Andrew Brittain, Author at Footsteps Family Travel Inspiration

15Feb 2025 by Andrew Brittain

Ranua Resort Review

We spent 5-nights at the Ranua Resort in Lapland, Finland in February doing a winter activity holiday. Here are all the details of our stay and our Ranua Resort review…. Ranua Resort is a holiday village and winter activity resort located in the Ranua region of Lapland (in the Finnish part of the Lapland region). A stunning sunrise over the…

14Feb 2025 by Andrew Brittain

Lapland 5-night holiday itinerary

Finland (Lapland)

Our five-night stay in Lapland, at the Ranua Resort, was packed with fun and interesting outdoor activities that gave us the opportunity to do things that were completely new to us, in a type of environment we’d never experienced before. Here are all the details of our 5-night Lapland itinerary with our recommendations of Lapland excursions and activities based on…

13Feb 2025 by Andrew Brittain

Ranua Resort Arctic Igloos Review

Finland (Lapland)

After four amazing nights staying at the holiday village in Ranua Resort, Lapland, we transferred a couple of miles up the road to spend our final night in Lapland in the Ranua Resort Arctic Fox glass igloos… Even staying at the main resort in Ranua, we’d felt we were in the middle of the most serene and peaceful wilderness that…

12Feb 2025 by Andrew Brittain

How to See the Northern Lights in Lapland

Finland (Lapland)

Visit Lapland in the winter months and there’s a good chance you’ll get to see the northern lights, as long as you get a bit of luck on your side with cloud conditions and solar activity. Lapland is far enough north to get regular sightings of the northern lights during winter, but there are a few things to bear in…

25Oct 2024 by Andrew Brittain

Driving to Sa Calobra

Mallorca

Sa Calobra is possibly Mallorca's most-unique beach, set between two enormous cliff faces at the mouth of the 'Torrent de Pareis' which is a gorge that cuts through the mountainous terrain of the Serra de Tramuntana to the north-west of the island. The winding mountain road to Sa Calobra The beach at Sa Calobra itself and the incredible scenery of…

20Oct 2024 by Andrew Brittain

Hiking Trail – Port d’Andratx to Cala d’Egos Beach

Mallorca

If you're looking for a hiking trail near Port d'Andratx, where you can hike through a stunning cliff-side forest down to a wild and otherwise inaccessible cala beach, then the hiking trail to Cala d'Egos on the western side of Mallorca is for you. Cala d'Egos, near Port d'Andratx, is a remote beach in a secluded cove that is completely…

14Aug 2024 by Andrew Brittain

Best countries to visit in the Middle East in 2024

Middle East

The Middle East has been renowned for its authentic charm, timeless elegance, rich culture, historic monuments, modern tourist attractions, and delightful cuisine. Let us browse the fascinating Middle-Eastern countries that guarantee a splendid holiday experience. United Arab Emirates (UAE) Starting from the humble beginnings of a fishing and pearl village, the UAE has transformed into a modern metropolis that is…

13Jul 2024 by Andrew Brittain

Grecotel Luxme White Palace Hotel Review

Greece

Our review of the Grecotel Luxme White Palace hotel in Crete - a luxury five-star all-inclusive hotel, where we stayed for a week… One type of holiday we haven’t done before is the relaxing, beach / pool all-inclusive hotel stay. Our usual holidays are normally full of activities and excursions, with the accommodation generally being just somewhere for us to…

13Jul 2024 by Andrew Brittain

How to Find Kourtaliotiko Gorge in Crete

Greece

We had heard that there was a mountain gorge in Crete with a river that leads to a hidden waterfall - called Kourtaliotiko Gorge, so after several days doing something we rarely do on holiday (just laying by the pool and beach at our hotel) we decided to take a trip out to find the gorge waterfall in the Crete…

26May 2024 by Andrew Brittain

Doha City Tour Itinerary

Qatar Stopover

Having visited a couple of parts of Doha close to our hotel on the first day of our stopover in Qatar, we were aware there was a lot more to see a bit further afield, but weren’t sure of the best places in Doha to visit and in what order, given our limited time in the city. But then, whilst…

