Sri Lanka Express

Wow what a place! To describe Sri Lanka so far, it has to be bustling, hot and friendly. 

The flight wasn’t the best experience. I usually find Emirates to be fantastic but on the way out I was sat with some traditional Arab men who were less than impressed with sharing a row of seats with a women. It’s so fascinating to see the distain on their faces at me being the ‘fairer sex’. 

I had a quick layover in Dubai then I had my next flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka. Totally travel time was around 13 hours (with layover) and I had about one hours sleep - not good. 

I got to Hotel J and found Vicki by the pool. I’m so lucky to have such an awesome travel buddy. We spent the day chilling by the pool and in the afternoon, we had the most amazing massage. It was a full body massage, an hour long and cost 3,000 LKR. This is roughly £13 - bargain. 

We went for a lovely traditional dinner at a restaurant near our hotel and even stopped for a beer on the way back. I’ve been impressed with how awake I’ve been. I needed to sleep so badly so it was lights out by 10:30pm. 

After a great nights sleep (1 hour 20 mins deep sleep - impressive), we decided to go for a little jog along the beach. Luckily it wasn’t too hot but as we were jogging, a dog decided to sneak up and bark at us, needless to say we both screamed like little girls. 

After our near death experience (ok a tad dramatic) we decided to head into Colombo to explore the city. We had to negotiate the taxi price (apparently it’s my job as I’m very demanding) and we agreed on 5,000 LKR (around £21.50). The journey was around 45 minutes so this seemed like a far price. 

Vicki has been tour guide and directed us over to the Red Mosque. This is a beautiful Muslim pray house. There was a sign regarding how to dress and after reading it, I think it shows that it’s not just Muslims that expect people (not just women) to dress respectfully. 

As we were walking along the road, a gentleman directed us towards the busier area. He was talking to us and explained today was a special day as in Gangaramaya Temple, they had on display the hair from Buddha (like ‘the’ Buddha). This only happens for a few days a year so it’s a special time. 

He seemed like a nice man so we did what any young women travelling would do, we jumped in a Tuk tuk with him and headed to the temple. 

I know this may sound odd but he seemed very genuine and we were in the city and could have left at any time. As we approached the temple, Rokshan (our new friend/guide) explained so many lovely things to us. 

He explained each of the statues they pray to and he blessed us with safe travels and happiness. He explained he believes in Karma and today bought us all to cross paths and he enjoyed showing us his city. 

I explained to Rokshan how much my boyfriend (yes I dropped this in to anyone who will listen) would love being here. I discovered Peters talent of interacting so well with everyone in Antigua and I know he’d love how friendly everyone is. 

In the temple, we saw the oldest tree in Sri Lanka. It was 348 years old and they believe it has a healing powers so we did a ritual where we walked around the tree and ‘watered’ it whilst having our wish intention in mind. 

For this, I was wishing everyone I know and love good health and happiness. These are truly the things I desire. 

After leaving the temple, we jumped back in the tuk tuk and stopped at a few other places to see the sights. 

We were taken to a wholesale jewellery’s. I didn’t realise that Sri Lanka is famous for its sapphires. There are 23 different colours in total. They were all so beautiful and I saw the most amazing pink pear shape. 

I wasn’t sure about buying something but I managed to get the pear shape set into a pendant. I did want it as a ring but I figured another opportunity might arise for a beautiful pear shaped ring (hint hint). This was going to be delivered tonight and cash on delivery however Vicki suggested I check out the reviews of the shop. 

As nice as it was having a ‘free’ guide, we did want to go about our day. Rokshan said had to go and collect his car so he asked the driver to drop him off and for us to be taken to the tea shop. 

Next came the awkward part, the cost of the tuk tuk. The driver said it would be 8,000 LKR. Now this was very steep. Whilst we were with him for 2.5 hours, it was still very expensive. Me being the bitch had to explain to the driver that we didn’t have that money so we ended up paying 4,000 LKR. That was still pretty high considering all the drivers were offering an hour tour for around 1,500 LKR. 

Because our funds were running low (I didn’t even bring my bank card), we decided to head back to Negombo by train. We thought it was be good to do the local experience. I bought the tickets and couldn’t believe it cost 100 LKR for both our tickets. Thats about 23p each. 

