Gary Bembridge: Tips For Travellers Blog

KILLERTON HOUSE: NATIONAL TRUST HOUSE AND PROPERTY IN DEVON. Worth visting, or not?

2010-09-01T08:52:00.003Z

This National Trust property is described on the guide book as follows: Killerton is not a grand mansion, but the welcoming home of the Aclands, who have lived in Devon since the sixteenth century. They created the famous garden rich in rare trees and shrubs, and framed the huge agricultural estate that is now also in the care of the National Trust".

This pretty much in this short paragraph pretty much sums up the property. Though maybe it does undersell the place as one to visit. But I guess when you consider some of the huge, grand and very ornate properties that the National Trust in the UK manages they do probably under-estimate how interesting and entertaining a visit here can be.

The ten sqaure mile estate had been in the family for 350 years, until it was given to the National Trust in 1944 by Sir Richard Acland.

In addition to the massive grounds and house, the estate also has a massive (9000 plus) items collection of clothing, shoes and accessories dating right back to the 1700s. The massive collection is only exhibited in a fairly small series of exhibitions across the year in the upstairs of the house.

Killerton is situated off the M5 motorway fairly close to Exeter in Devon, and as there seems to be fairy few National Trust and large staley homes in this neck of the woods, is a very popular place to visit.

The property is on a hill with great views. When you arrive, there is a fairly large parking area and there is a eduacation/ discovery centre and you go down to the entrance to the property. You can visit the garden centre which has a large collection of plants and garden ornaments (for some reason), there is a second hand book shop, a tea-room/ restaurant (which is airly costly) and a very large gift shop with local crafts and a huge book section - mostly about cooking and baking.

You can pay to just visit the open lands (where dogs are allowed), or the open lands and gardens or those and the house. Dogs on leash are allowed only into the park. This is huge with a lot of sheep ambling about. It costs £8.40 for full access for adults, and £6.20 for access without the house.

The house, as per the description in the guide book, is not of the scale of many staley homes and is more of a large mansion than a staley home. Saying that, it is pretty large and pretty impressive. Though, unlike the huge cold houses with long halls, this does feel like something that people can live in. The rooms are large and impressive, but the decor is homely and a bit like visiting an elderly relative in taste. I guess that is beacuse the house was pretty much put on pause after the war and it was handed to the National Trust.

The house also has an added on feel, like houses where people have added to as their families grew and they tag on extra rooms. It all works though. The house is full of furniture, books, pianos and the such downstairs. It is very grand though.

Up the impressive staircase, the upstairs is more like a museum as this is where they have the displays of the clothes. The rooms have been converted to have glass displays and the such. There are dressing up and activity sections to keep kids happy and engaged.Considering the size of the collection, you did feel the displays could have been greater. But saying that, they had on display a range from the 1700s through to the 1960s. And maybe less is more does work!

There is some added history about the house related to the Second World War which they are trying to restore and link back to, as two schools were moved to the house and gorunds when children were evacuated from regions being heavily bombed.

In the house is another tea-room/ restaurant that seems to have a larger selection than the one at the entrance.

The gardens are of the restaurant. They are large and sprawling and very beautiful.

Killerton clearly try and engage with the local communities, and there is are many functions and events held across the summer like theatre, treasure hunts and so on. They also hold farmer's markets on Saturdays through summer.

See all my photos of Killerton House on Flickr: click here

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Win a holiday for you and nine friends at Atlantis Palm Dubai.

2010-08-29T17:39:00.002Z

Atlantis Palm Hotel by ¡Carlitos, on Flickr

The famous Atlantis in Dubai is running a competition that offers a trip for 10 people with flights to visit. No matter in the world where you live!

This is what they are saying about the competition: "Win the holiday of a lifetime for you and 9 friends and family at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai for 5 nights in 5 deluxe rooms. The prize includes round-trip economy air, luxurious airport transfers, breakfast daily, dinner for 10 at Ronda Locatelli and 10 Dolphin Encounters at Dolphin Bay. To win you need to create a short video of 90 seconds or less, explaining why you deserve this incredible prize. Tell us a story, sing us a song, make- up a tall tale ..."

You need to enter before 17 September.

Link to the competition: click here

This is one example of what someone has submitted. Suspect you can do better?

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SIDMOUTH IN DEVON UK: Sorry fans (of which there are many) but for me it is a strange old place!

2010-08-25T07:46:00.003Z

The bay at Jacobs Ladder, Sidmouth, Devon

I am sure I about to offend lovers of the town of Sidmouth and this pretty part of Devon, but Sidmouth leaves me really cold. I don't get what the fuss is about as this is a popular and sought after place to visit.

To be honest, I find the beauty of the place pales as I always feel like I have been stranded a decade or two back in some Old Folks Home World planet. Not that a place full of retired people should be a bad thing, but for some reason Sidmouth seems to give the feeling that you have strolled onto the set of some creepy Leaugue of Gentleman style created town. Every time I have been I have left feeling a bit unsettled and also a bit depressed as the town feels like it is slowly wilting and fading.

On the surface it looks fine. As the picture shows, there are long beaches with grand bays and huge (crumbling into the sea) cliffs, seaside hotels and rambling town streets. It attracts a lot of people on the summer weekends in particular, with walkers and people braving the cold UK seas.

But the whole place from a hotel and sea front perspective seems to have become an over extended retirement centre. The hotels are full of people peering out at you as you pass. Now of course if you want somewhere busy to sit and peer at people with the backdrop of sweeping beach and sea this fits the bill perfectly. The hotels seem quite cheap even in the peak season.

We had a drink in the Riveria hotel and again it feels like you are caught in a strange time warp. Both the decor and the service is very 1970s.

The food and service in the hotels and restaurants is good enough, but again feels a few steps behind. This may be as there is a lot of transient passers through, and so they can get away with it.

There is a large Folk Festival in August that is a big deal for the town and has loads of people camping outside the town. Then across summer there are a number of different functions and events, and it feels like the whole area breaks out in small fetes and garden parties through the July/ August season.

Of course, if you like the sea side, like walking and big bold cliffs and bays then is best to make sure you face that way and enjoy that part of Sidmouth...

It is not all Devon towns and villages I am not wild about! See what I thought of Beer in Devon

I you want to disprove me and go then use the Visit Sidmouth Site
http://www.visitsidmouth.co.uk/

Official Sidmouth council site
http://www.sidmouth.gov.uk/

Beach below The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, Devon, originally uploaded by Gerald Davison.

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My Tips for Travellers Podcast 2nd most popular audio podcast in iTunes!

2010-08-22T08:48:00.001Z

I am pleased to say that my Tips for Travellers Audio Podcast is currently the 2nd most popular audio podcast on Travel in iTunes! The BBC beat me to the number one position.

If you don't subscribe to this free podcast about global travel destinations, you can do so via the links below.

I also have a video podcast with video of hotel rooms and attractions you may also like to try out.

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KENSINGTON PALACE AND ORANGERY: GREAT VISIT. INTERESTING TOUR. FABULOUS AFTERNOON TEA!

2010-08-18T09:24:00.003Z

Kensington Palace near entrance to the exhibit area

The Orangery at Kensington Palace

Probably best known as the place that Princess Diana was living when she tragically died, and had been since her marriage and separation from Prince Charles, Kensington Palace is actually a massive complex with some 700 rooms and many parts of the Royal Family have or are living there. So it is not so much as a palace as a gated housing development!

When people live in the Palace it seems they have a number of rooms, and the residential parts are the ones that cannot easily been seen from the gates and boundaries.

The Palace itself is extremely old, not surprisingly, and in addition to being known as the home of Princess Diana was also the home of Princess Margaret ( whose very 60s style decoration is apparently still in place and the rooms are going to be open to the public as part of a major Kensington Palace 2012 revamp currently under way. Some of Queen Elizabeth's cousins qnd their families live there still.

The grounds of the palace are not huge, but in a great location surrounded by Kensington Gardens. In the actual grounds is a beautiful formal garden and then large lawns with a large and very beautiful Organery building that houses a restaurant that as well as serving lunch, serves various afternoon tea options.. These involve tier holders with sandwiches, cakes and scones and different teas. We were given gift vouchers as a birthday gift which gave us entry to the "Enchanted Palace" exhibition and champagne afternoon tea at the Orangery.

As the pictures show, the room is fantastic, large, bright and stylish. The afternoon tea great. Though you cannot reserve a time and table and the line to get in can be slow and involve hanging about a great deal.

The exhibition in the Palace takes you through about 30 rooms and is themed around the story if princesses and enchantment. You get thus hand drawn effect sheet to guide you round. And to be honest I think it was all a bit too arty. It was hard to get to understand the history and what we were seeing and looking at - which seems crazy when there is so much history in the place with kings, queens and other royalty having used or lived here for hundreds of years. Inyerstingly I had tweeted we were there and I got a message on the Monday and responded that this was a miss and they thanked for the input - so at least they trying to engage and find out what visitors looking for as they work on the revamp.

The one thing that did help, was the staff. In some of the rooms we asked some of the people to tell us more and they were Very enthusiastic and happily chatted away and told us anecdotes and stories about the place and rooms, which was brilliant and needed as standard like other places do on cards or guide sheets.

It is easy to spend a few hours in the house if you do that and find out more. Overall though think the enchanted theme is a bit too arty and obscure for most tourists looking to immerse in British Royalty and pomp. But either way, the place was well organised, beautiful and worth visiting.

The gift shop has many unusual and interesting gifts and items that is worth spending time in. We came away with china mugs, a book on the palace, jams and managed to resist most of other personalised bits and pieces!

A good afternoon out, and do the afternoon tea!

Official website: http://www.hrp.org.uk/kensingtonpalace/
Wipipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kensington_Palace

Inside the Orangery Kensington Palace for Afternoon Tea

Afternoon Tea at Kensington Palace

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TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS iPHONE APP NOW AVAILABLE. CHECK IT OUT

2010-08-11T10:13:00.005Z

Consistently one of the top 20 travel podcasts on iTunes since the launch, I am pleased to announce the launch of the iPhone/ iPod Touch Tips for Travellers app.

It is available right now on iTunes App store for just $1.99 or £1.19

Click here now to find it in the iTunes App store

FREE Tips for Travellers: Most popular destinations eBook
If you buy the App, you will get access to the exclusive Tips for Travellers Most Popular Destinations eBook included in the purchase. You can access it via the links in the show extras! The eBook will be constantly updated and include all episode extra content

WATCH A VIDEO AND DEMO OF THE APP

Click here now to find it in the iTunes App store

More about the app:
Developed by Wizzard media, experts at creating apps for podcasts series, the Gary Bembridge Tips for Travellers iPhone app not only brings you all of the past 50 global travel destinations, but all the future ones automatically - along with show extras only available via the app that will be launched at the same time as new podcasts and is being added to all the past episodes.

The features of the app include:
- Easiest way to listen to the podcast. Including listening while using other functions.
- Free exclusive show extras.
- Email the show with questions and ideas.

Click here now to find it in the iTunes App store

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HEALTH TIPS WHEN TRAVELLING: avoiding the Cheryl Cole and more...

2010-08-02T08:59:00.002Z

Holidays can be risky! If you don't prepare before and take precautions while you are away.

This was illustrated by the UK nation's current favourite Girl band Singer and X-Factor judge: Cheryl Cole. The singer did not think to check out what she needed to do and did not take anti-malaria tablets while in Tanzania. The unfortunate gal got malaria and ended up in Intensive Care and a long period of remedy, risking her career commitments.

Last December, I too found out how things can go wrong health wise when I broke my ankle while away in Brussels for a weekend visiting Christmas Markets. I had not taken my EU Health Card to get free treatment, but did have good holiday insurance and so I was paid out some of the expenses and importantly for a South Aftican holiday I had to cancel as could not fly with a cast on.

So as the holiday season starts, here are some tips and advice on preparing and taking care health wise. There are zillions of good tips and advice sites, and for many if you going somewhere exotic check with the Foreign Office or your own countries advice site on where to avoid and why.

