Eldest son (18) on first lads holiday with 8 other space cadets to Ayia Napa and we had a bit of a surprise when their Easy Jet flight had them landed here
But they weren’t there I looked later and he was here
I’ve looked again this morning and he’s back at Beirut airport
anyone know why find my iPhone wibble
Likely GPS scrambling tech deployed as part of Israel conflict. Affecting a lot of people in Cyprus.
Eldest son (18) on first lads holiday with 8 other space cadets to Ayia Napa and we had a bit of a surprise when their Easy Jet flight had them landed here
But they weren’t there I looked later and he was here
I’ve looked again this morning and he’s back at Beirut airport
anyone know why find my iPhone wibble
Had the same with our son in April. There were electrical storms in the area (not that we knew that at the time) and lots of planes were just circling Larnaca. The next thing we knew he had "landed" in Beirut. I honestly thought that his plane had been hijacked! It was such a relief when he messaged us to say that he had arrived safely in Larnaca. I don't think that I've ever drunk a bottle of wine as quickly as I did after receiving that message.
After a month on the Cote d’Azure am now staying in SW France near Bram an agricultural area where you normally see fields of sunflowers. Unfortunately the sunflowers a running behind schedule and have yet to flower. And so am off to Montpelier for a couple of days.
We are just back from France, namely, Ile d'Oleron. No, I'd never heard of it either, but it's home for one of the International Addick Lifers, @Stuart_the_Red. It's a large, working island just south-west of La Rochelle. We loved it. Plenty of big sandy beaches, all but deserted, bike lanes everywhere, and of course wonderful food, especially from the sea. Local oysters. Unfortunately you can't follow in our footsteps and rent Stuart's holiday apartment as they plan to give up on the holiday rental business for a quiet life on the mainland, and closed a sale while we were there. But if you are already a France fan, this is a bit of a hidden gem worth checking out. Does apparently get a bit overcrowded in July/August according to Stuart. BTW, try not to lose your passport or ID card while in France. My wife did. The problem then is that airlines require a proof of loss document from the police in order to let you fly, but the police, apologetically, told us that they can now only do this for theft. Loss must be handled by the town halls. But they are closed on weekends, and our flight was Monday lunchtime from Nantes. Without much hope of success we decided to gatecrash the election polling station at the town hall on Sunday to seek help. A small and very sympathetic crowd of citizens gathered around us, pondering the problem, and this attracted the attention of a very business-like guy in a crisp white shirt who turned out to be the Director of Services. Once he understood our problem he pulled out his phone and rang the police captain. The police stood their ground and apparently told him we'd need to go to the Czech consulate in...Paris, but Mr Jean-Yves Valembois, currently my favourite Frenchman, told us not to worry, he'd do the form himself. He saved us a huge hassle, that's for sure. I made sure to write and thank him when we got back and send a donation to the local lifeboat station. Vive la France!
Planning on visiting Bordeaux next year and might take a sneaky peeky of the island.
Its a fair old schlepp. Almost exactly halfway between Bordeaux and Nantes, or their respective airports anyway. Was gnashing my teeth because you can easily fly to La Rochelle from London, but no way from Prague.
Planning on visiting Bordeaux next year and might take a sneaky peeky of the island.
Its a fair old schlepp. Almost exactly halfway between Bordeaux and Nantes, or their respective airports anyway. Was gnashing my teeth because you can easily fly to La Rochelle from London, but no way from Prague.
Went there about 15 years ago, I didn't realise that's where Fort Boyard was until then.
Quite some way out yet, but looking at a big 2-week+ holiday in Sept-25 having squirrelled away a lot of Avios and the premium plus companion voucher - planning to use it when the other half finishes hands in her final Masters dissertation (speech & language therapy) on 2nd Sept as a bit of a treat since we've cut back a bit on holidays during her course (and the companion voucher expires at the end of that month!).
That being the case, I think I've narrowed it down to either Bali or Zanzibar as of our the other wish-list places the Caribbean is in peak hurricane season and Japan/Thailand/Vietnam look quite wet around then, although I've not been to any of these so could be wrong!.
I thought I'd ask for any recommendations on the above from people who have been?
