Tina Nason - Crystal Cruises

Crystal Cruises – the perfect choice!
Voted “World’s Best” 18 years running by Conde Nast readers and they are certainly not wrong!
A short break was just what the doctor ordered – we boarded Crystal Serenity in Barcelona and spent 6 glorious nights on board this fabulous ship. The staff were attentive and discreet, nothing was too much trouble the food was fantastic with no less than five dining options. We had overnight in port in both Barcelona and Monte Carlo, a full day in Livorno where we hopped on the train to delightful Florence and finished up exploring Rome before we flew home. A wonderful short break, great value for money at the very top end of the cruise market .. but beware once you have done it you will be hooked!
Top tip ask about meet and greet service at London Heathrow, not much more than standard parking prices and a lot less hassle!

Stephanie - Coventry

Dear Stephanie,

We just want to say a massive thank you for arranging our holiday to Las Vegas and Florida for us. This was the first time we’d been on a twin centre holiday (and definitely won’t be the last!) and not only did you find us the best deal you also made it really hassle free for us. We were a bit apprehensive about keeping track of all of our flights and booking details but the itinerary pack you gave us before we went away was excellent at keeping us in order.

Las Vegas was absolutely brilliant! We had a wonderful 4 nights at the MGM Grand. Our room in the West Wing of the hotel was perfect – large, modern and comfortable – and the hotel’s location at the top of the main strip was ideal for exploring (there is so much to see!).

Thanks also for recommending Clearwater Beach in Florida to us. It was exactly what we’d asked for – a chill out retreat after our busy few days in Vegas. The service at The Hilton was great and its location right on the sandy white beach front was just stunning. The atmosphere in Clearwater was very relaxed and there were more than enough bars and restaurants to keep us entertained for a week (all very reasonably priced too).

The hire car and sat nav you arranged for us in Florida was great – we needed it! We decided to upgrade to a convertible Mustang when we arrived which was so much fun.

All in all we had a wonderful holiday and really appreciate the recommendations you made to us.

See you when we start planning our next holiday!

Best wishes,

Gayle and Kev

Tracy Lea

Hi Tracey,

Just got back from our holiday in America - we had a fantastic time so thank you for all the effort you put in to organising it. The weather was great and did & saw everything we wanted to.


Many thanks,
Jo

Helen - Cheylesmore

Hello Helen,

My apologies for not contacting you sooner. It is amazing how much work is waiting for you when you get back from holiday.

Our holiday in America was fantastic. There were no problems with any of the hotels, flights or car hire. The hotels were of very good quality and the kids enjoyed the swimming pools.

We enjoyed every place we stayed on our little tour. We were not disappointed with anything – it was a great holiday from start to finish. The people we met were friendly and very helpful.

Thank you very much for your help in organising such a great holiday.

I will be more than willing to give any feedback to anyone else considering a similar holiday.

Thanks and best wishes.

Brian

Paul @ Pershore

Dear Paul

Sorry for not emailing sooner but wanted to let you know that SJ and I had just the best time in Paleokastritsa.

It was just what we were looking for. The accommodation was clean and perfectly suited to our needs. The only criticism I would have is that it is not air conditioned but other than that it was great and we had a fabulous view from our balcony.

We felt that we were the right end of Paleo as the restaurants were a bit cheaper. We went to the Acapulco swimming pool and bar every day and ate most nights at Spiros. The food was great, everywhere we went the people were really friendly and we nearly stayed within our budget which has amazed everyone we know.

Will definitely be going back.

We will be seeing you again no doubt and I hope you enjoyed your holiday in Corfu too.

Best regards and thanks again

Natalie

Natalie Dyke

Chantal - Pershore

Dear Chantal

We had a lovely holiday.

Your suggestion of going with Atlantic Holidays was spot on.

We couldn't fault anything. The hotel was perfect, as was the food, the rep and the trips we went on. So was the weather.

Thank you for all your help,

Yours sincerely
Jane Smith

Top 10 Restaurants in the world

Some peoples reviews of the top 10 restaurants in the world. If you are setting off to any of the below destinations, why not book a table.

1 Skyline Restaurant - Queenstown,New Zealand
“MUST DO WHILE IN QUEENSTOWN - GREAT TO WATCH SUNSET”
“Excellent meal, stunning views and a nice ride up the mountain”
“Amazing views best in the world”
“Great experience and a must do if visiting Queenstown!!!”
“Great food with a fantastic view”


2 Strofi - Athens, Greece
“They treated us like family”
“Perfect evening”
“If you eat at only 1 place in Athens, make it Strofi!”
“Excellent!”
“Fantastic view, very friendly staff”


3 Adventure Dining - Jaco, Costa Rica
“Fantastic experience well worth the effort”
“LIKE BEING ON TOP OF THE WORLD!”
“Amazing!”
“You can't put this in words.”
“One of the best experiences of my life.”


