30 November 2017

Day 8 took us from the city back up North to Cairns and the pretty resort of Palm Cove, staying in Villa Palm Cove in a 2/3 bedroom villa with private pool was just what we needed to relax for a couple of days after fitting so much in. We relaxed in the resort and went for some lovely walks along the promenade. Palm Cove is a quiet resort with a main strip along the seafront with some lovely restaurants and cafes. We then headed further up north to Port Douglas, I booked us a little luxury up here for the 4 of us and we stayed in a penthouse apartment at Coconut Grove with private pool, Jacuzzi, seating area and BBQ kitchen area, we could have stayed there the whole time in Oz, what an amazing apartment. We did manage to venture out and had a good wander around the resort, lots of things going on but does go quiet on an evening. We did the ‘throwing a shrimp on the barbie’ and also cooked some kangaroo burgers – did feel bad for eating them but they were delicious. Day 11 took us on a day trip out for Andy and me to Daintree forest and Cape Tribulation, having been recommended to visit these places it was something I really wanted to do, we drove up and went across the crocodile infested river on a pull along ferry and then went to Discover Daintree Forest centre where we walked through the rainforest and up a 23m tower with trees still higher than us, the sights were spectacular. From here we headed to Cape Tribulation – the only place on earth where the rainforest meets the sea, we were stunned by the trees growing at the side of the sea, sadly the photos don’t do it justice and I am so pleased we went. The drive back down to Port Douglas was good as we stopped for homemade ice cream, a local delicacy with locally produced fruits flavouring the ice cream, we also pulled off the road a couple of times and stopped to look at the views, even finding our own deserted beach! A day I will never forget.

30 November 2017

Up early on day 6 to fly from Brisbane to Melbourne to watch the rugby. We arrived into wet and miserable weather so after checking into the hotel we wandered into the city had a bite to eat and then took an Uber out to the beach resort of St.Kilda, the weather was no better there but we had a reason to be there so took cover in the Beach Café for a couple of hours, ate our evening meal at a lovely Italian and then headed out to the pier area to see the Fairy Penguins that nest there and come out at dusk, truly amazing sight to see the little penguins on the rocks and coming out of the sea. Day 7 was our rugby day where England were playing Australia so dressed in our rugby tops (some England some charity tops) and headed out into the city for the day. Travel Counsellors have an office out in Melbourne so I was able to meet up with my old work friend who works out there and have a lovely catch up over coffee in one of the many little lanes where there are many coffee shops to choose from, then I met back up with everyone and we headed for an outdoor lunch on the banks of the Yarra river in the sunshine, then we sampled some of the local beers and wines to make sure they tasted as good down under before heading to the AAMI stadium for the rugby opening ceremony, even though we lost we had a great night supporting our team with singing along with the other England supporters.

30 November 2017

Day 1 to 5 - flying from Manchester via Dubai to Brisbane with Emirates in economy was something I wasn't looking forward to with it being such a long journey, but it actually wasn't bad at all, we watched some films & TV and managed to have a few hour's sleep before we arrived in Brisbane. We headed from the airport to Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast where we had 5 nights at the Aegean Apartments, just a 2 min walk from the beach and wonderful views of the sea from our balcony on the 18th floor. Surfers is a modern resort with lots of bars, shops and restaurants plenty to keep you going. Jet lag did kick in on the afternoon but shopping at the Pacific Fair mall helped a little! We had a beach BBQ on day 2 with lots of old rugby friends from back home on Miami Beach (close to surfers). They have BBQ stations dotted all along the beach front for people to use free of charge, there is gas to cook on and running hot water, very impressed. Day 3 was a miserable rainy day so we went to Harbor Town outlet shopping mall for a few hours then when the sun came back out we headed to Versace Hotel for coffee and then had late lunch on the marina, this hotel is where I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here stars all return back to for some relaxation time after the jungle stay, very plush. Day 4 took us to Currumbin Animal Sanctuary where I was able to tick off 2 things off my bucket list - hold a koala and stroke a kangaroo, an amazing place to visit for a few hours with the beach close by and a great surf club to have food afterwards. Day 5 was a chill out day enjoying the sunshine in Surfers, breakfast by the sea, then a long walk along the promenade before sunbathing for a few hours, we then headed back to the sea front for the weekly beach market and ended our time in Surfers with a meal with friends. We will be back out here again as we all loved the resort and the surrounding areas, well worth a visit.

