13 September 2018

Paris - what a beautiful city which has so much to see and do! I went with my husband and friends in February 2018! We pre-booked a taxi from Paris CDG and got to our hotel George Astotel in around 40 minutes. The hotel was in a great location and they had a free snack and soft drinks bar, which you had use of in any of the Astotels in Paris! Getting around Paris is easy, we decided to do a hop on hop off bus tour to get our bearings and be able to jump off and explore the various areas of Paris and see the major attractions. There were so many great places to see: Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, Louvre Museum (which contains the Mona Lisa), Arc de Triomphe and the amazing Eiffel Tower! I loved the Champs Elysees- it is one of the most famous avenues in the world, with designer shops including Tiffany and Louis Vuitton it also had lots of cafes, restaurants and bars to go in and of course the Arc de Triomphe at the end of the Champs Elysee! There are so many restaurants to choose from we found a fabulous Chinese restaurant near Champs-Elysee called Dragon Elysees, as you walk in they have a glass floor so looks down on to a fish tank! Food was gorgeous! I loved the Latin Quarter, which is in the heart of Paris, crooked streets lined with bistros and restaurants! Every type of food is served there, so plenty of choice and we found it to be one of the more reasonable places we ate at! I would highly recommend Paris, there is something for all ages from history and culture, fine dining and of course romance!

13 August 2017

Originally a small fishing village, Hurghada is an ideal winter or summer destination! Having just returned the temperatures were hot hot hot, around 38c, with a breeze to keep you cool (winter temperatures are around 20-25C). Evenings were humid so air conditioning needed! There are plenty of hotels to choose from to suit all budgets ranging for 3* to 5*. We stayed in the Jungle Aqua Park Hotel which was great for families, on onsite Aqua Park with slides for older children and also 2 areas with slides for children under 12. Plenty of life guards around too! Plenty of restaurants to choose from with fresh pasta and pizzas available daily! Senzo Mall had a variety of shops and restaurants to eat at (including McDonalds and KFC). There were some great bargains there and I bought 3 pairs of shoes for £27!! There are locals on the streets selling various Egyptian art work and belts etc, very cheap though at around £2-3 depending if you like to barter!! There are plenty of excursions to choose from too, swimming with bottlenose dolphins and snorkelling. Diving in the red sea where the coral reefs that are considered one of the best in the world. Hurghada also has abundant prime diving sites. You can take a glass-bottom boat ride that cruises over some beautiful coral reefs, where you can see a variety of brightly coloured fish and maybe even sharks, or you could head underwater and take a ride aboard one of the small submarines. For the more adventurous Jeep, Quad biking or Camel riding in the desert! Hurghada’s eastern desert is a landscape of sand, rocks, and mountains, and is also home to the Bedouins. Bedouin village can’t be missed, as you will learn about Bedouin life, heritage and traditions and buy local handmade crafts from them! You can also ride camels and by local crafts whilst there! Maybe be best to avoid July/August as VERY hot in the desert! Other attractions in Hurghada include the local market of Bazaar in Ed-Dahar, the marine life at the Red Sea Aquarium, and also the stunning coral reefs at the Giftun Islands. Hurghada also has a Hard Rock Café too! It is a place I would recommend, for any more information or tips please give me a call!

12 September 2016

A fantastic destination that I would recommend to all! We have been to Dubai for last three years and it is so diverse and has so much to offer for all ages! The Atlantis the Palm Hotel is great fun, huge with a fabulous aqua adventure waterpark which both my boys loved especially the Leap Of Faith (which I couldn't bring myself to do!) A great choice of gorgeous restaurants and shopping and the stunning aquarium! In 2015 we split our stay in the Madinat Jumeriah Mina Al Salam and Atlantis The Palm. I loved the atmosphere and layout of the Madinat Jumeirah resort, which is designed to resemble an Arabian Town. It was great to get Abras (small boats) to the various restaurants within the complex and also go and explore the Souk Madinat which has around 75 boutique shops and bars/restaurants! This year we opted for all-inclusive and stayed at the JA Palm Tree Court in a Palm Suite which was gorgeous, two huge bathrooms and bedrooms. The setting of the hotel is gorgeous and the boys loved to see the peacocks wandering the grounds! We toured the city on the hop on/hop off bus tour, which was valid for 24 hours! Must do’s in Dubai include the magnificent water fountain display (we had dinner on a balcony overlooking the display) and the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower. We took the lift to the observatory deck (124 floors up) and the views were breath-taking - it is definitely one of the highlights. We also did the Sundowner desert safari for an evening of authentic Arabian entertainment including dinner, camel rides, and sand dune in a Jeep, fantastic! I would highly recommend this and can arrange it for you. The Dubai Mall is one of the world's largest shopping malls with over 1,200 shops including Cartier, Tiffany and Hamleys for the children! It’s not just shops; it is home to a luxury hotel, 22 cinema screens and dozens of restaurants and cafes. Here you will also find the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo. My boys loved all the amazing cars parked outside from Lamborghinis to Bugatti’s! We have had an amazing time in Dubai the last three years and would recommend to couples and families!

