QUALITY
EXPERIENCES
Recent
SALLY
has been exploring
Cuba
– her hips are still
swinging from all the Salsa classes!! Her adventure started in the
vibrant city of Havana, staying at The
Hotel Saratoga
which was
the perfect place to explore all the interesting bars with music
pouring out of almost every door along the way. So many other
sights to see, from the cigar factory and rum shop to making sugar
cane juice as well as all the wonderful vintage American cars in
varying states of repair, from bright and shiny to old and crumbly
– obviously no MOT Certificates required in Cuba? She also
managed to fit in an evening at the famous Tropicana Cabaret,
which first started in 1939 and now has more than 200 performers.
She then moved on to Varadero on the coast and stayed at
Paradisus Princesa del Mar
– which was a real treat. From
Varadero she drove on to Trinidad, which is a UNESCO World
Heritage site and really like going back in time, with people on
horseback mingling with those wonderful old American cars. From
Trinidad she moved on to
Cayo Santa Maria
to spend at night at
the
Melia Buenavista
before heading back to Havana for the
flight home.
Cuba is fascinating country, full of contrasts, colours, sights and
sounds. Sally would be very happy to tell you all about and even
give you a quick Salsa lesson or two!!
Sally has also spent a long weekend in Ireland, on the beautiful
Dingle peninsular with it’s miles of unspoilt beaches. She stayed
at
Ballintaggart House
, which really is like a home from home
with their wonderful dogs; a huge IrishWolfhound, an elegant Red
Setter and a very small Jack Russell all settling down in front of the
roaring fire in the sitting room, while you have tea. From there it
is just a short drive into the town of Dingle with its quirky bars and
restaurants.The thing that always strikes her about the Irish is that
they have time for you – time to smile and chat, which we seem to
have lost a bit here.
DIANA
travelled to the beautiful island of
Mallorca
recently
as although this is always a popular destination for Spring and Autumn
as well as for Summer she had not been in the last decade. She stayed
at the iconic Orient- Express Hotel
La Residencia
in the village of Deia
and also at the lovely and atmospheric
Son Net
in Puigpunyent. There
is a plethora of activities available in Mallorca from water based
activities to painting, walking and cycling, cookery classes and tennis.
Definitely somewhere to consider, if not for a longer holiday, then for a
short break.
KAREN
visited the
British Virgin Islands
and loved the
position of
Biras Creek
which sits in a bay on a narrow spit of land
joining two lush green hillsides. Arriving by boat and being greeted
with a cold towel and cocktail before being whisked to your suite is
the perfect start to any holiday. Here there is no need for television
as you relax, listening to the waves crashing onto the shallow reef
next to your room. All suites are located on the Atlantic side and either
offer Ocean View or slightly set back in the natural gardens.
Linking all aspects of the resort together are a number of trails,
paths and roads where you can use your individual bikes which are
assigned to your room or call a buggy to whiz you round –
alternatively a stroll is always relaxing!! I particularly enjoyed
messing about in the complimentary Boston Whalers, enjoying a
sundowner at the local Saba Island bar or popping into the Bitter
End for a refreshing cocktail.
If you want something really special and exclusive then just across
the water is Oil Nut Bay. If you don’t want to be in a hotel but want
really high end accommodation with a beach where you can dip in
and out of the life outside, around you, then this is a great option.
The Cliff Suites andThe Cliffs Penthouse are absolutely fabulous and
very private with terrific views; all three are beautifully furnished by
Fendi. If you prefer something more spacious, then choose from
one of their beautiful beach front villas.The BVI are beautiful with
breath-taking scenery and, above all are, incredibly safe.
GAIL
headed down to
South Africa
in May, a fabulous time
of the year to explore the
Drakensberg Mountains
, battlefields,
unspoilt coastline and“Big-Five”game reserves of
KwaZulu-Natal
.
Why not relive the dramatic Anglo-Zulu battles, go on safari and
see leatherback turtles in the St Lucia Wetlands Reserve before
driving to the border of Southern Mozambique to relax at an
exclusive resort set in the dunes of these untouched shores.
August is Opera Season in the charming city of
Verona
and Gail
attended a performance of NABUCCO with Placido Domingo
taking the lead role.
PalazzoVictoria
is the latest and most stylish
accommodation “kid on the block” in Verona and comes highly
recommended. From Verona the Italian Lakes are a short drive
away and, set just above the lesser known Lake Iseo, tucked
amongst vineyards as far as the eye can see, is the
L’Albereta
Hotel
. This Relais & Chateaux Hotel makes a relaxing base from
which to explore this beautiful area.
23
The Quality Travel
team travelled to Paris for a day trip confirming how easy
this is travelling by
Eurostar
in Standard Premier enjoying
breakfast at leisure en route. They arrived in Paris for a mid
morning coffee and a trip down the River Seine on one of
the Bateaux Mouches before walking around Paris and
doing a spot of shopping! After lunch some sight seeing
and then back on Eurostar enjoying dinner in a civilised
fashion on the way back home again.
