I would love to visit the country, but I am still wavering. There have been significant improvements in the political situation over the past couple of years not least with the release of Aung San Sou Kyi from her long house arrest. For a long time she asked tourists not to visit the country, she has changed her views somewhat and now welcomes individual travellers though not groups. Travel companies though are seeing a new interesting market and are organizing packages to the country and new hotels are being built for these groups as are other tourist facilities. The profits from these establishments will no doubt go straight into the pockets of the ruling military junta. On the other hand new hotels, restaurants and renovated temples mean jobs for a desperately poor people. The country though is still under hard line miltary rule with thousands of people in gaol purely because they are in opposition to the government.
I'm not getting any younger and find travelling much more of a hassle these days and though only a few years ago thought nothing of travelling on my own to somewhat off the beaten track destinations I'm now using organised tours much more but these tours often mean very sanitized views of the country with very little contact with the locals. I think if I was 10-15yrs younger Burma would be my next holiday destination but for the moment I'm holding off visiting the country.

Thanks Judith,

We too seem to be using more organised trips. Our recent Laos visit was partly organised through an agent and partly DIY, allowing us some freedom of choice.

Our original thoughts for Burma were to fly to Rangoon, have a couple of days there, move on to Bagan for a few days, go by boat to Mandalay, spend a couple of days there and then go on to Heho, followed by Inle lake and then some beach time (9 flight sectors).

We are not sure that we can stand all the hassle of multiple flights, multiple hotels, multiple unpack / repacks - what used to be a pleasure is becoming a chore and lugging cases and dirty washing is getting to be more of a problem, to say nothing of time wasted travelling!

We really want to see, certainly, Bagan, Mandalay and Rangoon and whilst Heho / Inle are appealing we feel that leaving these out would cut the trip to something manageable. I do agree with the "sanitisation" and I don't expect that you could get much more sanitised than an Orient Express cruise! The major benefit is that, although travelling, your base and suitcase moves with you! There is ample opportunity though for free time rather than the organised side trips and, hopefully, we would be able to meet, and spend our money , with local people.

It was interesting to note your comment,

"I think if I was 10-15yrs younger Burma would be my next holiday destination but for the moment I'm holding off visiting the country".

Your thinking appears to be precisely the same as ours, but we are starting to worry that if we don't visit soon, we never will - just flying is becoming a nuisance and we hate multi sector trips.

We will be going to Kerala and Sri Lanka via Dubai in February. Even the thought of those 5 sectors almost put us off and we almost settled for direct flights back to Goa. Once again, though, we thought that if we don't do the backwaters now, we never will.

Your thoughts were welcomed. On balance, we are still minded to go to Burma. We have not yet fully decided on an itinerary - either the original or the cruise.

Thanks again

Peter

Thanks for your reply Pete.

I've just returned from a Nile Cruise and a Lake Nasser one and I must admit it was nice to unpack the suitcase and not have to pack it again for a week and all transfers including cases ,between boats were handled by the tour company.

Hope you enjoy Kerala, I did a part independent part organised holiday there in 1998 and really had a good holiday.I toured Sri Lanka in 1999, again a great trip.

I still have a visit to Burma at the back of my mind the part when cruising down the Irrawaddy does sound lovely and I think you are probably right to consider missing out the Inle lake, problem for me is that my OH or none of my friends are interested in visiting the place so I would be on my own and the single room supplement on the boat is extremely high.

If you do decide to visit Burma I hope you will keep us all informed, I would love to hear about it.

Hi again Judith,

You will probably get your wish. We have decided to go to Burma.

Have booked the outline trip today. Will travel via Bangkok, a couple of days in Rangoon, seven days Irrawaddy cruise on the Orient Express, "The Road to Mandalay", a couple more days in Rangoon, a week (ish) at Ngapali beach, fly back, spending a short while in Bangkok en route. About 3 weeks away next November.

Have booked the Orient Express for our 45th wedding anniversary (there are only 43 cabins and wanted to make certain of the cruise booking on the correct dates), the rest of the trip can fit around the cruise.

Thanks again for your thoughts

Peter

I'm quite envious, hope to hear all about it next year.

Judith

Hi again Judith,

problem for me is that my OH or none of my friends are interested in visiting the place so I would be on my own and the single room supplement on the boat is extremely high

I don't know if you are aware, but the Orient Express "Road to Mandalay" cruise does have four single cabins, at precisely the same price per person as their Superior Cabin price per person.