At the station we saw this awesome family from the UK (it’s the accent). It was mum, dad, little boy aged maybe 6 and a little girl aged maybe 4. They had the big backpacks and were clearly travelling around the country. I thought this was fantastic! What amazing experiences that family will have. The children will learn so much and will feel far more educated about the World. I’d love to do this #familygoals

When we got back to the hotel, we checked out the reviews of the shop and we couldn’t believe it we’d been scammed. Our lovely friend Rokshan had been a fake! All the crap about being a good Buddhist was a lie. He was in on the scam with the jewellery’s. apparently these well dressed men approach people along the street and there’s a whole host of different rouses they use. Thank goodness I didn’t have enough cash on me so I never paid any money for the neckless. 

It’s definitely left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. I try and take people at face value but it shows sometimes I’m too trusting. 

Tonight we met the tour group. They all seem nice and lots of different nationalities. I’m the only Brit of the group. 

I’m looking forward to leaving Negombo/Colombo. It’s fine for a night or two but it doesn’t feel like the real Sri Lanka. Hopefully the group are nice and we can all have a fab time. 

Pineapple Beach Club

I wanted to share an in-depth review of Pineapple Beach Club ("PBC") as it was so fantastic and it should provide you with more information if you wish to visit.

A little background, PBC is an adults only all inclusive resort in Antigua, Caribbean. It's owned by Elite Islands Resorts and up until 2016, it used to be part of the Sandals group. These speaks volumes as to the type of resort it is.

If you're looking for a traditional, laid back Caribbean resort which doesn't require a golf buggy to get you around (although the buggies are available if you're feeling a little lazy) then this is the place for you.

Let me walk you through what's available on the resort and our experiences.

Check in:

We were greeted by several members of staff who asked us to take a seat and we were offered a refreshing cool towel and either a rum or a fruit punch. Our luggage was left safely outside and we were speedy provided a form to sign and given our room cards and padlock for the safe.

We were lucky to arrive just us and another couple so the process was very quick and within minutes we were on a golf buggy heading to our room.

Rooms:

Initially I had booked a beachfront room however I spoke to the reservations team ahead of arriving and queried these rooms as I wanted to ensure everything was perfect as we were celebrating my boyfriend, Peter, birthday whilst we were there. We were checked into a Waterfront room however I will provide some details regarding the other rooms on the resort.

Waterfront rooms:

We were checked into room 526 which was on the first floor and the third room from the end. These rooms are prime location for the action. A few steps from the large main pool, beach, bar and buffet restaurant.

As we opened the door, we were greeted by the refreshing air conditioning and saw straight away the super king sized bed. The room was spacious with a large closet, ample draws and high ceilings with a fan.

I loved the sea breeze style décor and the light colours (grey/blue/white) within the room. We had a sliding door which opened onto the huge private balcony which overlooked the stunning Long Bay beach and ocean.

The bathroom was the only disappointment. It appeared very dated and although the shower was large with great water pressure, there was no room to put any toiletries outside of the shower and we had issues with the toilet constantly filling up and making a noise. It was eventually fixed but this was after about three days.

As I said before, the location of our room was perfect. Close to everything we needed and no steep incline.

Another lovely touch was not only the complimentary bottle of red wine (this was part of our Expedia booking) but also the bottle of sparkling wine to wish Peter a Happy Birthday.

Beachfront rooms:

Whilst we were staying (last week of November 2018) the beachfront rooms in the second block from the beach were being worked on. There was extensive work during the day and it was very noisy if you sunbathed in this area.

It's good that they are being updated but I did notice that there is no private balcony. You simply walk in the front door and then there are no other doors. There is a large window but that's it.

Garden rooms:

We managed to use a shower room before our flight home (just speak to reception the day before you check out and they will provide a room for 30 minutes to use). This was located in the block behind reception and it was room 306.

There were two flights of stairs which are quite steep so if you have mobility issues, these rooms would not be good for you.

The rooms were very small compared to our room and quite dark however they had a nice sized bed and the bathrooms were new.

Restaurants/Bar:

Topaz

This is the main restaurant which serves all three meals as a buffet style. You're able to order drinks from the bar although sometimes it's quicker to bring a drink in.