Also, having never booked flights with Avios, it seems like these places don't seem to come up with any availability - so does anyone know if you have to fly to e.g. Singapore (for Bali) or Nairobi (for Zanzibar), which both do come up, and get yourself over from there? I figured it might be the case when they don't own the whole route you can't book with Avios... e.g. Zanzibar with BA seems to be BA to Doha and BA "operated by Qatar Airways" onwards to Zanzibar. I did sign up with Iberia so I could use Avios there as well but to be honest I'm tying myself up in knots trying to work out how to best spend these damned points
Eldest son (18) on first lads holiday with 8 other space cadets to Ayia Napa and we had a bit of a surprise when their Easy Jet flight had them landed here
But they weren’t there I looked later and he was here
I’ve looked again this morning and he’s back at Beirut airport
anyone know why find my iPhone wibble
Bet your son absoultely loves you stalking him on his first lads holiday
Looking to go to Cyprus end of September/beginning of October, anyone got any good recommendations of where to go and good hotels?
Depends what you're after. Kids etc. I've stayed at about 5 of the hotels along the paphos strip. Best ones were The Annabelle, but zero there for kids. Was just pure relaxation. Then the Olympic lagoon. Which was pukka if you've got kids and tbh still good even without kids. We are going to Leonardo cypria bay next year as we have been told its good for the little ones and we got a good deal on it.
If you like the beach there isn't much along that part of paphos so you would be better heading a bit further along to coral bay.
Never been to Cyprus so have no clue what it’s like but always wanted to go and everyone I know who has been has said it’s amazing.
We’ll have a 3 month old so won’t need anything specific for kids but we do like a beach, to be fair that’s normally quite important in previous holidays but happy to stay on the resort too. We like to explore a little whilst making sure we relax enough.
I have looked at the Olympic Lagoon as that is by far, so far, my favourite, but currently a little too far out of our budget.
Thanks for the feedback.
In the Paphos area the only decent beach is at Coral Bay. Never stayed in a hotel there though. Friends who live locally say Coral Bay has recently undergone extensive regeneration and the main strip pedestrianised. We are visiting them next week so I’ll let you know. Lots of decent restaurants there. Personally we have always hired a car and ventured out to tavernas in local villages where it’s more relaxed, less busy, bills are cheaper and you get a better feel of the real Cyprus.
We have been to the Paphos region probably 15 times in the last twenty odd years. We normally hire a villa as we are not into big hotels, all inclusive, lots of kids etc. Plus as said we like visiting the local tavernas especially in places like Payia, Tala etc. Now our friends live out there we stay with them at their Villa in the hills, a lovely spot, fantastic views across to Turkey, cooler on summer days but a twenty minute drive to the coast at Latchi and Polis.
@LargeAddick what did you make of Coral Bay? We will be looking to book our trip to Cyprus this month and interested to hear a bit more about different areas before we make our final decision.
If anyone else has anything on Cyprus and their experience (we are likely to go to a more all-inclusive hotel/resort personally) then that would be great. As mentioned before, we will have our baby boy with us too. Thanks!
my friends son aged 21, went to work in Ayia Napa about 6 weeks ago Him and his mate got accosted outside a bar and accused of damaging someones bike
they ran off and got into their apartment, this gang kicked the door down and took them away. Made the boys do a video call home, and got their parents to transfer £1000 over to account in Cyprus, broke his fingers whilst on the video call and then dumped them by the road once the funds received. His friend had 16 stitches in head.
Quite some way out yet, but looking at a big 2-week+ holiday in Sept-25 having squirrelled away a lot of Avios and the premium plus companion voucher - planning to use it when the other half finishes hands in her final Masters dissertation (speech & language therapy) on 2nd Sept as a bit of a treat since we've cut back a bit on holidays during her course (and the companion voucher expires at the end of that month!).
That being the case, I think I've narrowed it down to either Bali or Zanzibar as of our the other wish-list places the Caribbean is in peak hurricane season and Japan/Thailand/Vietnam look quite wet around then, although I've not been to any of these so could be wrong!.
I thought I'd ask for any recommendations on the above from people who have been?
Also, having never booked flights with Avios, it seems like these places don't seem to come up with any availability - so does anyone know if you have to fly to e.g. Singapore (for Bali) or Nairobi (for Zanzibar), which both do come up, and get yourself over from there? I figured it might be the case when they don't own the whole route you can't book with Avios... e.g. Zanzibar with BA seems to be BA to Doha and BA "operated by Qatar Airways" onwards to Zanzibar. I did sign up with Iberia so I could use Avios there as well but to be honest I'm tying myself up in knots trying to work out how to best spend these damned points
I went to Zanzibar last December and flew back to London via Nairobi (BA from Nairobî to LHR).