Then assuming the place you going is physically safe, here are some health tips:

(1) Before you go: inject to protect

There is no substitute for good preparation. Do your research and ensure you get all the vaccinations you need. Your local surgery nurse will be able to help, as will the NHS and FCO websites if you UK. Be sure to stock up on prescription drugs, and some standard painkillers and antiseptic while you still know exactly what you are buying ina language you understand (hopefully!)

(2) Fun in the sun

Everyone knows that high factor sun screens are the only way to go, along with hats, UVB sunglasses and head to foot cotton, but when it really comes down to it there is no substitute for staying in the shade. I love Piz Buin sun care, and have now weaned myself off the low factor and into the high factors. I shoudl (of course) also be encouraging RoC Soleil Protection + (the brand I look after if you in a Western European country as it is sold ther in Pharmacies!)

(3) Bugs! Not the spy kind but the Four, six and eight legged friends

Avoid them all! Your best bet on holiday is to steer well clear of teeth, pincers and claws. Cover up at dusk to avoid bites, don’t feed the monkeys (as I saw the risks on my last holiday in Zambia!). One thing I keep forgetting to take with me is anti-bug spray and best to take as many stink and not only scare away the bugs but your partner too! (Unless you want to of course....)
And of course as mentioned, unlike Cheryl Cole check onlien and get medical advice and ensure you take preventative medication if needed. Be sure to cover up with socks, scarves and long sleeves to avoid infectious insect bites. There are some really good traveller clinics about, and I found the best are the ones that cater for backpackers as they seem to better understand the risks and the ebst things to take - and as anti-malaria tablets are really expensive and can make soem people feel very odd and a bit "trippy" they are the best to see.

(4) Travellers’ diarrhoea
The thing people don't like to talk about. But as I found out once in Egypt, best to plan ahead on this one too! The least glamorous and most common holiday complaint is the dreaded traveller diarrhoea. Everyone has experienced tummy troubles abroad, but they need not spoil your holiday. A few precautions, and judicious application of diarrhoea treatment tablets, will see you through.

Immodium, the famous tablets advise this:

"Preventing traveller diarrhoea
Hand sanitizing gels are your first defence against a runny stomach. Always wash your hands and/or sanitize before cooking or eating. Use bottled water and avoid raw foods that are washed in water like salad, undercooked meats and ‘street food’. Also beware of ice – bottled drinks are your safest bet.

Dealing with tummy troubles
Don’t panic - pack diarrhoea tablets and use them when needed. They are particularly indispensible if you have a journey to make and toilets are not always at hand. Always read the label and remember to rehydrate with water and rehydration salts, or sports drinks if you have diarrhoea."

On their site they have this travel hotspot thing:

Find out more about Travellers' Diarrhoea

What are your tips? Add a comment on the blog or email and I will add: gary@bembridge.co.uk

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VICTORIA FALLS REVIEW, BUNGEE JUMPING AND MORE. A guide to possibly the most stunning place in the world

2010-07-26T09:13:00.001Z

Without a doubt, probably the most amazing and beautiful place I have ever visited over the years is the Victoria Falls on the Zambia/ Zimbabwe border.

In this posting I cover:

A view and tips for visiting
Video of the bungee jump - not for the faint hearted
Royal Livingstone Hotel

Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Zambia, originally uploaded by garybembridge.Considering that the Victoria Falls is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and a World Heritage site and so a massive tourist attraction, it is sad to see that the area in and around Livingstone in Zambia seems to be so poor. It seems that the rewards from the flow of well heeled tourists does not trickle down as much as it could (or should) into the local population and area.

Saying that, Victoria Falls is without a shadow of a doubt one – if not the – best things you will ever get to see. Dr Livingstone (who was the first white man to see the Falls) described how it was a site so beautiful it must have been gazed upon by angels in flight. He is right, it is really a most wonderful and special place. The Falls were named by Livingstone after his queen, and interestingly after Independence the Falls were not renamed as much of the places were after countries in the region gained independence. Neither was Livingstone (which had been called Constitution Hill at one point and was even the capital for a while). And as it is quite expensive to get to for travellers from Europe, Asia and the Americas it has remained largely unspoilt and natural. It does not reek of commercialism and has not been over developed and ruined. The whole area around the Falls is still rough paths and simple areas to enable you to see the Falls without plummeting down slippery cliffs.

The traditional name for the Falls is Moas-o-tunya (which means “the smoke that thunders”), and from a distance the massive spray does look like smoke. You can see the spray rising from 30km away on land and over 60-km away from the air. The Falls is on the Zambezi River which starts in Congo and flows right down to the Indian Ocean. It is a very impressive river and very wide. Further down from the Falls it becomes Lake Kariba (a dam wall was built to generate electricity for Zambia and Zimbabwe).

Despite its fabulous attraction, it does tend to be a quiet place to visit. As you stroll around the Falls and the pathways you are often by yourself and it feels like it is just you there. As you walk on the paths along the cliffs opposite the falls, you get absolutely drenched wet as the spray is so much it rains back down on you as if you are in a large rainstorm. You can hire rain ponchos, but as it is warm it is great fun to just get wet. It feels fresh and is part of the experience. You can also arrange to go for a visit to Livingstone island at the top of the Falls itself, which is where David Livingstone first viewed the Falls from, for breakfast, lunch or high tea, and in the dry season there is a pool in the rock you can swim in. In the rainy season the water is too fast flowing.

Livingstone in Zambia has benefited greatly from the situation in Zimbabwe, especially since things in that country really started to deteriorate after 2000. Prior to this, Zimbabwe was the real “king of the Falls” when it came to tourism. This was helped by the famous Victoria Falls Hotel that was built not long after the turn of the century after the railway bridge connected the 2 countries was completed around 1909. This hotel is a massive and glorious Colonial piece of architecture, and became almost as iconic as the Falls themselves. It was a fabulous place to stay, with sweeping views down to the bridge and still walkable to the Falls. The hotel kept a colonial feel and had white glove service, staff dressed in old colonial style (which did feel slightly at odds with the newly independent and majority ruled country after 1980) and was renowned for service and overall experience, with taking high tea on the sweeping patio a fundamental part of a visit to the Falls. In relative terms few people went to the Falls in Zambia. The Falls are about 1.7 kilometres long and more is actually in Zambia than Zimbabwe, but the latter was inextricable linked in people’s mind with the Falls.

With the situation declining in Zimbabwe, tourists and tour operators shifted their attention to the Zambian side. Southern Sun built and opened the only Five Star hotel in Zambia just next to the Falls (Royal Livingstone) which opened in 2001 and began to cream off affluent visitors to the area. With the average stay at the Falls being only between 1 and 2 nights turn at the hotels is large. In the past, most people tended to stay on the Zimbabwe side and may (as I have done in the past) walked across from Zimbabwe into Zambia (paying some visa charges) to see both sides. Now most stay on one side. You can get to the railway bridge from either side as it is in “no man land” without visas. On the bridge is where you can do a very scary bungee jump (which some claim is the highest in the world) and get great views of the Falls through the massive gorge.

The infrastructure such as airport, roads and buildings in Livingstone are quite run down and poor, but all are fine and at the hotels is excellent.

What are my tips for visiting the Victoria Falls?

VISIT THE ZAMBIAN SIDE
This is a pity in some ways, especially from someone who lived in Zimbabwe until I was 18, as the experience on the Zimbabwe side was fabulous. But with the situation in Zimbabwe, it is really more sensible I think to visit and stay on the Zambian side. You can then, based on how the situation fluctuates, decide if you go on a trip for part of a day to see the Zimbabwe side of the Falls as well. There are many hotels and lodges in the Livingstone area to meet all price levels.
The Southern International Group own the 2 hotels closest to the Falls. In fact they are so close it is minutes walk to the Falls themselves. They are both situated in the Maso-o-tanya park. The Royal Livingstone is the premium hotel and attracts a mixed group of travellers from USA, Western Europe and what seems a lot of Russians. It is very up-market and beautiful and costs around US$800 for a room per night. It is right on the banks of the Zambezi and stunning. The other hotel, which is closest to the Falls, is the Zambezi sun. This is lower cost and targets families more.

GETTING THEREIt seems, bizarrely, the best and easiest way to get to Livingstone is via Johannesburg in South Africa! In theory you can also fly into Lusaka (the capital of Zambia) and there is a small plane shuttle service, but the most connections are via Johannesburg. A number of airlines fly to and from there into Livingstone every day, including British Airways and SAA. A various times of the year the Rovos Rail service also goes to the Falls. Flights are busy, as most people tend to come in and out within 2 days and so the flights get very busy.
You need a Visa to enter Zambia. Best to get this before you go, though you can get when you arrive. Best also to get a multiple entry visa in case you decide to pop across to Zimbabwe to see that side of the falls.
The airport is quite run down but very efficient.

CURRENCY ETC
The US$ is used and accepted everywhere, so this is the best currency to take
They use a 3 round pin plug like in South Africa, so bring an adaptor

WHEN TO VISITThe peak time for people to go the Falls is middle of the year. This is the dry season and winter, although it does not get very cold. The reason being that this is the best time for game viewing as they have to travel more to water holes and rivers to get water and also the bush is drier and less lush – all of which makes it easier to find and view game. This is also when the amount of water thundering over the Falls is less and so there is less spray and easier to see, plus it means that sports like white water rafting and the such is possible.
I like the summer season though. It is quieter and although it will rain most days in the afternoon as the heat causes big fat thunder clouds to build, it is warm and not too hot. As it is also quieter you feel like you have the Falls more to yourself and it activities are less full and booked out.

HOW LONG TO STAY
As mentioned, most people stay only 1 or 2 nights. You can get to see the Falls and the Zambezi in this short time. But I think you miss so much. The area is so beautiful and peaceful and unspoilt, and it is worth having a number of days just to relax and explore it. As most people coming to the Falls seem to zoom in and out, if you have days to spend you will find you are most likely to have the hotel swimming pool to yourself. And at somewhere like the Royal Livingstone where the pool is right next to the river itself, it is just stunning to laze around.
The Falls are also so amazing, it is really worth going to them 2 or 3 times. We were there 4 nights and so 3 full days and think another day would have been even better.
As so many people come in and out, it means that almost no-one goes into Livingstone town to support local business and visit some of the history such as at the museum. Staying longer to do this is well worth while.

WHAT TO DO
This depends of course how active you are but here are the key things that most people do
- Visit the Falls (a few times!). Allow time to do this. There are many paths and explore all of them. Not only do you get to see the Falls (and get soaking wet from the spray) but there are paths that will take you to better see the bridge and the “boiling pot” where the water churns after plummeting over the Falls. Make sure you wear non-slip shoes as the paths are often exposed and close to the cliff, but also there is a narrow bridge you need to cross that can be quite slippery. As it is very wet, take care with cameras or they can be ruined. If you want to take lots of photos it may be worth having an umbrella to help protect the camera
- Go to the bridge. This is well worth a walk. You can pass through into the “no-man” land where the bridge is. On the bridge you get great views up to the Falls and down the gorge to the Victoria Falls Hotel. Plus you can watch people bungee jump from the centre
-
- e down into the gorge, and of course if you are brave you can do it for about US$90. It is quite something to see. There is also a wire that runs across the gorge that one can go on as well. The only thing you will have to put up with is being hassled all the time to buy things. It is best to decide before you go how much and if you are going to give people money as you will feel for them, as many people from Zimbabwe side are there trying to get some money as they have limited jobs and money.
- Livingstone Island. You can go there for breakfast, lunch or high tea. It is quite costly and maybe best to do in the dry season as you can then dip in the river right above the Falls!
- Go to Zimbabwe. You can go on a tour there and based on how things are it is worth seeing both sides of the Falls as who knows if and when you will go again. It will costs a bit in visas as you go through. It is possible to walk (about 30 minutes) but I would not recommend this as you will be hassled a lot by people offering advice and selling things.
- Flight over the Falls. You can go on a microlite plane or helicopter for 12 to 15 minutes flights to see the immensity of the falls and the huge scale. I have not done this but most who have rave about it. You need to have a head for heights to do the microlite!
- Sundowners’ cruise. These are a real staple of the Victoria Falls experience for generations! The best known is the “African Queen” which takes you on a 2 hour cruise with snacks and 3 drinks, it is really stunning on the river and you usually see game (especially hippo and crocodiles) and get to see the Zimbabwe side as well.
- Game Drives. These are popular but best really to go on an actual safari as part of a longer trip as although you can see most game it is not really the best area to see game in. In the Sun International complex you see zebra, giraffe, baboons, monkeys and impala that roam the grounds.
- Extreme Sports, like white water rafting and high speed boats on the river are popular in the dry season

Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Zambia (5), originally uploaded by garybembridge.

