Renting in Morocco

For those people looking a little further afield, and interested in a different cultural experience, Morocco is becoming a hot-spot especially with celebrities. Apparently quite a few A-listers have been ploughing their hard-earned cash into bricks and mortar in Marrakesh amongst other places.

I have always preferred the idea of experiencing foreign cultures from within the community rather than from the outside and holiday apartments are a great way to steep oneself in the local culture more than if one is staying in a hotel environment. Whether you are considering bargaining with traders for exotic goods in the busy markets of the towns and cities, or sunning yourself in one of the rentals on Morocco's coast, a variety of properties are available all through the year.

Morocco offers a variety of activities, the architecture and scenery naturally lends itself to traditional sight-seeing and photography. Shopping is a popular activity, but don't expect high street shopping here, vast, varied markets offer handcrafted delights from carpets to food or trinkets.

Souks (traditional markets) are open Mon-Sun 0900-1300 and 1530-1900.

Morocco has beaches on the Atlantic and on the Mediterranean, the ones on the Med offering warmer water, more intimate beaches and a proliferation of small fishing villages to add colour. The Atlantic beaches are more suited to water sports enthusiasts such as surfing, kite-boarding or jet-skiing.

For UK visitors, Morroco is on a very similar timeline, so jet-lag should never be a problem either travelling to or from Morroco.

Euro-tunnel Deal

Travel to continental Europe via Eurotunnel for half price on Tues 22, Wed 23 & Thur 24 Feb. Standard vehicles (Cars, small vans or motorcycles) and up to 9 people can travel for just £22.

Call 0844 335 1649, as the offer's not available online or at check-in. You have to leave after 6am and return before midnight that same day. Tickets are non-amendable and non-refundable. Book a minimum of 1 day before travel).

For more details on the above offers, visit the special Eurotunnel page - Information provided by the lovely people at MoneySavingExpert.com.

West Wales - Manor House Park

Since Manor House Park was taken over by TV personality Anna Ryder-Richardson, we have been keen to pay a visit and see what all the fuss is about. Our trip to Broad Haven this year allowed us to finally visit the park, and we were not disappointed.

The zoo has several areas where you are permitted to join the animals within enclosures, to feed, photograph and get close to animals in a unique way - not all animals are this approachable, but the ethos of the place is certainly different to the traditional zoo. When we visited, this project was still in it's development phase (latter stages), but what had been done, had been done thoughtfully and to a high standard. The playgrounds and picnic areas were very well done and provide welcome space for kids to run off the inevitable build-up of energy that accompanies every family 'adventure'.

The food was excellent, probably a higher standard than you would expect at a zoo, but that was one of the themes running through the place - standards were high, this is not a Changing Rooms production by any means.

Nearby attractions include:

• Heatherton Adventure Park (literally just 'over the road')
• Dinosaur World (a few miles down the road)

There is definitely enough going on in this locality to keep you amused all day - top tip: if you like your food, eat at Manor Park NOT at Dinosaur World!!

West Wales - St Davids

During our stay in West Wales this year, we opted to visit St Davids on what turned out to be a rather wet afternoon. However, St Davids with it's impressive cathedral and charming setting is worth a visit in any weather. Good food can be had locally, and there is a small but decent collection of shops if you are that way inclined...

The cathedral itself is a wonder which is worth the journey on it's own. It boasts a refectory, gift shop and small museum but it was the ancient decor that had me grabbing my camera. I was especially struck by the superb floor tiles, most have which have been restored, although some around the altar appear to be in their original state.

The majesty of the flooring is matched by the work in the ceilings and in the general quality of the original furnishing which for me, was nothing short of breathtaking.

The stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings give way to a small exhibition room, which in reality is too small to be called a museum, but a museum that is limited to one small room is probably as much museum as I want to see in a day to be fair... there are a number of artefacts here relating to the history of the building. from chalices and carvings to ancient artefacts discovered during renovations and rebuilding. I'm not a big fan of museums, but this had enough to raise interest without tedium setting in.

All in all, on a wet day, there is not enough to keep the family amused All day, but well worth stopping for a good few hours - drive right through St Davids for the pay and display car park.

West Wales - Broad Haven

We have been lucky enough to be offered a caravan holiday in Broad Haven just west of Haverford West on the Welsh coast. Although the weather was not anything too special, the scenery was stunning and the site was well-appointed as was the brand new static caravan that we borrowed. This area is popular with surfers, and if you look closely you may even see kite-surfers in the photo above.

Broad Haven itself is a typical holiday village with a spar, chip shops and pub and little else. Hidden away around the corner is another pub, a school and a small church. Broad Haven is a great outpost for exploring this coast, and within easy reach of the bustling town of Haverfordwest (which has a large Tesco, and a fine swimming pool).

The large caravan park is popular and has a good number of mobile homes scattered around, the playground has a zip wire (the kids will love it) and for a price, you can use the site Wi-Fi...

RyanAir £5 flights

Bringing you the latest from MoneySavingExpert...
Once again, a short-term offer for cheap flights booked before midnight tomorrow (27th May), as ever, be aware that extras charged for baggage etc. may ramp up the price...
Flights must be booked at least 14 days in advance, and travel is any day in June 2010 - limited airports within Europe...
Click the MoneySavingExpert link above to be taken direct to their 'cheap flights' article - full guide to how to make the most of this deal can be found there...

Read the full Ryanair cheap flights promotion details

Air Travel is suffering

Not only will we have more British Airways strikes to look forward to after yesterday's court ruling, but disruptions are still being caused by volcanic ash at some UK airports - currently limited to Scottish airports. Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has stated that his airline will not consider abiding by EU rules on compensation and has stated that only the cost of the ticket will be refunded even where travelers have been forced to rent additional accommodation abroad.
Two out of the three high court judges yesterday voted to overturn the injunction imposed on the proposed 'Unite' strike planned to disrupt in particular World Cup travelers in a few weeks time. The injunction was imposed on Monday when BA argued that ballot results had not been adequately communicated to union members. BA intend to introduce contingency plans designed to circumvent union action.