4 Sirocco Restaurant - Bangkok, Thailand
“World class view and food. A real experience”
“Blow yourself away at Sirocco”
“Best Meal we had in Bangkok”
“Impressive”
“Fabulous”


5 Sierra Mar - California, USA
“Hidden Jewel!!!”
“A Superb Epicurean Delight”
“Stunning views, good food and service”
“Amazing food and great service”
“The view is fantastic and the food is devine”


6 BREEZE at The Samaya - Bali, Indonesia
“Ideal location and excellent overall experience”
“Beautiful”
“Glorious”
“Great food in a beautiful setting”
“An amazing experience!”


7 Al Mahara - Dubai, UAE
“Dreamy experience!”
“awesome.....out of the world”
“Royal dining”
“Equisite dining, with submarine ride to get to restaurant fun.”


8 Ngorongoro Crater Lodge - Tanzania, Africa
“Lovely place & great staff”
“Very special!”
“Magic place”
“Absolutely Awesome!!!”
“Once in a life time experience”


9 Hosteria il Pino - Praiano, Italy
“It's not hype - Il Pino really is that good!”
“So special”
“Fabulous restaurant”
“One of my top 3 places to eat on the Amalfi Coast”
“Great food”


10 Top of the World Restaurant - Las Vegas, USA
“Amazing”
“A must when in Vegas!!”
“Phenomenal - A+”
“Wonderful views”
“World class!!!”

Kalkan, Turkey

Hi Sue,

Ian and I just wanted to say a huge thank you for sending us to Kalkan. We had a brilliant holiday and loved the hotel. Will definitely go back to Turkey as we found the people so friendly and the prices so cheap!

Anyway, our report below just in case it helps other guests out.
Thanks again,
Jo and Ian

Elixir Hotel, Kalkan, Turkey

If you value personal service, this is the hotel for you. The manager (Egerman) was immediately at our side when we arrived and still there when we left! He was somewhat ubiquitous - always there when you wanted something and very keen to help or assist you in any way.

We found all the staff very friendly and courteous, but would single out Pumpkin (the fun barman) and Umuti as the best. It makes such a difference to your holiday to be surrounded by smiley, friendly faces.

We booked a deluxe room which was spacious - but people that were staying in standard rooms did say their rooms were a little small. So book a deluxe if you can.

Lunches at the hotel are huge - we barely managed to eat a single one between us, so beware how much you order - though it's not expensive.

We found Turkey to be very cheap in terms of eating and drinking in restaurants. If you like Rose wine, order Lal - lovely, light coloured rose.

We ate out a lot and would recommend: The Olive Garden, Doydoy and Aubergine. But there are around 300 restaurants in Kalkan to choose from.

Whilst you are staying at the Elixir, do have a Turkish Bath. It was very relaxing (and soapy)!

If there is any negative to the hotel, it is a 15/20 minute walk into town (fine going downhill) but quite a struggle back up (though a taxi ride back up only costs 8 TL (about £3).



Tips:

1. At the Elixir, don’t expect hot water first thing as water is solar heated. Fine by lunchtime and plenty of hot water in the evening.

2. Use taxis to get back up to the hotel at night (so much easier than climbing up the hill) and not expensive.

3. Book a deluxe room – standard rooms are a bit small.

4. Don’t over order. Most restaurants give you a free starter in the form of breads, olives and hummus.

5. Venture out (our hire car only cost about £35 for a day to visit sites like Patara and Kekova).

Jo Cooper

Paris, France

Hi Sue

Just to say thank you so much for all your help in sourcing and arranging the trip to Paris for us. It was superb - flight on time, Opera Deuville Hotel was excellent, very clean and staff very friendly and helpful. The Opera area we enjoyed very much and found the food extremely good.

We were delighted with the Lunch Cruise ( I did manage to keep that a secret until Vron’s birthday!) food was excellent and afterwards we went to the summit of the Eifel Tower!

L’Tour bus was a good deal we bought a 2 day ticket and saw all the sights.

We will definitely go again and would have no hesitation in recommending the hotel and Opera area to your other clients wishing to go to Paris

Once again thank you and Dawn for all your help and advice which was much appreciated.

Kind regards

Steve & Veronica Crozier

Carveiro, Portugal

Another lovely holiday in the Algarve. Carvoeiro is formerly a small fishing village, grown up around a cove with a small sandy beach. These days, we didn't see much evidence of fishing, and the village is really a tourist destination, full of bars and restaurants.

