Make the going easy ex Stansted...

I recently had an dawn flight out of Stansted and the thought of driving there for check in at 4am was just too much. So I scouted round for nearby accommodation and was pleased to find Harwood Guest House, a cosy B+B just 10 minutes down the road. Run by a lovely young couple, Helen and Ian, there are 6 en suite rooms available - carpet choices are bit dodgy in places but it has a very homely feel and I can vouch for an extremely comfortable bed, good in-room facilities and it is spotlessly clean. I'm told the cooked breakfast is great but, if you have an early morning start and can't face eating, they'll send you off with a packed alternative. Better still, they do a great deal combining accommodation with airport parking - poor old Ian has a tough life but is there with a smile no matter what time needed to run you to and from the airport and take care of your car in their large car park while you are away. Great value with rooms from £60 per night plus only £25 for the airport transfer/parking service. Highly recommended to de-stress early morning Stansted departures.

Local Guru - Cape Town, SA

Written by Amanda Poulson (51) second home owner and frequent visitor to Cape Town

Getting there/around
Car hire is essential (book well in advance for peak season). Driving is on the left and very straightforward. Although public transport in the form of trains, buses and minibus taxis is cheap and covers the metropolitan area it is not safe from either the point of view of personal security or road safety. Private hire cabs and minibuses are fine but need to be booked in advance. When parking on the street or in off road car parks you will need to tip the car guard. These are not official or accredited but will look out for your car. However don’t pay up front – do it when you come back to the car. 10 – 20 rand is usually enough, a bit more if they’ve found you a spot where spaces are hard to find. In the city there are now official attendants and rates for parking.

Staying there
The standard of all levels of accommodation is generally very high. You won’t be disappointed by any of the top hotels in the area although they are quite pricey (£250 per night plus). It would be a shame to stay in the city bowl for a whole week when there are stunning hotels in the Constantia Winelands (20 minutes away) such as Steenberg and Cellars Hohenhort (Relais & Chateaux). For a family or a group renting a house is a great option – choose an area like Llandudno or Constantia and you will be living a millionaire lifestyle at an affordable price. There are also hundreds of very comfortable and stylish B&Bs (personal favourite is Kidger House in Newlands). Stay away from chains such as Holiday Inn – they’re the same standard as elsewhere in the world but the local independent options are way better in terms of standards and value for money.

Things to do
Table Mountain and Cape Point Peninsula. There is a cable car up the mountain (arrive early to beat the queues and check it is running before setting out) or you can hike up and cable car down. There are various hiking routes for example a four hour medium challenge walk that starts at Constantia Nek. You don’t have to join a guided group but you should never hike alone and bear in mind that obvious tourists can be vulnerable to mugging.

The drive down to False Bay coast that takes in Kalk Bay, Simonstown and Boulders. Kalk Bay is a working fishing port and has loads of high quality craft shops, restaurants and quirky antique shops. Boulders is home to the jackass penguins who are definitely worth a visit. Next stop is the spectacularly beautiful Cape Point National Park where there are gorgeous beaches and spectacular seascapes. It is also home to a variety of wildlife notably ostriches which are fine and baboons which should be treated with caution.

Robben Island - people feel thay should go but I would say its time consuming and if its an engaging insight into the realities and complexities of apartheid that you want then go to The District Six Museum and have a local guide show you round followed by the Slavery museum round the corner.

Greenmarket Square for the daily African crafts market offering the best quality and prices for souvenirs.

The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront probably should be visited once but it is essentially a touristy shopping mall. There is much better high end shopping in the Cavendish Square Mall (Claremont) and Newlands Village. Depending on the exchange rate diamond and gold jewellery, homewares and clothing are the best buys.

The vineyards at Constantia, Franschoek, Paarl and Stellenbosch are on most people’s itinerary although, unless you’re very serious about wine, a day trip is enough to visit a vineyard or two and admire the scenery. Drinking the wine is a pleasure all the time.

