The most romantic city in the world… or not!!! Me and the girls hit Paris for a true girly weekend and banned all talk of love, boyfriends and romance. Paris wasn’t the most obvious choice for our single girls weekend break but it has a short travelling time and didn’t cost the earth! My personal choice would have been a city in a warmer climate as December has been harsh and I could do with some sun. But one girl hates flying and the other could only get a sitter till the Sunday night so travelling to an exotic city was out of the question.

We took off from Newcastle in the blistering cold on the Friday night and landed in Charles De Gaulle airport an hour and a half later and it was still blisteringly cold! We got dropped off at Beauchamp’s hotel which is right in the heart of Paris and near the big shopping centres. The hotel was very classy and elegant which I what I expected given the price!! We were cold and quite tired after travelling so we went to the room quickly got changed and went down to the hotel bar for a few cheeky drinks before an early night. The hotel bar was expensive but to be fair you are in the centre of Paris in a nice hotel so I didn’t expect it to be a pound a pint!!! The room was lovely and very comfortable. It was posh! But it was only somewhere to rest our heads for the 2 night we were there!

The next day we had breakfast and went to explore Paris! We went to straight to the Louvre as it was something we were interested in but didn’t want it to be the whole point of our weekend. It’s a stunning building and you don’t have to be the ‘arty’ type to appreciate just how fabulous this art gallery is. The Mona Lisa was a disappointment. We could hardly get near her and from where we were stood she looked the size of a stamp!!! We tried to limit our time as it wasn’t everyone’s thing which was difficult but we seen the main parts and left just before lunch.

Eating in Paris is such a treat. Every meal we had was delicious. We didn’t do the pretentious restaurants so avoided much of the hefty priced gourmet stuff and stuck with nice cafes and smaller restaurants. I tried escargot which was interesting! Not something I would order again just because they are fiddly (think Pretty Woman “slippery little suckers!!!”) but it’s nice to say I’ve tried them. Be warned if garlic is in the name of the food it will be very garlic-y!!!

The afternoon on the Saturday we hit the shops. An absolute dream! There are some really good finds out of the major shopping centres and the quieter boutiques are fab. The bigger shops don’t really offer anything different than the same shops in London and New York but it’s nice to browse. After shopping we went back to the hotel and changed.

The night out was brilliant. Prices vary depending on the bar but with all the girls together we had a brilliant laugh and wasn’t the least romantic! If anything you could really paint the town red with a big group! We tried not to over indulge because we didn’t want to be rough the next day but as the tequila flowed we forgot about our headache worries and got trashed! The walk home was fun but take flats with you because my feet were in agony after!

The next we forced ourselves from our beds and because we’d missed breakfast we went straight out for a wake up coffee and to the Eiffel Tower. No trip is complete without this and it was interesting to see it close up. None of us had a head or stomach for the height to go up so we swiftly moved on to the Notre Dame. I could have spent all day here. It is so gothic and interesting you could quiet easily loose a day exploring. But as we were on a tight schedule we took the mandatory holiday snaps and went back over on our selves to Sacre Coeur. Which brings me to another good tip: buy a map!!! I was too hung-over to appreciate it as it was the second historical thing we had done that morning! But if I ever go back to Paris I will make much more of an effort to see this building properly.

We went to see the Moulin Rouge but we didn’t go to see a show. Some people on our return flight said the shows are quite saucy but have a west end kind of censored feel! Again if I do go back ill make more time for this attraction! My friends really wanted to do a river cruise which didn’t appeal to me in the slightest. I had an image in my head of loved up couples dining on some cupid style boat while being serenaded! However it was a pleasant surprise! Don’t be put off if you’re not with a significant other! The diner cruise wasn’t at all intimidating for us single girls and took us round the famous landmarks from an entirely different perspective. The city is really stunning at night and I would do this time and time again.

We sleepily headed back to our hotel to grab our suitcases and make our late night flight home back to sunny Newcastle that night and landed in the very early hours of the Monday morning. I slept for the best part of the Monday and I was still shattered on the Tuesday when I returned to work! The best advise I can give is that you’ll need more than 2 days if you want to see most of the bigger attractions and don’t go if it’s a nice relaxing break your after because it took me to the weekend to feel 100% again! However just as I found Paris isn’t just for the honeymooners, anniversaries and engagement proposal style holidays. A group of 5 girls had the best laugh we could have possibly had! Forget Magaluf, Paris is the singletons heaven!!!

