Category Archives: Travel

Desert horseback rides – the best way to see such stunning scenery

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Her name was Kate. She had very strong but slender legs. And she loved it when I jumped on top of her and rode her hard for nearly three hours.

desert horseback rides

Before you get too excited I need to tell you that Kate was a horse. The part about the legs is true but for hard riding think more like gentle cantering with the occasional acceleration into a half hearted trot. In fact Kate was my patient steed on a lovely ride through the sun soaked Sonoran desert slightly north of Phoenix Arizona.

Todd Masden has been running Cave Creek Outfitters since 1993. He picked us up from the hotel and whisked us from the Four Seasons Hotel’s fake western surroundings into the reality of an authentic cowboy ranch. They won’t take your money until after the ride, “Only survivors pay,” Todd announced. You might have a moment of doubt when you sign the disclaimer, but Jed’s collection of ranch bred and rescue horses are very used to the unsure holiday rider.

Kate was a beautiful choice for my desert horseback ride

Once in the saddle, hands on the reigns and feet in the stirrups we ambled out into the desert stirring up a little dust in our wake. It was only 9am but the February sun, still winter even in the desert, was already a pleasantly hot 78 degrees.  Jack rabbits with ears longer than their bodies dashed excitedly across our path, and white cotton tailed bunnies sprinted from rock to rock. All around us the giant, majestic, statuesque Saguaro cactuses pointed their many spined arms up towards the cloudless blue sky. Incredible to think that some of these are over a thousand years old – having existed for twice as long as the whole history of the USA.

desert horseback rides

Kate was easy to control.  A little tug on the reigns would change her direction. She knew where she was going anyway.  Occasionally a little nudge with my heels would encourage a trot. But I am inexperienced in horseback riding and I often mistimed my bounce mid-trot. It can be painful. I should have worn thicker pants.

We ascended hills, ambled through rocky outcrops, and skirted around even more vicious looking cactuses. An occasional owl soared overhead, chipmunks darted for cover, and hawks circled looking for prey. We missed seeing the deer and bobcats which our guide assured us had been sighted by earlier riders.

desert horseback rides

Two hours in and my legs were screaming and my lower back beginning to ache. Nothing a little Yoga stretching wouldn’t cure though. Kate returned me safely to the ranch where Todd waited with water and transport home. “You’ve seen the desert the way it’s meant to me seen. From the back of a good horse,” he said as we left cowboy country behind knowing that one day we wanted to return for more.

desert horseback rides

Over to you: Please add a comment and tell me about your own experiences on horseback. Where do you go riding? Where is your favourite location to get into the saddle?

Protect and Survive in Scotland’s Secret Bunker

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scotland's secret bunker

I started seeing road signs for Scotland’s Secret Bunker a few years ago now. They start appearing just after the Forth road bridge crossing as you head north. At first this did draw a wry smile to my face. After all a sign revealing the location of something supposed to be secret is wrong by definition.

But then one day for whatever reason I Googled it. An intriguing story then started to emerge. The bunker was built in the 1950s, at a time when the Cold War was beginning to frighten politicians and the major powers were beginning to stock pile an arsenal of nuclear weapons. If there had ever been a nuclear war, a select group of individuals, including I assume, some of the politicians responsible for starting the conflict would rush to the bunker.

There they would survive whilst millions could have died in fires of nuclear
holocaust.
The bunker is now a tourist attraction and so it crept onto my “must visit list”.

After a surprisingly long drive (which the signs at the Forth Bridge give no indication of) you arrive at an innocuous looking farmhouse sitting in the middle of a wind swept field near Anstruther. Under the farmhouse a little staircase takes you to a 150 yard long tunnel that slopes down into the bowels of the earth ending with a couple of huge metal blast doors.

This is real science fiction stuff. Beyond the blast doors are two storeys of living accommodation, telecommunications equipment, radar monitoring devices and air and water purification plants. All this is protected by ten feet of solid concrete strengthened by tungsten bars.

My first thought was how did they build it without anyone knowing? It’s like the villains in James Bond films that build impossibly large high tech bases hidden in volcanoes or under coral reefs. My second was that the technology, whilst obviously cutting edge in the 1970s and 1980s did look a little like a cheap 1970s Doctor Who set.