30 November 2017

On to our final stop in Australia and to see the sights of Sydney, we really couldn’t come all this eay and not come to Sydney. We had decided that we wanted a view in Sydney and boy did we get one, we booked 2 bedroom apartment at Quay West Suites and everyone’s face when we walked into the room and saw Sydney harbour there in front of us was a picture, a pure pinch me moment!! We quickly unpacked and headed out to see the sights, we went to The Rocks area and had some food and then headed to Sydney Tower Eye to do the skywalk, standing at 309m high it gives you a 360 degree view of the city, we went up at 7pm just after the sun had set and then were able to see the lights all switched on by the time we had walked around and stopped for photos. We picked out places that we had seen to go visit the next day. Up and off out into Sydney after a good nights sleep and the harbour, Botanical Gardens, Opera house and Darling Harbour were on our list to visit today, we walked all day visiting the sights and managed to clock up 33,000 steps. Some great photos taken to go into the albumn. We ended the day in Darling Harbour with our friends who had flown down from Brisbane to see us and had happy hour drinks in the sunshine. With rugby being one of the main reasons we had flown out to Oz, seeing our old rugby friends and also taking in the games the highlight of the trip has to be our last day in Sydney, with contacts back in the UK and the links with the Burgess brothers (Sam and Tom) who play for England and sadly lost their dad to MND 10 years ago we had had people working behind the scenes to see if Phil could meet the boys, but what we acutally had arranged for us was fantastic, both our families were invited to go and watch the England Rugby League team train on the Friday morning before their game against France on the Saturday and after their session we were invited pitch side to chat with them all, have photos and get signatures, 9 of us (plus another group of 9) were the only people there with the team and coaches chatting away in the stadium, as a family group we were taken to one side and asked to do a short filming session with The England Rugby League for footage to put on their facebook page, which to date has 63k views!!!! What an experience we will never forget and also Sam donated his rugby playing top from the opening England game, a true gent. After seeing all the hot and sweaty rugby players we headed off to cool ourselves down and went to Bondi Beach for a couple of hours on the beach before the weather turned and we headed back to Sydney for our final night. A city we will never forget.

13 September 2017

Headed out to Sidari in Corfu for a cheeky week away in the sunshine with my husband to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Flying out of Leeds Bradford with a private taxi transfer waiting for us on arrival made the journey out and back so easy. We stayed in the resort of Sidari in the North of the island so quite a long transfer to get there up and down the mountains but well worth it when we arrived. Tereza's apartments were where we stayed for the week, a small apartment complex on the outskirts of the resort but a quiet location easily accessible via the main road into the resort or the Canal D'amour area. A week of chilling in the sunshine in the morning around the pool after eating breakfast in the apartment snack bar and then in the afternoon we went out and explored the resort. The Canal D'amour area is stunning, we got different views from the different times we walked, from the day time in the sun watching the waves crash against the rocks or when we had a storm and the sea was raised, magnificent. The sunsets in this area are fantastic with many bars dotted around the cliff sides for maximizing the views. The resort of Sidari is a long stretch of beach with beach bars dotted along the front and then a main road which runs behind with plenty of bars & restaurants from typical Greek to Indian, Mexican, British options, lots to choose from. I can highly recommend The Hive restaurant where the lovely George will take care of you, the cocktails and food were great. The evenings can be as busy or as quiet as you want, lots of bars offer singers/acts on on an evening or the hotels have their own shows on, but then quieter beach bars if you want a more relaxed evening. Lots of options to get out and about on the island of Corfu with many tours running from local suppliers or hotels, boat trips around the island, coach tours down to Corfu Town (capital) even trips across to Albania! For a great week away I can highly recommend Sidari.

