Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Feb 29

Everyone thinks your great vacations are over when you’ve got kids, but there are so many choices now for destinations, kids holiday clubs and added extras when booking for your family, that more and more people are getting a bit jealous of the vacations that some parents get to go on. Just like us all using a nephew as an opportunity to go on that really cool ride at the theme park, or using some else’s kids to get in to see a cartoon at the movies!!

The same goes for vacations if you look around – Visit Santa in Lapland, Stay in the Davy Crockett Ranch at Euro-Disney, a Caribbean cruise and many many more…….

Below for your perusal, are some useful tips that can help make booking your vacation easier, the hotels less crowded and the whole deal much cheaper – even with added extras. Just read on……

Get your Perfect Flight – Make sure that you book way in advance for the school breaks. Give or take a week or 2, every family with children aged 3-18 is potentially trying to get away at the same time as you – so get in there first! This way you will have the choice of when you fly – avoiding the rush hour drive or the 5am flight!

Get Vacation Extras – Check around when booking early and you may find that some tour operator offer extra days free or offer 5/10% discounts for vacations being booked for the following year. You know you’ll end up booking anyway, so make sure you get something thrown in for free.

Ask Friends or Family Along- Everyone has heard of ‘Group Discounts’ and this can apply to vacations too. You may find that with 4 or more adults, you could get a free child flight or their accommodation for the duration of your stay.

Research your Hotel – Make sure that all the kids clubs and creches etc, are all included in the price and any ‘must see’ local sights are close by – that way you don’t have to use more than you budgeted for paying local charges to entertain them, or doing it yourself.

Go All Inclusive – It’s usually not much more to have 24-hour food and drink available to you and your family for the whole time you are there. No more screaming if you won’t pay for that ice-cream or that fizzy drink, it’s all free!!! It also doesn’t matter if they are fussy eaters, as there is normally a huge choice in the buffet rather than having to order one or two things from a menu and hope they like it.

Look at Alternate Dates – Make sure you check out all your vacation allowance compared to other schools and colleges, as you may find that booking your vacation a week later than everyone else is not as popular and so has reduced prices. Also consider taking your main vacation in a half term or other period, avoiding the July and August rush completely. If the hotel doesn’t specify that you must check in on the first booked date, how about booking a longer trip leaving on earlier dates to take advantage of a cheaper price and a better deal on that longer stay, then just turn up on the day you were going to anyway!

Look at Alternative Vacations – How about considering a self catering break either in your own country or somewhere slightly warmer, or going somewhere positively colder! Why fly out to where everyone else is, when you could have the wilderness with the animals or an uncrowded beach to yourself? Plenty of operators offer villa brochures and self catering apartments in popular resorts. And this will give you a bit more adult space as you a basically living in another home rather than a 2-room apartment.

And Finally

Kids don’t really care about luxury, so don’t go all out with them (as you probably won’t get much time to yourself anyway), and save those special extras for your own vacation, when the kids are with your parents!!

posted by Travel Cat on Feb 26

We booked our own tour of Egypt independently to fit in all the sights we wished to see, remembering that when you book a Nile Cruise – which takes in all the tombs and temples – that it doesn’t automatically include the Pyramids as they are a flight away. Abul Symbel is also not included in the cruise for the same reason.

We arrived late at night in Luxor, where we had to stay the night before we met up with ‘The Nile Beauty’. We woke up in the morning and looked out over the balcony. Our first thoughts were ‘Oh my god, we’re in Beirut!’. We took a stroll before breakfast anyway and were shocked to find armed guards all along the waterfront. This didn’t put us off however, as this trip was our long-awaited dream.

We finally embarked the boat and went to our cabin; it was wonderful. The staff had made swans out of our towels and put flowers in them – it was a really warm welcome.

During the cruise, we stopped off at all the main temples: Karnak, Luxor, Esna, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae. These were all included in our tour with this cruise and they were most awe-inspiring.

We cruised for the whole week and the staff on the boat entertained us the whole time. The food was good, with afternoon tea on deck every day at four. We stayed in Aswan for three days afterwards, where we saw the Hotel Cateract, apparently where Agatha Christie (a favourite author of mine) wrote some of her best novels!

We also went round a Nubian Village which really was an eye opener. Nubians apparently ruled Egypt for some time, but now things were very different. We were told to bring sweets, pens and little gifts to give to the children there, but we were told not to give them money.

From Aswan, we got a convoy bus taking us to the Red Sea. We had armed guards on the front and back of the convoy, with machine gunned soldiers, in case of what? We weren’t sure. This extra trip took about eight hours with one stop for refreshments before arriving in Hurgarda for a five night stay. This is a beautiful beach holiday, which you need after the tombs and temples we visited.

There was still plenty to do here, so it was up at 5am to catch the tour buses and back in time for afternoon tea. We took some additional trips through the hotel as well, which included a submarine trip to see the coral reefs, and a boat trip to a desert island called Paradise; which it was! No-one there but the day-trippers who came with us. The sea was warm and the weather in the 40′s. Beautiful it was.