At first glance, I must admit I wasn't impressed with how the food looked however it tasted wonderful so it shows you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

One thing to watch out for is the naughty birds. They love to drink from your drinks and help themselves to your food if you leave it unattended. 

Breakfast:

The best eggs are made by Jo-Ann and Winston. I had the best omelettes and you get to chose whatever you want in them. Peter would have his three poached eggs each morning and they also served hard boiled and scrambled eggs in the buffet.

You can get a fresh smoothie made and there are lots of ingredients to choose from. There is also the traditional cooked breakfast, pancakes, waffles and continental offering. Don't forget to try the coconut muffins and the monkey bread.

Also you must have a mimosa at breakfast (treat yourself you're on holiday) and you can order lattes, cappuccinos etc. but these often take a little time to arrive.

Lunch:

Usual buffet offering a selection of hot dishes and salads. We found the buffet to be very focussed on one particular cuisine which I quite liked otherwise you end up with a plate of random food.

Dinner:

Similar to lunch with a specific cuisine. We tried the Mexican and Mediterranean nights. Both very nice and yummy.

They offer wines by the glass at the restaurant or you can order a drink from the bar. I loved the sparkling wine with dinner.

Chef Pietro's:

We dined here one night. The service was absolutely fantastic! Very fast and attentive. However, the food was a little average.

I had the scallop ceviche for starter which was lovely and Peter had the melon and Parma ham but this was a tiny portion. My main was the chicken gnocchi which was nice and Peter had the sword fish which was overcooked and too salty. The pana cotta wasn't a traditional one and more like a mouse however the chocolate lava cake was nice.

Pineapple Grill:

Whilst the food was yummy, the service was incredibly slow and not as friendly as other places to dine. I can't remember our starters but I had the one pot chicken for main which was lovely. I thought it might be more 'traditional' however it was still good.

You can opt to pay extra for the steak and lobster.

Street party:

On Wednesday nights, they alternate between a street party and a beach party. We had our most enjoyable meal at the street party. So many traditional dishes such as curried goat, ox tail and mashed plantain. The desserts were also the best!

I liked being sat with other people and it's a great way of chatting to some other guests. The steel band playing in the background and all the street lights made the perfect setting.

Pelican Grill:

This is the place to grab a quick bite to eat. We had the burger and chips for lunch one day at it was yummy. You can also get great ice creams here.

They serve nice wraps, sweet potato fries, onion rings, cookies and a few other quite bites.

Mary's Outhouse:

We loved this for our lunch spot. It's a little walk to the top but you're greeted by the friendliest staff and amazing views. Help yourself to a cold Sol from the cool box and enjoy the amazing ribs, chicken and coleslaw.

Keep and eye out for the mongoose who roam around and maybe through them some scraps. Also, don't forget to either take a plaque with you to nail up or they can give you some wood and markers to leave your stamp for others to see.

Sly Mongoose:

This was the main bar and opened at 10:00am. They have a cocktail list with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. The strawberry daiquiris, cosmopolitans and pretty much every cocktail we tried was fantastic!

The bar staff were so friendly and often I'd just ask for something fruity and rum based and they would surprise me.

Daily entertainment:

Water sports:

The water sports desk is located on the beach to the right and here you can get the snorkelling equipment to explore over to the right. We saw lots of colourful fish and corals.

We briefly went out on the stand up paddle boards but I got a little bored (no pun intended!).

The lovely Kevin also took us out on a Hobicat and was telling us all about life in Antigua.

There is also kayaks to take out and if you sail, you can take one of the smaller Hobicats out yourself.

Activity board:

Each day there would be an update on the chalk board telling you the host of activities available. These varied from day to day but do check out the yoga on the beach at 7:30am on a Thursday. Also the same teacher has a Pilates class on Tuesday evening.

Each day there was aqua aerobics in the main pool at 10:30am and volley ball at 4:00pm. Other days there were tennis lessons, mixology classes, beach cricket and learning about Antigua. There was always something to get involved with.

If organised activities is not your thing then help yourself to one of the board games on offer, there was also giant scrabble, giant connect four, giant Jenga and a pool table.

There's also a book shelf to help yourself to books and also leave some behind. I often left my magazines I'd finished with here.

