Here are some more WiFi hotels where you can take your dog with you. This time I have been checking hotels in Gloucestershire. This is the English county where you have the highest chance of seeing a member of the Royal Family, the county is rural and typifies the image of Britain that most visitors from other countries are seeking. Read more »

I mentioned recently that we were trying to book a holiday villa when we went away in August, but we found that all the best ones had been booked up for months. I prefer the flexibility of vacation rentals above hotels, and I really like to stay in a cottage or condo that has the personal touch of a local owner. Last year we were lucky and we stayed in two properties where the owner’s family also used the house for short breaks. This means some of the extras are included that you do not see when you stay in a large development. Read more »

Somebody asked me yesterday why I consider free internet access to be so important for hotels to provide.  If you work at home you will know exactly why this is one of the prime reasons that I feature a hotel. Even if you are taking a break from the daily grind, you really need to check that things are ticking along at least once a day. Read more »

I listed quite a few dog friendly hotels with WiFi in England recently, this was not simply an act of devotion by me: we wanted to find a place to stay for ourselves. As an independent travel blogger I pay my own way, so I do not get these opportunities to review a hotel as a guest very often. The Hillcroft is a small ‘Boutique Hotel’ with six rooms and suites in Torquay, situated about eight minutes’ walk from the centre of Torquay. This is quite a hilly town and the Hillcroft sits above the town, as the name implies. The walk is not too taxing but I would not advise anyone who is infirm to attempt it. Read more »

In California there is a lot of attention to sustainable living and some excellent people have organised trips and activities to introduce their ideas of living in tune with the environment, especially on vacation. When you visit California you can take guided foraging trips into the canyons to find out about all the wild edible plants and fruits that are abundant and free.
On this excursion trip, led by Sunny Johnson, the haul included wild mustard, malva greens and cheeses, ice plants, blackberry new growth tops, sticky monkey flower, elderflower, wild lettuce, ceanothus berries for soap and much more. The video is fascinating and I am sure after watching it you will want to visit this part of the States so I have looked around at places to stay in the vicinity.
I found great hotel room rates at the Hilton in Woodland Hills, which is a pet friendly hotel with internet access, just six miles from Tapanga Canyon, where Sunny led the wild food hunt shown in the video. The hotel rooms are spacious and comfortable, the hotel has a large swimming pool and room rates are around $100 per night. The Hilton also operates a free shuttle bus in a three mile radius of the hotel so you can leave your car behind and reduce your carbon footprint!

If you want to visit more than one city in Spain then you will find out that this is a big country. The driving distance between major Spanish towns is more than one day’s travel, for example the train journey from Madrid to Barcelona takes anything from five hours to nine hours depending on the train service you use. However if you fly between the two cities the flying time is under one hour and because this is a domestic flight, you do not have to check in hours in advance so you can travel from Madrid and check in at any of your favourite Hotels in Barcelona in less than half a day.
Once you arrive in either destination you will be spoiled for choice. Hotels in Madrid include some of the best in Spain , like the Ritz - which has special discounted rates from EUR 419 upwards. The hotel is situated in Plaza De La Lealtad 5 28014 Madrid, convenient for exploring the Old Quarter area. Read more »

When you travel to another part of your own country or abroad, the different types of architecture can make a big impression. If you are normally surrounded by brick buildings with tiled roofs, and your holiday destination make big use of steel buildings, for example, you will notice them big time. One thing to avoid, though - do not try to make your own home resemble your favourite resort villa. A Spanish hacienda design just doesn’t look the same when transported to Oldham!

Two of the most evocative cities to stay in Europe are Berlin and Vienna and it is quite simple to combine a trip to both cities, with excellent air connections between the two. log about flying between Vienna and Berlin, and hotel to stay at in both cities. After the reunification Berlin has finally regained its status as the capital city and important buildings like the Staatsoper in Unter Den Linden have been restored to their rightful glory. Berlin also has a new funky atmosphere and is buzzing with creative enterprises. Among my favourite Hotels in Berlin are those close to the Tiergarten, I stayed at the Schweizerhof just after the Wall first came down and had an amazing time. I am not sure whether all the other Hotels in Berlin serve Vodka on the breakfast buffet, but this place certainly did. Read more »