The superior cabin price (2012) or the single cabin price is GBP 2130 for 7 nights per person.

If you wanted a Deluxe or State Cabin, I imagine that the single price would be much higher - double occupancy is GBP 5940 and 7420 respectively.

Hope this helps.

Peter

Thanks a lot, Pete

I didn't know though I had never really checked, just assumed that the single price would be far too high to even consider. I'll certainly give it some thought now.


Judith

some friends went to Burma this year (I think it was this year or end of last year!) and LOVED the place!

Well, the situation in Burma has conspired against us somewhat.

The Ngapali beach element has had to be cancelled as our insurance will not cover us following FCO advice against all but essential travel to Rakhine state.

So............ 3 Days Rangoon, 7 days Irrawaddy cruise from Mandalay, 2 days Rangoon and then the final 8 nights in Thailand. Still looking forward to it but had a lovely beachfront cottage booked at Sandoway resort - Janet is very disappointed - still this will give an excuse to re-visit and will change our plans for early next year when Thailand was the favoured option.

A return to Vietnam is inviting

Peter

Myanmar & Thailand – November / December 2012

Well, we finally made the trip - and what an interesting experience this was. This is likely to be a lengthy account of what turned out to be an immensely fascinating journey.

Individual hotels will be reviewed in the review section, as and when I get the time. Please bear in mind that this report is my personal opinion only and is broken down to give an idea of the itinerary breakdown on the “Road to Mandalay” cruise – days 5 to 12.

Days 1 & 2
We flew to Rangoon via Bangkok by EVA Airways Elite and Thai Airways Economy classes with a 2hr 40min transfer in Bangkok. The EVA flight was excellent, landing slightly early. Our baggage was checked through to Rangoon, food was good, there was plenty of legroom, IFE good and we even managed to get some sleep! The Thai flight from BKK to RGN was also very good and took slightly over 1 hour, landing at about 6pm.

There was a slight delay at immigration in Rangoon but the queues kept moving and, to be fair, it was less hassle than either Indian or Indonesian airports. We had arranged our own hotel for the first 3 nights, Traders, as it was well located for the main part of old Rangoon. The transfer was pre-arranged and we were at the hotel by about 7:30. As we had been well fed by EVA and had a good snack on the Thai flight, we chose to swiftly unpack the items required, take a short stroll in the vicinity of the hotel, buying extra water and a few odds and ends and then turn in for an early night – this turned out to be almost 11pm!

Day 3
Following a good breakfast the following morning we decided to have a look around the area, prior to taking a private tour of the main sights in the afternoon. We were a few hundred yards from Scott Market, but it was closed – and again on the following day. We understand that this was to do with the Hindu festival of lights, but the dates didn’t seem to tie up.

Never mind – we walked to the Sule Pagoda (once again very close to the hotel) and through the surrounding streets. Everywhere there were street vendors, selling everything and anything. The sights, sounds, smells and colours were similar to other SE Asian countries, but the unique dress of the people (longyis worn by both men and women), the thanaka on people’s faces, the old colonial buildings and streets and the general interest in westerners, made for a special and unique experience. Everyone was friendly and nothing felt threatening. We tried to get an iced coffee in what looked like a Burmese version of Swensons, only to find out that they didn’t sell it and settled for a couple of cokes in a local “cafe / tea shop”, which put a selection of local cakes on the table – obviously you would have to pay for what you ate. As they didn’t speak English we managed to get the cokes by pointing and using a calculator – buying cakes would have been a step too far, even had we recognised what they were!

We returned to our hotel, changed shirts, which by now were sodden with perspiration (it was extremely humid throughout our visit, even though the temperatures were in the high 20s / low 30s), and met up with our guide for our familiarisation tour. Our Guide, Phyu Phyu, was a charming young woman, softly spoken, good English and with an immense knowledge and an immense love of her country and its history. She was a real gem, who had accompanied us on our transfer to the hotel and all subsequent transfer activity.

The tour was extremely interesting, starting at Sule Pagoda, near our hotel, seeing various colonial buildings, Mahabandoola Gardens, City Hall, Chinatown, the waterfront, the Strand Hotel, Botatuang Pagoda, Kandawgyi Palace, gardens and lake, Maha Wizara Pagoda, and ending up at Shwedagon Pagoda shortly before sundown. It would be too much to describe all these, but suffice it to say that Shwedagon Pagoda was, to me, far more stunning than the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

After returning to our hotel, we ate out at a restaurant that had been recommended by our guide. Unfortunately the name escapes me but we ate good local food, washed down with Myanmar beer at a very good price before returning once more, absolutely shattered, to our hotel.

