19 November 2019

I had wanted to explore the islands of Croatia for a little while. Since I had visited Hvar with some girlfriends a few years ago in fact. The idea of island hopping with children in August might sound a bit daunting at first, but properly planned, it was actually remarkably easy. I would suggest the way to keep it enjoyable with children, or teenagers in our case, is not to try and cram too many destinations into the itinerary. We had 10 days to play with, so decided that 3 locations would be enough. The inter-island ferries are predominately run by Jardrolinja and can all be booked online in advance and issue e-tickets so no paperwork to lose. We chose to visit the island of Brac, staying in a boutique hotel in the pretty southern coastal town of Bol, and then Palmizana, a very small private island off Hvar, and finishing up with 3 days back on the mainland in Split in order to explore the Dalmatian coastline and the national parks a little. Each of the ferry journeys between the islands was no more than a little over an hour- allowing time for a quick cold beer on the top deck looking out at the stunning Adriatic before docking again in the next new destination. Perfect. Brac was the perfect starting point. A lovely little hotel, with a pretty pool area and a short stroll down to the waterfront where in recent years several bars and restaurants have opened up, along with various watersport hubs for hiring boats, boards etc. You will be familiar with the most famous landmark of Brac even though you might not know it; the beautiful, infinitely instagrammable Zlatni Rat beach. A golden horn of sand that must been seen to be believed. Whilst stunning though, its genuinely best avoided in August as its crammed with sun worshippers dawn til dusk but there are plenty of other smaller less crowded beaches surrounding the town. We also crossed the island to the western side visiting the harbour town of Milna, with its beautiful bay and harbour full of lovely restaurants to choose from. It’s a bit smaller and less busy than Bol, and was well worth the effort of getting there across the island (only 18km but over hilly terrain and narrow winding roads). 3 days later it was time to move on. This time we had chosen to stay out of the busy centre of Hvar town and plumped instead for a small private island called Palmizana just 10 minutes by water taxi from Hvar harbour. Palmizana has been in the hands of the Meneghello family for over 100 years and consists of a selection of villas for hire along with several bars and restaurants and a busy little bay filled during our visit with yachts of all sizes. The girls were particularly taken with the white peacocks that have made the island their home, and we did see several small snakes around the island- none of which are venomous thankfully! The island has a distinctly bohemian feel in the main, although the waterfront restaurants overlooking the bay are filled with glamorous yachties from late afternoon which made for some excellent people watching! Back on the mainland for the final stay of our trip we chose to explore a bit of the Dalmatian coastline, visiting Sibenik (Game of Thrones was filmed here), and the beautiful ancient port town of Trogir as well as travelling up river to see Krka National park and its 17 waterfalls! A spectacular day out – you can even swim in some of the lower falls. I would highly recommend visiting this area of Croatia- mixing a little adventure with history, culture with gastronomy all the while in beautiful surroundings is a perfect family break.

01 August 2019

How much does it matter to you what impact your family holiday, or your business trip is having on the environment? Do you carefully consider carbon footprint before booking a flight for example? Travel Counsellors recent survey suggests that increasingly we are all aware of what impact, good or bad, our travelling to a certain destination might have on the planet and more specifically on a particular country or region too. Our recent customer survey showed that you’re as passionate as we are about responsible travel. For us, it means working to ensure tourism brings greater benefits for local people and economies in destinations, offering positive choices which are not harmful to people, animals or the environment. In our poll, 73% of you said that sustainable travel is one of the factors you consider when choosing a holiday and 6% consider it the main factor. Furthermore, a full 90% of you said that if you knew which companies specialised in sustainable travel, you’d be more likely to book travel with them, and 94% of you would like to learn more about how your holiday can help local people and the economy. That’s where Travel Counsellors comes in. We care for our people, our customers and our communities – both those we live in and those we send our customers to every day. I can give you advice on the right steps to make a positive impact through your travel. Everyone who joins Travel Counsellors signs up to our commitment to learn about and consider responsible tourism in every holiday they create. We work with international charity The Travel Foundation to help leave a better world for future generations to enjoy and explore. The foundation works to ensure tourism benefits local people and the environment, designing and delivering sustainable initiatives in mainstream destinations as well as providing guidance, training and expertise to travel companies around the world. For us at Travel Counsellors, sustainable travel is also related to more authentic travel experiences – visiting unspoilt places and immersing oneself in the local culture is our passion and one that’s shared with our customers. The three pillars of sustainable travel according to National Geographic are environmentally friendly practices, protecting natural and cultural heritage and providing social and economic benefits for local communities. So how can you help? The obvious starting point is to reduce your travel waste by reusing and recycling where possible, carrying your own reusable water bottle for example. More and more resorts are coming on board all the time with these initiatives, but clearly there is a long way to go yet. Would you consider travelling by train rather than by air for part of your journey perhaps? After all overland travel is far more immersive, allowing you to see much more of a destination than you can via aeroplanes and airports. Apart from Europe, India and South East Asia as well as China, all lend themselves well to “slow travel” with some exceptional rail journeys on offer. One way to have a more responsible holiday is to buy locally made crafts and souvenirs which might not always be cheaper but does ensure your money is genuinely supporting the local economy. As your Travel Counsellor, I can suggest excursions using local companies and guides as well as recommend local treats to look out for in your destinations, from locally made souvenirs to regional specialities in bars, cafés and restaurants.

