Scarborough, United Kingdom

Scarborough, is on the east coast of Yorkshire and was regular childhood holiday destination. It was exciting to visit again recently for a family night away, but this time as a grown up.

The town has avoided the decline that has affected some resorts whose heyday as tourist destinations has long gone, by modernising tourist facilities and diversifying the local economy to avoid over reliance on tourism. In 2009 it won a European Commission award as most enterprising town.

Elegant late Georgian and early Victorian buildings characterise the South Bay. It has coastal paths which give the sense of being somewhere remote, even though you are on the edge of a popular seaside town with a population of 50,000.

The main sea front is close to the South Bay. Its gift shops, amusements and fish and chip shops are characteristic of many British seaside resorts. As it was late October there were no sunbathers, but there was plenty of activity on the beach. Lots of dog walkers as the no dog rule is unenforced, some donkeys, many people strolling and even a sand sculptor.

The main town centre is much like any other with the usual chain stores and restaurants, along with some independently owned shops and eateries. Away from the main town centre the ‘Old Town’ is quaint in places, with plenty of narrow streets, some with cobblestones and lots of nooks and crannies to explore. Depending on where you wander, you will see some places which look a bit run down, but this isn’t on a significant scale. The main point of interest is the ruined castle and its commanding views.

The North Bay has a range of guest houses and is the newest part of the town. Most of the buildings date from the turn of the last century to the 1950s. It is a little away from the main town and while close to the sea, most of the seafront facilities are closer to the South Bay. Peasholm Park is a traditional park with a pleasant lake and oriental themes. There is also a nearby leisure centre with indoor pool.

The character of the town centre changes at night and becomes rowdy in places. The police presence is high and while noticeable the vibrant nightlife didn’t feel threatening.

Scarborough caters for different budgets and tastes. We were lucky to be staying at the Crown Spa in the South Bay. It has an impressive facade, lovely views and is on a very smart street. It has been transformed from a tired and badly run place to a comfortable well managed retreat. The style is fairly conservative and traditional, but it has a relaxing air about it. We liked our large room and the bathroom was okay, but could have been a bit more special for the price we paid. The facilities in general were a key reason for choosing the hotel and in particular the pool and health club facilities. We were well catered for at breakfast and the overall experience was a good one.

Wherever you stay in Scarborough , it has enough to keep most people happy for at least a few days. I think we’ll return.

Halong Bay and Cat Ba - worth staying for a few days

The seascape of Halong Bay makes it a must see place for many people who visit Vietnam. There are other areas in the world with similar scenery, but what is special about Halong Bay is the intensity and scale of the islands, islets and karsts; there are over 1900 islands which span a 120km of coastline.


Most people experience the spectacular scenery on a junk, which is a tourist boat that has the look of a traditional Chinese cargo ship. Junks usually have about eight cabins and run trips lasting one or two nights, they give you an opportunity to take in the views, explore caves, visit islands, swim and kayak.

Halong Bay is a tourist magnet and potentially it could be a huge disappointment. I can visualise people coming with the expectation of having a relaxing voyage and enjoying amazing views, only to have their trip ruined because they were restricted to a small area where they were driven to distraction by the sound of horns from other boats, loud music from booze cruises and felt the boats were more numerous than the rock formations they had come to see.

It is worth doing some research before booking a trip, as there isn’t necessarily a correlation between what you pay and what you get. We were lucky to have some good local knowledge and being able to talk to companies directly about what we wanted to see and do on the trip. This had the added advantage of us being able to negotiate a good price. At the very least check out forums and review sites on the web.

We opted for a 3 star junk called Cristina. The facilities in general were quite good. The bedroom had nice linen and the bathroom was fitted out to a reasonably high standard. Food was included in the price and was edible, but nothing special. The tour guide was helpful, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Our trip included one night on the boat and a night on Cat Ba (an island). While we were on the boat we had a chance to kayak in the still waters, swim and to visit a cave. We were away from the heavy concentration of junks, but never in an area which was free of other boats. It would have been a real bonus if we could have ventured further afield away from the crowds. It was worrying that there was a noticeable haze and the water wasn’t very clean in places.

If we had longer it would have been good to have spent more time on Cat Ba. It’s a cosy resort with a laid back feel and doesn’t suffer from the high volume of traffic that we experienced in the larger cities. There is some development underway on the island, but hopefully the authorities will ensure this enhances the place and does not detract from its charm. A longer stay would also have allowed more time to explore the area more generally. This is definitely worth considering if you want the views without the crowds, as it means you can escape from the tourist trail.

Halong Bay and the surrounding area is one of the most beautiful and memorable places I have ever visited. I would strongly recommend anyone visiting Vietnam to include it on their itinerary, but to make sure they do their homework and book the trip through a reputable tour company.

Vinepearl Island, Nha Trang, Vietnam

Vinepearl Island is a short ferry or cable-car ride from Nha Trang. The huge ‘Hollywoodesque’ lettering which is visible from many parts of Nha Trang made me fear it would be tacky. I was pleasantly surprised. Attractions include amusements and rides, an impressive aquarium, a circus, a water park and a clean beach. The facilities are quite good with a wide range of shops and a few restaurants.

The water park was our main reason for visiting. It has an excellent range of features for kids and big kids. There are a few large slides, a children’s pool and smaller slides, a wave pool and a ‘rapids’ attraction (you sit on a large inflatable ring and a carried along by the momentum of the water).

Other attractions are typical of those seen in theme parks. We didn’t explore everything in detail, but did have look at the aquarium, which has a range of unusual fish.

Vinpearl has accommodation or you can just visit for the day as we did. Staying for longer may suit some people, but others would it a bit limiting. It isn’t a good base for wider exploration of Nha Trang because it takes about 20 minutes to get to the mainland and then a further ten to get into the main part of Nha Trang. VinpearI gets some good reviews from honeymoon couples, something I find curious as it strikes me as a great choice for family entertainment taken in the right dose or an afternoon of fun for friends travelling together, but not a place that is set up for solo travellers or couples. I am glad we went and that our stay was short and sweet. 

The Sheraton, Nha Trang, Vietnam.

The Sheraton in Nha Trang was the base for the beach part of a recent holiday to Vietnam. We wanted something which combined good service and modern amenities, but did not totally cut us off from the place we were visiting. We considered alternatives such as the Novotel (not as luxurious) and also self contained resorts such as the Evason Ana Mandara Six Senses Hidaway and Vinpearl Resort and Spa (both a little cut off from the main town and they get hit and miss reviews on Trip Advisor). The Sheraton opened in March and has all the hallmarks which make Sheraton one of my favourite hotel brands. In my view this is definitely the best choice in Nha Trang regardless of whether the trip is a holiday or business trip.

The public areas are clean, light, luxurious and spacious. I love the design touches which in places make the hotel have the feel of being in an art gallery. The staff strike just the right balance between attentiveness, friendliness and professionalism. The breakfast offerings are wide ranging to suit Vietnamese and international palates. You could get anything from fish soup and noodles to bacon and egg. We tried most of what was on offer during our four night stay and on the whole the standard was good. Where it did fall down it was as much to do with the pitfalls of mass catering and food lying around a bit, as it was to do with using poor ingredients or poor cooking. The pools ( a main pool, paddling pool and plunge pool) are on the sixth floor. The main infinity pool looks stunning and has great views of the ocean and mountains. On the seventh floor there are gym facilities, a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi. These facilities were fine as they go, but the jacuzzi was so large that it felt a bit more like a paddling pool with water pumped in around the edges.

There are three main levels of room, and the ones on the Starwood Preferred Guest floor (the middle level of room) offered a high standard, it was spacious and luxurious with all the nice touches you expect plus a few more, we liked the open bathroom with privacy screen, which means you can enjoy great ocean views while having a bath. Access to the beach is across a busy road, but staff usher you across safely. During the day a small section of the beach across from the hotel is sectioned off and has loungers, towels and someone on hand to get you a drink or some food.

The big benefit of the location is that guests are not cut off from the rest of Nha Trang and local restaurants and shops are just a short stroll away. It is worth exploring a little as some of the local restaurants provide great offerings at amazingly low prices. Venture a little further and you can sample ‘street food’ and see a little more of the resort. People have been coming to Nha Trang for many years and it caters for all budgets and travel styles. The more expensive hotels are a more recent addition, but there are plenty of mid-range and backpacker options. The negative part of the location is that the main road is very busy and there is lots of building work going on in this part of Nha Trang. The sound of horns and building work can be heard from the pool area and when the balcony doors of your room are open. The ocean view is lovely, but look along the road and you see lots of building work. Although this is a well established resort, it is undergoing a lot of change mainly in the form of large hotels and plush apartments. This is particularly the case on the stretch of the road next to the Sheraton.

The prices at the hotel are on a par with those for similar types of hotel anywhere in the world. In some respects that is fine, but it seems so much more when you compare the price of food and drink at local restaurants. A slight annoyance was those little extras which were added onto the bill and were not immediately apparent at the time of booking.

All things considered the Sheraton in Nha Trang is a great base and most of the negatives are as much to do with the annoyances of staying in a resort which is undergoing change as they are to do with the hotel or the staff.

Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi was the start and end point of a recent trip to Vietnam. It is a bustling capital city of a developing country which is undergoing change. The city has distinct quarters and during this short visit it wasn’t possible to explore all of them. There are modern developments of the type seen in major cities around the world, but also plenty to see which reflects the culture and history of Vietnam. A water puppet show is a must for any visitor regardless of their age. Water puppetry involves the puppeteers standing in a pool of water and working puppets on rods from behind a bamboo screen. Most of the scenes are rich in symbolism and are performed to traditional music. The Museum of Fine Art was also a rewarding experience. It offers an extremely well put together collection of Vietnamese paintings and sculptures and is just the right size to take in over a couple hours. It was not possible to visit the Ho Chi Min Museum as it was closed, which is a great regret as it is reputed to offer an excellent overview of Vietnam’s history as well as being about one of its foremost leaders.

It isn’t just the sites which make a city, but the feel and the vibe. To the uninitiated Hanoi and other busy Vietnamese cities can be daunting. The traffic (predominantly motorcycles) is non-stop. The rules for crossing the road are very different from the ones I’m used to. You find a crossing, but unless it has traffic lights, you don’t wait for the traffic to stop, you just weave your way through and the drivers just drive around you. The same principle applies to driving. You just point your vehicle in the direction you want to go, look out for others and make your way to where you want to go. It sounds crazy, but works, because everyone observes the same set of ‘rules’.

Eating out in Hanoi and other major cities is far from bland and there are plenty of options. The large cities have the ubiquitous fast-food restaurant chains seen in many big cities, but there are plenty of other options. Most international food seems to be available at restaurants in the larger hotel chains. For many middle-class people, eating out is at a family run restaurant serving a range of Vietnamese food. A particularly memorable meal at such a restaurant was a goose feast, every conceivable part of the goose was cooked in a variety of different ways. A speciality and favourite of mine was a hot pot dish, here a pot of stock is placed on a burner in the centre of your table and it is surrounded with your chosen ingredients, usually a selection of fish, or type of meat along with seasonal vegetables. You cook the food as you want to eat it. The quickest and cheapest option is to buy food from the many street vendors, who specialise in just a few dishes or maybe even a single dish. They often operate with minimal equipment, a burner, a pot and a collection of tiny mobile tables and stools. The food from these sellers is often delicious, though it is a case of the buyer using their judgement about the freshness of the food and hygiene standards. Shopping is a similar experience to eating, there are some of the large international brands available in Hanoi, but not on the scale as in more developed cities. It is more common to find small independent retailers who either specialise in a single type of item or sell a wide range of goods. It was noticeable that even on the outskirts of the city there seem to be rows of shops everywhere. More modern shopping malls have arrived, but are not plentiful.

Vietnamese people are welcoming, warm and friendly. The spirit was summed up by events on National Day, which falls on September 2 and is when Vietnam celebrates its Independence from France. Huge crowds gathered in the centre of Hanoi to enjoy street entertainment and a massive firework display. It was a happy peaceful event and lacked the sort of tension that can mar such occasions. It was a great way to spend the last night of a memorable holiday.

Water puppets

Street food

A typical cafe

Flags out for National Day

Yorkshire Airlines

A friend and fellow Yorkshireman posted this on his Facebook page recently. It made me chuckle.

Township visits

Most visitors to Cape Town only see the townships as they arrive and depart from the airport. It isn’t very sensible to go there on your own, but it is safe and interesting to go on an organised visit. Some people are put off the idea thinking its like treating local residents as curiosities, but I think it comes down to the way the visit is organised. There are a number of operators who provide a range of tours that are run by people who live in the townships, so the money they make directly benefits the local area, which has to be a good thing. Reputable tours typically include visits to a range of community projects, a market and a bar. You can also organise evening visits which include a music venue and meal. You can even stay in a house in a township for part of your stay. Notionally you book into Vicky’s B&B, but as she only has two rooms, she may be full, so will put you in touch with a network of other people who offer a similar service. It is a world away from the Cape Town most people visit, but worth doing if you like to get a feel what it is like to live in a township. Sometimes this sort of thing can be a bit phoney, but done properly a township trip can be informative and have a real benefit for the local community you are visiting. For more information about Vicky’s B&B follow this link http://www.vickysbedandbreakfast.com/

A symbol of hope

This is a travel blog and not a politics blog, but I just had to include these pictures, which would not have been possible in South Africa's recent past and offer hope for its future. They were taken on the beach at Camps Bay.

Steenberg wine estate, Constantia Valley

The Steenberg wine estate in Constantia Valley, is just a short drive from Cape Town and not far from the slopes of Table Mountain. It is away from the main Cape Winelands tourist route, but an easy visit if you have a car or a driver/ guide. You can go there and combine a visit to Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens in half a day, leaving Cape Town after breakfast and getting back late afternoon. Everything at Steenberg is beautiful and stylish. The vineyard also has a high end hotel and spa next to it, never been there, but it rates highly on Trip Advisor. There is also a restaurant in the main vineyard. I made sure I wasn’t driving for this vineyard visit, so got to do the tasting. Previously I had only had the Sauvignon Blanc, which I love and was keen to see if the rest of the range was of the same standard. I am pleased to say that it was and particularly recommend the Merlot 2007.

Cape Winelands - Franschheok, Stellenbosch and Paarl: much more to them than wine

It isn’t hard to see why Franschheok, Stellenbosh and Paarl are the part of the Cape wine region most tourists visit. It must be one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world. You can enjoy the highlights on a day trip or do things at a more leisurely pace and base yourself in the area for part of your holiday. There are a wide range of accommodation types from hugely expensive (we are talking four figures a night) to cheap and simple. You also get plenty of fine dining opportunities, especially in the Franschheok area, which has some of the country’s best restaurants. Paarl is the largest town in the Cape Winelands and boasts a huge granite outcrop. Stellenbosch is a University town so is more vibrant and youthful, where as Franschheok is pretty and quaint. Much of the area has French connections and as its name suggests Franschheok (French corner) has strongest links with France. French Huguenots established vineyards here in the seventeenth century and they were welcomed by the Dutch who gave them land rights. When I think of this part of the Western Cape, I think of big blue skies, dramatic mountain backdrops, Cape Dutch architecture and of course wine.

Companies such as Day Trippers organise a small group trip, which means there are about eight of you in a mini-van http://www.daytrippers.co.za/ . This is good value and good fun. You have some scope to influence where you go, get a chance to share travel tales with others and sharing the trip with them cuts costs. On a couple of occasions I have been the designated driver for DIY trips, so visited vineyards but not tasted; even though I love the grape, I still enjoyed the day. If you want to visit particular vineyards and no one wants to miss out on the tasting, then hire a driver for the day. Although more expensive than the group trips, it represents good value for what you get and means you have total control over where to go. I would organise this through Randy’s a thoroughly professional outfit who specialise in airport transfers and private tours http://www.randystours.com/index.html.

My favourite vineyard visits in this area include:

Villiera http://www.villiera.com/ which isn’t as pretty as some other vineyards, but has a fabulous range of Methode Cape Classique wine (this uses Champagne technique to produce some great fizz).

Graham Beck http://www.grahambeckwines.co.za/ also does some great bubbly and the range of wine in general is consistently good.

Fairview http://www.fairview.co.za/ is a highly commercial operation and attracts lots of tourists with its gift shop, cheeses, eatery and goat herd.

Solms-Delta http://www.solms-delta.co.za/ is of interest as it has a strong community empowerment focus and interesting museum, they produce a red fizzy wine called Cape Jazz Shiraz, not a fine wine, but a fun one and a great choice to quaff at a braai (South African barbecue).

A typical view

Huguenot memorial at Franschhoek

Offerings from Graham Beck

Resident goats at Fairview

                                      

Sunset from Signal Hill

When I did the Table Mountain and Signal Hill post the other day I could not find a picture that I particulalry wanted to include. I am glad to say that I have come across it. It was taken a few years ago after a drive to Cape Point. What a lovely way to end a day out sightseeing and what a great spot to watch the sun go down.

Table Mountain and Signal Hill - why you should visit them both

How time flies. A few months since my last post and since I returned from wonderful Cape Town. My plan to do posts every day didn’t quite work out.  Back to retrospectives and it is logical to pick up where I left off.


Almost every set of pictures you see of Cape Town in a brochure will include one of Table Mountain and it is certainly high up on any list of must visit sites. A less obvious site, but one where you can get some of the best pictures of the mountain from is Signal Hill. It is just a short drive (less than ten minutes) from Table Mountain and a good option to do on the same day.

Table Mountain is just a short drive or taxi ride from the main tourist hotspots of the city. The best advice is go up on the first clear day. Even on a nice sunny day the mountain is often covered in cloud or as it is sometimes referred to, ‘the table cloth’. The vast majority of people go up and down on the cable car. Queues can be quite long, so you need to be patient or be lucky; there are times when there isn’t much of a crowd, it isn’t a precise science though. The cable car revolves so be sure to get to the edge and enjoy the 360 degree panorama. The more energetic can walk up and it takes a couple of hours. Stick to the advice in guide books and stay on well established paths. An alternative for walkers is to tackle the walk from the Kirstenbosh Botanical Gardens side, this means a thirty minute drive out of the city, but the gardens are wonderful and I will cover them in a future post. Some friends did this walk a few years ago and rate it highly, particularly good as you are in the shade much of the time.

Once on top of the mountain you may find the weather is drastically different from what it was like at the bottom. I have been up on days when it has been cold and extremely windy on top and glorious sun bathing weather at the bottom. This isn’t always the case though and the weather up on top of the mountain can be just as good as below. Up on top you can walk an easy loop among guided paths and clouds permitting get city and seascape views. There is of course a gift shop and cafe. A few years ago there was a bar up next to the cable car station, which could be reached up some steps. It has floor to ceiling windows and balcony so the views are amazing. Inexplicably it is now closed. What are they thinking of? Unless you want to do some serious exploring an hour is plenty to take in the views.

The big mistake many people make is not to include a trip to Signal Hill after or before the visit Table Mountain. This is such a shame as from the Signal Hill viewing area you get a lovely perspective of Table Mountain and also views of the sea, the city and the new football stadium at Green Point. The one time when the area gets busy is sunset, it is great to get there early with a picnic and enjoy the views.


Table Mountain fom Signal Hill

Lion's Head

Camps Bay from Table Mountain

Seascape view from Table Mountain

Cape Town to Cape Point - a perfect day out

A visit to Cape Point and Boulders Beach is a fabulous day out combining spectacular scenery and opportunities to see wildlife. You can do an organised trip, but the best option by far is to hire a car and do it at your own pace. You leave Cape Town by Camps Bay on a road which hugs the mountains and gives you amazing views. After this it gets even better as you drive along Chapman’s Peak. It really is a drive which has to been seen and experienced to be fully appreciated. There are various stop off points where you can take your pictures and will just stare in wonder. Chapman’s Peak is all too short a drive, but there are plenty more attractions when it has finished. There are numerous small coastal towns where you can stop for lunch. Simons Town, with its naval base is one option, but I prefer the livelier Kalk Bay. If you want to rub shoulders with local people and enjoy some tasty fish and chips, then go to Kalkys. Next stop is Boulders Beach where you can see a penguin colony up close. It is likely to be very windy, but you will see lots of penguins from the viewing platforms. If you avoid weekends and the middle of the day you may be able to stand near the penguins on the beach or the rocks, watch out though they peck. The final stop is Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope; both are close to each other and offer walking opportunities as well as a chance to see ostriches, baboons and other wildlife. We were lucky to see a couple of families of baboons and I got some pictures of them. We also saw a wild ostrich by the road gazing into the ocean, what a great picture that would have been. Never mind at least I got a picture of the ostrich. This is a rewarding and memorable day out as anyone could wish to do and an easy drive from Cae Town.


One of the many spectacular views along Capman's Peak drive

Boulders Beach

Baboon family close to Cape Point

Ostrich close to the Cape of Good Hope

Dining on Kloof Street

Kloof Street brings you from the edge of the centre of Cape Town up a steep hill onto the slopes of Table Mountain. The hilly nature of the street and some of the architecture makes it feel a bit like the sort of street you find in San Francisco. It has a good choice of places to eat, testified by how many locals eat there and is a great alternative to the more touristy places like Camps Bay and The Waterfront. So where should you dine? At the top of Kloof Street is Baccinis, a cheap and reliable Italian restaurant which does great Pizza and serves draft Perioni. Shelly’s, is a nice place to go for lunch as it offers a good range of gourmet sandwiches and light lunch options. Inside is stylish and outside is a good spot for people watching and starring at Table Mountain. Right next door is Tonis, where you can get tasty and reasonably priced Portuguese – Mozambique food, which is quite spicy. A little further down on the corner of Kloof and Camp Street, Saigon serves the best Vietnamese food in Cape Town.

The Bo-Kaap, Cape Town

The Bo-Kaap is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Cape Town. The colourful houses really stand out against the backdrop of Table Mountain and the high rise cityscape. The area has a high Muslim population and there are a few mosques in the neighbourhood. Unlike nearby District Six, the Bo-Kaap survived apartheid legislation which saw many communities forcibly displaced. The Bo-Kaap has an interesting museum on Wale Street, which is close to the city centre. Even if the museum isn’t open, it is still worth visiting and walking around the area soaking up the atmosphere and taking some pictures.

The Garden Route was more like Cloudy Bay

It was unfortunate that our time in the Garden Route was during a period of bad weather; it rained for much of the time and on some days the clouds were so low we saw very little. Our first stop was Mossell Bay, we then moved to Storms River Village and returned to Cape Town via Swellendam.

Mossell Bay is generally regarded as the first of the main seaside towns on the Garden Route and popular with tourists. Wilderness is a tiny town which has a fantastic long beach and unusual land feature called the Map of Africa. Knysna is the next main point of interest, with its lagoon and pleasant waterfront shopping mall. Plettenberg Bay is the next main town along the coast. Plettenberg Bay and Mossell Bay feel very much as though they have a large contingent of retired Europeans and South Africans. They are undeniably pretty, but some people may find them a little bland.

Storms River Village is in the Tsitsikamma National Park and just a few miles from Storms River Mouth. This is an idyllic setting close to woodland, the sea and with a mountain backdrop. It is a great base for outdoorsy types, with plenty of options for walkers. Those who want to live dangerously can do a bungee jump from Boukouran's Bridge (not possible when we went as it was covered in cloud). The village has a good feeling of community about it, for example one of the local tour companies, Tsitsikamma Canopy Tours is heavily involved with local projects and you feel local people are benefitting from the tourism. We finished our Garden Route trip with a night in Swellendam. It is a pretty enough town and a good stop over before moving on to Cape Town or the winelands of Paarl, Francheock and Stellenbosch.