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Sicily and it’s an offer you can’t refuse

2nd April 20262nd April 2026 funtime65

They’re off again and, of course, we’re going to join them, and this time they’re starting from Sicily and it’s an offer we can’t refuse.

Race Across the World has returned to our screens with five teams race more than 12,000km across Europe and Asia, passing through eight countries.

The journey begins in the land of the Corleones in Palermo.

And it stretches all the way to the remote village of Hatgal on the shores of Lake Hövsgöl in northern Mongolia.

Of course, there are many among you who would be quite happy just staying on Sicily.

And who could blame you?

Our friends at Tropical Sky certainly wouldn’t as they have curated an eight-night twin-centre escape to Sicily and the island of Vulcano.

The journey begins with four nights immersed in Sicily’s rich culture and stunning landscapes.

Followed by three nights relaxing among Vulcano’s natural wonders and soothing thermal springs.

Vulcano eruptions of joy

Pebbles in the sea: The Aeolian Islands. Picture: Roberta Ianni

Now, if you haven’t heard of Vulcano before then it does exactly what it says on the tin.

One of the seven islands making up the Aeolian Islands, of which Sicily is the big cheese, Vulcano is a hotstpot in every meaning of the word.

Our Sicilian amichi advise us that trekking the crater is the thing to do.

And though the trail may look difficult, if you take it slowly, you will reach the top of the volcano without tiring yourself out too much.

And, of course, best to avoid the hottest hours and don’t forget to wear on a proper footwear and to take a good amount of water.

Black is back: Black beaches on Vulcano. Picture: Robbiani

Vulcano also gives you the chance to get away from those boy racers on Sicily.

It’s bicycles, kayaks, quads, Mini-Mokes (no, us neither) or even a cab.

And while the walking tour to the Grand Crater and Vulcanello, Cape Grillo are the headline activities.

You can obviously get around the island on a boat.

With stops at the Grotta del cavallo and at Vulcano Gelso, visit the alum caves and Levante Bay.

Sicilian culture

Now to warm you up (sorry) you’ll get acclimatised to volcanic ways in your first stay on Sicily.

You’ll stay four nights at the elegant 5* Donna Carmela Resort & Lodges, located between Mount Etna and the Ionian Sea.

Enjoy lush gardens, exceptional local cuisine, and the perfect balance of relaxation and exploration.

The three nights on Vulcano will involve private transfer to the port, followed by a scenic hydrofoil ride to the island.

You’ll stay at the luxurious 5* Therasia Resort Sea & Spa, where you can enjoy breathtaking sea views, infinity pools, and a full spa for ultimate relaxation.

Before your return journey, a hydrofoil back to the mainland and a private transfer to the airport.

A 7-night Sicily and Vulcano tour starts from £2,259 pps .

This includes flight to Catania Airport,.

All transfers between destinations and airports are carefully arranged for a smooth, hassle-free experience.

You can watch the series on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Caribbean, Countries, Deals

Bring on the multi-gen holiday in Saint Lucia

16th September 202416th September 2024 funtime65

Globetrotting doesn’t come cost-free with Daddy’s Little Girl prising promises out of me to take her with her next time… bring on the multi-gen holiday in Saint Lucia.

It’s no exaggeration to say the Caribbean changed me.

I went out to Barbados tone deaf, with two left feet and drinking the ‘wrong’ rum but came back Bim Jim, a Soca Warrior.

And a superhero, aka Bandanaman.

And it was as a rebranded West Indian, and credit here to my old Scots/Bajan pal Jevan, that I turned DLG into an honorary Nutty Girl.

All of which focuses our mind on the Multi-Gen market which gives you fun for all the family.

Caribbean family fun

We’ve been here before with Tropical Sky when they invited us out to Club Barbados, a couples hotel.

Only for me left to go it alone as Chez Murty and a pressing shed paint took precedence.

Of course, this being the Caribbean, the locals took me under my wing proving three isn’t always a crowd.

And following on from that then four is more… and when it comes to a 2+2 getaway then Tropical Sky is all over it.

It’s a rap: With Saint Lucian, Jerry The Big Rapper

If Barbados is the Caribbean island that always draws me back and Tobago, like Robinson Crusoe, where I’d stay washed up for ever.

Then Saint Lucia where we had a runway stopover is the isle that has got away.

And my interest has only been pricked since partying with Saint Lucia’s favourite son The Big Rapper in the Red Sea, Petra and the Jordan desert.

Saint Lucia for Harmony and a Splash

Caribbean green: And blues at the Coconut Beach

So it’ll be somewhere fresh and fun for all the family and maybe that would silence Daddy’s Little Girl.

The Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa is situated along the exotic Savannes Bay on St. Lucia’s undiscovered south coast.

This 250-room resort is divided into two wings.

Harmony, an intimate adults-only section ideal for relaxation with the serene St Lucian weather.

And Splash,’ a family-friendly area featuring CocoLand, Saint Lucia’s largest water park, and the Kidz Klub.

The resort’s layout allows older relatives to enjoy peaceful moments away from the children thanks to the Harmony area.

Additionally, the resort offers spacious family rooms, including popular two-bedroom interconnecting options.

Which accommodate up to two adults and four children, making it a versatile choice for families.

Kids, Creole and a Coconut

A seven-night stay at Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa, arriving 12 August 2025 on the island of Creole will fulfil all your needs.

And comes in at from £6,156 total for two adults and two children (aged between two and 11).

In a Deluxe Garden View Splash Room on an all-inclusive basis, with flights and transfers.
And if you book by the end of Tuesday, January 30, you can avail of exceptional savings with Tropical Sky’s flash sale.

So bring on the multi-gen holiday in Saint Lucia.

