Where’s everyone off to?

I’m off to Antigua on a @Traftour on Saturday for a week. Early January is now my favourite time to get away for the “big” holiday of the year.

Thinking of Porec in Croatia for a week in June but nowt else planned other than a drive around Ireland to finally spread the MiL’s ashes

Like to hear where you good folk are planning as it’s inspired me in the past

On 07/02/2026 at 09:38, freds dad said:

We fancy a few days in Marrakesh in the next few weeks.

Any tips, recommendations etc

Ask for a sea view room.

Booked Prague and Zagreb double header for the Nations League in September, that's if they rescind the ban on fans in Croatia, otherwise we'll have to watch it in a bar in Zagreb

Having tested @Traf’s patience re our trip to Croatia this year with her ever-changing mind, the decision-maker emailed him about Miami/Bahamas next Jan, but she’s now decided that Sri Lanka is where she wants to go ffs

So….any recommendations for Sri Lanka?

4 minutes ago, MancWanderer said:

Having tested @Traf’s patience re our trip to Croatia this year with her ever-changing mind, the decision-maker emailed him about Miami/Bahamas next Jan, but she’s now decided that Sri Lanka is where she wants to go ffs

So….any recommendations for Sri Lanka?

Went for our honeymoon over 25 years ago so it will have changed! 😁

But I can say it is somewhere we will definitely return to one day.

Most of the tourist hotels are on the west coast from Columbo down to Galle, with better roads they aren't the long drive they used to be.

Trips out to Kandy and the elephant orphanage are definitely recommended.

20 minutes ago, MancWanderer said:

Having tested @Traf’s patience re our trip to Croatia this year with her ever-changing mind, the decision-maker emailed him about Miami/Bahamas next Jan, but she’s now decided that Sri Lanka is where she wants to go ffs

So….any recommendations for Sri Lanka?

As Winchester white say columbo down to Galle,  the new (prob about 12 year old now) road is a god send. Some Cracking beaches around Galle and the fresh seafood is amazing. Plenty of day trips to do from there as well 

Edited February 13Feb 13 by royal white

1 hour ago, MancWanderer said:

Having tested @Traf’s patience re our trip to Croatia this year with her ever-changing mind, the decision-maker emailed him about Miami/Bahamas next Jan, but she’s now decided that Sri Lanka is where she wants to go ffs

So….any recommendations for Sri Lanka?

Twin-centre it with the Maldives.
I'll email her, shall I? 😉 

6 minutes ago, Traf said:

Twin-centre it with the Maldives.
I'll email her, shall I? 😉 

I was going to suggest this as it seemed most of our hotel even 25+ years ago was doing the same.

Traf will sort you out I am sure. Glad to hear it's not just me with a fucking pain in the arse missus when it comes to holidays 🤣

9 minutes ago, Traf said:

Twin-centre it with the Maldives.
I'll email her, shall I? 😉 

Yep. She’s insistent on Sri Lanka. Not sure about twin-centre but it’s obvs not my decision 

8 minutes ago, Winchester White said:

I was going to suggest this as it seemed most of our hotel even 25+ years ago was doing the same.

Traf will sort you out I am sure. Glad to hear it's not just me with a fucking pain in the arse missus when it comes to holidays 🤣

Aye he does so for every holiday. Never book direct any more

I’ve  given up arguing now. I’ll tell her roughly where I want to go and she’ll decide within a few thousand miles where we’re actually going. Tbf she chooses decent places. Just might not actually be where I want to go 

1 hour ago, MancWanderer said:

Having tested @Traf’s patience re our trip to Croatia this year with her ever-changing mind, the decision-maker emailed him about Miami/Bahamas next Jan, but she’s now decided that Sri Lanka is where she wants to go ffs

So….any recommendations for Sri Lanka?

My daughter has just been there for her honeymoon and is now in the Maldives as part of a two centre holiday.

I’ll pick her brain for you when she’s back.

