Best holiday destinations

[pagey]

This has snuck up on us a little but we're off to Brussels tomorrow for a short break. Any cafe/restaurant recommendations?

Avoid the sprouts!

 

[Tredman]

If you do have to go and see the Mannekin Piss (and I really wouldn’t) go in the puppet bar next to it. Way more interesting.

 

[Jack Regan]

This has snuck up on us a little but we're off to Brussels tomorrow for a short break. Any cafe/restaurant recommendations?

Moeder Lambic (they have two venues) are worth a shout if you're after some excellent beers (and tonnes of choice).

 

[EpsomWolf]

Anyone been to Tobago?

Just picked up a very good last minute deal heading out New Year’s Eve. Assuming flights etc run ok should be in the hotel approximately 8.00pm their time and good to party. I guess not many want to travel at that time hence the deal, but anyway, a bit of spontaneity always works so decided to just strap yourself in.

Any must do’s and must don’t’s always appreciated.

 

[ROVERT47]

Never been to the Caribbean but am off to Barbados on January 10th.

 

[Dublin Drummer Wolf]

Love the Caribbean, probably my favourite place anywhere.
Not been to Tobago but if it's like most Caribbean islands, stick to the tourist traps, don't wander off anywhere on your own, be prepared to haggle, and just enjoy the vibe. Tourism is the main economy out there so you will be treated well, just be savvy and know that most taxi drivers, street sellers and local excursions will try to rip you off.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Barbados is less street seller rip off than say St Lucia. You do see a few on the beaches though.

Loads of ace restaurants on the island. my favourites are tides and cin-cin. the cliff is an icon but i think it is way over priced.

 

[leedswolf]

Don't sit under a ripe coconut tree

 

[Dire Wolf]

Anyone been to Tokyo/Japan? Gill is running Tokyo Marathon at the beginning of March so we're planning a few days in the city and then a bit of travelling to other places. Any recommendations would be great.

 

[Tredman]

I loved Tokyo, it’s a bit baffling as a foreigner though. Do plenty of walking.

 

[White Wolf]

Tokyo can be pretty overwhelming due to how large and busy it is but was very cool. I preferred Osaka as it felt a bit less busy, easier to get around, has the castle in the middle. It depends what you're after as I wanted a lot of the history so enjoyed Kyoto and Osaka more. You can get to both on the Shinkansen (high speed train) easily enough; can buy train tickets from vending machines at metro stations and train stations. I found trying to do so in advance on an app was very confusing.

Tokyo is great if you want to see the weird and wonderful aspects of Japan and it has lots of nerd-friendly things if that is something you are into.

Make sure to have lots of cash, they don't do card out there much. I found Japan to be quite a lot cheaper than I expected, except for actually getting there.

 

[Tony Towner]

Trying to convince my wife to go to Vietnam and Cambodia. At the moment we are struggling to get beyond the 'death camps and underground tunnels are not a holiday' phase

 

[Tredman]

One of the cool things, if you have an iPhone, is adding a Suica direct from wallet. You can load it up for pre-paid travel or vending machines etc.


Agreed on Shinkansen, need to buy them there. Machines can switch to English.

Definitely recommend Osaka. Castle is superb for running in the morning if your partner fancies a recovery run.

 

[jlo]

Trying to convince my wife to go to Vietnam and Cambodia. At the moment we are struggling to get beyond the 'death camps and underground tunnels are not a holiday' phase

Throw in a island beach trip too? Vietnam and Cambodia are great, depending on how you want to go about it. Phnom Penh has a real buzz about it but not huge, on the Mekong, and actually the one killing fields location is a must do even if that's not going to help encourage making it happen! Siam Reap speaks for itself too. Vietnam is full of life and pretty modern in places also, never did the tunnels - also didn't appeal to me, but have done Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay (will blow your mind), and Haiphong briefly after almost getting stranded on an island taking a different route back to the main land. Food is brilliant in both places, but particularly Vietnam. What type of thing do you look for in a holiday? Happy to point in the right direction. Back off to Thailand in a month myself, the region is my second home.