World class rugby and cricket at Newlands (the grounds are next to each other). Its very easy (and cheap!) to get tickets and well worth going for the atmosphere alone. Cape Town is surrounded by championship golf courses. All (except Erinvale) are easy to book into and far less costly than the equivalent standard of course elsewhere – try Pearl Valley.

Eating out
Cape Town is a foody paradise. Go to the Constantia Winelands and choose from La Colombe (Constantia Uitsig), Buitenverwachting or Cellars Hohenhort for fine dining at around £30 a head. In the city, my favourites are Ginja (fusion), 95 on Keerom (modern Italian) and Bukhara (Indian). For self catering or picnics Melissa’s, Pick n Pay and Woolworths (M&S equivalent) are all very, very good. Kalk Bay has superb take away fish and chips and the Olympia Café is a lovely bakery. On Saturdays there is a Farmers Market at the The Old Biscuit Mill in Salt River. Franschoek (about an hour drive) has several highly regarded restaurants. Reubens is one of the best. Around Christmas and New Year it is essential to book advance. Tip 15% for good service. Smart casual is acceptable everywhere including the top hotel restaurants.

Safety
The crime rate is undeniably high and houses all have an intimidating level of security. However, like any city, there are safe places to be and areas that you should avoid. The city centre, the waterfront and the southern suburbs are all perfectly safe given normal sensible precautions. A visit to the townships needs to be an organised guided tour. Car doors should be locked when driving and a mobile is vital to summon help if you find yourself in an area where its not safe to get out of the car. There are vagrants and hawkers at traffic lights (robots is the local term) – it’s fine to ignore them, there are much better ways of making donations to help people in need.

Local Guru - St Ives, Cornwall

Written by Julie Cleaver (47) second home owner, St Ives

Getting There/Getting around.

By train - Paddington to Penzance takes 5 ½ hours Take the small coastal branch line to St Ives by changing at St Erth, the stop before Penzance.

By road - the completion and recent improvements to the A30 make driving far easier - approx 5 hours from London but, to avoid the inevitable summer queues, travel very early or late.

By air - the fastest way to travel - Southwest Airlines still operate 3 flights a day from Gatwick and Manchester to Newquay, (45 mins flight) This will set you back about £200 with a taxi to St Ives (another 40 mins)

Note: St Ives is not “car- friendly” so all vehicles have to be parked out of town in the local car parks. Walking up steep cobbled streets with suitcases can be difficult but you can use the local taxis that are permitted into the centre in July and August.

Staying there

There are loads of B+B’s and Guest Houses with views over St Ives Bay and an abundance of self-catering apartments and small fishermen’s cottages for rent - full of character and all within walking distance of the town centre and harbour due to the island shape of this south west peninsular.

The Tregenna Castle Estate has hotel accommodation and self catering apartments of a very high standard . Perched high on the winding hill into St Ives, set in tropical gardens, it has spectacular views and its own small golf course, tennis courts, indoor and outdoor pool. Only 5-10 mins walk down into St Ives, but a lot longer and hard work to walk back up.

http://www.tregenna-castle.co.uk/ or http://www.stives.co.uk/ for other accommodation info.

Things to do

St Ives has fantastic white sandy beaches. Porthminster just below the railway station is very popular with families, Porthmeor on the opposite side of St Ives below The Tate Gallery has larger waves and attracts surfers, Pothgwidden and the harbour beaches are also very safe and popular.

On the other hand from both sides of the peninsular there are long scenic coastal walks as well as inland walks to local villages for a cream tea or a cornish pasty. The shops in St Ives consist mainly of art galleries, souvenirs and surf shops. The Tate Gallery and The Barbara Hepworth Museum are just two of the most popular places to visit.

Carbis Bay and Lelant are both accessible by train on the scenic branch line from St Ives, or by walking the picturesque coastal path. Both beautiful beaches, well worth a visit but Lelant (or Porthkidney Sands as it is better known) has no facilites in the way of toilets or cafes.

Eating out

A variety of restaurants, harbour cafes and pubs. Ranging from high class cuisine of local produce and freshly caught fish, to pasty and chips and ice cream. Watch out for the greedy seagulls who will swoop down and take your chips and ice cream whne you are not looking.

