Travel deals, tips, insider news and comment by 101 Holidays editors, Mark Hodson and David Wickers
Holiday details: Take a weekend break to Bruges, and stay 3 nights for the price of 2 at the 4* Die Swaene hotel. A 15th century patrician town house, it has an excellent canal side location in the heart of the city.
Price: £399 pp including standard Eurostar travel, 3 nights accommodation with breakfast, guide notes and the services of the Kirker Concierge.
Date: Sunday – Wednesday arrivals until 29 March 2012
Book with: Kirker
Here at 101 Holidays, we like to get to know the people behind the world’s finest travel companies. This week we talk to Sarah Yandell, one of the three founding directors of Railbookers Ltd, launched in 2003 with the aim of becoming the leading supplier of tailor made holidays by rail. Sarah and her family live in Dedham, a picturesque village on the Essex/Suffolk border.
* Where did you go on holiday in 2011, and why? Any plans for 2012?
“I was in Sydney earlier this year to combine some time in our newly opened Australian office with a family holiday. It was a great opportunity to see the other side of the world and explore this wonderful city.
“We spent Christmas and New Year on a Railbookers holiday to Rome and Sorrento, taking the train between the two and visiting the island of Capri.
“We are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in 2012 so we will be celebrating in style by taking the Orient Express to Venice – my favourite European city and where we spent our honeymoon.”
* What is your favourite bolthole in the UK and why?
“Southwold in Suffolk. We go there every summer for a week and stay in a house right by the beach. It is a very traditional resort, complete with its newly rebuilt pier, a great selection of restaurants and a café right on the beach – the perfect spot for a bacon sandwich before a bracing dip in the water.”
* If you could spend a long weekend in any city abroad, which would you pick, and why?
“Paris – it is so easy to get to by train and there is always something new to discover. I have been there so many times over the years, but it never fails to excite me. On my last trip, my seven year old daughter came too, so I discovered a whole host of attractions I hadn’t noticed before such as playgrounds and pony rides, and of course, the Disney attractions.”
* Please tell us three items that are always found in your luggage.
“Hair straighteners – I don’t go anywhere without them
“A good book – I usually get something related to the destination I am going to so I can get into the holiday mood.
“My iPad – I am a complete convert. It is the perfect way to keep in touch with the office while I am travelling.”
* What one thing would most improve people’s overall holiday experience?
“Book with a company whose staff have first hand, up to date experience of the destination. They can help with recommendations, last minute changes and they are on the end of the phone if there are any problems while you’re away.”
* What has been your worst holiday experience?
“Arriving at Heathrow, after a three hour journey in heavy snow, just before Christmas to find that our flight to Australia had been cancelled. Terminal 3 was the most depressing place to be and there was absolutely no one around to advise what was happening with the flights. We eventually turned round and drove all the way back again complete with three weeks’ worth of luggage to unpack and a last minute Christmas to try and organise!”
* Tell us your favourite hotel in the UK.
UK: “A lovely country house hotel called the Maison Talbooth which is very local to us. We have stayed there for various celebrations. They provide a transfer service to their restaurant, Le Talbooth, and have a wonderful spa complete with heated outside pool.”
Europe: “It has to be Le Balzac in Paris which is a stunning boutique hotel on a quiet street just off the Champs Elysees. The perfect place for a romantic weekend.”
Rest of the world: “The Mount Nelson in Cape Town. The location is superb and they serve the best afternoon tea I have ever tasted.”
* What is the most exciting project your company is working on right now?
“International expansion – having opened an office in Australia, we now have our sights on the USA and Canada and are currently investigating these markets.”
* Thanks, Sarah.
Holiday details: i-escape are offering 40% off stays of 2 nights or more at Tenuta San Pietro, a contemporary gastro-hideaway surrounded by olive trees and vineyards a few miles outside of Lucca, Tuscany.
The hotel’s restaurant is often booked out throughout the summer, the wine cellar offers 350 bottles, and there is a tasting room, lounge and terrace overlooking the beautiful grounds.
Price: £370 pp (saving £246 pp) for 7 nights, based on 2 sharing and including breakfast.
Date: For stays during March and April 2012
Book with: i-escape
Holiday details: Stay 14 nights at the luxurious Spa Village Resort Tembok, on North East Bali’s exotic black-sand coast, and get 4 nights free, plus full-board accommodation and a 50-minute spa treatment every night of your stay.
Date: depart between 1 May and 31 July 2012
Price: £1,850 pp (saving £335 pp) includes 14 nights full-board accommodation, with a spa treatment each night.
