The holiday 2023 thread (5 Viewers)

Mild-Mannered Janitor · Apr 10, 2023

Looking at a 4 day trip at the end of may before half term, some great prices for Krakow, Bucharest and Istanbul.
Any views or comments from visitors? Thinking the sombre tours of krakow, or the Dracula castle in Bucharest or just the vibrancy and east/west split of Istanbul.

fernandopartridge · Apr 10, 2023

Mild-Mannered Janitor said:
Looking at a 4 day trip at the end of may before half term, some great prices for Krakow, Bucharest and Istanbul.
Any views or comments from visitors? Thinking the sombre tours of krakow, or the Dracula castle in Bucharest or just the vibrancy and east/west split of Istanbul.

I've been to Krakow which I thought was a lovely city, never been to the other two but heard great things about both.

LastGarrison · Apr 10, 2023

Mild-Mannered Janitor said:
Looking at a 4 day trip at the end of may before half term, some great prices for Krakow, Bucharest and Istanbul.
Any views or comments from visitors? Thinking the sombre tours of krakow, or the Dracula castle in Bucharest or just the vibrancy and east/west split of Istanbul.

I’ve been to Bucharest probably 20 times over the last 10 years for work and I really like it.

Has loads of history, particularly around Ceausescu and the Palace of Parliament, has a great Old Town with plenty of restaurants (Caru cu Bere is a sort of rite of passage as a traditional restaurant and is definitely worth a visit) and bars (and nightclubs and strip clubs if that’s your thing), food and drink is cheap and English is widely spoken. Oh it also has Uber so you don’t get ripped off in a taxi to and from the airport!

Hotels are plentiful and I highly recommend the Radisson Blu which is probably my favourite hotel I’ve ever stayed in but can be pricey but if not there are plenty of other options. (The Novotel is really nice as well).

Bran Castle, which is worth a visit for a couple of hours and you can have your picture taken with Dracula in a coffin etc., is quite far outside of Bucharest and is nearer Brasov, which is a cool little city surrounded by mountains and is also worth a visit!

Earlsdon_Skyblue1 · Apr 10, 2023

Mild-Mannered Janitor said:
Looking at a 4 day trip at the end of may before half term, some great prices for Krakow, Bucharest and Istanbul.
Any views or comments from visitors? Thinking the sombre tours of krakow, or the Dracula castle in Bucharest or just the vibrancy and east/west split of Istanbul.

Krakow is really good. Cheap, women are unbelievably beautiful, and it's got some good culture too. Think I've been there three times now and every visit was brilliant.

Bucharest is alright for a weekend but I wouldn't really leave the old town. LG has
seemingly been there a lot and can probably tell you more, but from my experience it was pretty average. Some of the guys I went there with were a bit un-streetwise and it felt like they were getting into trouble every 5 minutes. Would still recommend it if you've never visited it though.

Earlsdon_Skyblue1 · Apr 10, 2023

LastGarrison said:
I’ve been to Bucharest probably 20 times over the last 10 years for work and I really like it.

Has loads of history, particularly around Ceausescu and the Palace of Parliament, has a great Old Town with plenty of restaurants (Caru cu Bere is a sort of rite of passage as a traditional restaurant and is definitely worth a visit) and bars (and nightclubs and strip clubs if that’s your thing), food and drink is cheap and English is widely spoken. Oh it also has Uber so you don’t get ripped off in a taxi to and from the airport!

Hotels are plentiful and I highly recommend the Radisson Blu which is probably my favourite hotel I’ve ever stayed in but can be pricey but if not there are plenty of other options. (The Novotel is really nice as well).

Bran Castle, which is worth a visit for a couple of hours and you can have your picture taken with Dracula in a coffin etc., is quite far outside of Bucharest and is nearer Brasov, which is a cool little city surrounded by mountains and is also worth a visit!

I was there about four/five years ago and one of my mates had a later flight than us. We had already gone out and he sent us a screenshot on Google maps whilst he was in the taxi to come meet us, saying he was concerned. The city (as I'm sure you'll know) is due south of the airport, and there is one road linking the two. The driver had come out and headed north...

SkyBlueCharlie9 · Apr 11, 2023

Anyone recommend any nice campsites on North Spanish coast roughly near Bilbao?

Deleted member 9744 · Apr 11, 2023

SkyBlueCharlie9 said:
Anyone recommend any nice campsites on North Spanish coast roughly near Bilbao?

Went to Bilbao recently. Don't know about campsites but the small town of Plentzia on the coast was nice and it might be worth checking if there is one there. It is about 45 minutes from Bilbao on the metro. I suspect it would be a good base to explore the area.

LastGarrison · Apr 11, 2023

Earlsdon_Skyblue1 said:
Krakow is really good. Cheap, women are unbelievably beautiful, and it's got some good culture too. Think I've been there three times now and every visit was brilliant.

