Another great cruise with AmaWaterways
This was our fourth cruise on European waterways with AmaWaterways and, pleased to say, it (again) lived up to our expectations. Readers can see my earlier review of our cruise onboard AmaKristina in August 2017, which has a lot of detail to give a sense of the amount of work and planning AMA to into […]…
City break with hand luggage only
We have always watched on enviously at the baggage carousel as those with ‘hand luggage only’ flights stride straight for the airport exit with no delays so we decided to try it on a 5 night break to Nice. The first hurdle was getting the Easyjet hand luggage dimensions and rules right as these are […]…
40 Years of Riviera Travel
Who can resist an invitation to a birthday party in Paris? Gillian Thornton celebrates 40 years of Riviera Travel, the UK’s leading river cruise and tour operator….
Forget road trips and rail – Italy is best explored by water?
Exploring Italy by cruise opens up the chance to explore multiple regions – here are our top suggestions for your dream Italian cruise….
Tram 28 Lisbon
Listed as one of the ‘must do’ activities in Lisbon, the lovely vintage trams ply their way around the narrow cobbled streets of the city. Tram 28 is particularly famous as it apparently passes all the main highlights on its winding route. However, the tiny carriages cram 58 people(at least) inside and leave no doubt […]…
Winter sun with Saga Holidays
Glynis Sullivan spends a month enjoying the sun in Spain….
Shrove Tuesday in Madeira
Shrove Tuesday in Christian countries is celebrated as the last day before Lent. (In Britain, for example, it is traditionally called Pancake Day) In Madeira it is a public holiday with a Carnival Parade called Trapalhao. This Satirical or Slapstick Parade is a cultural heritage event where local people dress up and it is categorised […]…
Good advice for visitors to Rome
Hubby pulled another rabbit out of the hat – & whisked us off to Rome (for a romantic break; Wedding Anniversary treat). Lots of walking, but taxis are easy to flag down (& they don’t expect a tip)! One main recommendation is to book private tours for the major attractions. We were so glad of […]…
Five stars for Balmoral
This was my first time cruising with Fred Olsen and I could immediately see why ‘Fred’ has such a loyal customer base. Pre departure was seamless – everything arrived when it should despite being a very late booking. Boarding was slick and efficient and our ‘totally obscured window cabin’ was a surprise as it was […]…
Monte in Madeira
During our holiday in Madeira we decided that on one of the days we would explore the island by travelling by public service bus. We purchased a Giro travel card from the local shop near to our hotel. You top it up – a bit like an Oyster card. It works out about 4€ a […]…
Madeira Botanical Gardens
A trip to the Botanical Garden in Madeira is not to be missed. We bought a round trip ticket at 35€ each. This included the Funchal Cable Car, the Botanical Garden Cable Car and admission to the gardens themselves. The base station, where you buy your tickets is located in the Funchal old town in […]…
Madeira Carnival Parade
The Madeira “Carnival Allegoric Parade” took place on the evening of Saturday 10th February. The centre of Funchal was decorated with bright lights in the trees all along the whole route. As well as the thousands of participants there were a dozen amazing decorated floats. The music and parade was spread over several hours, attracting […]…
