14 July 2025

I have been on many activity holidays . I use to play league tennis and love playing on holiday an activity holiday gives you the opportunity to socialise with other tennis players and also have a bit of coaching too This year we headed to the mainland of Greece on a Neilson Beach Club holiday we had been with them before to Croatia in 2019 so it would be interesting to see how they compared Th

10 January 2025

his is my second river cruise in 2024 - and also to a destination that I have not visited before Austria, Bratislava & Hungary I was cruising with Uniworld Boutique River Cruises 5* luxury on the beautiful Maria Theresa - what a stunning ship The ship was very 'baroque ' which I loved lots of Glass and glamour So hi lights - THE FOOD - was sensational - the best food I have had on a cruise se

10 January 2025

Siam reap We leave the boat at Kampong Cham and have a 4 hour coach journey heading inland to Siam Reap and its my birthday ! There were 3 coaches put on so we had lots of room to spread out and the coaches were really comfortable so the journey was really comfortable There was several comfort stops it really was an easy journey and seats were nice and padded We stopped for lunch along the way a

09 January 2025

I was on the Mekong Jewel River cruise from Vietnam to Cambodia with Uniworld River Cruises - a luxury experience and the perfect way to see these to contrasting countries When we entered Cambodia Uniworld took over all the visa formalities and we also said farewell to our guides from Vietnam and met our new guides in Cambodia the amazing 'Chan' The organisation from Uniworld was second to none -

09 January 2025

We did a Mekong Cruise with Luxury Uniworld Boutique cruises Starting in Ho chi Minh , the Mekong, Cambodia and then Hanoi it was quite an adventure So Hanoi exceeded my expectations -why? Normally when you see pictures of Hanoi it is crazy traffic but there is so much more to this city . We took a direct flight from Siem Reap to Hanoi and arrived at the Oasis that is the Sofitel Metropole Han

07 October 2024

We travelled on Thursday 12th September from Birmingham picking up a connection in Paris on to Vietnam - well that was the plan. We thought we would travel regional from Birmingham which is great until things go wrong then you don't have too many options like you would from London- we arrived 24 hours late So missed 1 day in Ho Chi Minh city our first port of call Ho Chi Minh is better known as

01 October 2024

This was a 15 night trip that included stays pre and post cruise Hotel Stays in Vietnam & Cambodia I do mostly ocean cruises so this was going to very different for me especially as I hadn't visited these destinations before and it was low season Two weeks before I travelled there was the worst typhoon that had hit Hanoi for 20 years so I had a feeling it might be wet! Itinerary : Ho Chi Mihn C

07 January 2024

This year I thought I would do something different To get into the festive moon we decided on a festive cruise along the Rhine On a river cruise with just 150 passengers We set sail from Cologne and travelled along the Rhine for 4 nights Taking in the German Christmas Markets along the way We went on ms Emily Bronte with Riviera Cruises with direct flights from Birmingham The Emily Bronte is

26 October 2023

I was so excited t be travelling on Celebrity Beyond . Having been one of the first agents to look her over in 2022 I was looking forward to see what how she was getting on in her maiden season Itinerary is really important to me and this cruise was taking me to Montenegro , Olympia and Dubrovnik in Croatia which were ports I hadn't visited before As well as Corfu, Sicily , Florence and Naples

14 July 2023

We were on a 14 night tour of Sri Lanka with Intrepid Travel Our group consisted of two brits, two Aussies and one lady from Spain( who had a mistrust of people that drank milk) We were having a ball - sharing our love of travel and all had the same sense of humour We travelled around the island in an airconditioned bus with our very knowledgeable guide Sam Galle was our next stop travelling sou

07 July 2023

Sri Lanka is a paradise for birds it isnt uncommon to see Peacocks in trees , wild elephants strolling on roads. Monkeys are everywhere and crocodiles wait patiently for their prey in bodies of water . Leopards are not so common So when we visited Yala national park we looked for Leopard A black Leopard had been spotted the day before so there was a murmur of excitement Having worked in Kenya a

