I have just returned from a short stay in the quaint city of Brussels and must say Christmas is a perfect time to go. There were cute little Christmas stalls selling all kinds of unique knick-knacks and everyone was warming up by sipping glue vine (mulled wine) and munching on Belgian waffles.

If you do get the chance to visit the city head over to the Grand Place (pictured) when it gets dark, the light display is not to be missed, beautiful buildings are lit up and opera music blasts into the square, a huge Christmas tree is located in the centre so it will really give you that Christmas time feeling.

We took the Eurostar from St. Pancras International to Brussels and stayed at the Sheraton Brussels for three nights. I was really impressed with the efficiency of the train and amazed at the journey time (now less than 2 hours). The hotel was a short taxi ride away and we were slap bang in the middle of everything.

The Sheraton is rated as 5* but to be honest I thought the rooms and bathrooms were more 4*. Although everything was very clean and tidy the rooms are quite outdated and need a bit of an uplift. The hotel itself, restaurants, bars and spa are lovely and we had a very enjoyable stay. The only nuisance I found was because of the fantastic location we could hear a lot of traffic and police cars late into the night.

If you fancy a late deal and a chance to get some Christmas shopping in, get onto lastminute.com to see what’s available.

I took my fiance to Madrid for his birthday and we stayed at the most amazing hotel just outside the city centre. I new the hotel was going to be nice but wasn’t expecting it to be so luxurious. At the time Last Minute were offering a fantastic deal on a 2 night break away and we were able to upgrade to the Juban Executive floor for hardly anything and add breakfast to our stay.

The Executive floor is situated at the top of the building, you have great views of the area and all the rooms are huge suites. The floor even has a private reception desk and an executive lounge that serves soft or alcoholic drinks, snacks and cake all day free of charge. We therefore spent very little money outside the hotel!

As you can see from the pictures, the rooms are extremely modern, spacious and beautifully decorated. The rooms on the executive floor consist of a kitchen area, lounge with flat screen TV, bedroom and bathroom with separate shower and toilet. If you want a short break away in pure luxury this is definitely a wonderful hotel to visit. Visit the Mirasierra Website for more pictures and information.

Like most people I know, each year New Years Eve comes around, my friends and I come up with some fabulous and wild plan and end up doing the same thing we did the previous years, counting down in our local town. So this year I am determined to make it a good one. I was thinking New York. What better time could there be? Christmas and January sales, possible snow in Central Park, the famous Rockefeller Centre outdoor ice rink and a lively New Years in Times Square! Sounds too good to be true, but it is possible just a bit pricey.

Be prepared to pay around £650 or more from the 30th of December to the 3rd of January. I found some great options with Expedia, staying in three or four star hotels, flying with British Airways from London, Heathrow to New York, JFK. The Hilton Garden Inn looks like a good option in Chelsea; it is central, contemporary and starts from around £693. Alternatively if you don’t mind splurging the four and a half star Trump International Hotel starts at around £1001 but is pure luxury with wonderful views of Central Park.

Visit www.expedia.com and take your pick.

Every year my Christmas is spent at home with the family, why not make it a bit special and a little bit more romantic, in Paris with a loved one? Not that a family Christmas around a fire isn’t just as appealing, but maybe this year surround yourself with a Parisian atmosphere. Visit the Eiffel Tower and the wonderful selection of art galleries or shop on the Champs Elysées and have a romantic meal followed by a romantic walk down the River Seine.

Expedia have some great deals at the moment staying in the heart of the city, priced between £200 and £300, in either three or four star hotels. The Hotel Concorde La Fayette is a four star and looks modern and stylish, with some wonderful views over the city. Prices are around £270 staying from the 23rd of December to the 27th with excellent flights between London Heathrow and Paris.

Visit www.expedia.com to find your ideal Christmas break. After all, we are in need of well deserved break in the holidays!

I’ve always been one to book holidays in advance as I absolutely love the fact that I know I’m definitely going! Anyway, summers over (boo) so I’m planning the winter break. After browsing through the Thomas Cook website I’ve found, what looks like a lovely holiday in the Andes!

The Solana Hotel in Arinsal looks welcoming and cosey. It’s ideal for families and a bus stops outside every 15 to 20 minutes to take you to the stunning slopes. At a 3 star class the hotel provides an indoor pool, steam and sauna, 24 hour reception, restaurant, lounge with TV bar and is available on a half or full board basis. I checked the holiday out leaving the 6th of January 2007 and returning on the 13th on a half board basis, based on 2 people sharing leaving from London Gatwick and it was just £261. Just an idea, but have a look for yourself at www.thomascook.com.

The Hotel H10 Palmasol is a perfect hotel to stay in for a relaxing break in the sun. The hotel is located in the heart of Benalmadena, about a minute walk away from the beautiful marina, beach and nightlife.

Apart from the hotels gorgeous pool and fabulous location, there are many other great reasons to stay. The hotel provides a half board basis where a buffet breakfast and lunch is served, many activities to choose from for entertainment, a bar with evening entertainment and food served through out the day and an excellent cleaning service.

Rooms are nicely sized with a spacious and clean bathroom, separate bedroom and lounge with a balcony and if you’re lucky the rooms with a marina view have balconies three times the size of all other rooms.

Benalmadena is a small town located on the Costa Del Sol. Holiday makers flock there during the summer to see its award winning marina, lovely hotels and beautiful beaches. Not settled with just Benalmadena? You can experience most other parts of the Spanish south coast and even Morocco as an excursion with your tour operator. I recommend the trips to Puerto Banus and Tangiers in Morocco, these make the holidays just perfect!

