27 September 2024

‘Will we be free’ is the common cry of our children, whenever we announce that we are off on holiday. When I initially heard this, I was baffled, it’s not that we keep them under lock and key, ‘um well, you won’t be in the same room as us’ was the best response I could think of. As usual, it was our youngest child who decoded the hidden meaning for us – ‘will we be able to walk around without you’ he asked, ‘specifically, can we go off and get a drink or snack’, or meet you ‘somewhere’ (unspecified) later. Aha, we realised, after years spent watching our children’s every move in unfamiliar surroundings, their main aim on holiday now, is in fact, to get as far away from us as possible. This is welcome news, but only likely to deliver the worry-free results it promises, if we are in the relatively safety of a resort, preferably one that is family-friendly! Before having children, we stayed in small hotels, apartments, or villas sometimes. We may have only brushed-shoulders with a resort, perhaps unknowingly. But now, we actively seek them out, in all their resort-glory. Not all resorts are created equally however. There are luxury resorts, sports resorts, all-inclusive resorts, small intimate resorts (which probably don’t even call themselves a resort), but they all have communal grounds beyond the lobby with space for guests to spread out in, a central swimming pool usually, bars and restaurants, exclusive to those lucky enough to stay there, perhaps even a playground or a teen hang-out area. When our children were small (too small to roam) we visited the Sani hotel in Halkidiki, Greece, where each of us parents could take it in turns to be ‘free’, (these days I’m tempted by the all-inclusive Ikos resorts, also part of the Sani group), at Martinhal in Sagres on the Western tip of the Algarve we were introduced to the ‘villa on a resort’ concept, a genius idea when sitting in restaurants with children for every meal feels like too much of a chore. Whilst skiing we discovered the joy of a resort hotel, a place where we could relax over a meal, whilst our children hung-out with the new friends they had made. Perhaps our best find of all though, has been Chateau St Pierre de Serjac in the South of France. A small collection of villas and apartments on a vineyard with large central pool and restaurant, as well as a tennis court and spa. The villas are all large and stylish, with luxury touches, and this is not the sort of place where you’ll ever have to fight for a sunbed. Our kids love it, we love it, we’ve been three times, and it’s a great place to combine with other destinations in France or northern Spain, either on a self-drive itinerary or as a fly-drive. Next year, we are heading to Costa Rica, and our most important criteria when choosing where to stay? Not just hotels, but resorts, albeit small ones; somewhere where there are places to hang out, just for guests, and we can all be, just that little bit free!

27 September 2024

Although the ‘Sin City’ reputation of Las Vegas means it might not be the first place you think of for a family holiday, there’s nowhere else like it and it does have lots to offer! Forget gambling, and think huge pools, every conceivable restaurant, family shows , and other-worldly desert scenery. It’s a great place to add to your Californian adventure. This is exactly what we did the first time we visited, as part of an epic west coast itinerary beginning in San Francisco, through Napa Valley, and with time to relax in Monterey and Santa Barbara before driving to Las Vegas for a stay at the luxurious Wynn hotel at the far and of the Strip. Fast forward 12 years and 3 children later and we found ourselves once again in Las Vegas. After soaking up the rather seedy descriptions of Las Vegas in ‘The Goldfinch’ by Donna Taart, I approached this visit with a little more in trepidation, but I needn’t have worried. We opted to stay at the opposite end of the Strip this time at the Four Seasons hotel. This is a fabulous option for families. It’s a small, calm oasis, hidden within the Mandalay Bay hotel, and a world away from the enormous hotels that characterise Vegas (which you can admire from afar instead!). Plenty of space by the pool, family rooms and suites, personal service, and truly the most amazing weekend brunch I’ve ever had! In the daytime we headed to the virtuality ride, fly-over Las Vegas – no need to visit the rest of California after such a realistic experience (complete with sea spray) we joked, although in reality it made us want to go and see so much more. On our first visit we were fortunate to experience a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon which was a once in a lifetime experience. With kids who were keen to cool off in the pool, this time we opted for a half-day Hoover Dam tour. The dam is an impressive feat of engineering and getting out beyond the City limits is a great opportunity to appreciate the desert location. The walk on the Hoover Dam bridge will go down as the hottest walk in history with our children so we were grateful for the theatre air conditioning at the Mirage Hotel as we watched Cirque de Soleil perform ‘Love’ that evening. Chosen by our children from no less than 5 different Cirque de Soleil shows available in Las Vegas, along with music performances, magic shows and variety performances which can usually be booked at short notice. We enjoyed the Bellagio fountains display, M&M’s World(!), admiring the Big Apple roller coaster at New York New York and seeing the replica of St Mark’s Square has inspired us to visit the real thing together. A quick 10 minute drive to the international airport and our adventure came to a close, with many memories made! California has so much to offer, from the amazing scenery of the national parks, the coastal city of San Francisco, the bright lights of Los Angeles, the wilderness of the Big Sur, and the fun of Las Vegas – the difficulty is choosing what will work best for you and that will depend on when you visit and who you are with!