Quite some way out yet, but looking at a big 2-week+ holiday in Sept-25 having squirrelled away a lot of Avios and the premium plus companion voucher - planning to use it when the other half finishes hands in her final Masters dissertation (speech & language therapy) on 2nd Sept as a bit of a treat since we've cut back a bit on holidays during her course (and the companion voucher expires at the end of that month!).
That being the case, I think I've narrowed it down to either Bali or Zanzibar as of our the other wish-list places the Caribbean is in peak hurricane season and Japan/Thailand/Vietnam look quite wet around then, although I've not been to any of these so could be wrong!.
I thought I'd ask for any recommendations on the above from people who have been?
Also, having never booked flights with Avios, it seems like these places don't seem to come up with any availability - so does anyone know if you have to fly to e.g. Singapore (for Bali) or Nairobi (for Zanzibar), which both do come up, and get yourself over from there? I figured it might be the case when they don't own the whole route you can't book with Avios... e.g. Zanzibar with BA seems to be BA to Doha and BA "operated by Qatar Airways" onwards to Zanzibar. I did sign up with Iberia so I could use Avios there as well but to be honest I'm tying myself up in knots trying to work out how to best spend these damned points
Best to avoid Thailand and Vietnam in September, majority of both countries will be very wet. Japan can still be around typhoon season, wouldn't go there until early October at earliest.
For Bali, you could use your Avios with Qatar Airways and fly via Doha. It's a far superior service these days than BA. Otherwise going for the Singapore route isn't a bad idea, and add a stopover there, it's a great city, and would still offer you plenty of time to move around Bali with a few stops in different locations.
Just to add, you will likely need some patience when it comes to using your BA companion voucher, as they don't make it easy to book flights, and you may need to be flexible with dates of flying.
my friends son aged 21, went to work in Ayia Napa about 6 weeks ago Him and his mate got accosted outside a bar and accused of damaging someones bike
they ran off and got into their apartment, this gang kicked the door down and took them away. Made the boys do a video call home, and got their parents to transfer £1000 over to account in Cyprus, broke his fingers whilst on the video call and then dumped them by the road once the funds received. His friend had 16 stitches in head.
Cypriot police were not interested.
Wow! Aweful experience. Hope they have got over it! As for the authorities!!!!!
my friends son aged 21, went to work in Ayia Napa about 6 weeks ago Him and his mate got accosted outside a bar and accused of damaging someones bike
they ran off and got into their apartment, this gang kicked the door down and took them away. Made the boys do a video call home, and got their parents to transfer £1000 over to account in Cyprus, broke his fingers whilst on the video call and then dumped them by the road once the funds received. His friend had 16 stitches in head.
Cypriot police were not interested.
That’s horrific, I think some of the parents would have passed out if they’d heard that before the trip my son said he saw a fella with his bird mouth off to some Eastern Europeans and he got clumped
My 3 youngest out in Mallorca with father and sister in law and her kids just clocked this puerto pollence , think they’re staying Ilador hotel/apartments
Quite some way out yet, but looking at a big 2-week+ holiday in Sept-25 having squirrelled away a lot of Avios and the premium plus companion voucher - planning to use it when the other half finishes hands in her final Masters dissertation (speech & language therapy) on 2nd Sept as a bit of a treat since we've cut back a bit on holidays during her course (and the companion voucher expires at the end of that month!).
That being the case, I think I've narrowed it down to either Bali or Zanzibar as of our the other wish-list places the Caribbean is in peak hurricane season and Japan/Thailand/Vietnam look quite wet around then, although I've not been to any of these so could be wrong!.
I thought I'd ask for any recommendations on the above from people who have been?
Also, having never booked flights with Avios, it seems like these places don't seem to come up with any availability - so does anyone know if you have to fly to e.g. Singapore (for Bali) or Nairobi (for Zanzibar), which both do come up, and get yourself over from there? I figured it might be the case when they don't own the whole route you can't book with Avios... e.g. Zanzibar with BA seems to be BA to Doha and BA "operated by Qatar Airways" onwards to Zanzibar. I did sign up with Iberia so I could use Avios there as well but to be honest I'm tying myself up in knots trying to work out how to best spend these damned points
I've been using Companion Vouchers for many years, and BA make it harder each year with limited availability for long-haul.