But as you explore this underground hideaway you slowly begin to realise what it was really all about. And when you sit in the cinema and watch the“Protect and Survive” public information films a feeling of dread takes hold. Those films, which fortunately were never broadcast, showed people like you and I how to turn their houses into nuclear fall out shelters. But as if a few doors propped up against a wall and covered with sand bags would have helped protect you from a force that would have flattened the house in an instant.

Scotland’s Secret Bunker is not, therefore, a fun day out. But it is a thought provoking reminder of a different time when the world was closer than it as ever been to mutually assured destruction. There is no roller coaster rush of excitement here, but it does leave similar sinking feeling in the stomach.

scotland's secret bunker

Five Star Luxury Hotel in Cologne with Kolsh Beer Nearby

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hotel in cologne

The Excelsior Hotel Ernst in Cologne is a luxurious hotel, if a little old fashioned, with its wood panelling and mirrors, but the service and the attention to detail is spot on. Very smart and polite receptionists sign you in and escort you to your room. I loved the fact that the rooms have old fashioned keys with heavy metal fobs.

Spacious bedrooms with fluffy pillows and quilts welcome you with their comfort – and I had the added attraction of a room looking right out onto the stunning Cathedral across the street. And it wasn’t a problem being so close to the bells as the thick double glazing keeps all the noise out.

There is a mini bar in the room and it is free. Okay so all it has is a couple each of beer, coke, fruit juice and water but it is nice not to be faced with additional charges for this.

Breakfast is a combination of continental buffet and cooked to order hot items. I particularly enjoyed their eggs and bacon. And the grapefruit juice was so fresh and cold I had three glasses both mornings.

Only slight niggle was that the room was very warm. There was a portable air conditioning unit in the room but switching it on was like having a jet engine spooling up in your room. Impossible to use at night.

The hotel is close to the main station, the aforementioned Cathedral and many restaurants and Bauhauses. Check out Gaffel Am Dom next door where you order Kolsch beer in small glasses of only 0.2l. The bar staff will simply bring you a refill whenever your glass is empty.

This led quite quickly to the end of the session with a bill amounting to “Two Sausages and 12 Beers.”

Jalousie Plantation Hotel – This could be one of the best in the World

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It is just possible, in my opinion of course, that The Jalousie Plantation Hotel sits in one of the prettiest and most stunning locations in the world – nestled snugly between the Gros and Petit Piton mountains. When I booked I knew that it was an awesome place, but what you see as you drive down the steep windy road into the hotel grounds is more than I imagined it ever could be.

jalousie plantation hotel

The Pitons love the camera and any picture you take of them is automatically picture postcard quality. The Petit Piton towers over the resort like a tropical monolith – but due to the mountains and their alignment, they never cast a shadow – the sun just rises and sets between them.

The main buildings of the plantation sit at the bottom of the valley just behind the bright white sandy beach, surrounded by masses of tropical greenery and flowers of every colour.

jalousie plantation hotel

The white villas hug the hillside behind, hiding from view behind palm trees. The roads are very steep but a shuttle bus is never more than a phone call away. In 12 days we never waited more than five minutes for one to arrive. And if you feel like a workout, walking either up or down is a challenge worth taking.

jalousie plantation hotel

Our Grand Luxury Villa, in the group known as “The 800s” boasted a simple white, black and coral decor and the four-poster king size bed was a heaven of crisp white Egyptian cotton. Both the lounge (which doubles as the children’s bedroom, and the bedroom have gigantic HD TVs hidden in cupboards (but the resort is so lovely we only turned one of them on once). The double walk in shower, huge double sink bathroom with its claw footed stand alone bath were luxurious and kitted out with smelly potions replenished daily.

jalousie plantation hotel

Outside a massive terrace consisting of lounge chairs, a set of tables and chairs and a separate area with a huge reclining bed – looked out towards the sea and the Gros Piton beyond. There was also an infinity plunge pool that was really more like a small swimming pool. Sitting on this terrace at night, sipping a beer or a glass of wine whilst the tree frogs sang in the background is such a lovely way to relax.

jalousie plantation hotel

Each room has its own butler, and on arrival you get a Firefly mobile phone so that you can contact them. I must admit that with all the staff so courteous and attentive – I wasn’t really left with much to ask of the butler. She did however turn the heating on in our plunge pool every afternoon to take the icy edge off it before we returned in the evening.