Most of the restaurants need to be booked in advance in July and August and now too at Christmas and New Year .The St Ives New Year celebrations where the whole of St Ives becomes a fancy dress party has attracted more and more people over the years and is quite a spectacle finishing with a firework display over the harbour at midnight.

My favourite restaurant is the Porthminster café overlooking the beach and St Ives Bay. Has had many complimentary reviews in national press, worth a visit!

Local Guru - Soller, Majorca

Written by Sally Dowling (51), frequent visitor to Soller

Getting there/around
If you can, forget car hire and take the number 1 bus from the airport to Palma’s main square – Plaza Espana. It costs €1.80.

The railway station is to the left of the square and the trains run roughly every hour to Soller but with a gap over lunchtime. The journey takes just over an hour and is a real experience. The little wooden train trundles through the back streets of Palma and then over the flat plains before disappearing into a series of tunnels through the Tramantana Mountains. It costs about €10.

On arrival in Soller you will find most hotels are within walking distance of the station but there is a taxi rank if need be.

Staying there
We stay at La Vila http://www.lavilahotel.com/. It is a restored town house right on the main square. The 8 rooms are very comfortable but quite simple. The owner – Toni – is very helpful. Book B&B and then have an evening meal in the hotel restaurant if you have time. The food is very good. Quite an adult hotel with no facilities for children.

Other hotels are Le Gran Hotel Soller, just around the corner from La Vila. It has the advantage of large hotel facilities including a swimming pool and spa.

The Salvia is a beautiful, if more expensive boutique hotel http://www.hotelsalvia.com/.

Le Avenida is another, more contemporary boutique hotel http://www.avenida-hotel.com/.

Things to do
The town of Soller is a working Spanish town with a daily market and

bustling atmosphere that centres around the main square. One of its

great attractions is the pretty trams that run between the town and port – 3 miles away. A great day out is to walk to the port, have lunch and get the tram back.

Port Soller is being upgraded from a simple fishing port and made into more of a tourist destination. Its popular for those who want the beach on the doorstep. I haven’t any personal recommendations of hotels but have heard the Hotel Esport is popular. And also the Esplendido.

Walking is the number one pastime and a trail through the mountains to the tiny hamlet of Fornalutx with lunch at the beautifully positioned Es Turo restaurant is a great day out.

Another option is take the public bus to Deia and walk back. Home to the famous La Residencia Hotel, Deia is always full of ‘beautiful’ people in unsuitable shoes!

Further away is Valldemossa – another pretty town with lots of history and interest.

If you need a day trip then take the train back into Palma for the day. Palma has a lot to offer, shops, sightseeing, marina and lovely gardens. It is hopeless for parking though so go by train or the new Express Bus.

Eating out
Places to eat in Soller include the very authentic Spanish Restaurant Sa Cova. Good Italian food at Don Capriani in the Gran Via. The bars around the square sell good tapas, especially the Café Soller.

An invitation to...local gurus

By nature, a travel writer is constantly in search of new destinations, new angles, emerging trends so its rare indeed for our regular travelgurus to revisit the same place. The breadth of their combined knowledge is unrivalled but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, its hard to beat up to date, first hand recommendations.

Being resident in a tourist area would certainly qualify you as a local guru. Equally those who own second homes or simply have fallen in love with a location and make it their annual holiday base have a font of 'guru' knowledge that deserves to be shared...

What we are after is the kind of information everyone strives to find in the course of a holiday - the best places to stay, eat and visit, hidden gems, avoiding the crowds and top tips on where the locals go. The sort of advice that can save time, effort and costly mistakes.

To start us off we have an insider guide to Soller, Majorca penned by one the travelguru team, Sally Dowling. Having visited many times, Sally and husband Clive are big fans of this once little known village on Majorca. To view Sally's notes on Soller just click on the Local Guru label.

To join in and become a 'Local Guru' simply send your details to cathy.bartrop@travelguru.tv
And, if you are reading Local Guru notes and want to add some of your own advice, feel free to add your comments.

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