7/31/2010 08:14:00 am | 
Posted by
Jemma Marke and Sue Arscott
Hi everyone,
Not had chance to update this the last few days, but then again we had to spend most of Day 5 in Lifton, where we’re staying whilst we wait for the car to finally get sorted. Then on Day 6 we went to the very beautiful Cardinham Woods. Here you can let the kids play in the play park whilst you have a lovely coffee and gain some energy whilst you go for the trek around the woods. We chose the shorter one, which at 3km is more than enough when you have 5 children with you, all under 6 years old! (Not all my children I must add!
Half way round our trek we came across a gorgeous stream where the kids could play and then back for lunch in the meadow.
Well for day 7 we are off in search of a beach that isnt too touristy, see you soon!
Sue x
Hi Everyone!
So we went to http://www.newquayzoo.org.uk/ and what a fab day out! It was not how we expected a zoo to be as its all very close together. Which is brilliant if you have young children, as they don’t get so tired walking between enclosures. So here you can get your fix of Penguins, Lions, Meer Kats and more… The only off putting thing I would say about the zoo is that you have to pay for quite a pricey parking ticket as the car park is pay and display, something I would not expect when you have to pay over £30 for a family to come and visit. 
Newquay itself was also a lot prettier than I expected and other places to visit there are the http://www.bluereefaquarium.co.uk/ and of course the beaches. Also if you want to look around Newquay and don’t fancy walking, why don’t you jump on the small trains that ferry the tourists around?! Something for the kids!
Tomorrow is going to be a day of looking for a nice beach, so see you soon!
Sue x
Well the weather down here in Cornwall today is not the best, so decided to have a day in this beautiful very English little village, with milkshakes at the local farm shop http://www.liftonstrawberryfields.co.uk/ and raspberry picking to go with our tea!
Hopefully we might even get the rest of Molly's face painting washed off her face sometime this evening, then tomorrow, weather permitting the plan is to
visit Newquay Zoo!
See you tomorrow!
Sue x
This evening is looking beautiful and we have decided to sit back with a barbie whilst we decide where to go tomorrow, although we are thinking that strawberry picking could be a great idea!
For those of you who have not had the pleasure of visiting this area, we are in Lifton, Devon and it’s the perfect base for Devon and Cornwall, as there are so many beaches and attractions less than an hours drive away. As well as the fact that its truly beautiful here. For somewhere to stay…… www.arundellarms.com
See you all tomorrow!!
Sue x
So here we are in a little village called Lifton, OK so not technically in Cornwall, we are in fact in Devon. However Lifton is close to Cornwall that if we go a couple of miles down the road we will be in Cornwall!
It’s so beautiful here, there is no sound of traffic, just birds, fresh air and the sound of the kids laughing and playing in the garden. Although we nearly didn’t get here after an eventful journey where we had to get picked up by the AA and helped to our destination after our car decided it needed to break down on us! But heh ho, wh
ats life if not exciting?
So tomorrow, we are off to the Miniature Pony Centre on Dartmoor. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for hot weather so that we can all enjoy the horses and grounds, along with some lovely ice cream.
So until tomorrow….
Sue x
More than 250,000 new tourism-related jobs are expected to be created in the UK over the next decade, a new study has predicted.
The jobs boost - from 2.63 million now to 2.89 million - will come on the back of growing value of the tourism sector by 2020.
The total value of tourism to the UK is set to rise by more than 60% to £188 billion over the next decade, according to the independent report commissioned by VisitBritain.
The total economic contribution that domestic and overseas visitors make to the UK is currently £115 billion a year. The study predicted that “if all goes well” the figure is set to rise to £188 billion a year in 2020.
Spending by overseas visitors will almost double from £16 billion to £31 billion by 2020. This will make tourism Britain’s fifth biggest industry and third largest foreign exchange earner.
The report by Deloitte and Oxford Economics suggested that a further 10% depreciation in the pound relative to other international currencies could attract an extra one million international visitors to the UK in 2011 and 2012. These visitors would be expected to spend an extra £300 million in both years.
The favourable exchange rate, the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London and the appeal of world-renowned attractions, should ensure the sector grows at an above-average 3.5% a year between now and 2020, the research forecast.
The total economic contribution of the ‘visitor economy’ – covering firms directly and indirectly involved in tourism - is poised to expand faster than retail, chemicals, transport, gas and electricity utilities and manufacturing.
Only construction and financial and business services look more promising, the 102-page report suggested. But it warned that Government intervention will be the ‘key’ to success because a range of market failures needed to be tackled.
