09 July 2025

Seville or Sevilla, as the locals say, has been on my wish list for a while so we decided to book a 4 nights stay in June. This perhaps wasn't the best time of year as it was very hot, the "frying pan of Spain" was also experiencing a heat wave with tempratures of 40c. Not ideal for a sightseeing trip but we did our best. We stayed in a lovely Hotel called Posada del Lucero, in a really good posit

19 May 2025

It has been quite a few years since we last went to Disneyland Paris and I was asked what I wanted to do for my special birthday (don't guess which one!), so opted for a lovely family trip here. I was very keen to see my two grandaughters aged 6 and 4 experience the magic! We opted to take the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Lille and have a nights stay in Lille, heading to Disneyland by train

31 March 2025

It has been a few years since we stayed in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote, so we decided to have a 5 night break in March to get some Wintersun! When we have visited before, we stayed at the Princesa Yaiza hotel - Dreams Playa Dorada is right next door. It goes to show how long it has been, as there wasn't really anything when you turn left coming out of the hotel on the promendade but this now takes yo

31 July 2024

We made a return visit to Dalyan, having visited in 2020. This is a nice resort with a mix of restaurants and shops, set along a River only a short transfer from Dalaman Airport. It is not as commercial as other resorts in Turkey and has a nice feel with many local people enjoying the facilities, as well as Tourists. You can take one of the water bus services that goes down river in about 20/30

10 July 2024

We recently had a short break in North Devon, what a lovely area, with some beautiful beaches and countryside. We based our stay at the Mole Resort, which was near Umberleigh in a really stunning Two Bedroom Lodge with Hot Tub. The Mole Resort is set high on a hill with far reaching views across the Devon Countryside. The access road, like most in Devon & Cornwall, is mainly single track, but onc

18 October 2023

Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast has been on my wish list for a long time, so we finally managed to have a few days on this beautiful coastline of Italy. We based our stay at the lovely 4* Hotel Caravel, located in the resort of Sant Agnello, a short distance from Sorrento centre. The hotel has a traditional feel but they have managed to keep the public areas and rooms fresh and modern. Our superior

07 June 2023

The Loch Lomond area of Scotland has always been on my list of places to visit and we recently enjoyed a short stay in this region. We decided to drive, with an overnight stop on the way in the Lake District town of Kendal. We have been to the Lake District before, and I have to say, there are prettier towns and villages, but it is situated close to the motorway. Our base for the next four nights

07 December 2022

A weeks stay at the adult only TRS Turquesa was appreciated to escape the Winter chill. With temperatures around 29c during the day and a comfortable 24c at night with a few short sharp showers and then the sun soon comes back out! We flew direct from London Gatwick with British Airways into Punta Cana which had a flying time of approx 8 1/2 hrs, we enjoyed having a short transfer on arrival of a

07 December 2022

I recently enjoyed a girlie weekend break at the Cheddar Woods Resort & Spa, in Somerset, UK. We stayed in an Axbridge Lodge which was very spacious, nicely decorated and had modern features. We had three bedrooms, two doubles and a twin which all had plenty of wardrobe space and TV's. One double also benefitted from having an en suite with walk in shower. There was a separate bathroom with bath a

26 September 2022

The opportunity arose to have a weeks stay at the 5* Les Orangers Garden Villas & Bungalows, Hammamet, Tunisia. So we decided to have a family break, consisting of 4 adults and 2 kids aged nearly 4 and 21 months. (So not a relaxing break!!) the first week of September. It has been a while since I have visited Tunisia and I was reminded how warm and welcoming the people are and how keen they are

27 June 2022

After a two year wait we finally managed to take our trip to Canada in May 2022. We started our journey with a short stop in Toronto as we both wanted to see Niagara Falls. Basing our stay in Toronto at the lovely Fairmont Royal York hotel, we enjoyed a full day trip to the Falls, with stops at the pretty Niagara on the Lake and a vineyard. As you would expect the Falls are epic and yes, we did ge

