The trip to New Zealand was the best holiday we ever had and worth every penny. After Australia, we refused to go backpacking or stay in hostels so it was five star all the way! Well ok, maybe not five star, but certainly made sure we stayed in decent hotels. We spent 12 days in New Zealand, arriving in North Island and making our way to South Island before moving on. Our trip included visiting Auckland, the unique Waiheke Island, stinky Rotorua, Waitomo caves, gorgeous Queenstown, Mount Cook, not so impressive Christchurch and Kaikoura. Read the rest of this entry »
We booked to stay in Hong Kong for 3 nights as a stopover en route to New Zealand. Countries in Asia are on our list of places to visit but we were always quite apprehensive. I’m not sure why, but possibly because of the language barrier, so we thought 4 days in Hong Kong would be an excellent way to get a taste of Asia.
We stayed in Kowloon which wasn’t far from Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong was an interesting experience. It immediately came across as a big and bustling city, where everyone seemed to be on the run. One thing we did notice was how British it was; the city seemed to blend in an interesting way the traditional Chinese life with the Western culture. This was a great and gentle introduction to Asia; we were able to experience it without being completely out of our comfort zone. I would recommend it to anyone – who is prepared to leave the country with spots. Yes, spots! Hong Kong didn’t come across as very clean: lots of smog and rather polluted. People living there were aware of this as the majority of them were wearing some sort of masks to cover their mouths and noses. Read the rest of this entry »
Both times I went to Tenerife were for Christmas. Christmas in the sun was just what the doctor ordered! If there is one thing Tenerife has, its good weather all year round. Weather for December was just right at around 25oC on average. I stayed in Playa de las Americas in the south of the Island on both occasions and it really does have something for everyone as well as offering lots of bars and restaurants throughout the resort. Oh yes, bars = cocktails! Ahhh!! For someone who is not much of a drinker I LOVE cocktails! I had just a bit too much sangria (is that a cocktail or not?!) on Christmas day in 2001 though; I ended up dancing with a clown. Yes, a clown! *hides* I didn’t do anything embarrassing in 2007 thankfully, but Rob and I got rather addicted to the strawberry daiquiri: it was lush! It’s a good thing we can’t find that in the UK otherwise we would be alcoholics by now! Read the rest of this entry »
During our time in Gran Canaria, we stayed at Puerto Rico. Our hotel was located at the top of a hill. Not a brilliant location as it was about 150 steps to get to our hotel from the main part of Puerto Rico. Good exercise though and we can’t really grumble because we are young! Being so high up meant we had a brilliant view of Puerto Rico from the balcony of our apartment. Read the rest of this entry »
We went on the Kilimanjaro-Kimana Safari for two nights. Choosing this safari gave us the added bonus of seeing the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro as well as experiencing the delights of safari. Kilimanjaro-Kimana Game Sanctuary is set on the banks of the Kimana River as well as being situated at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. We stayed at the Kimana Lodge which had wonderful, beautiful surroundings. Read the rest of this entry »
Jambo from Kenya! Of all the greetings I’ve come across (G’day, Hola, Hi, Alright?, Hey…), Jambo is my favourite. Once we landed in Kenya after a 9 hour overnight flight we were, understandably, knackered. However, the bus journey from the airport to the hotel was a real eye-opener, falling asleep wasn’t an option. Read the rest of this entry »
We went to Venice for four days at the beginning of September 2003, just before I enrolled at Cardiff University to start my history degree. Venice is unique for the obvious reasons. One thing I liked about Venice was how everything was within walking distance. There were no cars, buses, etc in sight during our stay, which was strange at first. Venice will always hold a special place in my heart because it’s where Rob proposed. Awwh! Read the rest of this entry »