Travel
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Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila Review
Hotel Review Location This five star resort hotel is located on Roxas Boulevard, just a short 15 minute taxi ride from Ninoy Aquino International Airport and close to the Philippine Cultural Centre. Arrival and Check-in As soon as our taxi drew up outside the hotel we were warmly welcomed by one of the concierge team…
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Guide to Manila sightseeing and why you should dine at Ilustrado restaurant
Breakfast at the Manila Sofitel is absolutely delicious, the only difficulty being deciding what to select from the vast array of dishes on offer. We were shown to a table overlooking the indoor stream and settled down to a long, leisurely breakfast, eating too much as usual! After the previous evening’s fruitless attempt at hiring…
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Exploring Manila and an evening at the Singing Cooks & Waiters restaurant
We must have slept for at least ten hours as we didn’t wake until 8.00 a.m. It would be wonderful if all mornings could start like this as we drew back the curtains to be greeted with such a beautiful view of Manila bay. After showering in our luxurious bathroom we headed downstairs to the…
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Manila Bay – the perfect introduction
We had just over two hours to stretch our legs whilst in transit at Hong Kong airport. As it was early morning many of the airside shops and cafes had not yet opened so we settled for McDonalds where we had some hot drinks and took an opportunity to catch up on the news on…
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Review: Flying Cathay Pacific Manchester to Hong Kong
It was a bright, sunny morning as I left my home to begin the first leg of my holiday. I met up with my son and we enjoyed a leisurely meal together in the centre of Manchester before continuing on to the airport by train from Piccadilly station. We had arranged to stay at the…
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Budapest – a walk along the Danube
We enjoyed our final breakfast in the hotel’s beautifully appointed restaurant before gathering our belongings together and checking out. Our stay at the Hotel Nemzeti M Gallery by Sofitel had been lovely with courteous and attentive service, delicious food and comfortable rooms. We left our luggage with the concierge to collect later in the day…
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Miniversum – Budapest’s model railway exhibition
The sunny weather of the previous days seemed to desert us as we woke to thick clouds and drizzle. It was fortunate then that we had planned some indoor activities for the earlier part of the day. We started by taking Line 2 of the metro along to Deák Ferenc Square and from there strolled…
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Budapest to Szentendre by Train – Complete Day Trip Guide
For our morning activity we decided to visit the small, medieval town of Szentendre which lies to the north of Budapest. Getting there was easy, first we took the metro line 2 to Batthyány ter station and then caught a suburban HÉV, H5 train to Szentendre. The town is located in Pest county, 19 km…
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The Devonshire Arms Hotel & Spa, Bolton Abbey Review
Hotel Review After a hectic festive period, my friend and I decided to unwind with a short break at the Devonshire Arms Hotel & Spa. This luxurious, country house hotel has been a landmark of the village of Bolton Abbey since the early 17th century. The former coaching inn came into the ownership of the…
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Budapest Chairlifts and Caves: The Ultimate Guide to Exploring Nature and History
We woke to another bright, sunny morning and after a leisurely breakfast we set off for a ride on the Zugliget Chairlift in the Buda Hills. This chairlift is included in the Budapest Card, otherwise an adult return fare is HUF 1400. To get there we took Bus 291 from Nyugati Railway Station, the journey…
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Budapest Castle District Guide: History, Landmarks, and Top Things to See
Feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep we took the lift down to the Sofitel’s elegant restaurant where we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. There was a varied selection of hot and cold dishes available from the buffet as well as an a la carte menu at no extra charge. From this menu I ordered poached…
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Why Budapest Is the Perfect Winter Break Destination
We had stayed overnight at the Holiday Inn Express in Harlow Town, a twenty minute rail journey from London Stansted airport. The complimentary breakfast was quite good and the hotel convenient for taking the Stansted Express to the airport. The airport’s railway station was just a short walk from the terminal and as we were…
