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.