The Tivoli is a lovely hotel in a beautiful setting on the cliff top at the top of the hill out of town. It's about a 10 minute walk down hill into town and no doubt more going back. We took taxis back, at a cost including tip of Euro 5. Our room was sea view (essential!) plus looked over the cliffs, swimming pool and garden areas. The website gives a good perspective. The room was of a standard you expect from Tivoli, with tea/coffee making facilities and the staff were excellent. If you join a global hotel membership scheme, it allows you certain 'priviledges' including a free newspaper each day! Internet access is free.

There is no beach as such at the hotel, but there are steep steps down to the sea and those brave enough can swim in it from there. There is also a cliff top path into town.

The buffet breakfast was good and we ate a couple of times in the dining room (buffet) at night. They had a special offer on at the time. Euros 20 per person for the buffet including a glass of wine or another drink. Very good, but the offer was not advertised anywhere. You had to ask at Reception.

The restaurants in town were also very good and price-wise about the same as you'd pay at home. We enjoyed Martins and the Oasis very much (two visits each). Also a very good Indian.

The only real downside, as far as we were concerned, was that the hotel was a little too far from anywhere else for lunch, i.e. supermarket and/or snack bars. This was only a problem for us, as one of us has walking difficulties. Others would easily be able to walk to nearest cafes and mini-markets, you don't need to go all the way down the hill. Lunch at the pool at the hotel was very limited and quite expensive.

Apart from this last comment for those to whom it might apply, I have no hesitation in recommending this hotel and location.

Thanks again Sue and Dawn. We hope to resume our travels in the not too distant future.
Sally & Dave Rogers

Pershore Office - Great Cruise

Thank you for your letter welcoming us home.

The cruise was a great success inspite of the closure of a swimming pool. It annoyed other guests as well and as far as we could make out it was repairs being carried out under warranty.

Calm seas, mill pond in the north Baltic, all the way save for a choppy return down the North Sea. Brilliant weather: wall to wall sunshine for the first twelve days and temperatures from 65-79 degrees. Enjoyed all our trips and Travemunde proved especially memorable as an officially estimated 20,000 lined the shore to greet our arrival at this port which never normally sees a ship of the Elizabeth's size. Possibly as many as 40,000 waved us off; an incredible sight with our National Anthem being piped through loudspeakers and a marching band playing. Food and service top notch but the extras soon add up!

One or two oddities: The requirement to bring a passport photocopy for the group Visa for Russia was never needed and no explanation was given. Some info, such as the need to convert currency in Estonia, was out of date. Estonia has been using the euro since the beginning of the year. Minor points.

Thank you very much for all your courtesy and setting up everything for us. We appreciate what all your staff did. It gave us the confidence to go on a cruise.

Yours sincerely,

Christopher and Maureen Savill

Italy Holiday - Coventry Office

Just a quick message to say the holiday you organised went like clockwork and we had a great time. The hotels were great Bercheielli was situated on the river Arno in a nice central position. The Olivi at Sirmione was another good location being very quiet and peaceful.

Both hotels did good breakfasts both had electric toasters and had scrambled eggs and bacon on the buffet.

Ideal for us Brits who like an English breakfast abroad.we had a very nice double room at the Hotel Berchielli.The Hotel Olivi did upgrade our room and we had a wonderful view over the lake.Also a bottle of bubbly in the room waiting for us. Very nice!

Once again thanks for a great holiday, we will no doubt talk soon.

Lynn & Richard Gibson

Pershore & Gambia

Sincere thanks to all at the Pershore Branch for arranging our recent trip to The Gambia. Flights via Gatwick and Banjul were on time and, for a apckage flight, provided a good level of service and on-board catering.

Our chosen hotel, th Bijilo Beach, proved excellent. Although only 3 star, this family run hotel in quiet grounds situated right on the unspoilt beach proved an idyllic location for our two week stay. The hotel restaurant was very satisfactory with both good yet inexpensive table d'hote and a la carte menus. The Scene, a new restaurant only 5 minutes walk along the beach, is highly recommended. The hotel breakfast were adequate if a little linited in variety, but crepes and freshly cooked omelettes were very tasty! Each night between 8 and 9.30 there was a variet of evening entertainment including local drummers and dancers. No loud disco here though and no daytime pool activities or music to disturb the tranquillity!

The staff provided a personal, friendly and efficient service and seemed very happy to be working at the Gambian managed hotel; many have been there some years. True the linen and curtains could do with being updated, but the generous room size in the newer three-storey building more than compensated.

So delighted were we that we will be returning next year - same hotel. Thank you again.

