Sharon Payne

Mexico holds a special place in my heart. I 1st visited Cancun in my early 20's enjoyed the party scene. The beautiful beaches clear blue sea was so magical that it kept pulling me back. My honeymoon was spent further down the coast on the Riviera Maya & a few years later when my son was 11 months old we took him on his 1st long haul trip to Mexico so it is a fabulous family destination as well as for couples.

The people are so lovely, the food the amazing historical sites, my favourite being Tulum the pyramid Coba which I have had the pleasure of climbing twice!!

I have stayed on the Pacific coast of Puerto Vallarta too I loved the more traditional feel of the villages small towns, it is where I had the largest ever Margarita in the world. Never to be forgotten.

Egypt is somewhere I return to time & again.  My favourite primary school teacher had been on holiday she made it come alive for me so when I had the chance to go to Cairo I was off. The Pyramids The Sphinx were something else! I have since returned looked inside the grand Pyramid too. My most favourite historical part is Luxor. I had a 2 week break there so could spend a lot more time at Luxor temple, Queen Hatshepsut temple Karnak. The light show at night is something to behold looking over the river at Karnak. Having visited a few times over the years you notice how much larger Karnak becomes everytime the archaeologists discover & rebuild. Luxor temple is extraordinary when you see Roman paintings next to Egyptian Hieroglyphs.

The Red Sea is great for a relaxing holiday. I have been to Taba, Hurghada, Marsa Alam but my favourite has to be Sharm El Sheikh. It has it all, gorgeous Sinai mountains as a backdrop, clear blue sea with the coral reef, amazing hotels, good restaurants & bars all within a 5-6 hour flight from the UK.

South Africa means a lot to me. I have spent many months in Cape Town. The Waterfront is beautiful with a host of hotels, restaurants, bars shops full of local gifts. Green Market square in Cape Town was one of my favourite places to go to & Hout Bay for its fish & chips yum yum. 

The view from the top of Table Mountain is stunning the little creatures(Dassies) that only live on the top of the mountain are really cute

The Wine Route traveling from Cape Town is well worth a visit, just hire a driver for the day! 

Kruger Park is just fabulous, I managed to see all the big five.

Sun City is abit like a small Las Vegas in the African Bush. I stayed in The Palace of the Lost City for a few days before travelling to Kruger, I would suggest to stay only a few days unless you are into gambling or golf.