Anne Frank House Amsterdam

Anne Frank House

Amsterdam

Anne Frank House Outside View

Prinsengracht 263-267, 1016 GV Amsterdam, Netherlands

So I would hope anyone reading this would know who Anne Frank is – if you don’t you need to pick up a book!

As most people already know Anne Frank was a German born, Jewish, diarist and writer who was killed during World War 2 in 1945. She is one of the most infamous and most spoken about victim of the Holocaust and she was killed with the rest of her family, with the exception of her father.

When I was on holiday in Amsterdam I visited Anne Franks house.

It is the actual house which has now been turned into a museum in dedication to herself, her family and the other families who hid there for over 2 years. The museum has been built around the house to preserve the building in its entirety.

It is really interesting to see and it is well worth a visit. The entrance to the annex is hidden behind a bookcase which was constructed to conceal the entrance. As part of the tour you walk through the entire house and see how everyone lived together.

There are quotes from Annes diary all through the house along with photographs, films, historical documents and original objects that belonged to those hiding. The people that helped the families stay hidden also by supplying them with food and news of the outside world are also discussed and they illustrate the events that took place within the house.



When we visited in January it wasn’t too bad, we only had to queue for a small amount of time before we got in though from others I have heard it gets crazy busy especially in summer so be prepared to wait. You do have to pay to get in but it isn’t too much roughly 9euro for an adult. 

However on the website it states that from the 1st of May 2016 they will be implementing a new entry system. 

From 9am – 3:30pm the museum will only be open to visitors with an online ticket for a particular slot that the ticket has been booked. After 3:30pm anyone else can visit and buy a ticket at the museum entrance only. So if visiting from May take this into consideration when planning ahead and don't get caught out.

Disney World Florida part 2 - Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom

Disney World!!

Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, FL 32830, United States

When I visited Florida on holiday (both times) the part I was most excited about was going to Disney World. I’m a just a big kid I love all things Disney and I was not disappointed.

There are four theme parks:

• Magic Kingdom
• Epcot
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Plus two water parks:

• Disneys Typhoon Lagoon
• Disneys Blizzard Beach

All the parks have different opening hours which can be easily viewed on the website link I have given below. 

Magic Kingdom and Epcot tend to stay open the latest whilst the water parks and the Animal Kingdom always close the earliest. It’s worth just double checking before planning your trip.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/

For visiting the parks there are different ticket options available such as a two week ticket which will gain you access to all. We bought this and it was not cheap but overall the parks are not cheap and it was still a better deal and just easier overall. We purchased it through our travel agent when we booked our trip.

You do have to pay for car parking but once you pay you can use that ticket for the rest of the day i.e. at one of the other parks or even leave and come back later at night say for the fireworks display.

You do have to pay for car parking but once you pay you can use that ticket for the rest of the day i.e. at one of the other parks or even leave and come back later at night say for the fireworks display.

Car parking charges depend on the size of your vehicle

• Car or motorcyle is $20 per day,
• Shuttle, trailer or rv is $22 per day,
• Bus is $25 per day.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

This was by far my favourite theme park from the four and we spent the most time here.

There was so much to do here and see I just loved it. There was a tour offering a look at old movie props kept on site.

My absolute favourite part of the park though had to be The Hollywood Tower of Terror ride. My partner hated it so naturally I made him go on loads of times cause I delight in the misery of others :P 

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Also was very good. Had a large selection of animals but they weren't kept in cages. Instead they were allowed to wander in their own area and people were given tours on roads situated near or through the areas.
Lots of beautiful animals and the landscape was lovely as well.
There was 2 rides I really liked, the first one being the Kali river rapids which I got completely drenched on and the dye in my clothes ran so I was quite the sight! The second ride was expedition Everest. Both are really fun and worth trying out! 

Disney World Florida part 1 - Magic Kingdom and Epcot

Disney World!

Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, FL 32830, United States

When I went on holiday to Florida (both times) the part I was most excited about was going to Disney World.
I’m a just a big kid I love all things Disney and I was not disappointed.

There are four theme parks:

• Magic Kingdom
• Epcot
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Plus two water parks:

• Disneys Typhoon Lagoon
• Disneys Blizzard Beach

All the parks have different opening hours which can be easily viewed on the website link I have given below. Magic Kingdom and Epcot tend to stay open the latest whilst the water parks and the Animal Kingdom always close the earliest. It’s worth just double checking before planning your trip.  

