From Valle Dorado to Monterrico.... Guatemalan Vacation

From Valle Dorado to Monterrico

Normally, DTT, (Jahzara and I) lead a very basic lifestyle. No electric, rice and beans to eat, washing in rain or river water, and so on…

 Our normal shower facilities

This is all great for the body, mind and soul, and we love it! But, for my Diva girls birthday this year, I managed to scrape together enough money for a complete change…. For a week at least. 

We opted for total VIP and booked a night at Valle Dorado water park ‘ Q500 (just under £50/$70) all inclusive 3pm until 1pm the following day. It was certainly a break from the norm; open bar with amazing, and unlimited cocktails (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), a snack bar, waffle-pancake shack, and breakfast lunch and dinner buffet style in the dining room (food was basic but plentiful). 

Then there was the Jacuzzi (I was dismayed to discover that they let children in freely…. and with food!). Valle Dorados childrens pool, childrens activities, and modern, clean rooms; made me completely forget that I was in Guatemala! I commented to my friend, that while all these city types were enjoying the sun, water, and beer, something we are more than used to, We were making the most of our clean. Fresh, air conditioned room complete with running water, electricity, and TV! Something we certainly are not accustomed to. 

 Valle Dorado Waterpark

The water park itself is modern, clean, safe, and fun; I would certainly recommend it. The all-inclusive package that Valle Dorado offers is also something worth taking up; Just don’t get too excited by the free cocktails! We had an amazing barman called Brian who whipped up the most fantastic, delicious and varied cocktails… I drank many, many, many of these sweet devilish drinks…. And (both physically and mentally) Paid for it the next day! 

To get to Valle Dorado from the city, just take a Litegua coach headed for Puerto Barrios. Valle Dorado is where the coach stops off for its mid point refreshment break. The coach itself should cost less than Q50. 

http://www.hotelvalledorado.com/i/ 

http://www.litegua.com/horarios.html 

Monterrico 

From the water park, we were supposed to head for Chichicastenango, but decided we couldn’t take the mountain chill, so we opted for Monterrico beach, on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. We were faced with allsorts of long winded routes, and ways to reach Monterico, but in the end we discovered that we could get a single chicken bus from a place called Cenma, in Guatemala city which reaches Monterrico in just four hours (to get to Cenma take the Transmetro Sur from Plaza Barrios. It is the last stop). Alternatively, for double the cost but half the journey time, you can travel  from La Antigua Guatemala, to Monterrico in a tourist filled mini bus, which in my opinion is not as fun or as interesting as a chicken bus. To experience both, we took a chicken bus there, and the mini bus back. 

  Hotel Delfin from the Beach

In Monterrico, we found a reasonable deal at hotel el Delfin on the beach, with a decent pool, free drinking water and free coffee or tea in the mornings. The hotel usually offers you a free fourth night and has great food and all the necessary connections with local tour guides. Rooms are basic, but you have little reason to spend long in them, as they have wonderful communal areas, seating on the beach, and a few hammocks too. 

                                                            The pool at El Delfin

There is little to do in Monterrico, with the main attraction being turtle season (July to October). Canoe tours through the mangroves are available for around Q100; it is advisable to take the 5am tour to see any wildlife. 

                                                          Canoe trip of the mangroves

You can take a horse ride along the beach for around Q100, but it is lead, so if you are a rider, it may not be for you. Quads are also available to tour the beautiful stretch of beach, the small town and perhaps even some of the aldeas (small villages) in the area too. 

At Q300 an hour the quads were out of our budget, but a friend we had made borrowed one and gave us a wonderful tour – even finding an area of the sea that was gentle enough for us to paddle in. The sea is simply not for swimming here‘ with  strong undercurrents and powerful waves at the shore-line, neither is it for paddling! If you are with children, keep your eyes and hands on them if they are anywhere near the water! For this reason, we chose a hotel with a pool.