As @stoneroses19 states, you all need to be very flexible in your dates.
He is also correct in that you should use the Avios with QatarAir for Bali, and change in Doha. I've done that for the last two years and it is not only a fairly easy route, but also far more flights available than on BA which I used to use, changing in Singapore.
Having said all that, I do recommend a few days stopover in Singapore - I worked there for a few years and it is a fabulous place.
Anyone been to Kuala Lumpur?. We're stopping off for 3 days in January en-route to Melbourne. Any tips of where to visit/ restaurants would be much appreciated. Thank you
Anyone been to Kuala Lumpur?. We're stopping off for 3 days in January en-route to Melbourne. Any tips of where to visit/ restaurants would be much appreciated. Thank you
Morning visit to the Batu Caves is a great option. You can take a local train from central Kuala Lumpur to the caves, takes around 25-30 minutes each way (or you can go by taxi). The entrance to the caves is via 300 steps or so.
If you don't mind a full day trip, I'd recommend visiting Malacca. Interesting place as it's a great medley of cultures, with influences over the years from China, Portugal, and UK.
Looking to go to Cyprus end of September/beginning of October, anyone got any good recommendations of where to go and good hotels?
Depends what you're after. Kids etc. I've stayed at about 5 of the hotels along the paphos strip. Best ones were The Annabelle, but zero there for kids. Was just pure relaxation. Then the Olympic lagoon. Which was pukka if you've got kids and tbh still good even without kids. We are going to Leonardo cypria bay next year as we have been told its good for the little ones and we got a good deal on it.
If you like the beach there isn't much along that part of paphos so you would be better heading a bit further along to coral bay.
Never been to Cyprus so have no clue what it’s like but always wanted to go and everyone I know who has been has said it’s amazing.
We’ll have a 3 month old so won’t need anything specific for kids but we do like a beach, to be fair that’s normally quite important in previous holidays but happy to stay on the resort too. We like to explore a little whilst making sure we relax enough.
I have looked at the Olympic Lagoon as that is by far, so far, my favourite, but currently a little too far out of our budget.
Thanks for the feedback.
In the Paphos area the only decent beach is at Coral Bay. Never stayed in a hotel there though. Friends who live locally say Coral Bay has recently undergone extensive regeneration and the main strip pedestrianised. We are visiting them next week so I’ll let you know. Lots of decent restaurants there. Personally we have always hired a car and ventured out to tavernas in local villages where it’s more relaxed, less busy, bills are cheaper and you get a better feel of the real Cyprus.
We have been to the Paphos region probably 15 times in the last twenty odd years. We normally hire a villa as we are not into big hotels, all inclusive, lots of kids etc. Plus as said we like visiting the local tavernas especially in places like Payia, Tala etc. Now our friends live out there we stay with them at their Villa in the hills, a lovely spot, fantastic views across to Turkey, cooler on summer days but a twenty minute drive to the coast at Latchi and Polis.
@LargeAddick what did you make of Coral Bay? We will be looking to book our trip to Cyprus this month and interested to hear a bit more about different areas before we make our final decision.
If anyone else has anything on Cyprus and their experience (we are likely to go to a more all-inclusive hotel/resort personally) then that would be great. As mentioned before, we will have our baby boy with us too. Thanks!
@sage I was over in Cyprus for my nephew’s wedding a few weeks ago. First 9 days up in Latchi which is an area I really like. It’s a lot more laid back, there were a couple of sports bars there in previous years but they were badly hit by Covid. What’s left now are a great selection of restaurants and beach bars around the Marina, where there’s also a great choice of water sports and boat hire/trips available (usually cheaper than the more touristy Coral Bay). It’s also an easy walk along the front to Polis, a larger town, but the beach bar there (and camping site) is currently closed for redevelopment. Polis itself is full of great little bars and squares to enjoy time with the locals.
We then moved to Kissonerga for the last 12 days. It’s half way between Paphos and Coral Bay. I’ve spent many holidays around Coral Bay and the upgrades they’ve made to the main strip (it re-opened when we were out there) are impressive. There’s a couple of great beaches with plenty of facilities down there and it’s definitely the best place for beaches on that side of the island.
