Cruises are amongst the most popular types of holidays at the moment, effortlessly taking you to different destinations throughout your trip - without the need to keep packing & unpacking! Settle in to your ship and wait for the world come to you, ideally with a good book and a gin & tonic.     At Escape Worldwide we tend to focus on Cruise & Stay Holidays, with the cruise as part of your trip but with a whole load more included too. Invariably you’ve flown to your departure port, so rather than heading straight from the airport to the port we’ll include a few days to explore the destination - places such as Singapore , New Orleans, Cape Town, and Dubai deserve more time than just passing through. After you’ve disembarked we can take you on to another location to round off your trip - a beach resort, perhaps, or another city. Fly onwards from Singapore to Bali or Phuket , take a train from New Orleans to Memphis, pick up a rental car as you return to Cap...

We love Hawaii, it’s a very long way to Hawaii , so once you’re there it’s worth taking in more than one of the six magical islands that are open to visitors. First stop for many is the island of Oahu, spending most of their time in and around Honolulu and Waikiki, but to get a true taste of Hawaii you’ll need to head over to one of the other islands. Don’t dismiss Oahu as being just the high rise hotels of Waikiki Beach – it’s true, Waikiki is wall to wall hotels crammed in to a fairly average stretch of beach, but there’s something about the place that’s a little intoxicating, with great restaurants, relaxed bars and quality shopping, beautiful sunsets and a stunning setting - no trip to Hawaii would be complete until you’ve been to Waikiki! Elsewhere on the Island there’s plenty of interest. Honolulu itself has been voted the most liveable city in the US and it’s easy to see why – it’s fairly small and easy to get around, plus it has a near-perfect climate and it’s full of ...

Thailand is one of our fav destinations, home to fascination culture, scenery, beaches, people and food. Thailand has plenty of island paradises and one of our favourites is Koh Phangan. Christine spent a few days here and loved it!  'I was on a trip around Thailand and spent some time on Thailand east coast. Koh Phangan, just to the north of  Koh Samui , is renowned for its monthly Full Moon parties, but away from the partying there’s a beautiful island that makes a perfect hideaway destination.  Adjacent to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan is reached by boat from her neighbour, taking around 90 minutes in total to travel from the main areas of Koh Samui to the resorts of Koh Phangan. Koh Samui airport has regular flight connections from around Thailand. With over half the Island being a national park there’s plenty to explore with a hilly interior and coastline dotted with fishing villages, plus it’s a great spot for diving too.  Koh Phangan  makes a...

We love Kenya here at Escape Worldwide and Karen is a massive fan: 'I was lucky enough, again, to spend two nights on safari on the amazing Masai Mara in Kenya recently and every game drive you go on is a different experience, you always see something new, as even if it’s the same animal they are doing something different. This time we saw a leopard, one of the cats I have never seen so I was very excited! Usually people see them up a tree keeping out of the way, but this one was just wandering in an out of the trees and it was amazing. It wasn’t bothered by us sitting in the safari vehicle watching him – in fact, he was showing off a bit and quite enjoying himself! I had to remember to stop taking photos and just sit back and watch the show – quite difficult to be honest! Although we saw elephants, cheetah, giraffe and all sorts of other things, this was definitely the highlight of the trip, and for some of my fellow passengers with me it was their first time on saf...

Japan is a fun and crazy place and nowhere is crazier than the Robot Restaurant in Tokyo. Mark visited this amazing place when he was in Tokyo on a trip around Japan. We have some amazing holiday ideas to Japan -  http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk/far_east/japan_holidays.html Escape Worldwide - Home of Long Haul Holidays http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk

Mark was in Bali recently and spent a few days in Seminyak staying that the Desamuda Village. Located in the heart of Seminyak, Desamuda Village is 5 minutes' walk from shopping, restaurants and entertainment options and a 20 minutes walk from the beach. The resort is a 20-minute drive from Ngurah Rai International Airport. The Desamuda Village boasts a spa, gazebo and 2 outdoor free form swimming pools. There’s a restaurant and bar are also available. Guests enjoy free shuttle service to Kuta area and free Wi-Fi access. The Rice Table Restaurant serves a wide selection of Indonesian and European dishes. This beautiful resort offers traditionally styled deluxe rooms, and a select of impressive pool villas. However the highlight of this resort are the amazing Deluxe Pool Villas. Mark opted for one of these for a few nights and was very impressed. “On arrival I loved the lovely Balinese feel of the resort and also the friendly staff. I was swiftly checked and take...

