Diamond Cliff Resort 4* Phuket

Diamond Cliff Resort  4*  Phuket offer

The 5 star Westin Mauritius Turtle Bay Resort & Spa

The 5 star Westin  Mauritius Turtle Bay Resort & Spa

A new star is born in this lovely protected north west coast of Mauritius.  Westin is a sign of pure luxury offering the essence of space and lightness, the ying and the yang for a new rejuvenation of life.

With an opening offer of £1385 per person, it is an exciting offer not to be missed.  If you have never been to Mauritius, I would highly recommend to take this offer and stay at Westin as Westin hotels are truly 5* and very luxurious. You will not be disappointed.

The Residence Mauritius

This fabulous 5* property is indeed very special, it is based on the East coast of Mauritius and is very different from other hotels.

As soon as you step in the lobby, you feel the grandeur and luxury prevailing at this lovely 5* hotel.  The Residence is a small boutique low rise hotel with about lots of natural high quality wood and furniture with cream furnishings.  The rooms are all very beautifully designed and located all along the beach.

There is a choice of 2 restaurants to eat from, both very high quality food.  The service at both restaurants is impeccable, I particularly like the beach restaurant with direct access to the soft warm white sand and sea.  This restaurant serves lunch and fresh seafood everyday as well as buffet on some evenings.

The staffs are particularly nice, they cannot wait to place a nice soft beach towel on the daybed as soon as you sit down by the swimming pool and never forget to offer a refreshing cold bottle of water.

This hotel has the special touch to pamper their guests, I cannot recommend it enough.

Sugar Beach, A Viceroy resort

Sugar Beach, A Viceroy resort

Royal Caribbean International cruise

Royal Caribbean International cruise offer

I have been lucky to have been on the Royal Caribbean cruise twice.  I have been on Alaska and the Mediterreanean cruise and both occasions the cruise have been wonderful.  I personally really like the RC cruise as I find them very family friendly.

The rooms are spacious and they have lots of activities for both adults and children such as rock climbing, golf simulator where I won a prize for hitting the ball at a furthest distance, crazy golf, children’s club, teenage disco, cinema, really fun live evening entertainment and many more.   The restaurants provide some really good food as well.

Their prices are extremely good value for money on Royal Caribbean.  I personally recommend the Royal Caribbean cruises.

Terra Rossa Sicily offer

Terra Rossa apartments

India’s Golden triangle Delhi/Agra/Jaipur

I am now going to tell you about my experience doing Delhi/Agra/Jaipur golden triangle. I just came back from this amazing tour, one of the wonders of the world and it is true what they say.  My tour started with a quick 1/2 day tour in Delhi visiting New Delhi where the british were established in most of the area. New Delhi is unbelievably busy with an incredible amount of cars, bikes, rickshaws, buses all muddled up together. Although the driving is scary, drivers respected each other and somehow knows who goes first. We visited mini Taj Mahal in Delhi and the place where Mahatma Gandhi was murdered now a very peaceful garden and museum.  Overnight at the lovely Claridges hotel.

The next day, we were leisurely transferred to Agra by coach, on arrival we were upgraded to The Oberoi in Agra and were given a room overlooking the Taj Mahal. WOW, what a wonderful hotel!!  It was the most amazing feeling and we thought that we had won the lottery.  The Oberoi is a small 5*+ boutique low rise hotel with outstanding views of the Taj Mahal from every room.  I had the best indian dinner from the Oberoi.  I just cannot describe it to you, everything was magical.

The Taj Mahal itself is simply STUNNING.  Everyone should go and see it if they can.  It is unbelievable to see such beauty built in the 15th century, a building that took over 21 years to build and it is in such pristine condition.  All built by hand and elephants carrying all the marble.  As you can probably tell, the whole Agra experience is by far my highlight and my favourite part of my trip.  A must see!!

On one of the pictures you will see a huge bathtub with steps on the side of the bathtub. This was used by the king in those days.

The next day, we took a 7 hour drive to Jaipur, the pink city, visited Amber fort on an elephant back, City Palace, the Observatory.  Jaipur is a very different city with lots of architecture, history, forts, palaces and lakes. Jaipur is a very rich city as they have everything there.

Finally we ended our tour in Delhi, visiting and watching a beautiful musical bollywood show at the Kingdom of Dreams. Everyone should watch this, it is sooo much fun.