Bucharest is alright for a weekend but I wouldn't really leave the old town. LG has
seemingly been there a lot and can probably tell you more, but from my experience it was pretty average. Some of the guys I went there with were a bit un-streetwise and it felt like they were getting into trouble every 5 minutes. Would still recommend it if you've never visited it though.

Yeah I could well be biased as I’ve had some great times there and have always been with a mixture of locals and Brits.

I do like Romania on the whole though and have been fortunate to travel to quite a few different cities and there’s always something different to see and do in each of them and I do feel it goes a little under the radar in terms of tourism.

Poland is also a great country to visit but I’ve only ever done one night in Krakow and most of my time has been spent in Warsaw (another city well worth a visit BTW) so I’m not best placed to comment but is is on my list to return to, although I have heard excellent things about Wrocław so that’s also on the list!

Marty · Apr 11, 2023

Poland is an amazing country to visit, somewhere we're looking to retire too eventually. Have a look at the tricity area in the north, Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot. All beautiful sea-side towns offering something different. Honestly, I was shocked at home nice Poland is, it makes the UK look third world.

Mild-Mannered Janitor · Apr 11, 2023

Thanks guys, appreciated, wife will be with me so the strip bars or Polish women may not be part of the trip…

LastGarrison · Apr 11, 2023

Marty said:
Poland is an amazing country to visit, somewhere we're looking to retire too eventually. Have a look at the tricity area in the north, Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot. All beautiful sea-side towns offering something different. Honestly, I was shocked at home nice Poland is, it makes the UK look third world.

First place I ever flew into was Bydgoszcz and then my client drove us up to each of those cities and as you say a really nice place.

Few of my mates have also been skiing in Zakopane in the South and they absolutely loved it!

A really diverse and friendly country. And more importantly, great vodka.

Earlsdon_Skyblue1 · Apr 11, 2023

Mild-Mannered Janitor said:
Thanks guys, appreciated, wife will be with me so the strip bars or Polish women may not be part of the trip…

Sorry mate, we tried!

Marty · Apr 11, 2023

LastGarrison said:
First place I ever flew into was Bydgoszcz and then my client drove us up to each of those cities and as you say a really nice place.

Few of my mates have also been skiing in Zakopane in the South and they absolutely loved it!

A really diverse and friendly country. And more importantly, great vodka.

We're going skiing in Zakopane this winter, looking forward to it and cheap as anything, the missus is originally from Gdynia and has family in Poznan, Krakow and Wroclaw and my grandparents were from Poznan and Warsaw. So it costs us next to nothing to get around Poland.

ProfessorbyGrace · Apr 11, 2023

If I can gather the necessary coinage, it’s a whistle stop tour of the west coast of Norway, whereafter I medically need to take the Flam railway and see the Northern Lights. Preferably whilst gazing enigmatically at the Fjords…

Sick Boy · Apr 14, 2023

Got married yesterday and off to Aruba via Amsterdam on Sunday

Boosh · Apr 14, 2023

Sick Boy said:
Got married yesterday and off to Aruba via Amsterdam on Sunday

Congratulations mate

Earlsdon_Skyblue1 · Apr 14, 2023

Sick Boy said:
Got married yesterday and off to Aruba via Amsterdam on Sunday

Should have gone to Amsterdam and THEN got married. Even so, chuffed for you. Congrats. Enjoy the honeymoon!

clint van damme · Apr 14, 2023

Sick Boy said:
Got married yesterday and off to Aruba via Amsterdam on Sunday

Congratulations!

cstring82 · Apr 14, 2023

Mild-Mannered Janitor said:
Looking at a 4 day trip at the end of may before half term, some great prices for Krakow, Bucharest and Istanbul.
Any views or comments from visitors? Thinking the sombre tours of krakow, or the Dracula castle in Bucharest or just the vibrancy and east/west split of Istanbul.

Krakow is a great place, did the tour to auschwitz, massively hungover so don’t make that mistake!
Been to Bucharest, nice enough but wouldn’t rave about it personally, did do a day of driving to Draculas Castle and where Wednesdays is shot which was good.

LastGarrison · Apr 16, 2023

Me and the Missus love a random northern UK city break (done Leeds, Doncaster, Liverpool, Manchester, Wakefield etc.) and this months venture is Kingston upon Hull for three nights.

It’s always had the reputation of being a bit of a shit hole but from what I can see online it actually looks pretty smart and quite a few decent restaurants and pubs.

Anyone been and got any recommendations? Anywhere else local worth a visit?

Deleted member 5849 · Apr 16, 2023

LastGarrison said:
Me and the Missus love a random northern UK city break (done Leeds, Doncaster, Liverpool, Manchester, Wakefield etc.) and this months venture is Kingston upon Hull for three nights.