These included:
• Co-ordinating marketing to help small and medium sized tourist businesses which cannot afford to do it themselves;
• Enabling rural firms which face higher costs of operating to adopt innovative technology;
• Supporting many districts across the UK that rely disproportionately on tourism as an important source of jobs for low skilled and part time workers.
The industry also needs help to improve its ability to predict what tourist facilities will be needed, to ensure the modernisation of hotels and venues is carried out in a way that retains their original appeal and authenticity and to adapt more swiftly to new trends such as the growth in older ‘grey pound’ tourists.
The report revealed that tourism is disproportionately important in rural areas and for part time female workers.
VisitBritain chairman Christopher Rodrigues said the research demonstrated that the industry has the power to deliver a “huge amount” of extra wealth and jobs in the coming decade.
“This makes it clear that tourism, already Britain’s fifth largest industry and third biggest earner of foreign exchange, is going to be central to the health of the British economy for years to come,” he said.
“The continuing low level of the pound and the approaching Olympics in 2012 give us a tremendous opportunity to promote Britain’s attractiveness as a destination to the rest of the world.’’
source: www.travelweekly.co.uk
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For many, the Mediterranean evokes memories of golden sandy beaches, exotic cuisine, local customs and stunning natural beauty. These memories will be magnified onboard a Mediterranean cruise.
A cruise around the vast Mediterranean allows you to sample the landscapes, local food and drink, ports of call and laid back lifestyles of the Spanish Costa’s, French and Italian Rivera's, Balearics and North Africa. How you choose to cruise the Mediterranean and which countries you visit is up to you.
Hays Travel offers an extensive selection of Mediterranean cruises with a range of departure points, durations, itineraries and budgets, from leading names in Mediterranean cruise such as Thomson, Carnival, Costa, Cunard, Island Cruises, Fred Olsen, P&O Cruises, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, MSC and Ocean Village.
MED CRUISE FROM £560pp
MSC Orchestra (MSC Cruises) Region: Iberia, Mediterranean
Date: 31st August 2010
Nights: 8
Other Dates: No other dates.
From: £560.00 » for a Inside 2 Lower Beds cabin
Inside 2 Lower Beds
Cabins (14 m2) - cabins available for disabled passengers - Air Conditioning (optimised indoor air quality) - TV,telephone - Internet Connection - Bathroom with shower - Mini Bar - Safe - Single beds can be converted into a double bed except for cabins for disabled passengers.
Why don’t you give me a call with the best dates for you and I’ll search everyone for the best cruise deals!
01823 478305
EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has called on easyJet to improve its performance within 90 days or risk losing the use of the 'easy' brand name.
Stepping up the row over how the carrier is run, Sir Stelios, who has waged a high-profile war of words against former easyJet chief executive Any Harrison, instructed lawyers to write to the airline with the warning.
The letter gives the airline 90 days to bring its on-time performance in line with the highest standards in the industry or risk losing its license to use the easy brand.
Sir Stelios attacked Harrison in a statement issued on the easyGroup website.
He said: “It is regrettable that the obvious mismanagement by Harrison in the last six months of his tenure as CEO has led to such deterioration to the customer service
“I have been receiving many unsolicited complaints from members of the public and even easyJet pilots about the degree that the airline is short of crew to operate the flights it sold to its customers.
“Unless (chairman) Mike Rake and (new chief executive) Carolyn McCall do something to improve the situation for the sake of the travelling public, I am left with no option but to terminate the brand licence."
His anger has been sparked by weekend reports of poor punctuality of easyJet flights from Gatwick and its refusal to publish on-time statistics.
The solicitor’s letter said the current punctuality rates are “completely unreasonable and contrary to the brand values which easyJet and easyGroup companies have built their reputation”.
This was causing “serious damage” to both the easyJet and other ‘easy’ brands and the goodwill associated with them built up over many years.
The letter said: “The goodwill associated with the ‘easy’ brand will be damaged in the minds of customers that experience such bad punctuality.”
source: www.travelweekly.co.uk
Black Pearl Investments (BPI) has called for the Civil Aviation Authority to disclose what it knows about the collapse of Goldtrail Holidays.
The private equity fund has a minority share in Viking Airlines, which had sold around 30,000 Greece-bound seats to Goldtrail for the forthcoming summer season. The airline had also reviewed the company’s finances before striking the deal.
Now, following the operator’s collapse with around 16,000 customers stranded overseas and a further 50,000 forward bookings, the private equity fund is urging the CAA to start providing answer’s to the company’s failure.
The staement reads: “It appeared then that Goldtrail was a robust and well-established business, and it paid for its flying on the dot. Its failure just as we enter the peak season, when passengers’ final balances would have been paid, makes no sense.