07 July 2023

This was part of a 14 night tour that took us all over Sri Lanka Starting at the Beach resort of Negombo through to the cultural triangle We travelled by air conditioned minibus and there was 5 people in our group of different nationalities Two brits, two Aussies and a Spanish lady ( who had a mistrust of people that drank milk) Plenty of banter ,laughs and travel memories We left the Jetwing h

07 July 2023

I am on a 14 night tour of Sri Lanka with Intrepid travel There are two brits , two Aussies and a lady from Spain plus our Guide Sam No more temple wear! We are off to cooler climes what is known as 'the highlands' We travelled from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya which would take just over 3 hours this town sits at an elevation of 1800 metres making it one of the coolest regions in Sri Lanka The bus went

07 July 2023

Our trip to Sri Lanka was a 14 night tour of all the best features of this amazing country Our group consisted of '5' travellers from Australia ,Spain , the UK our wonderful guide Sam. The age group was 40 -70 and we all got on so well with similar sense of humour So the plan was to leave the west coast from Negombo and then travel to the 'Cultural triangle' staying at Dambulla for 3 nights -w

05 July 2023

Leaving hubbie at home - me & my friend Nicki embarked on our tour of Sri Lanka with Intrepid for 2 weeks We flew out a day early and stayed at the beach resort of Negombo for one night prior to our tour starting it is only 10 km from the airport We were impressed with the modern Pledge scape hotel which was beachfront on the edge of Negombo. Rather than just sit around we were eager to explore

01 November 2022

We had 48 hours in Montreal This is my third Canadian City this year . Montreal is known as the 'cool' city and the place where all the festivals take place We stayed at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth in the Centre of the City This hotel is next to main train station and also close to the metro station This was handy for us as we arrived by train from Quebec on VIA Train in the evening - consid

01 November 2022

Celebrating my 60th Birthday I am used to booking special occasions for people . But when it came to my own trip after much deliberation I decided it had to be Greece I worked in Greece for many years so felt it was time to return . I speak the language and understand the culture and history Itinerary was important so I looked at the smaller ships as they can access some of the smaller ports

01 November 2022

Third time lucky! Should have visited this hotel in 2020 but got cancelled because of Covid Sea Breeze is a boutique hotel on the south Coast of Barbados . just 122 rooms with lots of space and on a nice stretch of white sand We had a lovely laid back holiday here with lovely food , friendly staff and lots of cocktails ! Premium drinks are included and there are plenty of dining options to cater

01 November 2022

I was so lucky to have won this trip from the Canadian Tourist Board It was a twin centre so I was to spend 2 nights in Quebec & 2 in Montreal We were flying with Air Transat a top Canadian leisure airline ( award winning) from Gatwick Which I have to say were very good there was ample leg room in economy and a good selection of films to watch and on time The flight was also full- I was amaze

22 August 2022

I was one of the lucky winners that won a cruise to Alaska courtesy of Holland America Cruise lien who are celebrating 75 years in the industry this year They are the Alaska experts . So I booked to go from Vancouver on the 6th August 2022 I could take another person with me but they had to pay for their own flights so I invited my friend to come with me and we split the costs of the flights w

22 August 2022

Holland America cruise line this year are celebrating 75 years in the Industry To celebrate they gave 8 lucky agents a cruise to Alaska with flights included for the agent too I was one of these lucky agents We had to take the cruise in a 3 month window so my husband couldn't travel so instead i asked my friend who jumped at the chance! We had to pay for her flight so it wasn't 'a free trip' plu

29 June 2022

This trip should have taken place in 2020 - then in 2021 and finally we got there in 2022 When we initially booked this the hotel as room only and more 'self catering' but in the last 2 years it was refurbished and became a 5* all inclusive It is only a short transfer from the airport about 20-25 minutes and we booked the VIP service which meant we were met by a representative of the hotel at the