Evening activities:

The activity board also provided the details for the evening entertainment. Sometimes it was a local band playing however they also had a Couples Quiz (we took part and it was great fun) and karaoke (we also took part and it was cringe but adorable - thanks Peter for singing to me).

All the action was in the main area of the Sly Mongoose bar. This made popping to the bar nice and easy during the evening.

Swimming pools:

There are three pools at the resort however I must confess we only spent about half an hour in one of them one evening as we loved the beach so much.

The pools all appeared clean and had ample sunbeds available. The main pool, with the aqua aerobics, is located next to the Sly Mongoose bar.

Beach:

I loved Long Bay beach. It was cleaned of the seaweed each morning. Towards the end of our holiday, there were issues with a lot of seaweed in the sea but this is not the resorts fault and simply can not be helped.

We had no issues findings sunbeds and we would choose the beds close to the Sly Mongoose bar so it was the perfect location. Tip: You can sometimes pick up the free wifi here too.

The beach is approximately 0.50 miles long. We often walked the length and it was lovely snorkelling off to the far right of the beach.

The main area of sun loungers is near the volley ball courts however I found this to be noisy due to the constructions and I much preferred being at the other end of the beach.

Gym/Tennis courts:

If table tennis is your thing, then you'll be pleased with the tables located both to the left of the beach and also outside the gift shop.

The two tennis courts were well maintained but be careful as they were slippery due to the sand. The rackets and ball are available at the court so none of that leaving a deposit at reception malarkey.

The gym was very good. You need a room card to open the door. The equipment is fairly new and comprehensive. Peter is a big gym fan and he was impressed with the equipment too.

Overall:

I feel like I've covered a lot in detail. This was my fiftieth country I've visited and it was actually the best holiday I've ever had. What made it perfect was all the wonderful people we interacted with. The staff genuinely wanted to talk to you, as did the other guests.

PCB has something special for everyone that visits. If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me an email beckyboo1986@gmail.com

A week of pure bliss has come to an end.

I can’t believe we’re back already. Our week of winter sun truly didn’t disappoint.
Antigua was my 50th and best country. I can honestly say I’ve not had a holiday like it before. Huge thanks to Antigua and Peter for making it so special.
The cocktails were free flowing from about 11:00am (unless you class the breakfast mimosa as a cocktail?). We did start taking pictures each ‘cheers’ but we soon stopped as we realised if anyone looks at our photos we may look alcohol dependent.

We spent a lot of time on beautiful Long Bay beach. There are 365 beaches in Antigua - one for every day of the year. We loved the fact the beaches are open to the public so often we’d see the locals going for a swim and the kiddies running and giggling along the beach.
Pineapple Beach Club has as much or as little as you’d like to do. I’ll do a separate post purely on the resort but we definitely took advantage of all they had to offer (and not just the cocktails).
Peter was made up with the gym and we went pretty much every day (except for the one afternoon I napped and Peter went). The tennis courts were well maintained and I took part in a few classes.
My favourite class was the yoga on the beach at 7:30am. It was so relaxing and even when it rained (the five minutes of rain we had all week) it actually felt quite cleansing.
There were lots of water sports available too and Peter even did stand up paddle boarding (SUP) with me. He was adamant he didn’t want to do it but he wasn’t allowed to swim next to me so being the gent he is, he came out with me.

We were also lucky to be taken out on a hobi cat by the lovely Denis and he was telling us about life in Antigua. It sounded just as idyllic as we thought it would be. It seems like they work hard but the normal 40 hour per week. I think sometimes they have other jobs to pick up extra cash. But their downtime is spent fishing for dinner and swimming in the sea.

Although we were doing lots of things, we still had amble time simply relaxing. This resort knows how to relax with so many different ‘relaxation stations’ dotted around. One of my favourite moments was after we finished at the gym one evening, we then laid in a hammock for about an hour simply chatting and chilling.

