Looking for the Easter bunny....

Unless you've been under your duvet for the past 3 months (and if so - lucky you!), the place to travel this year is.... NOWHERE!

Well, that's not strictly true - but there's no need to venture far as there are amazing deals being offered in the UK that are too good to give up.

As you probably know by now, I'm a real follower of fashion (currently I'm wearing fluorescent socks and oversized jumpers - I usually look at this link for inspiration) so I've decided to keep with the trend and hit the hilly heights of the UK this Easter.

It's a great time of year, April and May. 4 bank holidays in total.

Luckily, there are a lot of great places to go in the UK for your bank holiday breaks.

For Easter I've chosen Bristol. 4 nights in a 4 star for £135 at the City Inn! That is an amazing deal.

It's a stylish hotel, located right in the heart of Bristol. What I really love about it is that it's a pure chill out hotel.

Every room has a CD and DVD player and the hotel has a library of CDs and DVDs to borrow.

Bliss!

Enjoy your Easter... I'll be putting out my special Easter bunny nest hoping for lots of chocolates in the morning!

Laters,

Secret Agent

Hotels for just £1? It's true!

You may have read about it on moneysavingexpert (Hi Martin!!), flyertalk, hotukdeals, or one of the many recession buster/great deals/oh my goodness I want to save 1p on a bar of chocolate websites that are around at the moment.

I'd like to set the story straight.

It's true. HotelConnect will be selling hotel rooms for just £1 from 10am, Thursday 26th of February.

I was really excited for myself (until I read in the T&C's that employees were not eligible). BUT, it IS exciting for anyone else who is looking for a bargain getaway.

More details will be revealed on Tuesday... you can register for more information here, or just visit this page on Tuesday, and get ready to book on Thursday.

Nope, no more information from me. I can't tell you whether you'll need to pack big coats, bikinis, skis, safari suits or ANY KIND OF DETAILS like that.

Better go, I'm terrible at secrets!!

Laters

Secret Agent

Me and Barack? We've got a lot in common...

Not only are we powerful people who are loved by many.... not only do we tend to pose in a similar way for photos... we are winners!

Mr Obama won the presidency, and I, as you would have seen from my next blog post, won another award. He got a call from Gordon Brown, I got a call from another very powerful individual (thanks mum).

America is a buzzing place at the moment that's for sure. I nipped over to Chicago to see if I could blag/gatecrash talk my way into the Obama Party. I'm not sure whether it was the fact that I didn't have a ticket, they could tell that I wasn't American (I thought my accent was pretty good y'hear!), or simply that they were worried that I was going to overshadow the big O, but I didn't get in.

I did however manage to catch the vibe at the Fairmont Hotel in the heart of Chicago.

We partied at the Aria Bar and Sushi Club within the Hotel itself. I honestly was not interested in the fact that it was voted the best dating spot in Chicago by AOL.

Nor were the many women I tried to talk to.

Never mind that - what a glorious hotel! It's had a $50 million refit. Wow indeed - it's rooms are beautiful rooms with flatscreens and even Ipod docking stations.

Luckily for me the Fairmont Hotel is also nice and close to the Magnificent Mile so I could buy an Ipod!

Back to chilly London for me and my welcoming party!

Laters,

Secret Agent

it's like a hole in the tooth...

...this 'credit crunch' thing. It's there, it's annoying and you just can't ignore it. You have to deal with it.

(whenever I hear the words 'credit crunch' it does make me think of cereal. 'Mmmm... yummy credit crunch with milk first thing in the morning - make a great start to your day')

And deal with it I will! I shall try my best not to snigger at the fact that whenever the credit crunch is mentioned, so is someone called 'Darling'. Any BlackAdder fan would have to agree, it is definitely snigger-worth material! I mean, it's the credit crunch Darling (hereby known as the CCD)...

The first way I'm going to deal with the CCD is to learn by heart these top 10 ways to save money on a hotel. Oh yes, I am the new money saving expert - Martin Lewis... eat your heart out!

There's lots of ways here to save money, and don't worry, the answer is NOT about spending your evenings cramped in a hostel with 20 sweaty unwashed travellers. Been there. Done that. Still catch up once a year.

One of my favourites tips to save money from the top 10 list is to only pay for half of your hotel stay. Legally. For example you can stay in the Roma Park hotel in Rome - A 4 star hotel, for just £40 for 2 nights, as HotelConnect are giving you one night for free. Bargain or what?

