Travelling allsorts

New Year's Week in Florida was a mixed bag of temperatures: from mid-20s Celsius to mid-20s Fahrenheit! No rain, though. Mostly sunny and a cold, cold wind. The TV forecasts are quite accurate and allow you to plan your week, e.g. theme park, beach, shopping mall.   At the Theme Parks Surprisingly busy. Parks schedule annual maintenance during the winter months so one of the rides in each park may be unavailable. With Disneyland Paris so easily accessible, we decided to limit our Disney time to the Animal Kingdom. We took the Jeep Safari and rode Expedition Everest, a slightly more intense version of Big Thunder Mountain. We bought a 2-day, 2-park ticket for Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. We were stunned that Express Pass , their version of Disney's free fast-pass system was being offered throughout the parks for $60 per person!!! (And even more stunned that people had actually bought them.) Interestingly, a big new section is under construction where Jaws us...

I don't think we made the best of Jamaica. We stayed at a very nice all-inclusive hotel in Montego Bay, which sounded glamorous because I always think of the song. The staff we encountered were friendly and the food was pretty good. I'm not sure why 'very nice' was disappointing. There was an uninspiring shallow beach which we had virtually to ourselves because guests seemed to prefer the pool areas and security staff guarded the beach perimeters to ensure that the private beach stayed private. And I think that was the problem, we felt like prisoners - might as well have been guantanamo bay as montego bay. Of course, we were allowed out of the hotel but always with an underlying message of lurking danger which, if you have children with you, you take no chances. To join escorted tours and even to hire a taxi was priced astronomically high per person, so we elected to remain in our open prison. Thank goodness it was only for a week.  (Montego Bay : Bobby Bloom)...

Islands off the west coast of Africa are popular for not-quite-so-long-haul winter sun breaks. Our visit to La Gomera began with a flight to Tenerife and a ferry across to San Sebastian, although there is a small airport. We hired a car for our week and drove around most of the island, which is basically a large rock in the Canary Islands. Although a small island, the climate is diverse. The northern shores were shrouded in mist whilst the southern coast was baking in full sun. Our favourite place to visit (which we did more than once) was the Garajonay National Park at the centre of La Gomera. It enjoys its own micro-climate and can be enchantingly misty or beautifully sunny. There are enjoyable walks through the woods and family picnic areas with adequate car parking. La Gomera is a peaceful and quiet island with winding roads and some interesting geography, best for people who want a relaxing short break in a warmer climate. It is not the place to choose if you want glitz, gl...

This year, we are planning to spend a couple of days in Le Touquet (again); we have previously stayed at The Westminster, the Novotel Thalassa Le Touquet (on the beach) and the Holiday Inn resort hotel. There's a  Christmas Market  on 14th & 15th December but from the end of November until early January, Le Touquet is transformed into a magical place with an abundance of simple but tasteful decorations, "tens of kilometres" of fairy lights, an enchanted forest setting for christmas stalls, activity workshops for children, an ice rink and specialities in the local shops. There are organised trips around the lighthouse, too. The St Nicholas parade is in the evening on Sunday 22nd December. Click here for official information of Le Touquet Events .

California is long - over 1,000 miles, which is more or less double* the length of Britain (*depending which criteria you use) therefore the temperatures between the northern and southern-most areas varies greatly, enabling visitors to enjoy a pleasant climate at any time of the year, somewhere in the 'The Golden State'. There are also differences between coastal regions and inland (mountains, valleys and deserts). At the time of writing, mid-October, the current temperatures midnight-midday are: North Lake Tahoe 34F - 66F (1C - 19C) San Francisco 49F - 63F (9C - 17C) Sacramento 55F - 81F (13C - 27C) South Santa Barbara 52F - 67F (11C - 19C) Los Angeles 62F - 66F (17C - 19C) Palm Springs 69F - 91F (21C - 33C) One reason why wealthy people often have homes in Palm Springs is quite obvious; there is also the aerial tramway and many golf courses. By contrast, Lake Tahoe is close to Mammoth and June mountains...

Having visited Lincoln three times this year, I have the impression that it is always warm and sunny there, which probably contributes to how I feel about it as a city. Having said that, Lincoln is so interesting that I'm sure it can be enjoyed on dull weather days. First of all, at the top of the hill, there is a Norman Castle and a splendid Cathedral to visit. Work your way down the quaint and cobbled Steep Hill to the shopping areas, mainly pedestrianised, and to the canal. There is some interesting architecture to be admired along the canal path to the east (left, as you come down the hill) so do this first, just for 100 yards or so, then return along the path and continue under the bridges to Brayford Wharf (a couple of minutes) where you can enjoy coffee, lunch or dinner at one of the many restaurants with views of the boats in Brayford Pool. There is a choice of hotels, including Doubletree and Holiday Inn, if you are staying longer than just a day. If you travel to Li...

Autumn half-term is always difficult to find short-haul guaranteed warm weather and sunshine. The end of October hails the beginning of winter in Europe (the word 'plummet' features regularly when searching for an ideal destination) and booking a break around the Mediterranean is pot luck - could be great or could be grey! Last year, we settled on Cefalu in Sicily and we had 'acceptable' weather, much better than the UK. I wouldn't call it hot but it was warm and sunny most of the week. We stayed in a lovely hotel on the beach at the edge of the town: Cefalu Sea Palace. We enjoyed walking through the narrow streets of the town and trying the restaurants. We also hired a car and toured part of the island. If you don't have to book your Sicily break for half-term, take advantage of better weather earlier in October. Cefalu is less 'touristy' than Catania/Taormina coast but it's only a couple of hours' drive so you can easily visit both. Fligh...