We all want to travel the world (well, most of us!) and it seems that every time I log on to Instagram some bikini clad person is strutting around some amazing beach whilst it pours it down with rain here in the UK. Queue a cake-ridden binge fest to drown my sorrows. One, they look amazing in said bikini and two, I’m not there. As mentioned in previous posts I was once a travel agent for 8 years so know a few tricks of the trade to make sure you are getting the most for your money. Luckily we make roughly 3 trips abroad a year, with a few UK breaks thrown in too & I want to share with you how we plan for our travel plans cost effectively!
As the days keep ticking by, I’m slowly marking an ”X” on each day. I know I shouldn’t wish my days away but at the moment there is only one thing on my mind and that my friends is a trip to Mexico in 45 days. AS I’m dreaming of cocktails and lounging around on a beautiful white, sandy beach with nothing but the waves to keep my ears company I know I have some major prepping to do. Not only am I working out 2-3 times a week to tone up that dreaded tummy of mine – I’m also needing to keep in tact my hairy legs. Yes you heard me. I have a really hairy body. I actually kind of wear it as a badge of honour now & when the discussion arises of ”how much hair we had as a child?” I’m always first to raise my hand in the air and proudly say ”I looked like a monkey when I was born.” Here there’s even proof; You have to admit it’s a colossal amount of hair, am I right?
I’m not going to lie, I was pretty bummed that we hadn’t made any elaborate plans for our 1st wedding anniversary on Sunday. I knew we would go out to dinner but for some reason this just was not getting my pulse going. I needed something a little more luxurious that wasn’t going to break the bank. I turned to Mr C & I said; ”Please can we just see if there are any dinner, bed & breakfast deals somewhere?” bearing in mind this was 2.30pm on the day of our anniversary. I was determined we weren’t just going to let it pass by. Granted, Mr C had gone out and bought me some of the most beautiful flowers and yes, his card actually made me weep the morning I opened it as he put something ”semi-romantic” in it, which in my eyes means a lot coming from someone who isn’t quite the most romantic man in the world. We had off-loaded the dog already so I needed something, anything!
We had obviously been bestowed with some absolutely glorious coastal sights so it was time for some real history.
If you live under a rock, the region of Napoli is home to Mount Vesuvius, the Volcano that spectacularly erupted and covered Pompeii & Herculaneum in molten lava. It left people running for their lives and sadly a lot of lives were lost.
Sounds horrendous? Yes.
Was I excited to see some dead bodies? Yes.
As disgusting/morbid/crazy/insert any other word here that describes something as positively scary as it sounds, I was so excited to see this and at every corner I was hoping to see a ‘’person’’ running for their lives.
Did I see that? No. Not until the end that is.
The site goes on for acres & acres, you forget you are walking around what was essentially a full blown City! I became terribly dense and got ever so bored of the ‘’peasants’’ houses, but what caught my eye was the amazing architecture of the ‘’wealthy’’ homes.
If you want to get to Pompeii you just need to head to Sorrento and hop on the train, the main line runs every 15 minutes or so, back & forth on the line to Naples. It cost us 4 euros each return and 12 euros per person to get in to Pompeii. MUCH cheaper than paying through your tour operator or hotel, it also gives you the flexibility to arrive and leave when you want to!
Yes. I finally found some gore to wet my appetite. I am aware I am very strange!
Aside from the beautiful art & architecture this is what I was waiting for..,
Yep, I traipsed around for hours to finally see these ash covered bodies right at the end. But, was it worth it? Yes. I feel like I got a snap shot of what life was like back then in beautiful Italia! Did you enjoy Pompeii? What were your must see sights?
I must apologise straight away. This post is and can only be described as ‘’PHOTO HEAVY’’, but there is reason behind the madness and lack of the written word. That is because Sorrento & the surrounding Amalfi Coast happens to be what I consider as, the most beautiful place I have ever seen.
It wasn’t just any old holiday, it was the big one, our Honeymoon. We searched endlessly for our Honeymoon and despite me being a travel agent at the time we just could not draw to a conclusion. When an ex-colleague returned from her own Honeymoon and described Italy to me I was quite literally blown away.
So we set to it, finding a perfect spot. Italy is known for being notoriously expensive (however, on arrival it wasn’t quite as bad as we had been lead to believe!) and we managed to find a gem of a hotel that offered All Inclusive which is a rarity in Italy. We stayed at The Hotel Mar Alimuri & Spa located in Meta de Sorrento which was a few kilometres from the centre of Sorrento itself. We were discouraged from walking all the way there, however, never ones for following rules we laced up our new running trainers and did it. Boy, was it hot!
As the hotel offered a free shuttle service in to Sorrento we sampled a few of the lovely restaurants to get a taste of the ‘’Real Italy’’ which I can assure you was very tasty!
Amongst the beautiful hotel and Sorrento City Centre we ventured to the Amalfi Coast which is jaw droppingly beautiful and when I say ‘’jaw droppingly’’ make sure you don’t wobble and fall off that cliff when your jaw drops because it’s a long, long, longggggg way down! Positano & Amalfi are a must see and if you are privy to using local transport and aren’t shy of exploring I would suggest using the Sightseeing Red Bus that leaves from Sorrento’s Train Station every hour and exploring the Amalfi coast that way because it is only 8 euros each and each time you hop back on it is 4 euros. Much cheaper than the hotel or tour operator excursions. Did I mention you get free earphones to listen to the commentary too? If you only have a couple of days to explore, this handy guide of things to do in the Amalfi Coast will help!
(I did say this post would be laden with photos!)
I do hope you have enjoyed a few of my snaps from our honeymoon. Other hints, tips and guides to some of this regions hotspots are coming in my next blog posts so be sure to come back and check then out!
Have you been to Sorrento & did you fall in love with the area?
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