02 February 2012

I travelled with my family on Virgin Atlantic to Orlando during Easter 2011 holidays. The weather was gorgeous and sunny with an average temperature of around 80 degrees. After a lot of discussions when I was organising the trip, we decided to stay on International Drive for the simple reason if we decided one evening we didn’t want to take the car, then there are plenty of restaurants within walking distance! There are so many fantastic theme parks in Florida to choose from. We bought a 14 day Disney Ultimate ticket in the UK and decided as it was our children’s first time, we would spend most of our holiday in the in the various Disney parks! We all loved something different in each one of the Disney parks. There are so many fabulous rides and attractions in each one and they cater for every age group, each one of us had a different favourite! It is definitely better to buy all your park tickets before you leave the UK. On the last 3 days we decided to go to SeaWorld and Island of Adventures. The local gate price was nearly as much as what we would have paid for a 14 day pass in the UK! Island of Adventures is home to the fantastic new Harry Potter attraction. There are three roller coaster rides together with Hogsmeade to wander through and buy various Harry Potter souvenirs including wands and gowns! My children’s favourite was Jurassic Park water ride which has great realistic dinosaurs – be prepared to get very wet. Universal Studios has some great attractions including Jaws, and Shrek 4D. We all loved SeaWorld and Aquatica – the highlights at SeaWorld being Shamu the killer whale and the sea lion show! Unbelievably we went to the Shamu show twice and both times sat in the soak zone (the children insisted!) You do get absolutely soaked but you soon dry off in the sunshine! We loved feeding the sea lions and stingrays and there was also a great children’s play area too, as well as many other attractions to see and do We found eating out very reasonable, and there is a fantastic choice of restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. We bought the kids an eat free card in the UK and they were great value! My two children loved Florida there is so much to see and do. I would definitely recommend a few days on a beach or by the pool to finish off your holiday! I loved the shopping too and I got some fabulous bargains at Orlando Premium Outlets and the Florida malls (of course a woman can never shop too much!!)! It is definitely a place I would recommend for all ages, and I would not hesitate to go again, in fact I think it will be difficult to persuade my children to go anywhere else!

12 September 2016

On 12th December 2010 my husband and I and our 5 and 7 year old boys went to Lapland for the day from our local airport, Leeds Bradford. We left bright and early around 7am and landed in Enontekio airport local time around 12.30pm. The airport was tiny but very well organised and we were immediately put on a bus and transferred within 30 minutes to where the activities were! The temperature was around -20C, but you did not feel this due to the free thermal suits and boots that were provided! The scenery was beautiful with snow-capped Christmas trees glistening everywhere - very picturesque, what an unforgettable setting! Although there were approximately 280 people dropped off, it was extremely well organised and the activities meticulously timed throughout the day. We immediately went and saw the two representatives who gave us our allocated time to go and visit Santa Claus on our sleigh! There were lots of activities to do, we tried a husky sledge ride, reindeer sleigh trip (where one of the Rudolph’s tried to eat my hat!!) and a snowmobile trip too! Lunch was basic but warm, which is all we wanted when you have been out in the cold all day! The highlight for all of us was the private visit to Santa! We boarded a snowmobile with one of Santa’s elves and went in search of Santa’s secret cabin deep within the woods! As we pulled up outside his picture-perfect, festively decorated cabin, we were greeted by two elves shouting hello to my two little boys Mackenzie & Keagan! We went in and Santa spoke to our young children, who were mesmerised by him - they were looking and sitting with Santa who had brought them present every Christmas! He had a fantastic memory and knew which football team they supported, what they wanted for Christmas and all their friends names, hobbies and even which teddy’s they slept with (helped by a little letter sent prior to our visit)! Both of them sat silently just staring and hanging on to every word he said! It was magical to see their faces and they were lost for words when Santa asked them something. They could not understand how Santa knew so much about them. It was worth every penny! They both got a small gift, then it was back to do more activities and warm up with hot chocolate, tea or coffee! It gets dark very early, and although we were probably only in resort for approximately 5 ½ hours it was enough to do everything, even spend money in the souvenir shop, which was an expensive £10 for a small cuddly husky dog! I would thoroughly recommend the day trip just to see your children’s faces! It was an unforgettable experience and even my husband now believes in Santa.

