Wicked Good Travel Tips, Unique Vacations, Travel Deals » England/UK

Tour The Interior Of Buckingham Palace This Summer

Susan — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 02:33:30 +0000

Special tours of the interior of Buckingham Palace take place this summer from the last week in July until the end of September. (When the Queen and family are not at home of course.) These seasonal tours explore 19 elaborate state rooms where you’ll view lavish ceremonial rooms, exquisite art collections, ceremonial robes and jewels, and magnificent formal gardens. Make your reservations early as these tours are very popular – get all the details here.

Get To Know Europe’s Family Friendly Vacation Villages

Susan — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:17:56 +0000

There’s a hidden treasure in Europe that everyone with kids needs to know about – family friendly holiday vacation villages built to entertain families in high style. Think grand resort comes to the countryside – and the prices are outstanding!

For most of us the thought of visiting Europe with the kids in tow conjures visions of faces buried in tourist maps, schlepping between famous monuments, endless magnificent churches, countless museums and a castle or two. I suggest you throw a bit of frivolity into your family vacation to Europe with a stay at one of Europe’s family friendly vacation villages – also known as holiday villages, parcs and camps. There are hundreds of holiday villages scattered throughout Europe specifically designed for family vacation fun. Each village offers comfortable family style accommodations and is centered around an impressive water feature that provides nonstop entertainment within the park. Many have a covered ‘water world’ as well, so even on rainy days the fun doesn’t stop. There are kids clubs offering supervised activities based on age, sports facilities, golf, hiking, biking, zip lines, horseback riding, and a multitude of diversions based on area attractions. And did I mention the prices are less than you’d be paying at a city hotel? Here’s a look at three of Europe’s most popular holiday village developers.

Sunparks offer family friendly villa accommodations in holiday villages throughout the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France. Have you been hankering to visit Provence, St. Tropez and Cannes but thought it was an adults only vacation destination? You’ll be happy to know that you can rent a Sun Park villa for a week and bounce around the Riviera to your heart’s content. Be sure to check out their last minute specials, and great discounts offered to travelers age 55+ (up to 40% off)!

Center Parcs has established 17 impressive villages tucked into natural park landscapes throughout Europe. If your family loves spending time by a scenic lake surrounded by forest, these villages may be the perfect choice. Accommodations are in a bungalow or villa that feature cozy living rooms with fireplaces and floor to ceiling windows to bring the outdoors in. The villages offer a huge variety of sporting activities, ususally a “domed subtropical swimming paradise”, climbing walls and rope courses, imaginative playground structures, game rooms, golf, tennis, and a great variety of restaurants and shops. Wouldn’t your kids just love to play Robin Hood and his merry men at this Parc in Sherwood Forest? Have a look at their photo slide show – it’s amazing! Sherwood Forest Center Parc

Eurocamp is not just about camping (although you may go gaga over their 3 bedroom tents!), they also offer stays in a variety of bungalows and holiday homes. This is a large operation with 160 camp developments in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and more. Eurocamps are like huge nature resorts offering every entertainment imaginable for family fun. Their goal is to provide a setting where families can “play in safety from dawn til dusk”. Imagine spending a week at a fabulous vacation village perched at the edge of Lake Garda in the Italian lakes district – it’s very appropriately named “Eden”!

So the next time you’re planning an excursion over to Europe, investigate a stay at a ‘vacation village’. Your entire family will relax and enjoy new experiences together while meeting fellow vacationers from across Europe. Since these villages are marketed extensively in the UK, English is widely spoken. Be sure to read the descriptions of the accommodations carefully as definitions of a “bungalow” vary widely between companies and locations. We think you’ll find the pricing irresistible – many in the $500 per week range for a villa that accommodates a family of four. And remember, this is where all of Europe goes to take their summer vacation, so if you’ll be traveling in July and August, you’ll have plenty of company!

Insanely Great Sale – One Week Vacation For $199 – Act Fast!!