On my recent trip to Zambia, Mark (who I was there with) did the bungee jump off the bridge at Victoria Falls between Zambia and Zimbabwe. This is one of the highest jumps in the world. It is so freaking high and very scary. I was a coward and did not do it.

In these 2 videos, you see him doing the jump and then talking about it...

Bungee Jump: watch video

Interview after the jump: watch video

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RYANAIR: AFTER ONE TRIP WHAT CAN I SAY? IT'S THE PASSENGERS NOT THE AIRLINE....?

2010-07-21T09:52:00.003Z

So what can I tell you about Ryanair that you have not heard before?

The worst part are the passengers, not the airline!?

Surprisingly to me was that it was - in my view - no worse or better than flying economy on any of the major carriers like Iberia or Air France. And was actually no cheaper either, once you have paid for the priority boarding lane, to check a bag in, various service fees and so on. It seemed to suffer the same annoying delays from traffic control despite rushing the turnaround and getting people on board.

The only major differences to me seemed to be you could not put your seat back ( which was a positive as meant you did not have a chair back and bald patch in your face), and there is more selling. But of course on most economy flights you have to buy food and drink. The Ryanair crew are just faster and more efficient at it.

The leg room was actually slighty better than most carriers like Air France and Iberia. It made a more comfortable journey for me who is over six foot tall with long legs. Though the cushioning seems less comfy on the backside!

The main thing that drove me crazy was the appalling badly behaved children and adults on board, but not sure I can blame Ryanair for that - other than making it overall cheap for people with badly acting children. Paying little for a flight and being handled before boarding in off-hand and with strict rules on luggage and so on, seems to have created a monster when it came to the passengers!

Overall Ryanair seems to bring out the worst in people, the frantic scrabbling and shoving in the lines to get on the plane. Effective as ensures people board promptly, but the frenzy that breaks out is disturbing, like people are fighting for some mercy flight with limited spaces. Even the people that had bought priority boarding pushed and shoved.

The cabin crew were efficient, fast and very hard working. They earn their money. I was impressed with just how hard they worked.

Overall If it was not for the passengers it would be fine!

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5 MOST WATCHED TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE (All are Las Vegas!)

2010-07-08T08:00:00.000Z

My Tips For Travellers Channel on YouTube has around 250 videos to date covering hotel rooms, attractions and other travel related videos (like video tours etc). The channel is popuar and has heading for 12 million views of videos!

To visit the channel and subscribe: click here

But here are the 5 most watched videos as of July 2010: and all are for Las Vegas:

#1: Stratoshere Roller Coaster (watched 5 million plus times)

#2 Stratosphere Insanity Ride (2 million plus views)

#3 Stratosphere Big Shot Ride (watched 900000 times)

#4 Bellagio Fountains at Night (700000 times)

#5 Bellagio Hotel Room (21008) with Fountain View (300000 times)

Read my tips about visiting Las Vegs: click here

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Singapore: My guide and top 10 tips on things to do

2010-07-04T10:04:00.001Z

Join me as we visit the ultra modern city of Singapore.

I really like Singapore, I've been lucky enough to visit this city and country rolled into one about five or six times over the last ten years, and each time I go I definitely like it more and more. Although some people who live in Singapore have described it as a little sterile this, as a visitor, has never been my experience.

The city state has been actively working and investing over the last decade to increase the appeal, the attraction and the facilities for tourists, and this may well be why I, as a tourist, have found I like it more and more.

Because what the state is doing is actually working for me, they have for example created two whole new tourist centers where even gambling is allowed. Singapore itself is a very modern looking city, incredibly efficiently, incredibly slick, the city is almost unbelievably smart, unbelievably pruned, unbelievably tidy, and apparently has virtually no crime. It's viewed as being just amazingly safe.

It also has though the highest execution rate per 1,000 people in the world, around 15, which is dramatically higher than the second country in the world which is Saudi Arabia. I assume that part of the reason for the very low crime rate is there is a very strict and very conservative approach to many aspects of life, and the laws and the enforcement of which, are very harsh.

Some outsiders joke about some aspects like, for example, you are not allowed chewing gum at all. It wasn't allowed in the city because they decided it created a mess. Others see it as an example of the draconian and authoritarian approach of the governing authority.

While officially a democracy, a lot of political observers sometime argue that Singapore is more a mixture of democracy and an authoritarian system, as it's pretty much a one party system, and the executive has a lot of power. It does though seem to work for the Singapore people who seem pretty content, and those I spoke to seemed content wth the way things work in Singapore.

It’s small, and had a succession of leaders since it become self governing in about 1969 or so. It have been turned into a country of very high employment, very high GDP per citizen, it has one of the highest literacy rates at about 95%. It's very efficient, has very modern systems, for example like transport. It's actually one of the biggest ports in Asia. It's become a major transport hub. The Changi Airport acts as one of the main Asian air hubs. The port it's created for trade is incredibly busy and you see huge amount of ships waiting to come into the port.

Singapore is also one of the most densely populated areas of the world, it has about four and half million people. And so it is quite expensive place to live. It's about the 14th most expensive city in the world to live in.

Singapore is very racially diverse. It's got a big mixture of cultures.

Everywhere in Singapore it seems, seems to be connected to the name "Raffles". Many people outside Singapore have heard of the world renowned "Raffles Hotel". But few understand exactly what Raffles is or who he was. Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles was British man and originally landed in 1819 and signed a treaty for the British East India Company to establish Singapore as a trading port.

The location of Singapore is at the end of the Malay Peninsula, and so it is very central for the region. When Raffles signed the treaty there very few locals on all the islands that made up Singapore, and soon attracted attracted Chinese; Indians, and Malays, who came to work and get involved in Singapore.

Sir Thomas Raffles, in a typical British separatist mindset of the time, decided to try and keep the cultures and races separate. So, he established their own separate areas.

But despite his more separist views, Raffles is admired as the grandfather of Singapore. He is very much seen as taking this group of islands and getting it to become one cohesive, strong state, which eventually became the power that it is.

Singapore was occupied by the Japanese during World War II, and this seems to be a very brutal time. There are still tunnels in Fort Canning Park which formed a whole underground command centre of the British command in this park, and locals also hid out there.

After the World War, the British ran Singapore until 1959. Then for a couple of years Singapore formed into one state with Malaysia, but it was a complete disaster. Because they have very different philosophies, and very different approaches. So, they eventually separated.

I always thought of Singapore as one place. But I discovered it is made up of 63 islands, but there's one big main island.

But because there's a limit on land, what Singapore has done is it's gone upward. So you'll see huge amounts of tall buildings, and modern architecture. Singapore has also grown in size through land reclamation. It grew by 100 square kilometers in the 1960s, and it plans to add another about another 100 square kilometers by 2030. They get the soil from the seabed, from their neighbors, from Singapore itself, from the mountainous areas.

There's four official languages, although it's very clear that everybody speaks English, and speaks it incredibly well. The official languages are: English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese, and Tamil.

Singapore is very much rated as the most business friendly country pretty much in the world. It's the location of many multinational head offices for the Asia area. It has very low tax, and because people speak English, it makes it very easy for ex pats to settle in. There are a lot of ex pats in Singapore!

As with all rapid expansion, there was a time when all the old, colonial buildings were being knocked down. That's changed, which is good to see.

Singapore has military service. It has a large military reserve. One thing that amazed me was once when I was there in August during their annual National Day with a lot of military parades, and it's unbelievable how many young military men and women there were across all the services took part in that.

So based on all that, what are my top tips for visiting Singapore?

#1 Best time to visit

Pretty much, any time of the year is actually fine to visit Singapore, because it doesn't really have seasons. The temperature is between 24 30 degrees Celsius all year round.

Experts apparently call its climate tropical rain forest, because it's very close to the equator. There's almost no fluctuation in temperature and the length of the day is pretty much the same all across the year.

It can be very humid and it can be very sticky, because of its tropical ness. June and July are the warmest months of the year. November and December is the monsoon time, so you get lots and lots of rain, so it's probably best to avoid it. There's also a very strange phenomenon, around August and October, in large parts of Asia, including Singapore, where they have seasonal haze which is actually due to bush fires in the region which get blown across. Pretty much all the time of the year, but it can be very humid, very humid indeed actually, around Singapore.

#2 Getting there and getting around

Getting there is very easy because as I mentioned, Singapore is such a big hub. It's a big stop on the route to and from Australia. Something like 80+ airlines (and growing) pass through the one airport, the Changi Airport. It’s only about 25 to 20 minutes from the center of Singapore.

Once you're in Singapore, it's pretty small actually. I believe you can kind of walk around the main tourist area.

Taxis are incredibly cheap. The only thing with them is because they are cheap it can sometimes take awhile to get a car especially when it's raining. So you need to plan ahead a bit. So you'll sometimes find yourself waiting in a queue at a hotels and things like that just to get a cab, so in the busy tourist areas or areas of the hotel you can sometimes wait a while to get taxis.

There is also a metro system that's pretty simple to use. It runs from about 5:30 in the morning until about half past midnight. The metro system is pretty extensive and it's pretty easy to use and its very modern.

What's interesting is tipping is generally not encouraged in Singapore. It doesn't really seem to be the done thing at all. They actually suggest in guide books that you shouldn't tip at all. The taxi drivers (I have to say) never seem to be offended or annoyed or put out when I overpaid!

#3 Pick up the brochures

My third tip is quite a short tip. This I only discovered on my last trip, and is one of the things you must absolutely definitely do is when you're at the airport is pick up the Singapore guide brochures in the baggage hall. In the airport around the baggage check areas they have these very beautiful very well laid out stands with a range of very helpful brochures.

They have brochures covering Chinatown and Little India, one on shopping, be one on walks down the river, one on tours and so on. They all give you some of the history, how long tours and walks take, photographs and so on.

#4 City Bus Tour

My fourth tip is a tip I almost always have which is to do the round the city bus tour. As you know a regular tip of mine is to take these round the city tours. The Singapore bus trip options are very good and the cheaper if you've flown in on Singapore Airlines as they have a distinctive yellow colour called the SIA hop on city service..

If you've flown on Singapore Airlines and you show your boarding card it only costs about three Singapore dollars a day. It is about a quarter of the usual cost.

There is no commentary on this bus, but you get a very good comprehensive map. It tells you what to see at each of the stops and the driver plays a short tape at each stop that tells you the name of the stop and what attractions are there. You can get on and off as much as you can within the 24 hour period. You can also use it to commute around.

There are also green buses which are called SIA hop on Sentosa shuttle service. This visits a little bit of the city then goes to the tourist island of Sentosa which has a golf course, underwater world, beaches, and other kinds of attractions.

There's another option, a more commercial option, called the "Topless Hippo". This is a double decker bus where the top part is open and has commentary. The stops for the Topless Hippo seem to be near most of the SIA hop on.

There are also a lot of sightseeing tours and tour companies, which seem quite reasonably priced. The leaflets that you pick up at the airport, I thought gave the best options. Obviously concierges will have them, but the one at the airport are produced by a government agency, and seems to provide the best options.

#5 Night Safari

The thing that pretty much everybody in Singapore asks if you've done is if you have done the Night Safari.

Basically it is a night visit to the zoo, which can also include a dinner and a show option. The zoo is pretty large, 40 hectares. It has a very large amount of nocturnal animals, which is why they had the idea of a night safari.

