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Re: Escape to the sun

Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2021 2:08 pm
by jameskel
If the Kids were older, I would be there now. Who wants to live in this shithole any more. Always fancied a life in Cyprus, drive on the proper side of the road as well

Re: Escape to the sun

Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2021 2:17 pm
by BlackDiamond
JayK wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 12:57 pm
mkhammer wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 12:38 pm Yeah would love some sun...time chilling out drinking on a beach full of hot girls...and would maybe go cos of that,
not because I hate this Country.. I love it and it's people..Always have,Always will.

My dream at moment is to be able to go to Scotland,fuck about in the snow,trying to hack up a few mountains.
UK is probably the most beautiful country in the world.. (is IMO).....shame some don't see it..

Also have the most generous and kindest people..across all ethnicities around.

Can't blame the UK cos of the few Arseholes we have among us.
New Zealand more beautiful. Got sun, snow, scenery, friendliest people I’ve ever met and they got hot girls too. NZ wins hands down for me over anywhere
I thoiught NZ looked a tad like Dorking on the A road from Auckland to Wellington. It was the Geysers and mud pools at Rotura that gave the game away.

And the lovely lamb chops were a delight. A bit tiny, not like the double Barnsley chops however if you order two racks that is just about adequate. You don't often find mint sauce and creamy mashed potato abroad and usually I would be judging a country by it's cuisine - but you have to get your kicks where you can find them these days...

Re: Escape to the sun

Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:02 pm
by JayK
BlackDiamond wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 2:17 pm
JayK wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 12:57 pm

New Zealand more beautiful. Got sun, snow, scenery, friendliest people I’ve ever met and they got hot girls too. NZ wins hands down for me over anywhere
I thoiught NZ looked a tad like Dorking on the A road from Auckland to Wellington. It was the Geysers and mud pools at Rotura that gave the game away.

And the lovely lamb chops were a delight. A bit tiny, not like the double Barnsley chops however if you order two racks that is just about adequate. You don't often find mint sauce and creamy mashed potato abroad and usually I would be judging a country by it's cuisine - but you have to get your kicks where you can find them these days...
I can’t argue with that. The drive from Rotorua not the most amazing except when driving past the giant lake (Lake Tepau I think). Also the drive from Christchurch to Queenstown is similar and both pretty long too. Much nicer than the M1 or M6 though. As food goes, best place I went was probably Barbados purely due to such a lovely selection of fish you don’t get fresh over here.....and then there’s the rum 😍

Re: Escape to the sun

Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:09 pm
by Whiskyman
BillyDWhizz wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 1:59 pm
Whiskyman wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 8:54 am

Canary Islands for us. Beer at happy hour prices 24/7. 1 Euro a pint in some places, otherwise a rip off 2 Euros. :lol:

Lake Balaton wouldn't be very sunny this time of the year so I'll give that a miss until later. ;)
Our days of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote are done but we went to the island of La Palma end of 2019 and fell in love with it. Cracking little place and the hotel we were at was fantastic. Not much in the way of accessible beaches as the whole place is basically a volcano but the hotel had like 7 huge pools and even a faux beach so that wasn't an issue.

No British pubs and pissed up chavs either, so that was a plus.
We've been to Lanzarote, Fuertaventura and Tenerife, but never to Gran Canaria. In part because we have ben told that is where most of the UK chav set tend to go in the Canaries. We usually go with one of my boys and their families so we like to go someplace where there are plenty of activities for the youngsters. Sounds like La Palma might be a decent place for Mrs W and I to go if we wanted a break on our own.

As for it being a volcano I wouldn't worry too much. The whole of the Canaries are volcanic, aren't they ? In fact there's at least one (Timanfaya) in Lanzarote where they run trips to and there's a restaurant there where they cook using the heat generated by the volcano. Kids loved that trip but Mrs W was crapping herself all the way up because she thought the coach was going over the side of the cliff every turn. :lol:

Re: Escape to the sun

Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:10 pm
by mkhammer
JayK wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 12:57 pm
mkhammer wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 12:38 pm Yeah would love some sun...time chilling out drinking on a beach full of hot girls...and would maybe go cos of that,
not because I hate this Country.. I love it and it's people..Always have,Always will.

My dream at moment is to be able to go to Scotland,fuck about in the snow,trying to hack up a few mountains.
UK is probably the most beautiful country in the world.. (is IMO).....shame some don't see it..

Also have the most generous and kindest people..across all ethnicities around.

Can't blame the UK cos of the few Arseholes we have among us.
New Zealand more beautiful. Got sun, snow, scenery, friendliest people I’ve ever met and they got hot girls too. NZ wins hands down for me over anywhere
Nah you'll never beat the west coast of Jockland for beauty Jay...Stunning....Funny thing,rest of the world know about it,
Brits dont.....Crazy.

But...It's the weather,not for families...and when the Midges start hunting for English Blood.time to take cover...literally... :lol:

Re: Escape to the sun

Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:17 pm
by JayK
mkhammer wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:10 pm
JayK wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 12:57 pm

New Zealand more beautiful. Got sun, snow, scenery, friendliest people I’ve ever met and they got hot girls too. NZ wins hands down for me over anywhere
Nah you'll never beat the west coast of Jockland for beauty Jay...Stunning....Funny thing,rest of the world know about it,
Brits dont.....Crazy.

But...It's the weather,not for families...and when the Midges start hunting for English Blood.time to take cover...literally... :lol:
West coast of the South Island is pretty stunning too. Driving around by the glaciers and the coast is beautiful, and weather is better than jockland. I admit I’ve not been west coast of jockland except Ayr and Kilmarnock way so can’t personally compare the 2. And I feckin hate midges. So my mind hasn’t been changed 😄. Also there is a chance of seeing Orca down there which I’d love to see in the wild

Re: Escape to the sun

Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:41 pm
by mkhammer
JayK wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:17 pm
mkhammer wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:10 pm

Nah you'll never beat the west coast of Jockland for beauty Jay...Stunning....Funny thing,rest of the world know about it,
Brits dont.....Crazy.

