Simbambili lodge was absolutely superb with friendly staff, stunning accomodation and beautiful little touches throughout the stay. I can not praise them enough and although it was a little cold in the morning and evening during our safari trips we saw every imaginable animal from the comfort and warmth of the landrover (with the help of the hot waterbottles and blankets provided). The lodge is small enough to feel very intimate and remote enough to still feel a part of the kruger park (the water buffallo sitting outside our room was testament to that).

And then to move onto Mauritius and Touessrok resort for relaxation, well, we didn’t have to lift a finger and ate and drank until we couldn’t move and sat on the beach or by the pool until it was time to eat and drink again. Exactly what we needed after the rushing around for the wedding. Touessrok, is truly a special place and if my bank manager would let me I would love to go back again!!

All of this added to the seamless transitions and meet and greet staff at each of the airports made it stress free travel and perfect for a guy who hadn’t looked at the details until he set off for the aiport!! I wanted to thank you for your part in making our honeymoon so special and providing us with memories that will undoubtadly last a lifetime.

If you ever need someone to do some secret holiday testing then please let me know – very happy to be a guinea pig if all of your holidays are as special as our honeymoon.

Thanks again and I wish you and Turquoise continued success

Neil and Jane

The highlight of this gruelling four day ride will be, undoubtedly the motorcycle-escorted run up the closed Champs Elysee to finish in spectacular fashion through The Arc De Triomphe where a poignant ceremnoy at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier marks the end of the ride.

Amongst this band of foolhardy fund-raisers is our very own Managing Director, Brian Barton, fresh from his spoke breaking South African experience (see previous blog) earlier in the year. He is reasonably confident that his legs will be up to the task but has major doubts about his backside lasting the distance. He assures us that he has stocked up with special anti-chaffing creams so we all wait with baited breath to see if he completes the task. We are not sure we will have the heart to ask for our donations back if he fails in his task!

Brian assures us that he will give a full report (with pictures, but not neccessarily of his bottom!) next week but in the meantime, if anyone wishes to make a donation to this very worthy cause please log into http://www.justgiving.com/brianbarton-parisbikeride

Good luck, Brian.

Get a first-hand look at the Vietnam-American war history with a tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels. Travel northwest of Ho Chi Minh City where you will be lead through the jungle with a tour guide explains the history of the war, the ingenuity of the Cu Chi residents and the daily activities of the people. You will even have a chance to crawl through the tunnels before returning to the city.

2. Perfume Pagoda Day Trip

Hidden 60-km Southwest of Hanoi among lush paddy fields, limestone karst and picturesque villages, the Perfume Pagoda is the perfect one-day trip from Hanoi for nature lovers. Enjoy a leisurely 3-hour sampan boat cruise through rice fields and ‘Halong Bay’ style rock formations before heading up to The Perfume Pagoda, a set of shrines and temples built into a limestone hillside.

3. Cooking Class

A cooking class can teach you in a matter of hours some of the most popular Vietnamese dishes.  Take a guided trip to a colourful food market and learn about the local ingredients, including ‘nuoc mam’ (fish sauce) which is ubiquitous to Vietnamese cooking. Partake in a hands-on cooking class where you will learn and practice traditional techniques for creating delicious Vietnamese food before feasting on a delicious lunch of your creations.

4. Excursion to the DMZ – Hue

The Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) was the site of some of the fiercest and bloodiest battles during the American War and a tour through this historic region is an informative glimpse in to the war time history.  From Hue travel north to visit underground tunnels and bunkers, cross infamous battle sites, and pass tranquil villages as you discover the DMZ.

5. A Day cruise on Halong Bay

The mystical scenery of Halong Bay where thousands of limestone islands jut out of the emerald sea, sculpted into bizarre shapes and surrounded by colourful floating villages is a truly a breathtaking destination. Take an early departure from Hanoi for the 3.5 hour drive to Halong City, on arrival board your boat for the cruise journey to this UNESCO World Heritage area. Return to Hanoi in the late afternoon.

6. A Family Day in Hanoi

Our Hanoi family tour is a carefully crafted blend of outdoor activities, cultural exploration and great food fun for families! On this great day out kids can paint some handmade pottery, take a buffalo cart through an ancient village, explore hill tribe stilt houses representing the ethnic groups of Vietnam, take a paddle boat Hanoi’s prettiest lakes, sample fine Vietnamese cuisine in a child friendly environment and at the end of the day, see an exciting water puppet performance.

