Holidays

A week by the seaside in the Uk offers lots of entertainment as well as swimming in the sea when the weather allows! Anne Coates and family spent a week in Portsmouth and Southsea.

Each year in the first week of the school summer holidays Harriet and I go away for a few days usually by the seaside. Last year it was Margate, this year Brighton. So what was Brighton like as the Covid-19 lockdown eased a little? Worth a visit and a perfect place for a staycation.

No visit to Brighton is complete without some time spent on the Palace Pier. Covid-19 has made some changes to how you experience the rides and you are time-limited but everyone has worked hard to maintain the fun. We added a Seafront Treasure Trail to our day.

BAi360 is a viewing tower located directly on Brighton beach, where visitors travel in a giant glass viewing pod up to 138 metres high for 360 degree views on Brighton & Hove, the South Downs and all along the South Coast from Beachy Head to the Isle of Wight. 

This was the first holiday Anne Coates had booked with Jet2 Holidays to visit Seiano just outside Sorrento. So what did she think of them?

Oliver Segal had his first taste of glamping at the Orbetello Camping Village, Tuscany.

Camping Village Fabulous, near Ostia provides the perfect setting for a family holiday in Italy as Oliver Segal discovered.

During her press trip to Bodrum, Turkey, Anne Coates experienced the total relaxation of a boat trip hosted by Barbados Yachting.

On holiday on the Greek Island of Kefalonia, Anne Coates discovered Dum Spiro's Spero Restaurant – perfect for dining or lunching en famille.

On her recent press trip to Bodrum, Anne Coates was taken on a Safari into the rural environs to see the "real Turkey" – it was an eye-opener in many ways as she reports.

Here's a round-up of some of the sights (and sites) plus activities to help you make the most of a visit to Bodrum, Turkey compiled by Anne Coates after her recent trip there. 

On a press trip to Bodrum, Anne Coates was a guest at La Blanche Resort & Spa at Turgutreis, just outside this major tourist destination. The hotel made a perfect base from which to explore the area as well as offering a range of amenities to enjoy.

Last year four members of the Parenting Without Tears team spent a long weekend aboard a Herbert Woods' cruiser. Here Anne Coates sums up the experience and recommends this as a great holiday for families.

As part of the press trip to Thrace in Turkey, Anne Coates visited two of the dozens of vineyards in the area both of which offered hotel accommodation: Barbara Vineyards and Bakucha SPA at the Arcadia Vineyards.

Edirne is a city which needs a lot more time than the one day allocated during the Thrace trip organised by the Trakya Development Agency. However one attraction that should be on everyone's itinerary is the Beyazid II Complex which includes the Health Museum, writes Anne Coates. 

Ta? Odalar Butik Otel is the perfect base for some quality time in the fascinating city of Edirne, in the Thrace region of Turkey, writes Anne Coates. 

At the end of last month, Anne Coates was a guest of the Trakya Development Agency and visited various destinations and attractions in the Thrace region of Turkey. As a prelude to the articles which will be posted in the coming weeks, here are Anne's Top Ten Thrace experiences.

Harriet and Anne Coates spent a four-day break at Family Activity Adventure Holiday at Barton Hall PGL, in Devon. In the first of her articles, Anne reviews the accommodation.