                                                                  Monterrico Beach

Shrimp dishes are good value in this part of Guatemala, so make the most of it. While the hotel Delfin served delicious food, it was a little pricey and included a service charge, which pushed the bill up even more. Our favourite eatery outside of the hotel was somewhere along the main street, and is called Calle Real. We loved their shrimp burritos. Alcohol can be as expensive as Antigua (surely the most expensive place in the country), so be careful of racking up a tab with your hotel! We paid for everything as we went along, to avoid any surprises at check out!

                                                     Seafood Soup in Monterrico... around Q50

From Monterrico we took the tourist shuttle to Antigua – and instantly regretted it! It was hotter and stuffer than a chicken bus and I simply did not enjoy being surrounded by tourists – for me, one of the best things about travel, is meeting local people; and one thing I adore about local transport is seeing peoples lives  in terms of where they are travelling, where they live, what they have bought, or made, or are selling… their stories. 

 The Terrace at Frank&Fre

  

Antigua is a tourist hot spot, therefore, it has a range of accommodation… some much pricier than others, within nothing absolutely dirt cheap. We found that in particular, Tropicana and el Hostal are good value, but chose to stay above a gastropub called Frank&Fre. It has a lovely terrace, friendly atmosphere and great staff. Another grteat place to stay is the Three Monkeys Hoste.  I rarely spend much time in Antigua, but there is a host of tourist information out there!! Enjoy your stay!! 

https://www.facebook.com/threemonkeyshostel/ 

Bahamas Cruise Review

A four day cruise from a backpackers perspective

Recently, Double Trouble Travel decided to splash out on a four day cruise to the Bahamas, from our nearest port - port canaveral. We found a sweet deal ($200 each - tax and all, food and soft drinks included) on www.lastminutecruises.com) with the enforced 'gratuities' that is so inherent in the USA, it came to around $250 each at the end of the trip (I managed to quell little Js gratuities on account of her being seven, bringing the total to $450 for us both for the four days).
We took the 'Carnival Sensation' - this review is simply of that ship and company, on a four day Bahamas trip.

Below I outline and review the trip - from a budget perspective.

Ching ching ;)

Firstly information was somewhat lacking. It would have been nice to have a good sized welcome pack - but we seemed to get things in dribs and drabs. Prices were also quite concealed. I witnessed a fair few people go for the 'welcome' cocktails on embarking, then look quite surprised at being billed almost $10 each for them.

The first positive was that as soon as we boarded the ship, there was a delicious and varied buffet waiting for us; with salad and fruit options, and an appetising desert cart. Although we had to wait a little for rooms to be ready, the pool, canteen and bars were up and running immediately.

Buffet food on 'Caribbean day'

There was a long and seemingly pointless safety briefing; taking a good hour to tell people that when the alarm goes we must go to our 'muster station' and from there, where the boats were, but I guess thats the law, so....

I didn't realise that we would also have the option of dining (instead of the canteen buffet). Dining was amazing the service was great; a 3 course meal with a different menu each day- again lack of information regarding drinks being offered as if free then charged for (don't accept the bottle of m ineral water they offer you - wait and they will pour some standard water for free, and any alcohol will be around $10 each).

 Brunch, in the dining room on 'Sea day'

The rooms were small, but good - turned out twice daily - but again, don't touch any bottled water in your room - it's around $5 a bottle! and laundry is expensive too - so pack what you need for the whole trip. I am still unsure about the room service and breakfast in bed options. I assume that as there were no prices on the menu that a gratuity is added to your bill, but as I found with the water bottles in our room  - no price tag does not mean no cost.

One of room services finishing touches

There was a children's club which had the children up to 3pm, then 6pm until 10pm for free. Depending on age, 'Camp Carnival' will have children up to 3am, for around $7 an hour, plus gratuity. I would say keep reminding staff if your child has allergies / dietary requirements - J doesn't eat meat or drink coke, and despite this being on her name badge, she was given both on the first day. Also, as with any childcare; exercise caution if your child cannot communicate anything which has happened to them during the day.

