Spontaneous Scarborough

Last week, we made a spontaneous trip to Scarborough for a few days whilst we both had time off work.

We had a cute little getaway by the seaside despite the rainy weather. We stayed in a hotel right on the seafront called The Clifton Hotel. For 2 nights it was only £52, which is a bargain considering we know people that have stayed in the same hotel at a much bigger expense.

Whilst we were there we found out it was lucky that we could even book the hotel, as it is out of season and they were only open for a week due to the holidays.

Let’s get the bad bits out of the way first, okay? First things first, Peasholm Park. What a let down. This was undoubtedly the thing that Elle and I were most looking forward to, and upon arrival all we were greeted by was an empty park with a lake that had been drained with water due to refurbishments. The most frustrating thing is that there were no notices online to announce this, only a tiny poster left where you would usually rent pedal boats.

Getting back to the good stuff, on our first day we took a walk across the beach and found ourselves at Sea Life Sanctuary. Considerably smaller than the one in London, but

still enjoyable. They have the only seal hospital in England, a penguin island which was unfortunately closed and a little family of otters. The sanctuary is located right on the coastline, which beautiful views of the ocean.

After, we took a short hike up a small cliff which was so boggy due to the drizzly rain conditions. But nevertheless, the views were picturesque, with the ruins of the castle in the far background and the sea washing up on the shore in the foreground.

Next stop – my personal favourite, the arcades. About a 40 minute walk along the coastline and past the colourful chalets, castle ruins and the souvenir shops, we reach our destination. A bagful of 2p coins at the ready and we’re off, eager to get win a boatload of cheap toys!!

After a few hours we decided it was time to go back to the hotel, but on the way we came across a Pizza Express, and well, it’d be rude not to eat there. We found an online discount voucher that took 50% off the bill, always good to catch a bargain.

Our second day was fairly similar, strolling along the beach in the rainy weather and spending hours on end winning tickets and prizes in the arcades. I can’t say that I feel like it was time wasted, because we were completely in our element, it was like being little kids again.

Our third and final day, coincidently fell on Valentine’s Day. We started off the day with a walk up to the Scarborough Castle which is a former medieval royal fortress that overlooks the sea. It is a lot bigger than it looks from the ground, the ruins span over the majority of the cliff side adjacent to the sea. The views were great, standing at the top overlooking the harbour, beach and all the shops.

After, we took a walk along the harbour and towards the lighthouse. You can see as far as the eye can see across the sea. Elle always enjoys walking by the harbouring, seeing all the boats coming and going.

With all the sea breeze and walking all day, it was time for some lunch. We went to a little restaurant on the seafront and took a seat upstairs by the window. Prices were good, but the meal was better. You got so much more than your money’s worth. I ordered burger and chips, which came with salad and onion rings. Elle got battered sausage, chips and mushy peas. The meal was delightful.

There was just a few hours until we had to catch the train back to Leeds, and what better way to make the time pass? You guessed it – the arcades. The greatest win of the day, was definitely spending less than £1 in the 2p slot machines and winning a £5 note and 2 bunches of tickets. Nothing like a satisfying win.

Thank you Scarborough, you were great. I’m sure we will see you again in the future.

Love, Elbitravels x

Bali Itinerary

At the beginning of October, we are going to Bali, Indonesia for two weeks. We start our journey on the 2nd October and arrive in Bali on the third. We haven’t yet booked our flights, but we know that many of them are indirect and fly over night. Prices are between £400-£500 per person.

On arrival in Bali, we will be staying in a prenights accommodation booked through the TruTravels tour company.

Day One

The 4th October is the first day of our tour. We will be transferred to the Canggu guest house to check in. We can spend the day relaxing by the pool or to go off and explore Canggu by ourselves. In the evening, there is a welcome dinner with drinks to meet the rest of the tour group.

Day Two

Today we explore the culture of Bali as we head to two of its most famous temples – Tanah Lot which is set on a rock formation in the sea and the Royal Temple of Tamun Ayun. In the evening we take in the sunset on one of Canggu’s coolest beaches before big night out on the town in Seminyak.