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Exploring Museums in Vilnius: A Guide to the City’s Best Cultural Gems
It was our final day in Vilnius but we had plenty of time to explore more of the Lithuanian capital as our flight home wasn’t until late in the evening. We’d managed to arrange a late check-out until 4.00 p.m. which was helpful and after a leisurely breakfast we wandered along the road to the…
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Vilnius Museum of Illusions: A Fun and Mind-Bending Experience for All Ages
We started the day with a visit to the Museum of Illusions on the edge of the old town. The museum is open daily from 9.00 a.m.- 9.00 p.m. with adult entrance tickets €10 (£8.73) and free for accompanied children under the age of 7. Please note that this museum is not included in the…
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Vilnius to Trakai Day Trip: Visit the Famous Island Castle and Lakeside Town
The rain clouds of the previous day had cleared resulting in a dull but fine morning. We enjoyed a lie in and a leisurely breakfast as we had planned a visit to Trakai for mid-morning. Trakai was the former capital of ancient Lithuania and its 14th century castle was the summer home of the Lithuanian…
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Top Things to Do in Vilnius City Centre: Landmarks and Dining
We’d noticed that Ryanair operated flights to Vilnius from our local airport so we couldn’t resist the temptation of arranging a first visit to Lithuania. The flight schedule was quite good with our outbound flight departing Leeds-Bradford airport at 4.00 p.m. on a Friday afternoon and returning late evening on a Tuesday, giving us four…
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Lotherton Hall Christmas Experience: Magical Festivities for the Whole Family
The weather may have been dull and dreary but what better way to get into the spirit of Christmas than to attend a festive event. When an invitation dropped into my inbox to preview the Lotherton Hall Christmas Experience, I was excited to find out more. The Lotherton Estate is situated in the north of…
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A walk from Cambridge to Grantchester
It was our final day in Cambridge but as our train home wasn’t until 5.00 p.m. we still had ample time to explore. After gathering our belongings together we left our bags at the hotel for safekeeping and then wandered down the now familiar Hills Road into the city centre for some breakfast. As it…
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Cambridge to Ely by Train: A Perfect Day Out in East Anglia
We planned to spend the day in Ely which is one of the smallest cathedral cities in England. Located just 15 miles from Cambridge, trains are frequent taking only 15 minutes with fares as low as £2.30 for an adult off-peak return. Ely’s imposing cathedral dominates the city’s skyline and it took us around 10…
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The Ultimate Guide to Spending a Weekend in Cambridge
We had arrived in Cambridge by train the previous evening and checked into the nearby Cambridge Central Travelodge a short stroll away. The hotel overlooks the central plaza of the Cambridge Leisure Park where there are several places to eat, plus two small supermarkets meaning that we didn’t need to venture into the centre that…
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Leeds Light Night: What to See, Do and Expect at the City’s Biggest Light Festival
One of the cultural highlights of the year in West Yorkshire is Leeds Light Night when, on two evenings in October, the city is transformed by spectacular light projections, interactive artworks and live music performances. This was the first time that I had an opportunity to attend the event, which has now become one of…
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Discover Stockholm Public Library: Reasons to Visit This Iconic Landmark
Our final day in Stockholm and just enough time before heading back to the airport to fit in a visit to the Stockholm Public Library in Odenplan. I love visiting libraries wherever I travel and what a delightful one this was. The library, which was designed by Gunnar Asplund and completed in 1928, is one…
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Spending a Day in Fisksätra: Explore the Beauty of the Stockholm Archipelago
We made a leisurely start to our final full day in Stockholm with a forest walk through the nearby Solna neighbourhood and then a look around the shopping centre next to the Solna Centrum metro station. From the exterior, the shopping mall appeared quite small but once inside, we were surprised to find it was…
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Stockholm to Uppsala by Train: Perfect Day Trip Itinerary
An early start to the day and a chance to see a little more of Sweden by visiting Uppsala, Sweden’s 4th largest city. Getting there was quick and easy as we took a bus to Odenplan station where we had been the previous evening. From there, we connected to a train to Uppsala. At the…
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