13 November 2023

One bucket list destination I was fortunate to visit was Antarctica, travelling in style on Scenic Eclipse, having flown from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. Leaving Ushuaia we headed south to the Antarctic peninsular, where we found clear skies, placid waters, snowy cliffs and sea ice all around us. The ship offered various ways to enjoy the scenery. There were two helicopters on board for scenic flig

05 October 2020

2020 had scuppered any plans to travel abroad, but feeling the need to see a different part of the UK, we decided to rent a cottage and discover the scenic delights of the Yorkshire Dales. Fortunately we were extremely lucky with the weather, as this really is an area where it's needed. We stayed just south of Settle, on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border, in a beautiful quiet spot, but only about 15

05 December 2019

Having sent a lot of clients to South Africa and along the Garden route, I decided it was about time I paid a visit, so in March 19 we flew out to Cape Town and headed for the V&A Waterfront. We stayed in an apartment just 5 mins walk from the main tourist waterfront area, so no problem with finding anywhere to eat. We loved the relaxed safe vibe of the Waterfront and enjoyed browsing the Artisan

05 December 2019

One of my bucket wishlist trips was to see Orangutans in Borneo, and this year I have ticked this one off. We flew via Kuala Lumpur for an overnight airport hotel stop and onward to Sandakan. Our guide took us to our accommodation just outside the Sepilok Orangutan Reserve. As we arrived in the early afternoon we had time to walk to the Reserve in the hope of seeing some Orangutans feeding. Food i

05 December 2019

After a fantastic trip last year visiting South Island New Zealand, ( see separate blog) we decided to return and explore the Central and Eastern areas of North Island. Scenically very beautiful, with more Maori culture than on South Island. On arrival in Auckland we picked up our hire car and headed straight to Mt Eden, which gives a great view of downtown Auckland. From there we crossed Auckla

04 June 2019

Having explored New Zealand back in 1984, we promised one day we would return, and cover the parts we missed and revisit our favourite areas. Arriving at Christchurch airport we spent the night at a local motel before collecting the car for the start of our adventure. We didn't explore the city but wanted to get on the road, first heading to Lake Tekapo for our first stop. Somewhat larger than i

09 April 2018

We had arrived in Argentina and woke in El Calafate to see another highlight of our trip the Perito Moreno Glacier. Another place high on my wish list, we took a well-organized excursion, picking up others on the way and were driven about an hour around the lake towards the mountains. First stop, we travelled across the lake to our first view of the 4km wide glacier. All the time we could hear the

08 April 2018

For many years I have yearned to explore the southernmost region of South America, so was extremely excited to be able to plan my dream holiday. We flew direct to Santiago with BA overnight in comfort in business class, which allowed us to get some good hours of sleep, so we would feel refreshed to start our adventure. We arrived at a glorious sunny Santiago and were met by our driver who took us

31 January 2018

The Gambia is a country I've never considered visiting, so leaving the UK on a bitterly cold January morning, I had no preconceived idea of what to expect on my arrival. The six-hour nonstop charter flight arrived mid-afternoon. It’s the same time as Britain so no need to adjust. It was lovely stepping out in the warm air, dressed in summer clothing. Immigration was a breeze, but slightly chaot

25 September 2017

I have just spent a very enlightening and educational time exploring Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Vietnam and Siem Reap in Cambodia. All 4 countries have something different to offer, culturally, historically and socially. It has been a real eye opener, and I have learned much on my travels. First stop , we arrived in a spotless Singapore, with gleaming high rise buildings, great restaurants, and a

21 September 2017

For some years my family have enjoyed the cruising experience and we have covered the Med, Alaska, Norway and Iceland, but this year felt we should try a more grown up experience and booked on Celebrity Silhouette with a group of likeminded friends. As we had booked some months ahead, we were able to take advantage of the many enticing offers Celebrity offered such as the free drinks package,

08 February 2017

We decided it was time for a return visit to New York, so in June 2016, we set off for a weekend exploring. Interesting to compare our experiences at immigration. 2 of us arrived at JFK, and the immigration queue was very long, taking about 2hrs to get through. 2 people flew to Newark and got through immigration quickly, so they arrived at our hotel some time before we did. Our 1st day, we had

