Blog
July 14
One of my sisters describes Las Vegas as Times Square on steroids, the other said it's like nowhere else on earth, the best and worst of the US in one place.
Having just returned from a recent holiday where I visited Las Vegas and the National Parks of Utah and Arizona - here are my inside tips on the city that never sleeps Las Vegas.
First things first, navigating the strip and its many weird and wonderful characters requires a lot of thought, but once you've achieved this the rewards will certainly take you beyond the neon lights.
Las Vegas does have lots to offer the first time visitor from museums, artworks, smartly designed hotels and some of the best dining this side of the all you can eat buffet!
A Restful Sleep
Las Vegas holds the world's record for the most hotel beds, so choose carefully. My personal favourites are Aria Resort & Spa, Bellagio, The Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental and Vdara, the latter three are all non-gaming hotels and believe me this can have a huge impact on your stay. However, if you find the need to put a dollar or two in a slot machine then Aria and Bellagio are the hotels for you as both offer in-house casinos.
If you hanker after nostalgia then The Flamingo Hotel set on the famous four corners of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road is worth considering, this is where all the Rat Pack hung out and its also one of the Strip's oldest hotels and casinos. They started rolling the dice here in 1946.
A Little Light Lunch
In a city that's full of fast food joints you'll wonder what on earth you're going to eat as you make your way from the airport to your hotel -well fear not, for Las Vegas has some of the best restaurants in the US so whatever you've got an appetite for, you'll find it here. My choices include Café Vettro at Aria, the service and menu here is just as good as any "fine dining" restaurants, for the ultimate burger experience you won't beat the Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay, I'm always suspect about celebrity branding and food but the Todd English P.U.B. at Crystals CityCenter is worth a lunch visit, its based on a traditional British watering hole (keep reading) that has been updated in all the right places. With 26 foot high ceilings offering unbelievable natural light (very unusual for Vegas) and tasty food.
Evening Dining Experience
When it comes to dinner you are truly spoiled for choice, three of my personal favourites are based at Aria Resort - American Fish, Lemongrass and Sage. Inside tip - the last Monday of each month Sage holds a Prohibition Mondays where you can enjoy 2-for-1 cocktails plus complimentary bar snacks, the bartenders dress up in 1920s clothing.
Another Todd English must is Olives at Bellagio.
For Art Lovers
Cultural pursuits and Las Vegas have rarely been mentioned in the same sentence, but now you'll find a new contemporary art collection situated at CityCentre where a host of well known artists offer a thought provoking experience. You'll find Maya Lin, Claes Oldenburg and our own Henry Moore. All the pieces are accessible to the public.
Ultimate Pamper Experience
Staying with CityCenter anyone looking for the ultimate pamper experience should check out Vdara Spa at Vdara Hotel & Spa (the only non gaming/non smoking resort), here a 50 minute champagne pedicure comes with a flute of Veuve Clicquot plus unlimited access to the sauna, eucalyptus steam room and hot plunge pool. It's not cheap at $75, but come early and you can make a day of it.
Get Out of Town
Las Vegas is large. The city covers almost 600 square miles, and some of its most worthwhile sights are right on your doorstep so take yourself and the family out of town for a short visit or overnight to Red Rock Canyon, a little known and less travelled national park with unforgettable, majestic views and numerous outdoor activities. Its just 15 miles north of Vegas so come here to kick back and just enjoy nature's wonders, you'll also find rock formations, horseback riding, hiking, biking, kayaking and an astronomy programme.
Best Free Entertainment
The fountains at the Bellagio were destined to romance your senses. Take in the complimentary show of water, music and light thoughtfully interwoven to mesmerize its admirers. This is the most ambitious, choreographically complex water feature ever conceived and amazes all its spectators, set against the beautiful backdrop of the Las Vegas lavender sky. Each performance is a collection of unique expression and interpretation so come along and fall in love with the stunning aquatic accomplishment while relishing a clever concert of opera, classical and Broadway tunes.
June 20
Bafana Bafana! The Boys, the Boys!. This is the term of endearment used for the South African football team. We are all currently in to the world cup and that is certainly the case for my family.
Having just returned from South Africa together, the bugle blowing and joyful spirit has rubbed off. During this personal holiday, I was very keen to know more and understand what it meant to being a member of the Fair-trade Tourism in South Africa Organisation. http://www.fairtourismsa.org.za
Since starting the Make Travel Matter campaign, any property working towards a fairer and sustainable method of business, is of interest to me, so the places I chose to stay in were all members of this organisation.