25May 2024 by Andrew Brittain

Day Trip to Banana Island, Qatar

Qatar Stopover

Banana Island is a luxury 5-star hotel and beach resort on a purpose-built island that sits about a 20-minute boat ride from the coast of Qatar. We were staying in a city-centre hotel in Qatar, so thought it’d be good to spend one day away from the city at a quieter, more relaxing beach venue - as we had tours…

22May 2024 by Andrew Brittain

4WD Desert Safari, Doha, Qatar

Qatar Stopover

The highlight of our stop-over in Doha, Qatar was a 4-wheel drive desert safari that we booked for an afternoon and evening with Qatar International Tours. It was fun, interesting and a chance to see the nature of Qatar beyond the built-up city region, including enjoying a beautiful sunset in the Qatar desert. Our car for the Qatar 4wd desert…

22Apr 2024 by Andrew Brittain

Thailand family holiday itinerary – full day-to-day breakdown

Thailand Family Holiday

We spent two-and-a-half weeks travelling around Thailand with our two teenage children, which also included a 3-day stopover in Doha, Qatar on the way there. We moved between Bangkok, Krabi, Elephant Hills in Khao Sok, and Phuket. Here's a full day-to-day breakdown of our Thailand family holiday itinerary... We were travelling in April, in easter school holidays, which was an…

21Apr 2024 by Andrew Brittain

Travel Center UK Review

Thailand Family Holiday

On almost all the holidays we go on, we like booking our own accommodation, travel and excursions ourselves independently. However on our family trip to Thailand we decided to use a travel agent called Travel Center, who would arrange the whole trip for us - all the flights, accommodation, transfers, excursions - virtually everything was organised for us by Travel…

20Apr 2024 by Andrew Brittain

Best Way to See Bangkok: A ‘Your Thai Guide’ Private Bangkok Tour

Thailand Family Holiday

Bangkok is a massive city full of attractions and sights to see - and getting around is definitely not straightforward. The public transport is difficult to navigate, the traffic is horrendous - and it’s boiling hot, hectic and generally a difficult place to find your way around if you’re not familiar with the city - so what's the best way…

17Apr 2024 by Andrew Brittain

Ban Sainai Hotel, Krabi – Review

Thailand Family Holiday

Our review of Ban Sainai hotel in Krabi, Thailand, close to the town and beach area of Ao Nang. We stayed at Ban Sainai in Krabi for four nights on our travels around Thailand and thoroughly enjoyed absolutely everything about the resort - it’s a superb, beautiful hotel and one we would very highly recommend for a family stay in…

16Apr 2024 by Andrew Brittain

Elephant Hills, Thailand: Review

Thailand Family Holiday

Elephant Hills is a jungle adventure camp in Khao Sok national park, Thailand. They call it a ‘soft’ adventure, which I think is a good description of the balance they’ve created of spending time in the beautiful natural environment of the Khao Sok jungle, but in a way that’s comfortable, suitable for families and people of all ages and abilities…

15Apr 2024 by Andrew Brittain

Best Phi Phi Islands Boat Tour from Krabi: Sea Eagle Tours

Thailand Family Holiday

Many of the most beautiful parts of coastal Thailand around the Phang Nga bay lie on islands which require boat trips to visit. There are many such boat trips available - a huge selection to choose from whether that’s on the travel websites like Tripadvisor and Viator, or directly with local operators and agents that have stalls around the main…

14Apr 2024 by Andrew Brittain

James Bond Island Tour With Crystal Sea Marine

Thailand Family Holiday

During our stay in Krabi we had loved seeing the islands of Phang Nga Bay from boat trips, so having arrived in Phuket we were keen to see more from the other side of the bay, so started searching for full day boat tours from Phuket. We ended up picking one from the holiday tours website Viatour with a Phuket…

14Apr 2024 by Andrew Brittain

Sunset Boat Tour, Ao Nang: 7-Islands Sunset Tour

Thailand Family Holiday

After a superb day visiting the Phi Phi Islands with Sea Eagle Tours, we decided we wanted to see more of the islands around Krabi and Ao Nang, but this time at a different time of day, with the sun setting in the late afternoon and early evening. At one of the kiosks in Ao Nang promoting boat tours, we…