America, Asia, Caribbean, Countries, Deals, Europe

Every day’s a Tropical Sky schoolday

30th October 202331st October 2023 funtime65

Now as I’ve still so much to learn I rely on the dream-makers, our holiday providers, to teach me… and I know that every day’s a Tropical Sky schoolday.

Because Tropical Sky it was who schooled me in snorkelling after earlier false starts in Barbados.

I’ve picked up a number of other attributes on the way.

Keeeeep dancin’: With Judy Murray in Portugal

Learning to play tennis like a grand slam champion from Judy Murray in Quinta da Lago on the Algarve.

Ride like Roy Rogers in the Wild West and cling onto a tub on the rapids in Colorado.

Paint like Picasso in Tobago though I kept reaching for the mixing pot to drink out of habit thinking it was rum.

Or cook like Craddock and bake like Berry anywhere between my old stomping ground of Co. Wicklow and the States.

All these skills and a few more, tobogganing, scootering, paddel (a hybrid between squash and tennis) and paddle boarding I’ve also picked up along the way.

Although I was for once tongue-tied when asked to blow my own trumpet (still to do that one) by the inimitable Marsha in Tobago.

Picture perfect: With SLM & Marsha in Tobago

When she asked our party what we were good at.

And while my colleague (and her favourite) Vic wowed her with his acumen in building his own house.

My claims of being a poet from my time at the Edinburgh Fringe didn’t impress her and she pipes up: ‘Jim, you got no skills.’

Of course I showed off me skills while seeing off Vic at the goat racing with Marsha watching. No kiddin’!

All of which came to mind while browsing through the list of activity holidays Tropical Sky have to offer in their latest mail drop.

Antigua, set and match

Curtain Bluff hotel, Antigua: Anyone for learning tennis, and the five-star Curtain Bluff Hotel, in verdant Antigua.

Look out for Antigua Tennis Week each Spring and Tennis Challenge Week in November.

A seven-night AI stay at Curtain Bluff Hotel, with flights from London Gatwick, arriving 20 May, is from £3,679 pps.

Curry favours in Sri Lanka

Anantara Kalutara Resort, Sri Lanka: Now I’ve another of my go-to holiday providers, G Adventures, to thank for teaching me the secrets of curry making.

Not all of them mind, I could still do with Spices Cooking School at Anantara Kalutara Resort to fill in the rest.

Their interactive classes see you explore the spice markets with the chef and pick out the ingredients before tucking into your meal with Prosecco.

A seven-nighter, arriving 12 June is from £1,629 pps half-board with return flights from London Heathrow.

Cookery classes can be booked for an additional cost of £124 pp.

Wild West Hero

Tanque Verde Ranch, Arizona: Now forgive me if I retell the story of how I ran into a cowboy ex-Aberdeen University classmate in the baking sun on the Great Plains.

And I asked him as he taught me how to ride a horse if he missed the sub-zero temperatures of the north-east of Scotland.

Now Tropical tell us that nestled amidst the desert and mountains of Tucson is the Tanque Verde Ranch.

A six-nighter at Tanque Verde Ranch, arriving 12 June from £2,649 pps, sharing a Road Runner Sala on full board basis.

With return flights from London Heathrow with Tropical sister company www.americansky.co.uk).

Painter Lucia

Anse Chastenet: In St Lucia is a long way from Joe Reilly’s art class painting apples that looked like men’s parts.

As it happens it took my Tobagonian pals to make an artist of me and show that I could paint… in this case a mill.

The Anse Chastenet is nestled within a 600-acre estate with beaches, coral reefs and views of the Pitons.

Let artist Naja Misaki Simeon take you on a group class on Tuesdays and Wednesdays or opt for private sessions for a fee.

A seven-nighter AI at Anse Chastanet, arriving 12 June, is from £2,449 pps with return flights from London Gatwick.

Atoll order

Fushifaru Maldives: Now what to do when you’re caught between a coral and a hard place.

As I was in Kuramathi when swallowing water I tried to stop on the Indian Ocean floor.

Only to be scolded for killing the coral while it was cutting my feet!!

Snorkelling was my limit but if you want to extend yourself to scuba diving Best Dives at Fushifaru Maldives will show you how.

A seven-nighter AI at Fushifaru Maldives, arriving 20 May is from £3,299pps with return flights from London Heathrow.

And for my Tobagonian pal Marsha’s information.

Africa, Countries, Deals, Food & Wine

Moroccan cookin’

16th March 202316th March 2023 funtime65

If only they’d taught me Moroccan cookin’ then I might have avoided being up all night star-gazing in the Sahara Desert.

But then I hadn’t been introduced to the vibrant Medina of Marrakech, Hotel La Maison Arabe by then.

Or the good services of Tropical Sky.

I can recommend a riad which is far more preferable to a makeshift loo.

In the Sahara with a corrugated roof which was missing when I got there.

Maison around

La Maison offers traditional cooking classes in the hotel restaurant which will come in useful later (believe me)!

At the half-day classes participants can learn the secrets of Moroccan cuisine.

The workshops are run by a dada (a traditional Moroccan chef).

And they include a visit to a nearby spice market and communal bread oven.

The rest of us of course, in the Western World, were taught at a stove by a mama…

Worth remembering with Mother’s Day around the corner.

A little local knowledge

Knowing your way around a tajine will come in handy during your stay in Morocco.

Particularly if you stop for one in a roadside cafe on the Atlas Mountains.

You’ll know what to look out for.

And you’ll avoid Marakech revenge from the rumbles and the tumbles down the dunes.

Even though your camel will try and make it as smooth as possible.

A little local knowledge to know how to avoid false guides and hawksters will also come in useful.

A seven-night stay at Hotel La Maison Arabe is priced from £825pps on a B&B basis, including flights and transfers.

And you can become a tajine genie and learn Moroccan cooking.