2022 travel plans

[Sensible Soccer🏴]

Currently sitting by the pool in Playa de las Americas, last day. Flight home to Edinburgh this evening.

It's been a great week, 26° most days, was a bit stormy for a couple days but it was still a warm wind and plenty places to shelter from it. 

The whole resort has been quite quiet so easy enough to get drinks and go wherever you want without ques ect.

[energyzone]

Just back from a week in Antalya, Turkey.
First visit to Turkey and will definitely go back.
People around the hotel cannot do enough for you, and are so friendly.
Mixed bag of weather, overcast and a little chilly for the first couple of days then not a cloud for a few days and 20/21 degrees which was fairly decent for lying by the pool for a couple of hours.
Hotel was full, and there were hundreds of Iranians in the hotel as it was Iranian New Year (some of these people were really nice, but a lot were not).
Great holiday, and so good to get away.
P.S. No covid certificates/passes or negative PCR tests (or passenger locator forms) were asked for or checked at any point of our trip. Very weird.

What hotel did you stay at?

We go to Antalya in June - never been to Turkey before but the hotels look great. Fully expecting not a lot of British people to be there.

[Qos91]

I can relax a bit more now - 2 negative antigen tests and fit to travel.

Just 2 days of work then off to Manchester for Saturday's flight to Jamaica.

Have you managed to get through Manchester airport yet? I fly from there in a few weeks and I'm seeing nothing but reports of huge delays and utter chaos due to staff shortages.
I'm hoping it's just the news exaggerating a bit.

[DeeTillEhDeh]

Have you managed to get through Manchester airport yet? I fly from there in a few weeks and I'm seeing nothing but reports of huge delays and utter chaos due to staff shortages.
I'm hoping it's just the news exaggerating a bit.

Just arrived in Jamaica.

3 hours to get boarding card and through security.

Flight left an hour and 50 minutes late.

Tui blaming it on Swissport who apparently have a staff shortage.

[Hawk89]

Last night away in a hotel was a training course at the Royal Highland in Stirling the very last "normal" week before the first lockdown. So looking forwards to getting back to it this year. 

Currently have a work trip in May to Uganda with a couple of down days in Kampala, will hopefully be able to get out on one of the Lake Victoria tours. Will also be spending time in the north but it will be on the move with meetings. We are travelling by car and being the end of the rainy season it apparently takes an extraordinary amount of time to get anywhere. 

In June we're off for a mini road trip taking the Ferry to Belfast then heading West via Derry, Sligo and Galway before trying Center Parcs Longford. Final night is near Dundalk on the way back. Have heard the west coast is absolutely stunning so fingers crossed for decent weather. We considered Dublin but what we paid for flights and 3 nights at the Morgan on Temple Bar 7 years ago hardly even tickles their nightly rate these days. Seems to be a common theme there now.

September is a trip to the continent starting in Frankfurt, then trying Center Parcs Allgau. Hoping to see plenty of Bavaria and will be great to catch up with my brother who lives in Berlin. We're going to try tag a couple of days on at the end for a mini road trip into either Switzerland or Austria before heading North for a ferry. 

Will maybe look for a city break in November as I had to cancel leave last year around my wife's birthday so have some making up to do there.

[ScottMc77]

On 02/04/2022 at 19:58, energyzone said:

What hotel did you stay at?

We go to Antalya in June - never been to Turkey before but the hotels look great. Fully expecting not a lot of British people to be there.

Adalya Elite on Lara Beach.

It's the last hotel on that bit of beach, not much past the Titanic and Concorde hotels.

15-20 minutes from the airport.

I would 100% recommend this hotel, but guessing all the ones in this area are fantastic.

 

 

[DeeTillEhDeh]

MD of Manchester Airport standing down because of the chaos at the airport.

[Les Cabbage]

Not long back from a week cutting about some of Europe, absolutely terrific to be travelling again.

Managed 2 nights in Budapest followed by 3 nights in Hamburg, both great places, probably would say Hamburg the superior but Budapest was certainly warmer.

Next stop is Bucharest in May for 5 days, anyone have any recommendations?

[welshbairn]

KLM have been fucking me about with changing flight times and dates so have cancelled a trip to Zaragoza and Madrid next month and am looking at Sicily instead. Some ridiculously cheap flights on offer, £4.99 one way from Stanstead to Trapani with Ryanair and £8 with Wizzair from Gatwick to Palermo.

P.S. The ultra cheap fares didn't work from Inverness because of dates, connections and overnight stops etc, so flying from Edinburgh instead, Airbnb in Marsala. Including extras for baggage, booked seat, priority boarding and fast lane through security it came to £115, plus £24 for the train to/from Inverness and 18 euros for the bus to/from Palermo. I'm worth it!

Edited April 9, 2022 by welshbairn

[Hard Graft]

Currently sitting on the balcony of a cruise ship in Piraeus Athens. Sun is shining and looking forward to 2 weeks of sights, sun, sea drink and good food.

Feared it would not happen because of issues at Heathrow but everything went okay.

[Frosty]

Currently sitting on the balcony of a cruise ship in Piraeus Athens. Sun is shining and looking forward to 2 weeks of sights, sun, sea drink and good food.

Feared it would not happen because of issues at Heathrow but everything went okay.

Interested in your Heathrow experience - flying out of Terminal 3 on Wednesday to the States.