But...It's the weather,not for families...and when the Midges start hunting for English Blood.time to take cover...literally... :lol:
West coast of the South Island is pretty stunning too. Driving around by the glaciers and the coast is beautiful, and weather is better than jockland. I admit I’ve not been west coast of jockland except Ayr and Kilmarnock way so can’t personally compare the 2. And I feckin hate midges. So my mind hasn’t been changed 😄. Also there is a chance of seeing Orca down there which I’d love to see in the wild
New Zealands beautiful no doubt..same as Canada,love it where you have mountains by the coast..

Gotta keep yer wits about you in Ayr.......go up there for Gold cup sometimes (horseracing)....Glasgow Mafia,and all
their hanger ons take over ...good crack nonetheless tho.

Re: Escape to the sun

Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:57 pm
by JayK
mkhammer wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:41 pm
JayK wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:17 pm

West coast of the South Island is pretty stunning too. Driving around by the glaciers and the coast is beautiful, and weather is better than jockland. I admit I’ve not been west coast of jockland except Ayr and Kilmarnock way so can’t personally compare the 2. And I feckin hate midges. So my mind hasn’t been changed 😄. Also there is a chance of seeing Orca down there which I’d love to see in the wild
New Zealands beautiful no doubt..same as Canada,love it where you have mountains by the coast..

Gotta keep yer wits about you in Ayr.......go up there for Gold cup sometimes (horseracing)....Glasgow Mafia,and all
their hanger ons take over ...good crack nonetheless tho.
Not seen enough of Canada. Only Toronto and Niagra. Would love to do the Rocky mountaineer one time but gotta save quite a few pennies for that bad boy.

I wasn’t in Ayr long enough to worry about anything but it looked grubby.
There was a horse I kept backing, loved Ayr. Was called JayK. 7/8f hobby. Great nag for place money :lol:

Re: Escape to the sun

Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2021 4:07 pm
by Newmarket
JayK wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:57 pm
mkhammer wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:41 pm

New Zealands beautiful no doubt..same as Canada,love it where you have mountains by the coast..

Gotta keep yer wits about you in Ayr.......go up there for Gold cup sometimes (horseracing)....Glasgow Mafia,and all
their hanger ons take over ...good crack nonetheless tho.
Not seen enough of Canada. Only Toronto and Niagra. Would love to do the Rocky mountaineer one time but gotta save quite a few pennies for that bad boy.

I wasn’t in Ayr long enough to worry about anything but it looked grubby.
There was a horse I kept backing, loved Ayr. Was called JayK. 7/8f hobby. Great nag for place money :lol:
Yeah until somebody else backed it :roll:

Re: Escape to the sun

Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2021 4:21 pm
by BillyDWhizz
Whiskyman wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:09 pm
BillyDWhizz wrote: Mon Feb 08, 2021 1:59 pm

Our days of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote are done but we went to the island of La Palma end of 2019 and fell in love with it. Cracking little place and the hotel we were at was fantastic. Not much in the way of accessible beaches as the whole place is basically a volcano but the hotel had like 7 huge pools and even a faux beach so that wasn't an issue.

No British pubs and pissed up chavs either, so that was a plus.
We've been to Lanzarote, Fuertaventura and Tenerife, but never to Gran Canaria. In part because we have ben told that is where most of the UK chav set tend to go in the Canaries. We usually go with one of my boys and their families so we like to go someplace where there are plenty of activities for the youngsters. Sounds like La Palma might be a decent place for Mrs W and I to go if we wanted a break on our own.

As for it being a volcano I wouldn't worry too much. The whole of the Canaries are volcanic, aren't they ? In fact there's at least one (Timanfaya) in Lanzarote where they run trips to and there's a restaurant there where they cook using the heat generated by the volcano. Kids loved that trip but Mrs W was crapping herself all the way up because she thought the coach was going over the side of the cliff every turn. :lol:
I'd highly recommend it if you want to go to the Canaries and avoid the hustle and bustle of the main islands. Weather when we went oct/nov was clear and in the 30s but that was due in part to a hot wind blowing from the Sahara, normally it's like mid to high 20s - plenty warm enough.

We went as a family of 7. We were going to walk up to the top of the volcano and visit the rain forest (yep the island of La Palma has it's own rain forest) but our granddaughter had broken her leg a few weeks before we went so that was out. Luckily they gave her a plastic boot instead of a cast just before we left so she could at least enjoy the pools.

Kids were pretty much in the water all day with breaks for meals. Brilliant hotel for a family but when we go back it'll be just me and the Mrs which we're really looking forward too.

As a side note we weren't worried about volcanoes but it does appear that La Palma is the most active of the volcanic canary islands with the last eruption being in 1971. and the volcano isn't extinct - just dormant apparently. You can still see the lava flows in people's gardens in Santa Cruz, including our tour guides grand parents house where the lava finally stopped literally 10 feet from their house. The neighbours weren't so lucky!

Here's the hotel if you wanna have a look:

https://www.tui.co.uk/destinations/euro ... tness.html

We went all inclusive and I'm not kidding when I say that the food (quite often a bug-bear with AIs) was absolutely top notch. Certainly the best we've ever had at any AI resort anywhere tbf and the drinks included are plenty good enough to get the job done! :D You can get the imported stuff if you want but they charge for that - not expensive though but we didn't bother since the local beers and spirits were great.