The Tiger's Beautiful Markings

Not quite in the league of South Africa but the main purpose of our city break was to visit Edinburgh Zoo, so I would get my own little taste of wild life I suppose. As predicted, the rain lashed the windows as we pulled into the car park; a tight turning off a busy dual carriageway that could easily be missed if you weren’t looking for it. It’s hard to imagine there’s a zoo in a city like Edinburgh, a concrete city, famous for its Royal Mile and statuesque Castle, occasionally splashed with the colour of the odd tree, yet a city none the less, and one that surprisingly opens into an oasis of greenery and wild animals.

As we walked through the gates to be greeted by feeding time for the excited sea lions, the clouds broke and the sun finally shone upon us. We listened as one of the zoo keepers described the lives of these beautiful creatures, their habits, and exactly how they benefited from being in the zoo. This was a feature that was repeated at various times and locations around the zoo, and made our visit much more interesting.

Our detailed map guided us through the zoo making sure we didn’t miss a thing and didn’t go round in circles or get lost! It also informed of us of when and where the talks were taking place, so we could plan our route to get the most out of our day.

The Very Cute Penguin Parade

We took a picnic for lunch and although there were numerous places to enjoy it, we chose just near the penguins as despite the slightly fishy smell at feeding time they are very entertaining to watch, there’s also a kids play area just nearby for them to let off a little steam afterwards. Thats the kids not the penguins, however they do venture out of their enclosure at 2.15 every day (weather and their mood permitting!) to waddle around the Penguin Parade which is one of the cutest things you’ll see all day.

There are a couple of cafes in the zoo and the manor house has a restaurant which you can book in advance for that extra little treat, I noticed the prices in one café at around £3 for a Panini or £3.50 for soup and a roll, so prices were not too bad at all if you don’t fancy making your picnic, and the Stripes café served the best cup of tea I’ve ever had in a cafe (I am very fussy on my tea!)

The zoo is set into a hillside and can be quite tiring and heavy on the feet, so make sure you have suitable footwear on, there is a safari bus that takes you round the site past all the main features, but we were happier to wander at leisure and obviously wanted to take more time at some exhibits than others.

Mercedes Getting Ready To Move

My favourite had to be the tigers, majestic creatures with markings that couldn’t have been drawn on any more beautifully. The lions were also a sight to see, as was Mercedes the polar bear, shortly to be moved to Aviemore so get there quick if you want to see her. The rhinoceros were absolutely huge and quite at peace wallowing in their mud filled heated pool! The chimps were, of course, highly entertaining and amusing and with so much space you wonder whether they believe it is perhaps us that is caged and they that are taking their amusement from watching us!

Another highlight and something I would definitely recommend taking time to look into is the Rainbow Landings. Walk through a tropical jungle, hold out a small bowl of nectar and wait for one of the resident Rainbow Lorikeet to land on your hand and start feeding. These birds are some of the most colourful in the world (hence the name) and are extremely friendly, and very amusing to watch.

The Very Colourful Rainbow Lorikeets

I returned home after my very ‘wild’ city break to an email from my friend in South Africa, it would take approximately 6 hours to get to a safari park and as her work schedule made no room for this, she would just have to make do with spotting the odd springbok and put the safari on hold for another time. I couldn’t help but have a wry smile to myself as I said how sorry I was for her, and emailed my pictures of lions and tigers over to her, not to rub her nose in it of course!

The Dawsons

Stockton-on-Tees

One of Libby's pics

Libby enjoyed the dolphin and sea lion shows and didn’t stop taking photos all day. There are plenty of little cafes throughout the zoo and there not that expensive. Lisbon itself is full of amazing architecture and museums, the cobbled streets only add to the charm of this beautiful city. The Gulbenkian Museum is stunning, small but first class and is set in beautiful, relaxing grounds. There is also a small amphitheatre with a funny sculpture in it. The El Corte Ingles shopping centre and Centro Commercial Colombo are fab we spent hours in them and spent what my husband would say is a small fortune. Ive booked to go back to Lisbon and the Marriott in July with my husband as there’s so many museums i wanted to visit that i didn’t get the chance to do with Libby.

Heather and Libby from Darlington.

On our arrival we where greeted to a lovely glass of champagne while our bags where taken to our room. Our suite was very stylish and relaxing and had some great views, its set in a stunning location on the River Moy which is magnificent. The food in the Pier Restaurant is fabulous and the service was exceptional as was the french wine. The cocktail bar was divine and served some of the best mojitos ive ever tasted. The chill spa is so relaxing, the hot stone massage was perfect and left me feeling like i was walking on air. I did take advantage of the spa for the 3 days we where here as it was so heavenly and rejuvenating.