What you do is tour the zoo in tram cars, and it's pretty good fun. It makes a difference from just going to the zoo. If you buy a package, you can get an animal show, some travel dancing, dinner, all that kind of stuff. It's open from 6:00 at night to midnight, with tram rides run from about 7:30 pm. You can find more at www.nightsafari.com.sg. It's something you have to do, it's one of those institutions, a bit like going to Raffles and having a Singapore Sling.

#6 Chinatown Walk at Night

My sixth tip is to do the Chinatown walk at night. If you follow one of the earlier tips, you'll have picked up your Uniquely Singapore booklet about walking through Chinatown.

Although it's called Chinatown, a lot of it isn't Chinese. You'll see Hindu temples. You'll see Islamic mosques. And so on

Chinatown is actually quite a big area, so the walking tour is designed to just get a feeling for Chinatown. One thing to remember is that some of the temples require that you be modestly dressed. So women have to wear long skirts or trousers.

The great thing about Singapore is that they call a spade a spade, so if you want to go to Chinatown all you do is go to the Chinatown MRT station, you know the metro station, and it's called Chinatown and so you know that's where you're going and that's where you go. It's actually on Pagoda Street which is the name of the street it's actually on.

And among some of the highlights for me was a place called the Majestic. It's a conserved building and a kind of shopping mall built by a rich Chinese tycoon in the early 1900s. He built the Majestic because another opera house had refused to allow his wife in and so he built his own.

Pagoda Street is really where the heart of Chinatown was, it used to be the centre of the opium wars and the slave trade. It was where people would hang out and spend all their money gambling, smoking....taking drugs and what not…. So it's a very interesting thing …as clearly you cannot get those kinds of things nowadays.

At the end of the street is an amazing temple, called the Srimariammam Temple. It has this amazing sculptured tower which is quite remarkable..

#7 Little India

My seventh tip is to do the Little India walking guide and again the booklet is very detailed and

Worth seeing is the Leong San Buddhist temple and the Abdul Gafoor Mosque.

Again, very simple. To find, it you go to Little India MRT. It's actually at the Bukit Timah Road, and there's a market when you come out and you go down Buffalo Road. The reason it's called Buffalo Road 'cause it used to be full of buffalo pens.

A lot of people like to buy the flower garlands. Garlands of jasmines and marigolds and roses. Usually these are then placed on the statues of gods as prayer offerings .

You then come across the most amazing mosque which is called Masjid Abdul Gafoor. The entrance of the mosque is a sundial, and it's just the most incredibly beautiful building.

#8 Shopping

Shopping is a huge thing in Singapore. Shopping is big, big. And in fact, probably one of the biggest guide book you'll get is the Singapore Shopping Guide. It's known for duty free goods. It's known for technology. It's known for fashion.

There's a couple of key areas. Orchard Road is the big road for the most amazing shops and Marina Bay, which is a new development.

The other thing that I find amazing is near the Marina Bay area, you can pretty much travel for ever round Singapore via an underground world which is basically shopping malls and arcades all under the roads and parks.

Almost every single month of the year is some kind of big shopping event. So, in March and April, you get the Fashion Festival. May to July, you get what is called the "Great Singapore Sale" which is when the whole city goes on sale and there is even a website which is called greatsingaporesale.com.sg. There is a "Jewel Fest" in October. And there is a big Christmas thing that runs from November to January.

Shops open from about 10 or 11 in the morning until late at night.

#9 River Walk and Boat trip

There are a lot of river walks. There are a lot of boat trips. I am not going to recommend any one in particular because there are so many of them. But basically Clark Key, Boat Key, and Robinson Key are really where a lot of the boat trips start and end at. They are very popular and very easy to find. A lot of different options.

#10 Raffles Hotel

My last and final tip is Raffles. As I mentioned before it is named after Sir Thomas Raffles. It is a beautiful old colonial hotel. It is a big tourist spot. The doorman is dressed up in very colonial dress. They have the most amazing shops with all sorts of souvenirs around Singapore and Raffles specific souvenirs.

You have to go to the Raffles Bar and have a "Singapore Sling" which was invented by one of the barmen at Raffles. The bar where they serve it is upstairs and it has these old fashioned fans which are basically big palm things swaying. You given peanuts which you basically pod and all of the husks are thrown on the floor. It has a great buzz, and the "Singapore Slings" are very, very, very good.

To see all my Photos of Singapore on Flickr: click here

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Hyatt Regency Princeton: So very biege in every way

2010-06-27T17:02:00.002Z

I have stayed in this hotel now at least 20 or more times over the last few years. I don't like it particularly, but (sadly) it is one of the best of a bad bunch generally in the New Jersey/ Princeton area. But this is not saying very much at all...

The hotel was "tarted up" not so long ago, and other than looking cleaner it does really feel like a missed opportunity as the whole place still looks like it was designed by an uninspired 70s architect and interior designer. It reeks of blandness, and the rooms while a decent size are just so "beige" and dull. The bathrooms are again a decent size but look like an austere accountant designed them.

What ever you do, make sure you do not get put in one of the rooms that face into the awful and large echoing atrium where they play elevator music loudly all day and night and your room echos from the people meeting in the atrium until all hours.

The air con is very noisy and you need to have it off not matter the time of the year. The staff are cheerful and do their best to sound upbeat in this dreary place.The food is again very average, with slow service that feels caught in a time loop from the past. The hotel is always very busy, as depite all of the above due to the lack of anything much better they do a good and strong trade..... one day hopefully some hotel group will try and raise the game in the Princeton area...

I always feel like I am being submerged into a pool of biege when I visit here, and am always surprised at how many shades of biege one can get into one space.

On a recent visit I was in a "deluxe" room (see video below) and that was very strange indeed. Large, beige and wierd layout.

Some videos of some of the rooms:
Room 214

Room facing onto the atrium

A "deluxe room" number 299

HILTON MILLENIUM HOTEL, NEW YORK, USA: noisy due to ground zero building

2010-06-27T15:22:00.002Z

The hotel overlooks Ground Zero, where the World Trade Center Towers used to be, and in your room you hear the construction noise from the work that is going on to build something new there. It starts early, even on the weekends. And can go on all or much of the night. If noise is an issue for you, then this is not the place to stay.

I had forgotten how noisy it can be, and had trouble sleeping, and was glad to check out 2 days later.

The hotel rooms were renovated after the events of 9/11 and are well designed and equipped, especially for the business traveller which I guess due its location are the main guests.

The desk for working at has a proper work chair which makes a huge difference. There is a great, modern coffee making machine (which I wish more hotels had) and a really huge flat screen TV. The bed is large but not as comfortable as those at the Sheraton or Westin.

There is a surprising lack of choice of places to eat or drink. There is only a very small bar in the lobby and one restaurant on the 3rd floor (which did a satisfactory but not stunning buffet). There is a fitness centre but I did not get to it on this trip.

The hotel is right next to the famous Century 21 discount label department store and an easy 10 minute walk to South Street Sea Port area with its shops and museums and the major drop off and pick up for the round Manhattan bus tours. But overall, it is not a very handy destination for tourists as far from the shopping areas and Central Park etc.

Overall, I liked the room a lot but the noise of construction did wake me up earlier than I would have liked so was glad my stay was so short.

When the World Trade Center was across the road there was much better eating and shopping etc, and sure there will be again.

You can often get good deals at the hotel as the construction puts a lot of people off. It is not massively troublesome but more of a minor distraction in reality.

I have stayed at the hotel twice now in the last 6 months. Once in a regular room and once was upgraded to a Junior Suite.

Video of the Junior Suite (watch on youtube: click here)

Video of a regular room on the 48th floor (4908) with good views of Ground Zero building work

Video of a regular room (watch here on youtube: click here)

NH EUROBUILDING HOTEL MADRID SPAIN: Avoid it if you can!

2010-06-17T04:23:00.000Z

I really did not like this hotel. My personal advice if you are in Madrid is to find another hotel, unless you have such an amazing deal you feel you need to do it.

The service is very lack lustre and off-hand, and reception is the area that this is most prevalant. They are disinterested and unhelpful, and even to the point of being slightly rude. The hotel is driven by package holiday and conferences and (in my experience) these are always hotels to avoid, as the staff and management know that the business comes in through deals and pricing and the person to keep happy is the conference booker or the package holiday negotiator.

Overall the hotel is "just fine" which is one of the most damming things that I can say about any hotel. The rooms have a sort of wow factor and have been renovated to look better than the dull office block looking building itself, but it is clear that the budget was limited and the furniture is light and flimsy. The rooms though are large and have wooden style floors, a big desk to work at, big twin beds, flatscreen TV and a big bathroom. The bathroom is slightly strange as has the basin area and the cupboards are in there rather than in the bedroom area. Then there is a door into the bath, toilet and bidet area.

I have a concern and try and avoid rooms that have an interconnecting door to the room next door (how I hate these, as always have bad experiences with noise from the people in the room). I had forgotten to ask when checked in, and so went down to ask to change and the reception was very unhelpful and did not change me. I was kept awake form 1am to 2.30am and so next day after making a big issue finally got changed to a room without one. So if you are unlucky to have to stay at the hotel, make sure you avoid these! Noise generally is an issue, and as most reviews of this hotel will tell you the traffic noise is quite loud no matter how high you are and it sounds like you have left windows open. The aircon is also not very efficient.

The food at the hotel is fine as well. The room service was fast though and not too bad.

But the overall level that things works is mixed. The spa and gym is expensive to use (10 euros of on a conference). The system to watch movies did not work properly, and the only help from reception is "well just keep trying".

A hotel to avoid in my view

Watch a video of the room 945 I stayed in (on YouTube) of the blog posting:

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Cunard's Queen Victoria: My review, video and podcast

2010-06-14T12:20:00.001Z

You can also listen to this via a podcast! Subsribe via iTunes by clicking here, or listen to the specific podcast about Queen Victoria by saving the file to your computer or clicking and listening: click here

One of the biggest challenges Cunard may face with their newest ship, the Queen Victoria, is if it can attract enough premium passengers.

The newest Cunard ship, the Queen Victoria is a cruise ship. This is unlike her predecessors which tended to be more "ocean liners". They tended to look different, especially the bow which was designed to slice through the aggressive Atlantic sea on regular trans-Atlantic crossings - but they also tended to be "one offs". They were distinctive and unique. There is no other ship that looks like either the QE2 or the Queen Mary 2.

The Queen Victoria quite simply from the outside looks like many other cruise ships from the outside, which is not remarkable since it was built using a Carnival (the owner of Cunard) template structure called "vista".

Cunard Queen Victoria: Queens Grill Deck
Originally uploaded by garybembridge

One of the marketing differences for Cunard has been its uniqueness, its specialness - and the feeling that there is something exclusive about being on one of their ships. Even if you were travelling in an inside cabin whose fares are not that different to competition. You feel you are part of something almost historic. I do think this is driven by the transatlantic habit and schedules that generates a lot of this, and also the fact that the "crossings" do attract celebrity, names and the rich (as well as the regular cruise and ship addict).

Cunard Queen Victoria Grand Lobby
Originally uploaded by garybembridge

There is no doubt that Cunard have done an excellent job, in my view at least, in designing and fitting out the inside of the ship in a rich, plush and feel that harks to the romance and tradition of the old liners. It was interesting that the first comments left on FLickr when I posted my photos of the interior, where about how the interiors look "Titanic" and traditional cruise liner like. Inside the ship it feels distinctive.

There are some very large and premium cabins in Queens Grill, and there is a special access (by your cruise card/ room key) to deck 11 and deck 12 for only Princess Grill (kind of "club class") and Queens Grill (kind of First Class). Here there is a lounge, the separate dining rooms, an outside courtyard and then a deck only for Grill passengers with better loungers. So there is an attempt to create this special enclave that Cunard nurtures and I think is part of and integral to the Cunard story and positioning that appeals to some but adds to the sense of glamour versus other cruise companies.

However, I am not sure that the schedules that the Queen Victoria will run as a cruise ship with the limitations on what that means versus doing regular "crossing" schedule, will make it have the same mystery, allure and specialness as its sister ships like the QE2 (had as it heads to retirement) and the Queen Mary 2. It is not the right design to handle a regular trans-Atlantic crossing which hammers a ship and takes some designing for - and also having seen pictures taken from the QE2 on their joint crossing at the start of both their 2008 world cruises where the Queen Victoria struggled more through the Atlantic winter seas, I am not sure many would be up for doing it either!