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/

For visiting the parks there are different tickets available. Disney tickets are not cheap so it is worth shopping around. We bought a two week ticket which gave us access to all, all we had to do is scan it each time we entered. Disney tickets are not cheap and I will stress that. We bought this and it was not cheap but overall the parks are not cheap and it was still cheaper this way. 

You do have to pay for car parking but once you pay you can use that ticket for the rest of the day i.e. at one of the other parks or even leave and come back later at night say for the fireworks display.

Car parking charges depend on the size of your vehicle

• Car or motorcyle is $20 per day,
• Shuttle, trailer or rv is $22 per day,
• Bus is $25 per day.

Magic Kingdom

With the iconic castle that everyone is familiar with this park is amazing.

There is a restaurant inside the castle and also a beauty salon for children to be transformed into like princesses and princes. There are some very good rides such as the haunted mansion or it’s a small world. They have shows, characters street parades with everyone’s favourite Disney characters etc etc it’s just amazing.

You can get to this theme park by the train or the boat provided – the boat is a bit more interesting. At night time they do a huge fireworks display and it is amazing. I would fully recommend coming back later for the fireworks one night if, like us, you turn up too early on your first day and can’t stay awake long enough to see the display.

Again as mentioned above you can buy Disney passes which cover all park. Alternatively though you can buy single use ticket, e.g. Magic Kingdom tickets for one day only and only valid in that park.

Epcot

I found Epcot really quite dull and boring.

A good selection of places to eat and some nice plants but overall I didn’t really enjoy it and if I were to return to Disney I would not visit here again. It just didn't amaze me the way the other parks did.
Epcot is worth a visit if you have children as there is loads of stuff for them. Not so much for the big kids though.

Southern Dunes Villas - Florida

Southern Dunes Villas – Florida

When I first visited Florida I decided to splash out and opt for a villa (plus we got a good deal on it as part of a package).




The villa we stayed in was located in Southern Dunes golf and country club. Was gorgeous. It is a peaceful and gated community so each time we entered we had to show a car badge which we were given upon our arrival so it was very safe and secure. 


The villa was amazing! It was huge with 3 bedrooms so would be ideal for families of several couples sharing. We had our own private pool so didn’t have to deal with other peoples kids of being constantly splashed/hit by other people carrying on.


There were 2 ensuite toilets and one main bathroom so no queuing or fighting. There was a garage and a drive way so 2 cars could have easily fitted (but we only had the one so we just left it outside on the driveway). In the garage there was a washing machine/tumble dryer so we were able to wash our clothes throughout the holiday until having a mountain to do after we got home.


In the kitchen there was a full size fridge which came in very useful for all the junk and juice we bought. There was also a cooker, microwave etc so a couple of times instead of going out for dinner we just bought stuff in and cooked for ourselves. The location was pretty good but only if driving!! We had a rental car and could not have stayed here without it! It is about a 25minute drive to Disney world (some of the parks take a little longer since they are located apart). There is a Walmart right at the entrance to the golf course so was very convenient for shopping.

Driving times (roughly) from villa to some of the notable attractions

To Universal – 40 mins

To Disney – 25 mins

Sea World – 30 mins

Gatorland – 35 mins

Busch Gardens (Tampa) – 1 hour 15 mins

Oak Ridge Shopping Centre (Cheesecake Factory) – 45 mins

Downtown Disney – 35 mins

Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores – 35 Mins

Tolls

Basically for most places just get on the I-4 E and you can reach the majority of places. It is the fastest but it is a toll road so you will be required to pay at each toll point so if you are going to use this road make sure you have change! We used it from the airport and thankfully from reading online reviews we knew to get change before leaving the airport. And make sure you drive on the RIGHT unlike a certain individual I won’t name for legal reasons :P

Sat Nav

I cannot recommend sat nav heavily enough! We got lost several times and that was with the sat nav. If we hadn’t had it we may still be lost there now. The roads can be very confusing and like here a lot of roads just have names like the I-4E.

Mercure Bordeaux Hotel

Mercure Hotel - Bordeaux Centre

 5 rue Robert Lateulade

, 33000, Bordeaux, France.

