Tropicana Azure, Sharm El Sheikh
So we were looking for a good family beach holiday for the October half-term.
There are various options available, but I wanted something relatively luxurious, great beach, good hotel pools, good all-inclusive food, and options for snorkelling.
Sharm El Sheikh kept coming up on the list, and frankly so many of the hotels look just right for [...]
Kalutara, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka was never on my radar - until I stumbled over some comments on day trips there while reading through the TripAdvisor website.
Here’s the peice I read: Sri Lanka: Possible day trips from beach areas
So let’s get this straight:
1. You stay on a tropical beach
2. You can visit nearby gem mines
3. You can visit [...]
Lindos Hotels
I’ve been keeping an eye out for going to Lindos in Rhodes at some point soon.
The big question has been which hotel to stay at, and understanding the situation with regards to hotels has been a challenge.
However, what appears to be the case is that because of the planning restrictions in Lindos itself, any hotel [...]
Tishy’s Littleworld
Ironic that just after stumbling into the Little Nomads blog, today I accidentally stumbled into another interesting travel blog - tishy’s Littleworld.
I’ve not yet read that much on it, but it appears to be a quite detailed account of travelling through south-east Asia, and what makes it special is that this isn’t just another tourist [...]
My Little Nomads
It’s not often I come across an excellent travel site.
Mostly they’re just sales platforms, even in the media, to promote one or more products.
Or else useless lists with nothing really to say.
However, My Little Nomads is an excellent reference point for any parent looking to take their kids abroad.
While there’s a lot covering Thailand (not [...]
Shark attacks in Sharm El Sheikh
The BBC reports that Sharm El Sheik has had to suspend watersport activities after a string of shark attacks in the region:
Shark attacks three tourists in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
Three tourists have been injured by a shark in three separate attacks at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Virtually all water sports have been suspended at the [...]
Maldives & Bora Bora
The Maldives has been on my radar for a long time as “the ultimate holiday”.
Sure, not much in the way of ancient ruins or adventure sports. Just lots and lots of beautiful little tropical islands. The perfect getaway.
So the images I’ve seen seem to suggest - lush little islands crowned by white sandy beaches, surrounded [...]
Dominican Republic - Riu Mambo
Yesterday I spent a lot of time researching the Dominican Republic - with breathtaking Caribbean beaches, modern pool complexes, set in the backdrop of a rugged tropical forest, it can only appeal.
For example, look at the following phots accompanying the Riu Mambo hotel on the Thomson website (again, disclaimer - I use Thomson.co.uk as a [...]
References to Thomson holidays on this site
Someone asked why I keep linking to Thomson holidays and whether I was doing some kind of promotion or marketing for the company.
The answer is: no. The reason is more mundane - Thomson’s website is very well done, presents information easily and simply, there are plenty of images and even video, so as a research [...]
Lindos, Rhodes
Been looking more at Lindos in Rhodes - looks like the place has a lot going for it - character Mediterranean village, beaches, swimming pools, history, culture.
(And the Thomson website has more photos on it.)
Looking through the Thomson page, finally reducing the hotels we’d consider staying at - namely based on issues such as [...]
Nerja
My mum has a timeshare in Nerja, Spain, so that’s where we’re headed next.
It probably would never have been high on our list of destinations, but it should still make for an interesting break, and there are certainly a few areas near by worth travelling to, not least Cordoba and Alhambra.
The Thomson site - probably [...]
Holiday tips for Turkey Holidays
Well, we came back from Lykia World by Olu Deniz in Turkey last weekend.
Generally, a very enjoyable time to be had for all.
A few holiday tips, though:
1. A week is far too short in Turkey. There’s too much to do, too much to see. 10 days would be a minimum recommendation.
2. The flights [...]
Thomas Cook in trouble?
Was really surprised to read that the parent company behind Thomas Cook is in trouble:
Thomas Cook owner needs state aid
The German majority owner of travel firm Thomas Cook has warned it could go into administration within weeks until it gets emergency loans from Berlin.
However, there are increasing signs from both the German government and the [...]
Protecting finances when travelling abroad
The Nationwide Building Society no longer offers free rates of overseas use of its credit cards.
However, it still offers some of the best credit card fees for travel - but it would have been nicer if it was still free.
It’s a shame, really - I bought into a Nationwide Flexaccount and Nationwide credit card precisely [...]
Hamish McTurk tours
Now that it’s certain that we’re going to Olu Deniz, I’ve been looking at places we can go and visit.
While we’re almost certainly going to visit Kayakoy, my girlfriend found a local tour operator called HAmish McTurk which looks like it offers some good excusions.
The only problem, really, is that we’ll only be there for [...]
And we’re going to: Lykia World in Olu Deniz
Well, I’ve finally booked this year’s holiday - it’ll only be our second overseas holiday abroad ever, and in as many years, but Olu Deniz won out - mainly because of Lykia World.
The selection process was as follows:
1. We went to Egypt on our first overseas holiday last year, so it had to be another [...]
Puerto Pollensa
I’ve been looking more closely at Majorca, not least because of previously posting about Alcudia, and it appears a place nearby called Puerto Pollensa is just as lovely:
A nice pool for the kids as well as proximity to the beach seems a must, and so far I’ve been looking at the following hotels:
Aparthotel Rio Mar
Grupotel [...]
Lindos
Rhodes is one of the first places that has been on my list for the next holiday, and Lindos looks like a main contender.
While I’ve been looking at Turkey, especially Olu Deniz, the beaches on Rhodes look more child-friendly, ie, less of a drop into the deep.
Additionally, Rhodes could be a great place to practice [...]
Alcudia
While speaking to my dad, he mentioned that Majorca was on his list of places to go.
Got to admit, my initial impression of Majorca would be a place filled with awful concrete hotels and teenagers, and probably not all that family friendly.
However, after looking up his recommendation of Alcudia my view is feeling particularly challenged.
And [...]
Jolie Ville, Luxor
I had planned to get this blog started before our first holiday - which turned out to be in Luxor, Egypt, in October 2008.
I’m planning to provide more information soon - but in the meantime, here’s a couple of photos from the Jolie Ville Maritim that we stayed in:
And, yes, it was as gorgeous as [...]