Andrew Brittain, Author at Footsteps Family Travel Blog

28Aug 2022 by Andrew Brittain

Mondrago Natural Park

Mondrago Natural Park is a beautiful area of beaches, forested coastal and cliff-side walks very close to the popular resorts of Santanyi and Cala D'Or in the south-east of Mallorca. We were looking for somewhere to visit a bit different to the main tourist beaches - and Mondrago Natural Park's description of having natural beaches accessed through woodland walks sounded…

26Aug 2022 by Andrew Brittain

Finca Son Blat Villa in Porto Cristo, Mallorca – Review

Mallorca

We booked a week in August 2022 at the 'Es Sestador' villa at Finca Son Blat, near the town of Porto Cristo on the east coast of Mallorca. We were dubious before we arrived, having spent the first week of our holiday in Mallorca at a James Villa that hadn't really met our expectations. That villa was roughly the same…

06Aug 2022 by Andrew Brittain

P&O Cruises Iona Norwegian Fjords Cruise – Our General Impressions

Norway

This was the first time we’d ever been on a cruise ship for a family holiday so had no real idea what to expect and no other cruise experience to compare it to. Although the rest of the family have always been keen to do a cruise, personally I’d always been very reluctant. It’s just never seemed like my…

06Aug 2022 by Andrew Brittain

P&O Cruises Iona Norwegian Fjords Cruise – Our Onboard Experiences

Norway

There is a huge range of entertainment on board Iona. It’s one of the most impressive things I found about the cruise - how they manage to create such a variety of experiences to cater to the tastes and interests of such a huge range of people, every day and night. I don’t think it’s possible to experience everything Iona…

03Aug 2022 by Andrew Brittain

Hellesylt, Geiranger & Mount Dalsnibba With P&O Iona Norwegian Fjords Cruise

Norway

Before our cruise in August 2022, Iona would dock at Geiranger - a famous port which is one of the highlights of the cruise. However, I believe that because Iona is right at the upper limit of size of ship the Geiranger port can accommodate, this port of call had to be switched for nearby Hellesylt, which is easier to…

02Aug 2022 by Andrew Brittain

Briksdal Glacier Independent Excursion On Our P&O Cruises Iona Norwegian Fjords Cruise

Norway

Having been up since 4am to watch the sunrise as we sailed into the Olden fjord, we were ready to get off the ship as soon as we’d docked, in order to hopefully find our own way to Briksdal Glacier. Iona docking in Olden, before our trip to the Briksdal glacier P&O operate an excursion here, which leaves by coach…

01Aug 2022 by Andrew Brittain

Stavanger Rib Excursion to Pulpit Rock: P&O Iona Norwegian Fjords Cruise

Norway

We arrived for our first day in Norway at the port of Stavanger with no excursions pre-booked, hoping to be able to find something suitable to do ourselves - ideally a boat ride to the famous Pulpit Rock. Pretty much as you step off the ship you’ll see a tourist information centre in the harbour, so we headed there for…

01Aug 2022 by Andrew Brittain

Haugesund on P&O Iona Norwegian Fjords Cruise

Norway

After experiencing the incredible natural beauty of Stavanger, Olden, Hellesylt and Geiranger on Iona’s previous ports of call, it’s a surprise to wake up on the final day in Norway, to open the curtains and find yourself in Haugesund, with a view of a large shipyard, commercial docks, cranes and boatsheds as your view! Haugesund is not billed as a…

01Aug 2022 by Andrew Brittain

P&O Cruises Iona – Cabin Review

Norway

We had a four-berth cabin on deck 9 (cabin no. 9.403 to be exact) to house our family of two adults and two teenage children for the week. I mentioned in another post how I had been reluctant to go on what was my first ever cruise - and the idea of being crammed, all four of us, into a…

01Mar 2022 by Andrew Brittain

Valencia Zoo (Bioparc Valencia)

Spain

We visited Valencia Zoo (also known as Bioparc Valencia) in February half-term. We're not normally huge fans of zoos really, but Valencia Zoo was absolutely brilliant - definitely the best thing we did on our week's holiday here and definitely the best zoo and one of the best visitor attractions we've visited anywhere. It was a lovely sunny, warm day…