7. Explore Ho Chi Minh City by Vintage Vespa

Our Vespa tours of Ho Chi Minh City will give you a view of greater Saigon unlike anything you’ll see from the hot, crowded interior of a tour bus, and much more of the city than you could see on your own. We’re longtime residents of Saigon, and we know exactly how to take in the must-see sights while also getting you off the crowded tourist trail. Guests ride pillion behind our experienced drivers and helmets are provided.

8. From Farming to Fishing – Hoi An

Immerse yourself in the life and culture of the rural Vietnamese with a half day excursion in Hoi An. Cycle through narrow laneways to a countryside village.  Join a local fisherman who will teach you to fish with the traditional ro fishing nets as you balance in a bamboo basket boat. Then enjoy a seafood lunch as you cruise through the water palm filled tributaries of the local river.

9. A Day Biking in Mekong Delta

Delve deep in to the heart of southern Vietnam as you explore the Mekong Delta on two wheels. Travelling by bike, you’ll get a unique perspective on this scenic area as you witness first-hand the daily lives of the region’s inhabitants. Starting from the town of Cai Be, cycle 30kms exploring the myriad of orchards, rice fields, tiny villages, canals and local temples.

10. A Half Day My Son Tour – Hoi An

Explore the ancient My Son temples with a half day excursion from Danang or Hoi An. Travel through the Vietnam countryside to the area once home to the grand Champa Kingdom who built dozens of red brick towers during the seventh to thirteenth centuries. Discover the intriguing history of this era and the fascinating culture as you tour the temples and museum.

Bali Pavilions was really friendly and felt homely, nothing too much trouble and very chilled. When we went back for the last night they welcomed us like old friends.

Komaneka at Bisma had a huge wow factor; rooms were amazing but slightly less of a personal feel than Pavilions. 

Not so keen on the weather and insects around Ubud, but loved the feel of the place. It had a real buzz at night and there was lots to see so would definitely go back. 

The Elephant Safari Park at Taro was really well run and a good day out, and we also did some white water rafting as well as temple visits and cultural tour. Asian trails were informative and reliable, especially Gustu, and the Singapore airlines flights were great too.

The week we organised ourselves was very successful too. We stayed at Tulamben Wreck Divers resort in a lovely 3 bedroom beach front villa. It is run by an Australian couple who used to run Exmouth dive centre near Perth. My husband and 2 daughters did their PADI open water qualification and did lots of diving. Very different feel there. Not quite 5 star but extremely comfortable accommodation in a gorgeous setting. Fairly remote and more of a local feel but a good mix for us with the other hotels.

In general we thought Bali was really interesting. Culturally really different, and we felt the Balinese were really welcoming to tourists and more than happy to share their way of life in a very genuine way.

All in all, one of our best holidays yet and we will definitely come back to Turquoise again.

Thanks for all your help and advice.

Sally

Handy little library tucked away in a little cabinet – not many English speaking books but came in handy for us!

very relaxing atmosphere throughout the hotel and gardens.

Food quality – excellent

- the Plantation restaurant- fabulous in every way – right on beach, children can play there after eating; great service; when we were there was a great choice of menu for those on half board without paying supplement. Once a week seafood buffet – absolutely amazing – need to book in advance to ensure a place for this and other evening meals to ensure a place.
 - The Dining Room restaurant- also excellent but not as good as Plantation. Main issue being that there were very few meals without a supplement for those on half board – sometimes just 100 extra but often more.

Food and drinks outside the residence are VERY good value. So in particular for anyone without VIP (lunch) included it may be worth considering this option some days.
The next village to local shops is just a short walk down the road.

Breakfast can come to the room – they even let us call in the morning before 10.30am when we overslept! great breakfast. Also we were able to order a VERY early breakfast to rooms on the day of departure and for early start to dolphin trip.

Free fruit came round by the pool at about 11am! (not really hungry after breakfast!)

We thought the pricing on the soft drinks was too high (you expect wine/ cocktails to be expensive) - but milkshake, coke, fanta, juices were all really expensive; (whereas the price of a fanta in the local village was about 1/10th the price!); we were able to check over the set of signed receipts at the end. Water from the rooms was complimentary and was also handed out at the poolside on arrival. 

Amazing breakfasts, great pancakes!!

Water sports – great. need to check every day for sailing, waterskiing etc. as it’s only certain times (often just a 1.5 hour slot) due to the tide so you can miss out easily if you don’t call or go down at 9am to check. but pedalos, kayaks, are any time and glass bottomed boat and snorkelling is regular set times. Very well kitted out, lifejackets also for children.

Tennis looked great but we didn’t use it – there were free courts, not heavily used.

Kids club; great long hours available and kind friendly staff and really lovely indoor and outdoor facilities, lovely evening barbecues /meals for the children; our son really liked it.