16 July 2019

Taking the family to Sri Lanka felt like a very big adventure when we first began planning it six months ago. Whilst our two girls are now firmly in the "tweens & teens" camp, it was nevertheless to be the first time we had taken them a little bit out of their comfort zone and we were well aware that some of the experiences we had lined up would push their boundaries just a little bit! We landed in Colombo and were met immediately by our wonderful private guide and driver from the Sri Lankan tourism board. Ananda was amazing the whole trip- going above and beyond on many occasions whilst we were travelling around this fascinating Island. We spent our first 24 hours acclimatising a little, not too far outside of Colombo, in Negombo at a hotel with a beautiful pool overlooking the lake. Once settled in and relaxed we were taken on a tour of the fish market early the next morning which was very interesting if a little challenging first thing after breakfast! Next stop on the journey was a couple of days in the centre of the island at Kandy, where we visited the Temple of the Tooth and spent a morning wandering around the botanical gardens. From Kandy the next stage of the journey was via what has to be the most scenic train journey in the world - we couldn't believe the dramatic changes in both climate and landscape between the hot and humid cityscape of Kandy and its outskirts and the beautiful hill country on the way to Nurawa Eliya, or "Little England" as it is known to the locals. Its easy to see why, everywhere was so lush and green - a bit of a welcome break from all the humidity so far! We were staying in Nurawa Eliya over Sinhalese New Year, and every hotel and guesthouse was packed- not just with tourists but many locals celebrating too which made for a lovely atmosphere and we were really able to feel part of the celebrations. Moving on from Nuwara Eliya we were headed next to Udawalawe National Park to spend some quality time with elephants! Before we even settled in at our hotel next to the National Park we were lucky enough to spot two large female elephants munching away contentedly beside the roadside and were able to stop for a selfie thanks to the electric fence surrounding the park! Up very early the next morning to catch the animals at their best and busiest we spotted many many bird species, crocodiles, water buffalo, monkeys and plenty of elephants - the leopards were unfortunately elusive on this occasion, but that provides us with an excuse to come back again one day at least! Our final destination, via a stop off in Galle to see the old Dutch colonial fort town and of course its famous cricket ground, was to the south coast for some beach time. Hikkaduwa didn't disappoint, we stayed at a lovely design hotel right on the beach where the girls were able to dash in and out of the crashing waves and we were able to spend a few days unwinding and processing all that we had seen, experienced and learned about the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. Thank you Sri Lanka- we'll be back one day!

11 June 2019

What a perfect destination for a quick weekend away. Less than one and a half hours flight time from the UK, Copenhagen is a great choice for anyone who loves art, history, culture, food and drink or outdoor activities. Most residents of Copenhagen take full advantage of the flat city centre with its fabulous cycle lanes to commute daily and there's every reason you should try this too. The city couldn't be better set up for cycling- or indeed electric scootering! It’s very easy to rent a bike straight from the street (or a scooter) and you just return it to any one of the many bike depots around the city. If cycling's not your thing, the next best option for discovering what Copenhagen has to offer is to jump aboard one of the city's tourist bus services. These operate on a hop on hop off basis, stopping at every selfie hotspot from the charming Little Mermaid statue to Tivoli Gardens and Amalienborg Palace (where yes, we really did see the Danish Royal family purely by chance!) The tickets cost around £30 for a weekend pass, and some even include a one-hour tour of the city's waterways and harbours which is a fabulous way to enjoy the sunshine and see many of Copenhagen's iconic sights from a different perspective. Copenhagen is a very calm, quiet city with a population of only around three quarters of a million, so choosing Copenhagen with kids and visiting en famille is certainly possible. Children would love the magic of Tivoli after dark for example, with its rides that are said to have inspired Disney! The Rosenborg Castle nowadays houses a museum where, as well as the Crown Jewels, you can see much of Denmark's most famous art. It is set in The Kings Gardens which are beautiful for a mid-morning stroll or an afternoon picnic perhaps. We were really impressed with the food in Copenhagen, too much choice in a way! The area around Nyhavn, or "new Harbour" is full of little bars and cafes where you can grab a quick bite or a drink and sit and watch the world go by. I would advise against choosing this area for a dinner perhaps as it is a bit pricier than in the streets surrounding the area. If it’s a special occasion you're celebrating, I can highly recommend Hotel Sanders. I've long had my eye on this place, and we visited for cocktails and dinner and it didn't disappoint.

