Holiday Holiday Blog

We’ve Moved! Important info about this blog!

holidayholiday — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:27:28 +0000

The Holiday Holiday blog has today been moved to it’s own website domain aptly titled www.holidayholidayblog.co.uk

From now on, all posts will be updated on www.hoildayholidayblog.co.uk instead of here.

Please visit us at our new location click here

Top Ten holiday Offers Eshot

holidayholiday — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:11:19 +0000

Holiday Holiday hot offers eshot - Top Ten Holiday Deals

View our latest top ten holiday offers eshot with special offers picked by the travel agents on holiday holiday.
click here

To sign up for our regular hot offers eshots go to the holiday holiday homepage here and enter you email into the email signup box on the top right hand side of the holiday holiday website.

Pacific Ocean – Tsunami

holidayholiday — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:08:22 +0000

A series of earthquakes have killed at least 65 people in Samoa and American Samoa, Pacific Ocean and it’s estimated another 145 have been injured. It has been reported that 5 tsunami waves, created by an earthquake under the sea, hit the coast of Samoa and American Samoa this morning (30th September 6.48 local time). The epicentre of the earthquake is thought to have been located approx. 120 miles southwest of American Samoa, a remote Pacific island. It measured 8.3 on the richter scale. Some of the waves are thought to have measured up to 6 metres in American Samoa.

The FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) has advised against all but essential travel until further notice. Samoa lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and regularly experiences seismic and volcanic activity.

Deal of the Day

holidayholiday — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:25:42 +0000

Deal of the Day - Egypt from 349pp

All Inclusive 4* Egypt, Hurghada from £349pp
Why it’s a deal:
Superior Room, All Inclusive in popular resort of Hurghada. Staying at The Grand Hotel in October, flying from Gatwick. The hotel is situated on it’s own private beach and is 10km away from Hurghada.
More egypt holiday offers click here

Favourite Places – Santorini

holidayholiday — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:18:26 +0000

Our Marketing Director, Emma Healey, was mentioned in TTG live (travel trade gazette) this week following a request for favourite holiday snaps. Click here to view the page on TTG. Or see her comments on Santorini below:

Favourite places - Santorini

says Emma “I’ve spent quite a few holidays in Greece, I’ve sailed around the Greek Islands twice on Flotilla holidays and also visited some of the mainland over the years. But Santorini which I visited three years ago, really is one of the prettiest and archetypical Greek Islands that I’ve ever been to. It has the classic white greek buildings that you see on postcards, historical and environmental interests in the form of extinct volcanoes and Greek ruins and the view of the sunset from Oia is amazing and a must. It’s only a small island and you could get round most of it in a day by Car, but it really was a lovely holiday and a beautiful island to stay on.”

For the latest Greece Holidays click here

October Half Term Holiday Deals

holidayholiday — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:33:56 +0000

Holidaymakers are still determined to find last minute holidays before Winter officially kicks in!

October Half Term Holiday Deals

Looking at our web stats, 46% of visiting holiday consumers in the last week have searched Holiday Holiday for a holiday in October, picking popular hot destinations such as Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt. A large percentage of those are looking for a cheap deal for October half term holidays, due to start in approx. 4 weeks time.

So we’ve put together a page of hot deals just for the October Half Term! click here to view.
Read our October Half Term Holidays news release here

The Top Five Movers and Shakers..

holidayholiday — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:44:46 +0000

Still looking for a holiday this year?
As Summer starts to pass us by in the UK (slowly we hope!) and the chill in the air becomes just that little bit sharper, holidaymakers alike turn their thoughts to sunnier climes and warmer destinations. This trend is definately reflected in our movers and shakers this week, with lots of holidaymakers starting to look towards, dare I say it (??!) ‘Winter’ Sun destinations. The search for Sun, coupled with the high amount of searches still looking for that all important last minute holiday (especially with october half term looming) means the top five climbers this week look like this…..

1. Sharm El Sheikh
2. Cuba
3. Hurghada
4. Lanzarote
5. Tenerife

And the Destinations going down, down, down…

1. Costa Del Sol
2. Corfu
3. Florida
4. Ibiza
5. Majorca

Hotel Review: Makadi Palace Hotel Egypt

holidayholiday — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:54:16 +0000

Makadi Palace Hotel, Makadi Bay, Egypt
Reviewed by Holiday Holiday Travel Agent – Matthew Ruth, Personal Travel Advisor/Matts Deals
Date of visit – 8th to 12th Sep 2009
Board Basis – All Inclusive

Overview
The Makadi Palace is a luxurious 5* hotel situated in the middle of Makadi Bay. It offers a huge 8000sqm swimming pool and snorkelling direct from the beach reef.

Outside view of Makadi Palace Hotel

Clients can use the facilities of its sister hotel the 5* Grand Makadi. Both properties are very highly rated on Trip Advisor and I found the service, food, ambience, facilities first rate. Nice touches included being served drinks rather than having to queue. The only area it lacks in is the entertainment which is fairly basic but this should suit clients who are not looking for a party hotel and want a quiet break. Majority of guests are German but there are no Russians and I found everyone friendly. Overall I highly recommend it.

Location
The Makadi Palace is in a beachfront location though very few rooms have Sea View as the rooms stretch away from the beach and behind its sister hotel the Grand Makadi. You can walk through the grounds to the private beach.
Makadi Bay is a quiet resort mainly comprising luxury hotels. There are few shops/bars but the hotel runs a courtesy shuttle to Hurghada.
There is a reef along the whole beach so you need reef shoes (avail at hotel for approx £4) but snorkelling equipment is free. The snorkelling is very good especially for non-confident swimmers.

