Latest at Hallmark Travel
ISTANBUL If the Red Centre in Australia is red, and the Pink City of Petra is pink, you’d be surprised to find the Blue Mosque in Istanbul is not blue at all! With its six minarets, it stands on a lively, noisy street of stalls and tourists. The mosque has none of the grandeur of…
RA RA RASPUTIN Unfortunately the British Foreign Advice discourages all travel to Russia at this time. Think of Russia and what springs to mind? Two great cities for a start – Moscow and St. Petersburg, the Russian Revolution, Tsars and Tsarinas – and yes maybe even Dr Zhivago and War and Peace! but the…
SIGH A SIGH IN CYPRUS Onboard Aegean Air, in my wide and soft leather seat with lots of legroom, I was off to Cyprus! My mission? To boldly go in search of the perfect holiday at the perfect hotels and resort for my Hallmark Travel customers! It was dark when I arrived, but my transfer…
TERRIFIC TENERIFE Now-a-days, a two-week holiday in the summer is just not enough! Short breaks help us to de-stress and relax, often. Just four and a half flying hours from the UK and Tenerife is waiting… subtropical, and with over 300 days of sunshine a year – you will shed your British layers and enjoy…
ESCAPE TO THE CAPE My 10 day trip started in Cape Town, affectionally called “The Mother City”, which consistently features as one of the world’s top ten cities. Nestled next to Table Mountain, Cape Town is a clean, lively and cosmopolitan city. The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is a great place to…
I am so excited! Only a night flight away, and with no jetlag to worry about – I am in Johannesburg where it’s sunny of course, and as I dive into the pool, I forget all about the miserable January weather at home. Contrary to popular belief, and horror stories about Johannesburg,…
WATERFALLS AND WATERFRONTS GO WILD IN AFRICA They say Zambia is the real Africa, and I wholeheartedly agree. By contrast to East Africa, Zambia has little or no sophistication for the traveller. But if you can turn a blind eye to the slow service, empty gift shop shelves and the occasional power…
THE GAMBIA SMILING COAST OF WEST AFRICA What word can I use to describe a holiday to The Gambia? Just one springs to mind –easy! An easy 6 hour flight (from Gatwick). An easy and quick immigration on arrival in Banjul. An easy and short (30 minutes) transfer from the airport to the hotels. Nothing is any effort on your holiday…
TWO CRUISES WITH A DIFFERENCE I have cruised the Caribbean on several occasions, but our voyage this year, on the Royal Clipper, was undoubtedly the most impressive. Modelled on the German clipper ship Preussen, the recently built Royal Clipper boasts five masts and 42 sails and is a magnificent sight under full sail. She is luxuriously…
GOT YOUR SEA LEGS YET? Ever since I was on a school trip cruise to the Mediterranean, and I lay on my bunk, my face a greenish hue… I thought “No! Life on the ocean wave is not for me!” As the years went by, even the sight of the white cliffs of Dover reminded…