New York & Barbados: A Winning Combination!

I was searching online for twin centre holiday ideas that included New York, when I stumbled across All About Tailor-Made Travel - what a stroke of luck! I ended up booking an 11-night holiday with them that gave us 4 nights in NY and 7 nights in Barbados. Juan at AATMT sorted everything out for me and made the whole process easy - he is a really lovely guy and probably the most efficient man on the planet!!

We had a brilliant time! We walked miles in New York and I still have the remains of a large blister on my foot to prove it! I think we did just about everything, including walking over Brooklyn Bridge and then watching the sun go down over the city - what an amazing sight! And it gets so busy down there in Brooklyn Park; it's a great atmosphere! The view from the top of the Empire State Building was brilliant and so was the show we saw on Broadway. Central Park is a lovely place and is completely different during the day than it is at night. We used the Subway a few times too, but it was so hot and the ticket system was a bit confusing. Thankfully, a kind man came over and helped to sort it all out - I do love the Americans! The Doubletree by Hilton hotel was great. We had a good view from the window and the staff were all so helpful and friendly - they even told us where to get cheap theatre tickets from, and we got brilliant seats!

Our Jet Blue flight to Barbados was delayed by about 3 hours due to a fault with the plane, so we ended up having to wait for a replacement plane to arrive - at least we found that out before the flight! Jet Blue did provide us with some complimentary refreshments, and we didn't miss much where the weather was concerned that day in Barbados; it was pouring down when we arrived. If it hadn't been for the temperature and the scenery, I may have thought I'd arrived back in Manchester! Joking aside, though, the next day was beautiful. Our hotel taxi transfer was still there ready and waiting at the airport too, despite the delay.

The Barbadians are very welcoming and the scenery is lovely, especially the beaches. The Almond Beach Resort was great, although only part of it is open now because it is closing at the end of April next year due to it being bought out by Sandals. I don't know when it will reopen again after that. It did not, however, interfere with the quality of the services offered, and the food, particularly the al a carte, was excellent. We went to the Sugar Cane Club one night too, which was equally as good. This was an exchange dining option offered by the hotel. All the trips at this hotel were free, which was a real bonus. We went swimming with turtles, a trip around the island and two boat trips. On the island trip we also got chance to sample a couple of local foods: the Bajan Ackee fruit, which is delicious and looks like a large olive before you peel the outer skin off, and rum cake, which comes in four flavours: vanilla, lemon and ginger, chocolate and coffee. I think I could get addicted to this cake if I lived in Barbados. I did actually bring a few cakes home with me but needless to say they have all been eaten now. Snorkelling in the reef was amazing too, where the fish were all colours, including pink, blue, yellow and orange - I could have watched them for hours. My son was amazed by the reef and he nearly lived out there. One day a huge turtle swam right past him and he couldn't believe it.

Now it is unfortunately back to reality, and back to cooler weather; although rainy Manchester hasn't been bad this summer. Still, I've brought lots of great memories back with me that I will treasure forever. I would not hesitate to recommend All About Tailor-made Travel and would definitely use them again.