28 August 2018

Well where do I begin! From the moment we stepped off the plane, I could really feel that the Mauritian people were friendly and we were going to have an amazing family holiday. We took the direct flight from Gatwick with British Airways which I would recommend if travelling with children as the flight time is 11.5 hours on a night flight both ways which makes it much easier as we could all sleep and wake up in paradise. As I was travelling with my 9 and 6 year old on their 1st long haul flight I was apprehensive but I would not hesitate to do this again, it really was fine. When we arrived into Mauritius, I had booked a hotel on the west of the island as when travelling in our summer months (their winter months) west is best with Mauritius. I had booked a private transfer which took approx. 1 hour, We got to see a lot of the lovely mountains, and I was surprised how green it was! When we arrived at our hotel - Beachcomber's Victoria Hotel - we were met by 3 different staff members offering us cold flannels, fruit punch and a comfortable seat to check us in - amazing hospitality. From the moment you walk into the Victoria you can see what an amazing location the hotel is positioned on - a beautiful infinity pool leading straight onto the Indian Ocean - I was so stunned. I had booked a garden ground floor room, all the rooms are Sea facing at the Victoria and only steps from the beach which is just great. The rooms are 60 square metres so very big and comfortable for a family of 4. They did offer other rooms which I did get to see but I was so happy with our room even though this is the lead in grade it was fantastic. We had a mini bar which was filled up every day, and we had a lovely walk in shower and tub. The beach at this hotel is simply stunning, a few steps walk from our room, lovely sunbeds serviced with a beach bar offering lovely drinks and freshly made baguettes brought to you on the beach if you did not want to move for the day. The hotel does offer 2 different meal plans, All Inclusive or Half Board. We were on All Inclusive so pretty much everything was included. Mauritius is expensive so I personally feel All Inclusive is the best option. The water sports offered on the beach were fantastic. The beach boys who help you if you are not sure how to Windsurf or Water ski , they will help you. We spent most of our time going Snorkelling. We snorkelled every day from the beach as it has its own reef but we did go on the boat trip on several days to go outside the reef to see other types of fish. My kids loved going on the Kayaks and the pedalo which again are all included. If you do not like snorkelling, the hotel provides Glass bottom boat trips several time a day but this did seem to get booked up quickly, so I would book this on arrival. The beach also has a lot of coral, so take beach shoes as it makes it easier to walk out into the sea. One of the nicest things is having so much room, no rush for getting a sunbed, a space on the beach. I have been on holiday so much in the school holidays and it can feel so busy but it just did not here even though the hotel was full it was just wonderful. The sea life you see from this beach is amazing - my kids saw 15 starfish in one morning! We saw so many beautiful fish. The infinity pool at the hotel has a fantastic waiter service if you want a lazy pool day looking out to sea. Occasional activities go on at the pool throughout the day but it is very large. Food - As many of you know, food is very important to me. This hotel does not disappoint, 3 restaurants to choose from - 2 to make reservations for- an Italian and Seafood. Then a buffet restaurant which has everything to a very high standard. Another must is the crepes that are served between 4-6 on the seafront. They are wonderful. Some items in the A La carte restaurants do have a small supplement but there are plenty of things to choose from that are on the all inclusive. The hotel does have a few beautiful shops but they can be expensive. My son wanted to purchase a bucket and spade and it was 1200 Rupee (approx. £14). If you take a walk out of the hotel there are some shops about 10 min walk and lots of little holiday things and a bucket and spade which cost 300 Rupee (approx. £7) - so worth taking a wander. I did buy some of the hotel’s Pineapple and Papaya jam from the hotel which was amazing though! I was lucky enough to get a couple of hours to myself and stepped into the spa - I wish I had gone sooner because I would have gone twice it was just fabulous. There was a gym at the hotel with Spinning classes and other things going on, also if you know me I did not participate, but it looked great if you are one of my clients that like a state of the art gym. There is an amazing kids club on the beach that’s run from 10am-10pm in this hotel. You can take a look at the activities and book your children in for as much or as little as you wanted. My children wanted to snorkel and be on the beach with us so they did not go in but we watched some of the activities and they looked very fun and very friendly. I watched a pillow fight in the pool one day as I did not understand what it would be but the kids seemed to be loving it very much. For my adults-only clients - there is a great part of this hotel which is called Victoria 2 and it is the adults-only part of the hotel. It has beautiful swim up rooms facing the sea with a restaurant just for adults. The entertainment at this hotel was more lower key than in med hotels I have been to but still something every night. One night was a 5 piece band, another night a local ritual with a light show which was just lovely, another night a Walt Disney show. So always something, do take a pack of cards as it is nice to be able to do that if it is an evening with music. The hotel seems to have a fantastic entertainment team. The entertainment always finished at 11. The weather in August was about 25-28 each day. It is cooler than in their summer but absolutely fine to have a lovely warm holiday getting in and out of the pool each day. The evenings can get a bit colder so take a cardigan or a zip up for the kids. We enjoyed Mauritius very much, it was a lovely hotel giving a good offering to families or adults only which was very well done. My children loved every moment like we did. I could go on and on as I have so much to say. Please get in touch if you want to ask anything.