After touching down in Cape Town on a glorious sunny morning, we were instructed by our good friends to go to Table Mountain. You should never give opportunities like that a miss - the table cloth mist that is notorious in shrouding the iconic mountain top can spoil the experience, so we did not waste a second. The rotating cable car takes several minutes from bottom to top and the views on the ascent are breathtaking. During our time in Cape Town, we also visited Boulders beach for the infamous colonies of penguins and drove to the winelands of Franschhoek. The stunning Franschhoek Country House and villas was wonderful with its gorgeous fine dining restaurant La Monneaux. http://www.fch.co.za/. A stop off at Spier to see the cheetah sanctuary was well worth it. http://www.spier.co.za/
Three nights was all we had in Cape Town but before leaving we spent the morning in the town ship at Hout Bay. The wonderful gentleman, Africa Moni, who is behind he township tours at Hout Bay showed us around and gave us a rich commentary and understanding of the history behind the townships in South Africa. We popped into the local school and were treated like VIPs by the teachers and children. I now know how to say "Molweni" - Hello and "Enkosi Kakhulu" - thank you in Xhosa.
After Cape Town we drove a couple of hours to the glorious Grootbos Reserve at Walkers Bay. www.grootbos.com Our treatment as guests in this property was outstanding. I really loved this place. The food served in their restaurant was amazing and each night the children hurried back to a lit fire and some small surprise in their bedroom. The owners of Grootbos have worked tirelessly building up a programme for the local people to train, work and take their skills out from the workplace into the local community. Not only have they won awards for best conservation of endangered species by their efforts to protect the fynbos but they have Growing the Future, Green Futures and Future Trees programmes. http://www.grootbosfoundation.org.
The whale watching season was about to start July to Dec. There are many bays to do just that. Hermanus is notorious for this but as far along the Garden Route from Mossel Bay, Wilderness, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and Jeffreys Bay, we saw dolphins and seals along the way as well as clawless otters!
Knysna Heads are glorious and I would urge anyone to spend some time around this area. The roads are good standard as any European ones and driving is very easy. Hog Hollow Country Lodge http://www.hog-hollow.com/index.html was our base for this area and again, I cannot fault the wonderful hospitality enjoyed by the "Hoggies" Jo and her team ensured our time was spent wisely. The lodge is set in the indigenous forests with panoramic view of the Tsitsikamma mountains. The lodge's restaurant is well known for its delectable food and friendly service. Hog Hollow really welcomes children. They can organise babysitting, special turn downs with a glass of fresh milk and a Gingerbread Man, children's stories and CDs, buckets and spades, boogie boards. This is a great base for so many of the activities and things to see in the local area. The nearby elephant sanctuary offers a safe haven for Africa elephants and specialises in up close and personal education programmes. It is an opportunity to touch feel and feed and walk trunk in hand with the elephants. Here you are close to the Birds of Eden - the worlds largest free flight bird sanctuary. The Keurbooms River takes you up the unspoilt Keurbooms nature reserve - here you can picnic and swim - hiring river boats is straight forward for a few hours or a day.
The Storms River in the Tsitsikamma National Park is not be missed. This is a stunning area of pristine forest. The Falls Adventure is a 50m zip line above the Kruis River. The longest zip wire being over 200 metres long! Not for the faint hearted! For those with younger children the walk to the suspension bridge is easy and short.
Our last base for three nights was at the Amakhala game reserve. http://www.amakhala.co.za/ We stayed at the Woodbury Lodge and were escorted by the efficient and knowledgeable ranger, Matt. On arriving at the reserve, it was sundown and he excitedly met us, encouraged us to drop everything immediately and drive with him to see a cheetah which had made a kill. Truly amazing! The schedule of the days was an early morning call for a game drive, followed by a later breakfast. Time was spent at leisure after the drive, to have a light lunch and a rest before more game driving from late afternoon into sundown. During our stay here we visited the Born Free Foundation which is very close by. The Born Free Foundation is a dynamic and high-profile international wildlife charity, founded by actors Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers following their starring roles in the classic film 'Born Free'. It works to alleviate suffering, investigate cruelty and encourage everyone to treat wildlife with respect.
Our second day at Amakhala had us involved in a treasure hunt with a difference. We had to look for various types of dung and then recognize them! It was very interesting learning about the animal's digestive systems...This was a study day to celebrate world environment day and four different local schools were participating as well as my children. Giles and Jennifer Gush are the two behind the Amakhala Conservation Centre which is largely funded through bed levies from the commercial lodges and donations.
With heavy heart and 100% holiday satisfaction, we left Amakhala and took an internal flight to Johannesburg in time for our international flight back to London.
We will return!
May 12
We had an interesting evening last Friday as Thomas' school, Clapham. The event, to raise funds for The Irving Wilson School for the Deaf and Blind, the Barbados Association for the Deaf and Blind along with the Barbados Blind Cricket Association - all of whom will benefit from a minibus once enough money has been raised.
Despite the chilly wind and the threat of rain, we enjoyed meeting parents from the school and watching the boys in the cricket nets with Piers Morgan, Phil Tufnell, Mark Ramprakash and Devon Malcolm.
The first prize in the raffle which we supplied with the generous support from the owners of Little Good Harbour Barbados, was a week staying in Barbados for two. Thanks to Claire at Essential Detail for helping us with this event. The lucky winners are Robert and Laura Wallace. Well done!