“Presumably the CAA monitors ATOL-protected businesses on a monthly basis, too. BPI would welcome the CAA’s views on how and why Goldtrail’s failure has occurred at this time of the year.”
The statement also seeks to distance two former XL Leisure Group employees from the collapse of Goldtrail. It notes that Abhi Dighe worked for Kosmar Holidays when it was acquired by XL before then moving to Goldtrail.
However, he has not worked there since August last year.
“He (Dighe) is patently not linked in any way to Goldtrail’s collapse,” it reads.
The statement also adds that former XL chief executive Phil Wyatt is a shareholder in BPI which is only linked to Goldtrail through the contract for 30,000 seats this summer.
“Linking Phil Wyatt’s name with the Goldtrail failure is pure mischief-making and total misrepresentation of the facts,” the statement adds.
source: www.travel.co.uk
Thinking of my fab offer to Crete? Well how about you sit back and watch this short film on Crete to give you a sense of what the island is like. Wet your appetite and know what you’re booking before you go!
Now you’ve seen it, give me a call to get your holiday booked today! 01823 478305
Sue x
Destination:
Crete
Depart:
East Midlands
Dates / Times:
Departing 20/07/2010
Returning 27/07/2010
Duration
7 Nights
Staying in:
Pantheon Hotel - Rethymnon
Rating
3 Star
Room Type
Twin
Board Basis
3*All Inclusive
Description:
The Hotel is found on the hill of the region with panoramic views of the Cretan Sea, the town of Rethymnon and the Venetian fortress.
Click Here to see more Last Minute Deals
To book this offer, call one of our experts on
01823 478305
and quote reference no: 644914-HAY
Prices quoted are per person (unless otherwise stated) and subject to availability. Please call our travel experts for full details of this offer.
Reasons to smile...
All bookings are fully financially protected
Our low low prices are guaranteed on all our holidays, flights and accommodation
As the UK’s largest independently owned travel agent we offer holidays from all the major suppliers
Our friendly experts have a wealth of travel knowledge and are waiting to help you build your perfect holiday
Hays Travel, celebrating 30 years of making people smile
For more details or to book call: 01823 478305 today
Muscat is a fantastic holiday destination. Why, we hear you and your customers ask? Well let me tell you!
World-class diving 1700km of coastline and coral reefs that are so good they rivals that of the Red Sea
Unspoilt beaches with clean, clear waters and soft golden sands
Unforgettable experience from desert dune 4x4 driving to beautiful scenic tours, there's an activity in Muscat to make every holidaymakers' time here even more special
A histoical haven with grand mosques and fascinating museums waiting to be explored
Uninterruption sunshine with temperatures reaching the 30s ºC from April right through to November
Grand Hyatt, Muscat
Experience genuine Omani hospitality at the Grand Hyatt, where opulence and splendour preside. The central theme at this superb hotel is a harmonious blend of comfort, stylish surroundings, cutting edge technology and fine traditional architecture. Even its position is perfect, on a wonderful stretch of beach overlooking the azure waters of the Gulf of Oman.
Accommodation: Most rooms have a spectacular view of the Gulf of Oman and amenities include air-conditioning, satellite TV, mini bar, Internet connection and safe
Dining: Contemporary Italian, a beachfront restaurant serving delicious Asian dishes and Mokha café serving a blend of Middle Eastern. There is also an African-themed, multi-level entertainment centre with a live band, cigar room, pool tables and an informal setting at the rooftop Grill House.
Facilities: Swimming pool with lazy river, floodlit tennis courts, gym, children's pool and boathouse
Stay 3 nights, pay for 2 or 7 nights, pay for 5
- Direct return flights to Muscat with Oman Air departing London Heathrow from £403pp
- Hotel plus breakfast £102pppn
- Flight offer is valid for travel 15 Aug - 9 Dec.
Hotel offer is valid for travel until 7 Sep .
Destination:
Mexico
Depart:
Manchester
Dates / Times:
Departing 14/07/2010
Returning 21/07/2010
Duration
7 Nights
Staying in:
Rui Lupita- Riviera Maya
Rating
3 Star
Room Type
Twin
Board Basis
All Inclusive
Description:
Surrounded by tropical gardens and separated from the rest of Playacar by a well-tended golf course, this complex has a real away-from-it-all feel.
All rooms have air-conditioning, ceiling fan, bathtub, satellite TV, telephone, minibar, liquor dispenser - for Summer 10 only, hairdryer and complimentary toiletries. Standard rooms have 2 double beds or 1 king-size bed and sleep up to 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children up to 12 years.
