30 January 2025

This year in February we visited Sri Lanka for the first time, with my son who was 6. We decided that a week would give us the perfect amount of relaxation but also give us enough time to do some site seeing. The flight timings to Sri Lanka on Emirates didn’t work well for us, so we opted to fly with Sri Lankan airlines. The outbound flight left at 11pm, so we hoped that my son would get on the flight and sleep.. success, he did! We got an upgrade offer from Sri Lankan airlines, so decided to take that, which meant lie flat beds in business class. It is only a four hour flight from Dubai, however we arrived having had a few hour’s sleep each. The return flight was at 19.00, so we had the full day in the resort, to relax before the flight home. On arrival into Sri Lanka we were met by our DMC Columbus Tours, who were providing the transfers to and from the airport and some site seeing trips. We stayed in the Anantara Tangalle Peace Haven on the south coast in Tangalle. The Anantara is around a 3 hour drive from the airport, which meant that my son could also snooze in the car, whilst we took in the beautiful Sri Lankan country side. Our driver Lesley was great and very knowledgeable, providing us with lots of interesting facts about Sri Lanka. Who knew Sri Lanka has over 400 waterfalls? On arrival at the Anantara we were greeted with a full welcome reception by the wonderful team there. The staff at the Anantara really do go above and beyond. We were also met by our personal Butler Prashanth, who we could what’s app or call, at any time, if we needed assistance. The hotel itself is beautiful and sits on a rocky outcrop on the southern coast of Sri Lanka near the old fort town of Tangalle. The resort has a mixture of rooms and villas, some villas with pools. The hotel is located on the beach, however the sea is quite rough most of the year, therefore difficult to swim in, however I did see some people braving it and going for a dip! In terms of dining, we opted to go half board, however the Anantara also offer bed and breakfast, full board and all- inclusive food options. We chose half board as we knew that we would spend a couple of days out site seeing. We did sometimes buy food in the hotel and found the prices for this were quite reasonable, certainly in comparison to Dubai. Eating out in Sri Lanka is very reasonable and when we were out site seeing we were able to sample some lovely Sri Lankan cuisine, my favorite definitely being the Sri Lankan curries. The food in the hotel was excellent and we sampled lots of different local cuisine, including lobster and different seafood and of course the Sri Lankan curries – be warned they are quite spicy! One of the main reasons for us wanting to visit Sri Lanka was so that we could enjoy a safari. From Tangalle you can easily reach Udawalawe National Park, it’s around 1.5 hours away. We decided to do a half day safari with Columbus Tours again, our driver Lesley came back to the hotel to collect us and take us on safari. The highlight of the safari was getting up close and personal with the elephants and staying a bit further away from a crocodile… the half day tour was the right length of time for my son, I think if we had done a full day it would have been too long with all the driving. Later on in the week we went on a half day tour to Galle to wander around the old town and see Galle Fort, which was a great morning out. We did this tour with Tuk Tuk Safari Tangalle and a gentleman called Akila, who is a friend of ours. On the way back we spent a couple of hours on the beach at Marissa to watch the surfers and see people climbing up Coconut Tree Hill. In the evening after Galle Fort we had the pleasure of visiting another local hotel for dinner, the Amanwella, the views at dinner are simply stunning and the cuisine was also excellent. The rest of the week was spent relaxing in the hotel. The hotel has lots of wildlife, including peacocks, squirrels and even monkeys that are sometimes brave enough to come and steal some food, keeping my son entertained. Sri Lanka and the amazing people there have secured a special place in my heart and we will be definitely be back, in the not too distant future

30 January 2025

In February 2024 we visited Azerbaijan for the first time for a family ski trip. My son decided he would like to learn how to ski, so took lessons on the indoor ski slopes in Dubai Mall. It didn't take very long, and he was a pro! Much better than my Husband and I, so we decided to arrange a ski trip to a resort relatively close to Dubai, less than a 4 -hour flight. We flew with Fly Dubai into Baku, then we had a nearly 4- hour transfer to the ski resort in Shahdag. The resort in Shahdag mountain resort compromises of 3 main hotels, Shahdag Resort and Spa, Pik Palace and Park Chalet. All are conveniently located at the bottom of the slopes with easy access, ski in, ski out. Shahdag resort is the more budget friendly option of the hotels, we opted to stay there as we were a large group and that's where the group chose to stay. The resort facilities are great, and all very conveniently located at the bottom of the slopes. you can dine in any of the hotels, and they also have another restaurant and entertainment area, including a bowling and arcade games area. A great feature of the resort is the Shahdag Coaster, a great family ride that takes you 1670 feet down the mountain, with some quite scary sharp turns. My son absolutely loved it, I screamed the whole way down! You can also zip line 200 meters across the mountain, for any thrill seekers out there, I opted not to do this, after my Coaster experience. The resort also offers activities like paragliding, horseback riding, quad and buggy tours, to name just a few. There are so many great activities for families to take part in. There are some great options for après ski as well, including a bar located towards the top of the mountain, often with live entertainment in the afternoon, one of our friends was asked to play there, so brought his sax along and entertained us all at the top of the mountain. Shahdag features a diverse selection of 32 slopes, catering to all levels of expertise, from beginners to seasoned pros. A network of 20 lifts ensures swift and convenient access to the slopes, making it an ideal destination for anyone seeking the thrill of the slopes amidst the stunning backdrop of the Caucasus Mountains. We will head back to Shahdag in the future, as the group of friends go every year, it's just a little more difficult to travel there from the UK. However, I am sure I will find a way and perhaps get planning for next year.