Book with: Exsus
By Holly Cave
There are few things more refreshing than reading about a place you’ve never even heard of, a place you would never have heard of, unless an intrepid travel blogger had been there and written about it. Thankfully, Mark Wiens of Migrationology has been to the Chinese village of Chengyang, and we devoured the images he captured, alongside the descriptions of village life where the social life revolves around the wooden platforms of its many bridges: an inspiring portrait of rural life in China and one that makes you want to jump on a plane and check it out. Follow Mark on Twitter.
You hear a lot these days about Thailand being overrun with tourists, its most beautiful beaches selling out to big resorts and the seedier aspects of the tourist industry. So it’s no wonder that, having spread her wings, Bushbirdie is reluctant to share her love of Koh Yao Noi with the world. We’re pleased to be reassured that there are such hidden delights still out there and the TravMonkey post’s wanderlust-inducing properties aside, it’s also an interesting reflection upon the ethics of travel journalism. Follow Bushbirdie on Twitter.
Adam Pervez is one blogger who’s taken the Happiness Plunge. On a voyage to discover what it really means to be happy, one of his latest posts sees him travelling to meet Colombian citizen Kenji, a man who’s trying to make a change for the better in the troubled city of Bogota. It’s an article that makes you realise there’s no better way to really understand a place than by walking its streets with someone who knows it – for good and for bad – inside-out. Follow Adam on Twitter.
But travel isn’t always about being happy. However much you love a destination, there’s nearly always a striking cultural difference you simply can’t get your head around or something that pulls you up short of selling your house, buying a shed in a lemon grove and moving there immediately. Michael at Art of Backpacking ranted his hang-ups in his latest post, Things I don’t understand about Buenos Aires – a favourite city of many – to explore just a few of the things that drive him up the wall. Follow Michael on Twitter.
And unless you’ve avoided all types of retail establishment over the last few weeks, you’ll know that it was Valentine’s Day earlier this week. Nicole at Bitten By the Travel Bug took a moment to reflect upon the trials and tribulations of romance on the road in A Traveller’s Romance. It’s a reminder that even those who spend their lives flitting from one country to the next really do have tough times, but also a sweet reminder that love can happen anywhere and at any time! Follow Nicole on Twitter.
Holiday details: Escape the grim weather at home and relax on the beach or in the lush gardens of this Thai beach resort. The Anantara Hua Hin low-rise village-style resort is 3 miles from the centre of Hua Hin, and a 2 and a half hour drive from Bangkok.
It offers a selection of specialty restaurants with European and Asian cuisine, and a spa, plus Thai cooking lessons are available.
Price: £1,045 pp (saving £310 pp) including flights, transfers and a deluxe room with garden view and breakfast.
Date: Book by 21 February 2012, travel by 29 February 2012
Book with: Western & Oriental
Holiday details: Embrace the snow in the traditional Swiss village of Grindelwald and stay at the 4* Hotel Spinne. There’s easy access to the slopes for keen skiers and a whole range of outdoor activities, including skating, tobogganing, and curling, for those that want to try their hand at something different.
Price: a week’s half-board costs £699 pp (previously £1,139) including return flights from Gatwick to Berne and resort transfers.
Departs: 18 February 2012
Book with: Inghams
By Natalie Ford, The Gambia Experience
The Gambia is one of the most affordable – and fascinating – options when it comes to finding guaranteed winter sun. It’s less than six hours’ flying time away too (from Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham) and there’s no time difference.
Natalie Ford is one of the managers for The Gambia Experience and knows the destination inside out. If you thought it was all about fly and flop in a characterless hotel, read on for Natalie’s insider tips to help you make the most of your holiday in this intriguing country.
Chris Packham of BBC Springwatch is a genuine fan of The Gambia and has led a birdwatching tour for The Gambia Experience every February. Chris’s tour is always a sell-out but we offer additional Birdwatching Tours throughout the year with Malick Suso – he’s the local guide that Chris Packham swears by when he is in The Gambia. You can join one of his tours or book in some one-to-one time with him. Perfect for twitchers and non-twitchers alike, find out more about birdwatching in The Gambia.
The award-winning Mandina Lodges at Makasutu are a favourite property within our Unique Collection, but not everyone is aware that the lodges have collaborated with the Eden Project on sustainable tourism initiatives. Lawrence Williams of Makasutu is currently engrossed in the Ballabu Conservation Project. The project aims to create an 85sq kilometre conservation area incorporating 14 Gambian villages that will eventually become self-sustaining, thus alleviating poverty for local people.