 

[EpsomWolf]

Some interesting comments there. Must admit would always prefer to head east than west and for some reason or other have just never taken to the Caribbean in quite the same way. Love the clear sea and some of the beaches naturally, but can’t put my finger on why it doesn’t seem to have the same appeal as heading east.

One big itch that does need scratching is the Vietnam/Cambodia/Laos thing, and yes, I’d be right into all the war stuff, the tunnels and suchlike. I think the wife would cut me a bit of slack on that on the proviso there was plenty of time for nature and the other stuff too. Lucky enough to be off to Japan and China in May so the V/C/L will be on the back burner for a while.

Not really too sure what to expect from Tobago but hoping for that little bit of magic. Either way, be nice to get away from the cold and greyness for a little while.

 

[Tony Towner]

Throw in a island beach trip too? Vietnam and Cambodia are great, depending on how you want to go about it. Phnom Penh has a real buzz about it but not huge, on the Mekong, and actually the one killing fields location is a must do even if that's not going to help encourage making it happen! Siam Reap speaks for itself too. Vietnam is full of life and pretty modern in places also, never did the tunnels - also didn't appeal to me, but have done Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay (will blow your mind), and Haiphong briefly after almost getting stranded on an island taking a different route back to the main land. Food is brilliant in both places, but particularly Vietnam. What type of thing do you look for in a holiday? Happy to point in the right direction. Back off to Thailand in a month myself, the region is my second home.

Thanks for the response. I was looking at 4 days in HCM and 3 in PP with a week on the beach in Ho Tram in between. Another place I've not been to which I'd love to is Rio, I'm getting more traction there so I think I'll likely pursue that one and revisit the Far East trip another time.

 

[North Shropshire Lad]

Anyone been to Tobago?

Just picked up a very good last minute deal heading out New Year’s Eve. Assuming flights etc run ok should be in the hotel approximately 8.00pm their time and good to party. I guess not many want to travel at that time hence the deal, but anyway, a bit of spontaneity always works so decided to just strap yourself in.

Any must do’s and must don’t’s always appreciated.

Trinidad and Tobago declares emergency as murder rate soars

The country has one of the highest homicide rates in the region, with more than 620 killed this year.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[EpsomWolf]

I’d read Trinidad especially was having a lot of problems, particularly around the Port of Spain but Tobago was much less affected.

Have booked a day mountain biking with a guide in a remote area so will have a ponder about that one, but that’s pretty much through mountain villages and suchlike so would imagine will be ok. Will decide on that when there. We’re in a quiet adults only resort and only going for a week anyway so will probably mostly just stay out of the way and eat drink and swim.

I normally keep an eye on the government guidelines as holiday insurance is invalidated if there are warnings not to travel, but there’s nothing about T&T at the moment.

 

[North Shropshire Lad]

Good luck

 

[EpsomWolf]

Good luck

In the end all felt perfectly safe. Probably the quietest and most chilled place I’ve ever been. Cycled, hiked in the rainforest, hired a car and travelled to deserted beaches. Very exposed at times but never for a minute felt uneasy. The word is the trouble is in Trinidad and a lot of Tobagonians we spoke to didn’t seem to like the ‘Trinis’ who they see as having a different culture and responsible for any trouble, but most of the other tourists were in fact holidaying Trinidadians and it all felt extremely laid back so not sure what to read into that.

Not a place to go if you want to plonk yourself on a chair by the pool, talk to other holidaymakers and eat gluttonous amounts of what you’d eat at home, but if you want to swim in warm seas, walk on deserted beaches and eat in tin covered shacks where the only dish on offer is what was caught that day, then it’s a version of paradise.

Not for everyone but one of the few places I’d go back to in a heartbeat.