Featuring three hotel options in Costa Rica

Following my recent trip to Costa Rica in May we are pleased to feature these three fabulous hotels. Nestled between Nicaragua and Panama, Costa Rica offers a huge diversity, wonderful nature, beautiful hotels etc. I always love going to Costa Rica, the people are just wonderful and so welcoming.

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 Hotel Parador

 I have stayed at this hotel lots of times and I always love it. Hotel Parador resort and spa is located at the end of a Peninsula in the Manuel Antonio area, on the pacific coast of Costa Rica. The 12.4 acre property is surrounded by tropical rain forests with spectacular views of the ocean. The hotel features a large swimming pool with a swim up bar & resident crocodile (not real!), an adult only pool with a cascading waterfall as well as the pool solely for the use of guests staying in the suites. Hotel activities include tennis courts, miniature golf, fitness centre and nature trails. The wonderful spa has a steam room, Jacuzzi and plunge pool. On my last trip I stayed in one of the new suites & highly recommend them. The views are stunning & the rooms ultra comfortable. The hotel have their own YouTube video giving you insight into the fantastic hotel:

If you would like to know more about this hotel option I would be more than happy to discuss itinerary options with you. You can contact me or request a brochure for Costa Rica. 

Nicuesa Lodge

 My visit in May was my first time at Playa Nicuesa and I absolutely loved this lodge. It offers a wonderful combination of nature & beach, the rooms are beautiful, the staff lovely & the food exceptional. Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge is a 165-acre private preserve located within the Golfo Dulce on Earth. This area contains Central America’s largest remaining Pacific Coast rainforest. Playa Nicuesa is a road-less paradise for nature lovers The lodge is only accessible via boat & is in an idyllic jungle meets beach setting. The lodge’s five private cabins (three 1-bedroom and two 2-bedroom) and the Mango Guesthouse with four rooms offer privacy and comfort in a natural setting. All cabins and rooms have canopied beds, ceiling fans, private terraces, and private baths with hot water and open-air garden shower. You may be interested in the lodge’s YouTube video showing some of the areas highlights.

Tango Mar Hotel

 I love staying at this hotel as it is so relaxing & quiet. It is directly on a beautiful beach & the food was fantastic. The Tango Mar Hotel is situated in Tambor along the Nicoya Peninsula & is situated directly on a beach generally regarded as the most beautiful beach in Central America. The hotel is a 60 hectares exclusive private beachfront reserve; it offers a 9 hole golf course, 2 swimming pools, tennis courts, restaurant and lots of activities including scuba diving, snorkelling and horse riding- from their own stables. Curu Reserve is only 20 minutes away & a boat trip to Tortuga Island is really nice.

 Read more about the Tango Mar.

We are very pleased to be able to offer these new options to clients and look forward to planning some exciting itineraries – all of our itineraries are tailor-made to your precise requirements. If you are thinking about a trip to Costa Rica or are interested in some Costa Rica itinerary options I would be happy to help. You can contact me or request a brochure.

Fishing Tournament in Cuba

The first Jardines del Rey International Fishing Tournament has been announced and will be held in the beautiful region of Cayo Guillermo and is open to both professional and amateur fishermen alike.

The fishing tournament will take place at Jardines del Rey International Marina of Cayo Guillermo from October 18th to October 22nd of 2010 and those taking part in this event may be capturing species such as blue marlin, sailfish, wahoo and dolphin fish.

The permitted fishing line will be 50 pounds and the notification of a tag and release or a capture will be informed to the marina control centre stating the time, the number of the team and the area where it occurred.  In case of discrepancy, each crew will carry a disposable camera that will be delivered to the jury at the end of the day.

How about combining a holiday with this Fishing Tournament?! Find out more and request a brochure on our Cuba pages.

A great time to visit the Galapagos this year

Now is a great time to visit the Galapagos with Worldwide Holidays. We have some fantastic special offers for Galapagos cruises with some saving customers up to £750! We only have certain dates available so it really is first come 1st served.

25% off the Santa Cruz

The 46 cabin M/V Santa Cruz was built exclusively for Galapagos Islands with its flat bottom build the boat can travel much closer to the islands than other larger cruise ships. The Santa Cruz has gained worldwide recognition for its excellent standards, including superb service, expert crew, the most knowledgeable multilingual naturalist/guides and menus that feature the very best international cuisine and celebrated Ecuadorian dishes.

You can explore this amazing boat in detail by visiting our new 360 degrees virtual tour page. You can browse some of the cabins available or take a stroll along the Sundeck and Jacuzzi

Worldwide Holidays are able to offer you 25% off the Santa Cruz allowing you to explore the outstanding Galapagos Islands much closer than other boats can offer.