Our first stop was Freeport, Nassau  - I thought that it was good that activities were offered for people staying on the ship and that kids club would take the kids while you were off (we didn't do this ourselves, but a few parents did). The excursions which were offered by the ship were extremely high - for example, you could pay $60 (adult) or $50 (child) to go to a beach resort then the market and have a non-alcoholic drink... or you could get off the ship, walk a few feet and get a taxi for $5 each way and do it yourself. We took a taxi (shared mini van, not USA cab style) to Taino beach because it was known as the quietest tourist beach for $7 each way, each - just under $30 in total for me and J. The taxis are great at getting you there and back in time for your ship, and even called us off the beach because they were worried we would be late! The market here is Lucaya but according to other cruisers, the things sold in the market could be bought right at the port for the same prices. I really wish we had taken a boat trip (glass bottom boat), .or done some snorkelling, as I think Freeport is better than Nassau for this (around $40 when bought on the ship - around 2.5hrs)

Part of Taino beach

Back on the ship, you can indulge in plenty of free entertainment - unfortunately there seemed little explanation for a lot of the entertainment, which left a lot of people I spoke with wondering what was actually available. The entertainment was good however; with dance shows, comedians, live music,  karaoke, a singles meet and a GLBT gathering.  

 

Our second and final destination was Nassau. A short walk brings you (through a crowd of tour operators jostling for your business; some with very good tours at ok prices) to the town; where you can buy a wealth of things tax free, and where the jewellery shops may sweeten you with a shot (or two) of rum. We were not in purchase / shopping mode, so we walked past Junkanoo beach (signposted), to the next beach - which we had all to ourselves, on account of there being no hotels or bars there. After this we walked back to Junkanoo beach and sat at the bar with matching cocktails (a non-alcoholic version for J of course). I plugged my phone into the bars sound system and we all rocked along to my soca carnival mix - after I introduced the bar man to the sounds of German reggae artist Patrice.

Beach on Nassau

The last day we spent the whole day at sea; there was so much to do that I frantically tried to get it all in - after a delicious brunch in the dining room,  J went to 'Camp Carnival', I hopped into the steam and sauna, spent time relaxing in the over 21 area, had some buffet food, spend time with J by the pool and had dinner with two lovely ladies I had met, before hitting a comedy show and falling into bed.

The pool at night

So guys, don't feel you couldn't go it alone on a cruise - you meet so many weird and wonderful people from different backgrounds, its amazing. I was a little uncomfortable with the wining and dining as I'm not used to it and kept wanted to help, but for a lot of people this makes the cruise. Bring your own beach towels, as if you lose the ones provided the charge is around $20. Bring some smart clothes for dinner - some people go all out, some people go 'smart-casual', and on the 'elegant evening' you can fully go all out. I loved admiring the beautiful gowns (plus every evening there are photographers swarming the decks to take glamorous pictures). Personally, I would saqy bring your own music and headphones - the poolside music is not for everyone! You are allowed to bring a bottle of champagne or wine on board, plus any waters, soda but NO liquor and no beers - they want you to pay $10 a drink!

Our last view of the Bahamas

If you have any questions or comments, or want further advice, please comment below.

Travelling versus Holidaying

'Travelling' as opposed to 'holidaying' certainly has plenty of ups and downs; especially with a seven year old, and especially on a budget....
Today we packed up the car in France, put on pretty dresses and nail-varnish and thought we could arrive at our hotel for around 2pm in order to casually stroll the streets of Barcelona looking and feeling great!
 We drove four hours to Barcelona, and tried to find the 'hotel' which we booked on 'booking.com'...... after a couple of hours of not finding it, we parked up and tried looking on foot. Too many people told us it was an apartment, to be careful, that it would be hard to find... and sure enough, we did not find it. We gave up and spent another hour or so driving around asking hotels and hostels if they had 'una habitation libre?' Finally at 10pm (we set out at 10am) we found a hostel where we could share a single bed for 30Euro..... Parking is dodgy and I have to move the car before 8am or from what I can make out, it will be towed.... But at least we have a bed. Parking is so difficult in Barcelona, and we had such a rough day that I think we are both eager to get out of the city and head for Valencia area first thing in the morning. I tried to play it by ear last week in Bize, France, where even the camping was fully booked, and hotels were hard to find and had early check in limits... so we tried to book ahead..... This hasn't worked either; so maybe a combination of the two; so tomorrow we drive until we find somewhere nice, and find a hotel; but we start the search early so as to enjoy the day. We are determined not to repeat todays wild goose chase.