Day 4
I usually rise early when away and had intended to return to the Shwedagon Pagoda early the next day, before the crowds arrived, to take some more photographs. We overslept and didn’t make breakfast until about 10am, so we spent the day wandering around Rangoon, visiting various markets, Hindu and Chinese temples, photographing local people and generally taking in (and enjoying) the atmosphere. By the time we returned to the hotel we were shattered, once again. We decided to pack our cases and eat in the hotel at their signature Chinese restaurant, as we had an early start next day for our flight to Mandalay. In my opinion Traders hotel is ideally located for exploring and enjoying Rangoon.

Day 5
Arising early and with coffee organised by the hotel (a breakfast box was offered) we were whisked away by Phyu Phyu at 05:15 to the airport for the short flight to Mandalay. To say the domestic airport was chaotic would be an understatement! Fortunately we were in the hands of Orient Express, for our Road to Mandalay (RTM) cruise, from the moment we got to Rangoon airport. They took care of our baggage check-in, issued boarding passes (seating was a free-for-all), and pointed us in the right direction. The Air Mandalay flight was fine, by ATR 72, and took about 1 hour – even better our luggage was taken care of and we next saw our suitcases in our cabin on the boat.

Arrival at Mandalay was straightforward and with no suitcases to worry about we were taken on a brief tour of Mandalay town encompassing the Mahamudi Pagoda, marble carving, gold leaf beating, the Kuthadaw Pagoda and the Shwenandaw Monastery, prior to boarding the ship at around lunch time. The boarding process was simple and slick, and we were reunited with our luggage in our cabin, prior to having a buffet lunch. The accommodation was excellent and far more spacious than we had expected.

The dining room, food and the whole setup was all to a very high standard and following a very satisfying lunch all that remained was to unpack, familiarise ourselves with the boat (and bar) and take advantage of the pool deck and free soft drinks, tea coffee and beer until it was time for dinner. These were always free of charge – only wine and spirits had to be paid for. As we were to be aboard for 7 days, we booked the later of two evening dinner sittings for the duration of the time on the boat. This gave us plenty of time to shower and change following what was to be a fairly full tour schedule, which came as part of the cruise. Whilst it was suggested that jackets should be worn for dinner about 20% of men just opted for an open neck shirt.

Day 6
The RTM provides early morning tea and coffee served in your cabin. We chose this option, rather than an early breakfast prior to an early start for a morning trip to Ava, which was for centuries the most important royal capital. Part of this tour included travelling in a horse drawn cart – interesting, but not the most comfortable mode of transport. There were several vendors (mainly young girls) who were persistently trying to sell various items. This was always good natured and low-key and rather than be annoying was rather entertaining. The tour included the remains of the Royal Palace and fort, as well as the Bagaya Monastery and an unscheduled visit to a local school which, soft s*d that I am, cost me my prized Sri Lankan cricket hat! Next it was back to the boat for a late breakfast, as the boat set sail for Bagan.

Following a safety briefing, the remainder of the day was spent watching the world go by from the comfort of a sun lounger by the pool, having lunch, and afternoon tea, prior to the boat dropping anchor for a cocktail party before dinner, followed by another drink or two and evening entertainment. We were beginning to get into the swing of things!

Day 7
The boat set sail once more at about 7:00 and so we took tea in the cabin and headed off for another good breakfast (the usual light holiday breakfast of sausage, egg, bacon mushroom tomato, baked beans, toast and marmalade). The boat arrived in Bagan shortly after 9:00 and we went off to visit some of the thousands of temples, once again by horse drawn cart. The main temples visited were Sulamani, Ananda and finally (by coach) the Shwezigon Pagoda. Unfortunately the weather was beginning to change and some rain set in, which rather spoiled the sightseeing.

After returning to the boat for lunch, we decided to cut short the afternoon programme following a visit to a local village and watching lacquer ware being made. The final event of the day was to have been watching sunset from one of the lesser temples (there are over 2200 surviving temples, dating back to about 850 AD), but we decided that a massage on board may be a wise choice and anticipating getting some good photographs on a balloon trip that we had booked for sunrise on the following day.