I visited Bordeaux in August 2015 as we managed to pick up cheap flights and we just fancied a few days away somewhere. We opted to stay here as looked really nice from pictures on booking.com & tripadvisor and the price was very reasonable for the 4 days we would be staying. We weren’t disappointed.






I can speak & understand basic French whilst my partner can't (he can barely speak or understand English sometimes) so it was helpful that all staff understood and spoke English.

Staff were very friendly and helpful e.g. supplied us with a map, recommended several things for us to see and showed me how to get around the best routes available. There was always at least one member of staff on the desk at all times which meant never waiting too long for assistance and a strong staff presence.

When we turned up we were upgraded to a premium room for free as there had been a slight over booking (but you can’t complain at a free upgrade) so our room was great.

The hotel is lovely. Nicely decorated, clean and taken care of. 

Very modern especially in comparison to some of the other hotels in the area which we saw.

The hotel is very convenient also. There is a shopping centre just across the road which includes a supermarket that has just

about anything you could want.
The hotel is a short walk from the central area, about a 10 minute walk so not long at all.

Area outside is quiet as is just far enough away not to be busy with traffic etc. The hotel itself was also very quiet with really good black out curtains. So good night sleep is guaranteed.

Would recommend this hotel and if I ever return this would be the first hotel I would look at.

The Singel Hotel – Amsterdam

The Singel Hotel – Amsterdam

Singel 13-17, 1012 VC Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The hotel itself was really nice and for the price we made really good value. When we arrived the male member of staff on reception was great. So friendly and helpful.

We were asked if we wanted a smoking or non-smoking room and advised us that only the rooms on the top floor are suitable for smokers, smoking on any other floor would incur a charge. He gave us a map, recommended places we should check and made notes on the map for us to refer back to later.


The room was really nice. Very clean, had a walk in shower and overall very comfortable for two people. The bed was absolutely massive! However there was one slight drawback with the bed and the layout and this was that the light switch was built in to the bed headboard so a couple of times whilst sleeping we (when I say we I actually mean me but I like to share the blame) accidentally turned on the big light either by hitting it with my pillow or my hand and so we got the fright of our lives in the middle of the night a couple of times.



Night staff covering the reception were a different story. The majority of them seemed bored and uninterested. Says room service is available at night if you pop down in person. When we asked about room service one night we were simply told no food was available. We weren't offered any alternatives or told if there was any takeaway places nearby that we could try.




Hotel location was great. Really close to the train station, maybe about a 5 minute walk, and only a short walk away from all other attractions so very convenient. I would stay here again. I would highly recommend it’s very nice and convenient.


Room Tip: Top floor for smokers, all other floors no smoking. Short walk from train station.

O Sole Mio

Places To Eat in Glasgow - O Sole Mio 

Located at 32 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 1HG
 

Italian themed restaurant located in Glasgow city centre. Has a good variety of Italian food and standard drinks menu you would expect to see.

I popped in here on a Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago, along with five other people and despite having no reservation we were seated immediately. 

My friend thought we might not get seated or we would have to wait as the restaurant is usually really busy and we should just pop in on the off chance to see but we were lucky that day.  

For convenience though and just in case you are not as lucky as we were I would recommend booking a table in advance. Bookings can be done online via their website which I have given below:

http://www.osolemio-glasgow.com/

Menus are also available on the website so you can see what’s on offer before you go, helpful in case you know anyone who’s a particularly fussy eater.

The food was really good and everyone enjoyed their meal. What I especially liked was that they offered a special lunch time menu on a Saturday afternoon which is really quite unusual. Most restaurants only offer special lunch time menus mid-week and Fridays/Saturdays are full price only as these are the busiest days. Service was really good also.

 

I ordered chicken and potatoes and to drink I had orange juice and lemonade. Everyone else ordered pizza with various toppings along with orange juice and lemonade or coke. Within the lunch menu pizza was available with up to any two toppings of your choice. Our meal and our six soft drinks in total came to

£55 so it was under £10 each for everyone (once we had added a tip it only cost us about £11 each so still really cheap).

I would definitely visit here again, excellent choice for Italian in Glasgow city centre. Is easily accessible by public transport as is only a 5 minute walk from Buchanan Street underground station and there are a huge number of bus stops in the surrounding area.