One final thought; travelling with a seven year old may seem difficult to some, but today when we were both a little stressed but extremely supportive of each other, I tried to picture various friends and ex partners in the passenger seat. Although another adult may have been practically helpful, I could not think of anyone I wouldn't have fallen out with in that situation. She really is my true travelling buddy :)

Summer Solstice 2013 at Stonehenge

Once upon a time, an eager baby came out six weeks early. Some say she came out early because she knew her mother was visiting her birthplace, and she would only have a small window to have the privilege of being born in her mothers homeland of Wales; home to many wonderful myths and legends.... She also came early because she could sense that a special day was upon us; the Summer Solstice. On that night, a shooting star was spotted as if to highlight the importance of this event.  Seven years later, her mother decided it was about time she brought her little star to Stonehenge; to show her how important this date really is.

And so, she, I mean, I, booked us into a nice looking campsite, packed a tent (later to discover it was without pegs), bedding, clothing and pringles, and off we went. Before we even arrived at the campsite we were feeling positive; I had called  a lady called Elaine up, and she was ever so friendly, giving me a heap of information about the stones, and advice on bringing my daughter.

For full information on the campsite visit www.stonehengecampsite.co.uk

Berwick Rd  Salisbury, Wiltshire SP3 4TQ,  07786 734732-

we definitely recommend it! Camping with a real festival atmosphere at solstice, and no doubt brilliant at all other times too! Extremely satisfied customers.

We arrived, set up our tent, and began waiting for the first bus to Stonehenge; ready to see in the summer solstice.... We missed the 9pm one, and a few after that.... due to essential activities such as face-painting and cake eating! But we were up to the 11pm bus.... just about!

The delicious strawberry one-love cake that caused us to miss that first bus!

The bus is a great service; free for those staying on site, it runs up and down to the stones from about 9pm to 1am, then starts again at 5am; theoretically it has a cut off point but will run until the long queue has been transported section by section back to the campsite.  

The bus drops you at the bottom of a field-come-carpark, and there is quite a walk. We took a friend of mine who has fibromyalgia so it was quite a slog for her; but I'm sure if you speak to the campsite staff they would be more than happy to help, or at least advise somebody with any mobility issues; they are really approachable and no matter how busy they are, will always give you some time.

Happy Campers :)

 

The stones were no-where near as big as I expected, but I think that comes from having visited places such as the astounding Tikal in Guatemala; which is ridiculous in size!  Nevertheless, they were truly mystifying, and we felt honoured to be able to lean up against one and cwtch in for the night (cwtch = a common and much loved Welsh word, like cuddle, hug or snuggle).

Stonehenge

The fact that we were there with Jahzara meant that we stayed in one spot and were sober for the night - an amazing tool for people watching! My friend Natasha and I were very surprised (and disappointed) that there were't more hippies there, but we did meet people from all walks of life and many nationalities, and we were pleased to see a good number of people in wheelchairs, 'older' people and people with children.

If nothing else, security got in the way of a lot of photos that night....

There was of course, tight security, and plenty of police, although they weren't too invasive and did not trouble us (they did, however, escort a lovely lady we had been chatting to us out of Stonehenge, for removing all of her clothing and dancing round the stones; by all accounts, she never recovered her knickers!)

We ended up staying up until the sunlight; and witnesses something rather bizarre; although the sun had clearly risen, but was covered by cloud, there were still people waiting for it to rise..... because their smartphone was still telling them 4, 7 , 9 etc, minutes to sunrise! This was such a strange over reliance/ confidence in technology, that the builders of Stonehenge probably turned in their sacred burial grounds!