2009 prices held for 2010/11

Planning a Galapagos trip for 2011? Prices for 2011 are held for early bookings on some Galapagos products. A visit to the Galapagos Islands is an inspiring experience for most – the “holiday of a lifetime”. Immediately on arrival, you sense that you have landed in a place like no other on earth. We would be happy to put together a tailor-made  itinerary for you and help plan the perfect trip. You can request a brochure or contact us for a qoute and we will be happy to help.

Madagascar group tour – September 2010

 Madagascar is such a diverse and interesting country that tourism is really starting to take off. Famous for being the only country in the world where you can see lemurs in the wild, Madagascar also has many endemic reptiles and plants that also act as a huge draw.

To make visiting this stunning landscape more affordable, we have put together our first group tour that will take in 5 of the national parks including Perinet, Berenty and Ranomafana. During this trip you will see many different species of lemur but also take in the different cultures and landscapes that make up this land.

The group tour will start in the capital and Antanarivo from there a domestic flight to Fort Dauphin and a visit to the famous Berenty National Park. You’ll fly to Tulear and travel up through the middle of the country along the Route Nationale 7 visiting towns and national parks along the way. Including Isalo National Park, Andringita national park, Ranomafana national park with its stunning rivers and waterfalls – see the bamboo lemur here. The final national park is Antsirabe where you can see the Indri Indir lemur before returning to Antananarivo or you may like to take a three night extension to the island of Ile Sainte Marie, as it is whale watching season. The tour will have a maximum of 14 and be guided throughout so you’ll see it all!

Depature date: 24th September 2010

Interested in this? Find out more and download the full itinerary

Discover a new age of sail…

Cruising Costa Rica

We are very excited to have the magnificent Tall ship the Star Clipper sailing along the coast of Costa Rica this winter – it will be an amazing relaxing way to visit Costa Rica and the neighboring countries and within Costa Rica explore national parks not accessible by road.

It was my task to go and check-out the ship, such a hard job!   So, we headed of for a short cruise.  I love sailing so was very excited.  We set sail out of Athens port to the sounds of  ‘Vangelis’ playing and the crew on deck ready to host the sails in the evening breeze, very dreamy.

The ship is very comfortable, I found the cabin spacious and loved the outside space where there are so many place to find a nice stop to sit and enjoy the fresh air. With 2 swimming pools on board and plenty of sun loungers, lots of opportunity to relax. Also there are sailing dinghies and ribs for watersports once at anchor, including waterskiing. I climbed the mast (well up to the first crows nest – that was high enough!) with the safety lines and watchful eyes of the great entertainments team – who later produced a very funny fashion show of the ships clothes in a force 8!

The ship offers a perfect holiday, cruising along beautiful coastlines – while enjoying the relaxing atmosphere through the lunch and dinner, then visiting the different national parks and places of interest each day.  On the shore trips you can relax on the beach or venture further and experience more the amazing countries you visit. 

 I thought this would be a perfect family holiday too, plenty for everyone.

I can’t wait to go again…..

Helen

Explore our selection of Star Clippers cruises

New refurbished cabins on the Antarctic Dream Expedition

Good news about the Antarctic Dream Expedition in Argentina the Amundsen deck on board the cruise ship has recently been refurbished providing 26 twin cabins for those passengers who are willing to share or have an opportunity to get to know other explorers. The Antarctic Dream Expedition is a 10 night cruise operating from November to March. With departure and return from Ushuaia, Argentina, guests make an exciting crossing through the legendary Drake Passage to arrive in the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula.

You may also be interested in the Antarctica XX1 Fly Cruise – The crossing through Drakes Passage can be unpredictable and this option is ideal for clients who want to avoid Drakes passage or have a limited amount of time. In less than 2 hours of flying from Punta Arenas to King George Island clients will arrive in the white continent. On arrival clients are taken by zodiac boats to the Ocean Nova Cruise boat to start the 5 night cruise.

This is the trip of a lifetime that needs to be booked well in advance. 

2010 Irish charity cycle challenge

On the 30th September 2010 I will be taking part in the 2010 Irish Cycle Challenge. In two teams of four ladies we will cycle in relay over 500 miles in three days from Blarney Castle in south west Ireland to Dublin and aim to raise a minimum of £2000 for charity. 

50%  of the money raised will go to ‘Cancer Research UK’ and the ‘British Heart Foundation’, 25% to ‘Weldmar Hospicecare Trust’ and 25% to ‘Kick Asthma for Kids’.

Weldmar Hospicecare Trust www.weld-hospice.org.uk is an independent charity based in Dorchester and their services are provided free of charge. 70% of the funds they need is raised locally; the rest is given by the NHS. The trust supports people in Dorset affected by cancer and other life-limiting diseases. We have chosen the Weldmar Hospice for the loving and caring support they gave to our team member Julie and her family when Julie’s brother, Steve, was in their care.  Julie says “Steve died at the age of 37 and, although its the most painful thing I have been through, I dont know how we would have coped without their amazing support.”