[Hard Graft]

We flew down from Edinburgh and as such we went straight into Terminal 5 without the need to go through security. I think if you are using a different terminal then you may have to face security there. I would be making a phone call for verification one way or another.

Who are you flying with as BA and American Air all fly to USA from the annex at T5.

Hope things go okay for you.

[Frosty]

We flew down from Edinburgh and as such we went straight into Terminal 5 without the need to go through security. I think if you are using a different terminal then you may have to face security there. I would be making a phone call for verification one way or another.

Who are you flying with as BA and American Air all fly to USA from the annex at T5.

Hope things go okay for you.

Thanks for your reply.

I live down south so am not flying down from Scotland therefore our check in/security will be at Heathrow.

From memory you can change terminals at Heathrow and stay airside which means you don’t need to go through security again. Think that’s the same for anyone connecting at Heathrow as opposed to the States that makes you collect and then re-check your bags and then go through US Security for any connecting flight. Presume it’s because the yanks don’t trust any non-US security checks.

We’re flying to Charlotte and then down to Myrtle Beach and while it’s a BA booking the flight is a code share with American Airlines. It’s definitely Terminal 3. It doesn’t depart until 12:15 and am aiming to get to Heathrow for about 7/7:30 so hope that should allow sufficient time. Also have to contend with the M4 being shut which affects Terminal 3 worst of all the Heathrow terminals. After all this and the negative COVID test that still needs to be obtained within 24 hours of US flights I’ll be very glad to get in the plane.

[Squirrelhumper]

Heading to SA end of the month. 

2 nights in Jo'Burg. Doing the Soweto Tour. 

Meant to be then getting the Blue Train to Cape Town but it's out of use just now, so now flying. Gutted. 

Got a balloon ride before we go to the airport on the last morning so looking forward to that. 

Got 4 nights in Cape Town so staying tat the The Twelve Apostles Hotel for two nights and then 2 nights Cape Grace hotel 

Doing Robbin Island tour and also got a helicopter over Table Mountain. 

After that we are on Safrari  - 2 nights Grootbos Nature Reserve, 2 nights The Fancourt, 2 nights Pumba Private Game Reserve and finally
2 nights Lalibela Kichaka Lodge.

Bit of a dream holiday. Missus works in travel and won it before Covid struck so relieved we are actually finally getting to go on it. 
 

[welshbairn]

1 hour ago, Squirrelhumper said:

The Twelve Apostles Hotel

Just googled it, looks fabulous. I gather you're not having to pay? 

[Squirrelhumper]

17 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

Just googled it, looks fabulous. I gather you're not having to pay? 

Nah, full thing is free. 

Google the Grootbos and Pumba nature reserves.....

[welshbairn]

3 minutes ago, Squirrelhumper said:

Nah, full thing is free. 

Google the Grootbos and Pumba nature reserves.....

Fucksake, you lucky b*****d!

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

On 09/04/2022 at 12:00, welshbairn said:

KLM have been fucking me about with changing flight times and dates so have cancelled a trip to Zaragoza and Madrid next month and am looking at Sicily instead. Some ridiculously cheap flights on offer, £4.99 one way from Stanstead to Trapani with Ryanair and £8 with Wizzair from Gatwick to Palermo.

P.S. The ultra cheap fares didn't work from Inverness because of dates, connections and overnight stops etc, so flying from Edinburgh instead, Airbnb in Marsala. Including extras for baggage, booked seat, priority boarding and fast lane through security it came to £115, plus £24 for the train to/from Inverness and 18 euros for the bus to/from Palermo. I'm worth it!

That sounds like my idea of heaven, we had a holiday to sicily cancelled last year that we were gutted about, hotel etna, looks amazing. Heard good things about Marsala too, the quality of the villas etc is exceptional, the food looks incredible. 

[welshbairn]

7 minutes ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

That sounds like my idea of heaven, we had a holiday to sicily cancelled last year that we were gutted about, hotel etna, looks amazing. Heard good things about Marsala too, the quality of the villas etc is exceptional, the food looks incredible. 

Renting this apartment but will be travelling round a bit.

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/52103615?source_impression_id=p3_1649693671_sJWCaq63avn24Rtl

[doulikefish]

4 hours ago, Squirrelhumper said:

Heading to SA end of the month. 

2 nights in Jo'Burg. Doing the Soweto Tour. 

Meant to be then getting the Blue Train to Cape Town but it's out of use just now, so now flying. Gutted. 

Got a balloon ride before we go to the airport on the last morning so looking forward to that. 

Got 4 nights in Cape Town so staying tat the The Twelve Apostles Hotel for two nights and then 2 nights Cape Grace hotel 

Doing Robbin Island tour and also got a helicopter over Table Mountain. 

After that we are on Safrari  - 2 nights Grootbos Nature Reserve, 2 nights The Fancourt, 2 nights Pumba Private Game Reserve and finally
2 nights Lalibela Kichaka Lodge.

Bit of a dream holiday. Missus works in travel and won it before Covid struck so relieved we are actually finally getting to go on it. 
 

Cape Town is fantastic hopefully you can fit in a wine tour aswell tremendous day out.Theres lots of wine tours online to choose from but I highly recommend the "pairing" tour were you have lots of vino and some good food I ended up quite merry and the last stop was Ernie Els the golfers winery and there is a wee pitching area so in my drunken state was trying to smash balls over the top of his house( he doesn't live there)