Posts in ‘Family, Kids & Senior Travelers’

Congratulations to Sarah Stocks, winner of the isango! Perfect Holiday Contest.

Sarah entertained, surprised and inspired us all with her creative description of paradise, entitled ‘Tropical Rainforest? Or is it?’.

Having received the most public votes throughout the month-long competition, she is now entitled to £500 worth if isango! products.

Way to go, Sarah!

Here is her (scandalous!) entry:

‘Tropical Rainforest? Or is it?’

He looks right into my eyes with his soulful browns, rippling muscles, dressed only in a small loin cloth. “I want to take you to a secret place high in the rainforest” he says “we can make a hammock from the vines.” His voice is so sultry, so sexy. But no, I can’t. Yes, it sounds like paradise, but I am here with my new husband on honeymoon, and he is waiting for me. “I’m so sorry I need to go.” He looks sad for a moment then says “okay, but please let me walk with you to keep you company.” We stroll in the scorching heat, passing all sorts of wild and crazy animals. We walk for miles and eventually reach my partner standing beside a huge castle. My tall, dark stranger turns to me and whispers in my ear, “maybe tomorrow you will return? Balou was looking forward to meeting you and we really need a hand to stitch that hammock.” I replied, “we’ll see, Tarzan - I still haven’t seen Tigger yet, so that’s tomorrow’s goal.” I turn to my husband with freshly dripping ice cream in his hands and think to myself, “I love Disneyland…”

Ooh la la, Sarah! Great work. We hope that your holiday fantasy comes true!

Tours:
Enchanted Rainforest Dinner

Daintree Rainforest Tour

Disneyland Adventure

Disneyworld Adventure

The cast of television sensation High School Musical will be performing special sets at Disneyland in Paris.

With the performance live at the world-famous theme park, the audiences will be given the chance to sing along and dance to the music.

High School Musical began as a modest addition to the Disney Channel’’s television schedules, but instant success saw it become one of the most-watched TV shows that year.

Two sequels have since followed, the latest of which received a cinema release across the world.

The Disneyland show will feature a collection of the best-loved songs from the TV series, as the Disney looks to spread enthusiasm for the format across continental Europe.

Disney’’s High School Musical franchise has become a huge winner for company and sports one of the biggest merchandising lines in recent memory.

The studio is clearly keen to repeat the process across the world, with a touring version of the show having already travelled across the United States.

Visit Disneyland Paris anytime between October 4th and November 2nd to enjoy Halloween at the theme park.

Treat the family to a day at one of the Disney resorts or to a splashing day out at a Spanish waterpark.

More awards are bestowed on Algarve beaches year-on-year for cleanliness and management giving visitors a greater choice.

But as an alternative to sitting on one, holidaymakers can get a good look at the coastline by spending the day onboard the stunning pirate-ship Santa Bernarda.

This beautiful two-masted sailing vessel runs regular trips from Portimao and travels along the Algarve coast to Armacao de Pera in the east and Lagos in the west.

Guests are required to arrive 30 minutes before departure on the full-day excursion which leaves port at 09:45 and sails gracefully out to sea past a mediaeval fortress.

Small launches enable guests to explore coastal caves before the ship drops anchor at a beach which is accessible only by sea for a BBQ lunch.

Here you are free to swim, go snorkelling or just take in the sun before returning to port under wind power in the evening.

The Santa Bernarda complies with EU safety regulations and crew members give a short tutorial on the use of all safety equipment on board.

For Algarve holiday reviews reviews and more about holidays in albufeira go to www.ilovealgarve.net.

More awards are bestowed on Algarve beaches year-on-year for cleanliness and management giving visitors a greater choice.

But as an alternative to sitting on one, holidaymakers can get a good look at the coastline by spending the day onboard the stunning pirate-ship Santa Bernarda.

This beautiful two-masted sailing vessel runs regular trips from Portimao and travels along the Algarve coast to Armacao de Pera in the east and Lagos in the west.

Guests are required to arrive 30 minutes before departure on the full-day excursion which leaves port at 09:45 and sails gracefully out to sea past a mediaeval fortress.

Small launches enable guests to explore coastal caves before the ship drops anchor at a beach which is accessible only by sea for a BBQ lunch.

Here you are free to swim, go snorkelling or just take in the sun before returning to port under wind power in the evening.

The Santa Bernarda complies with EU safety regulations and crew members give a short tutorial on the use of all safety equipment on board.

Active and Adventure – Air Activities – Enjoy an exhilarating helicopter ride over New York or a serene hot air balloon ride over the Australian outback.

Everyone can claim to have a dusty old edition of the Guinness Book of World Records on a shelf somewhere but visitors to Los Angeles may want to have a look at the museum.

It is situated on Hollywood Boulevard just yards from the famous Chinese Theatre and, predictably, has a section devoted to the history of the movie industry but its exhibits go way beyond that.

Showpieces include the world’’s heaviest man and there are several other curios from the realms of human endeavour, sports, architecture, and the animal kingdom.

One of the more intriguing attractions is the actual-size model of the world’’s tallest man Robert Wadlow who at eight feet, 11 and a quarter inches casts a very long shadow over and beyond the world’’s smallest woman Lucia Zarate who stood at just 26 and a half inches high.

Via the magic of television, a rare interview given by Mr Wadlow is on show but the museum tries not to exploit the freakish unlike its close neighbour – Ripley’’s Believe It Or Not museum.

This museum specialises in the bizarre and may not be suitable for the kids.