Day Three

On our third day we hit the beach! We learn to surf in the morning with the local instructors in Kuta Beach followed by a chilled afternoon on one of Bali’s most beautiful beaches and watching the sunset.

Day Four

It’s time to back our bags as we move location to the town of Ubud – En route to our next destination we make a stop at a beautiful waterfall to cool off. We then move to our next accommodation to check in before we visit one of Bali’s most famous live music destinations for an evening of singing and dancing.

Day Five

This day is jam packed with fun filled adventures and experiences. In the morning we head down to the local food markets to buy produce for our cooking class ran by a local family. They will teach us how to make some of Bali’s most famous dishes, as well as the flower offerings made to the gods. In the afternoon we go and meet some of Ubud’s cheekiest locals at the sacred monkey forest where it is believed the hundreds of monkey’s that live there protect the ancient temples inside.

Day Six

We spend the morning leisurely wandering through the markets of Ubud taking in the colourful sights of the market stalls and picking up a few bargains before enjoying lunch overlooking an active volcano. After, we spend the afternoon walking around the rice terraces of Ubud to see how these beautiful formations still play a very important role in the locals’ way of  life.

Day Seven

It’s time to head to the islands! We catch the ferry over to the stunning tiny island of Gili Trawangan where it’s a short walk to our accommodation. Once there we spend the afternoon having a cocktail by the pool. For dinner we explore the local markets for some of the freshest fish you’ll ever eat! Then its time to party in the many beachside bars on the island!

Day Eight

We enjoy the day island hopping on a boat trip around the three Gili Islands – Gili Trawangan, Gili Air and Gili Meno, we head to some of the best snorkel spots in Indonesia where you will see stunning coral, beautiful fish, turtles and even a shipwreck. We also enjoy a beach front lunch on Gili air.

Day Nine

Getting on the only mode of transport the island has (push bike) we spend the day cycling around the island checking out some of its coolest spots and watch the sunset before our farewell dinner and party to celebrate the best 10 days of your life!

Day Ten

Check out day for the tour, but check in day for the next hotel. Staying in Gili Trawangan for another night we have booked the Scallywags Resort, we are staying in deluxe double room with a private plunge pool. Breakfast is included in the price.

On the 15th we will be travelling back to Bali by ferry, and checking in to a hotel called Grand Balisani in Seminyak. We are staying in a deluxe double room with garden views, included in this price is a 60 minute spa massage and breakfast.

We check out on the 16th and board our flight back home to the UK.

In regards to accommodation throughout the trip, we are unaware of where we will be staying. But the element of surprise is exciting. We know the first hotel, Koa Hotel in Canggu. Which sets the standard of the type of hotels we will be staying in along the trip.

210 days to go and counting.

Love, Elbitravels x

Reunited in Grenada

We’re in the Grenadian airport walking through customs, the nerves are kicking in, what is to come is beginning to feel real. My heart is beating fast, thoughts running through my mind, but no words come out.  My body is shaking, my legs feel like jelly, but somehow I’ve managed to keep walking. I’m walking out the sliding doors, outside the airport. Quickly I’m scanning the crowd for a familiar face. I take a few steps, and I see him. Before I know, I’m running, running towards him. Tears streaming, the biggest smile on my face. I wrap my arms around him and nothing else seems to matter, I’m fairly certain I blacked out momentarily, I can’t quite tell you how I was feeling. But then I hear his voice, and it brings me back to reality. I have just been reunited with my Dad after 8 long years. All the hard work and tears that Elle and I have been through this past year has all been worth it for this one moment. I don’t want to let go, but I know I have to. 

Rewind… back to the start. On Friday, the night before we fly we packed our suitcases ready to be picked up midday on Saturday. Somehow our suitcases are considerably heavier than they were when we arrived and they were over the weight limit. We had to leave a few items behind, but nothing that couldn’t be replaced. After we finished packing, we went down to the restaurant for our “last supper”. The staff were sad to see us go, as we had gotten along with them so well throughout the week. They even asked if we would get out camera to take a few pictures with them, which melted my heart. 

