13 September 2014

My family and I spent an amazing two and a half weeks here. It was just marvellous. In terms of service, the people of St Vincent are some of the friendliest I have met in the Caribbean. The food, drink and facilities are just great. We had a two bedroomed villa, all of which come with a plunge pool which we used every day. The villa was so spacious and comfortable. It had huge rooms and bathrooms. One minor gripe was that they do not seem to do feather pillows! A very minor gripe! This is a fantastic boutique-style property run by a lovely family - most of them were out when we travelled. They have fantastic sports and arts teachers. There is something for everyone. We hardly saw our seven year old - she went from tennis to dance to arts to a ‘friend's’! No pictures yet but I shall try and find some. Best wishes, William

10 September 2014

Antarctica - our seventh continent and what an amazing place! The 48 hour crossing of the Drake Passage there and back was distinctly unpleasant although they claimed it was pretty calm. Five to six metre waves meant anything not bolted down flew across the cabin and we´d slide about ten inches up and down our beds with each wave. Sitting or standing meant automatic sickness so we spent a lot of time lying down and my wife lost five pounds - the Drake Diet they call it. Once that was past however we were treated to the most amazing scenery and highly entertaining wildlife. We managed to ´land´ a couple of times a day. Generally the sites were full of nesting penguins - adelies, gentoo, chinstrap and macaroni. They shuffled about like old men stealing rocks from each other’s nests or sliding along on their stomachs when more speed was required. They didn´t seem bothered by us and were inquisitive more than anything else. Also lots of elephant seals and Weddell seals and a couple of whales out at sea. Most memorable stops were in the Weddell Sea on the NW of the continent where a peculiar circular tide caused Shackleton´s boat, the Endurance, to get iced in and eventually sink in the early 1900s (the crew were forced to live on the pack ice for five months but all survived) and makes navigation tricky. The captain of our ship was a brave Englishman who managed to break through the ice and get us further into the Weddell Sea than any of the staff had been before. We had one landing where he jammed the bow into an area of fast ice and we were able to get out and walk on it - about seven feet thick with a quarter of a mile of water below us. A large snowball fight ensued and several penguins came to investigate. My favourite morning was a particularly calm one. We were up at 5am (sunrise at 2.30am this time of year) and went out in the dinghies to watch Emperor penguins (apparently only about 10 000 people have ever seen them in the wild) and stunning icebergs everywhere in all shapes and sizes. Massive tabular ice bergs over 20 miles long and the 10 percent above the water about 30 storeys high and smaller chunks with penguins bobbing along on them. The colour varied from white through turquoise to sky blue depending on the density of the ice. I got hold of a digital camera which kept me quiet and took hundreds and hundreds of photos so I suggest no-one asks to see them! Not as cold as we expected, about -1 and probably about -10 with the wind-chill but it finally got me into trousers. Interesting fact: if you throw boiling water into the air at -50 it freezes instantly and turns to snow! My wife was forced to wear 4 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of trousers, 5 layers and a coat, gloves, a hat and a scarf on her top half. Mobility was somewhat reduced and led to a particularly amusing game of ultimate Frisbee in snow up to our knees being unclear on the rules anyway! I have to say I´m pleased to be off the boat but what a fantastic trip. Sadly the ship that took on this fantastic voyage lies at the bottom of the Antarctic Sea. Perhaps the skipper was too fearless in the end!

20 February 2014

The family and I spent a lovely three days at Legoland in Denmark, staying at nearby Lalandia - a waterpark-based Danish holiday park, in essence. You could literally walk from the airport but sadly it was late and the children were tired. So £40 later the taxi got us to our very lovely little two bedroom lodge/hut/bungalow. It was well equipped and very comfortable. Depending on where your house is, you are between a 10 and 20 minute walk to Legoland and the main centre of Lalandia, with restaurants, mini-golf and a small but well-stocked supermarket. Legoland was fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there - there is plenty to do for a good few days. There are rides for little ones and big ones; the park is not just full of wonderfully made models. All food was excellent, if very pricey. However, if you pay a lot and eat well, I do not mind so much; it's when you pay a lot and get rubbish, that's when I mind! We then took the train to Copenhagen.....see my next journal for more...

02 January 2013

Malta is an island that I just cannot speak highly enough of – I absolutely loved it. The people are friendly, the food is sublime (but unfortunately the driving is atrocious). There is so much to see and five days was definitely not enough. The island has history and sights, and so many other activities packed into such a small place. We had a lovely five night stay at the Westin Dragonara. I could not fault the hotel. While we were there, my wife celebrated her birthday. I casually mentioned this to the staff and, on the day, a huge chocolate cake was waiting on the bed. A beautiful island which we thoroughly enjoyed…I’d definitely go again!

02 January 2013

I know I’ve been really positive about a lot of my trips but this really is a top island. Its luckily hidden away for only those of us who are in the know! The island is smaller and quieter than Malta itself but still has the history, great food and sights. We spent a wonderful week at the Kempinski San Lawrenz hotel; a lovely resort with great facilities. A car is a must on this island really. The bus service did look good, but a car would definitely make life easier! We must have crossed both islands a dozen times. Some of the beaches are disappointing but that’s not really why you go to Gozo. That said we'll definitely be back...possibly without the children as this is an idyllic island!