19 October 2017

Wow! What a lucky lady I am to have been able to travel to this wonderful part of the world. I began my visit by staying in Vancouver City itself in an area called Yaletown which was a great central location. Everywhere in downtown Vancouver is very accessible. I walked everywhere but lots of people use bikes in the city. There was a lovely choice of eateries around our location. I especially liked the local dish of Poutine (chips, cheese and gravy) not normally the food I would go for but as it was a national dish I tried lots of times! I started my trip with an eco-walk round Stanley Park. The park itself has lots to offer as it is one of the biggest in North America. We walked through the forest which is home to some of the finest cedar, fir and hemlock trees. The park is surrounded by water which is lovely. It is a definite must for anyone visiting Vancouver. The park is also home to the Vancouver Aquarium which was great. The next day followed with a short trip from the city to Capilano Suspension Bridge. This was not for the faint hearted. As I stood on the bridge and started to walk I did try to turn around and go back but with the support of friends/colleagues I did it. I walked across the bridge which is 70 metres above the river below and 140 metres long. It is so beautiful. Make sure you have enough time to take this in as there are six treetop adventures when you have crossed the bridge! From here I made my way back into Vancouver to the Famous Granville Island - full of art, food and lots of things to enjoy. I was soon joining in a Foodie Tour which was totally brilliant, getting to sample seven different eateries from the best in the market. Granville is a fantastic and unique place in Vancouver. I followed this up by then doing the brewery tour which took in three breweries. A must if you like to sample different ales on offer in this city. The next day I got to enjoy the Famous FlyOver Canada! Not knowing what to expect from such a thing, I am so glad I took part as it is certainly an experience not to be missed. Seeing all of Canada from a sensory ride experience is a fantastic thing for adults and children. I then made my way to take a seaplane over Vancouver City. It was completely amazing! This cost approx. £80pp and it was absolutely fantastic. To get an area view over a city is so brilliant. In my four days in Vancouver City I got to visit a range of hotels to suit all customers. Now on to our next adventure. We made our way to the north of the city to Horseshoe Bay to take the two-hour ferry to Vancouver Island. We then made a three-hour journey from the port to the west of the island. We had a stop en route for a lovely lunch in a place called Coombes then on to the most amazing place called Torfino. When we arrived in the town, I cannot explain how it makes you feel. It is simply one of the most beautiful places on earth. The west of Vancouver Island can be rugged and rough. The surfing here is fantastic but if you are like me, snuggling up and watching the storm by a wood burning fire is a good option as well. Again I got to visit lots of hotels in the area of Tofino but I do need to mention one as with over 20 years travel experience and having been to a lot of hotels there is one particular hotel that stood out and totally wowed me. The Wickaninnish inn is pure luxury with so much character. I was lucky enough to experience bear watching from a boat which is arranged from Tofino and whale watching. We got to see both. I then had a small amount of free time to take in some of the art galleries and quaint shops in Torino. After a couple of nights in Tofino we moved on to the east of Vancouver Island. The waters are so much calmer and warmer. This is a great destination for beaches with families. I got to experience three different hotels in this area. I spent the night here before our ferry back to the mainland and our onward flight back home. The Canadian people we came across were so friendly and helpful. It was a super trip, I cannot wait to return!