We were supposed to be going to the Friday night street party in Gros Islet, but we decided against it and thought that a chilled night was much needed as we knew tomorrow would be… eventful to say the least. 

Waking up bright and early on Saturday morning, we headed down for breakfast. Time to say goodbye to the beautiful views and the rest of the staff. Heading back up to the room, it was now time to play the waiting game. Every minute seemed to pass like an hour, time was dragging painfully slow. Elle thought it would be a good time to talk about the fact we were meeting my Dad in a few hours. But, no words came out. Instead, tears, and plenty of them, streaming down my face. I think the nerves had kicked in and I had realised exactly what was happening. I don’t know if they were happy tears or what, but I did feel relieved afterwards. 

11.50am, time to check out and Kevin was already waiting for us. Kevin was the guy dropping us at the airport, what a splendid guy he was. He took our minds off the fact we were meeting my Dad, we played a few games during the journey, to see how much we had learnt about Saint Lucia during our stay. We got into the topic of moving to St Lucia, and the ways in which you could make a living there. At the end of the journey, he gave us his business card and told us he would be in touch if he had any suggestions for work etc. 

Checking in was hassle and stress free, a small simple airport that you just flow through. After grabbing a bite to eat, the waiting game begins again… Only this time, the waiting game exceeded the time frame we had set as our flight was delayed. However, before long, our flight number was being called out and it was time to board the aircraft. 28 minutes in the air, and we had already landed in Grenada. We both agreed that was the shortest flight we had embarked to date, I didn’t even have time to get nervous or let it settle that it was under an hour until I see my Dad. As silly as it sounds, Elle and I got off the plane last, so we went through customs last.. anything to postpone the inevitable. The airport staff were so friendly and welcoming to us, proud Grenadians showing off their country. You know what happens next… 

A 10 minute drive, and we were already pulling into our the car park for the hotel, we had a friendly welcome to Siesta Hotel, and were given the keys. After dropping off our bags, we headed back out into the car so that my Dad could show us around the city. Although it was dark, it was great to see our surroundings and to see where my Dad grew up and now lives. During our drive, we made a few pit stops to get out and look around, we got to see both of my Dad’s business establishments. Which are hair and beauty spa’s called Spice Isle Retreat. Absolutely beautiful!

The great thing about my Dad living here, was that he provided us with advice about where to buy food, where the beach is and the best places to go whilst in the city. We were driving for a good few hours, but it was getting late. Time to get back to the hotel and catch up on some much needed Z’s after a long and overwhelming day. 

Our next post includes what it was like to wake up and see the beauty of Grenada in daylight, and exploring the city through the eyes of a local.

Stay tuned!

Elbitravels x

Big man & Rocky steal the show…

After not posting for a few days, we have a bundle of posts to update everyone on our previous week where we have traveled from St Lucia to Grenada, many of our posts have been postponed as we’ve had a jam-packed few days which have included meeting Abis’ dad and swapping a white snowy Christmas for a white sandy Christmas! This post will take us back to St Lucia where we were riding upon horses along the beach, so here goes…

For anyone who has ridden a horse will know that the very first time you step up and onto the horse, it feels like you’re all of a sudden VERY high up! For Abi and I this was our first time and boy, it was scary! The closest either of us have been to a horse is stroking the mane and admiring the animals from afar, however taking the leap and climbing onto one is certainly an achievement in itself for me! I’ve never been too keen on riding horses, but with a cousin who is a very keen rider and my sister having done previous lessons, I knew that at some point, I’d have to see what it was all about so why not do it in the middle of the Caribbean along a white sand beach? For Abi, her mum has always been very into horses and has even had her own horses so she too needed to experience what everyone was telling us we were missing out on!