27 September 2024

Sometimes, you just need, and only have time for, a few days of sun. In September Portugal was a perfect choice, with a relatively short flight, no time difference (so no losing an hour), and a short 15 minute transfer time to the town on Olhao, near Faro. This time I was with girlfriends, so no need to worry about activities, big swimming pools or buffets! We just wanted to eat and drink well, soak up the sun and do some gentle shopping! Although the Algarve is well-known, not so Olhao. As my friend commented when we left the airport ‘oh, we’re turning left!’ Yes, it’s on the opposite side of Faro to the main Algarve resorts. Olhao is a coastal fishing town, and that’s evident everywhere you look, from the fish on every menu, to the many fishing boats in the harbour and most of all, the huge traditional fish market on the sea front. It’s housed in a beautiful historical building and on Saturday mornings there’s all sorts of other produce too. The market is bustling, but the vibe is laid-back and authentic - this is not a tourist trap. For relaxation, we took the ferry over to the Island of Culatra. It’s about 30 minutes away but feels less, ‘cruising’ along the beautiful coastline with the sun in the sky. Culatra is part of the Ria Formosa national park and it’s beautiful. We walked off the ferry, through the colourful car-free village, which had a distinctly Central American feel, and straight on the long boardwalk to the beach. It was a huge beach, stretching as far as the eye could see. The sand was lovely and soft to lounge on, but, intending to take full advantage of not having to do anything all day, we opted for sunbeds instead. The perfect place to read ‘Hello Beautiful’ by Ann Napolitano, a modern day Little Women inspired story. It was so peaceful….and then at 5pm from nowhere the beach hut/bar started playing Christmas music! Apparently a tradition that runs all season. If the aim is to get you to have a drink, it worked, our glass of rose on the beach was fabulous! Back in Olhao we feasted at the charming restaurant Cha Cha Cha and relaxed on our hotel rooftop admiring the amazing view over the sea. Rooftops are a big thing here, when you look around ,you see that’s where everyone is chilling out. The next day we wandered the narrow streets, purchased some pottery souvenirs and marvelled at how affordable and uncrowded everywhere was. I loved it so much, I can’t wait to come to the region again as I feel I’ve only scratched the surface. It reminded me of how much variety there is in Portugal, from the fun activity and golf filled resorts of the Western Algarve, to the smaller towns and rural properties of the Eastern Algarve including Olhao and, a little further East, Tavira. And that’s before you even take Lisbon, Porto, Alentejo, and the Western Atlantic coast into account!

27 September 2024

I confess, it wasn’t my first skiing holiday, we had been to Austria before (where there are some excellent family-run luxurious hotels that cater perfectly for families), but I had opted out of the skiing. Feeling too nervous to actually don any skis, I headed up the mountain anyway and opted to sit in the glorious sunshine reading a novel (Ian McEwan’s ‘Lessons’, since you ask) occasionally stopping to admire the jaw-dropping view. But there was one problem, our 3 children were not happy that I wasn’t joining in (admittedly they had a point, as I’m usually the first to point out that taking part isn’t optional) so I vowed that next time we would choose somewhere especially suited to a nervous beginner like me. And so an extensivehttps://phenix.travelcounsellors.com/sites/Phenix/SelfService search began, and I landed on Geilo, in Norway. Getting to the resort takes a while – after landing off an early morning flight to Oslo, we has a short transit to the central train station to connect with a 3 hour direct train to the resort. It takes 3.5 hours, but this is the famed Oslo-Bergen route and the scenery is gorgeous, a real winter wonderland at every turn. On arrival the hotel, collected us to take us on the short 10 minute drive to where were staying. This was at the Vestlia Resort. A large hotel which doesn’t feel like one. It’s stylish and smart with plenty of space to spread out in the huge restaurant or bar areas. We loved our suite too – fining space for our family of 5 can be a challenge, but our daughter loved being able to spread out in the generous lounge space, and sibling squabbles were minimal with our boys in a separate bunk room. The food set-up too, works well for families. Norway is not a cheap destination, but as long as you don’t mind sticking to the (delicious) fixed menu every night half-board at Vestlia is good value, and the children can eat from the buffet instead which is a win-win. Whilst they explored the basement bowling alley, we enjoyed our wine flight in peace! A place to read Claire Powells’ ‘At the Table’, a novel where food is a central theme. So, to the skiing. It was fabulous for those learning to ski, plenty of green and blue runs, English-speaking instructors and best of all it was quiet, even over the Easter weekend when we were there (and there was plenty of snow, literally tons of it, all real!). It’s more hilly than mountainous, but the scenery is spectacular all the same, and the ski lift is literally right outside the back door of the Vestlia resort, which made getting out in the mornings a relative joy, and also meant any of us could come back easily if we needed a breather! There are red runs too, and some black if you really want a challenge. You can also take a bus for a few minutes to the other side of the valley, for even more quiet slopes and scenery. At the end of the day, you can relax in Vestlia’s large swimming pool (complete with jacuzzi and water slide), or visit the adults-only spa. If you tire of skiing there are other winter activities too – our afternoon out driving with the Huskies was a real highlight, and a chance to see even more of that lovely quiet landscape. I’d never really thought of Norway as a ski destination before, but now it’s a real favourite. There are so many ski destinations to choose from – let me help you find the one that’s right for you, even if you’ve never skied before!