27 minutes ago, MancWanderer said:

Aye he does so for every holiday. Never book direct any more

I’ve  given up arguing now. I’ll tell her roughly where I want to go and she’ll decide within a few thousand miles where we’re actually going. Tbf she chooses decent places. Just might not actually be where I want to go 

I finally got her to agree to do our big holiday to the Maldives with @Traf after many years of everything being booked by the missus.

She's on every fucking Facebook group for anywhere we go and questions everything, it pisses me right off but I have to reluctantly admit her research has made sure we've not fell into pitfalls many do.

9 minutes ago, Winchester White said:

I finally got her to agree to do our big holiday to the Maldives with @Traf after many years of everything being booked by the missus.

She's on every fucking Facebook group for anywhere we go and questions everything, it pisses me right off but I have to reluctantly admit her research has made sure we've not fell into pitfalls many do.

Same. I’ll reluctantly also admit that she knows what I like so I just cave in and leave it up to her. It’s Instagram with her. I’ll decide what I want, she’ll pound me with shite from Insta, I’ll just agree, Traf sorts it, all is good. I’m too old to be arsed any more. I’ve got a few big ticket items I want to tick off before I cark it so as long as I do them she can have the rest 

Me and mrs just done colombo, bentota, hikkidawa galle and back to bentota then colombo over 2 weeks using train. It follows coast and is a piece of piss

9 minutes ago, MancWanderer said:

Same. I’ll reluctantly also admit that she knows what I like so I just cave in and leave it up to her. It’s Instagram with her. I’ll decide what I want, she’ll pound me with shite from Insta, I’ll just agree, Traf sorts it, all is good. I’m too old to be arsed any more. I’ve got a few big ticket items I want to tick off before I cark it so as long as I do them she can have the rest 

My problem is she wants to book it all herself so letting @traf sort it was a big thing. I wanted some backup for such an expensive holiday and finally got her to agree

2 minutes ago, Dan P said:

Me and mrs just done colombo, bentota, hikkidawa galle and back to bentota then colombo over 2 weeks using train. It follows coast and is a piece of piss

Good to hear, will definitely go back, lovely people and place.

Haven't been to SL but my brother has. He says they do that head shake thing they used to do on It Ain't Half Hot Mum.

SL is a fantastic place to visit and definitely more wallet-friendly than the Maldives.

Off to Sri Lanka next month. Managed to get flights back on Good Friday 

Off to Tsvili in June to look at wedding venues. 

23 minutes ago, bolton_blondie said:

Off to Tsvili in June to look at wedding venues. 

What’s wrong with LL Working Men’s Club?

2 hours ago, bolton_blondie said:

Off to Tsvili in June to look at wedding venues. 

 Went there 2 years ago, decent place

All I can say is Auschwitz was fucking horrific but I can say I am glad I went.

The salt mines were OK, not really my bag to be honest.

Krakow itself is fabulous and good value, love it here.

1 hour ago, Winchester White said:

All I can say is Auschwitz was fucking horrific but I can say I am glad I went.

The salt mines were OK, not really my bag to be honest.

Krakow itself is fabulous and good value, love it here.

The thing about Auschwitz for me

You go round, you see how utterly grim it was

Then you go up the road to Birkenau and see it on an "industrial" scale

Proper haunting 

And there's folk out there who deny it

2 hours ago, Winchester White said:

All I can say is Auschwitz was fucking horrific but I can say I am glad I went.

The salt mines were OK, not really my bag to be honest.

Krakow itself is fabulous and good value, love it here.

Broke my heart looking at the kids clothing on display

39 minutes ago, bolton_blondie said:

Broke my heart looking at the kids clothing on display

 

1 hour ago, Zico said:

The thing about Auschwitz for me

You go round, you see how utterly grim it was

Then you go up the road to Birkenau and see it on an "industrial" scale

Proper haunting 

And there's folk out there who deny it

 The huge display of hair is when it really hit home for me, it made me feel physically sick. Then the one of kids shoes and clothes and I was holding it all in, by the end I was completely numb to be honest. I think as it was full of snow and very cold made it all the more bleak.

Then onto Birkenau and the sheer size of the place and how they industrialised the mass murder of so many people was haunting indeed.

We went to the museum of illusions and hit the bars later that day to lift our mood.