To book this offer, call one of our experts on
01823 478305
and quote reference no: 643089-HAY
Prices quoted are per person (unless otherwise stated) and subject to availability. Please call our travel experts for full details of this offer.
Reasons to smile...
All bookings are fully financially protected
Our low low prices are guaranteed on all our holidays, flights and accommodation
As the UK’s largest independently owned travel agent we offer holidays from all the major suppliers
Our friendly experts have a wealth of travel knowledge and are waiting to help you build your perfect holiday
Hays Travel, celebrating 30 years of making people smile
For more details or to book call: 0800 408 4223 today
Destination:
Ibiza
Depart:
Birmingham
Dates / Times:
Departing 16/07/2010
Returning 23/07/2010
Duration
7 Nights
Staying in:
THB Ibiza Mar Apartments- San Antonio
Rating
3 Star
Room Type
Standard
Board Basis
3*Self Catering
Description:
There is a bar, lounge with television and internet connection, gardens, playground and mini-club, swimming pool, solarium, billiards, courtesy rooms and luggage storage room, table tennis, games, supermarket and souvenir shops next to the hotel.
Located on the seafront opposite Es Puet beach with its fine sand and crystal clear waters is this modern and refurbished hotel.
Set over 2 floors these comfortable apartments are ideal for families and couples looking for a relaxing retreat in the stunning area of San Antonio.
Water sports facilities including water-skiing and parasailing, plus an array of local bars and restaurants are just a short walk from the hotel. (All beach water sports are payable locally).
Click Here to see more Last Minute Deals
To book this offer, call one of our experts on
0182 347 8305
and quote reference no: 637409-HAY
Prices quoted are per person (unless otherwise stated) and subject to availability. Please call our travel experts for full details of this offer.
Reasons to smile...
All bookings are fully financially protected
Our low low prices are guaranteed on all our holidays, flights and accommodation
As the UK’s largest independently owned travel agent we offer holidays from all the major suppliers
Our friendly experts have a wealth of travel knowledge and are waiting to help you build your perfect holiday
Hays Travel, celebrating 30 years of making people smile
For more details or to book call: 0182 347 8305 today
Destination: 
Corfu
Depart:
Manchester
Dates / Times:
Departing 12/07/2010
Returning 26/07/2010
Duration
14 Nights
Staying in:
Tsaki Sea View- Benitses
Rating
2 Star
Room Type
Studio
Board Basis
Self Catering
Description:
Beautiful and well maintained accommodation which is ideal for those seeking a truly relaxing holiday. Due to the location this accommodation may not be suitable for the less mobile guests.
Click Here to see more Last Minute Deals
To book this offer, call one of our experts on
0182 347 8305
and quote reference no: 622989-HAY
Prices quoted are per person (unless otherwise stated) and subject to availability. Please call our travel experts for full details of this offer.
Reasons to smile...
All bookings are fully financially protected
Our low low prices are guaranteed on all our holidays, flights and accommodation
As the UK’s largest independently owned travel agent we offer holidays from all the major suppliers
Our friendly experts have a wealth of travel knowledge and are waiting to help you build your perfect holiday
Hays Travel, celebrating 30 years of making people smile
For more details or to book call: 0182 347 8305 today
Destination:
Costa Del Sol
Depart:
Gatwick
Dates / Times:
Departing 11/07/2010
Returning 18/07/2010
Duration
7 Nights
Staying in:
Roc El Pinar Hotel and Apartments
Rating
4 Star
Room Type
standard
Board Basis
4*All Inclusive
Description:
The Roc El Pinar is situated in a peaceful location within lush pine groves in the El Pinar area of Torremolinos. With a total of 353 rooms, consisting of both, double rooms and single rooms, the property offers some spectacular views of the coastline and the surrounding mountains. All rooms have private bathroom/shower, telephone, air conditioning, local TV, satellite TV channels, safety deposit box, terrace/balcony, central heating
Click Here to see more Last Minute Deals
To book this offer, call one of our experts on
01823 478305
and quote reference no: 621981-HAY
Prices quoted are per person (unless otherwise stated) and subject to availability. Please call our travel experts for full details of this offer.
Reasons to smile...
All bookings are fully financially protected
Our low low prices are guaranteed on all our holidays, flights and accommodation
As the UK’s largest independently owned travel agent we offer holidays from all the major suppliers
Our friendly experts have a wealth of travel knowledge and are waiting to help you build your perfect holiday
Hays Travel, celebrating 30 years of making people smile
For more details or to book call: 0800 408 4055 today
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