01 April 2017

Day 3.... heading out of Marrakech to the Origane area at the foothills of the snow capped Atlas Mountains. First job of the day was a site inspection of Movenpick Mansour hotel where we have been hosted for the last 3 nights, then into the minibus for an 1 hour journey to the yet to be opened L'Amandier boutique hotel, What a hotel with views to die for and such a relaxing vibe to the property, has to be one of the best settings I have ever seen. Can HIGHLY recommend this hotel to go to, would recommend a few nights in Marrakech and then the drive to L'Amandier for 2 or 3 nights relax before coming home. Its a windy, hilly drive to get to the hotel but highly worth it with stunning scenery all around. We headed back to Marrakech & after a quick visit back to the souks for more bartering & shopping (lots of fun if you have a laugh with the stall holders and enjoy the transaction, aim for about third of the price they offer but only barter if you really want the item/s). Dinner this evening was at the renowned Jad Mahar restaurant, nightclub show, with burlesque dancers, fire eaters and more it was hard to believe that you were there to eat food! Off to the windy coastal city of Essaouiria tomorrow. Sad to leave Marrakech as the city has impressed me immensely Day 4.... We left the hustle & bustle of Marrakech for a night on the Coast, around a 3 hour drive with pit stop for the 'goat tree' then a interesting visit to a lady's Co-operative Argan Oil factory. Arrived into Essaouria for a hotel visit to the Sofitel Mogador Golf club & spa, then onto the Medina which had a more relaxed vibe than Marrakech, back to our overnight hotel for inspection - Atlas Essaouria where we had drinks at sunset at Le Seven and then our last evening was spent being wined & dined at the Relais Chateau Le Bleu Heurre. All in all a great time in Marrakech, as mentioned before it was my 1st time out in Morocco and certainly now won't be my last. The intricacy to detail is what amazed me the most, everywhere has something different to show it really did impress me, loved looking around everywhere with the colours, textures and woodwork. Feel free to message me for any questions you may have, thank you for reading

01 April 2017

Flying from London Gatwick with Easyjet after a great night's stay at the Premier Inn, London Gatwick North terminal, I joined 40 other Travel Counsellors for a visit to Marrakech and the outlying areas for my 1st visit to Morocco, we were out there for 4 nights and I have broken down the trip into days to show what we did. Day 1 in Marrakech. Checked into Movenpick Mansour Marrakech, lovely hotel in the modern side of the city, I enjoyed my stay here and would recommend if you were wanting a larger hotel with pool & facilities but would check out the wonderful Riads which offer more traditional style accommodation. After a quick freshen up we then took a trip to the souks and medina in the Old Town where we were met by our guide and taken through the narrow alleyways of the souks taking twists and turns into different areas to view their wears and see the items being made, loving the vibe, culture & colours in this beautiful city. From the Souks we made our way out into the main square Jamaa El Fnna and headed over to Café Paris for traditional mint tea whilst watching the sunset on the day with views of the square, mosque and city of Marrakech. Our evening was then livened up with dinner at Salama a contemporary restaurant off Jamaa El Fnna, we were treated to a sumptuous meal and then had belly dancers to entertain before heading to the roof top for drinks & shisha. Fantastic day to start our trip. Day 2 in Marrakech, work, play & fun today! Up for an early breakfast at the hotel and then off to visit to 2 hotels Royal Palm hotel - resort hotel outside Marrakech & then the Royal Mansour hotel owned by the King of Morocco made up of Riad residences, very palatial. I loved the feel of the Royal Palm hotel in that you could make it a longer stay in Marrakech than the normal 3/4 nights that people tend to do. This hotel was lovely and spacious with excellent facitlies for all the family, part of the Beachcomber hotels it had the wow factor. After a 5* lunch we headed to Atlas Go karting for some fun on the track, I think I drew the short straw with having the 5 men on the trip all in the same race as me! After a quick visit back to the souks for more bartering & shopping (lots of fun if you have a laugh with the stall holders and enjoy the transaction, aim for about third of the price they offer but only barter if you really want the item/s), we then we were hosted at one of Marrakech hot night venues Le Palace, this was a fantastic evening with great food, excellent vocalist singing 80s music and then DJ who played some fab tunes, I ended up with aching legs the next day from all the dancing we did! More to follow... read my next blog to find out what else we did!