Lovely Sri Lanka

Beautiful Sri Lanka!

I’ve had to write a little something about some of the places that many of us visit when we go to this sizeable island. There’s quite a bit of ground to cover on the average tour but, sitting in a comfortable minibus with nine agreeable people on my tour, I barely noticed the time passing.

There’s so much to look at. The ‘wet’ zone goes into the dry’ zone, the foliage changes, the coconut trees stop and cashews are no longer sold by the roadside. Now it’s pineapple and then spices ….

Drop to the south and you’re in tea plantations and further south-west and you’re back to the coast – and if you’re very lucky a visit to Yala National Park where game drives take you out morning and evening in the hope of catching a glimpse of the elusive leopard.

All the resorts down the west coast, both north and south of Colombo, have different things to offer. Some of the villages, such as Bentota and Negombo, are turning into quite the little resorts – as we know them. Cafes, bars and shops are springing up around the better hotels and you no longer feel cut off – just you, the hotel and the beach. As with everything, one person’s idea of the perfect hotel or resort isn’t another’s so we have to hear what you like before we choose one. However the interior towns offer a more limited selection so I’ll mention some of them here.

Unless you head for the north (requiring more hours on the road) most itineraries take you east from Colombo. En route you can easily make a stop at Pinnawala and visit the elephant orphanage and watch the rescued elephants of all sizes tread carefully between the shops and cafes on their way to the river. A couple of hours further east and you’ll be in Habarana. This is where you rest up for a night or two so that you can visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress, Sri Lanka’s first UNESCO listed World Heritage Site, and Polonnaruwa, the capital of Sri Lanka in the 11^th century.

I stayed in the Chaaya Village, a low rise collection of horseshoe shaped little cul-de-sacs of rooms, set in sweeping gardens adjacent to the lake. You can also contact experts from pest control vancouver to make your garden free from pests and to make it more impressive The poor relation to its sister hotel, the Cinnamon Lodge just next door, it offered me everything I needed and the buffet meals were truly great. The pool’s a tad small and the Cinnamon Lodge is more elegant so if your budget allows go for that; it’s not much more.

Sigiriya, inhabited from 3^rd century BC, and the medieval city of Polonnaruwa are both way more fascinating and rewarding than they seem to be from the literature! The sophistication of these ancient cities is awe-inspiring. Three of the ten people on my tour actually made the climb to the top of Sigiriya but it’s not obligatory and it’s not for the faint-hearted.  The UNESCO site says it better than I can ……

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/201

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/202

From here we drove for about an hour and visited the caves at Dambulla where giant statues of the buddha were discovered centuries ago, and on to the Spice Garden where we walked around the gardens being regaled by Bonny, the most dynamic lecturer I’ve ever known, and where we bought cinnamon oil, sandalwood, lime oil, red oil (arthritis). Then we carried on and within a couple of hours arrived into Kandy, a city built around a large man-made lake and with lush hillsides as a backdrop. I wasn’t expecting anything so stunning. Lovely, lovely Kandy.

We stayed at the Cinnamon Citadel and given that I was on the 3* tour I was pretty impressed with this hotel. It’s a few minutes outside Kandy, overlooking the river. The rooms are luxurious and large.  It did have yet another of those large brightly-lit restaurants with self-service buffet but the choice was staggering. At every meal you have a choice of western or Sri Lankan cuisine, meat, fish or vegetarian, vegetables or salad, and so it goes. In the morning you can sit out on the terrace enjoying the view – and the heat of the sun. Best get up early for that experience.

Here you see the Temple of the Tooth Relic (don’t ask), which is cute enough but you wouldn’t want to drive here just for that. It’s Kandy itself which is worth the journey. Walk around in a small group here, though, as you would in Colombo.

South – and quite a drive – you can stop in at Nuwara Eliya, 6200 feet above sea level and  right in the middle of the tea plantations. If I try to explain how heart achingly beautiful this part of Sri Lanka is you’ll start yawning but it really, really is. The town itself is scruffy but safe to wander about and finally get down there with the people and know that you’re in Asia but please splash out just a bit and stay in the Tea Factory. The place is a legend all on its own.