The buses to/from Paphos are great. Cheap, very comfy, regular and with great air-con too. All the bars/restaurants are very child friendly.
If you’re getting a hire car, it’s great to see some of the villages up in the hills and take a trip up the Troodos and Mount Olympus. Some great stop off points along the way. If you’re into that sort of thing, some of the monasteries are absolutely stunning.
Looking to go to Cyprus end of September/beginning of October, anyone got any good recommendations of where to go and good hotels?
Depends what you're after. Kids etc. I've stayed at about 5 of the hotels along the paphos strip. Best ones were The Annabelle, but zero there for kids. Was just pure relaxation. Then the Olympic lagoon. Which was pukka if you've got kids and tbh still good even without kids. We are going to Leonardo cypria bay next year as we have been told its good for the little ones and we got a good deal on it.
If you like the beach there isn't much along that part of paphos so you would be better heading a bit further along to coral bay.
Never been to Cyprus so have no clue what it’s like but always wanted to go and everyone I know who has been has said it’s amazing.
We’ll have a 3 month old so won’t need anything specific for kids but we do like a beach, to be fair that’s normally quite important in previous holidays but happy to stay on the resort too. We like to explore a little whilst making sure we relax enough.
I have looked at the Olympic Lagoon as that is by far, so far, my favourite, but currently a little too far out of our budget.
Thanks for the feedback.
In the Paphos area the only decent beach is at Coral Bay. Never stayed in a hotel there though. Friends who live locally say Coral Bay has recently undergone extensive regeneration and the main strip pedestrianised. We are visiting them next week so I’ll let you know. Lots of decent restaurants there. Personally we have always hired a car and ventured out to tavernas in local villages where it’s more relaxed, less busy, bills are cheaper and you get a better feel of the real Cyprus.
We have been to the Paphos region probably 15 times in the last twenty odd years. We normally hire a villa as we are not into big hotels, all inclusive, lots of kids etc. Plus as said we like visiting the local tavernas especially in places like Payia, Tala etc. Now our friends live out there we stay with them at their Villa in the hills, a lovely spot, fantastic views across to Turkey, cooler on summer days but a twenty minute drive to the coast at Latchi and Polis.
@LargeAddick what did you make of Coral Bay? We will be looking to book our trip to Cyprus this month and interested to hear a bit more about different areas before we make our final decision.
If anyone else has anything on Cyprus and their experience (we are likely to go to a more all-inclusive hotel/resort personally) then that would be great. As mentioned before, we will have our baby boy with us too. Thanks!
@sage I was over in Cyprus for my nephew’s wedding a few weeks ago. First 9 days up in Latchi which is an area I really like. It’s a lot more laid back, there were a couple of sports bars there in previous years but they were badly hit by Covid. What’s left now are a great selection of restaurants and beach bars around the Marina, where there’s also a great choice of water sports and boat hire/trips available (usually cheaper than the more touristy Coral Bay). It’s also an easy walk along the front to Polis, a larger town, but the beach bar there (and camping site) is currently closed for redevelopment. Polis itself is full of great little bars and squares to enjoy time with the locals.
We then moved to Kissonerga for the last 12 days. It’s half way between Paphos and Coral Bay. I’ve spent many holidays around Coral Bay and the upgrades they’ve made to the main strip (it re-opened when we were out there) are impressive. There’s a couple of great beaches with plenty of facilities down there and it’s definitely the best place for beaches on that side of the island.
The buses to/from Paphos are great. Cheap, very comfy, regular and with great air-con too. All the bars/restaurants are very child friendly.
If you’re getting a hire car, it’s great to see some of the villages up in the hills and take a trip up the Troodos and Mount Olympus. Some great stop off points along the way. If you’re into that sort of thing, some of the monasteries are absolutely stunning.
Don't know what time of year you are thinking of travelling @Sage but I have been in Paphos for the last 4 weeks and it has been absolutely sweltering. Last year we left the UK on 5 July and it was only too hot just before we went home on 26 July. We thought that we would come out earlier this year, leaving the UK on 18 June, but it has been staggeringly hot the whole time, with several times the actual temperature being around 32°c, but the feel like temperature being 41/42°c, due to humidity. We are returning home tomorrow and for the first time ever, I'm actually happy for a holiday to be ending.