11 June 2019

Although we didn't have long to spend in the Maldives (little more than a weekend in fact) it really is the most picture postcard perfect destination on this earth! Arriving tired and tetchy in Male after a long flight, the moment we were ushered onto the speedboat transfer all our cares drifted away! Depending on which resort you choose to stay at, you may have the option of a sea plane transfer instead. Imagine being able to get a glimpse of the aerial view of these unique islands! We stayed at Olhuveli Resort in the South Male Atoll, so our speedboat transfer was a quick 45 minutes. On arrival we were greeted with a refreshing drink and hot towel to freshen us up. The grand deluxe beachfront villa was beautiful, our own little pool in front and direct access onto the gorgeous beach so our girls didn't waste any time getting those snorkel masks on! Many of the older more established resorts in the Maldives also have their own house reef, meaning you get to see all sorts of marine life straight from the beach. We also got to go on a snorkelling trip further out from the resort by boat and got to swim with turtles and every conceivable colour of fish! At night, there was a pod of manta rays who came to feed right near to the jetty, the restaurant staff were excellent at telling us where to be and when to get the best chance of seeing them. The food was fantastic at this resort and it felt very relaxed and importantly for us, family friendly too. The Maldives is a bit of a once in a lifetime trip, so it’s very important to choose the right resort to suit you perfectly, with over 150 resorts to choose from currently, and many more launching soon, get in touch if this is your dream destination and allow me to help you discover your perfect island paradise!

12 February 2019

We travelled as a family to Rome in winter, which might not seem an obvious time to visit Italy's iconic capital city but turned out to have many advantages over visiting in more obvious seasons. Rome in February was beautiful, the city's landmarks glistened under the weak winter sun. We didn't have snow whilst there, but I'm told its picturesque when it does snow too. We travelled in half term and spent three nights in the centre of the city in a small guest house not far from the Trevi Fountain. There is so much to see and do in Rome that you'd struggle to do it justice in a year never mind three days. So as first-time visitors to the capital we decided to try and see as much as possible of the classic Rome, whilst adding in some run around time for the children and of course plenty of ice cream stops! Many of the best sights are located within a small area in the centre of the city so it was perfectly possible to see the Pantheon, The Spanish Steps and the stunning Trevi Fountain all within a mornings’ wandering for example. The Trevi Fountain was my favourite monument, so I made sure to visit several times at different times of the day. It’s simply stunning lit up at night but is still very busy even at midnight so my top tip if you want it to yourself is to wander past at 7am whilst out on the early morning coffee and juice run! The Colosseum and The Forum are the big hitters obviously- and if you don't want to spend much of your precious break queueing, then get your tickets from the Palatine Hill ticket office - it’s always much less busy. Food in Rome is world renowned - and very child friendly too- which kid doesn't love endless pizza and ice cream? Be sure not to miss the special sandwich shops that sell three-foot-long open sandwiches - delicious but definitely for sharing! In the evening, take a trip across the Tiber to the bohemian area of Trastavere. This area is full of local trattoria and is an excellent place for slowing down the pace and people watching whilst enjoying a drink before dinner. The area centres around Piazza da Santa Maria and has a relaxed but funky vibe, perfect for the evening. Rome is wonderful, chaotic, lively and friendly, but if it all gets a bit much, visit the Villa Borghese park to let the children run around free rein- or have a romantic stroll around the gardens to break up the sightseeing. To sum up, Rome is one of those cities you'll visit once, and that will never be enough. It’s a city that truly got under my skin.