topharry123 Posted 27 July 2011 Posted 27 July 2011 I went to Vegas in 08 and although it's not everybodys cup of tea I loved it, it was over 100F in September so very very hot I can recommend going to the Hard Rock Hotel pool party, $20 to get in to what is basically an outdoor club beach are with free vodka drinks all night, bands on stage, swim up bars, amazing women etc I woke up the next day in the bathtub wearing just my swimming shorts and a pair of shades that went mine so don't take any valuables i'll have to check that out, we went through the hotel last time and didn't even know it had a pool! It's amazing the amount of things you can miss in Vegas without knowing they're there, but doesn't really matter as there's so much other stuff going on !
Soar Fox Posted 27 July 2011 Posted 27 July 2011 i'll have to check that out, we went through the hotel last time and didn't even know it had a pool! It's amazing the amount of things you can miss in Vegas without knowing they're there, but doesn't really matter as there's so much other stuff going on ! I'm staying in the MGM, apparently there's a pool party there called wet republic which David Guetta will be DJ'ing at. Planning on going over grand canyon on a helicopter. Only going for 6 nights so don't know how much time we'll get to do a lot of things.
foxoffderby Posted 28 July 2011 Posted 28 July 2011 I'm staying in the MGM, apparently there's a pool party there called wet republic which David Guetta will be DJ'ing at. Planning on going over grand canyon on a helicopter. Only going for 6 nights so don't know how much time we'll get to do a lot of things. Vegas is the real deal believe the hype. First time I went was with the Mrs it was nice did the shows etc. Did the helicopter trip to the grand canyon and the hoover dam had picnic in the middle of the canyon all very nice. 2nd time was to my brothers stag last Feb. That was just carnage we were there for four nights didnt get back to the hotel untill 9/10 am every day from the previous night. Woke up the first night dressed up still had slept in the shower. The clubs out there are real superclubs. Very expensive though. If there is a group of you book in advance and expect to pay a lot for table service, there is a minimum spend per table e.g 2-4 bottles of vodka per table. Otherwise be prepared to stand all night. ps you must take your passport/driving licence everywere to get in any nightclub doesnt matter how old you look/are One thing you must do is go on the shooting range live bullits pick your gun and shoot.It costs about $50 - $70 Out of this world my weapon of choice was the UZI 9mm...living the dream
clare Posted 29 July 2011 Posted 29 July 2011 Enjoyed reading your travelog. Enjoy New York and if you have time, rent a car and get out of the city, the trees will be turning colour in New England about then. I'm only there for 5 nights, so won't have time to rent a car unfortunately. I'm doing all the proper touristy stuff! I'd love to do something like that some time, though. Already have vague plans next year to spend a fortnight in the USA/Canada, splitting my time between Seattle and Vancouver. Would definitely rent a car then and drive into the various National Parks, mountains etc.
clare Posted 29 July 2011 Posted 29 July 2011 Those photos are great. That's what I call fresh air. It certainly is! So clean and fresh - did wonders for my sinuses. The temperature difference in the different elevations was amazing. In the valley in Lauterbrunnen (elevation about 2500ft above sea level), the temperature was quite warm (in the twenties). At the top of Jungfraujoch at an elevation of 11,500ft above sea level, it was -5 degrees celsius!
clare Posted 29 July 2011 Posted 29 July 2011 Good read spectacular scenery......next time i go i might wear shoes why toes were a bit cold by the end of the day. Especially when i had to do push ups in the snow! We stayed in Cabins there and none of the rooms had locks on them as we were told there is no need as it is the safest place in the world. Did your hotel room have a lock? Agree the cabe car ride is awesome and so relaxing especially with all the cattle up the mountain with the cow bells it was just such a pleaseant experience. Went to Gerraginger Fjords last year was truly mystical and beautiful. Never been so lost for words in my life absolutly stunning place. , why were you doing push ups in the snow? Yeah, my hotel room had a lock. I wouldn't have wanted otherwise being a woman travelling alone! The noise of the cow bells is something else. When I came back to England, I woke up the next morning missing the sound of them. Would love to go to the Norwegian fjords at some point too. Maybe head to Tromso and try and see the Northern Lights!
Head Honcho Posted 29 July 2011 Posted 29 July 2011 It certainly is! So clean and fresh - did wonders for my sinuses. The temperature difference in the different elevations was amazing. In the valley in Lauterbrunnen (elevation about 2500ft above sea level), the temperature was quite warm (in the twenties). At the top of Jungfraujoch at an elevation of 11,500ft above sea level, it was -5 degrees celsius! Just booked a week in the South of France in early September.