I have been lucky to visit the Caribbean before but everything was so much more special with Peter. He was chatting to absolutely everyone and it was wonderful seeing how much he makes people smile (although some of his jokes were not understood by the locals).
The people also made this holiday perfect. Every single member of staff was so friendly and accommodating but also all the guests were friendly and even the locals when we were out jogging people would all say hello.
After spending so much time with Peter (it’s the longest we’ve been together the two of us), I’m so sad to be apart again. I know you always get along better on holiday but it honestly was so perfect between us. I truly loved every moment. Even if he didn’t listen to me about staying up late the first night to ensure we don’t wake up early and he slept through but I woke up 4:30am.
We’re so lucky to be heading back to the Caribbean in February. We’re super excited to explore new places together and spend more time together.
This trip has reminded me of a lovely saying I discovered in Costa Rica - Pura Vita. It means ‘simple life’ and that’s exactly what I want from the future.

Beautiful beaches, rum cocktails and swimming with the sting rays.

So far Antigua definitely hasn’t disappointed. After a quick nine hours flight and copious amounts of alcohol (2 wines, 5 Proseccos and 4 vodkas to be precise) we arrived at Pineapple Beach Club and we’re greeted by a cold towel and a rum punch (oh god not more alcohol!).
We were shown to our waterfront room and we’re so impressed with the huge super king size bed and the balcony overlooking the ocean. The moon was huge and it was perfect hearing the sea and the crickets singing away.
Our first night was rather tame as we were both exhausted (and drunk!) so it was dinner, cocktail (yuck!) and bed.
I knew I’d made a rookie error of going to bed too early when I was awake at 4:30am. We eventually both got up about 6:30am and decided to jog to Devils Bridge.
It was only 2.4km away and after jogging along a very dodgy dirt road, we then got back on track and found the sign to Devils Bridge. I was a little confused as the pictures I’d seen before showed this stone bridge that had been created by the ocean crashing into it. We couldn’t see it so we finally headed back to the hotel. I chatted to a member of staff later and she explained it’s actually tiny and lots of people zoom the pictures so it’s no wonder we missed it.

Sunday night was the prime night to head to Shirley Height. We were told it wasn’t to be missed. We arrived to a great steel band playing and were met by an amazing (yet hazy) view. After taking some pictures we had a walk around to see what else was around.

We decided not to eat there so we most hung around and listened to the band. We arrived about 4:45pm and wasn’t heading back till 8:00pm. To be honest, we got a little bored. After seeing the view, having a little dance and a beer, we were ready to head back.
One of the highlights of the evening was seeing Ainsley Harriett. An old colleague saw him in Barbados and it turns out he’s visiting eight Caribbean islands in four weeks.
Today was the day I was super excited for. We’d booked a trip to swim with the string rays. I’m always very conscious when I travel about the travel industry exploiting animals so I did plenty of research on Sting Ray City and discovered the sting rays are completely wild. They hear the boat engines and head over to be feed.
Of course they are wild animals so you have to be cautious. Simply things like when in the water, shuffle your feet along the sea bed instead of taking steps and if you don’t want them close to you, push them away.
The experience was even more incredible than I could’ve imagined. We were so lucky and we’re the first boat to arrive. It was just Peter and I and one other couple. We had about 50 sting rays excitedly swimming around us.
I must admit I did squeal like a little girl multiple times. They were huge! The females can grow up to 6ft wide (taller than Peter) and the males were much smaller (yet they have two penises).

Peter was overwhelmed with the experience too. He had the biggest grin on his face and he was even still smiling when one of the females could a little too excited and gave him a hickie on his leg (ok bloody thigh!).

After the incredible trip this morning we heads back to the resort to chill and play around on the beach. Peter is amazing and humours my requirements to mess around with acrobatic antics.

Antigua is incredible. I’m so blessed that I’ve got to experience my 50th country with the man I love. Peter has loved every moment so far. It’s been utter paradise. Here’s to plenty more rum punches and cocktails this holiday.

Bring on Country no. 50 for Peters 40th Birthday

So the cat is finally out of the bag, Peter knows where we’re going for his surprise birthday trip. 

I can’t believe I booked this trip nearly six months ago. Peter and I had only been together a few months but I guess I knew early on that Peter is pretty special. 

Over the last six months I’ve tried to keep it a secret where we’re going. I thought I would throw Peter off the scent with a few little bits of information. 

Because of all these little bits of info, Peter came to the conclusion that we must be going to The Canary Islands. He then worked out which islands I’ve visited and came up with either Gran Canaria or Fuerteventura for our trip. I simply said no comment. 