And on to Yala, a vast area of forest, scrub and grassland and home to wild elephants, monkeys, leopard, boars, crocodiles, mongoose, and my favourite – the sloth bear. Game drive guides know where to head for but seeing these animals in their own habitat isn’t always easy, even though your morning drive starts at 5am. Still it’s hard to miss the constant stream of creatures at the watering hole if you sit quietly by the pool at the central hotel and anyway you’ll hear monkeys run over your chalet roof at night! There are other interesting things to see in Yala; You can save money and stay in Tissa, about 13 miles away, and just come into the park for the daytime but if you can stay close to the park entrance at Chaaya Wild Yala it’s worth it. They have jungle chalets (so don’t snack on the deck) and beach chalets for anyone whose idea of heaven is jungle behind them and the Indian Ocean in front (me).

And back west to the beaches. I can’t go into all of those here. Maybe I’ll add some reviews in later but if you ever want to ask about Sri Lanka I’m always happy to drop whatever I’m doing and chat about it. You’re never going to be under any pressure to book from me.

Kuramathi, Maldives

Some people want the desert island, traditional Maldivian experience and in that case they’re going to need a smaller island. At 1.8km from top to bottom, Kuramathi is one of the larger islands, and for a longer stay, or for eating in a different restaurant every night for a week, and not always bumping into the same people in the bar (because there are six of them) Kuramathi is a fabulous island.

Here’s what makes Kuramathi special.  Firstly, it’s stunningly beautiful with tall trees of different species, wide white sandy paths, and endless beaches and coves that are never, ever busy – some better for snorkelling, some with shade from trees, some overlooking rocky reefs, others the boats and if you’re lucky you’ll see a school of dolphins pass by. Then there’s the sandbank where it’s just you and the horizon.

The island is spotlessly clean and unbelievably well organised. There are no rooms as it’s an all villa resort and everything about the thatched, dome-roofed villas is of a very high standard. The service is faultless and it’s a well-documented foodie’s paradise with its selection of signature restaurants. There’s live entertainment if you want it with singers, jazz trios, disco, occasional movie nights and even karaoke. The snorkelling, as is usual in the Maldives, is fabulous and it’s one of the few remaining places to see a hammerhead shark.

I was there in December and although all my customers’ feedback had been excellent I was still transported into a parallel universe when I stepped onto the jetty. It happened to me time and again. I was relaxing on the beach under the shade of a tree and a tall bird that looked like a multi-coloured species of stork picked its way right past the foot of my sun bed. Swimming with a sea turtle, rays, the first sight of a shark. People I knew were staying in the beach villas in the northern end so I walked up there on my second night, underestimating the distance. In the dusk, and aware I was going to miss the sunset from the sandbank, I stopped in the Laguna bar and got chatting with a lady at the bar who suggested I have a cocktail and watch the manta rays being fed. She’d been there for three weeks and did this every year – which is what I find with Kuramathi. It has a devoted repeat clientele.

If you’re new to the Maldives and not sure how you’ll be on an island for any length of time why not do what I did and combine a stay with a tour of Sri Lanka? The flight between the two takes under an hour. Prices for 2014 start from £1198 per person for 7 nights on All Inclusive and my prices are as low as anybody’s.

Filitheyo Island Maldives 4*

A natural tropical Island, lush in vegetation and surrounded by a stunning house reef, which offers excellent snorkelling and diving opportunities. Filitheyo Island is the only resort island in the unspoilt Faafu Atoll, a short 35 minute seaplane journey from Male International Airport.

Choose from a range of villa’s which are dotted around the island or over the water on stilts, purposefully designed to blend in with the island atmosphere.  There are 125 villas in total over 3 different categories:

Superior Villa’s (94) are semi-detached and have a part open air bathroom with an outdoor shower.  A great experience in itself, it feels so liberating and not to worry no one can see you.

Deluxe Villa’s (15) are detached offering more privacy.

Water Villa’s (16) are built on stilts over the lagoon and have a sitting area and private wooden deck.

All rooms are equipped with Air Conditioning/Satellite TV/CD Player/IDD Telephone/Hair Dryer/Tea/ Coffee Making Facilities/Mini Bar/Wooden Sundeck with Seating/In-room Safe

There are 2 restaurants and 2 bars which are sure to tempt your taste buds.

