Holidays 2024

[Kimbers]

Mauritius is amazing, you will love it. It's like the Maldives only with a lot more to see and do!

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Cool that’s good to know. We honestly have no idea what to expect. We’ll buy our usual guide book and do a bit of preparation.
 

Funnily enough our last holiday was also booked during a football match. We were watching Morocco v Croatia on TV in the World Cup 3rd place play-off and ended up with 2 weeks in Marrakesh.

Must be sure not to repeat this if watching Middlesbrough play Rotherham.

[ChrisJ]

Oh bugger - we've had a couple of snowflakes here in Welwyn - that'll be Heathrow shut down for a couple of days.

[Kimbers]

46 minutes ago, LotusLeftLotusRight said:

Cool that’s good to know. We honestly have no idea what to expect. We’ll buy our usual guide book and do a bit of preparation.
 

Funnily enough our last holiday was also booked during a football match. We were watching Morocco v Croatia on TV in the World Cup 3rd place play-off and ended up with 2 weeks in Marrakesh.

Must be sure not to repeat this if watching Middlesbrough play Rotherham.

Where are you going. I assume the east coast? But where abouts?

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

It’s the Radisson Blu Azuri hotel on the North East coast. Just bought the Lonely Planet from the local bookshop. 1 flight in 777 plus 3 flights in A380.

[Kimbers]

13 hours ago, LotusLeftLotusRight said:

It’s the Radisson Blu Azuri hotel on the North East coast. Just bought the Lonely Planet from the local bookshop. 1 flight in 777 plus 3 flights in A380.

Ok so I was in the Ambre quite a bit south of you. Some things I recommend.

Don't do a Coach Trip, instead do some research and book a taxi for the day. It will cost you less, you will have your own driver who will take you where you want to go. Or you could ask him to take you to some well known places and he will do so. Its so much cheaper and he will know a good place to stop for food!

Book a Speedboat day trip. They will go to the waterfalls, take you to see dolphins, go to the protected giant tortoise island where you will moor the boat and feed the birds from your hand (they have no predators on the island so are tame) and have food/drink. Then they will take you to the Reef where you can dive off the boat. Its more money but we loved it so much we did it twice! Once on our own and once with friends we met the second week.

Buy swimming shoes. NOT sandals, NOT Crocs, proper wet suit kind of shoes. The beaches look amazing but many are white coral rather than sand and most have coral and rocks further out. Luckily a friend told me this so I bought 2 pairs with me. Best buy ever! 

 

[Bazza 907]

@LotusLeftLotusRight I was at the match and it was f***ing freezing. I think if I could have booked somewhere warm to go to by half time I would have too..

[ChrisJ]

6 hours ago, Kimbers said:

go to the protected giant tortoise island where you will moor the boat and feed the birds from your hand (they have no predators on the island so are tame) and have food/drink

But did you see any tortoises, or have they all been eaten.

 

[Kimbers]

Not allowed on the island mate. Its a protected sanctuary.

[ChrisJ]

So how do you know there are any there?

(watch the YouTube for further explanation.)

[ChrisJ]

Just to annoy @Sparky

 

[Sparky]

I'm going off you.

Might pop to Tokyo to cheer myself up...

[Chillidoggy]

3 hours ago, ChrisJ said:

Just to annoy @Sparky

 

 

Is that an over-water dunny on the starboard aft side?

[Kimbers]

Anyone else seeing a large increase in prices? 

Villa has gone up 30% despite looking in low season!

[ChrisJ]

5 hours ago, Sparky said:

I'm going off you.

Might pop to Tokyo to cheer myself up...

There may well be more to come 

 

4 hours ago, Chillidoggy said:

 

Is that an over-water dunny on the starboard aft side?

Might be, it is a booze cruise

[Kimbers]

Just booked 2 Villa's for my whole family to come with us to Cyprus for our Silver wedding anniversary.

I know Villa's look expensive but I just paid £1850 for a top rated villa for 8 people for a week. That's £230 a person. Pretty cheap I think per person for July!

[C8RKH]

Add flights too.

[Kimbers]

18 hours ago, C8RKH said:

Add flights too.

£79 each one way on easyjet Will prob end up nearer £150 by the time we add legroom and extra bags. Car hire is £179 for Kia Rio for 2 weeks. 

 

[C8RKH]

That's gonna be a great holiday for that price!

Just trying to book Cape Town for 12 days in early March with BA. Coming back at £1300 each for flights + hotel which is no bad either....

[Sparky]

BA are chucking it away ATM.  Just got my daughter, her partner and 2 kids out to Florida in October for £1200 RT.

[Dan E]

BA Palma and back in May for 8 days, Total cost of flights £4 and some Avios points 

[Kimbers]

I'll give BA a shout before booking Easyjet!

[Kevin Wheeler]

Just booked ourselves a lovely villa just outside Sarlat-la-Canéda in the Dordogne. 6 Lotus, 11 people - for a fortnight in the sun (hopefully), with lots of wine and cameraderie.

Possibly a stop off at Angoulême on the way back.

[C8RKH]

@Kevin Wheeler my wee little village up here in Scotland is "twinned" with Angouleme. I assume you'll stock up with a bottle of Pineau, and do try the chocolate makers, LeTuffe, that can be found on Pl. Francis Louvel. As part of the Twinning arrangements my daughter at 16 spent the whole summer working in their chocolate factory, where no english was spoken, to master her French language. The chocolates, unlike the Pineau, are lovely!

[Kevin Wheeler]

@C8RKHWe first came across Pineau de Charente several years ago when we first stayed in the region, which is why we, as a group, drink it when we get together. For the same reason, we drink a fair bit of Monbazillac.

We have "done" the Remparts weekend several times and love it! Usually get seats in the Cathedral grandstand and once got 6 of us got caught driving the track before the weekend started (got lost, guv, honest!)