The Big Easy - New Orleans 

during Mardi Gras Season 

New Orleans I visited New Orleans known the locals as the ‘Crescent city’ or ‘Big Easy’ at the end of January with 3 friends, this was during the Mardi Gras period which runs from 6th January each year until Fat Tuesday which is always the day before Ash Wednesday (so changes each year!). On the Saturday night I was able to enjoy one of the Mardi Gras parades that are on selected days during the build up to the big event itself. The parade was huge and went on for over 3 hours, it was a sci-fi parade and great to experience. New Orleans is such a fabulous city with a great vibe, if offers lots of live music, located on the Mississippi river and has lots of history to offer. It is home to one of the largest WWII museums in the world. You can take a tour out to the Plantation Homes for black slave history, the city has a lot of Spanish architecture and French colonial buildings. I visited the Whitney Plantation, this is located hours’ drive out of the city by coach, it was very sad to see and interesting at the same time. During my 5 nights stay I visited the famous French Quarter - home to Bourbon Street, here is the real hub of the city with bar after bar offering all types of live music from morning until night. Frenchmen is where the locals hang out and here you will find jazz bands galore. This area is compact, and you can easily walk around this area, it has many restaurants from fast food to fine dining it offers something to suit everyone’s budget. Another highlight of my trip was taking the steamboat Natchez up the Mississippi river for an afternoon jazz cruise in the sunshine. Here I just sat back and watched the world go by while listening to the band playing in the background. For any sports enthusiasts it is home to the Smoothie King area and Superbowl area, I had the pleasure of attending a basketball game while I was there and this was fantastic to experience even if you’re not a fan like me, it was a night of fun and entertainment! Home to many swamps I did an excursion 40 mins out of town to the beautiful Bayou, here you can board a hovercraft or river boat and head out to see the wildlife of the area including herons, birds, racoons and alligators (depending on the time of the year). This was another great morning. There are trams (street cars) that operate in and around New Orleans, I took the old tram line – St Charles Avenue Line out towards the Garden District where you get a real feel for the community, many interesting, mansions/houses can be seen along the route. It cost 3 euros per day to use all the public transport around the city. On the same day we took the included ferry across the river to Algiers Point, this is a key part of the black slave trade history and is like going back in time and is home to a typical English pub if you fancied a pint! I did the hop on hop off bus tour and guided walking tours of the French Quarter and Garden District which were great and informative. The city is great to explore at leisure as a city break or in conjunction with one of the many cruises that operate from here to Mexico and Caribbean Islands. I absolutely loved this city and I feel it has something to offer everyone! I hope to visit again one day with my family. I flew direct from London Heathrow with British Airways in economy class, the outbound flight took 10 hour 40 mins and on the return I was lucky to book business class which was amazing and the flight home took 8 hours.

I decided to visit Malaga with 5 of my friends for a special birthday. I had heard so many good things about the city from Ruth and our clients. It did not disappoint, we all loved it and all said we will return ! In December, Malaga City is decorated with many Christmas decorations including the most beautiful Malaga lights and the nightly projection show on the Cathedral. I stayed in the centre of the historic district, a mainly pedestrianised area, with cobble streets and hundreds of tapas, roof top bars and restaurants. There is a ancient roman amphitheatre, a castle and Alcazaba fortress that are worth a visit and the entrance fees are only 5.50 euros for both the Castle and the Alcazaba. Malaga is mainly flat except where the castle is located, it offers panoramic views over the bay of Malaga, you can get a bus, taxi or walk up to the castle 675 metres uphill to the top! We enjoyed a tapas/wine walking tour that explored the Atarazanas Market hall and surrounding neighbourhood, we had a fab tour guide called Jose and we tried lots of local tapas. I enjoyed a 10km walk for sunrise, as you can see from the photo the sunrise was stunning. I walked along the promenade and a couple of miles out of town where the beach is. The Malaga Marathon was taking place and the atmosphere was buzzing around the harbour area. On our last day we enjoyed a private Flamenco dance lesson and enjoyed a sunset cruise from the harbour. Malaga is a great city to explore on foot, it is suitable for all ages and only 20 minutes from the airport !

In September I visited Cala’n Bosch, a lovely resort located on the southwest coast of Menorca. Our hotel had direct access to a pretty cove with powder fine, white sand and a beautiful turquoise sea. The marina area, lined with lots of restaurants was only a short stroll away. The resort is suitable for people of all ages. The buses are very efficient and reasonably priced and local boat trips are readily available. A great holiday was had and I would definitely return one day!

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This summer we spent our family holiday in Santa Ponsa in Majorca. A great family resort with a fantastic sandy beach offering lots of watersports for the more adventurous. There are lots of bars and restaurants to cater for all tastes. There is a busy area at one end of the bay, known locally as 'The Strip' where there are many music bars which stay open until the early hours but this is a place you can easily avoid if you enjoy a quieter evening. Easy access from Santa Ponsa to Palma, Magaluf and Palma Nova. The local bus service is efficient and reasonably priced to explore other areas of the island. We hired a boat for the day and enjoyed exploring the coastline and the quieter bays that Majorca has to offer. This was easily organised in resort. A good resort for families of all ages to enjoy.