From there, we also took a plane ride – with kamikaze pilots – to Cairo, where we stayed for five nights at a lovely hotel called the Mardi Gras. The next day we saw our dream come true, the Pyramids of Egypt and the Sphinx. We were absolutely gob smacked! They were the most awesome thing we have ever seen!

We spent the whole day there and we even went inside one of the pyramids for a tour! Wandering round the Cairo Museum was a sight to behold as well. All the items from Tutankhamun’s tomb were on display and we took all day just oggling these. This was made even better as later, when we were in the Valley of the Kings, we went into King Tuts tomb and tried to visualise the amount of relics from the museum in here, it didn’t seem possible that they were able to fit inside!

The only thing that may put people off going to Egypt is the armed soldiers all around the area, but once you realise they are there for your safety, it was reassuring. The people themselves are so poor that they pester you all the time to help you with something, just so they could earn some money. We just politely told them we were ‘OK’, which meant that they didn’t bother you again, well…. until the next day at least! They were nice people, just very poor.

We spent a lovely two weeks there, have been back four times since and would go again at a drop of a hat! The whole holiday cost us about $2000/£1000 and really was worth it. The food, which we regularly brought off the local traders cost a pittance, thankfully neither did it make us ill!

Elaine Andrews 

posted by Travel Cat on Feb 26

I have received my first outside addition to this blog by one eager traveller!

So; my next post is Elaine Andrews account of her recent trip to Egypt.  It describes her independently booked visit; including a 7-day Cruise down the Nile, visits to Cairo and the Great Pyramids and many other locations crammed in besides!

Hope you enjoy it as much as she did!! 

posted by Travel Cat on Feb 24

The following information concerns the environments themselves. Here you will be get the chance to see vast numbers of wildlife and plants in one place – of course, if you pick the wrong guide or go alone and get lost you may not see anything worth writing home about!

Also, I have only picked those areas that are most popular, so if you visit regularly you may find more secluded areas to visit, off the beaten track so to speak, but never walk into a jungle without a clearly marked track or a local guide!

6) Tropical Rainforest

Reserva de la Biosfera Sian Ka’an (south of Cancun) – This good size reserve (5000 sq km) is by no mean lacking in wildlife, and you will need a professional guide to escort you through it so you don’t get lost! It borders a relatively ‘boring’ beach so you can get this whole area to yourself, with a huge number of migratory and local birds found here.

Pelenque- This ancient Mayan city is surrounded in heavy jungle, containing ocelots, toucans howler monkeys to name a few. As with Reserva de la Biosfera Calakmul (another great Mayan city ruins) it is probably best to book yourself on one of the temple tours, this was you get a useful guide and also the chance to climb the ancient temples and get an amazing view of the jungle.

Reserva de la Biosfera Montes Azules, including Laguna Miramar- The largest lake in this preserved area of Mexico along the Guatemalan border, helps support a huge number of large mammals – apparently 27% of all Mexico’s mammals including the tapir and jaguar, as well as 33% of the nations birds including the Harpy eagle and red macaw reside here. It also contains rare mahogany trees and river crocodiles. It is so protected though that you need to go through a sort of local ceremony to get guided thru here, so book well in advance!

7) Mangroves

Reserva de la Biosfera La Encrucijada – This coastal biosphere contains some of the tallest mangroves in Mexico and cover a vast area of lagoons, sandbars and wetland areas at the very south of the country, close to Guatemala. Not only is it a valuable landing spot for hundreds of migratory birds each year, but the reserve continues inland and apparently houses the largest population of Mexican jaguars! You’ll find creatures ranging from boa constrictors to fishing bats and fishing eagles, from anteaters and deer to river crocodiles and turtles, and many, many more. Take a boat ride deep inside to find out more…..

8 ) Coral Reefs

Isla Cozumel and Reserva de la Biosfera Banco Chinchorro(south of Cancun) – This small island (53 x 14km) is home to 100 world class dive sites, and it’s not difficult to tell why when you get there! It has many locations suitable for snorkeling too with it’s crystal clear waters giving year round visibility of 50m – and it’s Mexico’s only Caribbean island! The variety of coral and fish here found Cozumel chosen as the most popular dive site in the world by Scuba Diving magazine!

Isla del Carmen and Parque Marino Nacional Bahia de Lereto- Another small island but this time on the Pacific coast of Mexico, but facing the Sea of Cortez. This means that you are protected from the forceful coastal waves, and have relative protection from the elements, reason enough to preserve this reef for your pleasure. Although not as extensive and popular as Isla Cozumel, you may find it cheaper and less crowded here.

9) Cloud Forests

Reserva de la Biosfera El Cielo- South of Monterrey in Northwest Mexico, nestled up the Sierra Madre mountains you will find this 1440 sq km reserve. It reaches through semi-desert to temperate to tropical ecosystems it was granted certain status by the UN in the 80′s. You can find around 40 orchid species at higher climes, half of all the nations bird species can be found within it, along with 40 kinds of bats as well as the more common tropical mammals.