The Gambia Hotels
Atlantic Hotel - Would not recommend. Close to Banjul, virtually no beach. Mosquitoes, beggers, nr Banjul hospital (coffins by front entrance) many complaints from returning clients at airport
The Sheraton - A grom newly built hotel, away from anywhere - would advise further enquiries
Senegambia & Karaba - Large hotels in excellent grounds, though Senegambia has noisy pools. Virtually no beaches at these hotels due to erosion.

Two charte flights arrive within 5 minutes of each other on a hot dusty runway. The single baggage collection belt eventually starts and the scene is a throng of passengers struggling to get a view of the oncoming array of luggage whilst combating the ever-enthusiatic group of porters fighting to carry your cases out of the airport. A quick visit to the gents on the way of the airport and 'oh dear', wish I hadn't bothered! Welcome to The Gambia, West Africa.

Our tour operator, the Gambian Experience, guided us to an awaiting vehicle and off to our chosen venue for the next two weeks. We were revisting The Gambia after a fifteen-year absence. A new tarmac road, street lighting and even the odd traffic lights. Apart from a huge number of unfinished new builds, the country was very much as we remembered.

On recommendation we stayed at the 3 star Bijilo Beach Hotel. Yes, a 3 star and it was idyllic. Run by a Gambian family, the small quiet setting on a wonderful unspoilt beach proved even better than expected. The Gambia provided for us a fortnight of total relaxtion and sunshine amidst a truly lovely people. Yes, there are the bumsters to combat and it can become a serious problem for those not prepared to be approached by numerous young Gambians. The Government and hotels have long been aware of this almost invasive begging situation and now have strict laws in place and licences are given to those bona-fide businesses from restaurants to the fruit seller on the beach.

Daily we walked the beach and often we trekked into the buzzy centre of Kololi to visit the cash machine and for a coffee. A good choice of world food restaurants here, but we usualy opted for the very fine restaurant of our own hotel.

We took a couple of trips with arch Tours of Kololi, a Gambian owned business who were well organised. We visited North Senegal - a real adventure talking the ferry from Banjul. A 5am start on another occasion took us on a bird watching trip based on the riverside venue of Lamin Lodge.

For a winter sunshine holiday which won't break the bank - just six hours average flight time from the UK - you won't be disappointed. After two weeks we weren't really ready to return to the UK, but time's up and we were duly despatched byut The Gambian Experience for our return journey.

The bells rang passing through the secruity gate at the airport. A pat down by the guard and some loose change in my pocket was quickly identified and yes, he was happy to relieve me of a few euro coins! Hey, this is The Gambia, the smiling coast. I smiled at his cheek and moved forward to the departure hall.

We booked the trip through our local agents, Carrick Travel, in Pershore, Worcestershire, and yes, we will be returning next year. Same hotel.

Chris & Sue Hermon

Roca Navaria, Tenerife. Sally Carrick

Sally Carrick, our Chairman recently had the pleasure of staying at the five star Hotel ROCA NIVARIA GRAN at Playa Paraiso on Tenerife, The hotel is one of three owned by the Adrian family – the other two being the 5 star Hotel Jardines de Nivaria on the Costa Adeje – an Art Deco design hotel in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Playa de Fanabe and the 4 star Hotel Colon Guanahani, a boutique hotel also in Playa de Fanabe.

From the accommodation on the 6th floor there were spectacular views across the Atlantic to the island La Gomera – a luscious infinity pool – sports facilities – beautiful gardens – lovely staff - an ideal choice for families and adults

Highly recommended

Abama Hotel, Tenerife. Sally Carrick

Sally Carrick, Chairman of the Carrick Travel Group recently visited the amazing 5 star de luxe Hotel ABAMA – managed by the prestigious Ritz-Carlton Company – in the tranquil oasis of Guia de Isora in Southern Tenerife.

This property is a spectacular achievement in architectural design – spread over many acres of lush gardens – amazing pools, a funicular rail link down to the beach – a Spa to die for – numerous restaurants and nooks and crannies to retreat to. Service was immaculate throughout my stay – for the golfers – the course is on your doorstep. All accommodations were beautifully fitted out from the rooms in the Citadel to the Suites and the Villas.
Choice of restaurants including the Japanese Kabuki restaurant and the 1 star Michelin restaurant – costs commensurate with the 5 star de luxe rating
Go there for the experience – a Junior Suite in the Citadel or even one of the Villas (comes with a buggy to get around the resort) would be an excellent choice (but maybe opt for half-board!)

Milan - Thank you

I just wanted to thank you and the team for helping to organise my 4 day break in Milan over the New Year. We had a fantastic time and everything that Carrick Travel and Kirker did for us was absolutely first class.

I will have no hesitation in using your company again and will certainly be recommending you to others.