In October I was lucky enough to visit the amazing African country of Kenya and I left a part of my heart there! The country makes you smile with joy. I am not sure if it is the people, the sights and smells of Africa or the Wildlife. It is an experience not to be missed. Nairobi is a buzzing capital city and has some fabulous hotels to recharge the batteries before you embark on your safari. The city itself has plenty attractions to keep you busy and introduce you to conservation at its best. We visited the David Sheldrick Elephant sanctuary which is an extra special, heartwarming centre for rehabilitation of rescued Elephants and their ultimate journey back into the wild. We also visited the Giraffe Centre which is both informative and a fun thing to do, a place where you can get up close and personal with these beautiful creatures. We visited hotels and restaurants that were outstanding and I would highly recommend a night or two here pre or post to appreciate all Nairobi has to offer. From Nairobi we drove about 4 hours to our first safari lodge Tambarare in Ol Pajeta Conservancy, A stunning tented camp, with extremely attentive staff, beautiful surroundings and a very personal experience. This camp is high end rustic with the bar and dining area overlooking a watering hole where the animals wandered oblivious to the humans nearby. Attention to detail in the lodges is paramount from your own butler, heated blankets and morning coffee being delivered to your veranda. Game drives were planned around the client, early mornings, evenings, gin and tonics out on the plains watching the sun go down surrounded by Zebras. A little piece of paradise. Our second lodge Olonana was reached by a short flight where we were collected from a makeshift runway in a small aircraft which was a love/hate trip for some. I think it is an absolute must so you can see Africa from the air. This lodge was the ultimate in luxury. Amazing rooms with views over the river from your balcony, free standing bath and a full fridge of wine. The game drives were in the Masai Mara filled with animals and even a trip to a nearby Masai village was factored into the itinerary. We found the guides interesting, knowledgeable, patient and really good fun. The staff in both places were attentive and the food was amazing, as was the wine! I could carry on with the love and appreciation of this trip for days but why not call in and let me inspire you to visit Kenya.

I have recently been to Benidorm for a short break with my family to celebrate my brother in laws 60th birthday. For sure Benidorm is like Marmite you either love it or hate it ! I would like to tell you how this region has so much more to offer, and how you can explore the coast surrounding Benidorm by using the super efficient tram and bus service. I took the tram down to the most colourful town of Villajoysa, only 20 minutes south of Benidorm and 1 euros 45 cents the tram took you to the top of this beautiful resort, it was a steady 10 minutes walk down hill to the fabulous sea front. There are many lovely sea front restaurants, quirky colourful streets and a lovely promenade to explore. The beach is sandy and very flat. If you are looking for a short break this would be a great option. The tram along this coast line runs from Alicante up to Denia. It runs inland at the top of the major resorts and with lovely mountains as back drop. I also headed north on a different day, I took the open top bus from Benidorm for 11 euros 24 hours unlimited travel, I went to the beautiful white washed resort of Altea. This resort is very picturesque, with a central square and a church at the top of the hill with a good selection of quirky shops, labyrinth of streets, while down by the sea front another spectacular promenade that you can walk for miles. There is a lovely marina and good selection of sea front cafes/restaurants. The beach here is pebbled/shingle I found it not as nice however the outlook is lovely. Altea is nicknamed as the Santorini of Spain. The tram station is located at the bottom of the hill and takes 20 mins. I will definitely return to either of these resorts. I loved them, Costa Blanca is a great place for exploring, hiking, beach, shopping, cycling. It really does offer something for everyone.

Having only visited Geneva before, I knew how beautiful this are of the world was, so to have the opportunity to visit Montreux, I jumped at the chance. After a short flight into Geneva from Manchester, we caught the direct train at the airport up to Montreux which in parts runs at the side of Lake Geneva and takes just over an hour into the center of Montreux. The views of the lake were stunning and we were lucky enough to have some lovely warm sunshine in early October. The obligatory selfie with Freddie Mercury's statue at the side of the lake, we then explored the waterfront on front by foot. The lake cruises had just finished for the winter season but would be a lovely thing to do. When we checked in the hotel we were given a free travel pass covering the trams and buses in the area to allow us explore up the mountains or along the lake - a great way to encourage visitors to explore the whole area. Highly recommend adding Montreux to your list of places to visit if you haven't already done so - a great short break destination.

If you have read any of my earlier blogs, you will know I am a fan of small ship cruising with Azamara and have just returned from a lovely 4 night trip with a pre cruise night in Barcelona. We stayed in a central hotel with a fabulous roof top bar to enjoy drinks as the sunset before heading out for a modern style tapas meal. The following day after having a little walk to the central market we headed down to the port to board the ship. With approx. 700 guests, it's a lovely looking ship as you can see from the main image. The cruise took us to St Tropez, Nice then Toulon before heading back to Barcelona which was a fabulous itinerary for a short cruise. Highly recommended and if it's something that appeals to you - give me a call and I will do my best to arrange a similar fantastic experience.