14 March 2017

I love Orlando, and have been eight times now. This time I decided to do a self drive road trip over 3 weeks. We flew into Tampa with BA, picked up car and headed towards Clearwater. We stayed there for a few nights and drove up to Honeymoon Island, Beautiful Beach, and also stayed in The Loews Don Cesar in St Pete's. It's a lovely hotel, when I celebrated my birthday out there they even got me a cake which was a niice touch. From there we headed down to Sarasota then onto Naples. There are so many good hotels to pick from, to suit all budgets. The beaches are also stunning, and it's nice to just drive about at your own leisure. I loved Venice Beach, and the Gulf of Naples is fabulous as well. From there we headed across to Key Largo and along the way stopped off to do the Air Boat ride, just like Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses. It's such a great thing to do, and also breaks up the journey. We then stayed in Key Largo, and headed down to Key West which is the lowest point you can travel by car. It's worth doing to say you have done it, and there are several nice places to eat along the way. Next stop was West Palm Beach, which is so relaxing and definitely worth a visit. We spent a couple of nights here before heading up to Daytona Beach, and stayed in a lovely area called Ormond Beach. Again the views were amazing, after hubby driving over 1000 miles we decided to spend the last five nights on International Drive to do some shopping. There are so many things to do; it is more than just Disney. There's the Kennedy Space Centre, Air Boat rides, Honeymoon Island and the Serengeti where you can get up close and personal with the giraffes and feed them. Please get in touch if you're interested in having your own adventure in Florida.

28 May 2016

I flew with Norwegian Airlines from Gatwick to L.A they have a new route return Oakland to Gatwick on their new Dreamliner Fleet, I can highly recommend going Premium, the benefits are so worth paying that little bit extra, if you go Premium Class your drinks and meals are included, you also get headphones as well. Staff are friendly and nothing is any trouble for them. The Plane was very modern clean and very spacious, seat pitch is 46" which is plenty of room. Seats are comfortable you can lay back it is almost flat. I can honestly say by far much better than B.A and by far more superior than Virgin. Great value for money. We hit L.A and was driven to Solvang this is around a 2 hour drive, Solvang is so worth a visit it is a Danish town. Solvang also has a museum which is worth seeing, lovely shops with plenty of Danish pastries you will be spoilt for choice. Buttonwood Winery & Vineyard is a must you can do wine tasting and purchase wines if you wish. Next stop was Santa Barbara this is around another 45 minute drive,The Goodland hotel was perfect for a total chill out experience, rooms are spacious and very modern, the pool even has D.J. such a cool hotel. I also visited Canary hotel which is also a great location it has a roof top pool with stunning views. Santa Barbara has it all perfect beaches. you can also hire a yacht and go Whale/ Dolphin watching. Another place to visit has to be Hearst Castle which is set in thousands of acres amazing rooms, fantastic views over looking The Pacific Ocean. I think this is one of my highlights of the trip. We drove along the coast line which was amazing. such spectacular views one of the places we stopped along the Big Sur was Bixby bridge. great place to have picture done. Redwoods state park is another great place to see you can even go on a steam train through the forest. Santa Cruz is a great day out as well, the beach has its own funfair park and amusements, plenty of things to keep kids entertained a great family day out. Finally we hit Sacramento, could of stayed here longer, so much to see and visit, We went on a Sacbrewbike which was so funny a great experience, look up Sacbrewbike.com. a great way to enjoy Sacramento. Whilst in Sacramento you have to try and get to see a Baseball game, Raley Field was close by and you got to experience a proper Baseball game. Sacramento has so much to offer, We even got to visit The Capitol Building in Sacramento, where all the government work if you are lucky you can sit in on a debate and watch it live. Most people only get to visit San Fran, L.A & Vegas but California has so much more to offer, I will so be going again, absolutely loved California. Ifyou have any questions please get in contact California is awesome.

17 May 2014

I flew from Heathrow, it was certainly worth pre-booking the Aspire VIP Lounge, prior to my flight to Luxor. All the drinks and snacks are complimentary as a nice treat before you travel. Egypt Air were good to travel with though they are a dry airline on most of the flights. I have had a lot of people ask me if they do alcohol on flights. They do on some routes so always check before, if this matters to you. In Luxor I stayed on the MS Grand Rose which is a 5 star Nile cruise ship. They have two different suite types. I was lucky enough to stay in the Royal suite which was very nice. All suites have a mini bar, hair dryer, towels, and toiletries, so less for you to pack. The food on the ship was lovely and they cater for all dietary needs. They have their own chef on board and they even bake bread daily on board. Karnak Temple is amazing, there is so much history and culture. It would be good to visit early in the morning then on the same night do the Kanark Temple Light Show. This has to be one of the main highlights. Valley of the Kings was also very interesting. I found out so much than I ever knew, I went into the tombs as well which was a truly amazing experience, Hatshepsut Temple really looks impressive, the views are fantastic and the history behind all of the temples is truly amazing. Esna took around 5 hours to sail to on the Nile; this is where you get the chance to enjoy the on board facilities. Spa massages were really good and there is a pool on top of ship and roof top bar as well. The entertainment is good, from belly dancing to the Egyptian night party, this is where you get to take part and dress up if you wish, a good laugh. Luxor Museum is a must, it has many things to see, all are reasonable priced as well. All trips are fully escorted, the staff on board are polite and always happy. Nothing was any trouble. The only negative thing I can think of is when the locals hassle you but if you say NO they tend to back off. Remember, for all your travel needs, contact me at Travel Counsellors "where seeing the world needn’t cost the earth!”

03 November 2013

I went on The Independence of the Seas from Southampton to Paris (Le Harve) then onto Bruges (Belgium). Firstly, on entering the ship it was so easy and very straight forward to find your way around. I’d also give extra points as you can take as much luggage as you like. The Independence of the Seas is a fantastic ship. I personally think it is perfect for family holidays as it has everything you could wish for. • Flowrider is the surf wave where kids can learn to surf • There is a rock climbing wall suitable for different abilities which is great • H20 Zone is a mini water-park which is for all ages This ship has so much to offer; it has an ice- skating rink, kids clubs for all ages, babysitting service so adults can enjoy quality time together, cinema and mini golf course. To top that there is also a night club, casino, jogging track, fitness centre, spa and even a Chapel where you can get married if you wanted to! Although you would need to make all the arrangements beforehand. The food was fantastic on-board with lots of choice. There was also fine dining in the speciality restaurants. Giovanni’s in particular was excellent and I would also recommend Johnny Rockets which had a really cool vibe. If you enjoy a drink, I would advise to pay in advance for the drinks package as it definitely saves you money in the long run. They also do a soda package for the kids which again helps you budget in advance. We stopped off at Bruges in Belgium which is a very quaint and pretty city. I took a trip along the River Canal which I would absolutely recommend. I would love to go again, especially around the festive period as I think it would be truly magical at Christmas time. There are some fantastic cruise prices available at the moment which give you great value for money plus good service. If you wish to know any more details please feel free to email me on: sarah.king@travelcounsllors.com