10 May 2022

To win a place on Celebrity Beyond was so exciting . I have cruised on the Reflection, Equinox and Silhouette so I was just so excited to see what an 'Edge' class ship would be like . On this sailing it had lots of different nationalities on board from all the ports she would sail into , as well as journalists, influencers and tour operators We arrived at Southampton early so we could make the mo

30 October 2021

When I was offered a work trip to Barbados - it didnt take me long to say yes! It was only for 3 nghts so very much like a long weekend very similar to my trip to St lucia last year It was flying from Manchester on the Inaugural flight service from Manchester to Barbados with Aer Lingus. Fantastic news as the north of England do not have many direct services to the Caribbean as majority of serv

30 October 2021

The Northern Belle is a train that operates in the Midlands and the North of England. There are 'different day outs' you can explore through out the year. I was on the 'afternoon tea' experience (as I love cake) for a birthday celebration. So we set out from Coventry station heading for Wales and back . Everybody on board was all dressed up for the occasion in their finery . The staff were am

17 September 2021

The cruise to nowhere - with Princess cruises from Southampton Seactaions in 2021 are al the rage - I was booking lots of customers so thought I would go myself They were incredible value and all inclusive .So silver service dining and lots of cocktails with the option of getting dressed up in the evening If you are double vaxxed then only an antigen test on arrival at the port . I went with m

02 August 2021

This was supposed to be 10 nights but sadly when we arrived we received an email to say we had to come home! So we made the best of it . When we arrived at Gatwick to leave our car it was really earie . There was no one about and our airport hotel was the same I think only 5 flights were due to fly out . We had our PCR test we were escaping and we could hardly believe it! We had all our paper

02 August 2021

We had assumed that our trip would be cancelled so when Madeira was put on the 'green list ' we realised we would be travelling and had 9 days to prepare.Travel in covid times is a little different there are tests to book and forms to fill in . So we started to get organised! Madeira was one of the few destinations open for travel in 2020 so things were in place . We are double vaccinated so didn

03 February 2020

The plan for our last day was to take an excursion from the ship to Miami - that way our luggage would be taken care of and the excursion finished at the airport. No hanging around, as you have to leave the ship about 8am so they can get ready for the new passengers. Two days before the end of the cruise we had a notification that the tour was cancelled due to lack of numbers. The 'tour' staff wer

02 February 2020

We embarked in Fort Lauderdale on the Island Princess. Normally the weather would be blue skies and we would all be sunbathing on deck. However it was wet and windy for the first two days so we spent most of our time indoors as we sailed to Jamaica. When we docked in Falmouth we had beautiful blue skies and normal weather was resumed. I have been to Jamaica quite a few times so have climbed Dunns

02 January 2020

We flew out from Heathrow to Miami to connect with our cruise to the Caribbean and Panama Canal. We flew direct with Virgin Atlantic and booked the economy delight seats which gave us more leg room. At first I thought there maybe was a staff Xmas party at Miami Airport as only 2 of the 24 desks at immigration were manned. We had to queue to get finger printed by machine then join another queue wh

15 October 2019

I worked in Tenerife back in the mid 80's as a rep. I haven't returned since as, to be honest, I didn't have the best of memories. What I remember is a busy place full of building work, high rise buildings and time share sharks around every corner. It felt strange coming back even at the carousel picking up my luggage remembering the chaos the other side - which is why I booked a private taxi una

11 June 2019

It looked like it was going to be an overcast day, so we had a chat with the concierge of the hotel and arranged a half day to the Botanical Gardens and Grand Baie. This is a great way to do excursions in Mauritius and can be done at a moment’s notice. In previous visits to Mauritius to the south we had hired a car and saw all the highlights in that part of the island. We had never stayed in the

11 June 2019

After our heavenly stop at Shanti Maurice, the next hotel was the romantic Beachcomber Trou Aux Biches located in the north west of the island, 15 minutes’ drive from Grand Baie. West is best in the Mauritian winter which is why I chose this hotel. This is Mauritius’ first eco-hotel. It’s a much larger hotel (306 suites and 27 villas) located on a narrow white sand beach where you are able to wa