10 November 2016

Having been out to Dubai recently on a day trip from Abu Dhabi I was excited to return to see Dubai at a much slower pace and take in more of the surroundings and get my bearings. We arrived into Dubai on the overnight flight from Manchester with Emirates. Landing at 0730 we came through the hotel which is huge and proceeded to collect our luggage. The first point to note is that alcohol is extremely expensive out in the UAE but there is a Duty Free shop in arrivals so we stocked up and few bottles of wine for our trip, at £10 a bottle it worked out excellent value for money as that was the usual price for a glass in the bars. A private transfer took us to our first hotel of the stay - Ritz Carlton Jumeriah Beach Walk (JBR), a lovely hotel on the beachfront but also at the start of the Jumeriah walk so easy to get out and about on foot which is unusual in Dubai. It also has easy access to the Marina area (by taxi or longer walk). The hotel is very modern outside with a wonderful children’s pool with slides and shaded play area, but then an excellent bar with swim up pool and music on during day and night. Rooms were palatial and large with all amenities covered however sea views were slightly blocked by palm trees. We ate at the Blue Asian restaurant where the food was delicious. It was the start of Ramadam so we observed the no alcohol rule and had cocktails without the kick, they were lovely. The Spa in the hotel was excellent, lots of areas to sit and relax with separate areas for men and ladies. I had one of the most relaxing back massages from the masseur there. In between time at the Ritz we also visited the JA Ocean view hotel which is located at the other end of the JBR walk, a bright hotel with all rooms having a view of the sea and also overlooking the new island which will house the world’s largest Eye and lots of evening entertainment venues. One hotel to watch out for! Another evening was spent viewing the Jumeriah Zabeel Saray hotel on the Palm. This hotel has always been a favourite of my customers so I was excited to be able to visit and see for myself and have to admit it didn't disappoint. Set at the furthest point around on the Palm it does take a while to get to but you will be glad you went; the facilities and ambience are second to none and also with the half board dine around option available at 60+ restaurants within the Jumeriah group hotels you will never be stuck for anywhere to dine. Having stayed at the Ritz for two nights we then moved onto the Atlantis the Palm hotel for one night before we departed Dubai. This hotel is large, brash and in your face but amazing to visit and experience the hotel’s aquarium with twice daily feeding shows, the underwater restaurant, the water park, dolphin encounter plus top named restaurants. It was an experience to see it all and be able to share with customers who would like to go back - you would never be bored at this hotel as there is something available to do all the time. Not sure how but we also managed to fit in a Dubai city tour taking us on a Dhow cruise boat across to the Gold souks to have a wander around and then to the beach to view the Burj hotel for a photo stop. We then went to see the dancing fountains at the bottom of the Burj Khalifa tower which play every 15 minutes from 6pm onwards, a wonderful experience. So having seen Dubai twice this year, once on the whistle stop day trip and then the longer three nights, I can genuinely say that I love this city. It has so much to offer from beach to sightseeing, shopping to skiing - it’s an amazing place to visit. Read my next review of Ras Al Khaimah where I headed for two nights after Dubai, just one hour by road away it’s a great location for a twin centre trip.