Then a while later he said maybe it was the smaller islands, I kind of went along with this as it was true, we’re visiting a small island. 

The most stressful part of all the planning was actually getting checked in and through security at the airport without Peter finding out. 

Even when I parked up, I had to keep Peter away just in case they asked for our flight details. 

At check in, I had to embarrass Peter a little by putting an eye mask on him (he had a choice of a bunny or leopard print - which one do you think he chose?) and I guided him over to check in. I spoke to them before bringing Peter over so they knew to keep quiet. They must see this thing all the time but they were really sweet. 

I confiscated Peters boarding pass and we made it through security ok. After a little shopping it was time to head to the airport lounge. 

I’ve got a Priority Pass account so we headed to the lovely No.1 Lounge. I love heading to a lounge before a long flight (there’s a clue..) and despite it being 8:00am, it’s always wine o’clock or Gueinessn o’clock at the airport. 

It was now time to tell Peter where we’re heading to. I said to him that my sister Tammey wanted me to video it and for him to ‘act surprised’ although he kind of knew where we’re going (or so he thought!) so I set my phone up to record and asked Peter to guess where we’re going to, of course he guessed *insert place* first but after a few guesses I gave him his boarding pass to read where we’re going to... St. John’s, Antigua. 

Peter was so shocked! I think he thought I was messing around. I know this is a big trip but Peter deserves this so much. 

Peter is the most incredible man I’ve ever met. He is kind, thoughtful, annoyingly funny (only at times, sometimes just annoying lol) and he is also an incredible father and the best boyfriend. He truly deserves this trip so much. 

I feel guilty that we’re not able to bring the kiddies with us but they’ll be plenty of time in the future for more family holidays together. 

For now this trip is all about Peter to celebrate his big 40. We actually return home on his birthday so that’s perfect as we can have a wonderful family meal together to celebrate. 

So we’re on our third drink of the morning and it’s still early. I can’t wait to share some of the beautiful sights of Antigua with you all. But for now see you later cold England. 

Thought on Tenerife

I've always had fun when I've visited the Canary islands. I've visited Lanzarote twice, both times have been out of season, so I've enjoyed some winter sun. I booked this four night trip with my sister as her lovely hubby paid for the trip for her birthday.

The lead up to the trip was a tad stressful to say the least. Poor Tammey being ill and me stressed about my workload meant I really wasn't looking forward to going away. Usually I love the excitement and planning of a trip but even when I booked it, I was a little preoccupied and didn't do my full due diligence. This was certainly evident from some of the 'issues'.

Trying to make the most of the trip, I booked the earliest flight out. This meant being up at 2:30am and we arrived at the airport well in time to hit Weatherspoons and have a glass of wine at 4:00am. That's certainly the earlist time I've drunk wine before (I guess with the exception of partying into the early hours which hasn't happened that often).

We flew with Ryanair. I always say you get what you pay for but I think Ryanair are getting worse. Since changing their baggage policy, you now have to pay for even a small holdall bag. Luckily we were caught between the changes so we were able to bring a small handbag onboard and our small holdall bag went in the hold free of charge. I didn't get to sit next to Tammey but we did both get window seats which helped us have a little nap on route.

We flew into Tenerife South however we were staying in Tenerife North (first rookie error identified). Luckily I'd pre-booked shared transfers and the bus full of people were all heading to the North (it shows it wasn't just me with my error).

The actual drive time to Puerto de la Cruz (some 90km from the airport) was only an hour however the multiple drop offs to hotels took an additional 45 minutes. I was tracking our location on Google maps and we were so near to our hotel at one point yet it took another 20 minutes to be dropped off.

We stayed at Gran Turquesa Playa hotel on an all inclusive basis. I had read the reviews a few times and they seemed to be fairly mixed. It was only a three star hotel so I never expected too much however I was still a bit disappointed with a few things.

The actual hotel was lovely and clean. A nice big swimming pool, good size roomed and although the food wasn't the best, we did always find something to eat. What let the hotel down were the incredibly rude guests, mainly the Spanish.

They seemed to not follow basic social etiquette. For example, waiting for a table to be cleaned then just blurt something in Spanish then sat down. Or even pushing in front on the lifts when they could see Tammey uses a walking aid. Anyway enough of the negatives.