11 June 2019

This is my third trip to Mauritius. I normally travel to the island in their ‘summer' months which is our winter. This starts in May to August and as a travel agent I wanted to see for myself what the weather would be like. The humidity in Mauritius is very low so it isn’t sticky like other tropical places. Plus, it needs the rain to keep its lush beautiful sub-tropical gardens. So, I knew the we

11 June 2019

This would be my third trip to Mauritius. On previous trips I flew with Air Mauritius from London which is the direct flight. This time I flew from Birmingham as there are some great advantages of flying local. The best thing was flying on the evening flight that meant I had a full day to work, take the cat to the cattery and pack without too much stress. Rather than leaving the day before and sta

31 March 2019

This is my third visit to Cancun/Riviera Maya. The Yucatan peninsula was created as a resort for 3 main reasons: 1. The best snorkelling outside of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia 2. Historically there are a few Mayan temples in the areas 3. Great weather and beaches I was interested to see how the destination had changed since I last visited. Especially after Katrina (in 2008) devastated mo

04 January 2019

Anyone that knows me knows I do not do cold so a North European Cruise in December for me was quite drastic! This year from the 29th Dec -3rd January we were on Aurora sailing out of Southampton bound for Belgium and the Netherlands. We decided to stay in Southampton overnight before so checked into the very chic and trendy Novotel which was located next to West Quays shopping centre perfect for a

24 October 2018

I have just come back from my first Celebrity Cruise and it exceeded expectations. It takes a lot for me to be excited about a holiday as I have travelled to so many wonderful places. I haven't done much cruising at all, but I was excited about this holiday as it was very different to the type of holiday I normally take and we had lined up some pretty amazing days out. The bonus was we were fl

14 September 2018

I thought this year after the very hot summer in the UK, hot wasn’t my highest priority. I wanted to do something different. So, when I came across this trip it ticked all the boxes: an active holiday in a National Park in Croatia. I know in September the weather can be cooler in this part of the world, so it would be ideal to do activities rather than just lazing by the pool. We were travelling w

25 August 2017

One of the main reasons we were in Orlando was to sample Volcano Bay the new theme park which opened at the end of May 2017. We were the first travel agent group from the UK to sample it. It is replacing Wet & Wild, which closed a few months before, as the go to waterpark in Orlando. We had a bit of a wild night at Pat O'Briens the night before. Which was on the city walk with its duelling pian

24 August 2017

Today was spent looking around all of the hotels in Universal. The main benefit of staying on site is that you can get into the park at 8am an hour earlier than non residents. People staying at Royal Pacific, Hard Rock Hotel or Portofino get upgraded to the express pass. This is worth $99 per person per day so if you do the maths (and don't like queuing) then it has real benefits. We were ba

24 August 2017

The last time I went to Universal Studios was in the early 90s; it was very new and the star attraction was 'The Back to the Future' ride. This was going to be a trip with a difference - five days spent at Universal Studios in Florida cramming in as much as possible into our time there with 22 fellow Travel Counsellors. The first thing that strikes you at Sapphire Falls when you arrive is al

21 August 2017

We were going to get use of our express passes - and go on all the fun rides in Universal we so far hadn't tried. I was with the brave Gang of 5 who went off to do the exhilarating rides. So we decided that we wanted to do the Mummy, Transformers, Spiderman, Popeye Water Ride ( that's the photo where we look a bit wet), the Hollywood Ride (that's the big one), the HULK (again not for the faint hea

11 April 2017

We were lucky that we hadn't flown the week before as there had been heavy snow and a week later it was still evident as we made our way from JFK airport! It's not a pretty journey to the city and the traffic gives you an indication of what is ahead... New York is bigger than you anticipate! We were heading to mid town Manhattan, which is where I feel the majority of tourists stay. I have to sa

