Holiday!

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Just booked a trip to Amsterdam to celebrate their Kings Day in April next year. I've got what I consider good value flights. Just as well really because I've booked accommodation which is eye wateringly expensive. I've hired a luxury houseboat for two people right in the heart of the action. There goes a good slice of my recent redundancy money.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Are you flying with Virgin Atlantic? They can provide accommodation with your flight through Virgin Holidays, its not all expensive

If you put a gun to my head and said I had to make a decision then I'd say that the person who posted about going to Vegas already resides in the USA.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Why's that? Could you elaborate on that?

A simple internet search will reveal lots of bad customer reviews.

Now can I ask you a question - are you already in the USA?

[TheGayTent]

Booked afternoon tea at the burj al Arab.

Anyone been up to the observation deck at the burj khalifa?

[Katster]

I haven't TGT, just looking at that building from the ground was enough to send me dizzy. Enjoy!

This year we are going to Brittany. I will be almost 8 months pregnant so activities will be limited for me but does anyone have any recommendations for the rest of the family or for heavily pregnant friendly stuff?? We are going in August so should be nice weather fingers crossed and I am hoping to at least snorkel if nothing else!

[TheGayTent]

Depends whereabouts you're staying I guess but I found the Carnac stones fascinating when I went 20 odd years ago

[The Nal]

I'm still swaying towards a USA road trip.

Not sure if you've already decided on Thailand but I did a USA road trip of sorts last year and I cant wait to go back.

Nashville, Memphis, Clarksdale, Vicksburg, Natchez, Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The longest drive is from Nashville to Memphis which is 3 hours. All the rest are about 90 minutes from each other. You follow the Mississippi all the way down.

Did all the clubs and great tacky stuff in Nashville, Graceland, Sun Studios and Beale St in Memphis, the blues stuff in Clarksdale (an amazing place), Charley Pattons grave and The Dockery Plantation, The Civil War stuff in Vicksburg, fuck all in Natchez (we were tired that night) and the drive down through the bayou is lovely. New Orleans is my probably favourite city.

This is Reds club in Clarksdale. Proper small town stuff!

[t8yman]

Not sure if you've already decided on Thailand but I did a USA road trip of sorts last year and I cant wait to go back.

Nashville, Memphis, Clarksdale, Vicksburg, Natchez, Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The longest drive is from Nashville to Memphis which is 3 hours. All the rest are about 90 minutes from each other. You follow the Mississippi all the way down.

Did all the clubs and great tacky stuff in Nashville, Graceland, Sun Studios and Beale St in Memphis, the blues stuff in Clarksdale (an amazing place), Charley Pattons grave and The Dockery Plantation, The Civil War stuff in Vicksburg, fuck all in Natchez (we were tired that night) and the drive down through the bayou is lovely. New Orleans is my probably favourite city.

This is Reds club in Clarksdale. Proper small town stuff!

That looks and sounds absolutely right up our street, although our hearts are set on Thailand for next year now. But this will be on the bucket list, maybe do it for our 25th anniversary! Thanks for the info.

[t8yman]

Going Butlins in two weeks to sunny Skegness....

Butlins Skeggy is ace, been for a few New Years dos there, and going for my cousins stag do in september.

We are off to France in 6 weeks, woohoo!

This is our place when we get there, its near Jonzac,

http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/france/FR8026.htm

[t8yman]

Yeah, we are going with my folks, so there will be 6 of us in the place, plenty of room for us not to get on top of each other! But the views from the garden look amazing.

[Katster]

Barry it won't let me quote your post, but:

So far (touch wood) I am remaining very mobile and have had very few bad symptoms. I appreciate this can all change in the final couple of months and I won't be making any firm plans due to not knowing exactly how fit or able I am going to be.

We are driving and going on the ferry. My parents have paid the extra for us to go directly from Portsmouth to St Malo so that we don't have to drive across northern France when we cross the channel. I will be checking my insurance and taking out extra if I need to - just in case.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Butlins Skeggy is ace, been for a few New Years dos there, and going for my cousins stag do in september.

We are off to France in 6 weeks, woohoo!

This is our place when we get there, its near Jonzac,

http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/france/FR8026.htm

That place looks lovely.

I've been to Thailand a couple of times and really enjoyed the experience. If you are taking in Bangkok then my advice would be to dress up a bit smartly and go to this sky bar for a drink, as it's a mind blowing experience;

http://www.travelmint.com/restaurants/sirocco-restaurant-sky-bar.asp

You could eat there but I believe it may be horrendously expensive - not sure.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Forgot to ask you t8yman - are you planning on going to Phuket?

[t8yman]

Forgot to ask you t8yman - are you planning on going to Phuket?

My friend has been to the sky bar, he highly recommended it, thing is we might not be taking any dressy clothes with us as we will be carting a lot of stuff around with us as we move around, we shall see.

Re- Phuket, its not on our list, but mainly because we had been advised that august is only "summery" in Samui and Phangang. So our basic itinerary is Bangkok, Koh Samui, Koh Phangang. I am open to any suggestions from people with experience around there.

My mate said Krabi (sp?) is lovely, but its the height of monsoon season in august apparently?

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

My friend has been to the sky bar, he highly recommended it, thing is we might not be taking any dressy clothes with us as we will be carting a lot of stuff around with us as we move around, we shall see.

We didn't really dress up to get in there. We were wearing shirts and casual summer type trousers though. Oh and we weren't wearing sandals. We just walked in with a pretend air of confidence that this was the kind of establishment we always frequent. Worth a shot I'd say.

[atomised]

Planning a trip to Orlando for the opening of diagon alley in a couple of weeks. All very last minute but want to get in before the UK school holidays kick in and it seems to be scheduled to open around the 20th. Will probably try to fit in a week at Clearwater Beach too

[t8yman]

Clearwater is great, we've done the theme parks, never again (nothing wrong with them, just wouldn't want to go back) daft as it may sound Gatorland was one of the best days we had in Orlando, check it out if its up your street.

[atomised]

Definitely want to check out Gatorland. Always loved Clearwater for the chill out bit of the break

[t8yman]

Gatorland was ace, we got there a bit later than we would have liked, there's plenty to do there.

and the gator jumparoo, these boys were huge!

Edited June 12, 2014 by t8yman

[Katster]

Sorry but 'Gatorland' looks like hell on earth to me. Different strokes I guess.

[t8yman]

wait till you've got kids kat!

[Katster]

Whilst I'm aware some of my opinions may be swayed when having children, being a fan of places like that will not be one of them!

[The Nal]

Gatorland was ace, we got there a bit later than we would have liked, there's plenty to do there.

my lad wrassling a gator!

Big Iron Sheik fan is he?

[Jackmypie]

That poor aligator. Stuck in a cage whilst people ride it all day

Edited June 11, 2014 by Jackmypie

[t8yman]

Firstly, it isnt "stuck in a cage", he plucked it out of the internal river system before the show, and secondly, as far as I remember - they only do the show once or twice a day.

The vast majority of the gators in the place are completely free roaming, and the really big ones in the bottom pic would probably be euthanised in the wild because they would be too dangerous to have around.

I know some people don't approve of Zoos, but that place is about as close as you can get to an animals natural habitat as you can get. In fact most of it is in the animals natural habitat, and we are the ones caged off.