06 October 2020

Well this trip had to be something very special as after all it’s a once in a lifetime trip! We wanted to combine a safari in Sabi Sands, with a visit to Cape Town and the Winelands which is much further south and has a completely different climate, therefore we had to think carefully about the best time of year to travel. We chose November as this was coming to the end of the dry season in Sabi Sands, it would still be hot and we would be able to see the animals without too much vegetation around in which they could hide. This is also a good time to visit Cape Town and the Winelands as it’s their spring and the days are warm and great for sightseeing. We decided that a safari would be a great way to start our trip as we both have a love of animals and a sense of adventure! We flew from London with BA direct to Johannesburg where we had a connecting flight to the Kruger National Park and we then took a light aircraft to Ulusaba Private Game Reserve, where we would be staying for the next three nights. As we approached to land, there was a dazzle of zebra running across the runway ahead of us which was a truly amazing sight! Once we arrived at the landing-strip we were greeted by a member of staff with a glass of fruit punch and a cold towel and our ranger Eric who would be looking after us for the next three days. Ulusaba is owned by Richard Branson and has three different lodges, we decided to stay at Rock Lodge for one night in a Rock Lodge Suite which had its own private viewing platform overlooking the bush and then the following two nights we spent at Safari Lodge which is set amongst the bush. We stayed in a River Room with private plunge pool, some of these rooms are accessed via a rope bridge and therefore may not be suitable for everyone. The lodges have a very different feel as Rock Lodge has the magnificent views, whereas at Safari Lodge you may see animals passing by your room or drinking water from your plunge pool. Whichever one you decide to stay at you will not be disappointed as both are amazing! Unfortunately, we didn't have any elephants drinking from our pool but on the first night at Rock Lodge we had an elephant right outside our front door eating the foliage from a tree above our roof, which was very exciting!! The standard of the rooms and the service at both lodges is definitely 5* and the experience whilst out on our game drives was magical and certainly worth the expense. Nothing was too much trouble and it would be a great place to get married which is something that they can also arrange. The day begins with a wakeup call at 5 am and believe me you won't want to miss it! I am not a morning person, but I was so excited that getting up early really wasn't a problem. You then meet up with your fellow guests for a quick coffee and pastries before setting off at 5.45 for your early morning game drive. There's a maximum of 6 guests per vehicle which means that everyone has an excellent view, an exception to this would be a large family group where they will then try and accommodate you all in one vehicle if practical. You're met by your ranger and tracker and they are in close contact with other vehicles in the area to make sure that everyone gets a chance to spot the wildlife. This area is particularly good for seeing leopards and we must have seen about seven different ones during our stay and on one occasion we were privileged to see a female leopard devouring her kill up a tree, an amazing experience but I am quite pleased to say that we didn't see here kill it! We saw some fantastic wildlife including a tower of giraffe, some hippos that were fighting and a family of wild dogs which apparently are quite rare. We managed to spot all the Big Five apart from lions. There had been a pride of lions in the area, unfortunately they had crossed the boundary into another reserve just before we arrived which meant we were unable to see them. Whilst we were out on our morning game-drive we would either stop in the bush for cookies and a cup of Eric's 'special coffee' which was delicious, or a surprise bush breakfast which the staff at Ulusaba arrange and cook out in the bush. Once you return to the lodge and breakfast is over you have the rest of the day to relax until you go out on your afternoon game drive at about 4.30. Each of the game drives last for around 3 hours and during the afternoon you stop for sundowners before returning to the lodge for dinner. Everyone eats Breakfast and dinner together on a long table, where they can chat about their experiences on their game drives. If you prefer, the lodge will arrange a private dinner for you should you have a special occasion to celebrate or you would rather not eat with the rest of the guests for an evening. We had a private dinner on our last evening in a private setting away from the other guests which was a very special way to end our stay. All food and drinks along with two game-drives a day are included. This even includes a top-quality wine list and fine champagnes. Please do not hesitate to contact me for more information and I will happily share more of our experience with you.