After our massage and dinner we anticipated an early night, but our plans for the following day were thwarted when we received news at dinner time that the balloons would be grounded owing to windy conditions forecast for the following day. Ah well, beer was free and the night was young!

Day 8
The rain had stopped, but as forecast there was a gusty breeze. After another early breakfast we were off on a trip to Mount Popa, a volcano about 50km from Bagan and the nearby feature of Taung Kalat, a sheer side outcrop of rock, topped by a monastry. En route we stopped a toddy palm plantation where the stages of toddy production were being demonstrated – very touristy! The best view of the volcano was on the drive down. As a note and to save climbing, Taung Kalat is best viewed from Popa Mountain Resort.

This trip was not the best. Whilst the view of Taung Kalat was very pleasant, lunch, which was taken at the resort was an indifferent Burmese meal. I suspect that this resort may be government owned and a sister property to the one where we were to take lunch, yet to come, on day 11.

The highlight of this trip was the driver actually managing to burn out and seize the brakes on our vehicle, on the way down the mountain!

An excellent dinner was again taken on the RTM (second sitting was a blessing here) followed by another drink or two in the bar.

Day 9
The RTM was due to depart Bagan for Mandalay at about 10:00 so, following an early breakfast, there was time for a trip out to a local market in Nyaung Oo. This was a busy working market, well worth a visit for the sights, sounds and colours.

After the RTM set sail, we were once more watching the world go by from the comfort of a sun lounger by the pool, having lunch, and afternoon tea, prior to the boat dropping anchor for a cocktail party before dinner.

We booked another massage session onboard, for late afternoon, and this was a good as the previous session – setting us up for the evening, which was our wedding anniversary. We invited another British couple to dine with us and had a magnificent and interesting evening, talking about travel and setting the world to rights, whilst consuming far too much champagne and retiring very late! An excellent evening with excellent food and excellent company – Robert and Linda, thank you!

Day 10
Thankfully, this was a restful morning, with the boat setting sail at about 6:30. We were able to take a leisurely breakfast and enjoy the trip. Watching the riverbank life was interesting – people (few), pagodas (many) and boats.

Arriving at Mandalay, following a good lunch on board, we departed for a trip to the Sagaing hills including the splendid Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda, a visit to a nunnery (enchanting people) and the more or less obligatory trips to a pottery (which was actually fascinating and authentic) and a silver smith.

We returned to the boat for the usual, excellent dinner

Day 11
Today, there was a very full programme available, starting with an early start to see the offering if Alms at Shwe Kyet Yet. As there was a full day tour to Maymo, departing at 8 am, we decided not to go to see this (we have seen Alms offerings on many previous occasions) and opted for a more relaxed breakfast
.
Arriving at Maymo we were dropped off at a market (selling mainly imported Korean goods) whilst we waited for horse drawn carriages to take us on a tour of the old colonial buildings and a Chinese temple. This sounded fascinating, but the “carriages” were in the style of miniature stagecoaches, for two people, with windows far too small and too low to get a decent view.

We were taken to lunch at Kandawgyi Hill Resort (suspect government owned) and were presented with a very poor Burmese meal on stained table linen and worrying cutlery and tableware. To top it all, it started to rain and with no room to eat inside we were provided with shades and umbrellas, which proceeded to drip into the food, making this even more abysmal.

Following lunch we were taken for a walking tour of Maymo’s Botanical Garden. With the rain, we spent a pleasant hour, in the company of a couple more rebels in the cafeteria, sheltering from the rain, prior to returning to the Road to Mandalay, for a Farewell Dinner.

The dinner was excellent and the 12 British on board insisted that they lay on a table for 12, so that we could all dine together. The staff produced an excellent table and once more an excellent meal was enjoyed in excellent company, followed by further drinks and farewells.

Day 12
An early start, with tea in the cabin, an early breakfast and a transfer to the airport for our flight back to Rangoon. This time there was less chaos at the airport, although it was still rather confusing trying to identify individual flights. We were however, soon departing for Rangoon for a pleasant enough, although somewhat crowded, flight. Our baggage appeared very quickly and we had arranged a private transfer to our next hotel, the Governor’s Residence
.
Arriving at the hotel we were surprised to see no less than 6 of the 12 people that we had dined with the previous night ! The Governor’s Residence is a beautifully restored old teak building which was, as the name suggests, a large house from the colonial era. Our room was very pleasant, large bed area, large lounge area and a very nice bathroom. There was a pool with sun beds and it was a delightful experience. The food was good, but couldn’t match the Road to Mandalay. The only slight downside was the number of mosquitoes / insects around the pool, which was surrounded by shrubs and plants.

