Best Hotel in Playa Dorada ?

Q : Looking at going back to Dominican Republic but we have kids so fancy the gated resort of Playa Dorada. Which is the best hotel for a British family with young kids ?

A : According to trip advisor and holiday watchdog. Blue Bay Villas Playa Dorada is the best. The hotel is owned by hotetur and can be booked through Thomson or Thomas Cook in the UK.

Tripadvisor review from 5th July from someone from Stockport :

I simply cant find anything negative to say regarding this hotel. Every member of staff were amazing and did everything possible to make our holiday special. The reception staff were friendly and helpful.

Special thanks to Lorenzo who made all the family feel welcome.There is so much to do everyday.

Marmara Hotel, Antalya Turkey

Marmara Hotel, Antalya information

The Marmara Antalya is home to the dramatic “Revolving Loft,” a 24-room, tri-level exclusive building that slowly revolves to reveal a constantly changing panorama of mountains, the sparkling Mediterranean, and the resort’s expansive grounds. This stunning building is the world’s first and only building which turns a full 360 degrees on its foundation. The building floats inside a special pool system that aims to surprise guests with a different view of Antalya at different times of the day.

Big PV Holidays Campaign

PV Holidays - who sell accommodation only in France, Spain and Italy have got a major campaign underway. More details here.

Seems like you can save 22% off with a discount code, but FlexHolidays have sussed out you can use the discount code with other offers too, so you can save more like 35% on some deals.

Expedia Discount Code

The Expedia dicount code we tipped you off about recently has been extended.

Now valid until 12th May 2009.

Most searched hotel destinations 2009

In the spirit of top ten lists from Expedia and top tens from hotels.com, we have been sent three top five lists from Hotel Comparison website RoomWizard.co.uk 

Based on data for the first four months of 2009, the data is based on searches not bookings and reveals the most popular destinations so far as recorded by number of searches by UK visitors.

• Top Five UK destinations. 
  

London | Edinburgh | Bath | York | Brighton

• Top Five European destinations.
  

Reykjavik | Berlin | Rome | Paris | Barcelona

• Top Five Beach destinations.
  

Alcudia | Benalmadena | Benidorm | Sharm el Sheikh | Albufeira

NH Jolly Carlton Amsterdam

As promised when I booked my hotel in Amsterdam with Lastminute.com secret hotels, here is a review of the NH hotels Jolly Carlton.

Overview of NH Jolly Carlton

A pretty standard corporate style hotel in a good central location in Amsterdam. Friendly staff.

Excellent value for money when booked through Lastminute.com secret hotels.

Room

Nice bed and well furnished. Good air-con that put the guest in control. A decent TV with BBC1 and Sky News among others. There was even a small balcony which may have been nice in the summer or for example watching the Queens day parades. I particularly liked the toiletries from the bathroom.

General hotel amenities

I didn't really check anything out. The reception was nice and I blagged a few free sweets there, I never had to wait for a lift. I didn't take the breakfast as the hotel is so close to plenty of different options food wise.

Location and surroundings

The Jolly Carlton has an excellent location. I was going to a conference at AIB and was able to use a tram from just around the corner. Also easy to get to from AMS / Schipol airport. I took  a walk up from Central station having got the train. Loads to see and do in the surrounding area, good cafes, bars and a variety of shops as well as a flower market.

Virgin Holidays Winter Holidays Discounts

Virgin Holidays have got a bank holiday special on at the moment. The offer is valid until 6PM on the 5th May (Tuesday).

Save 10% on all holidays departing between 1st November 2009 and 30th April 2010.

Could be good for securing a discount for a holiday at Christmas and or New Year.

Book online only to get the discount.

The website has been redesigned and is well worth a browse. Some good late deals caught my eye too.