Japan is a simply amazing destination and a visit to Hiroshima is a must. For most people the city of Hiroshima is synonymous with one thing - the dropping of the world’s first atomic bomb, however today Hiroshima is a modern, friendly city, with the Peace Memorial Park being a constant reminder of what happened here. A highlight in the area is nearby Miyajima which is one of Japan’s primary sites with it’s beautiful shrine gate seeming to float on the water. It a short train ride and boat trip and a must go see.  What to do in Hiroshima In central Hiroshima there is the Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park and the sites close by are the main draw here - allow yourself a time to take in this area of the city, as its very moving. There is also an excellent museum and the eerie Atomic Bomb Dome close by. The island of Miyajima with the Itsukushima Jinja Temple and its iconic ‘floating’ torii gate is one of our top sights in Western Honshu, and a half day trip from the cit...

On a recent trip to Australia, Mark took a helicopter ride over the Great Barrier Reef and we just loved his video of the helipad! Escape Worldwide - Home of Long Haul Holidays http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk

View from a houseboat Mark was on on a recent trip to Kerala in India. Mark spent  the night on a stunning houseboat, cruising around the backwaters of Kerala. Escape Worldwide - Home of Long Haul Holidays  http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk

Mark is a great fan of Mombasa in Kenya and on his recent visit he did a bit of shopping: Whenever I travel overseas I always bring back a few knickknack souvenirs, despite the fact I have a house full of the stuff anyway – wooden carvings, paintings, spice boxes and the like. When I go to Mombasa, though, I buy stuff more for fun of the bartering than the goods themselves. On this trip I’d set myself a mission – I wanted a small plate to use as a spoon tray in the kitchen at home, and under no circumstances was I to buy any form of wooden carving – and definitely not an animal of any nature. Bartering for souvenirs on the beaches of Mombasa can be quite an intimidating process if you’re not expecting it – lots of sellers shouting random prices to you faster than you can work out the Sterling equivalent. On past trips I’d also been asked for pens and socks as these items are harder to get hold of in Kenya, so on this occasion I’d come prepared. Armed with my previous experi...

OK, the Pandas are a must see and there’s no better place than Chengdu, however Darren found Chengdu to have so much more to offer. I loved Chengdu and like most cities in China it’s busy and bustling with so much going on, however I found the place to have a whole charm of it’s own. The people are fun and friends and of a night the place becomes alive. A must visit is the Chinese Opera. The Shu Feng Ya Yun Sichuan Opera is an amazing mix of the old and the new. Wonderful traditional Sichuan Opera costumes, stories, mask changing which was pretty mesmerising, fire breathing and puppetry are mixed with laser and multimedia effects. It’s easy to prebook, or book locally with your tour guide or at the hotel and with tickets starting from around £20 per person its great value for money. After the show head to the beautiful Anshun Lang Bridge (just by the Shangri La Hotel) which is beautifully lit creating a mystical reflection on the river. Just across the Jin River...

Bangkok, Siem Reap and Hua Hin  A superb three-centre itinerary combining cities, history and relaxation, taking in vibrant Bangkok, the incredible Temples of Angkor in Cambodia, and relaxing Hua Hin to finish. This is one of our favourite holidays at Escape Worldwide. Mark has been to all three destinations to feel free to give him a call! ITINERARY Day 1 - UK to Bangkok Fly from Heathrow to Bangkok, arriving the following day. Departures from other UK airports are also available, please ask for details. Day 2 - Bangkok On arrival, you’ll be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel, the handily located Park Plaza Bangkok Soi 18 for a three night stay. Our holidays to Thailand are extremely flexible so if you’d prefer a shorter or longer stay just ask! Days 3-4 - Bangkok Spend the next few days exploring chaotic Bangkok . Check out the temples, markets, restaurants and nightlife of this wonderful city. Day 5 - Bangkok to Siem Reap Transfer back to ...

It’s been a crazy year of travel already this year for the Escape Worldwide team. The team has been far and wide looking at hotels, resorts, cities, checking out the beaches and of course testing the local beers! So far this year we have been to: ·          Sydney and most of New South Wales ·          Jamaica ·          Japan (Osaka, Tokyo, Hiroshima and Kyoto by bullet train) ·           Cuba (Havana, Vinales Valley, Santa Clara, Trinidad, Ceinfuegos, Remedios and Varadero) ·          Abu Dhabi ·          Ras Al Khaimah ·          Dubai ·          Orlando All this before June, so what’s next for the rest of the year, well th...

