in and out as you wished. The movie nights were always very popular. The children's club is aimed at younger children I would say up to about 12 years old. The rooms in the hotel have recently been refurbished. We had a basic room type which led from the veranda onto the garden and then directly to the beach. This was perfect for us as the children could play outside quite freely. I loved how close it was to the sea. The room had a large king size bed and sofa bed for the children which was cleaned daily to such a high standard. In the evenings we loved seeing all the red crabs running around in the garden outside our room. We hired a car whilst there and visited one of the sister hotels of the Elegant chain called Crystal Cove. This is an added bonus of the Elegant chain, you can visit any of the other hotels on the island. Crystal Cove is located on the west coast where the sea is much calmer so we made the most of all the water sports that day. Trying out the snorkelling, jet skis, kayaking and body boards. All of these were included in the day pass. Another wonderful day was spent on a catamaran trip swimming with the turtles. It's a real must do thing when visiting Barbados! The catamaran had two slides off the back which were a real hit with the children. All the snorkelling equipment was included plus a lovely lunch and drinks all day. Especially lots of Rum Punch! We also snorkelled over a ship wreck and the sailed along the west coast, going past some amazing properties including the famous Sandy Lane. The weather when we visited was just coming into the start of the wet season but this was no issue at all. Every day was at least 30 degrees and we had the occasional shower each day and a few clouds but soon enough the sun would be out again. I would highly recommend Barbados to families and adults travelling alone, the people were so friendly and I can't wait to visit again soon.

12 September 2013

I have recently returned from a lovely family holiday to Sicily, travelling with my partner and 2 children aged 4 and 7. We flew to Palermo airport on the Northern coast of Sicily where we had arranged to collect a car for our journey onto the Acacia Resort near Cefalu. I had done some research into transfers or car hire as driving is very different in Italy or Sicily to the UK. My advice would be you need to be a confident driver to drive through Palermo, it's a very busy area and the traffic is non-stop and can be a little scary! The other option would be to book a transfer to your hotel and then arrange car hire. Driving in other areas of Sicily was much easier and there are such beautiful areas to see which you will miss if you don't hire a car. We stayed at the Acacia Resort for 7 nights on a Half Board basis. The hotel comes very highly recommended and is extremely clean and the grounds very well looked after. The grounds were extensive with plenty of areas to walk, play football, volleyball etc. or sit by the wonderful lagoon style swimming pool surrounded by tropical plants. The children were well entertained by the swimming pool but also enjoyed the activities that run through parts of the day and evening by the entertainment team. The restaurant was buffet style which I initially had reservations about but I can honestly say it was some of the best food I have eaten in a hotel, with different choices everyday being freshly prepared. Of an evening you could easily have 4-5 courses at dinner with the most amazing desserts!! The beach is accessed through the hotel gardens where more sun loungers are available free of charge. The beach is pretty but quite stony so it's advisable to purchase proper beach shoes if you wish to swim in the sea. We didn't spend much time on the beach as the children loved the swimming pool. The hotel didn't have a resort within walking distance so it's definitely worth hiring a car. The nearest resort is Campofelice di Roccella, it's about 3-4 Km away and has some nice shops and small restaurants. Cefalu is about 10 Km away. We visited Cefalu twice in the week we were there. It has a lovely sandy beach which stretches alongside the town, with cafes and restaurants all along the coastline. The beach does get busy in the peak months of July and August. The historic town of Cefalu is built on a rocky headland with some high culture in the shape of a fine Norman Cathedral. Sicilian food and wonderful ice creams are in abundance, with beautiful shops available through the winding narrow streets of Cefalu. I would like to return to Sicily to see the Southern coast which has some beautiful areas. Please do not hesitate to contact me for further information on resorts, properties or things to do in Sicily.

03 August 2013

As promised I am sharing my experience of my boating break on the Norfolk Broads. I can highly recommend this for a family holiday as it was a great experience for the children and they saw it as a real adventure. Your boat can be collected from various points across the Broads, ours was a place called Brundall which was perfect for a 3 night break. From here we managed to visit Norwich, Loddon, Oulton Broad and Beccles all in the short break. If you were going for longer you can also visit Gt Yarmouth or travel from Wroxham which opens up even more of the Broads. You don't need to have any boating experience as this is all explained to you on your arrival. You will be shown how to manage and drive the boat so that you feel confident. Our son did the water and engine checks every morning, well that's what you do when you’re the Captain! Once you set sail you will notice that everyone is very friendly and waving to all passers-by is part of everyday boating life. There are many places you can moor your boat and everyone is happy to help if you’re like me and don't have a clue how to tie a boat up! Pubs and restaurants are plentiful and their business is based on your visits so they are more than happy for you to stop outside them. Another option for an adventure is to moor at more remote points; you can even do a bit of fishing or light a BBQ. This was the children's highlight of the trip as they loved toasting marshmallows. For days out you can visit Norwich which is a lovely city or even get to the beach areas of Gt Yarmouth or Lowestoft. Cycle hire and canoe hire are also all available. We also combined our trip by visiting Bewilderwood on the last day. Our boat had to be returned by approx.09.30am so with Bewilderwood only being 10 miles away this provided the perfect opportunity and was a fun filled day to end the holiday. To summarise I would say that my trip on the Broads has been one of the best experiences and you can really do as much or as little as you want, but do try it.