Dubai by Cheryl Locke

Known as the Pearl of the Arabian Gulf, Dubai contrasts ultra-modern with the traditional, and old with the very new. Even the landscapes are contrasting - from the clear waters and tranquil sands of the Arabian Gulf to phenomenal rolling desert and dramatic mountain landscapes. With some of the world’s most luxurious hotels and year-round sunshine, this really is an ideal destination for both couples and families.

After a 7 hour flight, our arrival in Dubai was very civilised. Despite arriving into a 40 degree heat we were promptly transferred the 25-minute journey by an air-conditioned car to our chosen hotel – the Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

Travelling with our two children aged 8 and 10 years, our choice had been swayed to the Jumeirah Beach Hotel for a few reasons. Firstly, with the choice of over 20 restaurants from which to chose, I knew our evening meals would be both varied and good. This is an understatement! I would have liked to have been there for the full 3 weeks in order to have sampled and enjoyed the exceptional variety and selection of restaurants. Each evening we dined at a different speciality restaurant, all serving international cuisine to the very highest standard.

The Jumeirah Beach Hotel offers unlimited complimentary access to the Wild Wadi Water Park, located adjacent to the hotel. This proved an absolute hit, not just for our children but for the child in us parents too! Each day we took full advantage of the services and fun available, even if it was just for an hour or two in order to cool off from a very hot visit to Dubai city centre. This we would have been less likely to have done if paying the full entrance fee of approximately £135 per family per day.

The wonderful 36,300 metres of private beach and the fabulous sports centre was another big influencing factor. Not only did we play squash and table tennis, we used the aqua-bikes and kayaks available from the beach sports club – just a selection of the incredible sporting facilities available. Fun for all the family, no matter the age.

Our visits to Dubai city were fascinating. To see skiers riding the ski lifts in minus 3 degree temperatures at Ski Dubai, housed within the Mall of the Emirates, and to stand staring up at the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, which stands at 828 metres tall, are experiences not to be missed. And set on the 30-acre Burj Khalifa Lake at the foot of the Burj Khalifa Tower, the world’s largest dancing fountain, the Dubai Fountain, ‘dances’ in sync with classical, Arabic and world music. The fountain shoots water jets as high as 150 metres, equivalent to that of a 50-storey building. The fountain has five circles of varying sizes and two central arcs and sprays 22,000 gallons of water during its performance. Amazing!

That is the main impression I brought back from the country – they aim high. Whatever they choose to do, the do it well. From the tallest building in the world to the world’s best hotel (Burj Al Arab), from the world’s largest dancing fountain to the world’s largest indoor ski centre, they just do it bigger and better than anyone has done before.

My overall impression of Dubai was that I would love to return. With the wonderful guaranteed weather, to the exemplary service received at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, and from the incredible sporting facilities available to the dining experiences, it proved to be a great choice of destination for our family.

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Monte Carlo by Annie Clougherty

I visited Monte Carlo, Monaco at the end of April with Kirker holidays. On arrival at Nice airport we were transferred by helicopter which I would thoroughly recommend for seeing the coastline, this takes just 8 mins.

We stayed in the hotel Metropole which is a stylish and elegant 5 star hotel in a very central location, the service was exceptional and the rooms were very well appointed. There is a 2 star Michelin restaurant on site which offered a wonderful menu. The hotel also features a large heated outdoor pool and terrace which overlooks Casino Gardens. They also have an ESPA spa.

We were only 2 minutes walk from Casino Square, where you must visit the Casino in the evening as it is very grand and opulent. Also a must do in Casino Square, is to have a drink at the Café De Paris and people watch the millionaires coming and going in their fancy cars!

Monte Carlo is very easy to explore on foot as it only covers a 2km square area, but be prepared to walk up and down a lot of steps. The harbour is well worth a visit, to see all the lovely yachts and boats and there is a beach nearby as well. We visited the Prince’s Palace and his private car collection which is very interesting (when travelling with Kirker they include the Monte Carlo Passport which includes many entrances into attractions and helicopter transfers both ways in winter and one way in summer).

Monte Carlo is a fascinating and interesting place, with over 5000 millionaires in 2km. It would suit those who like the finer things in life.

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Morzine, France by Jane Caryer

Morzine is an excellent resort for a mix of abilities. Our group had a beginner, two intermediate skiers and two experts - All were happy. Morzine has an extensive range of runs, fast lifts and we found the queues almost non existent. In the mountains pretty wooden chalets provide plenty of places for a good hot chocolate, vin chaud or a snack.

The Pleney lift in the centre of Morzine provides good access to the slopes. There are numerous ski hire shops near the lift many with heated boot rooms. Leaving equipment here was a bonus, and saved us having to carry it. The bus to Avoriaz stops nearby, as does the land train connecting to the Super Morzine Gondola. The land train stops for lunch between 12.15 and 1.30

The area near the top of The Pleney lift was particularly good for beginners. There were plenty of blue runs and a large bowl with a moving carpet which saved complete beginners having to use lifts initially. The instructors we used were patient and knowledgeable and spoke good English, and our complete beginner felt very safe.

Snow conditions at Avoriaz which is 800m higher than Morzine will be better in warm weather. A highlight in Avoriaz is the wooded area called The Stash. A huge area filled with various levels of jumps and obstacles The Stash was excellent fun.

Top Tip Have lunch later, we ate after 2.00 each day which meant we could easily get a table and take our time. Early starts meant we were generally ready to head down the mountain at 3.30, and with happy hour starting at 4.00 this worked well.

