Holidays 2024

[Chillidoggy]

8 minutes ago, Sparky said:

We'll be leaving the MIL behind many times this year, in the vain hope she'll make another uncontrolled flight into terrain from the top of the stairs.

Oooh, remote controlled tripwires, eh? Who’d a thought.

[Sparky]

So far it's been very basic.  A roller skate here, silicon sprayed floor there...

[C8RKH]

3 hours ago, Dan E said:

USA, now we love the US we even got married there, if you can get to the Gulf Coast of Florida there is a place called Anna Maria Island, stunning place where got married at The Beach Bar. This was when is it was 2 dollars to the pound so 36 guests and i promise you our wedding cost less than most wedding dresses do today. 

We have done a lot of the US but stand out place for me was Austin Texas and Arizona is wonderful, I am never going back to Las Vegas I have been once out of choice and 3 times because of stags and weddings and will never go back the place is my idea of hell. 

Totally agree with you re Vegas. Had to go this time last year for a company "sales kickoff". I hated EVERY minute of it there, apart from the private concert we had with The Killers, which was, as it was The Killers, just superb. Don't ask how much it cost for them to do it!

Arizona - wow, always wanted to go. Tell me more. Anna Maria Island. Sounds superb, tell me more!  Share some pictures (not the wedding night, obviously!).  These are now on my bucket list for the US. Thanks.

[Chillidoggy]

We went to Vegas just because we were passing by and we’d never been before. So we could say we’d been. If and when God decides to smite us all down, that’s where he’ll start.

Aside from the Blue Man group, which was one of the best gigs I’ve ever seen in my life, and the very spooky Titanic exhibition, it was all completely trashy to me.

[Sparky]

Tracy loves LAS unfortunately, so we've been numerous times.  It redeems itself by being ideally situated for access to some fantastic drives and sights.

[drdoom]

Vegas is indeed a trashy shrine to Mammon, craftily built up to grandiose scale over the years. Cirque de Soleil was highly entertaining, the rest . . . . meh. Glad we were off home after 4 nights. In future we might fly there only to set forth on a holiday into the nearby natural attractions and outdoor activities.

[C8RKH]

10 hours ago, Sparky said:

Tracy loves LAS unfortunately, so we've been numerous times.  It redeems itself by being ideally situated for access to some fantastic drives and sights.

True. I had a great day in  off-road buggies there in the wilds. Not too expensive either really.

[oneshot]

Been to Vegas once - as it happens wasn't a place we wanted to go but I won a competition and got invited to a Microsoft conference courtesy of Microsoft. They paid for the flights, room and conference. 

Took the opportunity to do a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon. Included touching down in the canyon for sandwiches and champagne.

[Escape]

I'm sure I'll be visiting UK several times in 2024. 🙂
Technically, I've already had my first holiday of the year, on the 1st and 2nd of Jan.

We've now started looking at France: Bretagne and Normandy. Which is a bit further than I thought, so best to make a solid plan. We've been talking about this for about 4 years, but it never materialised. This year I'm determined to tick some boxes on the bucket list. As things are looking now, I'll be taking my trusty Excel. I'm sure she'll have no trouble with a 1500 miles road trip. 😎 

[eeyoreish]

Does nobody (apart from @Escape) go on holiday in the UK any more? Oh well... If you do happen to fancy a few days on the South Coast near to Goodwood etc give us a thought 🙂🐴. We're car/Lotus friendly, obviously!

http://airbnb.com/h/the-stables-chidham

http://airbnb.com/h/the-hayloft-chidham

Edited January 7 by eeyoreish

[Sparky]

Airline staff tend to spend most of their holiday time in far-flung places, so I've made a conscious effort to also go domestic in recent years and have spent time in Devon/Cornwall/Dorset/Scotland/Wales.  This is a glorious island to explore - as long as the weather's half-decent!  Desperate to get back to the Western Isles as they are heaven, and the ferry services are pretty good.  Except for that crap Islay-Jura boat that's always broken when I want to get to the distillery...

[Dan E]

20 hours ago, C8RKH said:

Totally agree with you re Vegas. Had to go this time last year for a company "sales kickoff". I hated EVERY minute of it there, apart from the private concert we had with The Killers, which was, as it was The Killers, just superb. Don't ask how much it cost for them to do it!

Arizona - wow, always wanted to go. Tell me more. Anna Maria Island. Sounds superb, tell me more!  Share some pictures (not the wedding night, obviously!).  These are now on my bucket list for the US. Thanks.

a private concert with "The Killers!!" yes that would work,I do not normally jealous but ............

Anna Maria is wonderful they are not allowed to build over 3 stories I believe and every building is in pastel colours, we got married on the beach, and i am not making this up,  as we said our vows a shit load of dolphins came in and started cocking about in the sea! We stayed for a Month, my biggest regret is we looked at buying a house there, then "bottled" it, now we can't afford one!! 