A keen artist himself, Lawrence also launched Wide Open Walls, which invites top street artists from around the world to work with Ballabu locals to transform selected villages into living art projects. The Ballabu villages surround Makasutu and the art is well worth a visit.
Some foodstuffs from The Gambia and West Africa have become very in vogue in both nutritional and healthcare circles – be sure to sample some delicious hibiscus and baobab juice whilst you are on holiday. We highly recommend the Gambia Home Cookery Course with Ida Njai, who has worked in the tourism industry for 20 years and now offers cookery courses at her home in Brufut. You not only muck in, create and eat hearty Gambian meals, but you also visit the colourful local market beforehand. In the afternoon everyone takes tea together whilst relaxing, chatting and exchanging cultural ideas. Find out more about the cookery course.
Two-centre holidays work well in The Gambia – lodges complement boutique hotels and most properties are no more than 30 minutes apart. However, for a completely new experience, I recommend the Rivers of West Africa cruise aboard the MY Pegasus in collaboration with Variety Cruises. Take a 5 night cruise on this 23-cabin mega yacht, departing from Banjul for a refreshing way to explore the region.
The only hotel of its kind in West Africa, the Moroccan-inspired architecture and décor, as well as beachfront setting of Coco Ocean Resort & Spa, are more than impressive. Even if you’re not staying there, do visit for a meal or spa treatment. The Spa is seriously good, its signature treatment again being inspired by Morocco – the Hammam. Alternatively the foot massage, as you lay back and gaze towards the ocean, is divine.
Find out more about holidays in The Gambia.
Holiday details: Exmoor National Park is Europe’s first Dark Skies Reserve. Stay at Heyden Cottage, a classic moorland cottage that sleeps 5 people. Hidden in the countryside above Barton, there are no light polluting neighbours for half-a-mile which make it perfect for star gazing.
Cosy with an open fire and views across the valley, there is no TV reception so you really will be getting away from it all. Pets are welcome too.
Price: £389 for a week’s stay
Date: Now until end of March
Book with: Helpful Holidays
Holiday details: Visit Calvi, Corsica, during the Jazz festival. Immerse yourself in the concerts in the streets and the “boeufs” (jam sessions) in cafes and on the quayside after the evening shows.
Stay at the Casa Anna, situated close to the Cathédrale St Jean de Baptiste where Corsican chanting can often be heard.
Price: £499 pp (saving £70 pp) for 7 nights self-catering, based on 4 sharing. Includes return flights London Stansted or Manchester and transfers.
Departs: 17 June 2012
Book with: Corsican Places
In the fourth of our “Five of the Best….” series, we asked Cox & Kings to pick five great hotels that have been converted from historic buildings.
Considered to be one of the oldest hotels in the world, the Parador Hostal Dos Reis Catolicos originated as a royal hospital in 1499 to give shelter to the numerous pilgrims making their way to Santiago. It has 4 exquisite gargoyle-laden Renaissance and gothic courtyards, elegant living rooms and a luxurious dining room. The history and architecture of the place is described in great detail on more than 40 plaques around the cloisters. Stay there on one of our luxury short breaks to Spain.
Built on the site of an original 15th-century Dominican monastery, this award-winning hotel has a spectacular location in Taormina. The palace is surrounded by beautiful gardens filled all year round with flowers, pathways of jasmine, hibiscus and rosemary. The guestrooms’ Renaissance architecture and old antiques belie the rest of the hotel’s modern comforts. The views from the terrace and pool take in an ancient Greek theatre, the Ionian Sea and the peak of Mount Etna. Find a selection of short breaks in Taormina.
The Augustine Hotel has been developed across seven buildings, including the 13th-century Augustinian St Thomas’s Monastery, after which the hotel is named. In fact, several practising friars still live in the monastery, next to the hotel grounds. The 101 elegant guestrooms have views of the courtyards, the monastery chapel or Prague Castle. Most notable, however, are the 360-degree views from the Tower suite, a 3-storey penthouse that once served as the monastery’s observatory. See more Prague short breaks.
The neoclassic Four Seasons Hotel was formerly a Turkish prison – and you can still see the prisoners’ graffiti on the walls and the original watchtowers. Just steps from the Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque in the heart of Istanbul, the hotel offers breathtaking views of the Marmara Sea. There are just 65 guestrooms and suites set around an open courtyard and a gorgeous pool. It’s a tranquil escape from the bustle of the city. Stay there on one of our short breaks to Istanbul.