27 December 2018

In November 2017 I travelled to Australia with my partner, our first stop staying with family in Perth. We flew with Emirates which takes approximately 20 hours with a short stop in Dubai. There are several other options and it is worth considering the new direct service to Perth with Qantas which reduces the journey time to just under 17 hours. There is so much to do in Western Australia and we certainly made the most of our trip! During our stay we did a day trip to Rottnest Island by ferry from Fremantle which takes approximately 25 minutes. Rottnest is car free and the only way to get around the island is either by the island hop on hop off bus or bicycles which can be hired for the day. Rottnest is home to the Quokka which is a small rodent type of animal that is native to Western Australia, they are very cute and inquisitive and can be found in many parts of the island especially where there is food! The island is very pretty, and you may decide that a day is not quite long enough, so there are options to stay overnight or even a few days. We would definitely consider doing this another time! Please feel free to contact me for more details. There are many options to stay in and around Perth from hotels to self-catering apartments and public transport makes it quite easy to get about, although if you are planning on travelling further afield it would be worth hiring a car. A relaxing cruise along the Swan River is a great way to get from Fremantle to Perth or vice versa. We opted to take a return trip from Fremantle and spent a few hours in Perth before heading back. Within Perth itself a visit to Kings Park and Botanic Gardens is a must with magnificent views over Perth and the Swan River. There are many options for seeing wildlife around Perth. A visit to Caversham wildlife Park is great for children and adults alike! There is also Penguin Island which is about 45 minutes south of Perth by car and then a 5-minute ferry trip where you can visit the world’s smallest penguins at their discovery centre and you can also join a cruise to see Australian sea lions and wild dolphins. We also visited AQWA the Aquarium of Western Australia and went on a whale watching trip which are both based at Hilary's Boat Harbour north of Perth. The whale watching trips are only available between September and December due to the migration. A few days spent around Margaret River is most certainly worth a visit. We took a small group wine tour of the region visiting several vineyards which I would highly recommend. The coastline in this area around Prevelly and Gnarabup is stunning and there are also quite a lot of caves which are also worth a visit, we visited Lake Cave. I would definitely recommend hiring a car if you are considering visiting this area as it is about 3 hours south of Perth, although organised trips can be arranged from Perth. We had a fantastic time in Perth and I would highly recommend Western Australia. Fortunately having family there, we have an excuse to go back!

19 June 2018

Booking a holiday and then counting down the days until you can set that ‘out of office’ on your work email account is one of the most exciting times of the year, isn’t it? We look forward to making those memories for so long. But how protected are you? And how much do you really know about it? Having the peace of mind that no matter what, your holiday is safe is priceless and it’s not something you can find everywhere. But the minefield of financial protection is not easily negotiated so we’re trying to make it clearer to help preserve your precious holiday funds. Why do I need to worry about financially protecting my holiday? In short, if you don’t and something happens to one of the companies involved in your trip, you could lose out. If you’ve booked a package holiday, your holiday is financially protected. If you’ve booked your flight and accommodation separately and one of the companies fails, you could end up in a situation where you’re having to pay for an alternative flight or accommodation. Even if you book accommodation with a travel agent, if they fail, you could end up losing your money and be left without your hotel room. Your holiday insurance isn’t fail-safe either, as it isn’t guaranteed to cover a travel company going bust. Read on to understand more about the financial protection available for your holiday… What are the different types of financial protection? ATOL ABTA Section 75 Insurance Independent protection What is ATOL? The Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (ATOL) regime is a financial protection scheme for holidaymakers regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). In the UK, all travel companies selling package holidays with flights must hold an ATOL. If the company isn’t registered in the UK, they aren’t legally required to hold an ATOL and you might find you aren’t as covered as you thought. And unfortunately, by that stage, it’s probably too late. If a travel company with an ATOL stops trading, the ATOL scheme protects all customers who had booked with that company. If the company goes into administration before you travel, your money is protected, and you’ll be able to apply for a full refund. If you’re on holiday when the travel company goes bust, the ATOL scheme guarantees you’ll be able to finish your holiday and return home. When you book a protected holiday, you’ll receive an ATOL certificate as soon as you pay for your trip. The certificate explains how you’re protected and what to do in the event of a company collapsing. If the company is a registered member, you’ll spot the ATOL logo and a four or five-digit number on their website and in brochures and adverts. (You can also check that the company is an accredited member of ATOL on the Civil Aviation Authority’s website) My travel agent is an ABTA Agent. What is ABTA? If you’ve booked a package holiday from an ABTA agent, your money is protected. However, you might not be financially protected if you haven’t booked a package holiday. You will need to speak with your travel agent if you are relying on this level of protection. I paid for my holiday using my credit card. If the travel company goes bust can I claim through my credit card provider? (Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974) If you’ve booked your trip and have paid on your credit card, you might be able to make a claim against your credit card company. This claim is under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, so you might hear people talk about “section 75”. Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 applies to goods and services paid for with your credit card and includes online bookings. If you’ve paid for your travels using your credit card, it means that you can claim against the creditor, which in this case is the credit card company. To make a claim against your credit card provider, the amount you’re claiming for must be between £100 and £30,000. However, you may still be able to make a claim if the amount on your credit card is less (a deposit, for example) as the claim against the credit card provider is directed at the total cost of your trip. One Travel Counsellor helped a group of 25 when the travel company they booked their holiday with went into administration: “They thought all was lost as they had planned a Christmas in the sun and after my advice they have instigated section 75 on their credit cards.” If you paid using a debit card, you may be able to use chargeback to claim some or all the money back. You will need to contact your card provider and speak to them about your claim. Doesn’t my travel insurance cover me if the company I’ve booked with goes into administration? Not every travel insurance policy will cover you if a company goes bust, so it’s best to read the small print and check with your travel insurance provider. It’s also worth checking whether the provider will cover you for the whole holiday if you’ve booked your flights, accommodation and car hire separately. As an example, you might find that your travel insurance will cover you if the airline goes into administration but that you can’t claim for a refund on your accommodation or car hire. If you’ve booked through Travel Counsellors, your holiday is 100% financially protected so your money is safe. In the event of an issue, your personal Travel Counsellor will contact you to discuss the options available, such as travelling to a different destination or changing your flights to another airline carrier. In many cases, our customers don’t even need to know when a company has gone bust – we just do the necessary work behind the scenes. Is my money 100% safe when booking with Travel Counsellors? Yes. And it’s the highest level of protection you could wish for because it’s fully independent. Set up in 2004, it sits alongside our ATOL cover and financially protects every part of every trip, whether it be the whole holiday, a flight, hotel stay, car hire or even airport parking. It’s completely robust meaning no matter what happens, your money is safe.