02 January 2013

I’ve been to America numerous times, but never to San Diego. This is such a lovely city with plenty to do…I was very impressed! I stayed for two nights at the Park Hyatt Aviara, a fantastic hotel which is fast becoming one of my favourites! Allegedly it was nearly full but we hardly saw another person. The hotel boasts great facilities and, although it’s a little out of town, it’s really close to Legoland (great for the kids!) and only a 20-30 minute journey into the centre of San Diego. We spent the last two nights at the Manchester Grand Hyatt - a really good hotel but I do wish we had stayed there first as it wasn’t as good as the Aviara! That doesn’t make it a bad hotel; it just makes the Avaria a great one! The Grand Hyatt was, however, very central and a functional business hotel with all the facilities you could ever want or need. You could walk out and very soon be downtown or at the Seaport shopping village where there are plenty of shops and a wide array of cafes and restaurants! The highlight for me was visiting the USS Midway – a great aircraft carrier museum which is one of the best to visit in the whole of the States. Unfortunately I could only spend two hours here but, for those interested in this sort of this, it’s worth a whole day! The amazing Hotel del Coronado is very ‘olde worlde’ and is a great place to stay. For a bit more ‘bling’ you could stay at the Grand del Mar. San Diego is fantastic and lively city with plenty of entertainment and some great hotels to choose from!

02 January 2013

I’ve been to America numerous times, but never to San Diego. This is such a lovely city with plenty to do - I was very impressed! I stayed for two nights at the Park Hyatt Aviara, a fantastic hotel which is fast becoming one of my favourites! Allegedly it was nearly full but we hardly saw another person. The hotel boasts great facilities and, although it’s a little out of town, it’s really close to Legoland which is great for the kids and only a 20-30 minute journey into the centre of San Diego. We spent the last two nights at the Manchester Grand Hyatt - a really good hotel but I do wish we had stayed there first as it wasn’t as good as the Aviara! That doesn’t make it a bad hotel; it just makes the Avaria a great one! The Grand Hyatt was, however, very central and a functional business hotel with all the facilities you could ever want or need. You could walk out and very soon be downtown or at the Seaport shopping village where there are plenty of shops and a wide array of cafes and restaurants. The highlight for me was visiting the USS Midway – a great aircraft carrier museum which is one of the best to visit in the whole of the United States. Unfortunately I could only spend two hours here but, for those interested in this sort of thing, it’s worth a whole day! The amazing Hotel del Coronado is very ‘olde worlde’ and is a great place to stay. For a bit more ‘bling’ you could stay at the Grand del Mar. San Diego is fantastic and lively city with plenty of entertainment and some great hotels to choose from!

02 January 2013

A week in Japan...what a fantastic place! Having found the deal of a lifetime - £150 return each from Singapore, we arrived in Tokyo, staying initially at the Clowne Praza. Tokyo was huge and sprawling and not how I imagined it. Definitely lots to see but more 1960s in places than a sprawling metropolis of modernity and skyscrapers. We then whizzed down to Osaka on the bullet train, courtesy of another Japanese bargain - the railpass, around £200 to traverse the whole country in comfort and at speed for a week. Osaka was another huge city but what really stood out was the mile long street selling nothing but plastic food; all the restaurants buy it so we foreigners can point at what we'd like to eat! I'm guessing there must be other reasons. We moved on and stayed in the Westin, Kyoto, which allegedly hosted Princess Diana and Prince Charles, and were there at the right time for the cherry blossom season. The blossom was lovely but brought with it thousands of Japanese tourists with thousands of Japanese cameras. The Japanese people are some of the friendliest I have ever come across, so eager to help despite the language barrier. One weird experience was meeting a friend from England unexpectedly at Tokyo's main train station, where approximately a million or so people transit every day! All-in-all a wonderful experience; I'm desperate to learn Japanese so we can experience some more rural settings.

02 January 2013

I visited Paris in August, a time of the year when it’s really hot! We stayed at the Bridge Street apartments in Marais – a brilliant area of the city for sightseeing with a pedestrianised zone across the road from us. The location was central enough to walk pretty much everywhere and I really think that’s the best way to see a city! While in Paris you can enjoy lovely walks along the Seine river, great food, and there is plenty to do. The parks are also fairly decent and feature activities for the children. “La Tour Eiffel” was a bit busy and, having paid to get to the top, we bailed out having only reached the middle! It was the height of summer so this would account for the 90 minute waits…it’s not this busy at other times of the year! The metro is a great way to get around the city, although I have to admit that it’s not the best for people with pushchairs; I ended up carrying the thing up and down countless stairs. For a beautiful city with plenty of culture, scenery and activities for all ages, Paris is an ideal short break!

29 June 2011

This was my seventh cruise and what a dream this one was! Certainly one of the best I've ever had. Perhaps it was due to the lack of children....who knows! Azamara Club Cruises are part of the Royal Caribbean Group and they have two ships - Azamara Journey and Quest. I sailed for a week on the Azamara Journey from Civitavecchia to Bonifaccio, Olbia, Trapani, Taormina, Sorrento and back to Civitavecchia, the port for Rome. This line is all about the destinations - gone are the four hour stops with herding and shouting. You tend to stay day and night in each port and then overnight in a good few too - for us this meant over 36 hours in Sorrento – bliss! So destinations play a big part. Food is sublime. What I really liked, though, was the feeling on the ship. The crew are friendly, as are most cruise line staff, but they are also interested in you, asking questions and joking with you. They are well-treated and this really shines through - once they've worked on an Azamara ship, they never want to leave....just like the passengers! Officers are visible all the time and are always available for a quick chat. You feel you are in a boutique hotel rather than a 700 passenger cruise ship. Gratuities, boutique wines, soft drinks and speciality teas and coffees are all included in your cruise fare. There's very little extra to pay on board; they even include shuttle services in ports where needed. On most other cruises these would be considered as optional extras. I highly recommend Azamara, so don't be surprised if you contact me and it is all I can talk about! I've been brainwashed!