Anyone been to Kuala Lumpur?. We're stopping off for 3 days in January en-route to Melbourne. Any tips of where to visit/ restaurants would be much appreciated. Thank you
I was there over 30 years ago so not up to date with restaurants etc. However, there’s some great architecture to look at, including some really lovely colonial buildings. Highlight is the Sultan Abdul Samad building. Naturally the main train station is also worth a visit. The central market is also good.
Anyone been to Kuala Lumpur?. We're stopping off for 3 days in January en-route to Melbourne. Any tips of where to visit/ restaurants would be much appreciated. Thank you
Morning visit to the Batu Caves is a great option. You can take a local train from central Kuala Lumpur to the caves, takes around 25-30 minutes each way (or you can go by taxi). The entrance to the caves is via 300 steps or so.
If you don't mind a full day trip, I'd recommend visiting Malacca. Interesting place as it's a great medley of cultures, with influences over the years from China, Portugal, and UK.
Thank you. Will definetly be visiting the caves. There seem to be some organised trips to there and a few other places that seem reasonably priced
Anyone been to Kuala Lumpur?. We're stopping off for 3 days in January en-route to Melbourne. Any tips of where to visit/ restaurants would be much appreciated. Thank you
I was there over 30 years ago so not up to date with restaurants etc. However, there’s some great architecture to look at, including some really lovely colonial buildings. Highlight is the Sultan Abdul Samad building. Naturally the main train station is also worth a visit. The central market is also good.
Thank you. Looking forward to a mouch around the city. Will defiently add your suggestions to my list of places to see 👍
Don't know what time of year you are thinking of travelling @Sage but I have been in Paphos for the last 4 weeks and it has been absolutely sweltering. Last year we left the UK on 5 July and it was only too hot just before we went home on 26 July. We thought that we would come out earlier this year, leaving the UK on 18 June, but it has been staggeringly hot the whole time, with several times the actual temperature being around 32°c, but the feel like temperature being 41/42°c, due to humidity. We are returning home tomorrow and for the first time ever, I'm actually happy for a holiday to be ending.
Yeah, have to say we were there from 27 May for three weeks. The wedding was on the 10th June and it was 34° at 4pm although it felt a lot hotter. The locals reckon it’s at least 5° hotter than normal for this time of year.
Anyone been to Kuala Lumpur?. We're stopping off for 3 days in January en-route to Melbourne. Any tips of where to visit/ restaurants would be much appreciated. Thank you
I was there over 30 years ago so not up to date with restaurants etc. However, there’s some great architecture to look at, including some really lovely colonial buildings. Highlight is the Sultan Abdul Samad building. Naturally the main train station is also worth a visit. The central market is also good.
Thank you. Looking forward to a mouch around the city. Will defiently add your suggestions to my list of places to see 👍
Petronas towers (particularly at night) are very impressive there's also another tower that you can go up for great city views....can't recall it's name though (it's round at the top) also Merdeka Square is worth looking at. If there is time Malacca is nice....but maybe another time.
Ah I’m so jealous of all your plans, just back from my hols and have proper post holiday blues!
We spent 2 and a bit weeks in the Southern US. Started out with 5 days in New Orleans, then took the train travelling up through the states of Louisiana and Mississippi, stopping over in Jackson, Mississippi for a couple of days before heading to Memphis, Tennessee (Memphis was amazing). Then we weren’t to Nashville for five days (inc July 4th, which is also our wedding anniversary) before stopping off in New York on the way home for 48 hours.
Was a great trip, but have nothing planned now and am feeling very sad about the matter!
Ah I’m so jealous of all your plans, just back from my hols and have proper post holiday blues!
We spent 2 and a bit weeks in the Southern US. Started out with 5 days in New Orleans, then took the train travelling up through the states of Louisiana and Mississippi, stopping over in Jackson, Mississippi for a couple of days before heading to Memphis, Tennessee (Memphis was amazing). Then we weren’t to Nashville for five days (inc July 4th, which is also our wedding anniversary) before stopping off in New York on the way home for 48 hours.
Was a great trip, but have nothing planned now and am feeling very sad about the matter!
Ah I’m so jealous of all your plans, just back from my hols and have proper post holiday blues!
We spent 2 and a bit weeks in the Southern US. Started out with 5 days in New Orleans, then took the train travelling up through the states of Louisiana and Mississippi, stopping over in Jackson, Mississippi for a couple of days before heading to Memphis, Tennessee (Memphis was amazing). Then we weren’t to Nashville for five days (inc July 4th, which is also our wedding anniversary) before stopping off in New York on the way home for 48 hours.