[Dan E]

in fact I am just looking and the cheapest house is 1.5 million we could have bought one back in the day for 450K! bollocks! 

[Sparky]

But would you have been happy?  You wouldn't have met any of the fine fellows here.  Nor the crap ones.

[C8RKH]

Oi. I resemble that remark @Sparky

[Chillidoggy]

In my experience, there's a big problem with holidaying in Florida - Never knowing who's going to be knocking on your front door while you're in the pool tipping a large G&T down your neck.

[Sparky]

Be afraid...

[Spinney]

On 06/01/2024 at 10:29, Dan E said:

USA, now we love the US we even got married there, if you can get to the Gulf Coast of Florida there is a place called Anna Maria Island, stunning place where got married at The Beach Bar. This was when is it was 2 dollars to the pound so 36 guests and i promise you our wedding cost less than most wedding dresses do today. 

 

That's brought back memories. We used to stay a lot on Longboat Key just down from Anna Maria and the Beach Bar on AM was an oft visited watering hole for us. Always good food and plenty of life there.

One of our most entertaining US trips was a week at a Dude Ranch outside Tucson (think City Slickers). I'd only ever ridden a horse, badly, once before and my wife and son never had but still, for some godforsaken reason, we decided it was a great way to spend a week. You'd be paired up with a suitable steed at the beginning of the week and ride the same one every day where possible. I've always been highly distrustful of horses and the fact they can actually think for themselves but I have to admit it was a real hoot!

We didn't need to mess about with saddling up or suchlike as that was all done for us and the horses then 'valet parked' for us whenever we dismounted. Had some great rides up into the mountains, eating breakfast served from a chuck wagon and then riding off into the wilderness, dried river beds and more mountain scenery. Some horses could get a bit frisky but by the end of the week we were all able to handle them pretty well. We loved the whole experience.

[ChrisJ]

I've only ever ridden a horse in Matopos National Park in Zimbabwe - back in the early 1990s. It was a great experience. The horse would know where you were going - to visit Bushman paintings in a cave, then where there "might" be some game to view, so there wasn't much steering involved - couldn't get the hang of trotting. Stop for lunch. Once you got back on the horse, it knew it was going home, and knew the route, and would take off like the wind, with yours truly just hanging on for dear life.

I have visited the park more than once, and have done the same horse riding more than once, the last bit was the best part

 

 

 

[Kimbers]

On 07/01/2024 at 09:59, eeyoreish said:

Does nobody (apart from @Escape) go on holiday in the UK any more? Oh well... If you do happen to fancy a few days on the South Coast near to Goodwood etc give us a thought 🙂🐴. We're car/Lotus friendly, obviously!

http://airbnb.com/h/the-stables-chidham

http://airbnb.com/h/the-hayloft-chidham

Wish I'd known! We just booked a place for the Sussex Art Fair in Goodwood in May! Literally up the road from you in West Dean! 

It's still a plan for Wendy and I to do a Cattle drive in the States. We are both fair riders. Anyone done that? Not staying on a dude ranch, a proper drive.

Also its my plan to do Route 66 on a Harley. I would buy one and ship it after (if I fell in love with it).

[Sparky]

Route 66 is now a shadow of its former self.  Roads in disrepair, derelict buildings, deserted towns.  It's a fascinating photographic study, but I think you'd be disappointed in it as a bucket list item.  Route 50 is waaay more fun if, as you say, you don't like people.

[Kimbers]

35 minutes ago, Sparky said:

Route 66 is now a shadow of its former self.  Roads in disrepair, derelict buildings, deserted towns.  It's a fascinating photographic study, but I think you'd be disappointed in it as a bucket list item.  Route 50 is waaay more fun if, as you say, you don't like people.

That's what I love about it. And Wendy will have years worth of grimy urban nature scenes to paint!

[eeyoreish]

45 minutes ago, Kimbers said:

Wish I'd known! We just booked a place for the Sussex Art Fair in Goodwood in May! Literally up the road from you in West Dean! 

Arghh. Maybe next time...

[Dave Eds]

2 hours ago, Kimbers said:

 

Also its my plan to do Route 66 on a Harley. 

Have a chat with Gerald @Kimbers he's done that or something of the sort crossing the USA on a Harley

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Was watching the first half of Arsenal v Liverpool on the telly with the family yesterday afternoon, with a bottle of wine already inside me. “Why don’t I look on-line for our summer family holiday?” I suggest. A couple of countries were proposed and by half time I had booked 2 weeks in Mauritius. It will be mainly funded by an inheritance that my wife has got. It’s actually very easy spending other people’s money!

We’ve never even crossed the Equator before. Will be flying via Dubai with Emirates.