Holidays

[screenexile]

Amazing place Iceland, defo hire a car it's wild expensive to take all the excursions to the sights otherwise... And obviously being in a car you can stop anywhere you fancy at various nooks and crannies and there's loads. Most of the touristy sights are the Golden circle which will take ya the most of a day to get around...

Another day we drove half way across Southern Iceland to see a glacier and some absolutely stunning scenery. On the final day we had a couple of hours to spare on route to airport and explored the peninsula close to the airport, I think it was some of the most barren but incredibly beautiful places I've been and feck all word of it in any of the guides.

Aye it's dear but fcuk it you are on holiday!!!

Have a trip booked for January and a Golden Circle tour included.

We've got a secret lagoon included but is it really worth going to the blue lagoon?? It's ridiculously expensive, I don't mind paying for something when on holiday but not sure it's value for money given the reviews I've read.

[Boycey]

We didn't go to Blue Lagoon, it was coming in at something like €240 for 3 of us and I just couldn't justify it. We did go into some lagoon on the Golden Circle somewhere, nothing special to look at but very soothing.... They all manmade anyhow.

January  it'll be bracing I'd say 

[playwiththewind1st]

Heading to Chicago for 4 nights shortly. Any dos and don’ts greatly appreciated 👍🏻

It's been a while since I've been there but:
Visit the Hancock centre instead of Sears tower. You can actually go higher and it has a tilting viewing gallery which is good.
Go to the House of Blues, even if you're not into blues. Its some spot.
There's some very rough areas in the city, black suburbs where a white guy sticks out like a sore thumb and they can be dangerous. So don't walk where you don't know.
Be careful of the taxi's, rip you off in a heartbeat (drivers are nearly all Russian from memory).
People are nice.
Check the weather....starting to get into the cooler time of year. I've been there with -30s wind chill.

Was there just over a year ago at Easter time...ball freezing! Hancock Centre has a restaurant on the 95th floor & a bar on 96th floor with great views. I went up Sears building but didn't walk out on to the viewing pods....scarey stuff...you think the other skyscrapers are just below your feet. There's a great river tour too. The Art Institute is good, if you like art & it's on the corner of the beginning of Route 66. There's a free circular bus takes you round the town centre.

[Mario]

We hired one of those public bikes, there is a really nice cycle the whole way along the water front, we cycled from Soldier field up to wrigley stadium

[J70]

If you're into animals or have kids, the Shedd Aquarium is excellent. Right on the lake too. The Field Natural History Museum next door is pretty good also, while there is also a planetarium to round off the sciency stuff. Soldier Field is right in that area also.

[Gmac]

Going to California on June 30th

where did u go and how was it ?

[Stevie Nicks]

Looking a bit of advice, booked a couple of nights in Brussels with lastminute.com but after looking into it, the hotel is a sh-thole so I am going to just book another one.
Has anyone any recommendations for hotels in Brussels, me and the missus just going over. I am tempted to book Bruges instead. We are flying Ryanair into Charleroi

[Boycey]

Looking a bit of advice, booked a couple of nights in Brussels with lastminute.com but after looking into it, the hotel is a sh-thole so I am going to just book another one.
Has anyone any recommendations for hotels in Brussels, me and the missus just going over. I am tempted to book Bruges instead. We are flying Ryanair into Charleroi

Bruges is different class mate but relatively small touristywise. If youre after plenty to do you will run out of options pretty quick but if nice food, scenery, architecture, churches are more your line it's brilliant. We stayed in the Crowne Plaza which is 100m from Market Sq, it was as good a room as I ever got in a four star hotel.

Brussels did nothing for me, we spent a couple of nights there on same trip, but I'm sure others will speak glowingly about it .

[Stevie Nicks]

Looking a bit of advice, booked a couple of nights in Brussels with lastminute.com but after looking into it, the hotel is a sh-thole so I am going to just book another one.
Has anyone any recommendations for hotels in Brussels, me and the missus just going over. I am tempted to book Bruges instead. We are flying Ryanair into Charleroi

Bruges is different class mate but relatively small touristywise. If youre after plenty to do you will run out of options pretty quick but if nice food, scenery, architecture, churches are more your line it's brilliant. We stayed in the Crowne Plaza which is 100m from Market Sq, it was as good a room as I ever got in a four star hotel.

Brussels did nothing for me, we spent a couple of nights there on same trip, but I'm sure others will speak glowingly about it .

Cheers Boycey
Can you mind what hotel you stayed in in Brussels??
Bruges sounds like what we after, a few nights away to clear the head with a few pints

[screenexile]

Did Brussels a few years ago booked 4 star hotel through Hotwire which was great got the hotel for £150 for 3 nights.

Stayed the 3 nights in Brussels and did a full day in Bruges getting the train and then renting bikes and thought it was plenty. really enjoyable for a small break.

[playwiththewind1st]

Stayed in Brussels a few years ago over Easter. Got good hotel beside the Central Station & near the main square but can't remember name of it. Went to Bruges on the Saturday, Antwerp on Easter Sunday & then Tournai on the Monday.

[Milltown Row2]

Brussels has a lot more to it. Never did Bruges but heard it’s a day trip only but lovely.

As a kid I stayed just outside Brussels with a family through Eurochild. We went to the city most days on our bikes. Great memories but it’s been getting a poor rep lately with one area being blamed for harbouring terrorist cells!

You’ve the Palace, then the grand place, the big balls! Mannekan piss which during student times they dress it up. Small enough city with a great metro system and two hours by train to both Paris and Amsterdam

[Stevie Nicks]

Cheers folks, think i will follow screenexile and book a brussels hotel with hotwire, our original hotel was beside Gare Du Midi which I think is an area to avoid at night, so will look at booking nearer the Palace etc... Thanks for info

[Boycey]

I did have have a quick look last night but couldn't find the hotel we stayed in, other than it was a few hundred yards from train station and 5/6 hundred yards from Grand Place in an area that we felt safe walking in at night which wasn't true of everywhere in Brussels. 

[Stevie Nicks]

Booked through Hotwire and got 3 nights in the Husa President Park Hotel for approx £160.
Seems a grand 4 star hotel in a more pleasant area of Brussels as far as I can see. Cheers. Lesson learnt about lastminute.com, some of the properties on there are suspect to say the least, needed to do more homework before jumping!