03 June 2019

I thought I would share with you Sally and Glenn's fantastic review/blog of their trip to America and their Tauck Canyonlands tour..... The whole trip was superb with information provided, an app to put on your phone detailing each day and so much more. Rick our tour executive was amazing and Kirk our driver was superb. Every day was fantastic, the attention to detail was great we never had to check in, our luggage was in our rooms on arrival and collected on departure. All accommodation was of superb quality. All excursions were exclusively for our group of 26. We never had to queue or wait for anything. Table reservations were made each night for dinner and we could choose at what time and with whom we wanted to eat. There was no monetary limit on what you could spend, a la carte or snack, whatever you wanted. All soft drinks and tea or coffee were included as was bottled water in our rooms and on the coach. The scenery was amazing, Rick would talk to us as we travelled between canyons and we were supplied with leaflets and additional information daily. We had plenty of time to explore on our own or with our fellow travellers, no being herded around in a group. There was enough down time that you never felt overwhelmed. Time to visit the pool for a quick dip or just put your feet up and reflect on the day so far. All gratuities were prepaid and at every hotel the mere mention of Tauck meant nothing was too much trouble. I cannot criticise any part of our Tauck tour and would recommend them as a company. We are looking at their New Zealand tour for 2021.

17 May 2019

I recently went on a short FAM trip to Jersey to visit a number of hotels and see the sights of this beautiful island. The flight was so quick at just 25 minutes from Southampton and I could immediately see the benefit to such an easy journey. The island has so much to offer for a few days or a week and will be somewhere that I will revisit with my family. On arrival, we visited St Brelades Bay with the beautiful Fisherman's chapel to see the coloured murals inside and the scenery was stunning. A short drive along the coast took us to St Helier. We viewed the Pomme D'or hotel overlooking Liberation square and the harbour. An historic hotel and a favourite for those wanting a top hotel in the centre of the town. We were staying at the Merton hotel, a family friendly hotel with a great Aquadome and surfing pool. The restaurant was buffet style but offered a lot of choice. Our first full day was of exploration.... A coach tour of the east coast took us past Gorey castle and up to Rozel bay to see the sandcastle sculptures. After lunch at the Radisson Blu hotel we visited the War tunnels. This extensive tunnel network was used as a hospital during WW2 and was made by prisoners of war and islanders. It was really interesting and told the story of the occupation with some harrowing tales. Our evening was a treat. We got to eat at the 5 star Grand hotel for some amazing fresh oysters and Chateaubriand steak. Our final day was spent at Jersey zoo, run by the Durrell foundation and home to some critically endangered species. We were guided by a keeper and got to see the gorillas being fed. The zoo houses the largest population of Livingstone bats in the world at 61 and the keeper stressed how their care and dedication to endangered species had a worldwide effect. The tropical butterfly house was wonderful as they were free to fly amongst the tropical plants. Some would even land on you! The zoo has a large number of tented accommodation for nature lovers or families wanting somewhere unusual to stay. I can imagine these are very popular with families as you got extra time in the zoo and they were quirky and fun with separate kitchen and bathroom areas. Not the standard camping experience! Before our flight home we stopped on the beautiful west coast to see Corbiere lighthouse and view the Atlantic hotel. This hotel overlooks the wild, unspoilt west coast and is a favourite for golfers too. A luxury hotel offering gorgeous sea views and a beautiful restaurant. Jersey has something for everyone and it is on my list to visit in the future and let my clients know all about this gorgeous island...

29 January 2019

What a fantastic trip to Florida we had! Luckily, we chose a great time of year to visit with scary Halloween at Universal, Orlando and the not so scary at Disney. Disney then changed to Christmas with a huge tree welcoming you to magic Kingdom. Travelling with my family and my sister, brother in law, niece and nephew was great fun as we were all so excited to experience everything together. My niece Grace was so overwhelmed at Harry Potters Diagon Alley that she shed a few tears of joy and then again when arriving at Magic Kingdom. I will admit that I always get emotional at the Disney fireworks! We stayed for our first week at Hard Rock Hotel, onsite at Universal Orlando. This was definitely the best choice with two boys who loved the large pool and lively 'rock' ambience. Grace studies music so loved the celebrity memorabilia dotted around the hotel. The location was perfect as we could walk through the pretty gardens or take a boat to the entrance of both main parks and the new Volcano Bay Waterpark. Staying at the Hard Rock also gave us Queue Express so no waiting for us! The Harry Potter Worlds in both parks are outstanding and the train ride on the Hogwarts Express made it even more magical. You can truly immerse yourselves in all things Harry Potter. Eating lunch at the Leaky Cauldron was fun with the moving pictures and witches serving staff. Pumpkin juice and Butterbeer were definite favourites. There are so many incredible rides and 3D experiences at Universal it is hard to choose a holiday highlight! The look on my sister’s face after riding 'The Hulk' rollercoaster must be one of my highlights. She only went and rode it again... but it is an awesome ride! Moving to Disney's Polynesian Village for our next stay was also a great choice. The resort overlooks the lake and Magic Kingdom. The proximity to both Epcot and Magic Kingdom made it easy to travel between all parks and watching the Halloween fireworks from our resort beach was unforgettable. Onsite at the hotel was the 'Ohana' restaurant where we had a character breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. The dining plan included within our stay enabled us to dine in some top restaurants across the Disney parks including the 'Coral Reef' aquarium restaurant, 50's Prime diner and three character experiences. An onsite hotel allowed us free time to relax by the pool before returning for the evening firework shows. Great value for money with all included and some incredible family memories. To finish our Florida holiday Pete, Rowan and I sailed on the Disney Dream for a four-night cruise to the Bahamas. This is a must for any Disney fan as the memorabilia onboard is amazing. The ship has incredible children’s zones with Oceaneer Club and Lab. Rowan got to pilot the Millennium Falcon in the Star Wars area and take part in several messy games. His favourite area was the Disney Infinity room to play on the game consoles with any character he chose. We also took part in a detective trail using keys to unlock clues from moving artwork dotted around the ship. This was so interactive and fun that the adults all got involved too. The outside deck areas were plentiful with plenty of space for relaxing. The choice of activities was endless from wine tasting, cinema, sports and riding the water flume around deck. Food was plentiful with a different dining room every night. We dined in Enchanted Garden, Royal Palace and Animators Palate. The service was five star and Animators Palate was our favourite with the artwork coming to life with characters from Finding Nemo. We decided on our arrival back to Port Canaveral to hire a car for the day. This was so easy as the car rental company collected us from the cruise terminal and took us to our SUV. We drove to Kennedy Space Centre as it was only a 15-minute drive away. We learnt so much about space and exploration. The Saturn V rocket was huge, and we got slightly queasy on the launch simulator. A great day out for any space enthusiasts. The roads back to the airport were straightforward and this encouraged us to have car hire on our next visit to Florida. Looking back at our family holiday it's not hard to see why Florida has so many repeat visitors. We have only touched on a wealth of attractions to see and do...even more reason to return in the future!