13 April 2016

“I would love your job” is a quote that I hear quite a few times when I travel overseas to view hotels and I am aware of how lucky I am to both love my job and also get the opportunity to visit and stay in some amazing hotels around the world. This time was to fly out to Paphos for a three night educational trip and then to add two nights on at the end to really experience the hotel as a guest. We flew out with Thomas Cook from Manchester airport and would highly recommend booking the extra leg room seats. The flight was full but the staff were friendly and helpful and the flight flew by. On arrival in Paphos airport it was a quick collection of the bags and then straight out into the main arrivals area where our Constantinous Representative was meeting us with Moet - a brilliant start to the trip! The transfer from the airport to Paphos is only around 15-20 minutes depending on which area you are staying in. For us, we were around 15 mins away and checked into the Asimina Suites. This hotel is an adults only 5* hotel. It has a lovely relaxed feel to it with excellent rooms with all needs taken care of. The food is excellent with a choice of buffet dining or a la carte for evening meals and then lunch can be taken al fresco at the Kymata Mediterranean restaurant situated overlooking the beach/sea front. There are a choice of rooms available at the hotel but I would highly recommend that you go for a sea view room as the rooms at the back of the hotel overlook the main road. Whilst we were in Paphos we were also invited to look around Pioneer Beach Hotel and Athena Royal Beach - both adult only hotels, and then the family Athena Beach hotels. All were excellent hotels with lots to offer, again though I would highly recommend the sea view rooms. On the Saturday we went on a full day excursion to see the island of Paphos. We drove out towards Limassol and stopped to take photos of Aphrodite Rock, then onto the Archaeological site of Kourin where the ruins of a large house and amphitheatre. It also gave us amazing views of the island. From there with then drove inland to the typical Cypriot village of Omodhos where we had a 12 course meze meal, in true Cypriot style. After a mooch around the village looking in the little shops we headed back to Paphos. On the Sunday evening we took a taxi into Paphos (7 euros) and had a wander around the beautiful harbour whilst stopping in a couple of restaurants and then headed back towards the hotel on coastal path that links the harbour to the hotels. It took about 40 minutes to walk back but was a lovely end to the day. Monday saw me looking around the Olympic Lagoon Paphos Hotel. It only opened last year and is already fully booked for July and August this year! It’s a fantastic 4/5* family all-inclusive hotel with lots going on. There is an adults only section to the hotel with their own pool, pool bar, bar and restaurant. We saw a couple of weddings going on whilst we were at the hotel as Cyprus is a wonderful island to marry on, lots of different choices of venues - religious and hotel/harbour based. I would recommend you book early though if you are planning your wedding there. The weather whilst we were there was excellent, 25 degrees each day! Please feel free to email if you have any questions.

01 April 2014

We arrived at Nelsprutt airport and started our journey to Sabi Sands area of Kruger by road, there is a closer airport opening in June 2014. The journey took approximately 1 hour 30 minutes by main road and then dirt road. On driving to the first safari lodge, we had an elephant work straight across the dirt track in front of us, a brilliant way to start our animal search. Our safari stay was split into two night’s stay both in the world renowned Mala Mala private game reserve - night one was in the Sable Camp and the second at the gorgeous Rattrays. We were shown to our rondels for the night’s stay and then asked to meet at the open restaurant area for coffee and cake before heading off on our first evening’s game drive. Having never been on a safari I was a little unsure what to expect but was looking forward to the experience. We hadn't left the safari lodge for more than five minutes when we had seen impalas, zebras, rhinos and picked up the tracks of a leopard - this was going to be one fantastic evening. We followed the tracks of the leopard and had it walk straight down the side of the vehicle and sit and relax in the evening sun. Whilst the sun faded away we watched as the stars came out brightly shining and headed back for our evening meal which was again al fresco in a Boma with the other guests of the camp. We swapped game drive stories whilst being treated to local songs sung by the staff at the lodge all sat around a fire pit. Up and off early the next morning to see the sunrise before setting off on our morning game drive. Again we weren't disappointed with the animals to see; more impala, elephants, giraffes, rhino and baboons this time to add to our list. Breakfast was all set out and waiting for us for our return and whilst most of the other guests headed back for a couple of hours sleep we packed up and headed to our next camp Rattrays for our second safari experience. As Sable Camp, Rattrays and Main Camp MalaMala are all part of the same company we were able to keep our rangers with us for the second evening game drive, this really helped as we had got to know him and he us and he was aware of which animals we were more interested in finding. On the second evening we again were able to see impalas, kudu, elephants, giraffe and many more but the highlight of the evening has to be seeing a lion and a leopard walking down the dirt track towards each other and not quite knowing what would happen, even the game rangers didn't know how this situation was going to go! In the end it was the leopard who gave up the road and went into the bushes to leave the lion to carry on walking straight past our vehicle and into the night, an amazing experience. Our evening meal at Rattrays was waiting again on our return so after a quick shower and change we were back out sat on the decking area with the Sabi River behind us, a stunning setting for the end of a wonderful two nights in MalaMala. Up and off again on our last game drive in MalaMala and we were hoping to see more animals out in the open. We weren't disappointed this time either, seeing a parade of elephants (14 with babies included), a journey of giraffes (four in the group) and a herd of buffalo (over 50 in the area) then onto a baby hyena which was quite curious of our vehicle. The highlight of the trip was where we saw the baby leopard (10 months old) which was the cub of the leopard we had followed on the first night. An amazing experience. So from 5* luxury we headed off for our last night not knowing what to expect and were taken to one of the National Kruger parks down in the Southern Kruger area for a night under canvas! Not what I would normally do but we had a great time sat around the campfire telling stories and eating out in the open - a truly magical way to end such a thoroughly enjoyable six nights in South Africa.