01Mar 2022 by Andrew Brittain

February Half-Term Trip to Valencia

Spain

With Covid travel restrictions being lifted and travelling becoming easier, we decided to use the February half-term as a chance to escape the depressing winter weather in the UK and head to Spain on a last-minute five-day city break to Valencia. A welcome escape from the UK winter Storms were battering England as we left, so we were pleased to…

16Aug 2020 by Andrew Brittain

Kayaking & paddle board hire at Lake Montriond

Portes du Soleil

Lake Montriond is stunningly beautiful. Drive past on the road from Morzine to Les Lindarets (the 'goat village') on a sunny day and the glimpses of the still turquoise water against the dramatic mountain backdrop are enough to virtually stop you in your tracks. It's impossible to pass by and not want to stop to take a closer look, a…

16Aug 2020 by Andrew Brittain

Chalet Sandy (Taste the Alps) Les Gets Review

Portes du Soleil

In the summer of Covid-19, having been shut at home for months on end with some trips earlier in the year cancelled, we were desperate for a change of scenery - somewhere that avoided flying but which would give us a break from the monotony of lockdown life in the UK. The Alps is our favourite place to visit and,…

15Feb 2020 by Andrew Brittain

Going to Las Vegas: Advice From our 40th Birthday Trip to Vegas

USA

Las Vegas has always been somewhere we've wanted to visit but with four children it's not been possible - both in terms of costs for flying all six of us over there and also thinking it wasn't a great child-friendly destination. The Las Vegas Strip Actually having now been there, we do think the children would've loved it too, but…

11Feb 2020 by Andrew Brittain

Las Vegas to Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour with Serenity Helicopters

USA

We had planned to do a Las Vegas to Grand Canyon helicopter tour long before our trip to Las Vegas so had spent a lot of time researching options for Grand Canyon helicopter trips from Las Vegas prior to booking with Serenity Helicopters. If you're thinking of a Las Vegas to Grand Canyon helicopter trip or are looking for Serenity…

30Aug 2019 by Andrew Brittain

Exterieur Nature – Tubing, Near Perpignan

Banyuls Sur Mer

After a week staying in Banyuls Sur Mer and hanging around the sea and nearby beaches we decided we wanted a change of scenery and to see what we could find to do towards the mountains of the Pyrenees. We found Exterieur Nature - an outdoor activity centre about an hour's drive from Banyuls Sur Mer, which operates a variety…

01Aug 2019 by Andrew Brittain

Snorkelling Trail at Peyrefite Beach, Cerbère

Banyuls Sur Mer

Whenever we go on holiday we love to take our diving masks and snorkels with us to use on the beaches, so even before we visited Banyuls Sur Mer we were keen to visit the 'snorkelling trail' we'd heard about at nearby Cerbère marine reserve on Peyrefite Beach, just up the road from Banyuls Sur Mer. Testing out the new…

19Jul 2019 by Andrew Brittain

Hotel Alexane Review, Samoens

Portes du Soleil

We spent three nights at the Hotel Alexane (Suites de Alexane) in Samoens in the Alps. If you're considering booking to stay here then we can highly recommend this amazing, luxurious hotel and suites in Samoens. Here's our full Hotel Alexane review... We booked our three-night stay at Hotel Alexane through Booking.com purely because we were looking for somewhere to…

30Jun 2019 by Andrew Brittain

GoPro Hero 7 Lens Cover Stuck

Family Travel Tips & Advice

We recently bought a GoPro 'Super Suit' dive cover for our GoPro Hero 7 but were having trouble removing the lens cover from the camera to fit it in to the dive cover. Reading instructions and watching videos online, it seems removing the GoPro lens cover is just a matter of simply pulling and twisting it off with the fingertips.…

17Jun 2019 by Andrew Brittain

Walking to Lac du Brevent from Brevent Cable Car

Chamonix (Summer)

Taking the Planpraz gondola lift from close to the centre of Chamonix takes you up to the Brevent cable car, which brings you to one of Chamonix's most stunning areas with absolutely jaw-dropping views over Mont Blanc across the other side of the valley - and a brilliant walk down to the lake 'Lac du Brevent'. We had a glorious…