24 March 2020

Although I have been to California a couple of times before, I hadn't been to the Winelands or further North, so I was looking forward to this work familiarisation trip. After a long flight via Chicago (I would never recommend an indirect flight, when there is a direct one!), we arrived in San Francisco late afternoon and collected our hire cars. Good job we had sat nav as we drove out of San Fran

11 November 2019

We recently had a long weekend (Friday to Tuesday) trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia which has been on our wish list for some time! We stayed at the lovely Hotel More, in the Laplad area. Situated on a cliff overlooking a pretty bay the hotel has two restaurants, pool area and sea level bar area/sea swimming with a cave bar. We had a lovely sea view room with large balcony with amazing views. The hotel

03 June 2019

It has been about four years since we have been to Orlando and this time was a little different as we were attending a family wedding at Disney's Grand Floridian Hotel. We couldn't fit a beach stay in this time so it was all about getting the most out of our time there, doing as many of the parks as we could manage! Planning, planning, planning is the key when it comes to a holiday to Orlando. T

26 March 2019

My husband and I fancied a little break away. We hadn't been to Bournemouth for a while and as it is only a couple of hours drive away we booked a 1 night stay last weekend (22nd March 2019). After a drizzly murky drive down we arrived at the Balmoral Hotel. Situated a few minutes walk to the front and town (ok down but back up heart attack hill!) the hotel is in an ideal situation and offered

11 March 2019

I recently spent the night on board MSC’s brand new ship Bellissima. It was only in Southampton for the launch, but it still gave me an opportunity to have a look around, sample the food and watch the entertainment from Craig David! She is huge! She can hold 5,686 guests, over 2,217 cabins in 15 different categories including the exclusive MSC Yacht Club. MSC for Me app is great to get all t

30 October 2018

We spent a lovely week in Puerto Pollensa on the island of Mallorca in early September. We decided to stay in a villa as we like to have our own space so chose a pretty traditional two-bedroom villa with private pool and garden about a 15/20 minute walk to the beach and Marina area of Puerto Pollensa. It has been a few years since I have been to Mallorca/Majorca, but I had never been to this ar

24 April 2018

My daughter and I were looking for a few days relaxing in the sun in luxury surroundings and service to spoil ourselves. That is exactly what we found at the Four Seasons Hotel, Limassol. I can see why this hotel has so many repeat guests and is a firm favourite with families, couples, groups and singles alike! The pull for this area of Cyprus is undoubtedly the hotel and it's staff. Situate

09 April 2018

My husband and I spent a lovely few days in Benalmadena recently. We have stayed in Marbella area of the Costa de Sol before but wanted an alternative base that we could use that offered facilities to walk to in the evening and chose the Mac Puerto Benalmadena Marina. We picked up a car at the airport and it was only a 20-minute drive to Benalmadena. Situated between Torremolinos and Fuengirola

19 October 2017

Dublin is a great place to visit, whether you are a couple, family trip or a group of friends. My trip was with a group of friends and we had a great time. I always choose a hotel with a good location as often if you are too far out you spend time walking in, then walking around which can be tiring or having to use the bus service, which is fine but much nicer to have a stroll. The Harding Hote

04 October 2017

We wanted a break in the sun after a busy year and this all-inclusive hotel offered a nice stay. It has recently re-opened after a refurbishment but there are still ongoing plans to improve the facilities. We had a lovely modern. bright room with a balcony and sea views on the third floor. The area around the hotel is not the most attractive so although the other rooms are "mountain view" I wou

12 July 2017

I recently contributed to an article on being culturally aware when travelling abroad. Please see an extract below and a link to the full article for your interest. Be wary of your gestures and manners Another thing to be aware of when traveling abroad are common gestures and manners. For example, although something as simple as making the “OK” sign with your hand is completely normal in the

