Archive for the ‘Experience Travel’ Category

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Train Ride through Java’s volcanoes and paddy fields

30 December 2011 by

In an effort to improve and expand our Indonesian product, particularly outside of Bali and Lombok, I am spending two weeks travelling across some of the country’s 17,000 thousand islands. While it is not possible to see and cover them all, this trip to Java, Borneo, Bali, Flores and Komodo will allow us to provide a similar service and product knowledge to that currently offered in Bali, Lombok aView from train door in Central Java, Indonesiand the other countries we specialise in across Asia.

For this trip I have managed to persuade Doruk, an old school friend in between jobs, to come along for the ride. I sold him with the idea of exotic sites, top level hotels and idyllic beaches. I failed to mention that we would be moving around so much that we would not have time to fully enjoy any of these! I will be posting a series of blogs as we travel through this fascinating country, and here follows the first:

After two nights in West Java it was time to head east towards the more traditional tourist areas on the island. A night each in Jakarta and Bandung is not enough to experience what West Java has to offer but that is the downside of a research trip! The upside is that it’s a fair bit more exciting (and warmer) than being sat in the London office and of course it means you’ll all have a better experience on your future holidays to Indonesia with Experience Travel!!

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Impressions of Burma

2 December 2011 by

Cart taxi, Mandalay

Cart taxi, Mandalay

I have now returned to the UK after my trip to Burma and am back in the Experience Travel office, with all my colleagues, family and friends quizzing me about how my trip was. Honestly I had a fantastic time, but I have (unusually for a talkative person such as myself) had trouble articulating the impression that Burma has made on me . So often when people ask “how was your trip”, I say “it was amazing” but it was so overwhelmingly amazing it’s almost too difficult to describe. Almost.

Now that I’ve sat down here to write about Burma, I suddenly find that the mix of emotions and all the passion, wonder and intrigue I feel about the place have come pouring out onto the screen and I’ve actually found it hard to know when to stop writing!

 

The thing is, Burma is just such a complicated place: historically, culturally, politically, and there’s just too much to say about it. It’s impossible to talk about Burma in simple terms. With a history spanning more than 13,000 years and a population made up of a huge variety of different ethnic groups, it is an endlessly fascinating, complex and beautiful country. The country itself is stunning with an immensely varied topography. Mountains clad in thick jungle surround central lowlands and extensive rice plains and snow-capped mountains in the north reach heights of over 5,800 meters. The Mekong river that is the main artery for all of Southeast Asia also enters Burma from China’s Yunnan province, although the lifeblood of Burma is the Irrawaddy (Ayewaddy), a vast expanse of water that runs right through the centre of the country linking north to south. (more…)

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Trip Advisor – a blessing or a curse!

7 November 2011 by

The great beast lurking around any travel business these days (Google itself of course excluded) is the mighty Trip Advisor. No one in the travel business can ignore Trip Advisor and live to tell the tale. But is Trip Advisor a good thing?

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Thailand weather update: precautionary closures

6 October 2011 by

We’ve just received word from our Thailand office with the latest update about the Thailand floods.

Floods are still a big issue in areas such as Ayutthaya, Ang Thong, Sara Buri, Lop Buri, Uthai Thani, Sing Buri, Suphan Buri and Nakhon Sawan provinces, some roads are still un-passable which is causing minor disruptions to overland operations.

The national reservoirs in and around the central areas are swollen to capacity and water is having to be diverted into the main rivers which flow through the central plains and the capital city Bangkok, with such a high volume of water this is causing all kinds of disruptions to river traffic due to the rise in the water levels and localised flooding in certain areas. (more…)

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Why you need to book a holiday in Sri Lanka with your family!

17 August 2011 by

This is an ad for a competitor – not quite sure who they are or what they do, but they certainly can put an advert together!

 

I could not have put it better myself (or indeed anywhere near as well) – this is exactly what you can get from booking a holiday through us in Sri Lanka! The villas and hill country ‘bungalows’, fully staffed and fully luxurious, for me, make the best possible base for a family holiday. Add to that some activitiy and adventure in a safari camp such as Kulu Safaris or an eco lodge such as The Mudhouse and you have a real holiday of lifetime for the whole family… Contact us for a holiday with family and/or friends in Sri Lanka.

However, many thanks to Inspirato Epipheo for a brilliant video – whoever you are!

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Maalu Maalu Resort, Passekudah – luxury arrives on Sri Lanka’s east coast

25 July 2011 by

We expect this to be the first of a string of hotels to open their doors in the coming years, as this most sensationally beautiful part of the island re-enters people’s travel plans. Previously the only developments had been around the port city of Trincomalee and surrounding beaches of Upaveli and Niaveli. However, the glorious untouched coastline along the east, from Trincomalee all the way down to Arugam Bay, is blessed with many a fine stretch of sand. (more…)

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Vietnam Airlines to fly direct to Hanoi and Saigon

13 July 2011 by

Yes: it’s true. Finally there will be a direct flight from UK to Vietnam – Gatwick to be precise from the 8th December this year. There will be 2 direct flights a week to Hanoi and 2 to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh). It is old news now – but the fares are not quite available to book, but get in there ahead and talk to us now about your holiday in Vietnam.

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Experience Travel’s top 5 hotels in Vietnam:

16 June 2011 by

Experience Travel’s top 5 hotels in Vietnam:

Vietnam is a funny place for hotels. There is nothing like the variety of Thailand or even Cambodia and the vestiges of state ownership still affect the feel and design of many hotels. A sort of undynamic fustiness still pervades some of Vietnam’s more venerable institutions!
Like everything in Vietnam though, the quality of hotels is changing fast and there are some very dynamic and really great hotels around now. There are more on the way too. Here are 5 of the best that I saw on my recent (very busy) fact finding mission!
In no particular order, these 5 deserve a mention!

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Special Deals during the quiet season in Sri Lanka

4 May 2011 by

Sri Lanka is traditionally very quiet in May, June and July. The reason is that this is the time the south west monsoon traditionally hits the south west coast. However, we think it is a great time to visit. The rainy season in Sri Lanka is not clear cut as it is in parts of India and elsewhere.  Frankly, on the south west coast, there ios a good chance of rain at any time of year. You are highly unlikely to get consistent rain though – heavy short sharp showers in the late afternoon are more likely. Moreover, the central northern, northern and eastern areas of the country are generally completely dry at this time of year making it perfect for spotting the big game – elephants and leopards. (more…)

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The hidden Gem of Cambodia’s North East

16 November 2010 by

Following on from a recent article in the travel section of the Guardian newspaper, What’s New in Cambodia?, we at Experience Travel have produced a new itinerary entitled Cambodia’s North East, a tour which offers the more adventurous traveller a fantastic opportunity to explore this hidden gem.

Close to the Laos border, Ratanakiri is a beautifully remote and untouched region of South East Asia, a million miles from the tourists at Angkor Wat and the noise and pollution of Bangkok.

The tour starts with a couple of days touring the spectacular Angkor temples. From there you get completely off the tourist trail, visiting pre-Angkorian ruins in Kampong Thom and Kampong Cham, taking a boat trip to spot Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River, before spending a few nights in the remote market town of Ban Lung in the forests of Ratanakiri. (more…)

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