Some facts and figures before more thoughts and review:

The ship has 990 staterooms, holding a maximum of 1980 passengers. It's maiden voyage set sail on 11 December 2007. It is 90000 tons.

We went on a 4 night "taster" cruise to a few European ports out of Southampton from 2 - 6 May. We travelled in Queens Grill, on a super deal thanks to our excellent travel agent (Jane Chadwick; Go cruise). That deal may already indicate the challenge in attracting people to pay a high premium to travel Queens Grill on regular cruises on the ship versus just doing a suite on other brands.

Q4 Penthouse Cabin

We had a Q4 Penthouse (5106). I am not sure why it is called a penthouse as it was on deck 5. It was an unusual shape, but large. I suspect there was some structural beam in the middle of the room and so it had been designed around it. There was a hallway and then a desk area and bar area with lots of glasses, fridge and basin opposite. Then there was a lounge area, with sofa that could fold out into a bed and flat screen TV and DVD player, and the door onto a large balcony with 2 chairs and table. Opposite the lounge area was the bedroom with high and very comfortable bed. To the left as you lie on the bed, was an area with desk and cupboards. This was a strange space that I suspect they could not think of what to do with it. There was a walk in cupboard, which had more coat hangers than I have ever seen in my life! Then the bathroom with very large Jacuzzi bath and separate glass surround shower. Off this room was the toilet and basin. Unlike other suite style cabins, there was only one basin and not 2. Off this room was a door leading back to the hallway.

A video I took of the cabin can be seen on YouTube, or on the blog.

Queens Grill Restaurant

Our table (16) on Cunard Queen Victoria Queens Grill Restaurant
Originally uploaded by garybembridge

This is, as mentioned earlier, is on deck 11. One thing that is better than the Grills Restaurants on Queen Mary 2 which are on the Promenade Deck and so is no view other than people going for a stroll on the deck looking in, these are right at the top of the ship with wall to ceiling windows and so glorious views across the ocean.

The service is, as you expect from Cunard, excellent. They have their "White Star Service" philosophy and training which shows.

In Queens Grill you get to chose at dinner from the huge menu choices of the day, or from the ala carte menu choices (and with notice, you can also ask for a dish they takes your fancy that is not on the menu).

Personally, I felt the food on both the QE2 Queens Grill and Queen Mary 2 Queens Grill was better, despite how good it was on here. The food here felt a bit more pre-prepared. I am not sure if that is a memory thing, but as we are back on the Queen Mary 2 later this year for a crossing, I will be able to check!

The Grills lounge serves afternoon tea for Grill passengers. This is great with sandwiches, scones and cake - but a bit stressful as the service was very erratic. I think the restaurant staff get allocated sessions and resent it cutting into their time off and also as different people each day it is not consistent nor slick through experience.

Public Rooms

Cunard Queen Victoria Queens Room
Originally uploaded by garybembridge

Rather than spend time on each, the key thing is (as mentioned earlier) these are well done and large. Having been on P&O Arcadia (which is also a Vista style and was originally started to be built as the QV but was allocated to them instead earlier on), I was amazed at how much more public space there seemed to be.

There is the huge, several deck and impressive Grand Lobby. The large Queens Room where there is a band and dancing, the large Royal Arcade shopping area and then the impressive Royal Court theatre. Plus of course the bars all over the ship.

American

Although Cunard is an old English brand and has a very English heritage and feel, the ship (as with the Queen Mary 2) is American. By this I mean the on-board currency is the US$ and so everything is priced in dollars. If you gamble, take dollars with you as they charge a 3 per cent fee to convert currencies either at the casino desk or on the conversion machines. It also mean if you are not from the USA take plug converters as all but 1 plug is US - and the voltage is the US voltage.

Overall

We really liked the ship from the inside, and lived the Queens Grill experience. It may not be "special" enough to attract us back much. It will be interesting to see what happens!

View all my photos of Queen Victoria on Flickr: click here

ATHENS: GRECOTEL CAPE SOUNIO HOTEL (ATHENS, GREECE)

2010-06-09T10:09:00.004Z

I have stayed at this hotel twice in the space of 3 years, both actually for conferences rather than as a tourist despite its deign primarily as a tourist venue.

This hotel opened as a Grecotel in 2OO4 in time for the Olympics held in Athens that same year.

It is about 65 Kms for the centre of Athens and about 35 Kms from the airport and on the Aegean coast. The hotel is on a small natural bay and looks directly across to the ruins of the still impressive Temple to Poseidon (Greek God of the Sea) on the top of a hill.

The hotel itself is very stylish in design with eclectic furnishings and decor in the public areas like the lounge and bar. It looks amazing and when you walk in to the lobby is very impressive. The rooms are dotted around a hill and are a mix of what they call bungalows and villas.

The bungalows are one large room with a balcony which has a great view across the pool and the bay and temple. There is a floor to ceiling divider than can be pushed back. Behind the divider is the basin and behind that a bath with large shower head. The toilet is the only area not in "open plan" and is in a small room with large frosted glass door. The one strange thing about the bath is that there is no tap to fill the bath and so if you want a bath you have to do this contortionist thing to fill the bath through the shower.

There used to be the well known Greek naturals range of toiletries called Korres in the room, but they seem to have been replaced by another up and coming Greek brand. The TV shows limited satellite channels and there is a DVD player though the hotel does not seem to stock DVDs for you to use! There is also a CD player so bring your own DVDs and CDs!

The villas usually have their own splash pool.

The bedroom in the bungalows which I stayed in were nice but not as stylish as the public areas and for the cost I thought were not that great. They are nice but as they cost so much you felt it was not great value.

The pool is salt water and is huge and very nice indeed with a very good beach bar/ restaurant serving lovely salads at lunchtime. The beach is ok, and reached by a tunnel under the road that runs in front of the hotel. It is clearly a man made beach and is fine though not that exceptional. There are very comfortable loungers made of wood with soft mattresses.

The food at the hotel is good but expensive. The breakfast buffet is included in the price and is eaten on the first floor of the main building with stunning views. Dinner is also served here with a choice of buffet or a la carte. Again expensive, as drinks where a spirits and mixer will be at least 12 Euros.

The spa area has an indoor heated pool with jets and a fitness centre that has all glass sides so gets very hot indeed!

I had a few days here as a weekend break and that was long enough. I would not recommend this resort for more than a few days stay as it is pricey and the beach is not that great and there are better places to stay on the islands. But fine for a few days of indulgence. The food gets a bit boring as it is always the same at the buffet.

The hotel is very popular as a venue for conferences and so check if there is one on. While we were there a German company had a conference and so at night there was loud music around the pool in the evening for their dinners etc.

In fact as they left the conference I was attending was moving in!

I have very mixed views about this hotel, as you can tell..

See all my photos on Flickr of the hotel and area: click here

Watch a video of the rooms (click to watch on YouTube) or on the blog posting:

A video of the pool area:

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LUDLOW, SHROPSHIRE, ENGLAND. What can I say....

2010-05-22T11:56:00.000Z

What can I say about Ludlow in Shropshire, England?

Well, it was the "winner of the Great Town Award 2006". It has one of the 100 (or was it 1000?) best old houses (or was it pub?) in England according to an information sign outside the house (or pub). Is (according the local information leaflets) FAMOUS for its markets, small as the one we saw seemed. And it has a huge very tattered old castle.

Not that Ludlow is not worth a visit if you are in the area, close to the Welsh borders, it just has not and does not make enough of itself. This is rather disappointing, as the town and castle has a very old and very long and very interesting history. The town seems content to live on the fact it has the castle and that people will come. The place overall just feels a step or two behind having real potential. The way that so many English attractions and resorts do.

The Ludlow castle dates right back to the 11th Century when the Normans first built it as part of the defences against Welsh invasions. Over its time some of the famous names of English history have lived there, including Edward V, Prince Arthur and Mary Tudor (Queen of England) who would winter there. It is a mix of centuries of buildings from Norman, Medieval and Tudor. It was finally abandoned in the late 17th century, and eventually in 1811 the ruins were bought by the Earl of Powis from the Crown. The family still own them.

The town of Ludlow, that is at the gates of the castle, was built over 900 years ago, and was a planned town from the start (versus emerging and evolving), so it has grid pattern of street and is surrounded by remnants of the old city walls. It was bustling and vibrant when the wool and cloth industries were buoyant in the area.

To keep visitors coming, other than just to see the castle, the town has many festivals and markets across the year, and almost every weekend there seems to be one or another. These range from the regular crafts, antiques, produce through to bigger May Fair, Transport Festival, Secret Gardens of Ludlow, Open Air Brass Concerts, Green Festival, Food and Drink Festival, and the Medieval Christmas Fayre.

So what else is there to do other than the markets?

The Ludlow Castle is the main attraction. It costs just under £5 per adult to walk round, and is a large sprawling complex of ruins. I have made a video tour of the main features. I actually really enjoyed exploring the castle, there are information boards dotted around telling you what the ruins were of, and some of it is fairly well intact and you can climb up really high on some parts and get great views - making it clear why the Normans chose the spot as you can see for miles and miles. I did feel though more could be done to bring the history and stories more alive.

There is also a "splendid tea room" according to the leaflets. It is ok but not sure really "splendid". There is also a large gift shop with some great costumes for kids, and some great model soldiers and the such.

Watch the video tour of the castle on YouTube or on blog postimg:

There are guided walking tours of the town during the summer that last about 90 minutes, or you can buy the Ludlow Town Trail leaflet from the castle or the information office and do it yourself.

The St Lawrence church (one of the feature churches in the book "England's Thousand Best Churches") is another site to visit.

You don't need more than a day to enjoy Ludlow.

See all my photos of Ludlow and the castle: click here

Here are some links and what they say about the town:
www.ludlow.org.uk
Ludlow and its castle are perched on a cliff above the picturesque River Teme in south Shropshire, one of the most unspoiled parts of rural England. The town breathes history at every turn, but it's far from being a museum piece. The town centre's ordered elegance is evidence of the 900 year old Norman planned town. Fascinating architecture - castle, church, medieval and Georgian buildings fill the historic town centre. Independent, characterful shops and traditional market. Surrounded by the beautiful and unspoiled countryside of the Welsh Marches - the England-Wales border country

Excellent reputation for food and drink - home of the first (and best) UK food festival, award-winning restaurants, superb food producers and great food shops abound.

"The most perfect town in England" - John Betjeman

http://www.ludlowcastle.com
Ludlow Castle, the finest of medieval ruined castles, set in glorious Shropshire countryside, at the heart of this superb, bustling black & white market town. Walk through the Castle grounds and see the ancient houses of kings, queens, princes, judges and the nobility - a glimpse into the lifestyle of medieval society. The Castle, firstly a Norman Fortress and extended over the centuries to become a fortified Royal Palace, has ensured Ludlow's place in English history - originally built to hold back unconquered Welsh, passing through generations of the de Lacy and Mortimer families to Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York. It became Crown property in 1461 and remained a royal castle for the next 350 years, during which time the Council of the Marches was formed with responsibility for the Government of Wales and the border counties. Abandoned in 1689 the castle quickly fell into ruin, described as 'the very perfection of decay' by Daniel Defoe. Since 1811 the castle has been owned by the Earls of Powis, who have arrested further decline, and allowed this magnificent historical monument to be open to the public. Today the Castle is the home to Ludlow's major festivals throughout the year and open for all to enjoy

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LE TOUSSEROK HOTEL MAURITIUS: a stunning hotel on this stunning island.

2010-05-19T21:26:00.000Z

Positives

The hotel is large, sprawling with loads of beach space, and very beautiful and well maintained. It is a very stunning location and property.

The rooms are fantastic. We were in a Junior Suite in the Hibiscus section (which I would recommend over Coral and Hibiscus as has access right onto the nicer beach). Big room, comfortable beds, large bathroom with bath, shower room and toilet room. Huge cupboard with loads of space and hangers. Balcony. Ipod station. Turn down service. Really great with great view onto the beach and sea.

