Blog

07 Dec 11

In last week’s e-newsletter we revealed that Solos staff had voted Prague the number 1 place to spend Christmas this year.  Come December this beautiful, medieval city is transformed into a winter wonderland with a world-class Christmas market pride of place in the famous Old Town Square; this is the place to be if you love all things Christmas.

The Christmas market, open every day including Christmas day, consists of brightly-coloured wooden huts selling everything from sausages, pastries and hot wine to gifts such as handmade jewellery and Christmas decorations. A programme of events runs daily on a stage in the middle of the square, and includes Christmas carols as well as other musical performances.    

Often covered in a blanket of snow during the festive season, Prague’s ‘chocolate-box’ streets, squares and landmarks look magical at this time of year. Prague Castle, which was once home to the Holy Roman Emperors and contains the magnificent Royal Palace, is the largest in the world and a great place to spend a memorable afternoon. The 14^th century iconic Charles Bridge connects Prague Castle to the Old Town and affords beautiful views of the river Vltava snaking through the city.

Find out more about spending Christmas in Prague here.

Solos X

30 Sep 11

Read competition winner Steven Kirby’s day-by-day account of his first Solo’s Holiday to Turkey:

Monday

“I landed at Dalaman to scorching heat and palm trees and travelled with a group of strangers, who were later to become friends, to the Forever Hotel in Ovacik, Fethiye.

We all got to know each other pretty quickly but it’s amazing how nervous us adults can be when meeting for the first time in new surroundings; we soon put those fears to one side however as we introduced ourselves and got talking...

At 19.30 we met with Naci Dincer, our Tour Leader, for a welcome drink and evening meal. Eventually we all retired to our rooms, as the day’s events had caught up with us and we wanted to be fresh for our second day.

Tuesday

Our first excursion on Tuesday was to Fethiye food & tourist market to try our hand at haggling with the local traders, who I found to be very friendly and very willing to help us spend our Turkish Lira at their market stalls.

Next it was onto Kaya Koy, known as the ghost village, with several Greek ruins. It felt eerily empty and in need of new occupants to bring the town back to life. We then had a delicious treat of a Turkish Bath with a traditional scrub & soap massage. This is something I will never forget - heaven.

Wednesday

Wednesday was a free day spent relaxing by the hotel pool. We went for lunch in Ovacik Town for some traditional Turkish food.

On Wednesday night our group from the Forever Hotel, plus guests on another Solo’s Holiday down the road, headed down to Fethiye waterfront for a Sunset BBQ Cruise. There was a fantastic sunset, with food and drink to match, and dancing and partying into the early hours; what a great night.

Thursday

On Thursday we visited Tlos, an amazing ruined castle from the crusades. After lunch we arrived at Saklikent Gorge which is about 18 kilometres in length and at least 200ft high. There seemed to be hundreds if not thousands of people wading through the rapids at waist height holding hands in lines to help each other stay upright.

Friday

On Friday we had a 12 Island boat trip and anchored up in 3 bays for swimming, snorkelling, sunbathing, a BBQ and drinks. This was a fantastic, relaxing day out and at night we went to the Buzz bar at Olu Deniz, for our evening meal where the staff had an extra warm welcome.

Saturday

On Saturday I spent a lazy day by the pool sunbathing, swimming, relaxing, eating and drinking.

In the evening it was the farewell Dinner at Fethiye Old Town indoor market. Afterwards we went for a drink at the Car Cemetary Bar followed by a bus ride back to Hisaronu for a final night of fun dancing on the floor, stage and bar before getting back to the hotel about 5.00am. Talk about dirty stop outs (mentioning no names) Peter, Trevor and Ray!

Sunday

Sunday was a day of rest, as ‘the monsters from the deep’ surfaced for breakfast and headed straight for the sun loungers to catch up on much needed sleep lost during the previous night’s partying; we are not teenagers any more, but we are ageing rather disgracefully and loving every minute of it.

Late afternoon Jaqcui showed me the shopping delights of Olu Deniz to get presents for the family. In the evening we had a few quiet drinks. I don’t think anyone wanted to go home.

Even though I am sure we were all nervous at first about meeting new people, within a few hours we were all chatting and joking like old friends; this has to be my best holiday so far, and I look forward to returning and meeting up again sometime."

Our sun holidays to Turkey depart up until the end of October. Find out more here.

Steve & Solo's X 

7 Sep 11

This week we have a guest blog by Dinah Holland from one of our partners, Silver Travel Advisor.

“It’s not that I don’t have any friends, you understand, just that some are not built for adventure holidays, or don’t know how to ride (horses, that is, not bicycles) or have no money or, more probably don’t fancy a whole week or two in my company. 

