17 September 2024

Is Zanzibar on your radar of must visit places? If it is then you’ve already made a great choice, if it isn’t, then it certainly should be! Read on to find out why... After disembarking our flight from Manchester via Doha we were met by our driver Ally, to take us to our home for the next 4 nights at the Tembo palace hotel in Stone town, once the apartments where rock legend Freddie Mercury lived, a visit to his museum right across the road is a must for any fan of the rock band queen, take a look at my dedicated blog. Stone town is absolutely buzzing until the early hours with bars and restaurant right on the seafront so the views are a sight to behold. You really can't leave without visiting the night market in Forodhani gardens to try all the different flavours and spices of Zanzibar, they don't call this place spice island for nothing and you would have to visit every night for about 2 weeks to try everything on offer here. A trip to prison island to see the giant Tortoises is easily arranged with local excursion providers for just a few Dollars and is about a 30 minute boat ride away, you’ll get to see hundreds of them and as it’s a sanctuary you can be sure of an ethical experience. If you were thinking of trying a safari on a trip to Zanzibar I'd recommend arranging it to leave from Stone town just because of it’s distance from the airport, a short 1 hour flight takes you over to the mainland of Tanzania, now these aircraft are small, ours carried about 12 people, and it can be a bumpy flight (especially the landing on a dusty gravel landing strip) but still a great experience. We managed to spot 4 of the big 5 animals on our trip (Elephants, Lions, Hippo and Leopards) and many more including Giraffe, Crocs and Zebra, and I can definitely say a safari is a life changing experience, seeing a whole family of Elephant as we waited to let them cross our track is something that I'm sure will stay with me forever and the sight of a Lion just 3 feet away is a bit un-nerving but yet such an amazing moment. After experiencing the culture of the capital of Zanzibar we headed to the north of the island to Muyuni beach, the turquoise waters here are warm and crystal clear, though for less tidal water head 20 minutes north and to the east side of the tip of the island as it‘s virtually non tidal there, if that’s what you prefer. From the beach you can take most water activities. The morning dolphin spotting trip will normally include about an hours worth of snorkelling and the clear waters mean you will see every colour of fish and other sea creatures around you, a member of our group did feel a bit uneasy about chasing the dolphins as soon as they came in sight but these playful creatures clearly enjoyed the game of cat and mouse as they kept coming back as if taunting us to keep the game up.

09 December 2022

Our Visit to one of Lisbon Coasts finest resort and hotel. Hotel Cascais Miragem. After arriving in Lisbon airport we headed over to pick up our hire car before checking into this 5 ?????star hotel around 5pm, we parked the car in the underground carpark, before being met at the entrance by the concierge who offered to take our bags, we were travelling light so this service wasn't needed on this occasion, the concierge then ushered us to reception where once again we were given a warm welcome by the hotel manager, after being made aware of the many facilities on offer we were given the key card to our room. The main lobby is a huge area that makes you turn around through 360 degrees just to take in its vastness. As soon as you open the door to your room it’s one of those wow moments as you take in the view of the Atlantic through the full size glass doors that lead to your private large terrace complete with 2 sun beds and soft artificial grass. After admiring the view from the terrace with a glass of wine or 2 we ventured out into Cascais for a bite to eat and a few drinks. We've been to Cascais before so knew exactly where to go for a meal but it's hard to find a Restaurant or Café who's food isn't delicious around here. The next day was cloudy with light rain so after attacking the buffet style breakfast (both continental and English is available) it was a choice of bar or spa, we couldn't decide so thought we'd do both :) and headed to the spa for an hour, although we did end up staying in there for 3 hours, we started in the main indoor swimming pool that has massage jets for every part of the body, then sauna time followed by a Turkish bath, then my favourite the bio thermic showers, ending with a dip in the salt pool. My first time in a spa but definitely not my last. On to the hotel bar for a few reasonably priced (for a 5 star hotel) drinks with lots of free wine tasting and laughing and joking with the super friendly bar man Jorge and before we knew it day had become evening, please don't judge, we are on holiday after all!! :) We made our way into the Restaurant, as expected the food was delicious and service excellent, I was expecting the waiters to be a bit full on with the asking if everything is ok every 5 minutes but these guys hit just the right balance and leave you to enjoy your meal with the very occasional check in. A couple more drinks were enjoyed in the bar after our meal before a good sleep in our huge super king size bed. This is a very reasonably priced 5 star hotel offering all the luxuries you'd expect. Would we go back?........Can't wait??.