Staff are friendly and welcoming.

Free wired broadband in the room (which could be slow at times) and free wireless in reception.

The hotel owned islands which they run free boats to every 20 minutes. The "relaxation" one is especially amazing, with lovely beach, swimming and good restaurant. The Ile aux Cerfs is where all the sports are. The beaches at the main resort are also good, and loved the 3 pontoons you could swim and relax on.

The pools, including one next to the spa which is for over 16s only.

The food. Although a buffet for breakfast and dinner, the food is excellent and varied. I was very impressed.

The gym. Modern and well equipped. The spa seems very expensive.

Negatives

Children, Children. Children..especially young ones screaming all through meals. You need to not be the type that kids annoy you! Amazing how many were there for the time of year which ruined meals mostly with screaming and buggies.

The hotel attracts a lot of couples with babies, especially just out of the main school holiday periods. As the hotel does not have a family dining room or area, they are dotted about and every single meal involves screaming children. It seems the hotel attracts couples who don't mind their children screaming and intruding..... I think the hotel, as also a magnet for couples and honeymooners, could easily have a family dining room or area - or have a family dining time and then slightly later child free one.

The non-inclusive restaurants (Safran and barlens) are good but very expensive. Even with the credits if you eat there instead of the dining room.

Overall though we loved it..

Watch the video of the hotel grounds and Junior Suite Room 329 on YouTube or the blog posting:

See my photos of Le Tousserok and Mauritius on Flickr: click here

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MAURITIUS: The magical, beautiful Indian Ocean Island

2010-05-15T20:35:00.000Z

Mauritius is situated in the warm and crystal clear Indian Ocean, to the east of the island of Madagascar, which itself, lies off the southeast of Africa near Mozambique. Its location has made it an "aspirational" place by well heeled travelers from Europe, large parts of Asia, and Africa. It is still a place to be fully embraced by American tourists, who are more attracted towards the Caribbean, which is more easily accessible from the United States. It is, though, their loss, for Mauritius is truly a special place.

This magical island is small, just 30 miles by 40 miles, and yet it is without a doubt one of the most stunning places in the world to visit, and a fantastic place to vacation. The government of the country has been managing the island very carefully to create a mystical, magical, and romantic island. Through its careful management of its resources, and the very clear strategy about the type of tourist it actually wants to attract.

It is an island of romance, and it is one of my most favorite places in the world that I have ever vacationed in. It is very high on my list of places that you should visit.
As you jet into Mauritius, you usually fly over the lush green island, landing right down on the bottom of the island in the south. You land at the (hard to remember or say!) Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport.

It is a pretty modern and contemporary airport. One of the things to note at the airport is that you will only see scheduled airlines there. The government allows no charter airlines. They only allow scheduled airlines. They don't go out and seek mass tourism. So unlike many places in the Caribbean, the Bahamas and so on, they do not encourage mass package tourism using charter flights.

The island was the original home of the now extinct Dodo bird. I am not really quite sure what possessed this bird, other then I guess it has a reputation for being incredibly stupid, as going extinct when you're living on the island of Mauritius, seems to be an incredibly stupid thing to do!

Once you leave the airport and start to head towards where you are staying, the thing that strikes you about Mauritius is this incredibly lush, rich, green countryside. Phenomenal shades of green, and that is largely due to the huge sugar cane fields across the island. And the huge amounts of rains it gets, particularly in December, January, February, March, April time period. Mauritius gets a lot of rain.

The other thing you notice as you drive through this very lush green countryside is it is quite hilly. The hills are volcanic, because the island originally, way back when has volcanic origins.

As you drive around and head towards where you are staying, the other thing that strikes you is that almost every single house you see is incomplete. It needs a floor added on it, or an extension added on it. What was explained to us is that this is due to the nature of taxation, where there is some kind of penalties or taxes that come into play when your property is completed. Other people have thought this was all very backward and "Third World".

But if you take a look even at some of the UK cities, you'll find windows bricked up. It is because a century or more ago, the government introduced a tax based on the number of windows you had. It's a similar kind of concept here, but it is very strange, because you just see all these incomplete house with people living in them.

The other thing that strikes you as you drive through the little villages on your way from the airport is many factory shops. Most of them appear to be Ralph Lauren factory shops. Mauritius has a very large, or it used to have a very large industry around garments. They used to make a lot of the designer clothes. Now, with the drift into India and China, it is actually hitting them quite hard. In fact, one of the economic problems they are wrestling with at the moment is the loss of a lot of the garment industry to places like China, and unemployment has been rising in Mauritius as a result of that.

The other thing that strikes you, is as you drive around, you see a lot of Indian influence. Then you see French influence. Then you see Chinese influence. You do see this very big mix of different types of people and different types of cultures, and it is really quite exciting. This is largely due to the history of the island. In fact, if you take the religion of the island, for example, 51 percent of the population is Hindu, 30 percent is Christian, 17 percent is Muslim, and then there is all sorts of others.

If you go right back to the history of the island, way back the Portuguese stumbled across it, around about 1498.They didn't really stop there a lot, because they had better places to go, particularly in the Cape, in what we now know as South Africa.

Then eventually, about 100 or so years later, the Portuguese influence waned. The Dutch took much more interest in it, using it as a supply base. Slaves started to be brought in to help with sugarcane and growing sugarcane and then the French took over the island. It was called Isle de France, and it was handed over to the French East India Company and they ran it as a trading base.

A sugar mill was established, and they started to build road networks. For a very, very long time, the French controlled the island, which is why French is still one of the official languages here. In 1810, the British took over Mauritius via a deal in the Treaty of Paris, where they agreed to maintain a degree of "Frenchness" about it. They kept the language, they kept a lot of the religion, they kept a lot of in fact even the Napoleonic Code, the legal system. The British then controlled Mauritius right up until 1968, when Mauritius became independent.

After the end of slavery, and when the African slaves were freed, the wealthy sugar barons looked towards India for work forces. They started to bring a lot of Indian people in to the island, so the whole balance of the population shifted toward Indian, and later toward Chinese.
As a result of the large Indian population, the first Prime Minister after independence was Indian, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam.

The resorts are very, very self contained. There's almost no need to venture out and everything you need there is within that space. More of them have their own private beaches, Once you're in your self contained resort, there is almost no need to venture off and many people, the only time they venture out of their complex is when they go back to the airport at the end.
The island is popular for weddings. So many people come to get married there. Almost every single day the last time I was on Mauritius, the place we stayed, we were there for twelve nights and I think someone got married every single day.

So what are my tips if you're visiting Mauritius.

#1 WHEN TO VISIT
The first thing to do if you're visiting Mauritius, is to be extremely careful about when you visit. You must avoid the time from January through until April. The reason for that is because it rains and it rains and it rains.
It's very warm, in fact it's the warmest time of the year, but it rains and rains and rains! There's also a strong chance of cyclones.

The temperature at the beginning part of the year is very warm, it's up to 30 degrees Celsius. The rest of the part of the year, it's actually only about 24 degrees Celsius and it's very nice. But as I mentioned, be very careful, I know people who have gone in April and it's just rained the whole time they're there.

Both times I've been to Mauritius is actually in May, around my birthday time. We've had nice weather, but it is slightly risky. In fact, the last time we went, there was actually a cyclone which hit the island the night before we got there, but it recovered fairly quickly after that.

#2 YOU NEED TO LIKE TO UNWIND AND LIE AROUND
Secondly, only go to Mauritius if you're the type of person that really likes to do very little, and likes to unwind. I've already mentioned that you basically go to your complex. Once you're in your complex, that's where you are and it's all about the sea. It's all about lying in the sun. It's all about perhaps splashing around the water or doing water sports.

#3 CHOOSING YOUR HOTEL
The third tip is when looking for hotels to make sure you research them very carefully. I think it's worth it if you're going to Mauritius to look at the all inclusive package type approach. Most of the hotels, whether it's three, four, five stars or less, tend to offer inclusive packages.

The reason for that is actually a practical one. There's not a lot of places to go out and eat. Resorts are quite spread out around the island. They're self contained, so there are not little restaurants around the corner, because pretty much all the tourists eat within their resorts.

In fact, what you'll find is that it's incredibly difficult to even pop into another resort to take a look. If you don't go to an all inclusive place, you are going to probably end up spending all the money there anyway.

Now, in some places, all inclusive often means down market but in Mauritius that's not necessarily the case. Even the four and five stars will offer all inclusive packages, some of which will even include their drinks. I have stayed at the Maritim, Beau Rivage and Le Tousserok which offered inclusive rates, and had very good food.

There is a huge wide range of hotels, from very family focused right through to those very exclusive ones. In fact, that's the whole appeal of Mauritius, that it is quite a wide spread. Although, saying that, bearing in mind because of the nature of tourism they are encouraging, it's a relatively expensive place to go to.

#4 GET A PRIVATE TRANSFER
The other thing to do, is book a private transfer if you can, versus the bus transfers. The reason for that is because the hotels are spread out quite a lot, and can be over a hour to get to. What happens if you get a bus transfer is that it tends to hop from hotel, to hotel, to hotel - so you can end up taking forever to get to your hotel because you're going from venue to venue to venue.

When you go back to the airport, it's also very frustrating. It takes a lot of time because they're dropping off and fetching people. So if you can, book some kind of private transfer because it's much more efficient, it's much less hassle, and all that kind of thing.

#5 WATER SPORTS
The hotels are very self contained, and most will offer lots of activities, particularly water sports that will include skiing, snorkeling, kayaks, small sailing boats and such like for free.

There is also a water park. Although quite run down, it’s a great water park actually. Because tourists tend to stay within their hotels, not many tourists go. In fact, both times we went they actually had to open many of the rides for us!

If you go to Mauritius, you must go snorkeling and if you're so inclined, go diving. The sea in Mauritius is just spectacular. It's crystal, crystal clear. Even if you've never wanted to go snorkeling, do it. We went out snorkeling and most hotels as I mentioned will have 2 trips a day.

It was just amazing. The things you see. The fish you see and it's quite deep where you go to. It's unbelievably amazing.

#6 HIRE A CAR FOR A DAY
Hire a car for just one day. Every time I have been, we keep making the mistake of hiring it for more than one day. You don't need it. One day is enough. The island is so small. It's only 30 miles by 40 miles and it's very easy to explore.

There's one major motorway which heads from the South up to the North. There's lots of little side roads, and easy to get horribly lost, which we did. But because it's not so big, you find your way back.

You basically want to go from North to South, whichever way you're staying. Up at the top of the island in the North is a place called Grand Baie. It's a very nice little bay with lots of yachts and boats. There is also a 40 minute police Safari submarine tour and the guard at Grand Baie and it goes under about 20 meters and 30 meters in depth.

On the way, too, there's a couple of good stops to make. The first stop to make is at the Pamplemousses Botanical Garden. It's a 60 acre garden. It has a pond of very famous Victoria Amazonica Lilies. These are monstrous, huge, big lilies. I think some of them are about eight feet or more in size, in diameter. They're just incredible, and just absolutely beautiful!

Then they also have a lot of palms. The Royal Palm, the Brazilian Queen Palm, Raffia Palms, Chinese Lady Palm. I'm not big into looking at plants, but this was a great day out and these huge, big trees.

There's also a very beautiful house in the botanical garden, which used to be an official residence. Just outside the house, there are all these trees have been planted by famous visitors and you can actually check out the history of the island based on who planted the trees when. If you walk along, you'll see everyone from Mahatma Gandhi through to Nelson Mandela through to British royalty.

As you walk down, you can almost see how the change in politics and influence. The island is leaning towards a European history with its link to Holland, to the UK, to France, but it has got strong ties with the East with obviously places like India because of the huge Indian population.

China, because of the nature of the Chinese people there and of course, Africa. So you can almost walk along and you could almost plot based on by day, the celebrity that's been there planting theses trees, how the politics of the island has changed. It's really fascinating. It's incredible whose been there and planted trees. It's just quite amazing so that's something really, really worth doing.