I love getting up on the first morning to go for a jog and explore the local area. This is the perfect way of getting my bearings and seeing the area when it’s nice and quiet.


The area of Puerto de la Cruz is a more traditional resort. It didn’t have the usual rows and rows of tacky shops selling yelping puppies and glowing things you throw up in the air. There were some traditional Spanish high street shops, restaurants and not an English/Irish pub in sight.

The beach was beautiful. Raw volcanic sand which glistened in the sun and was so soft underfoot. The sea was pretty rough but I actually enjoyed jumping the waves.

After quite a few days simply sunning ourselves by the pool (and of course day time drinking on the all inclusive package), we decided to hire a car on our last day. It was an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, explore the island and not be stuck on a transfer bus for hours.

The roads were good conditions and with google maps it was easy to navigate our way up the mountain to the Teide National Park. Now the navigation was the only simple thing. Whilst the roads had no pot holes, it didn’t make driving on narrow roads with a very steep incline easy. At one point there was a stop sign however I had such fear of rolling all the way back down that I may have ignored the sign and hoped for the best (we made it!).

The views driving up the mountain were incredible. The scenery along the way went from lush smelling pine trees to exposed rock face and finally a sandy land. It was hard to remember to concentrate on driving and not keep pointing out the window.

After a pit stop at the top and a little walk to stretch our legs, it was time to drive down the other side. It was much easier driving down than up! We decided to stop in Playa de las Americas for the afternoon.

We’d heard this side of the island is where the Brits tend to stay and from the large beer bellies and ample swearing we were welcomed with, it was indeed chav city de la Americas.

We stopped for some lunch at a horrible place where I found a hair in my food. After this we decided to check out the beach. It was again pretty choppy here but they’d created a cove so you could swim safely. After catching some last minute rays it was time to head to the airport.

I decided to quickly get changed in the car so whilst changing I didn’t realise there was a man sitting over the other side who got a very clear view of my tan lines - opps.

The flight home with Ryanair was as horrible as ever. Late flight and people waiting on the tarmac to board the plane when they were still offloading the last passengers. This obviously left no time to clean the plane which was evident when I pulled the tray table down and it was full of food - yuck.

Overall Tenerife is a nice island but I have no desire to return. Your choice is chavvy Brits or rude Spanish.

Podstrana - Split - Omis

I wanted to share some of the highlights from the places we visited in Croatia. Although we only stayed for four nights, we were lucky to explore a few of the surrounding areas.


After extensive research, I decided to book Villa Pinocchio which is in the town of Podstrana. We flew into Split airport and Podstrana was a 30 minute taxi ride away. The hotel kindly arranged a taxi for us at a cost of roughly £30 one way. For our return journey, we actually used Uber and this was only £22.


I'll start of by explaining the area of Podstrana as this was our 'base' in Croatia.


Podstrana

As mentioned before, Podstrana is only 30 mins away from the airport. It is also only a 20 minute bus ride into the main area of Split.


The buses are fairly regular (run every 20-30 minutes) and pretty cheap (roughly £1.20 pp. each way). You can buy a ticket on the bus and sometimes these need validating.


The area of Podstrana is located directly on the Adriatic coast. The beaches are man made and pebbly (so bring your water shoes). The sea was relatively calm whilst we were there and it does gradually get deeper the further out you go (go figure...).



The area mainly has small family run b'n'b's as well as a few larger hotels. One of which is the La Meridien Lav Split which is a stunning five star hotel with it's own private marina for all those super yachts.


The area has a number of restaurants which are mainly seafood or Italian restaurants. There is also a few supermarkets (mainly the Ribola chain) as well as an excursion company which also hires bikes (£8 for six hours).


Overall it is a pretty quiet area but it has everything you'd need for a short break. We found a great place called Beach Bar Lungomare (say hi to Lulu the dog) which sells cocktails by the litre for roughly £12.


The area is great if you want some beach time but are also keen to explore Split centre. If you're heading to the Split area for more than three days then I'd say this could be a good base for you.


Split

Moving onto Split now. Although we wanted to explore the historical area of Split and see all the beautiful Roman ruins, we also wanted more than just a 'city break' hence why we didn't want to stay in a small hotel located in city centre.