18 May 2017

We have travelled to Menorca for the last 5 years. Often we stay in the Aguamarina in Arenel Del Castell, which is right on the beach. It is wonderful for children. Our children have enjoyed the lovely gentle shallow waters. I always booked a front facing Sea Facing Suite - see picture from our balcony to appreciate the view. We spend a lot of evening sat watching and listening to the waves while the children are asleep in the evening. The hotel is approximately 25 mins in a taxi which costs around 35 Euros. Car hire is a very good price here but we normally take the bus and taxis as they are very good. We normally travel in June as the weather is lovely then. The resort is small; a handful of restaurants and bars. There is a wonderful restaurant right on the beach called the La Pinata. The food is lovely and they do a 3 course special every evening costing around 15 Euros. There is another restaurant called the Acalade which has wonderful sunsets. This restaurant is a special occasion restaurant. I chose a lobster from the tank in June and it was cooked to perfection. The restaurant can be a bit more pricey but it does lovely cocktails and top notch food. We catch the bus into Mahon as there is a market twice a week which is great. We went on a glass bottom boat in June also and fed the fish which was great. We have returned to this resort five times because it is so very beautiful.

18 May 2017

I stayed in the Aria Hotel. It is a 5 Star very beautiful hotel in a very central location on the Strip. I travelled in October. The weather was a lovely temperature. I stayed for four nights which was a great amount of time to stay. Las Vegas has so much to do. I went with a group of girlfriends. When we arrived we tried to walk around to see some sites. The first thing we went to see was the Bellagio Fountains which are fabulous. I could have stood there all day. So much so I went back one evening to stand there again! The following day I booked a horse riding trip about 40 mins outside Vegas in a place called Red Rock. We got to ride the horse around with rangers round a working ranch. I am not a horse rider so most people can do this attraction. We rode all through Red Rock and then finished up having breakfast in the Ranch. FANTASTIC!! I would recommend this attraction so much. When we returned back, we spent a lot of time in the Venetian Hotel, which was so lovely - gondolas with people being sang to and when you walk in side seeing ‘St Mark’s Square'!!! The reason I had travelled to Vegas was to meet Lionel Richie. This was the thing I was doing on this evening, I had purchased a meet and greet with him in the Planet Hollywood hotel. It lived up to everything I had ever dreamed of. Lionel was so lovely. I spoke to him for 5 mins and had my picture taken with him and then was front row for 2 hours while he performed. I would recommend to anyone that loves going to shows, Vegas is a great place to see a show. On my last day I walked from one end of the strip to the other taking in all of the hotels. The roller coaster in the New York and having cocktails in the Stratosphere while watching people bungee jumping off the side. A fantastic restaurant that we ate in was the Cheesecake Factory at the shopping mall. It was wonderful and served most well-known dishes. Very reasonably priced at 15-20 USD. The drinks in Las Vegas can be pricy but if you are sitting and gambling at a machine you do get the drinks for free, which we did quite often when we wanted a Strawberry Daquiri. We normally tipped the waitress 2 USD per drink and then she always came back to get us more drinks. When we had drinks up Freemont street a Vodka and Lemonade could be anything priced from 10 USD – 20 USD per drink, so take advantage of having some drinks while sat at gambling tables or machines. On my last evening I went to Freemont Street which takes about 10 Mins in a taxi to get there. It is so vibrant and loud and great. It is what the original strip was like. The people in Vegas are so friendly. I would go back time after time; it is not just gambling, there is so much going on.