clare Posted 29 July 2011 Posted 29 July 2011 Wrap up well!!! It gets cold. I'm in Vegas atm, returning Thursday I'm off to Geneva for my birthday in September if anyone has any tips? Please. First time. Off to Berlin in Novemeber, again, first time. Returning to Havana next March. Lovely!! I went to Geneva last year (Feb 2010). As with any other place in Switzerland, it's really expensive! If you're a science nerd or have an interest in these things, visit CERN and get a free tour. In terms of transport, our hotel gave us a free visitor card which entitled us to free transport on the trams - an excellent way of getting about the city. Also you might want to check out St Peter's Cathedral and the United Nations building. See My link
Mickey O'Neil Posted 30 July 2011 Posted 30 July 2011 What's Vegas like weather wise mate? Going there myself on 24th august. It's around 104 degrees during the day ATM. The other night it was 96 at midnight! I found it too hot but i didn't moan. Humidity is low (very low) which helps. Tbh, I've always gone around November and it's been mid/high 70's. T-shirt during the day, thin long sleeve during the night. How do you manage to get around this much? Are you a traveling salesman or a professional poker player?.. Ha! I wish! I work for the NHS so get 7 weeks annual leave at the minute. Cheers for the Geneva tips, all noted. I don't have kids and don't go on the piss in town much either. Travel is my biggest luxury. I always try to plan 2-3 holidays in advance. Has anybody been to Cuba on holiday? Originally we were just planning on going to somewhere in europe for a couple of weeks at the.start of september, we have.now decided that we are going to wait abit, save.some more cash and go long haul in january. Have heard mixed reviews about cuba but the beaches look amazing! If anyone can share some of their experiences of Cuba, or the surrounding islands then it would be much apprecieted. We can probably go up to around £900 each. Cheers fellas We went Havana in December. We both loved it although it really does depend on what you want from a holiday. We are more culture vultures than beach bums. Like I said, We are not beach bums so avoided Varradero but did go to a beach in/just outside Havana on one day which was nice time out and quite secluded. One thing that is true is the food is shockingly bland (especially for a Caribbean island). Take a couple of bottles of Tabasco if you like spicy food! Don't get me wrong, it's not bad food, just quite bland. There is virtually nothing at all to spend your money on. Seriously. I just bought cigars and my wife got bugger all but we did know that before we went. The biggest thing we spent money on (apart from cigars) was a trip in one of those 50's American cars. That took us from the Capitol building to the square where Fidel does his speeches. The driver waited while we got out and took loads of pictures. He then drove us back to the centre of Havana and cost £20 which is an awful lot of money for a Cuban to earn (which we didn't mind). The two best Hotels in Havana are The Nacional and the Parque Central. They are both fantastic in their own ways, so again depends on what you are after. Let me k ow when you're all going, if it's December, there's something you need to know about the Nacional!!! I've also stopped at the Presidente ( or something similar, the staff were very nice there.) I'm on my phone atm, but will post properly when I've collected my cat from the cattery and I'm on a proper computer.
Mickey O'Neil Posted 30 July 2011 Posted 30 July 2011 Stix, just been mooching through some of my Cuba photos...makes me want to go back now! Just re-read your post, January is out of hurricane season so you'll be fine there. The Cubans mostly eat Moros y Cristianos (Moors and Christians aka rice and beans), pork, chicken and salad. I don't recall any foreign type restaurants except for one near the Nacional which did pasta/Italian type cooking. My wife is a veggie so that's one of the first things she looks at when we go somewhere new. Just a warning for anyone who goes in early December and stays at the Nacional. The South American movie awards thingymajig is held there so the hotel gets packed with movie stars/directors etc. There is a good chance they will kick you out and move you to another hotel for a few days! We saw that blonde actress who is in the Bourne films (the one who is his original girlfriend and works for the Agency but he doesn't know she was). There are open top tour buses which you can hop on, hop off where you like and iirc, there are 3 circuits they do. They are rather unpredictable though so don't wait for the last bus 'cus it might not come! The upside is, 99.99% of cars in Havana are potential taxis. That meaning, there are millions of Lada's and nearly anyone will give you a lift to just about anywhere in Havana for about 5 CUC's. Just negotiate the price with the car owner first and they shouldn't renege on the deal. They never did with us. They will be pleased to earn some extra money. The one thing they won't do is drop you right outside the hotel doors as it is not a proper taxi. When I went 7 months ago, 1 CUC = 66pence. You can't get any currency before you go as it is a closed currency. You'll have to take stirling. I am dubious about changing currency in hotels as I believe they give shitty rates, however, the Hotel Nacional did give the best rates when we were there. You can't use any bank cards which are connected to American banks and I recall seeing only one cash machine. Please don't let the money thing put you off, it's a fantastic country. There are two currencies there, the CUC and the local one (which is useless to tourists, and worthless). Don't exchange CUC for the local currency with the locals. The hotels etc won't give you the local currency so don't worry there. Mojitos in Havana, even in hotels, were between 2-4 CUC. Very cheap, very nice!! They were 3 CUC on the beach. We had 2 pasta dishes and 2 drinks in a hotel (Presidente) one night, came to no more than 15 CUCfor both of us iirc. The Hotel Nacional The back of the Nacional Inside the Parque Central Leicester's (not so) finest scoffing some local grub!! Beach 30 minutes from Havana
clare Posted 30 July 2011 Posted 30 July 2011 Someone put my mind at rest about flying Why? Has something happened? i.e. a crash? Or are you like me - not a good flyer. I get all nervous, restless and the heart starts pounding. Always a relief to touch down on the ground!