11 January 2017

St Maarten was the last port of call on our Christmas cruise on Britannia I didn't know quite what to expect when we landed at St Maarten. I had in my mind a small, pretty, sleepy place with lovely white beaches and aqua blue water . Which it indeed was! There were also lots of cruise ships in port as well when we arrived - and it seemed a staggering amount of people had arrived but the island

06 January 2017

This cruise had been booked in January.We never usually booked early but this deal was just too good. 2 weeks covering the Caribbean and with the bonus of flying from Birmingham. It meant flying out direct to Barbados with the entire flight all cruise passengers which meant once we checked in we never saw our luggage again until we were in our cabin. When we landed no immigration queues we wer

05 January 2017

We sailed into Dominica on boxing day What a gem of an island! Whenever I mentioned Dominica, everyone assumed Dominican Republic. But this island is completely different to its namesake! It has a small population, and has so much to see. We could have easily done 5 excursions on this island, deciding to do the 4x4 army truck island tour half-day, which gave us a real feel to the island. We

05 January 2017

We arranged a day pass at Rendevous in St Lucia on Christmas Eve. I have been to St Lucia 3 times before staying at Eastwinds, Sandals, and the Body hotel. To get to the hotel we walked from the port as the minibusses surrounding the cruise ship seemed only interested in full day tours rather than a short which took about 30 minutes. It is the first hotel you come to once you leave Castries. Re

05 January 2017

So our Caribbean Cruise begins. The first 3 stops are islands I have never visited before. They were quite and not commercialized.What surprised me was that despite this they were geared up for the cruise ships with expensive designer and jewelry shops. Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire. These form part of the Dutch Caribbean so not so easy for us Brits to get to as it is normally via Amsterdam. T

19 October 2016

As an ex Greek holiday rep I know Greece pretty well. I speak the language and know lots about the culture and history of most of the islands. I never worked on Rhodes but have been on holiday several times as it is great at low season as it keeps the weather longer than other parts of Greece as it is further south. The first time I visited was 1982 when Falaraki was just a beach and I was a p

27 July 2016

We got the ferry over from Bequia to Bridgetown in St Vincent. It took about an hour and although there was a little bit of 'rolling' as you got close to St Vincent it was a calm crossing. It is a bit of a culture shock after the calmness of Bequia as St Vincent had shops, people and traffic jams. Well, it was rush hour when we arrived. We had a minibus waiting for us and were transported to a

27 July 2016

I was on a triple centre work trip to the islands of the Grenadines, a part of the Caribbean I hadn't yet explored and was so looking forward to it. When we touched down in Barbados we had to pick up an internal flight to Bequia. Customs was quite swift and we were through to our lounge before be picked up our 20 seater aircraft. It was a little tight on board and not designed for tall people

04 March 2016

Once we had done the tennis , horseracing , souks , malls and metro it was time to relax. We were off to the palm to the beautiful Jumeriah Jabeel saray. The hotel is indeed very beautiful there is so much detail and grandeur its hard to know where to begin. We were virtually at the end of the branch of the Palm . This was going to be our rest and recooperation for the next 3 days. We checked

04 March 2016

The last time I was in Dubai was 10 years ago when I first joined Travel counsellors. So it would be good to see all the completed buildings that were at that time being constructed. We flew from Heathrow taking the overnight flight and arriving early morning. This way we didn't lose a days accommodation and hopefully wouldn't have to wait to long for our room to be ready. When you get off the p

18 January 2016

Birmingham airport wasn't as busy as we had anticipated.Though we experienced a delay checking in as the people queuing for our flight had far more than the 20 kg so there was a bit of a wait whilst excess baggage was paid. If only they had used a travel agent who would have informed them of this... We finally checked in and were through security swiftly. On arrival in Montego bay there was the