Wake me up when my Birthday is here! J with her awesome gift, signed by many at the solstice :)

One last bizarre occurrence was the queue for the bus back to the campsite. It never really bothers me when friends join other friends ahead in the queue; be in for a gig, or boarding a plane and so on.... but people in our bus queue for becoming increasingly irate each time they thought someone was jumping the queue. When the bus stop actually moved closer to the road, and the queue became a little shuffled, normal people became what I can only liken to football hooligans, shouting things like "you ain't getting on that bus, we ain't letting ya". My seven year old knows that is not how you behave, and a few people in the queue wondered out loud where all the peace and love had gone.... The whole affair became a sordid shouting match, and I just hope that those involved were a little embarrassed when they looked back on themselves  the next day.

Our campsite was so nice, we had to stay there twice! Yes, although we initially planned for one night, we decided we couldn't leave, and stayed another night. However, as our pringles supply was dwindling, we had to head out for food. The campsite staff again, were patient and very helpful; there was a burger van and a pizza stall at the campsite, but it was a bit pricey for us, and there was not much available for vegetarians so we were given the rundown of a few places; again by Elaine. We chose the Swan, which turned out to be a spectacular pub by the river, which served us an amazing meal, and a refreshing bottle of wine. We were taken care of by the lovely James, and really could not have asked more of him, or the pub. Their beer garden is across a busy road, so be careful if you visit, but its well worth it as the little river/stream really is a sight for sore eyes... and children currently eat free on a Sunday.... apparently (we visited on Friday, but were well taken care of anyway).

Search for the Swan@Solford, Warminster Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP2 0PR or call 01722 790236  http://www.theswanatstoford.co.uk/

 

 

 

The Swan Inn  and its Delightful Riverside Garden

 

Our last night was simple, yet magical. the sun went down, people got cold. Caveman instinct kicked in and a fire was made.... then songs were sung and instruments were played, and a good night was had by all.

 

 

The end.

Edinburgh; a wee review

Edinburgh with a six year old. 2013

 

This short guide to Edinburgh is written in terms of a single mum on a budget, visiting the city for a weekend with a 6 year old....

I find a lot of reviews/ guides will really hype something up as being totally 'amazing' and fun filled, or that you 'couldn't fit it into a weekend, let alone a day'.... and then I go, and find this is not the case; at least not for my daughter.

So this aims to be as realistic and honest as possible.... with pictures too! I have also included prices that I paid, in March 2013 because sometimes it feels like you are stuck in a maze trying to figure out how much it will all cost.

I found flights from Bristol to Edinburgh for £124 return for me and  J, and with cheap airport transfers that made it cheaper to fly than drive . A train from my hometown in Newport would have cost at least £150 for an adult alone.

We booked the Travelodge  a couple of miles from Edinburgh airport for £36, and paid the £7 for breakfast (kids eat free)... The room was acceptable - very clean, but cold, and no phone, so any room service had to be ordered at the bar, and to obtain our extra duvets I had to go down to reception at 1 in the morning. Saying that, the reception staff were very helpful. The breakfast was really not worth it, and has very little for vegetarians. A taxi from the airport to the hotel will set you back £8; however, the 747 Lothian bus will take you very close for £1.50 adult and 70p child. Take the 747 from the airport and tell the driver you need Edinburgh airport Travelodge at Ratho park. You then walk across the overpass bridge to Ratho business park where you see the Travelodge at the far end. There is a co-operative in the same vicinity (great for when you have forgotten your toothbrush) which also has a cash machine. It's open from around 8am to 9pm.

Just remember; children don't evaluate accomodation the same way most adults do. As long as they have a parent and a bed, they are usually happy!

From the Travelodge, we walked across the overpass and took the 747 to the airport and then the 35 Lothian service into Edinburgh city centre - cheaper than catching the service 100 airport link. Buy a day ticket for £3.50 and ride any Lothian buses all day (children £2.00).