We dined with the same couple as on our anniversary, and once more had a very pleasant evening.

Day 13
We arose to a good breakfast, with every intention of visiting the National Museum and Rangoon town after spending a short while at the pool. The Governor’s Residence is located a distance outside of the town, near the National Museum and, not fancying the trip into Rangoon, we ended up just chilling out at the pool almost all day, unfortunately picking up a few insect bites. We obviously needed the rest!

We had dinner alone, as the others had gone their separate ways during the course of the day and turned in early, as we were to depart for Thailand the following morning.

Day 14
An early (and excellent) breakfast was followed by a 7:30 transfer to the airport. Following less confusion (were we getting used to Burmese airports?) we were of on our Thai airways flight to Bangkok. An excellent flight of just over one hour with a snack provided, no hassle (small queues) at BKK immigration, bags delivered promptly on the carousel and off to our pre-arranged transfer to the Centara Hua Hin (yes – that’s 3 times in two years, boring!).

A speedy check in for our Club Room (even the same room again!), meet up with a old work colleague for dinner and the scene was set for the next week.

Days 15 to 20
Our days at the Centara were spent relaxing, despite rain on 5 of these days.

We hired a car and driver and took trips out to Phra Nakhon Khiri park, near Phetchaburi, at Khao Wang. Here the palace of Chatchawan Wiang Chai, which was built as a summer residence by King Maha Mongkut (the King of "The King and I") and is now a museum, and a large chedi Phra That Chom Phet can be viewed. Fortunately there is a railway which takes you almost to the top of the Hill
.
We also visited the Maruekhathaiyawan Palace, between Hua Hin and Cha Am. This was built as a summer retreat for king Rama VI. The palace grounds featuring 400 metre long golden teak pier, currently under restoration, were well worth a visit.

The Club at Centara was always fairly full – probably because of the inclement weather – and service slower than it had been as a Sofitel. It was none the less an enjoyable stay and we will return.

We were fortunate enough to be in Hua Hin for Loy Krathong, which we had not seen for 5 years, in Chiang Mai. The kratongs floated on the sea in Hua Hin could not compete with the mass of lights being floated on the Ping river in Chiang Mai, nor could the lanterns launched skyward, but it was nevertheless an enjoyable evening. Restaurant recommendation has to go to Orchids – excellent food, excellent service, excellent atmosphere and reasonable prices.

Day 21
We checked out of the Centara late in the morning and travelled by car to Bangkok. This journey took almost 4 ½ hours – mainly on the expressway in Bangkok, on which traffic was held for an hour whilst VIP motorcades used the expressway system.

We arrived at the Landmark late in the afternoon and too our delight were upgraded from our Club corner room to a suite. This was nicely furnished and decorated, but a bit of a waste for one night.

We took a walk down Sukhumvit to Suda, an inexpensive, Thai restaurant just past Asok station. It was packed and rather than wait for a table we strolled back to the landmark and had a meal in the Huntsman, for old times sake. Good simple food, reasonably priced – just what the doctor ordered.

Day 22
We had a lunchtime flight back to UK, so we took a leisurely breakfast savouring what I still believe to be one of the best breakfasts in Bangkok. We took a taxi to the airport, checked in with no problems and were soon on our flight, which departed on time and landed 40 minutes early in Heathrow. The flight was, once again, good but the food was some of the poorest that we have had on EVA.

In Summary
An excellent trip, marred only by some poor weather (where is the unseasonal rain coming from?)

Rangoon – an excellent experience, will definitely return.