The Main Restaurant is buffet style with international cuisines from all corners of the world. For breakfast, lunch & dinner with 14 days cycle menus with guaranteed satisfaction

The Sunset Restaurant & Bar offers freshly blended juice, cocktails, coffees & snacks. Not to forget wide range of fine wine from the vineyards of Europe.

Filitheyo Bar offers varieties of beverages to quench your thirst happy hours are not to be missed with buy one get one free from 16.00hrs to 18.00hrs

Gourmet Menus are also available for those celebrating special occasions including dinner on the beach, at the pool side, or BBQ.

Filitheyo Spa invites you to “embrace nature” and transform your holiday with a range of relaxing, healing and pampering treatments.

There is also a variety of water sports and activities available (charges may apply) windsurfing/catamarans/canoeing & sailing/volleyball/table tennis/internet access/library/gym/billiards/large swimming pool

Not forgetting the unspoilt Faafu atoll is a diver’s paradise with their beauty & splendour. Werner Lau Diving Centre offers you international standard equipment, instructors and a complete range of multi-lingual dive courses by SSI, CMAS & PADI and specialised diving such as NITROX.

So whether you want a relaxing flop on the beach or an active holiday Filitheyo Island is perfect as you can do as little or as much as you like.

Experience Days

Looking for a great gift idea apart from the usual wedding gift baskets, reward or simply want to spend a day with friends enjoying a new and different experience then look no further.

I am able to book some amazing experiences at great prices for all ages and for all budgets.

Experience Days include themes of adrenaline, creative and artistic, days out, driving, flying, fun for two, kids and teens, spa, pampering and relaxation, water and sporting themes.

My personal favourite has to be “feel the rhyme, feel the ride, get on up it’s bob sledge time”, for all of you that know the film Cool Runnings you will know what I mean.  You too can experience how to bob sledge here in the UK in Bath for as little as £98 per person.

A great option for a Stag Party has to be Tank Paint Balling!  Yes, Tanks and Paint and you get the chance to dress the part and operate the tank whilst engaging in all out paint warfare.  Available on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays, from April to October in Leicestershire from as little as £107 per person.

If you’re planning an unforgettable stag do in Bristol, an immersive and action-packed escape room experience can bring your group together like nothing else. The challenges are designed to test both wits and camaraderie, making it a perfect activity for friends before a big night out.

Ever wanted to be a pop star then why not try a Recording Studio Experience available in Cheshire, Derbyshire, West Midlands and Merseyside at a great price of £78 per person great for kids and teens.

For all the little girls who want to be a fairy, there are magical workshops letting children aged 3 to 9 to enter the magical world of being a fairy!  Fairy School is available in various locations and starts at a rate of £29 per child.  A fantastic idea for a thank you present for a flower girl or bridesmaid.

The list  is endless, so if you are looking at doing something different no matter the occasion please do not hesitate to get in touch, there is an experience for everyone why not make a day of it.  If the activity is a distance away why not combine it with a hotel stay, which I will be delighted to arrange for you.

Sandals Resorts

15 Resorts on the Caribbean

Experience the very pinnacle of luxury all-inclusive excellence with Sandals’ Caribbean holidays. Sandals delights couples in love with supreme holiday packages at luxury resorts in St. Lucia, Jamaica, Antigua, the Bahamas, Grenada and Barbados, featuring gourmet candlelit dining for two, gorgeous tropical settings and some of the world’s most exquisite beaches, where golf and scuba are included. If you are planning a wedding, Sandals is the leader in Caribbean destination weddings and honeymoon packages.

ONLY SANDALS OFFERS BUTLERS TRAINED BY THE GUILD OF PROFESSIONAL ENGLISH BUTLERS
Our unprecedented Butler Service, only available in our very highest level of suites, provides our most discerning guests with an unimaginably supreme standard of service and luxury, where your every need is anticipated.

ONLY SANDALS INCLUDES AS MANY AS 12 BARS PER RESORT.
Unlimited Premium Brand Drinks Are Included 24/7 And Served Everywhere Throughout The Resort

THERE ARE ENDLESS WAYS TO BE ENTERTAINED DAY & NIGHT.
From Chic Gatherings to Exciting Shows, Themed Parties & Events
Live shows
Steel drum bands, fire-eaters, island performers
Weekly beach & bonfire parties
Weekly theme & costume parties
White parties
Extravagant beach parties

Top 10 Reasons to Book through a reputable Travel Specialist VS a Computer

1. A travel specialist can talk to you about the wealth of personal experience and knowledge that they have. Offering suggestions and recommendations that match your needs and requirement

2. A travel specialist will have access to the best deals around and will be the first to hear of any exclusive offers

3. In this fast paced world that we live in people struggle to find time to do the research that is needed to create your dream holiday. A travel specialist can take the stress and hassle of all of this away from you.

