For all golfers out there, and to all my golf contacts… I’m pleased to have been appointed Travel Editor for two golf websites with effect from 1 September 2010.
I will be freelance website Travel Editor for Murcia Golf Owners and Golf Rentals Direct and will be contributing monthly articles on general travel, golf holidays in Europe, and family holidays in the UK and Europe.
Camera… Roll… Action
I’m terrified of heights.
Fear made me bond quickly (like glue) to the accompanying instructors, and my co-zipliners soon became my best friends. I needed a lot of moral support.
Cameras roll... Dan is ready for the off
I’ve heard that people hug trees but probably not for the same reason that I hugged them.
On a platform the size of a dinner plate, at a height of at least 800ft (well, it seemed like that to me) I had a passionate affair with a very mature tree.
Action... Kim flies in
Mate Rochelle
It seemed a lifetime, it took a thousand shuffling steps, eyes closed, nose almost glued to tree, to get around the tree trunk for the next zip line.
If a tree could moan, it would have…
Fear of heights aside, I can’t wait for my next session. Bring it on!
Enjoy these pictures of my best-ever ziplining buddies.
There are several different ziplining locations in Jamaica, lengths and heights of the lines vary considerably but safety is of paramount importance (go with a reputable company) and the thrill is amazing.
For a wide range of adventure tours in Jamaica, as well as sightseeing and ziplining check out Island Routes >>
Vibrant Vacations
Warm evenings, white sand, crystal clear water, romantic candlelit dinners on the beach…
Caribbean sunset
Caribean seclusion
Exotic flora
Exotic flora, chirping tree frogs, swaying palms, amazing sunsets, moonlight walks on the beach – all that stuff.
How can anyone NOT want to vacation in the Caribbean? It is a destination made for lovers… for lovers of nature, for lovers of sun and sea, for adventure lovers, and for people in love…
Peacock perfection
Take this peacock, for instance. It fancies the pants off the light fittings in these exotic Caribbean gardens on the unspoilt south-west coast of Jamaica.
Every day is a peacock woo-ing day. But the light fittings remain unimpressed.
… or swim
Pigs might fly...
Never have I seen anything funnier than a big snout, huge ears, and a curly tail swimming towards me attached to…. a pig.
In fact, four of them, swimming as if in practice for the olympics and squealing as though there was no tomorrow.
Pigs will do anything apparently to suckle a beef hot dog or two.
Shark formation
It has been a wild sort of day.
On the last beach we had fed iguanas that were partial to grapes and, at the yacht club, nurse sharks that didn’t mind being stroked if you paid them a squid or two.
Who cares?
Can you guess where I am?
Need a clue?
Because of the crystal clear water, this is one of the best destinations in the world for scuba diving holidays, sailing breaks and yacht charter vacations.
Here’s another clue…
It’s an exclusive vacation destination, also popular for luxury weddings and romantic honeymoons.
Oh yes… and there is a Greg Norman-designed golf course with six Signature holes running adjacent to the most amazing turquoise sea.
Any idea? No? Then click here if you want to give in >>
Chilling out in luxury accommodation in Jamaica
Italianate gardens in Jamaica
Where am I?
Wandering through the resort I could be in the USA, but there’s a sign to the French village and another to the Italian village.
Believe it or not I’m actually in the Caribbean… in Jamaica.
Blooming impressive
I’m in a massive estate full of blooms in every colour, an act only the Caribbean can stage. But it is Italianate.
Read more »
Jamaica is ‘hot’, man… and real cool
Private island Sandals Royal Caribbean
My three-month ‘tour of discovery’ visiting several Caribbean islands I haven’t visited before has begun. First stop, Jamaica.
Lush, mountainous, turquoise waters, white sand beaches, cooling breezes, great hotels, friendly Jamaicans, champagne on tap… First impressions? Not bad at all. I could maybe suffer a few years here, no worry.
I’m a great fan of Bob Marley too so reckon I could soon get the Jamaican vibe sorted, no prob. There’s a je ne sais pas about music in the Caribbean… it seeps into the blood.
Human boomerangs
My vacation (of sorts) in Jamaica is beginning to look very promising. It’s going to end before it begins, I just know it. There’s great food, too, in my Luxury Included® hotel. All very much laid back. I met some guests today who return year after year, just like human boomerangs. Three days in, and I am beginning to understand why. Read more »
Fun, festivities and FIZZ
There’s nothing like a glass of bubbly in the garden on a sunny day, but try these Cava cocktails to add a bit more sparkle and fun to your festivities. They’re cool concoctions.
Grape fresco
As an alternative to Cava, try the same mixes for champagne cocktails, sparkling wine cocktails, and prosecco cocktails:
* One part Limoncello (that scrumptious Italian lemon liqueur) to three parts Cava. Decorate with half slice of lemon, half slice of lime
* Add one part Aperol (an Italian aperitif) to two parts Cava. Garnish with orange slice
* Blend quarter of peach with splash of peach liqueur and dash of peach bitters. Pour into glass, add Cava, garnish with slice of peach or peach ball
* Shot of vodka, shot of raspberry liqueur. Add squeeze of lime, then Cava
* Half-shot of gin, half shot of passion fruit juice, top up with Cava
* Add raspberry liqueur to Cava and a few fresh raspberries to garnish
Read more »
Spring just has to be the best time of the year to be in good old Blighty doesn’t it?