It's a sophisticated hotel on the south side of the city - near the Park of Caffarella, for all you archaeology buffs!

And for those of you who are desperately seeking some sunshine that includes some warmth - the other favourite that i've picked out to beat the CCD is the 4 star Baia Cristal in the Algarve.

You'd better sit down for this price - 2 nights for £16. That is amazing. Oooh just look at that pool. It's in tucked away in the hillside in the pretty village of Carvoeiro. It'd certainly make a nice winter sun break.

The other CCD beater and buster that I like from the list are EBDs - Early Booking Discounts. If you know that you're going to a certain destination next year - you can book now and save up to 25%. That IS incentive to get organised!!

There's a list of them here. My favourite is 25% off a 4 star in Toronto. I say 'hell yeah!' to 'going cookie in tronno!'. I *might* need to scrub up on my canadian slang before I go though.

I'm off to paste on some Darling-esque eyebrows...now that is the result of the Credit Crunch Darling!

laters

Secret Agent

Millionaires and Pancakes in Amsterdam

Everyone keeps talking about something or other "Crunch" - must be a new breakfast cereal?! No idea what they mean, I'm a strictly Weetabix man myself*. Anyway, people have also been talking about tightening their belts and saving money. Well, I'm all for saving money, which is why I've been looking into living the luxury life for as little money as possible!

My greatest discovery so far has been Amsterdam. They have a Millionaire's Fair "Miljonair" - http://www.millionairefair.com/ - where, for just 35-75 Euros, you can experience true luxury lifestyle. With exhibitors in this world tour of exhibits including: Cartier, Maybach, Bentley, Chopard, Remy Martin and Bang & Olufsen, you can tell that this is going to be how the other half live!


My recommendation - enter EVERY competition there is! Imagine what you could win! And sample all the delicious treats on offer!


I've always firmly believed that with a little careful consideration, you can lead a champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget. Why miss out on those little treats? Life's too short!


Whether you go to the Millionaire's Fair or not, Amsterdam has built a reputation as a perfect weekend/short break. Being close to home, it takes just 1.5 hours by plane or 5 hours in the comfort of Eurostar to the centre of Amsterdam. There are all the usual touristy yet satisfying things that you should do if this is your first time in the city: river cruises are a nice way to get acquainted with the city; bike riding; the Van Gogh Museum; Anne Frank's House. Not to mention pancakes... mmmm!

For something a little bit different, try out the flower auction - it is said that almost every cut flower sold in the world (from the sublime, to those garage forecourt ones) come through this enormous auction house at some point. It's an early start, but the sheer number of flowers and the excitement of the bidding is worth it. http://www.vba.nl/

We've got great deals on popular Amsterdam hotels this December, and as usual, all these hotels have been personally inspected by me and the team to make sure that they are what we say they are. Not many do this, but we do, because it makes sense.


Family owned, the 3 star Citadel Hotel Amsterdam's location in the centre of the city (just 8 minutes from the Central Station) make it highly popular. The hotel has simple, clean, comfortable rooms. With a cosy bar and lounge and yummy Dutch breakfast, this hotel is a great budget option. Friendly staff and atmosphere.



The Citadel Hotel Amsterdam has a nice choice for all bargain hunters - 4 nights for the price of 3 £141pp or 3 nights for the price of 2 £94pp throughout November and December.



The 3 star Avenue Hotel Amsterdam consists of 9 buildings, some parts dating back to the 17th century. There is a nice personalised service here. The rooms are pretty much all unique in decor. A lovely little touch is the activities ideas that the staff leave for you at breakfast. Great location for sightseeing and for local restaurants and bars.

Get a night free at the Avenue Hotel Amsterdam throughout November and December. 3 nights for the price of 2 from £94pp.




Leidse Square Hotel Amsterdam is perfectly located for Amsterdam nightlife, but is conveniently tucked away in a peaceful little street. The 'Museumplein', with Holland's most renowned museums, is just down the road and music venues such as the 'Melkweg' and 'Paradiso' are located around the corner from the hotel. Rooms are of a good size and nice and cosy - great for a winter break.




You can get 3 nights for the price of 2 at the Leidse Square Hotel Amsterdam in December, from £98pp.



*other breakfast cereals are available