Off the radar for a while, the stunning beach destination of Mombasa , Kenya is back. The Kenya Coast has some really fantastic beaches and a good range of hotels. Historic Mombasa city is on an island, with plenty of interest while the beaches extend to the North and South of the city. The North Coast is the more developed of the two, with more facilities outside of the hotels, and more visitors - if you’re looking for activities, it’s ideal. The South Coast is less developed, and is perfect for a more relaxing holiday with Diani Beach regularly being voted the best beach in Africa - beaches here are wider and whiter, and hotels here tend to be a little more spacious. North of Mombasa, the beaches of Watamu and Malindi are an excellent place to unwind, with coral reefs and more of a village feel. It’s easy to do a short safari from Mombasa and popular one is the 2 night ‘Tsavo Explorer’ excursion which includes one night in TsavoEast National Park...

Escape Worldwide - Home of Long Haul Holidays http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk

Escape Worldwide - Home of Long Haul Holidays http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk

Karen and Christine was in Thailand in 2015 and whilst in Bangkok they went on a tour with a bit of a difference: On my recent visit to Thailand with Karen we sampled the Tuk Tuk Experience excursion in Bangkok . This was a really fun way of travelling around and as our guide was in the Tuk Tuk with us she pointed out different places of interest that we could go back to at a later date if we wanted to. After meeting at the hotel and introducing ourselves to other people doing the excursion as well we headed off to our first destination, Wat Saket (the Golden Mount). You ascend up the outside of this and upon reaching the top the views over Bangkok are amazing. Your guide will inform you of what you are looking out at and also all the history. You then descend and get back in your Tuk Tuk to your next destination. The next place we stopped was Wat Po. Here you will be able to see the reclining Buddha. Your guide will tell you all the history of this temple like this is t...

The Thai island of Koh Samui is a real tropical paradise, with beautiful beaches and a stunning interior, quality hotels, excellent food and cold beer - not surprisingly, it's one of our favourite parts of Thailand! Just off the southern coast of Thailand and around an hours flight from Bangkok is the island of Koh Samui, a relaxed tropical paradise that offers everything from peaceful secluded beaches to late night nightlife, traditional temples to superb shopping, and a host more besides. Koh Samui makes the perfect destination for a beach holiday or can be included in to a multi centre holiday to Thailand or beyond. Around the Island Tour Big Buddha at Big Buddha BeachDiscover the beauty of Samui by exploring the island - there's only one main road so it's very easy! Take in Big Buddha Beach and the nearby Wat Plai Laem, beautiful Na Muang Waterfalls, the famous rocks of Hin Ta and Hin Yai, go elephant trekking in the jungle and finish with sunset on Ang ...

We Love Bangkok! It's our favourite Far East city and we can't get enough of it! We've put together our '48 hours in Bangkok' guide to give you some inspiration too. At Escape Worldwide we travel to Bangkok frequently, to get to know this fast-paced city as well as possible - Darren recently stayed at the Chatrium Riverside Hotel , Mark's favourite is the Dusit Thani while Karen & Christine are planning their next trip for September! DAY 1 - MORNING Start your visit to Bangkok by hopping on the Skytrain and travelling down to Taksin Station on the Silom line - the Skytrain is by far the best way to get around, and an all-day pass will cost you around £2, which is worth it for the air conditioning alone! Temple guardian at the Grand PalaceAt Taksin station, walk towards the river and hop on one of the public boats that ply the waters of the Chao Phraya - it's a great way to see the city from a different angle, and at around 20p for the trip to ...

We get asked this abit and it can be a bit annoying when you have to pay a full adult price for a package holiday for your child. However there tends to be a reason! If you are looking at a packaged holidays flying with a scheduled airline like British Airways or Thai Airways for say 2 adults and a child and the child is aged 11 and under then you tend to find that the airline will offer a child discount. Most hotels and resorts charge per room and not per person and will let a child share the same room as the adults, for free. So when the package is put together you will get 2 adult prices and 1 child price. However if say only 1 adult and 1 child is travelling then the airlines should still offer a child reduction, but the cost of the room would still be divided by 2 so in this instance the child price will be higher than 2 adult and 1 child sharing. If you holiday is based on a charter flight, say something like Thomas Cook or Thomson airlines th...