Don’t be too busy to notice. The snowdrops might have gone but now is the time to take in the splendour of forsythia, its branches covered in electric yellow flowers, and to relish the last days of country banks of primroses and fields of daffodils.
A host of golden daffodils...
Wonder at the intricacy of hyacinths; the delicacy of saxifrage, and the vibrant blue of aubrietia.
Sit beneath a cherry tree festooned in pastel pink petals and, very soon, tiptoe carefully through shaded woodland areas thickly carpeted with bluebells.
Fragrant Wisteria
A Haze of lilac
The massive wisteria draped over the house is about to come on stage dressed glamorously in a haze of lilac, and the jasmine is cascading from conservatory roof to floor adorned in psychedelic white splashes of heavily-scented flowers.
Time to open up shop
Trees and hedges are tinged a bright fresh green, rhododendrons and azaleas are building up their strength to burst open, probably about the same time the sheltered clematis decides to open up shop.
Read more »
Spa wow-factor hits roof
The Barai - exotic & tranquil
We all know travel writers are lucky enough to stay in some fantastic hotels and resorts. This is one hotel in Thailand where chaining yourself to the bed warrants serious consideration.
Architecturally stunning, The Barai is an exclusive eight suite hotel and spa attached to the Hyatt Regency Hua Hin.
Set in lush tropical gardens with panoramic views of the Gulf of Thailand, the spa has 18 exotic treatment rooms. It’s a tranquil and luxurious hotel to stay in, ideally located beside the long sandy beach in Hua Hin, Thailand.
Bed big enough for six
My ground floor beautifully furnished suite has a private outdoor plunge pool. The suite is spacious, the bed big enough for six.
There’s an oversize bathtub and a relaxing massage platform in the bathroom. Mmm… and a private butler too. Makes me want to move in permanently. Read more »
Unusual, but true
It’s not often that I have dolphins for breakfast. They weren’t on the menu. But, after all, what chef in their right mind would blatantly include dolphins on the menu when supply can’t be guaranteed?
Crinan
The restaurant overlooks the vast loch. There are fantastic views across the water to the hills beyond.
I sat by the huge window, menu open on the table.
I wondered what I should have for breakfast. Some local bacon and sausages maybe; Loch Fyne kippers, freshly smoked haddock or… dolphins?… WHAT on earth were dolphins doing there? Read more »
Snowmobiling in Canada, it’s a good laugh
This was real fun. We stripped down to our long-johns in a communal changing room. Glamorous… NOT! Our outdoor clothing made us look like black Michelin men, and our boots like bovver-boys. There was some comfort in that, once balaclava on and goggled up, no-one could possibly identify us.
After a 45-minute driving lesson across a frozen lake, up hills, through forests and down dale, we ‘qualified’ to drive our own black beast of a Skidoo (snowmobile) to a log cabin – a two hour drive through Quebec’s white wilderness.
A mean machine... the skidoo, not me!
Mean machine
Controlling this fast motorbike on skis was not as easy as anticipated. It was a mean machine, powerful and with a nasty kick if you didn’t keep your eyes firmly on the narrow trail.
Bronco-busting
I tried very hard to hold back a stomach-full of giggles when a woman in front of me shot up the hill fighting her snowmobile as if bronco-busting.
When she ‘mogul-jumped’ uncontrollably down the bank off-piste, that was it. My stomach muscles gave in and my giggles exploded.
Buried in snow
Was that cruel? I don’t think she heard me – snow makes for good sound suppression.
Snowmobiling in Quebec >>
So near yet so far away
Caribbean Orchids
Here am I champing at the bit.
I’m on the verge of leaving on a three-month stint in the Caribbean and some unpronounceable volcano has to go and spit rotten ash everywhere.
I very nearly had my foot on the first rung of the plane’s ladder today, then it was whipped out from beneath me.
But let’s look at the positives…
… I’ve now got an additional week to heave that kitchen sink out of my suitcase and repack a small hand basin instead.
Watch this space for news of what I’m getting up to during the next few months in Jamaica, Nassau, the Exumas, and the Turks & Caicos islands.
Caribbean Tourist Organization >>
Eating out in Montreal is hot, hot, hot
Chew on dragon’s beard in Montreal
A pretty jammy mission, I reckon, to spend 48 hours delving into Montreal’s diverse range of culinary delights. The chance to discover the city’s specialities, its market-based cuisine and its “slow food” sounded like heaven to me when asked to investigate by The Guardian.
Thank goodness Montreal is compact enough to get around by foot. Helps burn off calories piled on in great eating places.
5,000 restaurants – 80 countries
In Montreal you can sample the cuisine of 80 different countires without leaving the compact city centre. The latest craze, slow food, involves a new generation of chefs sourcing fresh ingredients from local suppliers.
To explore a vibrant city is exciting enough, but one that boasts over 5,000 restaurants serving up flavours from more than 80 different countries sounds delicious. Read more »
Go with the flow… it’s surreal
Grenada - be prepared to meet the she-devil
Diving with the she-devil in Grenada is an interesting proposition. Don’t miss it. You wouldn’t expect to take it on, would you, during a visit to an exotic island in the Caribbean but what the hell, sometimes you have no alternative but to go with the flow – in this case underwater. Read more »
General Updates, Golf | admin | 
August 30, 2010 12:36 pm | 
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