Was a great trip, but have nothing planned now and am feeling very sad about the matter!
Comments
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255417776?sortBy=best
The next thing we knew he had "landed" in Beirut. I honestly thought that his plane had been hijacked!
It was such a relief when he messaged us to say that he had arrived safely in Larnaca. I don't think that I've ever drunk a bottle of wine as quickly as I did after receiving that message.
Unfortunately you can't follow in our footsteps and rent Stuart's holiday apartment as they plan to give up on the holiday rental business for a quiet life on the mainland, and closed a sale while we were there. But if you are already a France fan, this is a bit of a hidden gem worth checking out. Does apparently get a bit overcrowded in July/August according to Stuart.
BTW, try not to lose your passport or ID card while in France. My wife did. The problem then is that airlines require a proof of loss document from the police in order to let you fly, but the police, apologetically, told us that they can now only do this for theft. Loss must be handled by the town halls. But they are closed on weekends, and our flight was Monday lunchtime from Nantes. Without much hope of success we decided to gatecrash the election polling station at the town hall on Sunday to seek help. A small and very sympathetic crowd of citizens gathered around us, pondering the problem, and this attracted the attention of a very business-like guy in a crisp white shirt who turned out to be the Director of Services. Once he understood our problem he pulled out his phone and rang the police captain. The police stood their ground and apparently told him we'd need to go to the Czech consulate in...Paris, but Mr Jean-Yves Valembois, currently my favourite Frenchman, told us not to worry, he'd do the form himself. He saved us a huge hassle, that's for sure. I made sure to write and thank him when we got back and send a donation to the local lifeboat station. Vive la France!
That being the case, I think I've narrowed it down to either Bali or Zanzibar as of our the other wish-list places the Caribbean is in peak hurricane season and Japan/Thailand/Vietnam look quite wet around then, although I've not been to any of these so could be wrong!.
I thought I'd ask for any recommendations on the above from people who have been?
Also, having never booked flights with Avios, it seems like these places don't seem to come up with any availability - so does anyone know if you have to fly to e.g. Singapore (for Bali) or Nairobi (for Zanzibar), which both do come up, and get yourself over from there? I figured it might be the case when they don't own the whole route you can't book with Avios... e.g. Zanzibar with BA seems to be BA to Doha and BA "operated by Qatar Airways" onwards to Zanzibar. I did sign up with Iberia so I could use Avios there as well but to be honest I'm tying myself up in knots trying to work out how to best spend these damned points
Bet your son absoultely loves you stalking him on his first lads holiday
If anyone else has anything on Cyprus and their experience (we are likely to go to a more all-inclusive hotel/resort personally) then that would be great. As mentioned before, we will have our baby boy with us too. Thanks!
my friends son aged 21, went to work in Ayia Napa about 6 weeks ago
Him and his mate got accosted outside a bar and accused of damaging someones bike
they ran off and got into their apartment, this gang kicked the door down and took them away. Made the boys do a video call home, and got their parents to transfer £1000 over to account in Cyprus, broke his fingers whilst on the video call and then dumped them by the road once the funds received. His friend had 16 stitches in head.
Cypriot police were not interested.
my son said he saw a fella with his bird mouth off to some Eastern Europeans and he got clumped
just clocked this puerto pollence , think they’re staying Ilador hotel/apartments
german addicks claiming their sun bed early maybe
As @stoneroses19 states, you all need to be very flexible in your dates.
He is also correct in that you should use the Avios with QatarAir for Bali, and change in Doha. I've done that for the last two years and it is not only a fairly easy route, but also far more flights available than on BA which I used to use, changing in Singapore.
Having said all that, I do recommend a few days stopover in Singapore - I worked there for a few years and it is a fabulous place.
We are returning home tomorrow and for the first time ever, I'm actually happy for a holiday to be ending.
We spent 2 and a bit weeks in the Southern US. Started out with 5 days in New Orleans, then took the train travelling up through the states of Louisiana and Mississippi, stopping over in Jackson, Mississippi for a couple of days before heading to Memphis, Tennessee (Memphis was amazing). Then we weren’t to Nashville for five days (inc July 4th, which is also our wedding anniversary) before stopping off in New York on the way home for 48 hours.