01 April 2014

South Africa is a place that I love and have wanted to explore for many years after my first flying visit back in 2007. I was extremely fortunate to be able to join seven other Travel Counsellors and African Pride sales manager out in South Africa for the trip of a lifetime. Flying from London Heathrow with Virgin out to Cape Town, we were met on arrival and driven out to the lovely resort of Franshhoek where we checked into the La Residence hotel for the night, being treated to a night’s stay in a two bedroom villa which were added in 2011. The property is set in stunning surroundings and you can't help but sit and gaze at the views from each location within the hotel. Sadly we were only able to stay for one night but were able to sample the house rose wine, sundowners on the hotel patio, dinner al fresco and a wonderful array of breakfast goodies before our sad departure. On leaving Franschhoek we headed along to Babylonstoren for a tour of the organic gardens, then onto a winery and hotel inspection at Steenberg (just outside Cape Town). It would be rude to visit South Africa and not partake in a wine tasting session! After our wine tasting we drove back down into Cape Town and checked in for two nights at the wonderfully located Queen Victoria hotel with sister hotels the boutique Dock House just in front and the Victoria and Albert hotel down on the waterfront. From the hotel it’s a two minute walk down some steps and you are in the Waterfront area with its vast array of bars, shops, restaurants. The Waterfront is open throughout the day and evening and a great place to sit and people watch if you want to relax with a lovely glass of South African wine. We were up and off the next morning to visit some of the townships in the Cape Town area, we met the wonderful James who runs Uthando (meaning Love); a local charity that helps South Africans families to help themselves. We were honoured to have the teenage choir come and sing for us at the opening of an animal sanctuary before going to meet some school children who have set up an organic garden in their school grounds. We finished the morning by going to a dance studio which brings children into the world of dance from the townships and then goes back out to teach locally, an amazing time was spent with the locals and confirming what friendly people they are. From Cape Town we headed back to the airport and said farewell to city life before flying onto Nelsprutt Airport for our trip into the Kruger National Park. Three nights were to be spent out on safari with two nights where we knew where we were staying and the third night a surprise! Read my next journal to see what happened whilst we were on safari, where we stayed and what animals we were lucky to see whilst we were there.

