05 November 2024

We arrived at Ireland West airport after parking the car and walking the 250m to the terminal, headed for the desk and within 20 mins we had checked in, paid the departure fee and we were sitting down for some breakfast! Had a nosey around the lovely duty free and the children play area, and we got seated for a short and smooth flight to Girona; after collecting our bags we were met by our lovely taxi driver and we headed for the Costa Encantada. On arrival we were delighted to see the lovely children playground at the reception, and we headed in and got the keys to our two-bedroom suite on the 5th floor. WOW, it was fab. They are brand new rooms, and you could almost tell they were just out of the box. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a kitchenette area and a massive balcony and not forgetting the air conditioning ion the 35-degree heat. We were on all-inclusive basis and headed straight down for some lunch, the food is served in a buffet style in the restaurant. Endless amounts of food, cooked fresh with a fish station and salad bar and not forgetting the delicious desserts too. Every day there was different foods on offer, and we never got bored of the options and never ate out at all in the 10 days. Once our bellies were full it was time for a quick change into the swimming togs as the pool was calling! Not one but three pools and one children’s pool with water slides that would suit from kiddies up to teens. Adam was now in his element! Safe to say that Is where we spent the 10 days! This hotel has something for all ages, the evening interesting starts at 6pm with a kiddie’s disco before dinner starts at 7 and then there is some entertainment after that with live music and bingo. A kids club is also there and can cater from babies (the parents must stay with them) up to 12yrs of age. There is a pool bar and a snack bar down by the pool and there were so many sun loungers, no fighting was needed! It was a short walk down to the Fenals area of Lloret de mar, there is some shops and restaurants on the walk down to the stoney beach and it was around 15 min walk into Lloret de Mar, or you could have hoped on a bus at the bottom of the road. All in all, we loved it so much we have booked again for July 2025!

05 November 2024

How lucky was I to be invited on a trip of a lifetime to discover Abu Dhabi with Etihad airways and Anantara resorts. First port of call, check in at Dublin airport for our direct flight to Abu Dhabi, we were lucky enough to get to experience the East Lounge in Terminal 1, this adds a lovely start to your trip to be able to grab complimentary food and drink in a lovely relaxed environment. Off to the boarding gate for our 7hr flight, I was sat in Economy but there was plenty of legroom, a great choice of movies to choose from and the food was fab, On arrival in Abu Dhabi, we got a transfer and a speedboat to Sir Bani Yas Island our home for the next few nights and this took around 3.5hrs. We arrived at the Desert Island Resort Hotel and wow it was stunning, we all had premier sea view rooms. These rooms were spacious, bright and airy and offered a complimentary Nespresso machine and Anantara Spa amenities. We were up bright and early for day two and after a delicious breakfast in the Palm restaurant with a beautiful spread and any choice of hot breakfast cooked to order we were ready to for our wildlife game reserve! We got to see numerous species in the reserve from cheetahs and hyenas to giraffes and the Arabian Oryx, safe to say when the option to stop and walk around came we were delighted to be able to get up close and personal with the beautiful animals. We were then treated to a stunning beachside lunch before a tour of all 3 Anantara properties on the Island. The three hotels on the Island are the Desert Island Resort & Spa – this is the one we stayed in and was just fab – the lead in room is a deluxe garden view and they go all the way to suites and pool villas. Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island Al Yamm Villa Resort, this is a villa complex offering 1 or 2 bed villas and they offer a private pool. Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island Al Sahel Villa Resort another villa complex that offers a plunge pool in each room, this would be a great option if you want to be at one with Nature as this complex shares the great outdoors with all of the animals living around you. Wake up, open your curtains and have your morning coffee with a lovely Giraffe. After the tour we got to have a free afternoon at the pool, then it was time to get ready for a beachside dining experience, the perfect way to end our time in Sir Bani Yas Island. After breakfast we checked out and headed for the speedboat to go on the next adventure to Qasar Al Sarab. Wow what an entrance to a hotel... This place was like nothing I had ever seen before. We had entered the largest sand desert called the Empty Quarter. We were taken on golf buggies to our rooms to offload our bags and we were all treated to experience the 1 bedroom Villa with private pools, Outstanding, amazing and WOW... We then went on a hotel tour and checked out the rest of the rooms and each one is as nice as the next, all different options and with amazing views of the Dunes. This hotel has several different dining experiences to choose from with a beautiful pool area also. After our stay here we headed back to Abu Dhabi for our flight home and were surprised with a trip to the W hotel on the Abu Dhabi formula one track. We had a lovely tour and a beautiful dinner – such a lovely treat before heading home, but the surprises were not over there! I flew home on Etihad in business class and WOW my first time in business and it was to die for. The food, the movies, THE BED! Even my bags coming out first! Abu Dhabi I’ll be back!