Hidden among the trees closer to the main buildings is a Spa, built as a series of tree houses of different heights connected by wooden walkways and steps. We had a hot stone massage in one of these havens of tranquility. The decor and the facilities are outstanding – more luxurious than many Spas that say they are more exclusive.

jalousie plantation hotel

Surrounding the Spa is a rainforest trail, again comprising wooden walkways and steps. It takes about 15 minutes to go round the circuit rewarding you with excellent views of the mountains and the sea and the rainforest itself. I think that the Hotel guests might be under the impression that the rainforest trail is much more grueling (perhaps the term trail conjures up images of muddy paths and clouds of insects – which is of course far from the truth) because in negotiating the pathways everyday during our stay we never once met anyone else.

Down on the beach you need to be early to grab a thatched straw umbrella and some comfortable loungers to go with it. Once ensconced in that welcome shade, the bar staff supply you with a red flag which you simply stick in the ground when you want a drink. Within seconds of planting the signal a waiter arrives to take your order. By the end of the holiday they often anticipated what we wanted and just brought it along without asking.

jalousie plantation hotel

The Bayside Restaurant is open air, sits just back from the shore and serves breakfast lunch and dinner of exceptional quality. It makes such a change to visit a restaurant where there are no buffet meals at all. Not even breakfast. At every meal you choose from the menu and they servce you individually. I cannot think of anywhere I have stayed in the world that does not resort to buffet style some of the time.This to me is a huge bonus.

Breakfast and its choice of smoothies was outstanding every day. Lunch was lighter, with crisp oven made pizzas, pastas and burgers. Dinner was fine dining but with minimal fuss and fluff. The mash potato is the lightest, cremiest and tastiest I have ever eaten. On one occasion I asked them to bring me another bowl full because it was simply iresistable.The General Manager of the hotel often lunches here from a table at the back. He then mingles with the guests in an unobtrusive way asking for feedback or just asking you how you are enjoying your stay.

After dinner here, the Bayside bar became a regular stop off for a nightcap served by the very friendly Lawrencia, who like just about every member of staff learned our names and preferences almost immediately. She mixes an awesome Mojito.

In the main house is the grander restaurant – the Great Room. It has a very majestic feel to it. The food again is fine dining but the focus seems quite rightly on taste and not overly fussy presentation. If you order a bottle of red wine, ask them to decant it into one of many fancy, curly and long differently shaped decanters. Then marvel how the wine waiter manages to pour your glasses without spilling one tiny drop. Try the Banana Souffle and Lime Sorbet at your peril. It melts divinely on the tongue and you will be unable to resist ordering another one on your next visit.

jalousie plantation hotel

The Cane Bar is for adults only, which we sampled whilst the wee one was at the children’s club. Cool, like a posh London nightclub the various rum cocktails have to be savoured. The Zombie cocktail was particularly impressive. This is a hidden gem within the resort and I’m not sure that many guest even knew it existed.

Back at the beach many water sports are free, such as Hoby Cat sailing, kayaks and pedal boats. . One day I tried something called a “Megawing”. This is effectively a huge rubber balloon dragged behind a speedboat with you hanging on for dear life. The lady who was on before us said it was scarier than any amusement park ride she had ever been on. I agreed with her after bouncing around on the sea for 10 minutes, but it was also one of the most exhilarating things I have ever done as well.

The children’s club put on a variety of events, trips and activities and the coordinators Canice and Giseld developed a great rapport with our son. A couple of outstanding people.

Canice also teaches all the classes up on the sundeck overlooking the Pitons and the bay. He is inspirational in his teaching of early morning and sunset Yoga and seems able to turn his hand to anything. He has boundless energy. The gym was well stocked and the tennis professional was always on hand.

So any niggles? Not really. There was a bit of a misunderstanding between the travel agent and the hotel about what the “all-inclusive package” actually included. But the duty manager was more than willing to come up with an acceptable compromise on the items that we felt should be included but weren’t.

jalousie plantation hotel

Overall then, this one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in. I believe that it is more luxurious and offers better service than some of the more recognised Caribbean premier resorts such as Sandy Lane, Spice Island Beach Resort and Curtain Bluff – but it lacks the pretension and the soulless service that often typifies those places.

I truly hope that as they expand the accommodations and install even more impressive amenities, that they do not become tempted to emulate those other pretentious resorts because this is somewhere I would gladly return to on many occasions.