Attractions of Blackpool with Andy & Candy

  Attractions of Blackpool  

We could hardly wait to start our holiday in Blackpool.

After a leisurely walk  along the sea front we boarded on a horse and carriage which was a great hit!

At the Madame Tussauds we spent some time with royalty, celebrities and people from the world of sport. We all enjoyed having our picture taken with our favourite celebs! 

We went to Blackpool for a 4 D display of the Tower before we headed up the tower. The glass floor was awesome, everyone was brave enough to walk on to it. We also enjoyed the views from this great height before the decent.

We went on the Magical Mystery Tour of Liverpool to follow in the footsteps of the Beatles. First we visited the amazing Beatles Museum before stopping at the Albert Dock to visit the Maritime Museum. The magical mystery tour was an excellent time on the history of the Beatles.

At the Sea Life Centre we spent the afternoon walking around enjoying being close to all the wonderful marine life.  Our favourite parts were the sharks and being able to walk through the glass tunnel whilst they swam around us.

We enjoyed afternoon tea whilst watching the performance and some of us even joined in with the dancing. The Wurlitzer Organ was magnificent to see and hear.

Las Vegas, Live Shows & Grand Canyon with Colin, John & Ase

  Las Vegas, Live Shows & Grand Canyon  

After arriving in Vegas we headed to the “Paris” hotel, located right in the middle of the strip. After unpacking and freshening up it was straight off to stroll down the strip. 

We spent time exploring the hotels, all of which have amazing themes and attractions open to all. We went to the “Venice” hotel first where most of the group experienced going on a Gondola for the first time and then it was “Caesars Palace” where we saw the Atlantis fire and water show. 

 On arrival at the Grand Canyon you have to get a bus to take you to the best viewing points as the area is owned and operated by the Hualapai Indian tribe. The views, 4000 ft above the Colorado River are incredible. Whilst we were there we saw huts and tepee’s used by the Indians in days gone by and most bought  T Shirts or a souvenir from the shop that is run by the Indians. 

We visited the incredible Hoover Dam which took 5 years to construct in the early 1930’s was an incredible fete of engineering. Over 100 men lost their lives during the construction and by taming the Colorado River it supplies electricity to over 20 million people.

One evening was spent visiting Fremont Street. This area was developed back in 1905 when Las Vegas was founded. It has some of the oldest Casinos in Vegas, such as the first Casino built in 1946, the “Golden Nugget”. The area is very popular attraction at night with its street performers, overhead light shows and zip wire ride that travels the length of the road. 

We enjoyed spending some time cooling off at our Hotels swimming pool.

Our first Las Vegas show was at “Bally’s”. We watched a group called the “Bronx Wanderers”, a family group from New York who performed songs by Frankie Valli, Billy Joel, Queen and many more.  Another evening we went the “Flamingo” hotel for our second show. The “Legends Show” featured Aretha Franklin, Sting, a young Michael Jackson and of course Elvis!  

We went to a very large shop selling just about everything Vegas has to offer. Everyone was happy to find something that suited their budget.  We then returned to our hotel and a few of the group decided to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, a half scale replica of the tower in Paris, France where they got a 360 degree view of Las Vegas. 

The Wonders of the Isle of Wight with Midi & Netty

  The Wonders of the Isle of Wight  

We visited the famous landmark ‘The Needles’. We climbed up on the viewing platform and enjoyed taking in the views of the cliffs and the coast of mainland Britain in the distance. We snapped some lovely photos as we took in the mesmerising views amplified by the clear sunny weather. 

We made our way into the Sand Shop where we had fun filling up different shaped bottles with coloured sand. We then watched a demonstrations of how they make their delicious and unique sweets. We were lucky enough to sample the tasty produce at the end of it. 

At the Alum Bay Glass factory where we were given the opportunity to watch the intriguing process of glass blowing. Intricate and beautiful glass creations took shape in front of our eyes.

In Godshill we had a lovely time looking around at the beautifully made models. The pristine gardens of the model village made for exceptional photo opportunities. 

Today we visited the royal retreat of Queen Victoria herself, Osborne House. We were all pleasantly surprised by the stunningly beautiful gardens of Osborne House as we entered its gates. We made our way through the luscious, flower rich gardens before setting our eyes on the house itself. We explored every room in the house, from the children's nursery, to Victoria's very own bedroom and we even saw her death bed. 

After a good look around Osborne house, we hopped onto a shuttle bus and made our way to Osborne beach. The weather complimented the scenery beautifully as the rich turquoise and green waters welcomed the numerous small yachts and fishing boats. We sat down overlooking the coast in a little cosy café where we enjoyed a light lunch and treated ourselves to an ice cream.

The entertainment team dazzled us with performances from some of the best west-end shows with their own little twist. We all took the chance to have a good dance and sing our heart out!