After initially getting onto the horses, we were told to hold the reigns and use them as if they were a joystick, pull back to stop, forward to go, left for left and right for right. Easier said than done when your horse loves a little nibble. Head down and grazing on the grass, Big Man (Elles’ horse) certainly proved to be a big eater when we yanked me down nearly going head over heels! Holding on for dear life, I asked our guide, nicknamed Yellow for his hair, if this was normal and how to control the horse. Having 30 years riding experience and knowing the horse would listen to him, he said just give the reigns a yank up and tell him to stop… Yeah, easier said than done! Especially when you don’t know how to handle what I can only call beasts at this time! However, once we got moving it was clear that these horses knew the path they were taking an for the majority of it, it was just holding on and balancing yourself upright. Until we got to the hills, I kept getting told “lean back” when we approached the hill so in doing so we were more balanced for when the horses began trotting upwards… This is now considered the easy part by myself and Abs!

I can’t speak for Abis’ horse, Rocky, but Big Man just wanted to eat eat eat… So every now and then, I was forced to pull his reigns to the right and tell him off for eating on the job! Although he knew I was a first timer and didn’t pay much attention to little me sat on his back when he knew he could tuck in to some beautiful green leaves! Oh and arriving up to the muddy puddles, Rocky and Big Man both had the same idea… Lets’ have some fun and get these guys as wet and muddy as possible and they succeeded in doing so! It’s safe to say that I’m glad we were sweltering in the Caribbean heat and wearing long trousers and hiking boots was worth it as I’m sure my white vans and Abis’ white Pumas’ weren’t have been happy getting sodden with mud! I fail to mention that the horses themselves were nearly knee-deep in these mud puddles and allbeit there was a path to the side which would’ve kept us dry and mud-free but nah, they wanted to give us the greatest riding experience possible!

Arriving onto the beach we took a little stop at a bar where we treated ourselves to Rum and Coke because of course we were told there’s only laws for drinking and driving, nothing to suggest we can’t drink and ride! We knew that booking a 2 hour tour allowed us to experience riding the horses in the water which isn’t fun for just us as apparently the horses love to trek through the waves. This time we swapped horses and although I’m not sure of who I rode through the water, Abi took upon Spongebob who followed behind me on our way up to the beach. From occasionally looking back when I braved doing so, I knew that Spongebob was a rebel horse and didn’t listen to anyone but himself, in other words, he simply did his own thing!  It’s all fun and games knowing that you’ve got a well-behaved horse and your partner has the naughty one! Riding through the waves was certainly an experience and Spongebob, living up to expectations, had to be told off by the guide as he simply didn’t want to take Abi any further into the sea! I must admit he wasn’t far off being submerged, being a smaller horse, he was keen on staying in the shallower parts of the sea. Credit to our guide who managed to capture some absolutely gorgeous photos for us!

Who needs hands!?

After treading the waves horsey style, we climbed back onto our original horses and headed back to the stables. Of course going back through the muddy puddles and splashing a little more mud onto our backs, for bants I’m sure the horses agreed! In order to make it a more interesting, we were also given the opportunity to try and trot a little faster on our horses which at first was very scary! I know that I was being told to rise into a more standing position whilst doing so, but I just couldn’t get the hang of positioning the reigns so poor Big Man, whenever he began to trot, the reigns were being pulled back, in effect telling him to stop. I’m sure you can imagine how funny it looked whenever we did one or two faster trots and then boom, he’d stop. Yeah, I’m still sorry and I must’ve been the most confusing rider to date! On the other hand, it must’ve come naturally to Abi who although admitting at first she was terrified and had no idea what was going on whilst she was being bounced into the air, after a minute or so she got the hang of it!

Back into the hilly part of the ride, if you go up you gotta come back down… So, Rocky led the way taking Abi smoothly down the hill, whilst Big Man literally takes a single hoof at a time and I’m on the back feeling quite comfortable telling him to speed it up a little as he was really falling behind. Following me was the guide and he calmly said to me “Big Man always takes it very steady downhills because he’s very clumsy on his feet.” So I immediately took back my request to speed up! In fact I think I just held on tighter and prayed for the best! For the guide, don’t tell this to a first time rider who is nervous enough! Nevertheless, we managed to arrive on flat ground safe and sound.