26 September 2008

We have been twice to Menorca, in June 2007 we visited Son Bou and August 2008 we went to Cala N Blanes. Son Bou has a lovely sandy beach and is less than half an hour from the airport. It is a very quiet resort and I would definitely recommend a car if you were staying longer than a week or just wanted to explore the Island. There are several restaurants and bars, but overall our holiday was very peaceful and quiet! We loved Cala n Blanes, it has so much to offer families! Most of the bars and restaurants have bouncy castles or play areas for children so parents can have a meal or a drink in peace! There is a variety of restaurants to chose from. In the resort there is two huge bouncy castles, a whale and a rabbit where you can pay 2.50 euros and the children can go on as long as they like and get a free ice cream on the way out. Again parents can eat/drink while they wait! The beach is very small although it is excellent for children and they were able to paddle in the clear waters! There is also a small waterpark in the resort, which we found to be quite expensive and not really good for young children. A great holiday which I would not hesitate to recommend!

20 January 2009

I am fortunate to have visited Cairns before so this was my second visit there! It has a very laid-back atmosphere and sunny temperature all year round! The esplanade was under refurbishment when we were there in May where they were building bar-b-q areas, swimming lagoon and the boardwalk, which will be fabulous when finished. There is so much to do in and around Cairns; Great Barrier Reef is a must do. I went on the helicopter ride over the reef which was amazing to see! Kuranda Scenic Train & Skyrail daytrip is also amazing (unless you do not like heights of course coming down on the skyrail!!!) My children's favourite was Hartley Crocodile Park, on the crocodile tour you get to touch and have your photo taken with a baby crocodile, and then on a boat trip you get to see crocodiles being fed!!! There are glass panels up on both sides of the boat obvioulsy!! On the Sunday we were there at the Esplandade there was live music and everyone was lay on the grass relaxing listening to the music and sunbathing. We walked along the boardwalk and there was a fantastic water playground called MUDDYS for children which had climbing frames, slides and water fountains. The cafe next to it, Skippys, was also reasonably priced for children's meals and snacks! There are plenty of restaurants to chose from to cater for all tastes and budgets, from seafood and steaks to an indoor market which has a food hall with 'help yourself' Thai, Chinese and steak! Kangaroo and crocodile is also available!!! We all loved Cairns, the weather was great, there was lots to see and do I would not hesitate to recommend to other families or couples thinking of going there! For more advice or ideas please give me a call to discuss!

26 September 2008

I travelled to Sydney with my husband and two children aged 2 and 4 years old in May this year! I was dreading the flight with having two young children, but it was no problem. They settled immediately and loved having there own TV to watch! We loved Sydney - there was so much too see and do and I would recommend it for all ages groups.There is definitely something there for everyone. We split our stay and spent four days close to Circular Quay and the remaining ten days at Darling Harbour. It was amazing to see the Harbour Bridge (which was a lot smaller than I imagined!) and the Opera House for the first time, although I never got tired of looking at them both in the 14 days we were there! Public transport, especially the trains, are easy to use and very reasonable too. We travelled to Cronella, a lovely beach town which was only 40 minutes from Sydney! My two children loved Taronga Zoo, the Wildlife Park/Aquarium at Darling Harbour and Featherdale Safari Park where they saw and could feed Kangaroos and of course Koalas! I loved shopping at Paddys Market (of course a woman can never shop too much!!) and seeing the fantastic views from the Sky Tower! There is so much to choose from when you eat out in Sydney - from Crocodile and Kangaroo to steaks and seafood, something to cater for everyones taste and budget. It is definitely a place I would recommend to all, and I would not hesitate to take my children on a long haul flight again!