The only other place to visit is Port Louis, which is the capital. They have a very nice waterfront complex on the large harbor there, as obviously most things have to be shipped in to Mauritius.

It's not amazing, but it's very nice time to spend some time there to have something to drink or to eat or whatever. There is also a small casino, and they are not that strict about dress codes and things and that's quite good.

Mauritius. It's a magical place to visit. Be careful about when you visit. Go there only if you like to unwind. Book a hotel that has got an all inclusive package and lots of features. Make sure that you get a private transfer. Hire a car for one day, because there's only three big things to see, which is the Pamplemousses Botanical Garden, Grand Baie and the tour and Port Louis.

For my photos of Mauritius click here and here

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Prague, Czech Republic. Review, photos and video tour of this magical European city

2010-04-24T22:01:00.000Z

What an amazing place Prague is. Perfect for a weekend visit.

I had been to Prague (capital of the Czech Republic) twice over the last 10 years or so, and both times only saw the airport to hotel to meeting room and back to the airport. I decided it was time to change that and arranged a 3 night long weekend visit. And wish I had done it sooner.

Prague in recent years has had a reputation of being a bit of a tourist nightmare, renowned at one time for rowdy stag and hen weekends (largely people from the UK arriving on low cost flights) and in summer being rammed full, especially with US tourists who have added Prague as a must-see in their European schedule along with Paris.

It is clear that Prague is a very popular destination, the 6th most visited city in Europe I read somewhere (if that means anything) but as the heart of the old part of the city is quite compact and small, it does feel very busy as tourists all work (and walk) a fairly small route and area - as all the must-see attractions and in that area.

The city centre itself is quite remarkable. It is very ancient, undisturbed and fairy tale like. This is helped by the fact that it was occupied by the Germans in the 2nd World War, and was not bombed during its liberation. It seems then that all the development of new residential and tower blocks was made well out of the centre, and from the hills withing in the old city you can see what looks to be rather unattractive developments out of the city. I also wonder if during the Soviet years (after the Russians famously sent tanks in during 1968 to crush a move to greater democracy) there was not a lot of investment and upgrading and so the old buildings were retained. Ready for post iron curtain revival. I know that is true of the Petrin Tower which closed in 1979 for a decade as it had fallen into disrepair and was only recently restored and reopened.

It is noticeable how the local population and even the attractions across the area make almost no reference to the Soviet era in the history of the country and city itself. This is something I had noticed years ago when I had first visited for work, and also with local colleagues. People are uncomfortable talking about the part of history, and like to focus on the very far past, the now and the future. This is understandable.

The old part of Prague is especially remarkable. It is very magical and is like stepping back in time. Even the streets are cobbled through much of the old town!

The other thing that struck me is how small in relative terms the historical and so more tourist area of the city is. This is great as it is very easy to walk around the city and see everything you need to. It does though also make it quite busy, as all the tourists and sight seeing visitors are in a fairly compact area. It also means that in a weekend visit you can comfortably visit and see the major attractions you need to and should see.

The centre of Prague was incredibly neat and clean. It was something I noticed and yet you don't seem to see people constantly cleaning, but the city is immaculately clean and neat.

As mentioned, the city is packed with sightseeing crowds. It was also interesting that there seemed to be a lot of young visitors of college, university and young traveller age (as well as school trips). It may have partly been the time of year, but it really stood out that the city seemed to attract and appeal to a fairly young crowd, and not sure if that is its history, if it is trendy or if also there is a lot of inexpensive young traveller friendly accommodation.

One other observation was the amount of glassware shops dotted around the city selling blown glass ornaments and vases. There seemed to be a constant flow of them. Also (and not sure why but there must be a good reason) there were a lot of shops selling puppets (the kind on strings). Again these seemed to be all over the place. I guess both of these have emerged to serve the large tourist trade. But both felt a bit tacky.

Easter is a big thing in Prague. There is a large Market in the Old Town Square, and all over town they sell easter eggs. But unlike in the UK these are not chocolate treats, but actual eggs that are hollowed out and very intricately designed. They are quite something, though you soon realise that this must be a large commercial enterprise as although there are many designs, all the shops and stalls are selling the same ones. So they are very impressive but not that personal or individual. But it still made me wonder what they do with the huge amounts of egg they must suck out of the shells (as assume you can't get whole yolks out through the tiny holes) and than how they carve and decorate on such a scale. I never worked that riddle out!

So what are my tip tips for travellers visiting Prague?

#1 Getting there and getting around

As I mentioned, there is a very large airport with many connections and options including low-cost airlines from many European, and especially the UK, cities. It can be very cost effective to get to and from Prague. The airport is about half an hour by car from the city, and buses are the easiest way. Or book a pick-up in advance via the hotel you are staying at. Many of the tourist leaflets advise that if you are using a taxi from a taxi rank, or hailing one, that you agree a price before the trip, as there seems to have been some issues with rip-off and over-charging. I noted that at some taxi ranks across the city there were signs with guidelines on what a fare you should expect to pay, so you can make sure you agree the right price.

If you stay in the city itself, it is very easy to get around either by walking (as places that you are likely to want to see are all within reasonable walking distance). The other option is to use the Tram system. The tram network is very comprehensive and covers the city well, and well out into the suburbs. You can buy a day pass from hotel desks and corner shops. It is very inexpensive and very good value, and we found it easy to figure out the trams and routes. The daily pass also allows you to ride the venicular tram up to the Petrin Tower, which is must see and amazing it is included.

Another tip is to make sure you have change with you as everywhere charges for the toilet, even at attractions!

#2 When to go
Like most of Europe, summer will be jam packed in Prague. But it will also very stunning as the days will be long and warm and on the hills that overlook this pretty city are many outside bars and restaurants that would be great to sit and look at the scenery and to watch the people pass by.

Easter is a good time to go, as this is an important time in the city with the fair and lots of other activities and events going on.

In winter when there is snow on the ground and city, it is very beautiful and adds to the fairy tale feeling and look of the city. Though the streets and cobbles are quite icy and so getting around is less easy.

#3 Tours. Better to do it yourself
Unlike other major tourist cities, there is not the usual "open air bus tour". This is partly I assume because the main things that you need to see you can't get to on a bus - and need to walk to anyway. There are some tours that drive you to some of the key places and then escort you on foot into the various areas. So they may be worthwhile if you are not up for walking all the way, or don’t want to work out the trams.

As walking around is so key, there are many walking tours and tour companies. Though I think you can do this yourself. We saw loads of people walking around clutching a guide book so they could get the history and background. This for me is the best recommendation, assuming you can handle to walking.

One other feature are vintage open top cars that take you on a drive round the city, but they are quite expensive but seem popular. These seem to hang around by the Charles Bridge and near to Old Town Square.

There are also river tours along the beautiful river but they tend to be lunch or dinner cruises.

The must do sights to see and the routes I suggest:
Day one/ route one: Walk across the Charles Bridge, then through the old streets into the Old Town Square
Day Two/ route two: Walk up to the Castle and explore that for half a day, and then walk down the hill and catch the tram and visit the Petrin Tower.

Charles Bridge: This dates back to the 14th century and is one of the most famous landmarks of the city. It is also a magnet for tourists. There are huge barricade towers on both sides of the bridge, and very old and complex statutes dotted along it. There are small artist stands selling pictures, jewellery and the such. The views are stunning and great photo opportunities. On the one side is one of the tourist offices.

Old Town Square: After crossing the bridge you follow the crowds as they weave through the narrow streets with stunning old buildings and eventually come to the large Old Town Square. Just as you enter the square is the famous Astronomical Clock (which you can pay a fee to enter and climb right up the tower). It is quite amusing to watch as at the top of the hour, when it performs, huge crowds gather around the tower all staring at it and pointing their cameras at it. In Easter in the square is a large fair selling food and drink, with small stage. Around the square are many restaurants of varying quality and price.

As the Old Square is such an attraction, around it are many shops and other smaller destinations. One of the more popular is the Chocolate Museum and attached shop. The museum has a fee to enter, but in the shop they do demonstrations on making rock and sweets and attracts a big audience.

The Castle. This huge complex looks over the city from the top of a steep hill. This complex is quite something. It really is a city within a city and is very impressive and very popular. We walked up the steep hill and from up there are the most amazing views. You enter through impressive gates, with guards that people try and make laugh while they pose with them. You then enter this large square and have to queue to buy tickets. This was not that efficient, not helped by the fact that they take most currencies and so they keep having to work out rates. You can also hire an audio tour but have to go to a different line for that. There are 2 main tickets, which basically let you into more or less of the buildings and areas within the complex.
We had the one that let us into about 5 areas. This was plenty.

You go into the vast castle with its huge open hall. Round it are boards explaining the history and key events that took place. We also went into some of the churches, an old street that used to house the shops and workshops (and for those of you Harry Potter fans looked and felt like Diagonal Alley!). The buildings are huge, impressive and in amazing good repair.

You come out of the castle near the old vineyards, and this gives more stunning views. We walked down the hill and caught a tram across to the Petrin Tower.

Petrin Tower. This was built in the late 1800s inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Perched on top of another large hill opposite the castle, you reach it by a long venicular railway. It can have long queues to use it, and if you don't want to wait then you can walk up through the park. Apparently Hitler had wanted the tower pulled down as he felt it ruined the view from the castle, but locals resisted. It was closed in 1979 as it was in a state of disrepair and reopened about 15 years later after restoration. I loved it. You climb up the stairs to the first level (about 100 stairs) and then over another 100 to the top. You need to have a good head for heights! The view from the 1st level (which we went to) is just amazing and you can see for miles and miles. Next to the tower is an old exhibit dating from the same era of a mirror maze and a room of mirrors that distort your image which children loved.

Prague was a great few days, and even better than I had expected it to be. There are many great hotels and restaurants and shops as well. Highly recommended.

Watch my audio and video tour of Prague with all of the sites mentioned above and more:

Watch a video and audio tour I did of the Petrin Tower:

To see all my photos on Flickr: click here

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Hotel De Paris Monte Carlo Monaco: What is is like staying at one of the iconic hotels of the world?

2010-04-15T12:28:00.001Z

The first time I went to Monaco was when I was 20. I was on a camping holiday and we had stopped in Nice at a site there, and the bus had taken us to Monaco for the evening. I know I was 20 as we could not get into the casino as you had to be 21, and I was near to my birthday.

I remember us taking photos on the steps and looking at the grand and expensive Hotel De Paris opposite saying one day I would be back, and well off enough to stay there.

It took 30 years, but finally this week I kept that promise. Though to be fair, I was not paying as was on a work trip to attend a conference..

But I am glad I have got to stay at one of the "iconic" hotels of the world, famous for its location.

The outside looks stunning and very grand, and it must be on of the most photographed and videoed hotel facades in the world. The lobby is even more breathtaking. It is big, dramatic, ornate and grand. It has a sense of importance and style. I felt myself breath in as I had not expected it.

You always know when you are checking into an expensive hotel (in my experience) when the reception is seated at a standalone desk and they ask you to sit down versus standing in front of their desk while they tap away on the computer. The Hotel de Paris is like this, and someone keeps trying to wrestle your luggage off you to carry it.

The hotel room I had (408) was a strange mix of looking and feeling like you were staying at your grandmother's house, as the furniture and style was very old-fashioned with pieces that had been updated but surprisingly cheaply for the nature and cost of the hotel. The bathroom medicine cabinet looked very cheap and the cupboards were cheap looking aluminium. The bathroom unit was very old fashioned. The place though was very clean and neat. The room I had had a stunning view across to the yacht basin, and so this made it very pretty and also very quiet as did not face onto the main square where the casino is. It was great opening the shutters and looking at the view.

In the bathroom they have La Parire toiletries and you are left some of their creams on your bed at night. The bed was large and fairly comfortable but not amazing.

Overall service is good and formal, but not amazing or better than many other hotels. Though I do believe from others staying there that is you need something done you will find people go out of their way to do it. Like walking your dog! I was amazed at how many people seemed to be staying there with their little lapdogs.