Giving to ‘Kick Asthma for Kids ‘ www.asthma.org.uk will allow children to experience in a controlled environment an outward bound holiday of a life time, an experience they never thought they could with their illness. We are blessed to be able to cycle round Ireland for this cause, which is particularly close to our team member Stepanie’s heart after losing a sister too young to this debilitating illness.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor us: Challenge Adventure Charities gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

 Please could you sponsor us for this challenge by simply clicking on the link below.

 http://www.justgiving.com/                 

Thank you so much for your support and we will let you know how we get on.

Peru, Ecuador & Galapagos Islands updates

Hola everyone..

Some updates…

* Peru: Good news for Machu Picchu, the train service will start operations again on the 1st April. Hurray!!

* Ecuador: We have some excellent Galapagos Island cruise offers for this year, which is saving clients up to £750 per person. We only have certain dates available so it really is first come 1st served.

This year & 2011 are going to be big years for the Galapagos Islands as a huge change is due to be implemented from January 2012. The Galapagos National Park has issued a notice to all Galapagos operators informing that, as of January 1st, 2012 all Galapagos vessels must operate with 15-day/14-night itineraries, which can be cut into two 7-night itineraries or as two 6-day/5 night and one 5-day/4-night itinerary. The purpose of this measure is to re-arrange all itineraries in an orderly way, to control the number of persons visiting a determined visitor site at a given time. So basically a boat will only be able to visit a particular visitor site / island once every 2 weeks rather than every week as they currently do.
I urge anyone that is thinking of visiting the Galapagos Islands to do so sooner rather than later. 2011 rates are going to be higher than 2010, by approx 10% & discounts are not likely.

We also have some wonderful specialist Ecuador & Galapagos itineraries for clients interested in Geology & Photography. Here are the PDF details for each programme. Please do let me know if you would like full details.
Ecuador & Galapagos Geology Tour

Ecuador & Galapagos Photography Tour

Short visit to Jordan

Visit to Jordan….

A short haul magical destination, we had a long weekend Thursday – Monday and managed to fit in an amazing amount of this very special, friendly country. With only a 5 hour flight from London this is very doable – I would recommend 6 days though to relax as well or longer to add Wadi Rum, the desert, and stay under the million star hotel. 

From Amman we travelled the Kings Highway, the oldest route in the world. Visiting Mount Nebo the site of the death of Moses.

Crossing Wadi al Mujib, Jordan’s answer to the Grand Canyon – 900 meters dam marking the Roman road. Visiting  Karak Castle where you are free to explore all over. We had a great lunch opposite the castle.

Petra, nothing really prepared you for the ingeniousness of this ancient site.  Water way for water for the animal and another for the citizens’ build over 2000 years ago; really make you wonder about out modern plumbing!  This is a huge site and need the full day to explore and if possible to see at night, with Petra by night – where thousands of candles light your way to The Treasury building. 
 

Enjoy the day with flat shoes and a sun hat and plenty of water – I would not take the donkeys to The Monterey – I think its safer to climb the steps!

The Dead Sea is the strangest place, the lowest place on earth – definitely a must on any visit to Jordan.  It’s disappearing over the decades so I recommend a visit soon.  Try floating on your front it’s impossible. 

We really enjoyed this trip and are really looking forward to a longer visit with the Children soon – they can’t wait to ride a camel in the desert.

Helen

Costa Rica here I come!

My next visit to Costa Rica.

I am planning my holiday / work trip to Costa Rica for May. This time I am going to re-visit Tortuguero as it has been a while since I last went there. I really want to check out Manatus Lodge as it looks beautiful & very comfortable.
Then to Tiskita Lodge for a couple of nights- this is a favourite with my bird watching clients. Next is a stay @ the El Parador to see their fabulous new suites & maybe a few hours to relax- that will be nice!!
Off next to Arenal Volcano, perhaps to check out the new Springs Resort which is creating a lot of attention – so best I check it out.
Then I finish off with the holiday bit- 3 nights @ the Tango Mar. I have not been here for 10 years so am looking forward to seeing the changes – which clients have raved about after their visits. I cannot wait to relax on the gorgeous beach the hotel is on..

My last night will hopefully be spent @ one of my most favourite Hotel- The Xandari Plantation y Spa. A great end to what will be an amazing trip.

This year I am not planning on doing any adventure activities. Last time I did the white water rafting & the zip lines so I really think that once ever 10 years is fine!!.. I will leave these activities to my more adventurous clients!!