Riding the Lothian buses :)

The buses all drop off at various points along Princes Street (the main street in Edinburgh, separating the old and the new side of town) and your first point of call should be the tourist information point as it contains information on various attractions, and also sometimes offers discounts (see Dungeon section). You can also book tours and accommodation from there. Edinburgh Waverly train station is located next door to the tourist information place, in Princes Mall, along with other shops.

 

 

In terms of trains; if you are staying in Glasgow, you can currently buy a train ticket to Edinburgh for around £12 return (kids go free on all trains), and then have free childrens entrance to Edinburgh zoo, which is normally around £11. We didn't have time to visit the zoo, but have heard it's a nice zoo.

The Royal Mile

 This place must have the most tourists per square metre in the whole of Scotland! There are numerous gift shops, a few museums (Museum of childhood for example), coffee shops, stalls and  jewellery shops where you can buy pretty Celtic designs of various prices and qualities. There are also plenty of places to eat around there although the prices were a little high for us, so we trecked back into town to eat at a reliably cheap Weatherspoons pub! The Royal mile is a picturesque stretch leading up to the castle, whic everyone will tell you "you can't miss it".... although we did not realise it was there until Sunday afternoon!

 

We spent some time looking round the Museum of Childhood; which, ironically was great for myself, at the age of 26 but not so interesting for J at the age of 6 because of course, there were clear instructions not to touch - what child accepts that?! Although there was a section for children to dress up in clothes of old, there is little in the way of things to do, touch and feel here, just to look at. But yes, for us grown folk, it is a truly magical and interesting spot.

 

Edinburgh Castle

Although pricey at around £15 adults and £8 children we really thought we should check out the castle while in Edinburgh. It took us around 2 hours to see the whole castle, with a couple of what I call 'sit down and sulk' breaks because J had gotten bored. There is a lot of interesting information to read on the way round, and a useful map which is numbered and labelled so that you don't miss anything . There is also an audio tour which you can take for around £3. There's a number of places to eat and drink within the castle as well, and plenty of sitting space if you have brought snacks. I think a morning or afternoon spent at the castle is more than enough time.

J's favourite part of the castle!

If you are visiting 3 or more castles in Scotland, enquire about the explorer pass (for about £30 you have unlimited access to a number of castles; enquire at the tourist information place next to Waverley station).

One of the views of Edinburgh

Rose Street

Rose Street runs parallel to Princes Street and is full of places to eat, drink, and shop (this is where we found our cheap weatherspoons).

 

Glasgow

We didn't think a weekend in Edinburgh was enough Scotland for us so we jumped on a train to Glasgow. It was a spontaneous decision so we caught the train for £12.60 return (kids go free under 16years) and wondered round for the day. We headed for Glasgow Green to look at the river Clyde and 'The People's Palace'; a free museum giving you a glimpse of Glasgow through the ages, with a kids room and the winter gardens. The winter gardens is a great indoor botanical space complete with a reasonably priced cafe. Perfect if the weather is cold. Kids meals are around £3, and soup of the day is also £3; main meals are around £5 and are served until 3:30pm. The cafe also serves coffee and cake at the usual prices of around £2 per coffee and £3 for a slice of cake.

The Peoples Palace, Glasgow

One thing Glasgow had which we didn't see in Edinburgh was lots of buskers and budding musicians, giving the city more character.

Edinburgh Dungeons

On our last day I took J to the dungeons, ignoring the advice to take children over 8 years old. Not a massive mistake; but the experience (an hour and a half roughly) really is well done, and a bit scary (and jumpy) for any age. J did cry at the end, and I felt terrible, but now she looks back fondly(ish) at the day. I would recommend that you do take the age 8 plus advice, but obviously you know your child. Whether you have children or not, I would definitely recommend the Dungeon experience, as its a fun insight into Scotland's gory past.

 

To get to the airport, we boarded a (number 35) Lothian bus for the last time and bid a sad farewell to Edinburgh; a truly beautiful city with so much to do; but also so so many ways to spend money, thus we came home rather penniless and a bit overspent!