The food and drink is outrageously expensive. A Cesar salad and Diet Coke in the bar will set you back close to 30 Euros, and it is hard to have a meal in room service that will cost you up to 80 Euros. But I guess that comes with the nature and location of the hotel.

I had a hire car and parked it in the garage under the casino square and that was very close to the hotel

I am glad to have finally got to stay here, as is one of the trophy hotels of the world. It is a bit stuffy for me overall, but is great to be able to say I have stayed there.

Watch the video of the outside of the hotel, the amazing lobby and my room (408) and the view:

Read my blog posting on Monaco itself: click here
See all my photos of Monaco and the hotel on Flickr: click here

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MONACO: one of the most surreal places you can visit in Europe.

2010-04-12T06:28:00.001Z

Monaco has to be one of the most surreal and strange places in the Western World.

Some have likened it to the facade of a Disney resort and others to the obscene and visible display of a Las Vegas. But for me it is neither, it is just a very strange place. And unless you are living there for tax purposes it is hard to see why you would want to live there.

The city and country (as at around 2km square it all is the same) largely comprises of uninspiring, large and very unimpressive tower blocks. The very tower blocks from the 50s, 60s and 70s that popped up post was across many European cities. The one difference being they cost outrageous sums of money.

Monaco is jam full of buildings. Space was limited, although some land reclamation and building into the sea helped expand the space a bit - but when they did they threw up more tall blocks.

Underneath most of the city there seems to be either vast parking garages or road tunnels. The whole underneath of the city seems to be a world for cars. This was driven by necessity as there would have had to be valuable building space given up, and also they needed to figure out how to get a lot of traffic in, around and out of the city.

I had never been sure what the difference between Monaco and Monte Carlo was - if anything. I discovered that Monte Carlo is a district within Monaco, with the country and capital both being called Monaco (as they are one and the same). The famous Formula 1 Grand Prix takes place each May in the Monte Carlo district, which is kind of the centre of the most know and visited area of Monaco where the Casino and Hotel De Paris are located.

Monaco is a strange quirk as it is ruled by the Grimaldi Family, who have done so for many hundred of years (since 13th century). It is an independent state, with only the Vatican being smaller. And although they have their own tax and business regime (there is no personal income tax) and run local affairs, the major things like defence and the such are set and guaranteed by France.

It is a place where locals are in the minority by far, with most residents being wealthy foreigners seeking the nil income tax. You have to be wealthy to be allowed to buy property. Apparently though you cannot be a French tax exile as this is an agreement with the French government.

The state is under pressure from many governments to be more open with their financial institutions, as there is a feeling that it is not only a place where the rich are using it for tax avoidance in their home countries, but also that it is used to launder money by organised crime and other illegal organisations.

As there is a lot of wealth, you see spectacular yachts (well more like ships) in the yacht basin, a lot of elderly wealthy people, over dressed over ostentatious people strolling about dressed to display wealth and very up-market stores to serve that all up.

It all is very conspicuous consumption. It is also outrageously expensive, both for hotels and food and drink.

Monaco also is obsessed with security. It has the largest number of police per capital (who are very visible) and the whole place is riddled with CCTV cameras. They literally are everywhere.

The other obsession is cleanliness. The place is kept very clean and very neat!

What are my tips?

#1 don't stay, just day trip it
It is outrageously expensive to stay in Monaco. And on top of the room, costs for everything is hefty. A simple Cesar Salad in hotels will be around 20 euros at least.

There really is not a lot to do in Monaco, and a day trip from Nice or Cannes is very easy.

It takes about 30 minutes on the motorway from Nice, and the drive is quite pretty , and even prettier on the old winding route through the mountains. That has not toll, but the motorway has a toll getting in and out of Monaco and one on the A8 motorway.

There is also bus and train options.

As mentioned there are huge amounts of parking garages, that are not that expensive. And once parked you can walk everywhere you need to.

The best is to park in the Casino area in the easy to remember Avenue Du Casino!

There are some trolley train tours around the principality if you don't feel like walking, as it is quite steep.

The currency is the Euro and you don't need passports. It is just like driving to any city within France. And unless you know the history and arrangement you would have no idea.

When to go?
In May they have the vintage rally (start of May) and the Grand Prix (mid May). The Grand Prix is famous as goes right through and round the city streets, and it takes them almost 6 weeks to prepare all the roads, protective barriers etc.

There are also many congresses and shows held mostly at the Grimaldi Forum which is located on the beach front.

At christmas there is a small market held in the yacht basin.
#2 Casino and Hotel De Paris
The 2 most famous sights of Monaco. And at any time of the day and night, there will be a gaggle of tourists snapping pictures of both, and posing next to the massive and exotic cars that owners like to leave outside for people to oggle over.

You can see inside the casino if over 21 in the day even if in casual clothes, but will struggle to get into the hotel unless you staying there or dressed smartly and say you going to the bar to eat or for drinks (and in evening that means jacket, etc). The lobby is incredible and worth seeing.

I stayed at the hotel and have a video of the hotel and room, as well as a review on the blog.

As an aside, residents of Monaco are not allowed to gamble in the casino!

#3 Yacht Basin
From the casino area, walk down the winding hill to the left (or right) and go to the yacht basin.

This is incredible. The most jaw dropping ships are there. It is mind boggling the wealth that owners must have. It is really quite something.
In winter there is a christmas market and fair at the basin that is fun.

#4 walk round the cliffs to the museum
Walk through the yacht basin and round to the sea and follow the path along the sea and up to the oceanographic museum. There are great views and if you want can do the museum. There is bus station if you are tired of walking! But worth walking back.

#5 Aquarium and the Gardens
The 2 real tourist attractions is the aquarium (Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium) which is well respected and stocked (and I have never been!), and the gardens (Jardin Exotique) half way up the mountain (again I have never been)

There are also some small museums that include cars owned by the late monarch, one on Napolenic stuff and a stamp one.

Then that is Monaco done! Easily in a day trip.. Or less.

The Monaco Oceonagraphic Museum

Monte Carlo Casino

To see all my photos of Monaco and surrounding area: click here

Watch my video of the area around the Casino, Hotel de Paris (inside and one of the rooms) and the yacht basin:

The Rocco Forte Augustine Hotel, Prague, Czech Republic. Stunning. Great Service. Amazing Place to stay

2010-04-10T09:22:00.002Z

Based on my brief visit to The Augustine for a flying work visit, I decided to return for the Easter long weekend as I was so struck with the place - and also (of course) how beautiful Prague was and how I needed to explore it more.

So how did the hotel rate after spending 3 nights there?

Overall good, though there are some flaws that were slightly irritating for such an up-market hotel. They were though all related to housekeeping issues. Every day we were there we had to call housekeeping by late afternoon as our room had not been cleaned, and in the evening (as we had a "do not disturb" on the door) we got a card under the door which is fine..but both times it was a notice that told us our laundry had been put in the cupboard (so clearly the wrong sign). Then there were a few things not quite right (like the plug in the bath that has a control that did not work that was never noted or attended to despite very obviously not working).

But other than that, the hotel and service is cheerful, efficient and welcoming - with both the door staff and restaurant staff remembering your name and preferences. A great touch.

On this trip we were in room 220, which like my last room in the other building on 4th floor, was also in the roof so had just one small window in the bedroom and one in the bathroom. While the rooms are all stunning and very beautiful (designed apparently by Rocco Forte's sister Olga Pollizzi), I would recommend trying to get a room that has more regular windows as if you spend time in the room it can feel a bit oppressive.

I have videos of both the rooms I stayed in, the room 220 being a "classic king" and the other a superior room. While both are striking the superior room was larger and had more features (like the Bose iPod speaker docking station). The videos are on YouTube, Tripadvisor and on the blog posting.

There is only wired internet access in the room, which is unusual these days, but if you buy wired access you can get wireless in the public areas on the ground floor within that rate.

The food in the restaurant (The Monastery) is outstanding, and we ate in there quite a few times as it is a lovely space, great service and amazing food. Highly recommended.

The bar (Tom's Bar) is a nice room with murals on the ceiling and used to be the Monastery dining room. It always seems very quiet though, and while there is a good choice of cocktails they were not great (failing in my view to make a good moijto...)

I was surprised the hotel did not acknowledge I had stayed there before, as on the last trip they had made a big deal after the stay sending a survey and asking for feedback - and with technology this is a missed trick.

The hotel is in a brilliant location, as is very easy walking distance to Charles Bridge, the Palace and Lesser Town square where many trams pass through.

The gym in the basement is well equipped and a decent size. The spa seemed expensive.

A lovely hotel. Very classy and you feel special staying there.

The Rocco Forte chain owns the beautiful hotel called The Augustine in Prague.

I had been booked in there for just one night for a work meeting, and was so impressed with the look and style of the hotel and the amazing friendly, efficient and thorough service that on return home I booked in for a long weekend.

The building is interesting and unusual, as it is a collection of around 8 different building, including an old monastery, that has been connected and modelled into one hotel. This means there are unusual shapes and features, but they have made it all work. And all with great style. The fixtures, furniture and design is modern and at times unusual.

The hotel feels quiet and unrushed, and the service at all levels and across all areas is fantastic. With much of the staff remembering your name, which is something that does not happen too often these days.

My room was on the 4th floor which is in the roof, with a long passage way with big beams. The room was very large and very plush. It had wooden floors in the bedroom and then marble titled floor (with under floor heating) in the bathroom. They told me that no room is the same, and so each has individual features and styling. The room also has many features and added extras, like the Bose iPod speakers. The bed is huge and very comfortable.

There is a 24 hour gym and spa.

There are a few bars and a restaurant, which serves most of the day. The menu was diverse and tasty, with excellent service.

I am very much looking forward to going back!

Watch video of the 2 rooms I have stayed in on YouTube (click here), or on the blog posting:

Telegraph Cruise Show 2010: Olympia London

2010-03-27T21:24:00.000Z

I went to the Daily Telegraph newspaper sponsored Cruise Exhibition at the Olympia Exhibition Centre in London today. This 2 day exhibition costs around £10 per person on the door, though less if bought in advance.

We though we would head there early on the first day when it would be quiet. We arrived around 10.30 and then thing that struck us was the stream of people heading into the venue. It was absolutely packed, and once inside you had to shuffle about as was so busy. The other thing of note was the average age was clearly a bit older than other travel exhibitions that I have been to.

The largest stand, and the most impressive presence, was the Carnival stand that dominates the centre of the stand. In this stand of 9 sections covering each of their brands including Cunard, Princess, P&O, Costa etc, you had to wind your way through all to get to the end where you you put your entry for the prize cruise in. A clever tactic, but also one of the better stands. Though all stands seemed to be attracting a lot of interest, and suspect a lot of bookings get taken.

There were a number of areas where talks were being given across the day. They included one that discussed new ships; one based on Loose Women TV show sponsored by Carnival with celebrities talking about cruising, and Sky Travel one of various aspects of days at sea and choosing a cruise. These would have been helpful for people who had not a lot of cruising experience but not that very deep for those with experience.

Overall a well run exhibition and interesting.

For more: http://www.cruisingshow.co.uk/

To read about first time cruising and how to chose:

Renaissance Arc De Triomphe Hotel Paris France: Modern, stylish and great location

2010-03-23T12:23:00.001Z

The Renaissance Arc De Triomphe opened in May 2009. It is in a fabulous location near (as the name says!) to the Arc De Triomphe, and so is very central and accessible to all the central attarctions.

It is also very stylish and impressive from a decor point of view. Most of the hotel as a real "wow" factor. The lobby is bold and dramatic. The bar just off the lobby very trendy, and the restaurant is as well.

The rooms are large for Paris, with striking floor to ceiling windows, large comfortable beds and small but perfectly suitable desk for working. There is a large flat screen TV with a lot of channels in varying languages. Overall they are bright and comfortable.

The hotel is fairly expensive due to the location and the overall offering.

The meeting rooms are large and bright, with patios outside that would be great in the summer.

Overall a great hotel. Liked it

Watch the video of Room 606 (click here to watch on YouTube), or on the blog posting:

Read more about Paris Hotels:
Parisian Hideaways: Exquisite Rooms in Enchanting Hotels
Hotel de Paris