09 December 2015

I think people always associate Las Vegas with Elvis (he wasn't in the building), casinos, the Rat Pack and mobsters. It is so much more. We viewed 16 hotels and the originality of the art work and design really is amazing and every hotel has its own personality. The shows are incredible I have been to Vegas before and saw Jersey Boys. I loved the Beatles music tribute by Cirque de Soleil which wa

09 December 2015

So after visiting 16 hotels in Vegas we had an opportunity to have some free time. We had walked an average of seven miles a day so wanted to try an alternative form of transport. Our day started with a helicopter ride over the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and then onto the Grand Canyon. We met up with Tony our pilot from Papillion helicopters at Boulder City airport about 25 minutes’ drive out of Ve

08 December 2015

This is a different type of report as it was a work trip and in all we visited 16 hotels and walked an average of seven miles a day! We flew business class from Heathrow with BA which was an amazing experience as it the first time I have experienced flat beds. It is also the first time I have looked forward to a flight - the staff can’t do enough for you and I can see why it is worth the price

28 October 2015

I should have gone to Monte Carlo over 30 years ago (showing my age) when I was on a Harry Shaw camping holiday in Port Grimaud in the South of France. But I never got up in time for the excursion so alas I never made it. So I decided that it was somewhere I needed to see whilst on my cruise. The ship berthed in Ville France which was a lovely French town with plenty of character, bars and restaur

19 October 2015

Next stop on our cruise was Sicily to the port of Messina Taormina is a beautiful holiday resort with very pretty cafes and shops Which has ruins of a greek roman theatre is about 30 minutes drive from Messina The cruise ship does a half day excursion where they take you in to the town and then leave you to your own devices. Once all the cruise passengers arrive in the town it can get quite cr

19 October 2015

Day 2 on board the Celebrity Silhouette our first stop was the port of Salerno We had done Pompeii last year so this year we did Herculaneum. This is the lesser known of the two sites located in the shadow of Mount Versuvius. It isn't as big as Pompeii however Herculaneum is preserved better as it was covered in mud so the wooden and organic based objects such as wooden roof tops , doors, food a

19 October 2015

After my wonderful experience on Celebrity Reflection last year I decided to do a cruise once again on Celebrity Silhouette her sister ship. The itinerary this time was slightly different with a couple of crossovers but we decided this time maybe not to do as many excursions and enjoy the ship more. So we started off at Rome heading towards Salerno ( Amalfi Coast) then heading towards Sicily , Ma

05 January 2015

This for me was a different type of holiday my customers always raved about Cuba though off others I had heard mixed reviews. So it was good to see for myself. At Havana Airport it is a little slow. The visa processing takes quite a while (I calculated 5 minutes per person) there are 18 desks processing people. If you were unlucky like us to arrive with 3 other aircraft take a deep breath and g

05 January 2015

The journey by road from Havana is about 2 hours to Varadero by private car. After our busy 3 days in Havana we were ready for the beach where we would be spending Christmas. The beach resort is a different world. The hotel is has a stunning lobby and is a wonderful sight when you arrive and the hotel does live up to the paradise of its name. There is plenty of space and the staff are immediate

11 October 2014

Still aboard Celebrity Reflection; just a recap. Starting in Rome we headed to Santorini where the Minoan civilization was wiped out by an eruption of a volcano. Then on to Istanbul with its fascinating history of Byzantium and Constantinople the capital of the Roman Eastern Empire where east meets west. We visited Mykonos where there is the ancient site of Delos where the gods worshipped the g

11 October 2014

We had a day at sea before arriving at the beautiful island of Santorini. I have been here many times before as when I was a rep I worked on the nearby island of Naxos so I was constantly back and forth to the airport. I decided rather than go to the island and see Oia and Thira which are the major draws to the island with its beautiful Cycladic architecture. I decided I would climb the volcano

27 March 2014

We caught a morning flight from Cape Town to Nelspruit airport. Then headed to the Mala Mala. This is located in the Sabi Sands off Kruger Park. Sabi Sands is a private reserve so there are boundaries as to where you can go which each lodge adheres to. There is also the threat of poachers so there is security at the entrance to the park. There had been a lot of rain the week before we arrived