Susan — Thu, 20 May 2010 16:19:15 +0000

Sea Palace St. Maarten

Can a week’s vacation get any cheaper than this? I’ve just been reading Arthur Frommer’s Blog (great resource of top travel info), and learned about this insanely great sale. A full week’s vacation in a resort rental apartment (studio, 1 bedroom or 2 bedrooms) for a mere $199 per week. That’s not per person folks, it’s per unit for a full 7 days. And these are not some flea bag properties, they are from the apartment rental division of Wyndham Hotels – Endless Vacation Rentals. There are resort properties located all across the USA, Caribbean, Mexico and Europe! I just can’t stop using !!!! this is such a great deal.

Here’s the main catch…. this is a “blowout” sale on the Wyndham Vacation last minute site. You only have until 4pm on Friday 5/21/10 to reserve your vacation at this amazing price, and travel must take place within 30 days. Can’t get away for a full week? No problem, check out early (the price is still worth it)…. or split the booking with some friends and each stay a few days…that would be a vacation for $100!!!!

Now if you just can’t carve out some vacation time in the next 30 days, this is a site you should definitely bookmark and keep an eye on. The last minute page always offers properties at amazing rates that are available for travel within 30 days. The standard rate right at the moment would be $349 per week for a studio apartment, up to $399 per week for a 2 bedroom – still a fabulous deal. I think this is going to be my new go-to site for booking quick getaways.

Here’s my suggested strategy for cashing in on these offers:

Strategy #1
Pick a few locations from the destination list
Look for available frequent flyer seats and grab them
Go back to the Wyndham site and book the apt rental

Strategy #2
Select a destination that is served by a low cost airline (JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, AirTran etc) and look for a great airfare. Combine that fare with a one week rental from the Wyndham site.

Strategy #3
See a great airline sale…freeze some seats, check the Wyndham last minute site for an apartment rental.

Make your friends incredulous with envy…”You paid WHAT for your vacation????!!!!!!” You have to love it when that happens!

Phantom Of The Opera Sequel Lights Up The Night In London

Susan — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:03:15 +0000

Attention theater lovers – The Phantom is back! Andrew Lloyd Webber’s much anticipated sequel production, Love Never Dies, opened in London this week to glowing reviews. The plot picks up 10 years after the mysterious disappearance of the Phantom in the basement of the Paris Opera House at the end of the play. We find that the Phantom has followed his love (Christine) to New York where she has been offered an opportunity to perform at the newly opened Coney Island amusement pavilion. In the excitement of traveling to glamorous New York with her husband Raoul and young son, Christine is unaware of the true identity of her benefactor who has lured her to New York. “LOVE NEVER DIES is a rollercoaster ride of obsession and intrigue in which music and memory can play cruel tricks and The Phantom sets out to prove that, indeed, LOVE NEVER DIES “.

Well respected theater ticket/travel company Keith Prowse is the exclusive ticket agent for Love Never Dies performances at the Adelphi Theatre. They have put together London theater packages that include performance tickets and hotel stay starting at $129.59 per person (remarkable). Click over to Keith Prowse/Love Never Dies for all the details – you’ll find a calendar displaying dates when tickets are available.

Meet The Real Van Gogh In London This Spring

Susan — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 17:18:53 +0000

The Royal Academy of Arts in London is presenting meet “The Real Van Gogh“ from now until April 18, 2010. The exhibition features 35 original letters by Van Gogh displayed along with almost 100 paintings and drawings. This unique collection provides an intimate view into the complex mind of this talented but troubled artist.

Squeeze In A Mini Tour In A Mini Cooper

Susan — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:00:40 +0000

London Sightseeing Tours with a fun twist. The cheeky crew at smallcarBIGCITY in London invite you (up to 3 passengers) to pop into a retro Mini Cooper and take a nostalgic tour of London – nostalgic if you partied in the 60′s that is! Your tour guide/driver will be outfitted in 60′s garb that will go along perfectly with the 60′s music playing on the sound system. But your tour will not just be of Abbey Road, as this tour company offers a wide variety of touring options. My favorite? It has to be the Italian Job where three Mini’s race through the city of London from the Financial District, over the Thames, to the West End where you’re delivered in time for cocktails and dinner – a blue jumpsuit and white helmet ensemble required of course! If you’ve been to London before and are looking for a new and exciting was to see the city, give the Mini’s a spin.