Mickey O'Neil Posted 30 July 2011 Posted 30 July 2011 Someone put my mind at rest about flying Piece of p!ss! Can be boring, especially when you get into the 10 hour flights. Safe as. Try Ireland, a 50 minute flight if you're not so sure.
KFS Posted 30 July 2011 Posted 30 July 2011 I'm like Clare- I can't think of anything worse than flying. I'm off to Teneriefe with my girlfriend on Thursday and I'm just gonna have a panic attack ;(
Mickey O'Neil Posted 30 July 2011 Posted 30 July 2011 Took me a while to get used to it after a big break. I just try and sleep on planes these days. I still never drink on a plane though, can't think of anything worse than feeling airsick when stuck on a plane. You'll be fine, boredom is your biggest enemy. That and a loose mind!
clare Posted 30 July 2011 Posted 30 July 2011 My near 8 hour flight to NYC in October will be interesting. Never spent that long on a plane before. I guess the key will be to just amuse myself or try and take a nap if at all poss.
NeilyBoy Posted 30 July 2011 Posted 30 July 2011 The amount of safety checks required before a plane can even take off put my mind at perfect ease. No worries Gonna join my parents in Bergerac, South of France (well my Ryanair flight lands in Bergerac - God knows where the actual destination is).
KFS Posted 30 July 2011 Posted 30 July 2011 I just think it's wrong that humans are capable of being so high up! Going to Google some plane facts to help thanks guys and girls The amount of safety checks required before a plane can even take off put my mind at perfect ease. No worries Gonna join my parents in Bergerac, South of France (well my Ryanair flight lands in Bergerac - God knows where the actual destination is). Went there last year- bloody beautiful!
Danno Posted 30 July 2011 Posted 30 July 2011 Going to Florida on friday. Going economy class virgin airlines, got some wing seats with extra leg room lucky me! . Anyone know what its like there? Never travelled with Virgin before.
SOCCERROO FOX Posted 31 July 2011 Posted 31 July 2011 , why were you doing push ups in the snow? Yeah, my hotel room had a lock. I wouldn't have wanted otherwise being a woman travelling alone! The noise of the cow bells is something else. When I came back to England, I woke up the next morning missing the sound of them. Would love to go to the Norwegian fjords at some point too. Maybe head to Tromso and try and see the Northern Lights! Was a game we were playing if you said the word 'mine' you needed to do push ups regardless of where you were hence push ups in the snow whilst poorly atired My near 8 hour flight to NYC in October will be interesting. Never spent that long on a plane before. I guess the key will be to just amuse myself or try and take a nap if at all poss. Try flying Aus to England 12 and 10 hour flight back to back not fun
FoxesAreBlue Posted 31 July 2011 Posted 31 July 2011 Going to Florida on friday. Going economy class virgin airlines, got some wing seats with extra leg room lucky me! . Anyone know what its like there? Never travelled with Virgin before. The first time I went to the states I flew with virgin in economy, I was dreading it expecting an extended ryanair style flight. It's a world away. Free drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic, they bring plenty of food around, 1 main meal and the some nuts/pretzels later on. But by far the best thing is the individual screens you get in each seat where you can control what you watch, they have a decent selection of fairly recent films, (showing films in that stage where they have stopped showing it at the cinema but not out on DVD yet) tv shows, music, some weird games and a flight tracker thing showing speed, altitude etc. They also give you a bag with headphones, flight socks, toothbrush and toothpaste (the toothpaste tastes like shit) All in all a good flight, each time I flew I ran out o time to watch/listen to everything I wanted to
Danno Posted 31 July 2011 Posted 31 July 2011 The first time I went to the states I flew with virgin in economy, I was dreading it expecting an extended ryanair style flight. It's a world away. Free drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic, they bring plenty of food around, 1 main meal and the some nuts/pretzels later on. But by far the best thing is the individual screens you get in each seat where you can control what you watch, they have a decent selection of fairly recent films, (showing films in that stage where they have stopped showing it at the cinema but not out on DVD yet) tv shows, music, some weird games and a flight tracker thing showing speed, altitude etc. They also give you a bag with headphones, flight socks, toothbrush and toothpaste (the toothpaste tastes like shit) All in all a good flight, each time I flew I ran out o time to watch/listen to everything I wanted to Thanks very much mate
vandamman Posted 31 July 2011 Posted 31 July 2011 Croyde Bay next week, cant wait. Bit of surfing hopefully, not that I can...
Christoph Posted 31 July 2011 Posted 31 July 2011 Just came back from Bulgaria, sunny beach. Brilliant place and had an awesome time, so much drinking... Anyone who is interested in going, i'll be happy to answer some questions.
foxoffderby Posted 31 July 2011 Posted 31 July 2011 Going to Florida on friday. Going economy class virgin airlines, got some wing seats with extra leg room lucky me! . Anyone know what its like there? Never travelled with Virgin before. They also give you ice cream when they play the movies
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