20 June 2017

We were lucky to enjoy a few days at the Jardines de Navaria Hotel in Costa Adeje, Tenerife. We had stayed at this hotel before, but not for a few years, so it was a great chance to re-visit and see the improvements that had been made since. When we first visited there wasn't that much around the hotel, but like a lot of places it has grown, so was a bit more built up than we were expecting,

20 June 2017

On a visit to The Jardines De Navaria Hotel, Costa Adeje, Tenerife, I was given the opportunity to visit their sister hotel - The Colon Guanahani, situated just opposite. I visited this hotel many years ago and wasn't initially overly impressed, but boy did I need to eat my words after having a look around. They have made many improvements and the hotel represents a good alternative to the J

20 June 2017

My husband and I were lucky enough to experience a few days stay in the magnificent Ritz Carlton Abama in Tenerife. This resort is surrounded by banana plantations, resting a short distance from the village of Playa San Juan and about 20 mins drive from Costa Adeje. Set within beautiful, well-tended tropical gardens, this Moorish-style hotel is set on its own, so is ideal if you either want a r

08 March 2017

When we were planning a long weekend to New York, we wanted to stay somewhere special and "traditional", so we chose the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Situated on Park Avenue, it is a lovely iconic hotel. Whilst we were there, then President Barrack Obama was attending an event and there were secret service people everywhere. We didn't see him as he arrived in a special service elevator but it was still

14 December 2016

We often like to take what we call a "cheeky little week" in September. It is often quieter and the weather is still good in most places. In 2015 we decided on Menorca. We had not been for a few years and it is a great place to go to with children too as it is not too far to travel, not too commercial and has lovely safe beaches. It was just the two of us this time and we wanted to re-charge ou

14 December 2016

Wonderful memories of family holidays as a child spent on The Isle Of Wight, drew us back for a little short break between Christmas and New Year 2015. We based ourselves in a B&B near Cowes but there are many options from hotels, apartments, lodges or caravan parks. Taking your car on the ferry from Portsmouth or Southampton makes you feel like you are going overseas but if you are not taking

07 December 2016

We have been to Florida quite a few times and I have to say it is one of my favourite places. I guess this is because it has a mixture of things to do and see, great beaches, nice people, great shopping and just ticks all my boxes! If you are not in to theme parks, there is still so much to offer. Orlando is great for visiting the Theme parks, with so much accommodation to choose from. From

07 December 2016

We have been fortunate to have been to California twice, it is such a vast area with so much to see and do! The first time we went we concentrated on San Fransisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. We flew into San Fransisco, which I loved, trips included hiring bikes and cycling across the Golden Gate Bridge, catching the ferry back from Sausilito, stopping along the way wherever looked interesting

07 December 2016

I had a brief stay in Boston many years ago before travelling up to the mountains of Vermont, which incidentally is stunning, but I really wanted to go back and explore properly and also visit the area of Cape Cod. We flew into Boston with Virgin Atlantic, out in Economy with extra leg room and back Premium Economy, which were both very good. After picking up our car and negotiating the Boston

07 December 2016

Venice has been on my wish list for a number of years and I am not really sure why we have not been before now, so I was very excited to finally have a short break there in March, just before Easter. Venice is such a pretty city and is easily recognisable from the many movies that are made there. We caught the water bus from the airport which did take a long time as it has many drop offs. If yo

06 December 2016

I have always wanted to go to Rome and was delighted when my daughter and husband surprised me with a short break trip for a special birthday (not easy when you work in travel!) We actually stayed outside the city centre and travelled in and out but I would recommend paying a little extra and being as central as your budget allows to save time. This is also ideal as you can then go back to the

06 December 2016

My husband, Gary and I have just returned from our fourth visit to Kalkan in Turkey for a cheeky September break, although we have not been for a few years. A few more villas and apartments have been built since our last visit but Kalkan has retained everything that we like about it. One of the main things that strikes you when you come around the corner is the amazing view of the town, harbour an