Monsieur and I slumbered long, that first night in Venice. In fact, we somehow slept through our alarms before finally falling out of bed at an embarrassing 11am. That was stupid. Now we’d have to move fast to make up the time. Our lateness didn’t escape the attention of the hotel receptionist. A man exuding…
Category: Hotels
Vietnam Itinerary and Flights
Before I start divulging the many and different tales from our recent trip to Vietnam, I thought it might help to post the itinerary we followed. Day 1 Evening flight from London Heathrow to Bangkok. Day 2 Arrive Bangkok. Transfer to Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Day 3 Explore Bangkok with Driver Daeng. Day 4 Fly from…
Ana Mandara Resort, Nha Trang, Vietnam
Monsieur and I have been enjoying some chill-out quality time in Nha Trang, Vietnam. Here’s a You Tube clip showing where we’re staying: The clip is certainly inviting and we have certainly been enjoying ourselves, but the resort definitely has a local flavour. For a start, when we went swimming the other day we noticed a strange…
Malaysia part 21: Junky islands and giant eagles
Next on the last-day-in-Langkawi hit-list was Tanjung Rhu, an island shaped like a junk, as in boat. It appears in lots of advertising media, not just for Malay products, and the natural beauty of the area surrounding the island is definitely worth the visit. On the way to Tanjung Rhu, we passed a couple of other popular Langkawi resorts: The…
Malaysia Part 19 – Dining companions
Monsieur and I may have been travelling à deux through Malaysia, but we were never short of dining companions. One night, a waiter told me the name of the umbrella trees which were dotted around the resort, looking like something out of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. ‘It’s a Rhu tree,’ he told us. ‘the native…
Fun Friday again… Funny travel post
Here’s the link to Jog-Blog-Cathy’s latest post, where she goes to Cornwall and has a really great time. I’m still giggling. Read and enjoy! http://www.jog-blog.co.uk/?p=436
Malaysia Part 18 – Langkawi legends and lost ice lollies
One day, Monsieur and I found ourselves suffering from Resort Fatigue so we decided to get out and explore the island on a chauffeur-driven jeep tour. We were collected from main reception before being whisked out of the complex and into Langkawi’s beautiful landscape. Our driver was friendly and full of advice regarding what we should see. As we drove…
Malaysia Part 17 – swimming lizards and candy floss skies
One morning Monsieur and I went for breakfast at The Spice Market, a large restaurant with both indoor and terraced seating and an impressive breakfast buffet. We ate various different things from the generous spread (spicy Malay food, boring old toast), but the one that sticks in my mind is the watermelon. Next to the platter of…
New York – A Grand Central Vacation
For some time now, I’ve been promising to write a list of things to do in New York for a colleague who’ll be visiting there soon. Then I thought, better to blog it. Same result, different method. Here’s the first part: It’s family legend that as a foetus I first kicked in New York. My parents…
Malaysia Part 16: A Macaque Attack and my New Best Friend
Monsieur and I didn’t take long to unwind at the Pelangi Beach Resort, but we can’t sit still for long so soon we found ourselves reading the large, wooden activities board near the Horizon Pool. On the board hung signs bearing the names of the various activities that were available that day, with start time…
Malaysia, Part 14: Laid-back Langkawi at Last.
To read Malaysia, Part 13, click here. Knees still wobbly from our brush with the fastest man in Malaysia, Monsieur and I were soon on the flight to Langkawi, somewhat bemused by Air Asia‘s luggage policy. As with so many low cost airlines, the tickets are kept cheap by strict luggage limitations, in this case a challenging 15 kilos…
Malaysia Part 11 – In the Night Market
Melaka was livelier in the dark than she had been in the daylight. Once we’d bade farewell to Cedric, we walked across to Jonker Street, past the miniature windmill surrounded by a perfect bed of flowers that would look more appropriate in Disneyland. It was a very different place to the one we’d left that…