4. A travel specialist like myself belongs to a reputable, company so brings peace of mind to know that you are financially protected.

5. If the worst should happen and something goes wrong before you travel or while you are away on holiday, then a travel specialist is only a phone call or email away. You will not be passed from one department to another.

6. A good travel specialist will liaise directly with the hotel on your behalf to help make your holiday more perfect.

7. A reputable travel specialist will have ABTA and ATOL bonding.

8. The flights and hotels are confirmed straight away upon payment confirmation from you.

9. When you continue to book your holidays through a travel specialist, they will get to know your likes and dislikes, therefore being able to make quicker recommendations for you and will instantly know what will suit your needs. That’s why following resources like All World Travel Blog can also be a great way to discover tailored travel tips and expert insights.

10. Travel specialist’s have a great passion for travel and this will become apparent once you engage in conversation with one

5* Sani Beach Hotel

Last week I had the pleasure to finally visit the ever popular 5* Sani Resorts in Halkidiki Greece.   Sani is only 3 hour flight from Gatwick and 1 hr road transfer from Thessaloniki airport.  This property only operates from end of April to end of October. I have always been told that this resort gets fully booked very early and to remind customers to book as early as possible.  At first I didn’t want to believe it, however when I tried to book some rooms in February for July and August, the hotel was totally full.  They could not even squeeze for 1 room. This property runs at 100% most of the time.  Quite unbelievable!!

I now understand why.  After spending a few days there, I didn’t want to come back. The weather, the location and the people were just perfect.  There are 4 properties on this wide and I mean extremely wide stretch of beach with so many places to explore.  Each property is very unique and each has its own style. There is Sani hotel and Sani Beach Club which is perfect for families in particular.  There is the Porto Sani Village excellent for spa and well being and Sani Asterias suites which is the boutique hotel. It even boasts a huge marina with some fantastic shops and restaurants.

I had a room at Sani hotel and the room had a beautiful full sea view.  The weather in October was beautiful and warm although you will require a cardigan in the evening.  The rooms were spacious.  There is entertainment every evening.  I highly recommend going on half board basis, you have a choice of 11 restaurants within your half board, each restaurant serves the most amazing food.  How many other hotels do you know offers 11 excellent quality restaurants within their half board basis?  Surely not many! One of the best food I had was at the Italian restaurant on the marina called Macaroni.  It had an outdoor space and the views from the marina is just exquisite.   Although this property runs at 100%, they did not feel full at all. With so many eateries and space around, this place never felt crowded.

I highly highly recommend this property to anyone especially to families who want to go somewhere hot and  close to UK.  I understand why the repeat clients keep going back, they are truly spoilt for choice.

Intercontinental Aphrodite Hills Cyprus

Cyprus!! I have always wanted to see Cyprus and I have now been given the chance not only to see Cyprus but also stay at the lovely 5* Intercontinental Aphrodite Hills.

This property is only 20 mins away from Paphos airport and approx 30 mins away from Paphos Centre.  This hotel has 290 rooms and suites and is particularly recommended for families as it has a wide array of activities for everyone.  It has the most stunning and spectacular golf course that I have ever seen and played on, most green boast either a seaview or waterview.   Intercontinental also offers Annabelle Croft tennis academy  for all ages and many other activities for children. During the summer, you may be lucky to see Annabelle at the resort or at her academy.

I stayed in a deluxe room and the room was very spacious with separate bath and lovely shower.  I particularly like the village where there are several restaurants, a beer garden, Haagen Dazs ice cream parlour, Costa coffee and a beautiful chapel where they can organise weddings.

This hotel has a beautiful swimming pool and a beach nearby.  This hotel is different and offers so much for families to do.  Paphos harbour is only a 40 mins bus rideaway from the hotel with a lovely holiday atmosphere from early evening.  They have the best seafood on the harbour. I highly recommend the seafood restaurant on the harbour.