09 November 2021

We checked in at Dublin airport for the Aer Lingus direct flight to Miami... now it was time for the Honeymoon to begin! We landed in Miami and onwards to our hotel the ME Miami hotel, which was Wow! It was such a fab hotel in the downtown area of Miami (and across the road from a good shopping centre which was very convenient as we were there around thanksgiving). We had two nights in Miami before heading on a cruise, so we had to make the most of it! Hop on - Hop Off tour was done so that we could find our bearings! Such a beautiful clean city, you could just soak up the sun or adventure... we tried to do both. A trip to Miami beach is a must, its fab down that side and there is a great street called Lincoln Road that has a full length of bars and restaurants and of course more shops! After two busy days and nights, we stepped onboard MSC Seaside.... what a ship! We had a balcony cabin, and it was to die for. I didn’t really know what to expect as it was my first Cruise, but it blew all my expectations! The buffet area alone would nearly take a day to walk around, and this ship had two. We saw some beautiful places like San Juan and Barbados. So much activity on board during the day and shows every night and the ship had a nightclub, which of course we tried out! All in all, it was a fabulous week and its true what you hear, I rolled off the ship from all the food I ate! Leg three, we moved onto New York, now keep in mind the first two destinations were sunny, so light clothes was needed, New York was FREEZING!! I had packed my hand luggage with my Irish winter clothes, but shopping was still required to get a jacket as we hadn’t understood the bitter cold of New York!! New York has a spot in my heart and no matter how many times I come here I always feel like it’s the first... to walk around Time Square it just magical. As we had been here before we didn’t do the “Hop On - Hop Off tour, but we did a lot of walking as traffic is manic! We headed for Central Park to see could we find Kevin McCallister and the Pigeon Lady from the movie Home Alone 2, we didn’t find either, but we did find a lovely pub and had two delicious Bud Lights! A trip to the Statue of Liberty and Eilis Island to find our forefathers and our New York adventure was over this time as we headed back to ‘COLD’ Ireland! If you would like to chat about any of the destinations in this blog, please contact me.

09 November 2021

This trip had been a bucket list of mine for a long time, we took off from Dublin airport on the direct flight to San Francisco which took just 10 hours, but it was the longest single flight I had taken up to that point. Our Motel on the bottom of Lombard Street had a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge... what I had forgotten to check was how busy the street was when requesting the view so I’ve a few tips on that score! Straight away we headed for Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39, and I absolutely loved it here! It’s such an accessible city as the tram runs through and you can jump on and off at any point. Just make sure you have a ticket! My favourite thing to do in every place that I visit, is to take a Hop On/Hop Off tour as I find it really helps with getting your bearings. The highlight of San Francisco for us was a trip to Alcatraz, this was excellent, and I was so glad I booked the tickets in advance as it was absolutely jammed and would have been impossible to book locally. We cycled across the Golden Gate Bridge and into Sausalito and took the ferry back. We jammed as much as we could into the 4 days and walked the feet off ourselves, but it was so worth it. SFO I'll be back! On day 5 we headed for Las Vegas! We took a flight from San Francisco, and it was just over an hour. I still can feel that sense of Wow when we landed! For us, Vegas is one of the most fabulous places on Earth! We only had three nights, but I would have stayed for ten! We stayed in the Circus Circus hotel and what I loved from the whole area was how each place was themed and no two places were the same. Next door to us was the New York, New York Hotel, and herself the statue of Liberty sitting nicely outside it! Another Hop On/Hop Off tour and we had our bearings! Before you ask, we didn’t do the Grand Canyon. I know, I know... but I really didn’t have the time and so we bought the postcard to show all at home! From the Casino’s to the shopping, we covered most of Vegas. The Old part of Las Vegas is so interesting, we visited nearly all the hotels on the strip as each one was more exciting than the next, so I can give a good view of what’s on offer. The time went too fast, and it was off home to rainy Ireland again – until the next time. If you would like to chat about San Francisco or Las Vegas, please give me a call.

08 November 2021

We headed to lovely Lanzarote in June, first stop to drop the bags at the Aqua Suites hosted by the fabulous team there, Wow what a place! I really enjoyed this property, and our room was huge and overlooked the pool with a lovely balcony and it was really private. It is a couple of minutes away from the beach but far enough away from the “Strip” for pure silence at night time. We booked Half Board, and I cannot recommend the food enough, we could swap a dinner for lunch when we choose, both lunch and dinner are totally worth trying. In the evening we headed for the Puerto del Carmen Strip with such an array of bars and restaurants, Mulligans was our haunt as an Irish band sang each evening; we had a ball!! On this holiday, we split our stay and moved to a different property halfway through, Aqua Suites for three nights then we headed for Matagorda and the Sentido Aequorea Lanzarote Suites. Oh, My Days… we thought this place is the Bees Knees! A huge property, with rooms for two people or a spacious master suite to sleep 6. They have an adult only location with adult only restaurants and a family area with children only restaurants! Something to suit the whole family! We stayed here on an all-inclusive basis, and it was mostly buffet but it was a great buffet in my view and even the fussiest of eaters would be fine! It’s safe to say the staff at Mulligans did ask had we our CVs with us as they had seen us so much that week, but the fun came to a drastic end when the alarm was set for 5am and it was time for home! Shannon airport welcomed us as we jumped in the car and headed for the green and red of Mayo!