19 June 2018

We visited Barcelona in May 2016, initially to see Coldplay in concert at the Olympic Stadium of Barcelona. However never having been to Barcelona we decided to stay for 4 nights to explore this beautiful city. The weather was fantastic, and we spent most of the time in t-shirts and shorts. We stayed at the 4* Barcelona Catedral which is a modern boutique style of hotel with a small roof top pool right in the centre of the Gothic Quarter. It is more or less opposite the Cathedral and a short walk from Las Ramblas and Place de Catalunya where you can pick up the hop on hop off buses. I would highly recommend this hotel for its service and location and wouldn't hesitate to stay here again. There is so much to see in Barcelona and I would recommend planning your visit before you arrive. We purchased a 2 day Hop on Hop off bus ticket. There are 3 different routes and if you plan your visit in advance you can make good use of this when visiting the sights. I would suggest pre-booking your tickets to Park Guell as they limit the number of visitors to the monumental zone throughout the day. We also decided to take a guided tour which was really worthwhile. This place is truly magical with houses that look like something out of Hansel and Gretel, this was my favourite of Gaudi's projects. We visited La Sagrada Familia which is stunning, and I would recommend that you purchase a ticket which includes the audio guide and towers as once you arrive you are unable to upgrade your ticket, which unfortunately was a mistake we made. You can’t visit Barcelona without taking a walk along Las Ramblas which was bustling with tourists. On our way down, we came across Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria which is a very colourful food market selling everything imaginable from fruit and vegetables to sweets, ice lollies, meat and fish. Being on Las Ramblas it gets extremely busy but is well worth a visit if you love your food! We also visited La Pedrera another of Gaudi’s projects built between 1905 – 1910 as apartments and an office block. The apartments are open for viewing and once on the roof which is the most extraordinary part of the building with chimney pots resembling medieval knights. From up here you can also see La Sagrada Familia at a distance. As well as visiting all of the Gaudi masterpieces a visit to Barcelona Cathedral should not be missed. We also took a wander through the Gothic Quarter which is very quaint and down to Port Vell where there are plenty of restaurants around the marina. As we were staying for 4 nights we decided to take a wine tour during our trip which I pre-booked. It was a full day tour and we visited Montserrat in the morning with a guided tour around the monastery followed by lunch and wine tasting at a small vineyard called Oller del Mas. It was a great day out, Montserrat was beautiful, and the scenery was stunning, not to mention the wine tasting which was great fun. Barcelona has so much to offer and with just over a 2-hour flight from London it makes a great city break which can be combined with the beach and countryside too, or why not book tickets to see a concert like we did!