Travel

Taste of the great outdoors

Leave a comment

Campervan by Bill McCarthy

VW campervan parked at the Lynton campsite in Devon 

As someone who has some experience of motorhome holidays it was with some curiosity that we decided to go smaller and try our hand with a camper van.

The campervan made famous by Volkswagen in fact. 

This latest version is a million miles away from the original, boasting all the latest creature comforts and hi-tech gizmos, but no amount of technology can do anything about lack of space. Or can it? 

From a maximum 28ft on our first motorhome, this VW offered something a little more compact. Compact, but still ingenious in its practicality and the big advantage over the larger vehicle, is that you are more mobile.

You can stow stuff away in no time and be on the road, even down to the local shops. 

Exceedingly difficult with the motorhome. 

VW campervans have plenty of storage areas for holiday paraphernalia in what appears to be a limited space 

We were invited to test all of this by a motorhome and campervan company which has recently opened a new branch in the Midlands, at Beoley near Redditch. 

Taking advantage of the surge in popularity of caravanning and camping staycations, Rockin’ Vans has opened this 8,000 sq ft facility early last year and has a wide range of vehicles to choose from. 

On arrival, it didn’t look like there would enough space to store all our holiday paraphernalia, but with ingenious hidden cubby holes and storage areas under seating and overhead, an awful lot can be stored in what appears to be a limited amount of space. 

So we loaded up and headed south west to beautiful north Devon and into Somerset where we stayed at a couple of Camping and Caravanning Club sites. 

Spectacular views over Minehead 

These are usually set in picturesque surroundings, with enough facilities to be comfortable, but secluded enough to be away from the madding crowd. 

We chose one in Lynton in Devon, above the cliffs and overlooking the beautiful the combined town of Lynton and Lynmouth and the other at Minehead in Somerset – again a spectacular view over the town from high on a hill with an incredible panoramic view. 

Both offer peace and tranquility with all the basic facilities required for camping and caravanning as well as close proximity to nearby tourist centres. Daily rates at both began for us at around £22 and included electricity points and water and disposal facilities as well as clean and tidy shower blocks and a small shop for essentials and a friendly welcome and helping hand if needed. 

A spectacular sunset a Brean Sands in Somerset 

Here we were able to explore the van properly. Space is at a premium but the rear seats and table are used to create a double bed, which features individual lights, while the two front chairs are captain style, which means they swivel around. 

Also the fabric roof can be raised to accommodate a couple of, usually children, above the main bed. It is worthwhile taking an extra foldaway mattress, because without it, unless you like sleeping on a board, the bed conversion can be uncomfortable. We used the mattress from the overhead bed for extra comfort as there was only two of us. 

The kitchen facilities offer a cooker and fridge, which is just about enough, otherwise, weather and site permitting, portable barbecues offer a rustic cooking alternative. 

As said earlier, the size is an advantage as packing up takes minutes and allows for plenty of sight seeing. 

VW campervan 

A trip on the water-powered funicular cliff railway down from Lynton to Lynmouth is a must. Lynton is 700 feet above Lynmouth, which was the only place to expand to once all available space in Lynmouth had been built on. 

From there we moved to Minehead, again a picturesque town with its own miniature railway, which offers 20 miles of heritage railway and typically British seaside welcome, 

For those who want wall to wall entertainment the vast Butlins sight can be entered with day passes. 

A new level of motorhome for us, and we loved the freedom. Cheaper too, as the smaller VW uses much less fuel. Rockin’ Vans has a fleet of campervans and motorhomes to hire with a week’s hire of a VW campervan, prices start at £413. 

VW campervan 

If you want creature comforts, then maybe hotel is for you but if you want a taste of the great outdoors with freedom to move at will, try the camper van.

Travel

All Rhodes lead to Greece

Leave a comment

Travel by Bill McCarthy

The Aldemar complex in Rhodes 

The beautiful island of Rhodes is famous for a number of things among them the Colossus of Rhodes, a statue of the Greek sun-god Helios, erected in 280 BC and, ahem, Anthony Quinn. 

Why Anthony Quinn? Well, he was one of the stars of the blockbuster Guns of Navarone, which was partly filmed on the island. 

The Colossus has long gone, but Quinn left a lasting legacy. 