Climbing down from the horses for a final time and saying goodbye was a relief, but for definite we’ve said we would do it again and certainly looking forward to having many more horse-riding experiences! These are very beautiful animals and really do listen to those which they trust and spend every day with. Although scary at first, it was a remarkable experience, I’m sure it’d only take a few more rides for us both to feel a lot more confident, even though it probably wasn’t enough to make us jump at the chance of getting a horse, we certainly see why people are in love with horses and spend a lot of time and effort learning to ride professionally!

Pulling up to our hotel and stepping out to the hotel, Abi suddenly felt the repercussions of riding as she immediately had aching butt cheeks! I think it was those faster trots! These lasted a good few days and for me, not so intense due to the stop start approach that I took, I could definitely tell that I’d been horse-riding!

Saturday 17th December we fly from St Lucia to Grenada where we will be met by Abis’ dad so stay tuned for our post on how that went!

Seasons greetings!

Elbitravels x

Caribbean; Travel essentials

With just 23 days to go until we’re in sunny Saint Lucia, we thought it would be a great time to share our travel essentials with you. We have already packed the majority of suitcase, with a few last minute items to put in. The excitement is starting to set in as the countdown goes down.

Airport Essentials

Travel documents: These are the most important items you need for your trip. Passport, flight ticket, airport transfer papers etc. Make sure these items are packed somewhere safe but easily accessible.

Travel insurance is the second most important essential for our Caribbean trip. We have bought an annual policy for a couple for just £35 on gocompare.com. Which is great value for money. This policy covers you for up to 35 days per trip for 1 year, which is great for us as we like to travel a lot.

Well-packed carry on. Your carry on should contain essential items for the first 24 hour of travel time. This includes a change of clothes and shoes, toiletries, travel documents and definitely a bikini. With international travel there is a window of opportunity that your luggage could be delayed,  make sure you are well-equipped for this.

Clothing for Caribbean islands

Light and airy clothing; the average temperature in the Caribbean is 27 degrees all year round.

Dress codes; in the Caribbean there are moral standards of clothing and etiquette. Revealing clothing isn’t considered appropriate in these islands unless it’s time for carnival. Typically in restaurants and resorts there is a dress code to adhere to. Women should wear long dresses/skirts or trousers with a formal top. Due to this we have packed a number of maxi dresses, light trousers and a few co-ords.

Day to day activities; dresses, shorts, skirts and loose tops are essential for a Caribbean getaway. Think ahead of what activities you plan to do, loose and light clothing would be ideal for hiking.

Comfortable shoes; we have packed a variety of shoes for our getaway to accommodate for all activities we wish to pursue. Sandals, hiking boots and of course, heels.

Plenty of swimwear; as I’m sure you’re aware, the Caribbean is very humid which makes drying out your swimwear could take a while, and we all know there’s nothing worse than putting on a wet bikini. We have packed around 5/6 bikinis each.

Jackets; you’ll need a light jacket for evenings, once you’re immune to the Caribbean weather you’ll really start to feel the chill on an evening. Considering the Caribbean is filled with tropical country, it is a must to have a rain-jacket or at least something that is waterproof. It tends to rain at least once a day! Between us we have packed approximately 5/6 jackets.

What not to pack; there are a few items you should take off your packing list if you’re going to visit the Caribbean. Skimpy or revealing clothing is highly inappropriate in most places. Heavy clothing or dark clothing will make you sweat buckets. Camouflage clothing is strictly prohibited and even illegal in some areas.

Protection

Sun lotion; it’s inevitable that you’ll burn at one point or another during the trip, but better safe than sorry! We have bought factor 30 Piz Buen sun lotion, Elle absolutely loves this brand and won’t buy anything else.

Aloe Vera; as I said previously, no doubt you’re going to get burned. May as well pack some aloe vera lotion to ease the pain, rather than buying it out there double the price!!

Mosquito repellent; for me, this is one of the main essentials as I am prone to being bitten. I have scars from interrailing to prove that. We have bought a large bottle of repellent and a few wrist bands. No doubt I’ll buy thing whilst I’m out there to put around the hotels to keep them out! I’m taking every precaution!!!