05 December 2016

Arriving in Perth in the dead of night, we whizzed through immigration and found ourselves in our city hotel room within an hour of landing. Our first day was spent exploring all that Perth has to offer, our favourite area being Kings Park, with its fabulous views of the city skyline and beautiful flora and fauna. Perth is a mix of old and new, and is quite provincial. We got a train to Fremant

03 August 2015

As Brazil was an unknown entity to me, I thought it was time to explore much of what the country has to offer. Flying into Rio de Janeiro, watching the most amazing sunset below, we were met by our English speaking guide and transferred to our hotel for the night. Next morning we were collected by a local transfer company by coach for a very long drive to Buzios. The journey is actually 3hrs, b

27 May 2015

Garuda Airlines hosted a trip to visit Yogyakarta and Bali, where we visited temples, rainforests, beaches and hotels. The airline offers an excellent service and after a long flight we arrived in Yogyakarta, where we stayed at the Hyatt Regency for a couple of nights. The city was once the capital and is a busy, thriving place where you can visit the Sultan's Palace. A good range of hotels are on

28 October 2013

I have just returned from a fabulous few days away exploring the Garden Route and Cape Town. We flew into George, midway along the Garden Route, via Johannesburg and transferred to the Fancourt Manor House and Hotel, which is a beautiful hotel with a championship 18 hole golf course. The staff couldn't do enough for us, and added plenty of homely touches to our stay. It is ideally placed to spend

05 June 2013

Along with over 100 Gold Travel Counsellors, I was invited to spend a few days sampling all that Abu Dhabi has to offer. My first impression is that the city is clean, and gradually developing. It is not as high rise as Dubai, which is only 90 minutes away by car. It is quite a spread out city, and not a place that is structured for pedestrians. There are some lovely hotels, which would be su

26 April 2013

I was fortunate to visit this beautiful part of the world, and had heard a lot about The Lodge, which is one of the luxury properties in the Virgin Limited Edition brand. The Lodge is a 15 minute stroll downhill to the centre of Verbier, in Switzerland, and offers comfortable luxury, yet with a really relaxing vibe. The whole concept is to make guests feel at home with shoes off at the entrance, c

18 June 2012

Gold Coast Tourism pulled out all the stops and planned a fabulous varied few days on the Gold Coast, showing all that this region has.This area south of Brisbane has a number of resorts merging along a large stretch of beach. we stayed at Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise. Pristine sands, high rise accommodation and surf is only part of what is on offer here. We had a surf lesson, a gentle boat

23 November 2011

I decided to take advantage of the fact that my daughter was spending time studying in Moscow to visit both St Petersburg and Moscow, as we would have our own personal guide to take us around the popular sites in both cities. On arrival at St Petersburg, we transferred to our hotel the Novotel Centrum, in a quiet spot, just off Nevsky Prospekt , which is the main shopping street in St Petersbur

27 October 2011

I was recently invited to Kalkan and Kas in Western Turkey to inspect a number of holiday properties. I was pleasantly surprised by the standard of accommodation and prettiness of both resorts. We flew on a charter flight to Dalaman and transferred by mini bus to Kalkan, which took about ninety minutes. In 2012, the transfer will take 10 minutes less because there are new road improvements as I wr

26 October 2011

I have a number of places on my ‘Bucket List’ I wish to visit, and right at the top is to see the Rockies. Luckily my wish came true this year. It was just my husband and I this time; we flew into Seattle and spent the night at the Fairmont Seattle before an early start the next day, taking the ferry across to Vancouver Island. On board we booked a trip to Butchart Gardens, which is a must with st

31 March 2009

I have recently returned from a short trip to Dubai to see how the city has developed. Dubai is continually developing with many ongoing projects. What struck me was how unusual and striking the architecture is. We saw the tallest building, the Burj Dubai, opening in Sept 09, adjacent to the largest shopping mall, the Dubai Mall. Ten minutes from there we witnessed skiers and snowboarders enjoyin