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Dec 20, 2022

Jo’s Blog: A Mauritius Odyssey - Part 1

Back in 2018, I was the winner of the Beachcomber Tours Big Banana award and was rewarded with seven nights at one of their hotels, which I duly diarised for September 2020, my 50th birthday. Like so many others, I was forced to move plans, initially to 2021 and then to 2022. Each time I moved the holiday, I added to it. It’s a travel agent thing. The one-week fly-and-flop became a three-week odyssey, with stays at five hotels and apartments across the island, car rental, pri

Dec 17, 2022

My Essential Caribbean Collection: 11 luxury boutique hotels for your delectation

Am I alone in obsessively seeking out hotels and destinations which will provide a suitable, yet not ostentatious, amount of luxury along with a unique outlook, personal service and privacy? Not according to the enquiries which have been hitting my inbox since travel's return to favour. So, let’s take the Caribbean: a decadent destination worthy of every traveller’s bucket list. Encompassing more than 700 islands, this winter sun favourite is a melting pot of cultures, and my

Nov 8, 2022

“We can’t thank Jo enough for making sure our itinerary was perfect” - Amandine

With strong family ties and great memories of a previous visit, it felt very special to be able to take our little boy Luca on a long-awaited trip to Sri Lanka. Having booked our honeymoon with Jo, we knew that she would piece together exactly what we needed. Sri Lanka had reopened to tourism a few months before and though straightforward to travel, it was reassuring to know that Jo had sorted everything, from the airport to the safari, anticipating our needs and considering

Oct 13, 2022

Client Blog: Matty's summer break in Lanzarote

As a 15-year-old secondary school student, a break from the stress of school and approaching GCSEs was incredibly appreciated, and Jo could not have done a better job in helping us find the perfect holiday. My travel companions were Dad and Nanma (when I was born, she couldn’t decide if she liked Nan or Grandma). None of us had previously been to Lanzarote, a destination that Jo was confident would provide what we were after. She was spot on. Everything about this trip was ex

Aug 16, 2022

Jo’s Blog: Marrakech in May for special birthday celebrations

Those familiar with my feature on 'comfort travel' will know that revisiting loved hotels or destinations and enjoying that feeling of excitement and reassurance of the ‘known’ is an important one for me this year. With Iceland ticked off the list and Mauritius imminent, it seemed sensible to crowbar a girls’ trip to Marrakech into my burgeoning travel calendar. Fay and I have visited this chaotically beautiful city many times, lodging ourselves at a range of establishments w

Jan 4, 2022

Jo's Blog: What's new for 22 – My tips for the year ahead

Your next holiday matters. I spend the year researching, reading, asking and experiencing all things travel because I know it matters. So, whatever your need may be, I love to give you the benefits of the special relationships nurtured with hotels, resorts and tour operators. I am not a huge fan of the term 'bucket list' - I prefer a 'life list' - but there's no doubt that Covid has escalated the demand for the once-in-a-lifetime experience and I've been able to lose myself i

Dec 15, 2021

Client Blog: The Wilsons at the Heritage Le Telfair, Mauritius

I met Carolyn and Steve at a travel expo in London in November 2019. Their first trip with me was originally booked to celebrate a special birthday for Carolyn in April 2020. This subsequently became October, November 2020 then October 2021. I was beyond thrilled that they finally made it to Mauritius with their daughter Sophie and her partner Chris. They have been kind enough to share their experience... It’s the sign of a great trip when there is a need to scroll back throu

Dec 7, 2021

Jo’s Blog: Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife with EasyJet Holidays

To celebrate their first anniversary of working with us, EasyJet Holidays invited a small group of agents to join them in Tenerife for a celebration in partnership with the Palladium Hotel Group. I was thrilled to accept a spot on the guest list. I met my travel companions early. It’s been a while since I’ve flown from Gatwick and despite some concerns on the travel forums, check-in and security were no more painful than pre-pandemic. In conjunction with No1 Lounges, the rece

Nov 28, 2020

Client Blog: Jo’s family Lapland adventure

I first met Jo 30 years ago in the snowy surrounds of the Swiss Alps. We share an enthusiasm for all things Nordic and twinkly, which made working on her family’s Christmas Lapland adventure all the more satisfying. Santa Claus Holiday Village, reindeer sleigh rides, huskies and snow, beautiful snow... I have dreamed of a trip to Lapland for as long as I can remember, and when our two boys were three and six, the stars aligned with term dates falling so that school finished o

Aug 10, 2020

Jo’s Offer: Siyam World Maldives – Half-Term May 2021 – Launch Offer: WOW!

Welcome to Siyam World Maldives. WOW indeed! The Shaylometer has experienced a high alert signal and a welcome jolt of excitement at discovering this beauty: brand new private island resort premium 24 hours all-inclusive state-of-the-art water park and wave pool unique cuisine including island-wide dine around for dinners deluxe water villas with individual ocean slides This is nigh on perfect for those who love the idea of the Maldives but would prefer a larger island with m

May 26, 2020

"If you haven’t experienced Jo arranging your dream trip, let her weave her magic" - The Judsons

We have been booking our holidays with Jo for many years. Each one has been an experience to remember and that we will cherish forever in our hearts. She knows all our preferences and is perfect at finding just the right place for us as a family to have a very special holiday. Jo has sent us to Mauritius many times and the stunning Maldives twice. She is extremely knowledgeable about most things you ask her and if she doesn't quite know the answer, she can always be relied up

May 6, 2020

Jo creates breathtakingly unforgettable travel dreams and brings them to life - Kirit Solanki

As a family, we have been working with Jo as our travel planner for over five years. We turned to Jo because as a family of four, including two teenagers, we could never agree on where to go, what to do and by the time we did, it was too late to get anything reasonable. Our passion for travel, before we met Jo, had often felt like a stressful ordeal. But meeting Jo transformed that overnight and she has been our saviour and dream maker creating many action-packed, fun-filled

Sep 3, 2019

"Jo arranged everything for our two fantastic family holidays in Greece" - Sam & Paul

Jo from Holidaysplease arranged everything for our two fantastic family holidays at the Porto Sani Village and Sani Dunes in Greece She was recommended to us by friends and has been absolutely amazing. She takes care of our every need - nothing has been too much trouble and we haven't had to do a thing. She is so warm and friendly. We will definitely be using her for our future holidays. We cannot recommend Jo more highly! Sam & Paul #familyholidays #beachholidays

Jo Shayler

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