Above the Super Morzine Gondola is a very quaint restaurant. A white fluffy cat was curled up in a basket by the door waiting for our attention, but the open fire and chocolate chaud made this a lovely stop for skiers.

Although we didn’t have any children in our party we could see they would be well catered for in Morzine. A kiddies area for 3-6 year olds, and play activities were available as well as lessons.

Morzine has a short transfer from Geneva of approximately 90 minutes, a good range of bars and restaurants for après ski, and an extensive ski area making it suitable for all types of skiers.

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Orlando & The Florida Keys by Annie Clougherty

We stayed one week in a 5 bedroom villa in Orlando. Whilst we were there we visited MGM Hollywood Studios – they were having a cold spell – hence the layers in our photographs!

EPCOT which stands for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow, is the largest of the Disney parks and features different countries. Set around a lake, numerous restaurants mean you can experience all the different foods. Although very educational and interesting, it also has some thrilling rides. A Garden Festival is held in Spring. Every night at EPCOT they have spectacular fireworks over the lake. We also visited Aquatica the new waterpark from Seaworld which was fantastic!

After leaving Orlando for our journey south to the Keys, we visited Naples, one of the wealthiest communities in the USA, hence all the millionaires homes set directly on the beautiful beach. The prestigious shopping area of 5th Avenue is a must for shopaholics.

The drive from Naples to the Keys is lovely as you pass through the everglades and see many alligators on the banks. We visited Key Largo, Duck Key and Key West. My favourite was Duck Key and the resort of Hawks Cay where you can rent bicycles and cycle around the resort. It is possible to swim with the dolphins at the Dolphinarium.

A day trip to Key West is worth a visit as it is a very colourful place, and the southernmost point in the USA. Duval Street is full of interesting shops and is very lively in the evening. We travelled down Duval street on a Pedicab.

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Northern Lights by Bridget Keevil

On 15th February we took a group of eleven on a Hurtigruten Voyage in search of the Northern Lights. We set off from Heathrow having to endure two flights to get to the North of Norway, and then onwards to meet the Kong Harald in Tromso.

The Hurtigruten Fleet that operate up and down the coast of Norway is a lifeline to the many small villages that would be otherwise cut off during the winter months. They deliver the post, as well as dropping off and collecting supplies of all sorts. They have developed to include tourists as part of their cargo, and bearing that in mind the accommodation onboard is adequate but not luxurious.

The ports of call are many, some being for minutes only, some for up to three or so hours. The excursions available include the North Cape, snowmobiling, dog sledding, visiting a snow hotel as well as just being able to wander around the quaint little villages that were razed to the ground by the Germans just before the end of the war.

We visited the Snow Hotel – and saw the exquisite head boards of every bed carved out of ice as well as snow carvings on the wall. What an experience to stay here the night!

On the last night before disembarking we got the call through the pa system – the Northern Lights are to be seen off the back of the ship! Every passenger quickly made their way outside – after putting on the several layers necessary to stave off the cold – and what a show we saw! The sky was alight with swirls and whirls, and lasted for over half an hour. Just seeing this was worth coming all this way.

When we arrived back into Tromso we all went dog sledding – and what an experience! It was a fantastic way to end the trip, being pulled at great speed through trees and snow fields by Alaskan Huskies.

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San Francisco & Heavenly (Lake Tahoe) by Cheryl Locke

Upon deciding to spend our first Christmas away from home, the ski slopes of Heavenly on the Californian side of Lake Tahoe beckoned. A short pre-Christmas stop in San Francisco en-route was a great decision. San Francisco in December was fantastic! An enormous lit and decorated Christmas tree and an open-air ice skating rink in Union Square, created a most wonderful atmosphere, not to mention a superb evening activity for the whole family! A 3-day open-top bus pass was a worthwhile purchase and allowed us to see the entire city at leisure, and coupled with the fact we had fantastic sunshine, we were even able to use the open top!
The drive from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe (with a detour taken to visit the ancient Redwood forest at Muir Woods) was a long one (over 4 hours).
I would recommend that the journey is done in daylight hours as the roads into Tahoe were quite nerve-wracking in the dark - as we found out!
The view across the lake and mountains the following morning was worth the journey! Straddling the border of California and Nevada, and located on the shore of Lake
Tahoe, Heavenly is of inspiring scenic beauty. The ski school at Heavenly proved very good and the standard of tuition received was excellent. Our children were booked into Heavenly Children's Ski and Snowboard School which offered an introduction to skiing or snowboarding through to advanced coaching. Full-Day sessions include clinic, lift access, rental equipment, helmet & lunch for children ages 4-13.
I recommend Heavenly as a ski resort and would definitely suggest a stop in San Francisco.


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Madeira by Annie Clougherty

Madeira lies in the Atlantic and has natural beauty and lush plantations of flora and fauna.
I visited in December when the average temperature is 18 degrees centigrade, which is very pleasant. The flowers were in bloom and the landscape was a feast for the eyes because of its pleasant sub-tropical climate. It is mild during the winter, and during the summer it never gets very hot (rarely above 30 degrees). I would like to go back for New Year because of the mild climate and to see the firework display in Funchal which is apparently amongst the best in the world. Funchal is a bustling town with many cobbled streets with pavement cafes, bars and restaurants. The thing I found the best about Madeira are the views from the hillside. Take a cable car from Funchal to Monte and admire the views. Then come back down again in a traditional toboggan — a unique experience!
I would recommend a stay in the Cliff Bay Hotel, which has wonderful views, food and staff. If you prefer something smaller, the 18th Century Quinta, Jardin do Lago would be a luxury and charming option.


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