Best Walks in Britain – A Must Save Article

Susan — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:12:28 +0000

The Times Online (London) has posted an article that anyone and everyone who may travel to the UK (in their lifetime) needs to save! Times Walks – 100 Best Walks In The UK is a fabulous resource for sightseeing on your own two feet whether it be a city stroll or a countryside ramble. Select your walk by region to find a detailed route map, reasons to love the journey, sights along the way, and local pubs to catch a refresher at – brilliant! For anyone visiting London, the Westminster and St. James Park route will bring you past London’s prime sightseeing spots. Best of all, the walking guides can be downloaded to your favorite mobile devise. What a great resource!

Pub Grazing in the UK and Ireland, A Must-Print Article

Susan — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:59:12 +0000

Times Online has compiled a must-print list for anyone motoring through Britain and Ireland of the best pub gardens. Just picture yourself pulling up to a black and white timbered pub, taking a seat under the shade of an ancient oak, and ordering up a refreshing pint. Ahhhh, life is good. I can’t think of a more worthy pursuit than turning this list into a scenic pub to pub romp!

World’s Most Luscious Food Markets

Susan — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:17:45 +0000

Local food markets give a glimpse into the soul of a destination. The crops that local farmers grow and the culinary creations that food artisans produce speak to the history of the location and the traditions of its citizens. Nothing is more pleasing and engrossing than roaming among the stalls of a neighborhood farmer’s market or the grand food halls of a metropolitan city. In China I was almost afraid to look (bugs on a stick?!), in Vancouver the smells and colors were dazzling, in Hawaii I found vegetables I had never seen before in my life, and the markets in Rome and Paris were sensuous. Now that it’s harvest time around the world, don’t miss the opportunity to visit a luscious food market wherever you roam – here are some of the world’s favorites:

Americas
New York - Chelsea Market, a hub of foodie activity
San Francisco - Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, large Organics Markets, operates 3 times per week
New Orleans – Crescent City Farmers Market, Uptown and Downtown fabulous fruits
Seattle – Freemont Sunday Market – more than fruits & veggies – treasures of all description
Hawaii – Hawaii Farmers Markets Online, several gorgeous markets on every island
Vancouver – Granville Island Public Market, The ethnic diversity of Vancouver makes this market a sensory explosion
Mexico City - Mercado de la Merced, nirvana for chili pepper lovers – every color of the rainbow!

Europe
Rome – Campo de Fiori – on every tourist map and well worth the visit
Paris – Wonderful markets in almost every neighborhood – Gayot List and descriptions. And don’t miss a visit to Fauchon, considered “the Tiffany’s of food purveyors”.
Provence – lavendar and sunflowers in every town! Don’t miss the huge market in Carpentas, with 350 stalls – operating since 1155! French Entre full list of markets.
London – Borough Market – London’s oldest market, and don’t miss the food halls at Harrods and Selfridges
Barcelona – La Boqueria - take a virtual tour!
Stockholm – Ostermalm Saluhall – closed food market with a smorgasboard of delights!
Vienna – Naschmarkt, since the 16th century – anyone for a torte?
Jerusalem – Mahane Yahuda Market – highly recommended by good friend and avid traveler, Deanna

Far East
China – In every city, don’t miss this experience, it will redefine your definition of food! Shop at the Red Bridge Market in Beijing
Hong Kong – A kaleidoscope of sensory encounters In every neighborhood – Virtual Tourist List
Tokyo – Tsukiji Market – it’s all about the fish – largest fish market in the world! Visit the Tokyo Food Page
Singapore – Kreta Ayer Wet Market – named for the water carts (not the food), you’ll find every kind of food, spice, and ware – be sure to visit Food Street and the Chinatown Night Market.

To find a farmers market experience wherever you travel in the USA, visit LocalHarvest.org

Half Price Dining in London

Susan — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:31:25 +0000

Taking the family to London is year? – Be sure to pick up a Taste London Dining Card that gives you 50% off your dining bill at over 800 London restaurants. The card is available from Visit London at a 20 GBP discount, making the price 49.95 GBP. If you eat lunch and dinner out while sightseeing in London, you’ll likely save the price of the card purchase in one day. The card is good for one year from the date of purchase, comes with a detailed restaurant directory and can even be used for group dining. So enjoy guilt free dining in London – with the price anyway, we can’t help you with the calories!