Tag: holidays

Holiday destinations: Trieste, Italy

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Another week, another holiday destination review.

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This week, I would like to tell you about Trieste in Italy. I recently traveled there and even though the weather wasn’t great I enjoyed a walk around this pretty Italian town. It is a lovely destination for a day-trip

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Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is in one of the richest regions of Italy, and has been a great centre for shipping, through its port, shipbuilding and financial services. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of Italian territory lying between the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia and the city is physically isolated from the rest of the Italian peninsula. In addition, Croatian border is located closely (further 30 kilometers south).

We started our trip by visiting the tourist information office in Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia, where we equipped ourselves with some informative leaflets and maps. The whole tour around the main city attractions took us under 2 hours.

The main attractions we saw during our short walking tour were:

  • Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia -a large and elegant outdoors space opposite the waterfront, with some impressive buildings.
  • Castello di San Giusto – it is located on the hill so it is a great place to enjoy some nice views from a memorial garden outside the walls.
  • Roman theatre.
  • Castello Miramare – one of Trieste’s most vaunted sights, the a nineteenth-century castle.

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Venice, Italy

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This week I would like to tell you about one of the most romantic destinations in the world-Venice. I love Italy and it is definitely one of the cities you need to visit at least once in your lifetime.

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Venice is located in northeastern Italy and is sited on a group of 117 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by bridges. Venice is known for its beautiful setting, architecture and artwork. Both the lagoon and a part of the city are listed as a World Heritage Site.

I’ve been to Venice 3 times. My latest visit to Venice was in June and summer brings some of the most daunting crowds… nevertheless there’s a reason why they come: you are never more than a bridge and an alley away from beautiful palaces, squares and monuments.

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Venice has a very lively neighborhood full of restaurants, wine bars and famous Italian gelaterias. I adore Italian food so I am always looking forward to trying some local food. Main squares (especially St. Marco Square) are quite pricey and you might end up paying 4-5 times more than in the other parts of Venice so I would always advice to check the menu and prices if you are on a tight budget. You need to be also aware of the ‘coperto’ charge-it is basically a fee for sitting down in the restaurants. We ended up paying 30 Euros for a bottle of water and a beer as we weren’t made aware of this fee…

Unquestionably, it is a great destination for a short break but you should go there for a minimum of 3 nights to see all the famous sites.

Time to start thinking, who would you take with you?

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Cambridge, UK

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A few weeks ago, I was on a business trip in Cambridge.

Cambridge is a city in the county town of Cambridgeshire in England.  It is located around 80 km north of London and in 2011 its population was slightly over 123,000 including almost 25 thousands of students.

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Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology industries including software and bio-science and many start-up companies spun out of the university.

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More than 40% of the workforce has a higher education qualification, more than twice the national average. 

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There’s lots to see in this beautiful city-here is a short list of my suggestions:
  1. King’s College Chapel;
  2. Fitzwilliam Museum;
  3. Mathematical Bridge;
  4. Cambridge University Botanic Garden;
  5. University of Cambridge.

I hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Vilnius, Lithuania

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I have recently visited Vilnius and stayed there for 3 days with my husband.

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Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania. It contains one of the largest surviving medieval quarters in Europe.

It is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, Old Town contains almost two thousand medieval, gothic, renaissance, and baroque buildings.

Top 5 ‘must-see’ places to visit are:

  • Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania – the former political, diplomatic, cultural centre of the State.
  • Gediminas’ Tower of the Upper Castle – An observation deck on the top of the tower is the best place from which to appreciate a magnificent panorama of Vilnius.
  • Cathedral Basilica – The Cathedral of St. Stanislav and St. Vladislav is the most important place of worship for Lithuania’s Catholics, and the venue for the country’s main Christian, for, and national festivities.
  • Gates of Dawn – The Gates of Dawn is one of the most visited shrines in Vilnius that is famous not only in Lithuania but also abroad, worshipped by the representatives of other creeds too. This is the only surviving gate of the first original five gates in the city wall that was built between 1503 and 1522.
  • Church of St Anne – The church of St Anne is a masterpiece of the late Gothic period.

