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There are a few hostels on the islands and the very best on Maui is a hostel called Banana Bungalow Wailuku, which everyone seems to have heard about (so book in advance). They offer more stuff than any hostel I've ever stayed in anywhere in the world: free trips to great destinations all over the island every day (I did a 12-mile hike around the big volcano, a trip to some beautiful beaches to snorkel with giant turtles, a whale-watching boat trip and a couple of days worth of other stuff) and all they ask is that you tip your tour guides who work at the hostel.
I don't ski, but visit the area. Beware of being trapped on fells or roads by blizzards and be aware temperature can fall very sharply with altitude and wind chill here, even if the hills are not high by continental standards.
A number of local pubs, shops and eateries are closed between 5pm and 7pm. But don't get me wrong, it's a fine part of the world!
If open for staying, inns in Westgate and St. John's Chapel in Weardale are well-placed for Swinhope, and the Langdon Beck Hotel and Langdon Beck Youth Hostel in Teesdale for Harwood Common and Yad Moss.
I recently used Dickins as I needed to rent an apartment for a few weeks in Edinburgh.
They are a friendly company letting self-catering holiday apartments in Edinburgh from three nights up to six months. They offered me a range of apartments to choose from. I rented an apartment in a great location on St Mary's Street. It was very well presented and had wifi broadband. Dickins are flexible so if you need to extend your stay you can usually do that. They specialise in lets over the Edinburgh festival.
www.dickins.co.uk
17 Dundas Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6QG
0131 558 1108
Nearest station: Edinburgh Waverley
Singapore already has the best airport in the world - huge terminals, clean toilets, a rooftop pool and spa, free internet terminals and an efficient Skytrain to whisk you between terminals. Now it has a top class hotel right by T3. The Crowne Plaza is perfect for a quick stopover, though not cheap. I arrived at the airport late at night with a morning flight to London. Checked into the hotel, changed and packed, strolled into the terminal to check in (Singapore Airlines does 24hr check in - no queues), back to sleep then an unhurried morning exit straight through to departures.
The BAA and everyone involved in UK airports should visit Changi, learn some lessons then hang their heads in shame.
Its location is very close to the old town with a couple of cafes locally. The rooms are functional, clean with good toilet and shower. Breakfast is included and the staff are very helpful. You could get cheaper accommodation but this was good for the price and location.
The hotel arranged an airport pickup for 20 Euros direct to the door. The only problem was the proximity to a tram line - bit noisy at night.
Zamocka 13, north of and just under the castle.
I have been to Bali many times and I always preferred to stay in a hotel because I felt I could relax and enjoy the tranquility of the island.
But the last time I went, I rented a villa and now I can't believe I have never done it before.
We enjoyed the kindness and the great cooking of the staff of the villa and most of all the privacy. We stayed at the Shanti Lodge and immediately loved the property for its great terrace for watching sunsets.
An historic village in the North East of Corfu - the classy corner of the island - has been converted into a beautiful private estate of villas with pools. The houses have been beautifully renovated and it's ideal for families. You need to hire a car. Better still, rent a boat.
Having never been to the south west of Ireland, we decided to stay in Kenmare, Co. Kerry right on the famous Ring of Kerry drive. We had the three kids and our dog with us so opted for the self-catering option. We stayed at gorgeous holiday homes in the town with Dream Ireland Holiday Homes. They seem to have loads of houses all over the town and they all looked equally nice. Ideal for our gang!
www.dreamireland.com
Tel: 064 66 41170 (+353 64 66 41170 from overseas)
The most beautiful lake side village in the world and not far from the greatest off piste ski area in Europe We stayed just down the road from Bad Goisern in a hotel I would happily recommend - the Alpenhotel Dachstein
Great ski area for intermediate skiers and no Brits or long queues at the ski lifts - it's where the local Austrians ski. I would recommend staying at the Alpenhotel Dachstein in Bad Goisern. The food was excellent and hotel facilities great for families
www.dachstein-west.at shows you the area which is 1 hrs drive south west of salzburg
This is a lovely little hotel on Chaweng Beach with rooms set in walled gardens. Very friendly staff and a there is a really good restaurant.
Although I'm a bit biased (I'm a Finn), I would still suggest people to go watch the northern lights in north Finland, Lapland.
I've spent most of my life living in Oulu, and even though Oulu is not all the way up north, we are treated every year with a magnificent display of Northern Lights. The more up north you go, the chances of seeing increase. Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland so check for flights to there.
Since the lights occur during the night, there are hotels in Lapland which will offer wakeup calls for people wanting to see them.
I can strongly recommend the Hotel Hetan Majatalo. It is one of the original tourist guest houses in Lapland where you will still find a warm welcome (in English as well as Finnish!) and delicious traditional home cooking.
Great bungalows right on one of the island's best beaches, Ao Thong Nai Pan Noi. £10 a night with fan, £25 with air-con.
I have been to Krakow twice, both times staying in an apartment in Main Market Square. In my opinion this is the best location to go sightseeing and clubbing from.
I liked the place a lot. Good towels in the big bathroom were a nice find.
I also liked the modern furniture and there was free wifi internet access.
I managed to get a really good deal on an apartment from these guys.
They gave me a better price than the last minute deals shown on the website. Combined with a cheap Ryanair flight, we managed to have a cheap long weekend in Barcelona.
www.homing-barcelona.com
+34 607 904 645
If you're thinking of going to Vegas with children, I'd check out Excalibur casino, which is child-friendly and right on the Strip (where all the major casinos are located).
It's as close to a "family" casino as you can get (with the possible exception of Circus Circus which is also on the Strip, but much farther down where the older - and grottier - casinos are located). You can walk up and down the Strip from that location, it's minutes from the airport, and you're right in the heart of the action. Right now they're virtually giving the rooms away.
This is a stunning riad made up of four self-catering apartments. All the apartments have access to a communal terrace and courtyard.
Dar Lazuli is really close to the main square in Essaouira and we found it just a nice little place to chill out relax.
I booked an apartment through New York Habitat in New York for a week and I recommend their site. It is user-friendly and the booking process was straight forward. Their agent gave me all the info I needed and the apartment was exactly as shown on their website, clean and comfortable, ideally located. Still, the best of all was the owner of the apartment who was really nice and helpful. I really enjoyed my stay there and it was much better than staying at a hotel, and cheaper, too
Rome was our final stop on a three-week trip to Italy. Here we received all the information we wanted and a map of the city. Paola explained where to go, what to buy, how to avoid crowds... all the useful tips. They showed us the best restaurants we've ever eaten in – and they weren’t even expensive. The location is great, around the corner from Navona Square. Bring your walking shoes and you can reach everything by foot.
In the Heart of Rome - Navona Square
www.palazzodelduca.com
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