Traders Hotel, Rangoon – excellently located, recently renovated, fine for a few nights - see review http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/reviews/burma/yangon/pabedan-township/traders-hotel-yangon/ (added)

Governors Residence Hotel, Rangoon –Beautiful location, nice smallish pool, let down by insects and by being slightly out of the way. - review to follow http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/reviews/burma/yangon/dagon-township/the-governors-residence-by-orient-express/ (added)

The Road to Mandalay Cruise – excellent cabins, dinner, breakfast, service. Buffet lunches fine on board – very poor on trips. Trips, nothing special, transport not good (even for Burma), sightseeing varied between spectacular and the usual trashy visits.- see review http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/reviews/burma/myanmar-cruises/road-to-mandalay/ (added)

Centara, Hua Hin - A large but comfortable hotel in old colonial style. Club staff excellent but overstretched. We will undoubtedly return. - see review http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/reviews/thailand/prachuap-khiri-khan-province/hua-hin/centara-grand-resort-and-villas/

Landmark, Bangkok – Good, comfortable room, excellent breakfast, Huntsman still enjoyable, good location, service slightly slow and “tired” at reception, good elsewhere - see review http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/reviews/thailand/bangkok/the-landmark-hotel/

This report is my personal opinion only, based upon experience November / December 2012.

Peter

Thanks for your review Peter, I had wondered if the tour had taken place. Having just read the previous posts I realise I had missed your update to travel arrangements that you posted back in September.

What were your overall impressions of Burma, was there a highlight, somewhere that you would advise people not to miss? Your report has once again whetted my appetite for seing the country.

Nice to hear the Centara is still going strong, I remember it from the days when it was the Railway Hotel, I hope it
hasn't changed too much.

Hi Judith,

We enjoyed all of Burma - especially the people.
We found Rangoon to be fascinating in general - Dont miss Shwedagon Pagoda (see day 3)

The Road to Mandalay boat itself was excellent (saw a single cabin though - just for you - and it looked spacious but bare, compared to higher standard cabin that we were in).

Bagan and the temples was great (would have loved a balloon trip but weather conspired against us)
Mount Poppa was a let-down
Ava (Mandalay) was interesting as was Sagaing, including the nunnery
We found Maymo to be disappointing

In general the organised trips on the RTM tour were no more than OK. Groups of 10 to 12 sorted by language per coach. There was little flexibility, too much of the normal "touristy" stuff and, for me too much budhism, which our RTM guide went into at great depth - information overload comes to mind!

We will almost certainly return, certainly to Rangoon (note that we found the location of Traders to be excellent, but refurbishment is in progress). We still want to go to Ngapoli beach too.

We are already thinking of a trip starting at Chiang Mai, to Keng Tung, Inla Lake, Rangoon and Ngapoli beach.

We will certainly also consider the 11 day Road to Mandalay cruise, Gorges of the North in August / September.

All we need is sufficient time.........

Centara still fine - this was our 3rd visit in 2 years (we usually go to Hua Hin, when we are in Thailand as a friend lives there)

Hope this helps

Peter

Thankyou, food for thought.

that was a super report Pete It would be a new destination for me- I haven't even researched it at all but you make it sound fascinating
.I can't imagine something more stunning than the Grand Palace by the way!

Fiona / Judith, thank you.

Fiona, we found the Shwedagon Pagoda to be beautiful. After the Grand Palace, it is difficult to imagine that more beauty and history can be found but, on balance, Janet and I agree that it was probably the most stunning sight we have encountered.

If you take an organised trip, they seem to want you to get there for sunset, when you are losing the natural light (for some reason the Burmans love bright artificial and neon light illuminating various Buddha statues).

I have no doubt that sunset there is spectacular (it was cloudy when we visited) but I would suggest that early in the day, before the heat and crowds, would enable the pagoda to be seen at its best.

I requested yesterday that Myanmar be set up as a destination for reviews and that the various hotels, and Road to Mandalay (floating hotel as it has a hotel manager) be added for review purposes.

When this happens, I will add these.

Peter

Hi Judith & Fiona,

Sorry if you are still waiting for the Rangoon and Mandalay reviews to be posted. I did ask 4 weeks today that Burma / Myanmar be set up as a country for review purposes. This has not been done.

Whilst I am told that it is possible to upload a review without the country, there seems to be little point as there is no way of accessing it.

Cheers

Peter

YOU CAN ADD REVIEWS WITHOUT THE DESTINATIONS BEING SHOWN IN THE LIST. WE ADD DESTINATIONS AS REVIEWS COME IN, HENCE WHY YOU CAN STIPLUATE 'OTHER RESORT' ETC ON THE WRITE REVIEW FORM.

YOU SEND REVIEW > WE ADD DESTINATION > WE ADD REVIEW TO DESTINATION > WE MAKE DESTINATION LIVE.

Thanks for the CLARIFICATION

No rush then

Peter