Reserva de la Biosfera El Triunfo- This is a bird lovers paradise high in a remote part of the Sierra Madres southern tip, with around 30 bird species not found elsewhere in Mexico, as well as your best chance of seeing the infamous quetzal. It is also a weird world of epiphytes, bromeliads, mosses, lichens and vines covering almost every tree in this cool damp cloud forest, however try to avoid May to October as this is the wet season! You also need a permit for here up to a month in advance, so plan in advance for several days of guided tours only. It’s not cheap but it does include accommodation.

10) Desert Oasis

Area de Proteccion de Flora y Fauna Cuatrocienegas- This isolated area in the Chihuahuan Desert has endless white sand dunes and very high temperatures – even the water can reach up to 32/90 degrees! It is bordered on every side by mountain ranges, and the underground springs supply rivers and pools house turtles and fish – many of which are endemic to the region due to it’s restrictive landscape. It also holds species such as coyotes, rabbits, roadrunners and scorpions, as would any desert in the region.

Well, what are you waiting for?

posted by Travel Cat on Feb 22

Described below are the best times and places to see some of the wildlife and habitats that Mexico has to offer the traveller.

I find that planning what you want to see before you book is great,  That way you pay the least for internal travel and you don’t regret missing something that you were too far away from when you got there! More importantly, you come back with photos and memories of what you wanted to see the most, and have the best time doing it!

As there is so much to cover I have split this into 2 parts. Part 1 below, details specific species that you may wish to see, whereas Part 2 looks at whole environments, where you can see a number of different species including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles and insects.

So here we go – starting with the largest!

1) Whales

Baja California- From January to March in the Reserva de la Biosfera Vizcaino (a 25,000 sq km reserve – Latin America’s largest) there is a major Gray Whale calving site. You can book 3 hour excursions locally, with Laguna San Ignacio and Laguna Ojo de Liebre being popular locations.

Bahia de Banderas(near Puerta Vallarta) – You can see whales all year round here (if you look hard enough). Humpback whales come here between December and March to give birth to last years calf, and then to breed again, so there is plenty of display to watch as well as seeing the mothers swimming with their calves. Bride Whales are here all year, but are much rarer, as are Grey Whales who have also been seen here, but only occasionally.

2) Dolphins

Bahia de Banderas(near Puerta Vallarta) – This huge bay (the 7th largest in the world apparently) is home all year to pods of dolphins. Due to this community there are allegedly no sharks here at all, and groups of dolphins are regularly seen ‘patrolling’ the edges of the bay to ward off any marauding sharks!

I have stayed on the bays edge (in Bucerais) and found that on most mornings you will be greeted by leaping dolphins. People from the nearby resorts grab the complimentary kayaks and paddle out to the centre of the groups while they play. The dolphins are so used to this that they are not scared off and just carry on with whatever they were doing. You can also see where they are feeding out in the bay, as they attract great flocks of giant Frigate birds and gulls who circle the area, then dive straight into the swirling mass of fish from above – an amazing site.

3) Turtles

Isla Mujeres(south of Cancun) – This quiet island off the Cancun Coast in the Gulf of Mexico is where 6 of the 8 sea turtle species in the world come to nest. You will find Kemps Ridley, Olive Ridley, Black, Green, Leatherback and Hawksbill here throughout the year, with June to September being the best time to see several species in one visit. There is also a turtle farm here to help with breeding as the locals have always found turtles and their eggs a delicacy. Kemps Ridley also nest in La Pesca from March to July, Black Turtles in Bahia de Maruata and Olive Ridley on Playa Escobilla between March and July, with up to 700,000 coming to shore in a season!

Cabo San Lucas(Baja California) – This trendy resort is also a great place to see many turtle species with the 7th species found in Mexico – the giant Leatherback. These can reach 3 metres in length and a ton in weight, although are very rarely sighted. If you get a photo of an adult one of these you are very lucky indeed! (Mazunte in Oaxaca is also a great place to see these turtles).

4) Elephant Seals and Sea Lions

Baja California- These aquatic mammals are only really found in one small area of Mexico and often in close proximity to each other. The best spots are Islas San Benito and Isla Cedros where you will often see them sprawled out on the beaches and playing around the coast. You will need to hire boats for this trip, which you can do all year round.

5) Butterflies

Santuario de Mariposas El Rosario(west of Mexico City) – This sanctuary for Monarch Butterflies with astound you. Even if you haven’t really an interest in insects, the sheer numbers of these creatures with have you gob smacked! They travel from the U.S. to Mexico arriving in late October thru November, and are all gone by March, all 400 million of them. They cover every tree in the sanctuary in the mornings, turning them bright orange and you will be mesmerised by them as they move about you and land elsewhere during the warmth of the day.

Laguna Miramar- Apparently the jungle surrounding this huge lake contains 44% of all butterflies found in Mexico! You’ll easy fin Swallowtails and Cattlehearts flying around the jungle and lagoon itself without really trying, however, avoid coming here between June and October as most of the areas rainfall occurs then, and this jungle gets a lot of rain!!

Part 2 is coming up next…..