We used it a couple of times around specific activities - but many weren’t quite as billed and children pick up on this!
eg. Fishing in rock pools wasn’t able to go ahead (due to tide – but the issue was there was no back up activity)
eg. Making pancakes – only had the chance to eat them on arrival!. our daughter really wanted to learn to cook them; it appears due to hot stove and only doing cooking on requestÂ
eg. Horse riding very short time each and on grass rather than beach – but very much enjoyed!

A couple of issues /queries we had were dealt with extremely quickly and very well by the hotel.

Trips
Taking a trip to the very nearby water park (5-10 mins cab) was really great too and the children loved it – lovely waterslides! pre-arranged time for taxi pick up.
Taking a trip to the dolphins was great (about 1.5 hours to get there), 2 hours on the water (can do a longer trip); can get off and snorkel near them; a cost effective option was to organise our own taxi and book directly with the dolphin company.

Would have been great to hire a car to see more of the island and meet the local people/try local food but we didn’t manage this as already so much to do in the hotel grounds 

Not sunny every single day when we went in August  – also heavy rain showers and windy every now and then. but not a problem, still beautiful and rain didn’t last long. There was also plenty sunshine!

The sea was fabulous to swim in although most people seemed to stay by the pools which were great!

They had uk sockets in our hotel rooms which was great!

It was a fabulous hotel and holiday was amazing; we absolutely loved it.

Jane

Did you know The Residence have an amazing offer: If you book before the 15th of September you will receive a complimentary VIP card – This includes;

A bottle of Champagne on arrival, complimentary daily lunches, Canapes delivered to your room every evening, priotrity for early check in or late check out. 

You will also receive 10% off beverages and your mini bar, 15% off all spa treatments, 10% off purchases from the their shops and 10% off baby sitting. 

This offer is only valid until te 15th of September and then becomes £150 per person per week.

GIve us a call or e-mail and let us see if we can help you!!

Some of us stayed behind on Tuesday evening to help and we sent out a whopping 1199 brochures.After months of selecting our favourite properties, finding our best images and sourcing some amazing deals we have finally finished our wonderful brochure that we are sure will excite all of its readers.Don’t forget we also have an amazing Asia brochure and an exciting Australia brochure.If you would like a brochure sent to you just give us a call on 01494 678400 and we will gladly send you a copy.Best Wishes,Turquoise

A settlement has been agreed between BAA and the unions. The details are expected to be announced this afternoon but Union leaders accepted an improved pay offer.

A BAA spokesman said the offer was fair to staff but also acceptable for the company considering the economical situation the airlines are currently in.

Members will have to vote in order to accept BAA’s new offer.

Updates to follow.

Why not leave your thoughts on the strikes and proposed strikes by the airline staff and ground staff …….

Just wanted to let you know that we have safely returned from our fabulous honeymoon in Baros- maldives.

The flight with sri lankan airlines was ok but in future I think we would upgrade our seats- for a 10hr flight it was very cramped in economy!

As for Baros what can I say, it was truely amazing paradise island!!  The villa in which we stayed was perfect with lovely views. The staff were amazing very helpful and would deal with any request ASAP.

We had a bit of rain but expected that as it was rainy season but it didn’t spoil anything, Faron even got really bad sunburn on his foot and the doctor visited straight away gave him some cream that still didnt spoil anything.

I could go on for hours as everything was brillant. 

Faron and Dawn.

If you would like to find out about a honeymoon in The Maldives why not send Steve an e-mail and he will be able to help you.

Less than half of the airport staff have voted and out of 3054 valid ballots 74.1% voted yes to a strike and 25.9% voted no.

The Unite representatives will meet on Monday to discuss what will happen next, they will have to give BAA a week’s notice in order to strike and it is suggested that the August Bank Holiday is the chosen strike date.

However, BAA claim that the vote did not give Unite a mandate strike as fewer than half of the staff that were eligible to vote did so.

If the strike goes ahead, airports will need to be closed as there will not be enough safety staff working to be able to keep flights going. It could mean as many as 300000 people and about 2500 flights will be hit by the strike.

The airports involved are Heathrow, Stansted, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Southampton.

What we say –

We know that this is all very frustrating and we fully understand you being concerned about the threatened BAA strikes.

Unfortunately, until the dates are released there is very little that we can actually do!  We are of course keeping on top of the news and press releases, and once the dates are announced, if you are affected, we will take the necessary action and let you know what the options are. We will only know about each different scenario once the dates are confirmed and the various airlines confirm what their policies are – but it’s pretty standard that they will either offer full refunds or a date change free of charge. We would then contact our ground handler/the hotel to see what needs to be done in terms of re-arranging things on a case by case basis.