If you still haven”t had enough of the weird and wonderful, you could always cross the street and have a wander around the Hollywood wax museum.

Culture and Sightseeing – City Tours – Whichever city you are in these tours will help to ensure you do not miss a thing.

If you”re thinking about Cyprus for a holiday this year, potential visitors are reminded that it is a destination also favoured by several hundred species of birds.

The island provides an unrivalled bird-watching prospect as millions of exotic birds fill the Cypriot sky and landscape during the Northern migration journey between the continents of Europe, Africa and Asia which occurs between August and October.

Cyprus’’s geographical position provides an ideal stopover for a huge number of birds.

Some species are rarely seen anywhere else, some only visit fleetingly and leave after a day or two and some can be spotted regularly as they nest for weeks or even months.

Birdwatchers from all over the world enjoy this annual natural spectacle which can be enhanced if visitors join one of the organised tours.

Knowledgeable local experts invariably know when and where to look for the best experience and can offer informal commentary.

From the salt lakes filled with Greater Flamingos to the Troodos Mountains - home to Griffon Vultures - there is always something to see.

Go to Cyprus, millions of birds can”t be wrong.

Culture and Sightseeing – City Tours – Whichever city you are in these tours will help to ensure you do not miss a thing.

The Greek temperate climate means that there are alternatives to simply topping up your tan.

This diverse country is equally adept at presenting the adventurer with plenty of activities including a hike up to the summit of the nation’’s highest peak.

Home to the gods of ancient Greek mythology, Mount Olympus is possibly the most iconic Greek symbol and at 2,917 metres, Mytikas is the country’’s highest point.

An adventurous local named Christos Kakalos made the earliest recorded ascent in 1913 and he lived in the nearby town of Litochoro which is now a thriving tourist town in the shadow of the famous mountain.

A certain fitness level is advisable when climbing Mount Olympus as a steady ascent normally takes two days but, such is the diversity of the fauna and flora, many choose to extend their climb and make use of the many refuges on the way.

Even in summer, warm clothes, a decent pair of hiking boots, sunscreen and an easily-obtained local map are absolute necessities but no specialist gear is needed to negotiate the several well-worn trails and pathways.

Active and Adventure – Air Activities – Enjoy an exhilarating helicopter ride over New York or a serene hot air balloon ride over the Australian outback.

Visitors to the Canary Islands are generally attracted by the guaranteed sunshine and the fact that the well known resorts there have been waving goodbye to millions of satisfied customers for decades.

But there is more to Tenerife than just European gold standard beaches and the facilities and attractions to be found there.

One little-known gem which the whole family can enjoy together is the Tenerife Zoo and Monkey Park which gives visitors the opportunity to interact with sociable primates and other animals.

Although feed can be bought for the animals at the entry kiosks, guests stand a much better chance of forming a friendship with a chimpanzee if they go armed with a bag full of fruit, and the animals appear to prefer it that way too.

However, visitors are also encouraged to bring a packed lunch and take advantage of the picnic areas as there are no restaurant facilities, as long as it is understood that there may be others interested in their lunch.

There are also cappuccino monkeys, lemurs and iguanas and the park has many areas where supervised interaction takes place and where the animals will happily sit on your shoulder or hold your hand while you feed them.

Tenerife Zoo and Monkey Park is open all year-round and admission costs around €10 (£8).

Family - Theme Parks – Treat the family to a day at one of the Disney resorts or to a splashing day out at a Spanish waterpark.

Planning a family holiday well in advance can help secure the best deals, the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) has advised.

Ian Bradley, a spokesperson for the AITO, said: "One thing is to plan well in advance if you can, don”t leave it as late as possible … If you are thinking of going on holiday next year start thinking about it now."

He said that families are tied to school holidays, and so it is a "real difficult period" to travel because everybody wants to go at the same time, which is what makes it so expensive.

"The airlines put up their seats, the hotels put up their rates and a lot of that is passed onto tour operators and they have no choice but to increase their prices as well to actually meet the prices that are being passed on to them," he said.

"It’’s really a case of look ahead as far as you can as a family and decide what you want to do and get that booking in as early as possible."

In the 2008 ebookers Travel Opinion Report, 51 per cent of respondents said they were booking their holiday early as a result of the credit crunch.

Family - Theme Parks – Treat the family to a day at one of the Disney resorts or to a splashing day out at a Spanish waterpark.

Around two million Britons will be flying out of the UK this bank holiday weekend, the Association for British Travel Agents (Abta) has estimated.

Between August 22 and 25, almost one million will be flying out of the south-east of England alone - around 420,000 will leave from Heathrow, 260,000 from Gatwick, 160,000 from Stansted and 80,000 from Luton.

In addition 85,000 will use the Eurostar for trips to the continent, while a further 400,000 people use ferry or Eurotunnel.

Abta president Justin Fleming said: "The August bank holiday is our traditional goodbye to the summer and is always very busy.

"This year is no exception with large numbers escaping to guaranteed sunshine, sandy beaches and warm seas."

Mediterranean destinations like the Balearic Islands and the Greek islands remain favourites, followed by Turkey, Cyprus and Portugal.

Recently, a spokesperson for Love Cyprus said that the country was a top tourist attraction because it boasts "52 blue flag beaches and high quality activities like golfing, diving, nature trails, cycling and much more".

Family - Theme Parks – Treat the family to a day at one of the Disney resorts or to a splashing day out at a Spanish waterpark.