30 September 2008

With the forecast of a wet and gloomy summer we decided to take a week off work and head to sunnier climates and chose to spend a week in St Lucia. We flew out with Virgin Atlantic from London Gatwick and after a 9 hour flight landed in the South of the island at Hewanorra airport, then had a taxi waiting for us to travel upto the North of the island which took approx 1 hour 30 mins. Our drive was through the countryside allowing us to get a feel of the 'real' St Lucia, seeing the small shacks selling bananas and melons to the 5* deluxe villa complexes that are being built on the East coast of the island. We had a night in the resort of Rodney Bay in the Coco Palm hotel, a lovely B&B hotel with just 83 rooms. Being the Caribbean the staff couldn't do enough for us, the room was on the 2nd floor overlooking the pool and sea in the distance and was classed as a 1 bedroom suite. If you fancy it though you can always stay on the ground floor and have a swim up pool room!! We ate at the restaurant in the hotel in the evening we were there and the food was fantastic. After having spent one night in Rodney Bay we then travelled south down to the capital and checked into the Almond Smugglers Cove hotel in Castries. We were met with cold drinks and cold towels as we were checked in and then taken by golf cart to our 1 bedroom suite located in the new part of the hotel. Located at the top of the hill, the views were amazing (see photos attached). The rooms were large, modern and had the most comfiest beds ever, a large 3 corner jacuzzi bath in the bathroom with overhead showers, and plasma TV's in both the lounge and bedroom. Excellent quality and I would definitely recommend the upgrade. The hotel had fantastic sports facitilies - gym (with personal trainers) - tennis courts - aqua aerobics daily - golf taken at a nearby course - watersports galore! We did pretty much all of these throughout the week that we were there, the staff were friendly but safety conscious and we were able to hire equipment out or book onto lessons at most times of the day, even waterskiing lessons were included free of charge. There was a separate company working on the beach who hired out Jet skis and also did boat trips - we were spoilt foe choice! The hotel had a variety of eating venues - breakfast was served in 2 restaurants with either waiter service or buffet style. We were able to take lunch from the daily beach BBQ or be treated to waiter service at one of the restaurants. Dinner - was all waiter service and a reservation had to be made at one of the 4 restaurants - The Palm (Continental) - Bambu (Fusion cuisine) - Morgans Pier (Fish) - Le Jardin (French - adults only). There is also the snack bar Plumbe tree bar and grill which serves snacks during the day and then on top of this if you can face it... the Palm offers afternoon tea!!. The food served in each of the restaurants was excellent and there was enough choices even for the fussiest of diners. Kids facilities were available at the Almond Morgan Bay but as Chloe (12) and Alix (9) made lots of friends around the pool they didn't attend these. There was also a large varitey of trips available to us and we were able to pre book these through our tour operator at the hotel. We decided to head into Castries independently and have a wander around the local market and then went over to the duty free village near where the cruise ships dock. Just a pointer here - if you go and buy alcohol then it is delivered to the airport for you for your return journey home so make sure that you have enough time for this to be done. Going home - well all good holidays have to come to a end and this was no exception for St Lucia, we were sad to leave the resort and all the friends that we had made but would love to go back, one thing I would do though is book the helicopter transfer for the return journey to the airport... WOW factor or what.

26 September 2008

Christmas in Lapland, having been to Lapland before in 'Search of Santa' we decided to return and spend Christmas there whilst learning to ski. We flew directly out of Manchester and headed for a White Christmas on the 23rd December 2007. On arrival in Kittalia airport we were transferred to the resort of Phya (Poo-Ha) where we were taken to our log cabin. The cabin was everything we could have hoped for; log fire, sauna, underfloor heating, just what we needed. We learnt to ski with English speaking instructors and were grouped with other British families, and within minutes of us all being together Alix and Chloe had made friends and were off skiing up and down the nursery slopes. Andy (hubby) and myself took until the end of the lessons but got the basics and were then able to progress nicely each day, working up from the nursery slopes onto the red runs and even a blue run at the end of the week. The slopes are quiet in Lapland and I would definitely recommend this as a fantastic place to learn to ski, it is very very cold but as long as you wrap up and make sure you have good thermal clothing you will be fine. Nightlife wise there isn't a lot to do in Phya, there is the large Hotel Pyhatuntri where you can take meals at the top of the slopes and then a smaller restaurant at the bottom on the slopes. A lot of the British families we shared skiing lessons with went on a evening to meet up - usually ending with a drink of the local 'Menthos' a mint liqueur added to hot chocolate. A must before bracing yourself for the walk home. A few nights though we did take back to the slopes with the sledges that everyone had left and the kids loved sledging up and down the slopes, or having snowball flights and making snowangels in the snow. It truly is a excellent family experience. We had fantastic amenities within Phya itself. There was a large supermarket, a couple of souvenir shops, ski shop and then a local skidoo hire shop which arranged all local tours. We took one of these on a evening just the 4 of us and the guide and headed into the woods. Andy and Chloe on 1 skidoo and myself and Alix on the other, we drove for about 30 mins deep into the forest and we were taken to a secret teepee where we were made hot chocolate/coffee and cooked sausages on the open fire with our guide. A experience none of us will ever forget. So all in all one of the best holidays we have had and definitley to be repeated, well this December actually but this time at a different resort of Salla. The ski resorts do tend to be smaller but if you were wanting a larger resort with more going on in the evening then I would recommend Ruka. Snow, ice, cold temperatures, friendly people, Christmas in Lapland and even seeing Santa on Christmas Eve - it doesn't get much better than that.