 The ancient walled town of Rhodes

He so loved the island he bought some land with a fabulous beach and it became Anthony Quinn Bay, near Falaraki. 

It’s not the only fabulous beach. Rhodes is the largest and most popular island of Dodecanese. With 300 days of sunshine, it offers plenty of choice for holidaymakers and a famous medievel old town which is an absolute must for a visit. 

Our first visit to the Greek islands to us to the huge Aldemar Resort in Kalithea, not far from the capital, which includes the impressively located Amilia Mare hotel and Paradise Village. 

Beautiful Rhodes 

We stayed in the main hotel complex on a fully inclusive basis. The well-equipped rooms offer either garden or sea view, with ours, the latter, offering a spectacular vista across the Mediterranean. The rooms are comfortable and spacious with modern bathroom, TV, fridge and free wi-fi. 

The hotel itself is huge with a number of bars, inside and out and a choice of restaurants serving food and drink throughout the day and if you are still peckish late on, a sandwich supper is laid on. 

There is a choice of themed restaurant, two buffet eateries, and speciality restaurants dealing in Italian, Greek, Chinese and French cuisine. 

A big bonus on a stay of this nature is there is no need to cross a road to get to the resort’s private beach 

Sunbeds, umbrellas, outdoor showers, changing rooms and beach towels all part of the package and for those a bit more active water sports facilities are also available on the beach. 

If you don’t fancy the sea, there are outdoor pools, two freshwater and three are salt water, plus for the more adventurous an 80 metres water slide and seemingly endless facilities with floodlit tennis, minigolf, football and a huge outdoor chess board. 

Inside there’s a games room with internet access, gym and spa facilities. Daily programmes of activities includes everything from water polo to basketball and beach volleyball from an extremely lively entertainments team, which carries on with shows in the bars during the evenings.

Thinking of getting hitched and a small chapel on the grounds provides couples with the perfect backdrop for a civil wedding ceremony. 

It’s not the newest of hotels which the management acknowledge, but is in the process of going through an extensive refit. Having said that, the whole place is spotlessly clean, the staff, all of them that I met, were unfailingly polite and friendly and informative. The prices are also competitive. 

It’s fair to say food is excellent, both in how it is cooked and the variety. You also have the option of dining on the restaurant balcony over looking the Med 

Rhodes town is just a 20 minute ride on one of the hotel shuttle buses for around a fiver each return to the impressive medieval town with its huge walls surrounding the central tourist area in the old town. 

Shopping for bargains or a drink in the old town

It features strong walls, an impressive castle, paved paths and elegant stone mansions. 

It is also packed with bars, restaurants and shops of all descriptions, literally scores of them competing for the tourists, particularly those off the giant cruise ships who have deep pockets. 

It certainly attracts the rich and famous with huge yachts joining the cruise liners anchored in the busy harbour 

However, beware of ordering a large beer. We ordered two and they duly arrived in huge wellington-shaped glasses, each containing two litres and costing a healthy 40 euros.We could have sent them back, but, when in Rome, so to speak, battled through for a couple of hours. 

Quite an experience in one of the finest old towns I have ever visited. 

Further afield, hire a car and the pretty resort of Lindos with the Acropolis on top is a must. 

The beautiful, unspoilt Tsampika Beach

Elsewhere there are some magnificent beaches including the picturesque and secluded, certainly when we went, Tsampika Beach. With soft golden sand the bay offers an almost Caribbean atmosphere with its drinks huts and and food stalls few and far between, while parking is also free on the edge of the beach itself. 

Just the ticket if you want even just a bit of break from the wall to wall eating and drinking at the hotel. 

The first time visiting the Greek islands, it won’t be the last. 

FACTFILE 

Stay at the Aldemar Amelia Mare in Kalithea, Rhodes on all-inclusive basis with prices from £686 per person for 10 June departure from East Midlands Airport with return flights, transfers in resort and 7 nights accommodation with garden view on all-inclusive. Call TUI on 0203 636 1931 or visit www.tui.co.uk Transfers from Rhodes airport are just 25 minutes. 

To book your own flights from a number of different airports including Birmingham check out easyjet and for accommodation visit www.aldemar-resorts.gr 

For general information on the island of Rhodes check out the Greek Tourist Office www.visitgreece.gr

Welcome to this site