We both enjoyed sipping cocktails in the outdoor hot tub which has some magnificent views over the River Moy. The staff where very friendly and we could not fault them one bit. I really did not want to leave and will be booking a return visit soon.

One chilled out lady from Manchester

Some of the best places to see

Simply walk along the canals and see the beautiful terraces, or you can take one of the many canal tours which is a great way to see the city.

Christiansborg Palace which is a government building, you can take tours of the buildings and see some of the elaborat rooms which are used for stated functions and parties, you can even see the royal throne.

Amalienborg Palace which is home to the royal family.

Borsen is a former stock exchange and has some amazing architecture and is next to the Christainsborg Palace.

Tivoli is one of the best amusement parks around and has some lovely lakes and gardens where you can enjoy a picnic as well as some white knuckle rides.

The Open Air Museum is one of the oldest in the world and is free to get in and is a good day out.

The National Gallery houses collections from Rembrandt and Rubens and is free to get in.

The National Museum is dedicated to Danish cultural history and is free to get in.

We always enjoy ourselves when we visit Copenhagen and have visited at different times of the year.

Miss Vasel

St Bavo's Cathedral

St Bavo’s Cathedral dates back to the 10th century and looks so stunning especially at night. The Crypt displays medieval artwork hich is remarkable. The Ghent Belfry Tower is an impressive landmark where you can either walk or take the lift to the top where we witnessed the most amazing views over the city. The bells from the tower ring out regularly and can be quiet deafening at the time. We had a delightful walk along the canals which are lined with beautiful old buildings such as Grain Counters House and Spijker which dates back to the 12th century.

Spijker

We also visited the impressive Museum of Fine Arts which houses over 2 centuries of British art. The Patershol District has an array of bars and restaurants and most of them are not that expensive and the 3 we tried offered a variety of dishes and excellent service. Citadelpark in the south of the city was such a beautiful place to visit with waterfalls, statues, rockeries and amazing flowers it really was like walking through a tranquil garden. We really had a great time in Ghent our only regret is that we didnt stay longer.

Mrs & Mr Bull, Lemington Spa

We walked into the centre of Bath, it took us about 40 minutes (and we walk slowly!) there may have been a quicker route but the staff recommended the most scenic. The walk is downhill all the way but we’d recommend getting a taxi back. We booked a full day experience at the Roman baths which included a session in the Thermae bath Spa, a 3 course lunch in the Pump Room and an insight into the fascinating history of the baths (people dress in authetic costume and explain the meaning of the baths and the history of them). The views across Bath from the roof top pool were amazing. The shopping in Bath is also very good, plenty of designer shops mixed with small independant retailers. We loved our relaxing city break in Bath and would recommend Aspley House to anyone.

David and Sue Waltham, Cardiff.

Shopping is, of course, out of this world in Madrid!! There are hundreds of designer boutiques that I hardly dared look in the window as the prices were that high!! But there are plenty of shops for my kind of budget too and the Chueca area, just 5 mins from Grand Via is excellent for shoes!! For real bohemian style - look for the Feuncarral indoor market…so cool…..The El Rastro Sunday market is also not to be missed, if you can fit in a visit then do…but make sure you leave a few hours to get round it! I’d certainly recommend the Alexandra Hotel for a city break to Madrid.

Sally Thompson, UK

The Duomo Cathedral

We’d booked in advance to go to the Santa Maria Delle Grazie. We had the audio guide which was very helpful. The whole museum is amazing and has some truly breathtaking pictures but our highlight had to be the last supper. Next on our things to do was shopping and Milan has some fantastic shops. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele is the oldest shopping mall in the world and has an amazing glass roof and marble floor and is filled with shops and cafes. Milan is just fantastic and we both really enjoyed ourselves and would recommend it to anybody.

Heather from Luton.

The London Eye

David had booked us a private capsule for the evening of valentines day. Inside our private capsule was a bottle of champagne and a box of choccies. The views over London are stunning, Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral look amazing when your so high up. When we reached the top David got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, i was so shocked and didn’t expect it at all, and of course i said yes. It was so romantic and i cant believe that he managed to keep it all a surprise as he’s not usually good at keeping surprises and the ring is perfect.

Tina and David from Edinburgh.