26 March 2014

After reluctantly leaving The Residence at Franschhoek (I could have stayed there forever) we headed on to Cape Town via a place called Babylonstoren Gardens, which is located in the Drakenstein Valley about 60km from Cape Town. This originates back to 1690 and has 300 varieties of edible plants of which we were encouraged to try! It is divided up into different areas over three kilometres and

26 March 2014

We were really privileged to start this trip in the business class lounge at Heathrow for Virgin. It was most impressive as it was like a 'club' with its own spa with free treatments! There were also restaurants and even a pool table. The flight was over 10 hours and immigration was very quick and friendly in Cape Town. The first stop was the wine lands which was a one hour bus journey from th

04 January 2014

I haven't been away at Christmas since the millennium when we uprooted to Spain for a week. Vegas seemed far more exciting as an entertainment destination with casinos and fabulous nightlife. I had been before in 2001 in the heat of summer so this trip was going to be very different as the weather was going to be cool in comparison. I packed jumpers, jeans and boots leaving the wet and windy U

06 June 2013

I was a rep in Kefalonia in 1987 and 1988 when tourism was new. Like Odysseus I returned back to this part of Greece 25 years later so was a little apprehensive of what I would find. For a change we flew locally from Birmingham the flight was comfortable and we arrived on time. Our taxi transfer was waiting and we were at our hotel in Lassi within 15 minutes and ready for the beach. I chose La

01 May 2013

I was really looking forward to this cruise as the itinerary looked really good and it was something that we wouldn't normally do. I had previously worked in each of the ports of call we visited and left it to my husband Jim to decide what excursions we did. We travelled on Adventure of the Seas for seven nights out of Malaga in southern Spain. I had done a ship visit on Freedom of the Seas when i

19 November 2012

This visit to Couples San Souci was my third couple’s hotel visit and I must admit I love this group. The hotels are boutique; the facilities are great and the staff are some of the best I have come across for service. Our favourite so far was ‘Swept away’, so San Souci had a lot to live up to but we loved it! From the moment we arrived there was a drink, a cold towel and a friendly welcome. T

13 June 2012

Hong Kong has always been on my list of places to visit. So this short visit proves a nice little taster for me. I stayed at the Harbour Plaza 8 degrees. This hotel is located in Kowloon next to the old airport (which is going to be converted into the new cruise terminal). The hotel was simply furnished but for what time we spent it the room in was ideal. We like that it was slightly out of hustl

11 June 2012

I flew into Japan with Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong and was one of the first people to experience the new premium economy seats which have been operating since the beginning of May. I even did some celebrity spotting on board as rapper Nikki Minaj (complete with green wig) and her entourage were on board the flight to Osaka. Kyoto used to be the capital of Japan and is known as the cultural cap

30 July 2011

I was based in the Greek Islands as a holiday representative for many years. My favourite island was the Island of Naxos one of the lesser known islands but a real hidden gem. Naxos is one of the less sophisticated of the Cyclades Islands. Many people would have heard of Santorini or Mykonos, two of her more famous islands. Naxos is the largest of all the Cyclades Islands and has a lot of history

09 April 2011

This was the second part of our twin centre holiday in Jamaica. We didn't have to move very far only 15 minutes down the road! We moved on to sister hotel of Swept away- Couples Negril. Located on Bloody bay one of the most beautiful beaches in Jamaica. We took the shuttle bus from Couples Sunswept to Couples Negril. Even though they are run by the same group the hotels are very different. Coup

09 April 2011

I hadn’t been to Jamaica since 1992 so I decided I needed to ‘re-visit’ and see how it had changed! We flew from Gatwick with Virgin the aircraft was a jumbo and was full! We were staying at Couples Swept away for 7 nights and Couples Negril for 4 nights. Couples Swept away is Located in Negril on seven-mile Beach and is the best part of the island for sunsets. We received a cold towel and dri