Facilities – Restaurants
The Dome – Buffet – International Cuisine
Melange – Buffet – Mediterranean Cuisine
Thai Garden – Asian Cuisine (Recommended)*
Discovery – Mediterranean Cuisine*
Botanical Garden – Fine Dining*
Sunset – Charcoal Grill cuisine*
Rendez Vous – Snacks*

* – some or all choices may be at additional cost. In Thai Garden there were a good few choices at no additional cost but at e.g. Botanical Garden there were very few. Reservations are also required at these restaurants.

Top Tip – Guests can eat at ANY of the restaurants at the Grand Makadi (except breakfast and dinner at the Lagoon) on the same basis and here I would recommend Tarboush for Lebanese Cuisine.

Facilities – Bars (drinks all inc 10.00am to 24.00, individual bar times vary)
All bars are included as part of the All Inclusive except the Lobby Bar.
Lobby Bar – open 24hrs
Joker Bar – main entertainment bar with stage, outdoor terrace is popular.
Stan Getz Piano Bar – playing live and recorded jazz, nice!
Rendez-Vous

Top Tip – All bars offer table service. A wristband must be worn at all times. All inclusive includes soft drinks, canned juices, filter coffee, tea and local alcoholic drinks served by the glass. There are supplementary charges for international brands, fresh juices, special coffees, drinks after midnight, and mini bar

Facilities – Pool
The Pool is AMAZING, it measures 8000 square metres and has waterfalls and bridges..

Pool at Makadi Palace Hotel

Beach towels are complimentary and are in a bag in your room on arrival. Sunbeds are not supposed to be reserved but they are and it can be hard to find a sunbed around the pool during high season after about 8am. There are plenty of umbrellas for shade.

Facilities – Beach
With a coral reef directly on the beach (see above re reef shoes) and plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas I loved the beach here. Also as it is private there seemed to be a lot less hassle from vendors (I had none). There is a beach bar and a hut for the free snorkelling gear. Oh and its wonderful soft golden sand and warm water. Bliss!

Facilities – Rooms
There are 475 Junior Suites and 36 Suites.
The Junior Suites can sleep 3 in comfort and come with seating area balcony or terrace, sea or pool views (mainly pool) and have bath, shower, wc, Sat TV, Air Con, free in room safe, minibar (extra cost if you use it), hairdryer, shampoo, shower gel etc.

Top Tip – ALL rooms are Double bed plus sofa bed. N extra bed can be put up instead of the sofa, just ask reception. No twins are available.

Top Tip – Tip your room boy early on (£10 a week per room is recommended) and he’ll tidy your room and fold your clothes every day with a smile. He and the bell boy who brought the bags up were the only people I felt I should tip.

Facilities – Sports & kids
There are seven illuminated tennis courts, Table Tennis, Billiards, Pool Aerobics, Beach Soccer, Water sports and Snorkelling of course.
There sia kids club in the Grand Makadi for 4 to n12yr olds but the majority of children will be german. There is also a childrens cinema and mini disco. Its not however really a family hotel as its more geared to couples. When the Makadi Family Star fully opens next door this will be great for families.

Special Offers for Makadi Palace Hotel
Latest Deals for Makadi Palace Hotel from Matthew Ruth:
7 nights all inclusive in November from £447pp click here
December All Inclusive 7 nights from £457pp click here

Other dates and a variety of airports available.

For more info on the Makadi Palace Hotel and other Egypt Hotels click here.
Egypt Holidays click here.

Grab a Bargain Cruise Deal in National Cruise Week!

holidayholiday — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:26:50 +0000

National Cruise Week (P&O ventura pictured)

September the 20th saw the start of ‘National Cruise Week’, a UK nationwide initiative organised by ACE (Association of Cruise Experts) to help raise the profile of cruising.

Within the week, many cruise lines will be offering bargain cruise deals, which will be displayed by our cruise agents on the cruise section of holidayholiday.co.uk. Many of the cruise agents on holiday holiday are ACE certified agents and have a wide experience on cruising, whether you are a first timer or a seasoned cruiser.

Cruise offers will include discounts, extra perks and upgrades to cruise travellers throughout the UK!

Holiday Holiday will also be tweeting a special offer cruise deal of the day, so make sure you follow us and benefit from some of the great cruise deals on offer!

Quick Page Loading is Key Factor for Consumer Online

holidayholiday — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:32:38 +0000

A new study, published by Akami, has found that quick page loading is key to a consumer’s experience of a website online. ‘Tell us something we didn’t know’ I hear you say. New Research just out suggests that although many consumers and travel sites alike would agree with this statement, the recent findings of this study demonstrate that the limit of time that a consumer will wait for the page to load is now a staggering 2 seconds!

In fact, although 2 seconds is quoted as being the ‘online shopper’s expectation for a web page to load’, 40 % of shoppers are actually not willing to wait more than 3 seconds before leaving the webpage/site.

Comparing these findings to a previous study, 47% of consumers now (2009) expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less, compared to 4 seconds in the same study in 2006.

Other key findings include the fact that ‘Shoppers often become distracted when made to wait for a page to load. 14 percent will begin shopping at another site, and 23 percent will stop shopping or walk away from their computer.’

To read a full complimentary report of the study go to www.akami.com/2seconds

Holiday Holiday recognises the importance of a quick loading website and pages and earlier this year upgraded all of its hardware and servers to further reduce page load times whilst searching for a holiday.