We really enjoyed our stay in Vilnius. It is definitely worth visiting if you decide to travel to Eastern Europe.

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I hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline

 

Holiday destinations: Reading, UK

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I travel to Reading regularly on business so today I would like to tell you a bit more about this town.

Reading is a large town on the Thames and Kennet rivers located just 25 min away by fast train from London Paddington. It’s known for the annual Reading Festival and it’s shopping district at the town centre. There are also a few monuments and museums in there including the Reading Museum which contains exhibits on the town’s history and displays a Victorian replica of the Bayeux Tapestry.

Here is a short list of my suggestions of places worth visiting:

  1. Reading Museum:

reading museum     2. Basildon Park:

basildon-park-front-of     3. Reading Abbey:

Reading Abbey   4. Museum of Berkshire Aviation:

mus_new   5. Riverside Museum at Blake’s lock:

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I hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Brussels, Belgium

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I’ve visited Brussels on the multiple occasions and I always like returning to this city made famous by its French fries, waffles, seafood and beer.

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Brussels is the largest city and a capital of Belgium. It has a population of 1.2 million and it has been increasingly becoming multilingual with increasing numbers of migrants, expatriates and minority groups speaking their own languages.

Historically it was a Dutch-speaking city, it has seen a language shift to French from the late 19th century onwards.

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Today the majority language is French however all road signs, street names and many services are shown in both languages. If you fancy a short break then Brussels is a great destination as it is only 2 hours away on the Eurostar.

There’s lots to see in the city from the famous chocolate shops to enjoying its cafe culture in the Grand-Place area.

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Here is a short list of my suggestions:

  1. Grote Markt (Dutch) / Grand-Place (French).
  2. City Museum – Maison du Roi (French) – Broodhuis (Flemish).
  3. Hôtel de Ville – Town Hall.
  4. Heysel Park and the Atomium.
  5. Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Koekelberg Basilica).

I hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline

Bank Holiday stay at the Talland Bay Hotel in Cornwall

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Last weekend, I was with my husband in Cornwall for an extended Bank Holiday weekend. We decided to stay at the Talland Bay Hotel based on the corner of South East Cornwall.

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Atmosphere:

The Talland Bay Hotel has a very informal atmosphere. All members of staff were extremely friendly and made us feel welcomed as soon as we checked-in. The hotel is also dog-friendly and hotel’s décor features paintings and sculptures of cats and dogs which made me believe that the owners of this retreat must love animals. What’s more, we discovered that you can even dine with your dog in the conservatory brasserie.

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The hotel offers bed and board for pets which includes a cosy blanket, feeding mat and bowl and even a complimentary doggie treat. Simply amazing for anyone travelling with their four-leg companion 🙂

Location:

The Talland Bay Hotel has a perfect cliff-top setting at Porthallow between Looe and Polperro and is just yards from the South West Coast Path and Talland Bay beach. Great to go to for a picnic or a bit of sunbathing.

Facilities:

The Talland Bay Hotel has received a bundle of awards including taking Silver in the ‘Small Hotel of the Year’ category at the Cornwall Tourism Awards 2016/17 and Gold in the Taste of the West Awards. In addition, it also has a great restaurant onsite which is headed by chef Nick Hawke. It was recently awarded four Stars and two Rosettes from The AA. I am a massive foodie and I decided to have a couple of dinners in there and I wasn’t disappointed -everything we chose from the menu was delicious.

All visitors can relax at the guest lounge with an extensive mix of furnishings and beautiful art or have a drink at the bar. It offers a wide choice of drinks including Cornish Pilsner that my husband loved, a range of gins and a selection of cocktails.

I am a massive fan of any outdoor green spaces and the hotel grounds have a lot of beautiful features. There are lots of interesting sculptures decorating the grounds, in addition to footpaths and sunny terraces overlooking the coast path and the sea.

Room:

This small, privately-owned luxurious, boutique hotel has only 20-rooms. We stayed in a sea view suite (no. 1) which was simply stunning.