The 5-star Ca’ Sagredo Hotel, with its lavish pink facade, sits overlooking the Grand Canal, just a short stroll from St Mark’s Square. Dating back to the 15th century, it is now half museum, half hotel – and a truly mesmerising place to stay. Many of the rooms, such as the ballroom, are home to impressive artworks, including paintings by renowned 17th and 18th centuries artists such as Sebastiano Ricci, Giambattista Tiepolo, Niccolò Bambini and Pietro Longhi. The 42 bedrooms are nothing short of magnificent. It’s one of our luxury short breaks to Venice.
Holiday details: Take a week off and head to the 4* Grand Pineapple Beach in Antigua.
Located in tropical gardens on the shores of the Long Bay Beach, this resort offers two swimming pools, tennis courts, volleyball, kayaking and a selection of restaurants.
The gardens are a natural haven for all kinds of wildlife and feature a colony of Red Tortoises. The historical Devils Bridge is a short walk away and the nature sanctuaries of Green Island and Bird Island are only a short boat ride away.
Price: £1,079 pp (save £640 pp). Includes scheduled flights from Gatwick, accommodation in a garden view room and resort transfers.
Date: Selected departures until 27 March 2012
Book with: Tropical Sky
By Holly Cave
We thought it was about time to feature something slightly different this week, and so, apparently, did star blogger, Nellie Huang. Good timing, Nellie! Her brave new venture is the tricky move from blogging to publishing and having had a flick through the first edition of WildJunket Magazine, we think she’s cracked it.
The world map effectively lays out the articles and features in context, and stunning photography keeps you turning the page. It’s packed full of far more features than the big brand travel mags: we especially enjoyed the article about the Namib Desert. The genuine narrative makes it a palpably heartfelt read and defines its grass-roots production ethic. Follow Nellie on Twitter.
We love nothing more than an evocative description of a truly unique experience and Miss Footloose has clinched a space in this week’s round-up with her thrilling crocodile saga, Death By Crocodile, Almost. Pitching tents far enough apart that elephants will walk between them and not trample you in your sleep? Badly misinformed tourists throwing things at a creature that kills with a ‘death roll’? Now that’s adventure. Follow Miss Footloose on Twitter.
Our favourite eye candy this week came from As We Travel with a series of wintery night time shots from Berlin. Looking at these images, surely the German capital wins the Best Lit City award hands down? Peppered with Nathan and Sofia’s briefly described memories of frying bratwurst, gluhwein and Christmas atmosphere, this blog post is a great pick-me-up. Follow As We Travel on Twitter.
And despite the big freeze continuing, it’s a lot colder in mainland Europe than it is here in Blighty. Candace Rose Rardon put her efforts this week into writing a great little post about some of the sites we’ve got right here on our doorstep. We love seeing some familiar places summed up with the words of an expat, and a certain pride wells up at the mention of your favourite city. So, as Candace points out, with some brilliant train offers on at the moment, why not check out one of our own cities? None of them will mean risking a long, chilly wait at Heathrow. Follow Candace on Twitter.
Although bloggers are always keen to tell you what they’ve seen, what they’ve done, and how they’d recommend you to do the same, there’s very rarely any chat about how they do the things that they do. Enter the Indie Travel Manifesto. For me, this simple site sums up what independent travel really stands for, and how you can make your trips more worthwhile both for you and the people of the place you’re visiting. Why not sign up today and include this neat little list in with your wad of travel documents next time you head overseas?
Have you found any great travel blogs you’d like us to feature? Contact me on Twitter.
* Photo by Miss Footloose
Holiday details: Hit the slopes once the kids have gone back to school and stay at the Chalet Christophorus in Obergurgl, Austria.
Set in a quiet cul-de-sac off the main street, within easy walking distance of the village centre, and right on the slopes, it is a superbly located with well appointed and comfortable bedrooms.
Price: £499 pp (was £779 pp). Includes flights from Gatwick to Innsbruck, transfers, 3 days free ski hosting and 7 nights catered accommodation with complimentary wine 6 nights out of 7.
Date: 19 February 2012
Book with: Ski Total
Holiday details: Grab a great winter warmer deal at the Isle of Wight’s luxurious The Hambrough on selected dates in February.
The package is perfect for couples looking for a relaxing break. As well as the island’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, the gourmet bolthole has seven exclusive guest rooms with views of the sea and coastline.
Price: £118 pp, includes B&B accommodation and Wightlink car ferry crossings from Portsmouth or Lymington
Date: 7, 21 or 28 February 2012
Book with: Wightlink
