The Mock Turtle

All of the holidays sound lovely, especially the 50th celebratory ones!

We just received a Save the Date in the mail today, so we'll be back in the UK in September for a wedding in a castle in Scotland.

The Italian lakes are lovely.

I'm going to Bognor Butlins three times.

We're going to Australia and New Zealand in February. I'm finally taking Peter home. We plan to do a week in Melbourne, three and a half weeks in New Zealand (going to the South Island for the first time) then four nights in Kuala Lumpur on the way home.
We're looking at maybe Vietnam on a golf holiday in September.

I'm also going to Vancouver + Vancouver Island and then road trip to Calgary. However we're going in late May/early June so will probably be a little colder.

Other than that, a swift trip to Dublin to see an old school friend, maybe a weekend in St Emilion / Bordeaux, and then considering 3 or 4 weeks of 'working' holiday in Portugal in October.

Are you taking Peter’s ashes Tsu? Did he say where he wanted to be?

I am just home from the pub so all I have retained is three x Bognor Butlins, Silver Coast (never heard of it, will google) and Oktoberfest (a fond half-memory of one of my wildest nights out ever).

I am going to Finland next month and Bergen in April. J is interested in Goa but I have done no research, does anyone have any useful info?

Palm Springs is really high on my list for some reason, Ella! I want to stay at the the Saguro Hotel. Vancouver Island sounds amazing.

Thailand will also be awesome, Ashley. Although it sounds like they are about to re-introduce the fully Covid vaccinated rule - I really hope this isn’t the beginning of travel going downhill again.

I have a few things planned. We are going on the P&O Iona in February half term along with our best friends (NCT! Pip) and their children. Hamburg, Rotterdam and Bruges await. I am excited for our first cruise.

In March, MrD and I are spending our anniversary in Porto (third time lucky).

Summer hols have gone insane with pricing and I concur with Ruby that your typical all inclusive holidaying with children is mediocre at best. Last year’s was actively unenjoyable. So this year we are sacking it off and I have just held flights to Australia via Singapore over Christmas. It will be 4.5 years since I have seen my family by that point, so definitely time to go back. I just need to get over the prices.

The silver coast is just the coastline up from Lisbon in Portugal.

We went to Goa a few years ago and I have lots to say on it! I’d never go again, but that’s partly (but not only) as J spent a good week of it ill in bed with food poisoning. We didn’t do much research and went last minute, so didn’t choose an area or hotel that suited us at all. Fascinating, though, and we did a few amazing things like a two-night trip into the mountains that I’d fully recommend. Happy to share the small bit of info I do have by PM if you like.

Yep, I saw that, Dande. Fortunately we’re fully vaccinated, so are okay with the rules for now, but it is concerning that everything might be closed down again.

Kenickie wrote: ↑Sat Jan 07, 2023 9:05 pm
I'm going to Bognor Butlins three times.

Apparently I am also going there this year for my sister’s hen do Please share any insider tips.

I’ve accepted a STD for a friend’s 40th in Jordan in April so I need to start thinking about that. Nothing else is on the calendar yet (not including trips back home for my brother’s 40th and sister’s wedding).

AshleyX wrote: ↑Sat Jan 07, 2023 11:56 pm The silver coast is just the coastline up from Lisbon in Portugal.

Oh, then I’ve been there! I didn’t know it was called that, what a plum.

I’d be grateful for any Goa info, thank you,

We’ve just been on a mini break to Noosa. We have zero other plans so far this year. Mum is coming over at Easter time so we might take her away for a local-ish weekend away.

What a coincidence, Cos! We’re mainly focusing on Tofino and (possibly) Whistler. Do you know where you’re going yet?

Dande, I think I’ve aged out of the Saguaro now, but it was where I was supposed to stay on my first cancelled trip! I’ve got my eye on Two Bunch Palms (in Desert Hot Springs, so that’s obviously outside PS) for a couple of nights.

Epponnee Rae wrote: ↑Sun Jan 08, 2023 12:15 am

Kenickie wrote: ↑Sat Jan 07, 2023 9:05 pm
I'm going to Bognor Butlins three times.

Apparently I am also going there this year for my sister’s hen do Please share any insider tips.

I’ve accepted a STD for a friend’s 40th in Jordan in April so I need to start thinking about that. Nothing else is on the calendar yet (not including trips back home for my brother’s 40th and sister’s wedding).

I absolutely know that STD cannot be a sexually transmitted disease in this context, but what does it mean here?

I'm off to Valencia in May for a week. I might go skiing in March but the fact that there's no snow right now makes that rather unlikely. I'm also off to Brittany in July. And I drunkenly messaged my pal in Buenos Aires about going to see her in September or October.

Save the date

Ella77 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 08, 2023 7:54 am What a coincidence, Cos! We’re mainly focusing on Tofino and (possibly) Whistler. Do you know where you’re going yet?

We were going to do Victoria, Salt Spring Island, Vancouver itself, then Kelowna /Okanagan, Banff and Jasper

I’d love to go to Kelowna/Okanagan! Will be interested to hear how it goes, so please report back.

I Hope you make it to Tofino this time, Ella! I really must go back there. My day trip visit definitely wasn’t enough.

I'm planning on 4 nights there. Any recommendations? I have somewhere in mind to stay, but everywhere is so expensive. I guess it would be at the end of July, though.

Vancouver is fabulous. I just realised it was 30 years ago that I went there! Whistler is spectacular but when I went it was September so no snow. We did a day trip to the island which I remember looking quite British in places.
I’m waiting on a passport to go anywhere abroad but one place we’ll definitely be going is North Devon to see my brother.

Tofino looked so awesome. Just the usual, too little time, not enough money. I'm pretty astounded at how expensive Canadian hotels are though.