The hotels in Split are nice and traditional however there's no beach in Split centre (it's on the sea but only boat trips/ferries) and most hotels don't have a pool. Some people won't mind this but I wanted the opportunity to swim in the sea and cool off in the heat.


We headed into Split one morning and found that within maybe four hours, we'd seen all that we needed to see. Diocletian's Palace is the main place we wanted to check out. We wasn't sure what to expect but it was beautiful. Lot's of little archways and allies led to the main bell tower and cathedral. We paid the £2 to climb the bell tower which dates back to the 13th century.


The views from the top were breath-taking but I must admit, I was a tad scared of the height and the rather low railings.




Split has lots of little bars and restaurants. Again the main cuisine is seafood and Italian. They are also fairly reasonably priced. Of course those directly along the waterfront or in the main square tend to be more expensive but overall we paid £25 for a main meal and a beer/wine each.

I must admit the shopping was not particularly exciting. Thankfully it wasn't full of the usual tourist tat but it also didn't feel like there was anything worth buying (which speaks volumes from the self-confessed shopaholic). We did find lots of stalls selling lavender products and jewellery made from Adriatic coral though.

Most of the excursions leave from Split centre. The boats obviously from the main waterfront and other trips from the various offices. What I found very odd was when booking an excursion, they do not pick you up from your hotel. I've always been used to being picked up directly from the hotel and dropped back so this was a surprise to me.

If you only had two nights in Split then I'd say to stay in Split centre. That way you can soak up the atmosphere at night (apparently they have live music in the main square) and simply wander around and take it all in. However, if you have a longer trip and like the beach then Omis should be your choice.

Omis

I had briefly read about Omis on Trip advisor however it was only a place we would visit if we got the chance to. We loved Omis so much that we ended up visiting it twice during our stay.

Omis is located 41 km from Split airport so would take roughly an hour to get to. On our first trip to Omis, we decided to hire bikes and cycle there. It was only 13 km from Podstrana and it took roughly 45 minutes to get there. The second time we opted for the bus which took about 30 mins (not much quicker than the bike with all the stops!).

As soon as you see the rocky mountains against the green gorge and blue sea - it's heaven. Omis has various shops, restaurants and bars. It has a lot more to offer than Podstrana.


There are two Forts in Omis. Mirabella Fortress is probably the first one you'll see. It sits pretty overlooking the town. You look up and think it's nice and easy to get to. It is quite steep and getting right to the top did require a harsh talking to (they seriously do not know anything about health and safety here) however the views were worth it. It cost roughly £2 to explore.


The second Fort, Starigrad Fortress, is a sneaky one. I didn't actually see it at all to begin with. Peter did and wanted to find it. After cycling (ok part cycle and a lot pushing the bikes up hill - thanks Peter) we came to a tiny sign staying Fortress. We locked the bikes up and set off on foot.

After walking up steep steps for about 100 meters I looked up and realised just how high we had to go, the air promptly turned blue. After giving myself another harsh talking to, we continued on. The hike was approximately 3km to the top and I believe 300 meters high.

Although it was blistering hot, it was really worth the effort. We of course had to pay an entrance fee (only £1.50pp) and were greeted by a lovely man who also sold water (thank god as I was starting to ration our supply).


Other than the lovely (albeit hard) hikes, Omis also has a stunning gorge where you can rock climb and raft down the river. It also has the most stunning coast line. There is another large island opposite so the sea is incredibly calm and also sandy. You could walk out pretty far before it got deeper so this made it a lot safer for children.


Omis had a traditional holiday resort feel to it but without the tacky tourist. A lot of the people there were locals or seem to be from Germany and Italy. I feel bad saying this but thankfully there wasn't large families of noisy Brits.

I would happily visit Omis again. I think the kids would have an amazing time playing in the sea and enjoying the gelato.

Croatia had been on my 'country list' for a few years now and I definitely wasn't disappointed. I always assumed I would do a sailing trip around Croatia and although we did a boat trip to the blue lagoon and a lovely little island which name escapes me, I wasn't that impressed.

Having been on quite a few different boat trips on holiday before, I have been spoilt seeing some gorgeous places and snorkelling in some great locations. Maybe other places in Croatia are better for sailing than Split but either way it was a great experience.