Check out www.lastminute.com for some excellent deals at the Hotel Palmasol and resort of Benalmadena.

Two blocks from Times Square, half a block to Fifth Ave, three blocks from Rockefeller Centre and three blocks from Grand Central Station, Club Quarters Midtown is the perfectly situated hotel.

Comfortable and contemporary, Club Quarters is a clean and classy hotel perfect for those who are interested in tourist attractions, shopping or simply in New York on business.

The hotel has a restaurant, meeting room and bar which are old fashioned and grand. The hotel itself is large with a selection of rooms for doubles and singles with high speed internet access and a television with a range of American channels. Rooms are nicely sized and very clean with a maid service daily.

A perfectly located hotel with short walks from other attractions such as Central Park, The Empire State Building, Madison Square Gardens, Macys and Bloomingdales. For great value deals to stay at the hotel go to www.expedia.com.

For pictures:

http://www.expedia.co.uk/pub/agent.dll/qscr=dspv/nojs=1/htid=533993

New York is a ‘must’ when it comes to long weekend breaks and The Gansevoort Hotel really compliments the New York City lifestyle. Situated in the heart of the cool Meat Packing District, The Gansevoort is a great location to stay in for cuisine, night life and shopping, its close to Greenwich Village and overlooks the Hudson river on the west side of the Manhattan borough.

The hotel itself is contemporary and chic, ideal for young couples and groups. The rooms are spacious, but I hear that depends on the room you are allocated. There are also fantastic amenities including wireless phones, iPod docking stations, complimentary WiFi, and mini bars. The main attraction of the hotel is the roof top swimming pool with spectacular views of Manhattan. This swimming pool is open to hotel guests only during the day with a bar that compliments the scene. At night the pool closes and the bar transforms into one of New York’s hottest night spots. It is just what you imagine the typical New York bar scene, cool breezes, beautiful faces, trendy dress code and classy cocktails. The hotel also has a restaurant called ONO which serves Japanese and sushi cuisine which I did not try but hear is good.

Overall this is a hip hotel in a native neighbourhood rather than a tourist one.

Its September and Mexico is suffering from what feels like a heat wave, a wonderful surprise as I was told to expect tropical storms. The main strip in Cancun is filled with hotels, clubs, bars, restaurants and more hotels. Arriving at the Grand Oasis Cancun was all I dreamt. The hotel was sophisticated, large and luxurious.

The hotel consists of one main five star building in the centre of the complex, surrounded by tropical gardens and a quarter of a mile in length pool with two pool bars for those who wish for a true, lazy and relaxing holiday. On each corner edge of the complex are blocks of apartments which are four star buildings with restaurants, a tennis court, a spa, a night club and a gym scattered around them. Not content with a beautiful pool? Walk straight out of the main complex towards the pool and you’ll see the sea. Just in front of the hotel is the beach which is long and stunning, complimented by the tropical clear blue sea. Five star rooms are very spacious with a mini bar and four star rooms are just as good, a bit smaller but all double rooms come with two king size beds. Rooms are cleaned each day and are of a high quality.

The great thing about this hotel is that even if you’re staying in one of the four star buildings you have the same access to all facilities that five star rooms pay for too. The main reception and five star building have two bars and a restaurant called Careyes which is for five star guests only. Careyes is a lovely restaurant and well recommended, try the steak, its tender and mouth watering which was complimented by the champagne you are allowed as part of the all inclusive band. Four star accommodations allow access to most other restaurants and bars which are equally as delicious, Dos Lunos serve lovely fish and Italian dishes and Tunkul International host a buffet with all types of food to try.

The hotel is centred on the strip and has easy access to the night life and restaurants in the centre of Cancun. The buses are regular and run through the night but a taxi is better for those who want a quick entrance into town. The town is lively and I recommend Coco Bongo as not only is it a night club, there are shows put on throughout the night but you have to see this for yourself. On top of this there is a wide selection of excursions available, the water park is a good choice to swim with dolphins.

A perfect oasis.

Read reviews about the Grand Oasis at Trip Advisor.

I visited the Taurito Princess, Gran Canaria in December 2005. Unfortunately the weather was awful so the photographs do not do the complex any justice. I wouldn’t say it was the most memorable holiday I have ever had but I’m sure it would have been lovely if the sun had been out for more than a day!

The hotel itself was lovely and clean with marble floors and a nicely decorated interior. The first thing that struck me as we drove up in the coach was its location – on the very side of a cliff. I had never seen a hotel in this sort of position before but I thought it was really cool. The good thing about this was you had a lovely sea view and you could see into the town of Taurito from most rooms.

Rooms

There are 404 rooms in the Taurito Princess spanning 11 floors. 392 of these are double rooms and 12 are larger suites. The double rooms are a reasonable size with either a double bed or two singles to choose from, they have an attractive yellow patterned overthrow with white sheets and a blanket underneath. The beds are very comfortable with a long pillow per person; additional pillows can be requested at reception if needed. Full-length curtains between the room and balcony match the bed cover decoration and help keep out the heat.

The walls are plain white with 2 art pieces hanging up and the floor is covered with shiny white tiles. The rooms are a little outdated compared to the rest of the hotel and probably more to a 3* standard but the maid comes in every morning and keeps them nice and clean. Each room has a large square shaped balcony with plastic table and chairs and due to the situation of the hotel; every room has a sea view to its right and a view of the town to its left. There are 12 suites located on floors 6 – 11.

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