15 July 2010

I have been to Antigua before two years ago but didn't really see very much outside the hotel so I lucky to get a second chance to see the real Antigua. I stayed at two hotels the Hawksbill and the Inn at English Harbour. The Inn is a 5* boutique hotel and is not all inclusive so gave me the opportunity to get out of the hotel and try the local restaurants. Luckily there are plenty in the area a

03 March 2010

Nobody probably had heard of Skopelos before the film Mama Mia featured it. Before that it was known as the sister island of the more glamorous Skiathos. I worked as a holiday representative on Skopelos in 1990. Skopelos is the largest of the Sporades (scattered) islands. You cannot fly to it direct, you have to fly to Skiathos and then either take a hydrofoil (flying dolphin) or ferry over. The t

03 March 2010

Looking at the date of this journal you are probably thinking that my experience was a long time ago. But it was the best time of my life and so I wanted to share this with you. I worked in Kenya as a rep for 10 months in 1992. I had never been anywhere quite like it and the experience was amazing. When I arrived in Mombasa I was allocated to work in the south of Mombasa in the area of Diani B

02 March 2010

My first Nile Cruise was in the winter of 1991. It was a fantastic experience and I decided this year to go back and see how things have changed. We travelled up from Coventry on the Sunday afternoon and stayed overnight at the Mercure Hotel at Gatwick taking advantage of the special park and stay rate. The airport was chaotic but once the desks opened things moved quickly and we were all checked

02 March 2010

When I was asked to work in the Seychelles it was a bit of a shock. It's not every day you can say 'when I worked in the Seychelles' but I am one of those lucky people. It wasn't my first visit to the islands - I had been there on holiday two years before as my friend Sue was based out there. It is a very beautiful place. The Seychelles must be the most romantic place in the world. When you fly in

25 November 2009

On arrival at the airport a white limousine is waiting to whisk you off to La Source. They take you down a track and you can’t help but wonder ‘Where am I going’? The transfer is all of 5 minutes and once you get there you will be amazed. The resort only re-opened in 2008 and it is the ultimate all inclusive. It includes spa treatments, all kinds of land sports, water sports and tuition. There is

04 October 2009

I was so excited about staying at The BodyHotel Le Sport. Their strap line is ‘Give us your body for a week and I will give you back your mind’. It is quite a unique holiday that combines activities, rejuvenation and pampering under one roof. We flew direct with Virgin; they have just upgraded their entertainment system so we had a choice of 24 of the latest films which kept us busy during the

19 November 2008

Like most people we needed to get away from 'the doom & gloom' sweeping the country. We chose Antigua because the dates fitted in perfectly plus it was somewhere we hadn't been before. As a special treat we booked the Virgin Vroom which is a new airport lounge at Gatwick - this exceeded our expectations. There was a good selection of food (bacon butties/croissants/muffins) plus plenty of warm drin

31 July 2008

I was really looking forward to going away for my birthday and me and my husband decided to go to Sandals Halycon Resort to sample the ultra All Inclusive for ourselves. The plan was to have a total chill out and the beauty of Sandals is that all 3 hotels are within close proximity to each other, and you are able to use all the facilities. We could only take a week so we just wanted to take it eas

31 July 2008

In November I was sending a special offers email out to my regular customers when I noticed one to the Maldives which was a fantastic deal so I followed my own advice and booked it. To be honest I didn't think it would be my cup of tea as I am quite an active person and thought I would go stir crazy stuck on a small island! I love going away just before Christmas because the prices are brilliant a

31 July 2008

When we decided to get married, we decided that we didn't want a big formal affair in the United Kingdom.. we wanted to do it abroad. After looking at many destinations from Greece to Africa we based our decision on where we wanted to go rather than what would suit others. As I am very well travelled, Mauritius was somewhere where we both hadn't been and somewhere I had always wanted to go. It als