March 17
Catherine here, I have just returned from an amazing weekend in Cyprus spent at the award winning Anassa Hotel in Polis a 45 minute drive from Paphos airport.
The sky was blue, the sun was shining, the t-shirts and flip flops were on and the heated outdoors pools were an absolute treat at this time of year.
Whilst at the Anassa I had time for a visit to the Almyra and the Annabelle all part of the Thanos Hotels Group - these two hotels are actually in the resort of Paphos a mere 15 minute transfer from the airport and right on the sea front.
All three hotels offer fantastic facilities for families travelling with children of all ages but are especially baby friendly with cots, buggies, bottle warmers, sterilizes, nappies etc all on hand and in your room on arrival - how wonderful is that!!
Right now we have amazing offers in all three Thanos Hotels so please call us on 020 8675 7878 or why not pop by for a coffee and informal chat.
March 2
I am an official Mum - Ultrapreneur. Last week I attended the book launch for MUM Ultrapreneur, which is a guide to discover the 8 essential secrets to starting, running and building a successful mum-based business. It has been a real priviledge to have participated in Susan's and Mark's research and this book is a real help to anyone looking to start up in business whilst juggling family life. Buy your copy now! See www.mum-ultrapreneur.com
January 10
2010 has started really well with a well earned break - doing research - ho ho! at the Six Senses resort of Soneva Kiri in the Gulf of Siam. A truely stunning resort with some outstanding accommodation. I love the company's ethos of slow life and their intelligent luxury. See www.sixsenses.com
November 26
We have had a busy couple of months in the shop. October was the month when the travel writing competition deadline came. The judges Jenny Landreth, Matt Glover and my good self had an extremely hard task of finding the winner. The standard of work was outstanding. After much thought, the winner was chosen. A pupil from Macaulay Church of England School - Kate Sparrow year 5. Well done to Kate! The school was awarded with two travel reference books for the library and each shortlisted pupil recieved a certificate or their efforts. November saw the World travel market at Excel come and go. I attended and got overwelmed as ever. It has been interesting to get to meet people behind the Green Circuit - the likes of the team at The Blue Yonder and Grass Routes Journeys and Help Tourism as well as a catch up with Travel Pledge project manager Nick. I met a couple of people who are on the recieving end of the projects we support in Pretoria and their bike maintance projects.
We have just got our mailing ready with the latest Travel Matters magazine. Look out for it on your doorsteps in the next few days. Do drop us an email if you want a copy.
September 23
The children are well and truely back to school now with the term starting well. I visited one of our schools who use our fundraising scheme yesterday to talk to the year twos about the travel agency. We focused on important information you need with you when on holiday - passports, driving licences, insurance details. Some of their suggestions that they should not leave home without were their toothbrushes, suitcases and DS games. We looked at different time zones, seasons, visas, innoculations. More importantly we looked at how their behaviour on holiday can affect the people they may meet and the environment. They filled out their Make travel matter worksheets. A fun afternoon was had by all!
July 13
School is in its last week of term. Where is the year going? Some of you have broken up already. I am really chuffed that in the 6 weeks we have been running our school fundraising campaign, we have raised nearly £300. Not bad eh? The campaign will continue into the autumn term, so if you know of any school which will benefit from this fundraising scheme, do contact us and we can register them straight away. Work is moving steadily on our Make Travel Matter project. I am very excited with the relationships we have in place with some tour operators offering ethcial holidays and promoting sustainable travel. Look at the Make Travel Matter pages.
In the meantime, have a great summer!
June 9
At last, I am clearing the decks to develop our schools fundraising campaign. I am thrilled to be working together with some local schools. Many of our clients children attend the local schools involved in our fundraising scheme. When you book your holiday with us, we will donate £10 per person back to the school PTA fundraising schemes.
We learn more about life when we travel than any other time - Contact us today if you are keen for your school to get involved with this fundraising campaign. Registration is straight forward. Simply contact Karen or Catherine in the shop on tel 0208 675 7878 or email info@travelmatters.co.uk
March 31
Interesting to read that Starwood Luxury Collection Hotels and Resorts are doing their bit to support UNICEF. By staying an extra night between March 30 2009 and March 31 2010 in their selected properties, they will donate $1.00 to UNICEF. See www.luxurycollection.com/linger for a list of their participating hotels and properties.
March 27
Been a busy week - Catherine has been away on annual leave. Many of you are collecting your documents and packing your suitcases ready for the great exodus for the Easter holidays. Many schools have broken up now so the area seems more quiet. Less busy car drivers to deal with as I cycle to work! I am very interested to develop some holidays which involve meeting local communities and offer something a little extra from the normal package holiday. We are talking to various charities, exploring how we can work more closely together. I have just read too, that voluntourism - or hands on holidays is now the fastest growing area of adventure touring......perhaps our way of thinking is well timed.