30 September 2008

After being invited to one of our friends/customers wedding in Paphos on the 4th August 2007 we decided to book a extended holiday and have a week at the Aphrodite Hills resort hotel and then head back down into Paphos for 2 nights to spend with the wedding party and attend the wedding of Mark & Lorna. The Aphrodite Hills resort is located 20 mins from Paphos just off the A1 & B1 road so very easily accessible from Paphos airport and then 20 mins by car from Limassol. The resort is still growing and there are a mixture of top quality hotels, apartments, townhouses, villas, spa properties, village square, golf courses & private beaches located close by. The entrance to the resort is where the hotel is located and this is a 5* deluxe property, then the villas, apartments, townhouses are located in streets anything upto 1 mile away from the hotel, you do need a car to get around and about. The Village Square is a lovely place to eat on a evening with a variety of restaurants to choose from. I found that it was necessary to pre book tables as they do get busy. There is a supermarket on site, a florist, gift shop and travel agent there as well. The spa is one of the top spa's in Cyprus with a vast choice of treatments to treat yourself to. I had a 'Royal French manicure' and at £50 it was the most expensive I have had but well worth every penny. After staying at the Aphrodite we travelled down to Paphos to check into the Riu Cypria Bay hotel for 2 nights to attend the wedding. This was a more British hotel than the Aphrodite which had more of a European clientele. The hotel was a 'All Inclusive' basis hotel and the food was excellent, lots of different choices each evening. The wedding day itself was everything you would imagine it to be with clear blue skies, sun shining, a slight breeze and a wedding location at the end of the gardens overlooking the sea. The wedding took place late afternoon and then a separate decorated outdoor venue was where we our friends held their reception. As I booked the wedding for them I met with the hotel wedding co-ordinator and there was nothing that he couldn't arrange for us. The photographer was efficient and polite and was back the following morning with the album ready for guests to choose their photos before they left Cyprus. Having hoildayed before in Paphos we were happy to be back there, the people are so friendly and can't do enough for you, they drive on the same side of the road so hiring a car isn't a daunting experience and the road signs are in English. It is a lovely island and I would recommend anyone to try a holiday there.

02 October 2008

I travelled out to Dubai courtesy of the Dubai Tourist board along with another 100+ travel agents from around the UK. We were flown out and back with Emirates airlines. A superb way to start the holiday! The direct services from many UK airports make Dubai accessible in around 7 hours and the inflight entertainment system makes sure that the 7 hours fly by. The staff are extremely friendly, the cabins are set with mood lighting which help adjust to the time zone you are flying into, extremely good for the onward connecting flights from Dubai to the rest of the world. On arrival in Dubai we were taken to our hotel where we were to stay for 3 nights. There was 4 different hotels which were used for the group and I stayed at the Habtoor Grand Resort & Spa, a 4* property on Dubai beach. The hotel had 2 swimming pools, a spa, a variety of restaurants and a excellent 'chill out' zone which I used at the end of the evening to relax in the gardens on large bean bags whilst taking in some of the different flavoured hubba bubba pipes. Whilst in Dubai we had a hectic schedule and fitted in lots of hotel visits, as well as some amazing excursions. A particular favourite whilst in Dubai was a Dhow cruise along the Dubai Creek. This was a early evening cruise taken just as Dubai was lighting up. Then my favourite experience by far in Dubai was the Desert Safari where we headed out into the desert in 4x4 cars. At the start the tyres are let down to allow you to ride the dunes - very exhilarating and certainly an adrenaline rush! When we had more than we could take of this we headed down to the campsite where we were entertained and fed from the BBQ with local delights. Shopping - well we were in Dubai so of course had to fit some shopping in, so on a couple of the evenings when we had some spare time we headed down to the Karama to buy our 'designer goods'. It was a fun experience being taken through 'a cupboard, in a wall' where all the 'designer' bags, watches and goods are kept. Another night, as Dubai is non stop, we were in Mall of the Emirates at 1am in the morning still shopping!!!! It literally was 'shop until you drop'! All in all a very hectic but thoroughly enjoyable 4 days in the city that never sleeps, but the experience of just being there, seeing all the different cultures working together so well was simply fantastic.