It’s always had the reputation of being a bit of a shit hole but from what I can see online it actually looks pretty smart and quite a few decent restaurants and pubs.

Anyone been and got any recommendations? Anywhere else local worth a visit?

I don't, but I just wanted to say Doncaster is an... unusual choice.

Nearly as eccentric as our family holiday to Keighley...

clint van damme · Apr 16, 2023

LastGarrison said:
Me and the Missus love a random northern UK city break (done Leeds, Doncaster, Liverpool, Manchester, Wakefield etc.) and this months venture is Kingston upon Hull for three nights.

It’s always had the reputation of being a bit of a shit hole but from what I can see online it actually looks pretty smart and quite a few decent restaurants and pubs.

Anyone been and got any recommendations? Anywhere else local worth a visit?

I recommend you get a good divorce lawyer if you keep 'treating' your missus to trip to the likes of Hull , Wakefield and Doncaster.

LastGarrison · Apr 16, 2023

Deleted member 5849 said:
I don't, but I just wanted to say Doncaster is an... unusual choice.

Nearly as eccentric as our family holiday to Keighley...

I liked Donny. Had a day at the races and then a good few pubs in the town centre.

A bit rough and ready but it was a good laugh.

LastGarrison · Apr 16, 2023

clint van damme said:
I recommend you get a good divorce lawyer if you keep 'treating' your missus to trip to the likes of Hull , Wakefield and Doncaster.

She’s a Tile Hill bird so they’re like far away exotic lands to her.

fernandopartridge · Apr 16, 2023

Sick Boy said:
Got married yesterday and off to Aruba via Amsterdam on Sunday

Congratulations mate

fernandopartridge · Apr 16, 2023

clint van damme said:
I recommend you get a good divorce lawyer if you keep 'treating' your missus to trip to the likes of Hull , Wakefield and Doncaster.

Wakey and Donny both a decent night out. Never stayed in Hull but reckon it's probably got some decent parts

Brighton Sky Blue · Apr 16, 2023

As random towns go Lincoln is quite nice, especially at the top of the aptly named ‘Steep Hill’.

Bertola · Apr 17, 2023

LastGarrison said:
Me and the Missus love a random northern UK city break (done Leeds, Doncaster, Liverpool, Manchester, Wakefield etc.) and this months venture is Kingston upon Hull for three nights.

It’s always had the reputation of being a bit of a shit hole but from what I can see online it actually looks pretty smart and quite a few decent restaurants and pubs.

Anyone been and got any recommendations? Anywhere else local worth a visit?

Drove through on the way to the game earlier in the season. The bits we saw looked rough as.

Had a few beers in Beverley before hand, and that was lovely

LastGarrison · Apr 17, 2023

Brighton Sky Blue said:
As random towns go Lincoln is quite nice, especially at the top of the aptly named ‘Steep Hill’.

Yeah we enjoyed Lincoln as well!

LastGarrison · Apr 17, 2023

Bertola said:
Drove through on the way to the game earlier in the season. The bits we saw looked rough as.

Had a few beers in Beverley before hand, and that was lovely

Beverley is where I was reading for a day trip to but didn't seem to be that much going on outside of the racecourse.

I reckon we'll probably pay it a visit though.

Brighton Sky Blue · Apr 17, 2023

LastGarrison said:
Yeah we enjoyed Lincoln as well!

Can also recommend:

Carlisle
Scarborough
Preston
Harrogate

Unsurprisingly I think the weather makes a big difference to these places but all actually quite good for couples.

Deleted member 5849 · Apr 17, 2023

May as well do Middlesbrough while you're at your eccentric breaks.

And tbf, the area outside is lovely - Saltburn, North Yorks Moors etc.

Brighton Sky Blue said:
Preston

Have to say, I thought it a shithole! Used to go out with a lass from Preston...

LastGarrison · Apr 17, 2023

Brighton Sky Blue said:
Can also recommend:

Carlisle
Scarborough
Preston
Harrogate

Unsurprisingly I think the weather makes a big difference to these places but all actually quite good for couples.

Wasn’t a fan of Scarborough, but the weather was shit, and loved Harrogate.

Never really thought about Preston or Carlisle, I’ll have a look at them.

I wouldn’t recommend Huddersfield but would recommend Halifax.

Brighton Sky Blue · Apr 17, 2023

Deleted member 5849 said:
May as well do Middlesbrough while you're at your eccentric breaks.

And tbf, the area outside is lovely - Saltburn, North Yorks Moors etc.

Have to say, I thought it a shithole! Used to go out with a lass from Preston...

Stayed there a few times, was pleasantly surprised. Good curries I recall

Boosh · Apr 17, 2023

Did Cape Town for 2 weeks in February

The holiday 2023 thread (5 Viewers)

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