Sunglasses/hats; fairly obvious, but definitely important. We have each bought a straw hat, I’ll probably buy another one whilst I’m out there, and 2 pairs of sunglasses each.

For the beach

Beach towels; it is best to pack your own beach towel, as some hotels may charge a daily fee if you use theirs. It works out cheaper to have your own. We bought new beach towels for this trip, and we’re in love with the designs.

Snorkel gear; the Caribbean is a great place to go snorkelling, we plan to go to the underwater sculpture park in Grenada. Did you know that Grenada is home to the first underwater sculpture park in the world? Although we haven’t gone full out with the gear, we do have the face mask and the snorkel, flippers are really a necessity.

Extras

GoPro; probably in our top 3 of essentials, our GoPro Hero 4 Silver. We want to capture everything and to document our trip. We have also purchased a bundle pack which includes, a selfie stick, tripod, chest mount, head strap etc.

Polaroid camera; for instant still of perfect moments. This is an item I just couldn’t leave at home. We have purchased 50 shots, which enables us to take 1 to 2 photographs per day.

Digital camera; okay, I know it seems like we’re going overboard with the cameras but there is a completely logical explanation. GoPro – for videos, time lapses and to go underwater. Polaroid – instant stills, instant memories. Digital – mainly for scenic photographs, way better quality than our phones and who doesn’t want photographs to remember their trip?

Make up; okay, so probably not considered an essential, especially for Elle. But, who doesn’t want to look and feel great on holiday? Obviously I’ll only really wear make at night when we’re going out; I don’t want to mess up my sun tan! I’ve ordered the Bh Cosmetics 120 Colour Eyeshadow Palette 2nd Edition, which has beautiful bright colours, great for the tropical getaway.

Reading material; considering we are going to be in the Caribbean just short of 5 weeks, there will be lazy days. What better than to lose yourself in a book on the beach? We haven’t planned which books we’ll be taking as of yet, we’ll probably buy them at the airport.

Toiletries; shampoo, conditioner, lots of hair product to control the frizz, toothpaste etc. The list for toiletries could go on forever, but here are our essentials; wax, hair mousse, leave-in conditioner, hairspray, moisturizer and the items mentioned above.

So, there you have it. Our list of essential items for our tropical getaway. It is almost inevitable that you will leave something behind, let’s just hope it isn’t something essential like the GoPro!!

Knowing which choice is the best choice…

Very recently Abi and I have begun discussing our options for 2017; considering that we were originally thinking a move to Europe would be a good shout. However following a conversation with a fellow traveller who we met September 2015 in Antwerp, we questioned whether or not we should head to South East Asia… 

We thought vigorously about how we could manage taking such a huge ‘travelling step’. I suppose for me and Abi this will be the initial movement into full-time travelling so we have looked into securing some way of income. After endless nights researching we came across Camp America, we got deep into their website – click here – and found many options of working and travelling. This planted the seed that this was going to become a reality! 

Random morning walks to catch the sunrise

The following days have consisted of looking through websites and sieving through information for a journey which is suitable for us. We also found some great opportunities and some potential ideas from Bunac. This website also provides trips across various continents and we found that some of these trips also include a TEFL course within them. 

At first Abi and I were rather cautious of the idea of teaching English as a foreign language but after consideration we began to realise that this could be our doorway to working whilst travelling. From this we could save and continue our travels; we understand that this is a very tiny piece of our travelling jigsaw to complete the Earth, however we are determined to start somewhere! 

In turn, putting 2 + 2 together we are currently considering our next trip to be across South East Asia whilst teaching English along the way! 

Although we have many more decisions to make and this is only our first steps into the big wide world, I think it’s safe to say that Abi and I are now in agreement that we will begin a TEFL course beginning in January which can be purchased via their website. This course is also very well-known for its’ excellent amount of support provided to their students, the tutors and support network will even advise and guide you towards finding work abroad. 

Interrail planning; September 2015

Keep checking in to see which route we definitely decide to take, we are very a spontaneous couple and have even considering entering the airport and buying a one-way flight for 2; so who knows what may happen…