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I loved its white, modern décor combined with some timeless seaside theme inspired accessories.

The interior of each of the bedrooms and reception is diverse and individually designed.

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Our bedroom had a flat screen TV, massive and very comfortable king-size bed, coffee table and a couple of couches to relax on after a day of sightseeing. We also had a small make-up desk and a massive mirror to help anyone to get ready.

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What I liked the most was the view… It was simply breath-taking! After we arrived at the hotel I sat at the window frame and just admired how stunning it was.

Our bathroom was spacious and it had a simple white décor. Some soft towels, bath robes and White Company toiletries were also provided.

Overall experience:

We had a wonderful time during our stay at the Talland Bay Hotel. I travel a lot and it was one of the coziest hotels I’ve ever stayed in. The room was beautiful, the views were breathtaking and the service was faultless so I would recommended it to anyone who travels to Cornwall.

Website:

For more information visit:

www.tallandbayhotel.co.uk

Address:

Polperro Heritage Coast, Porthallow, Looe PL13 2JB

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

 

 

Holiday destinations: Berlin, Germany

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Berlin is one of my favourite capitals. Last time I stayed there was during a week-long business trip and even though my spare time was limited, I made sure that I spent it discovering the hidden germs of this beautiful city.

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Berlin is the capital of Germany and has a population of approximately 3.5 million people. It is located in north-eastern Germany on the banks of Rivers Spree and Havel.

So what should you see if you were there only for 24 hours?

There are a number of different historical points worth visiting in Berlin: Unter den Linden and the glorious Brandenburger Tor speak of the city’s Prussian heritage, the Topography of Terror is a chilling reminder of its brutal Nazi years, and the East Side Gallery is a colourful tribute to a once divided city (and the largest remaining section of the Berlin Wall still standing).

In addition, Berlin has over 200 museums, from world-class collections of Classical art at the beautifully restored Neues Museum, to the striking Liebeskind-designed Jewish Museum and plenty more irreverent affairs. What I was fond of the most is the fact that it is a very green city and around one-third of its area is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post!

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Riga, Latvia

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I have recently visited Riga for 3 days with my husband. It is the capital and the largest city of Latvia and by means of 696,593 inhabitants (2015), Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states and home to one third of Latvia’s population. The city lies at the mouth of the Daugava and is frequently described as the pearl of the Baltics.

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We really enjoyed our romantic walks around Riga’s historical centre which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There were also a plenty of local bars to visit and some traditional restaurants that served some tasty, local dishes.

It is definitely worth visiting if you decide to travel to Eastern Europe. Flight from London is just over 2 hours so it is a great destination for a short (& cheap) weekend break.

I hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, London Heathrow

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A couple of weeks ago, I was on a business trip and came back to London during late evening.  As I was flying for my skiing break in less than 8 hours from arriving back, I decided to stay at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Heathrow.

Location:

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Heathrow is located on a Bath Road in Hounslow. It is only 10 minutes taxi drive from London Heathrow Terminal 3 and around 15 min drive from terminal 5.

Atmosphere and Facilities:

The hotel has an informal atmosphere.

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Heathrow has a 24-hours reception, baggage storage room, restaurant and a room service. Wi-Fi is available throughout the property for an extra charge.

The room-service offering is quite limited. There wasn’t much to choose from so I ordered a burger. It was £16 pounds and honestly speaking I would never order it again. If you stay at this hotel then it might be worth checking their restaurant offering. Alternatively, you could walk to one of many restaurants available on the road.

Room:

The room had a simple, modern décor. The double bed was comfortable and spacious. My room also had a flat-screen TV, safe, mini-bar and blackout curtains and coffee & tea making facilities.

The bathroom also had a modern décor and some Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries were provided.

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Overall:

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Heathrow for anyone travelling from the Heathrow airport. It is located around 45-minutes drive from the central London so if you wish to do a bit of sightseeing then I would probably recommend you to stay somewhere more central.

Address:

745 Bath Rd,

Hounslow

TW5 9QE, UK

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline