This summer I had the unique opportunity to go travelling with my 11-year-old daughter during the summer holidays. The main challenge was deciding where to go, as pre-requisites included direct flights, no complex visa arrangements and no need to take malaria medication.
The possibilities of where to go were overwhelming but after a few discussions I eventually decided on two separate trips - Hong Kong and Mauritius.
Hong Kong
The Harbor Grand Hong Kong, near the waterfront, was a great recommendation. We had a lovely room on the 40th floor with fantastic views over the harbour and Kowloon.
Breakfast and return private transfers to the airport were included along with key additional details, including the kids' meals on the flights and pre-booking our seats.
Although the weather in July wasn’t the best, we navigated the MTR system easily as this was the quickest way to travel. We spent a day at Ocean Park (bought tickets at the door), which is part zoo and part theme park, concluding in a light and firework show.
Other trips included a few child-friendly museums - the Space Museum, the Science Museum and the Maritime Museum (which did some delicious western meals for fussy kids) - and walking around shopping areas to soak up the atmosphere.
Mauritius
I was very happy with the recommendation to stay at the Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa in the southwest corner of the island for 12 nights in the second half of August.
The resort was large but did not feel crowded and it has four different restaurants to choose from (with more at its sister resort).
My daughter took advantage of a few activities at the kids' club, and we enjoyed the free glass bottom boat tour (we were extremely lucky to see a turtle swimming by) and pedalos.
The hotel's concierge desk was extremely efficient and were pleased to help organise some day trips via the local taxi drivers. The weather was challenging at times, but the days were still warm, if a little windy with short showers at times. The rain was a good opportunity to enjoy manicures and pedicures at the hotel's spa.
There were plenty of places to visit and our child -friendly trips included Le Vanille Nature Park, where you can feed the giant tortoises, L'Aventure de Sucre, Chamarel Seven Coloured Earth Geopark and Curious Chamarel.
Thank you, Amanda and your colleagues, at Designer Travel. We had a fabulous summer holiday experience in two very different and wonderful places.