So, that means I have to go on my own. Travelling alone has its advantages and disadvantages but I must point out that I never travel completely alone and always join a group holiday organised by a company that understands my requirements as a single traveller. This is generally made up of like-minded people also wishing to see the same places I have chosen to visit. One of the www.silvertraveladvisor.com  partners, Solo’s Holidays, provides such a service, offering a wide variety of group holidays – from beach breaks to tennis weekends - specifically for the single traveller.

Small cruise ships, such as those operated by Noble-Caledonia or the Star Flyer, are ideal for me: sufficient number of passengers, maximum 120, to meet and become friends with, either for the duration of the cruise or even for longer, but also spacious enough to avoid those one might want to exclude from future Christmas card lists.

Coach trips with 48/50 passengers are anathema to me; better a smaller group of maximum12/14. Indeed Solo’s Holidays’ group sizes are typically between 15-25, but have the added bonus of being steered by a Solo’s Tour Leader; in this respect the tour leader experiences all of the trip, activities or holiday with you and really helps to ‘gel’ the group.

Yet on the other hand, being independent is the greatest advantage for a single traveller. Don’t want to talk to or sit with anyone, then don’t.  I have seen couples, or even friends, who have fallen out on day one and then been stuck with each other for the duration of the holiday.

The main disadvantage is the cost  -  so much hotel accommodation has a single room supplement, although Solo’s Holidays often have double rooms for single occupancy but do not charge extra single supplements.

On some cruise ships where there are no dedicated single cabins this can be fiendishly expensive and involves paying for two beds in a double cabin; though, obviously not eating for two (though this might be possible given the number of meals provided each day…) or occupying two aircraft seats.  But then again, after all the food provided on a cruise ship one might well require two seats for the return flight. It’s always worth enquiring about single cabins, for example, Norwegian Epic cruise ships, used by Solo’s Holidays, have their Studio Staterooms which are specifically designed, and priced, for the single traveller.

Sometimes companies do allow sharing of accommodation.  This again has its pros and cons.  Indeed, the main advantage can be avoiding that pesky single supplement if you are with a company or hotel that charge one.  Apart from sharing with a friend on riding holidays, I have taken the option of sharing with a complete stranger on about four or five occasions.  This has been with a wonderful Swedish tour operator called Polar Quest, an associate company of Noble-Caledonia.  Their clientele is a mixture of Scandinavians (who all speak perfect English) and Brits.

I have always shared with charming and interesting ladies.  Needless to say it’s all same sex sharing!  BUT…… they have all snored.  Maybe it’s the herrings they eat in Norway and Sweden, or maybe the Schnapps they drink.

The worst experience I had was in Mongolia.  I was down to share with Kristina  (I’ve changed her name to protect her identity!) whom I had already met on a previous Polar Quest trip to Spitsbergen. “Good” I said when I was told with whom I was sharing.  “Good fun lady.”  On arrival in our room she said “I have brought you some ear plugs as I snore.  I had an operation to cure the problem but it didn’t work”  “No problem” I said cheerfully “I have often shared with snoring friends on holiday and have my own ear plugs”  But I was not prepared for Kristina’s industrial strength snoring and, despite earplugs and a pillow over my head, I slept not a wink.  Mercifully the tour leader was the owner of the company and took pity on me.  A single room was provided in the hotel and a single tent, pitched as far as possible from Kristina, for the camping part of the holiday.  I heard that the same problem occurred on subsequent trips with Kristina after which the company insisted that she should pay for a single room.

So…. would I recommend anyone to travel alone on holiday?  Definitely yes.  A mature traveller might find it a trifle daunting to backpack alone around India in which case I would recommend joining a group, organised by a specialist company, as small as possible in my experience. There are plenty of special interest holidays available and, who knows, you may find a like minded person with whom to share accommodation in the future!" 

Dinah Holland works as an Advisor for www.silvertraveladvisor.com

Dinah & Solo’s X

4 Aug 11

1. Safari – to see ‘The Big 5’ – Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Buffalos and Rhinos
2. Visit a traditional tribal village-  Kirepwe Island was a thriving Arab trading centre in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. The island offers visitors a unique opportunity to meet local villagers and explore unexcavated ancient Swahili ruins, open water-pools and bosks of palm trees.
3. Take a Mida Dhow trip – cruise along the calm waters of the Mida Creek with beautiful views of Kirepwe island, the sunset and the mangroves.
4. Dolphin Watching Trips
5. Birdwatching (Aruboke-Sokoke Forest)
6. Watersports – snorkelling, scuba diving and deep sea fishing
7. Watamu National Marine Park – pristine white sand and a coral wonderland
8. Taste the specialty Kenyan drink “Dawa”, which translates into "medicine" or "magic potion" in Swahili
9. Diving at Turtle Bay – diving and snorkelling is highly rates by professionals at Watamu National Park. There are more species of fish here, than in the Red Sea.
10. The Turtle Bay Hotel – It is situated within 10 acres of exotic and beautifully landscaped gardens, with the beach just a few steps away.

Check out Solo's Holidays to Kenya.

Solo's X