Monday, 28 January 2013
The Mechanics of Business Travel - Part 3
What is a ‘fixed’ ticket price? Well actually there is no such thing as the cost of a particular ticket usually varies greatly throughout its life. You see a ticket is like any other commodity in that its value gets smaller as its likelihood of sale diminishes. In the case of an air ticket the value hits zero as soon as that aircraft takes off with an empty seat on it. An airline flight seat is more perishable than a bunch of ripe bananas.
It has taken a while but airlines have now recognised this having competed and mainly lost to no frills companies that work on the ‘stack them high and sell them cheap’ business model. Now you have the most conservative of the major airlines of the world discounting their prices to produce full flights. Everyone is working on the same concept which is to sell their seats at the maximum price they possibly can but shift them nonetheless.
I challenge anyone to run a straw poll on price paid on any airline flight and I can almost guarantee that they would all be different. Much depends on the popularity of the service as the ‘rush hour’ peak aircraft will always be able to charge a premium for the exclusivity of what they have. If you are flying to Paris on business on a Monday morning there is no point in arriving early afternoon so you, like everyone else in that situation, pays extra to go early and do a full day’s work.
So how do airlines work out their fares? Firstly they look at the trends. They see how that flight did previously going back a considerable distance. They calculated who paid what and when. They identify when they booked and how often people then cancelled. Then they look at how full the aircraft was and what prices people paid who occupied those seats. They learn from this information and build a pricing plan.
The vast majority of airlines invest in ‘yield management’ as a way of optimising seat usage and making money.
I would say the price of a seat in a particular cabin on an airline can change over 50 times from first being put on the market up to departure time. Get it right and you have a full aircraft and no wastage. Get it wrong too often and you go out of business or need a government bail out!
Everyone knows that only individual private travelers and tourist book and pay early so the prices initially start low. Closer to departure date you get the more thrifty business traveler and those that need to go more suddenly so the price goes up. Three to four days out you have the business traveler. They need flexibility and they have to go so they get hit with the highest fares. The day before, if there are any seats left, they are discounted for the last minute traveler who is looking for cheap deals and can risk being turned away.
This is the sort of basic model that is used today. Within that there are prices for groups booked together, ships crews, tour operators and numerous others. Success or otherwise is measured by filling that last seat however they can, and at the best price for the airline. Most planes are overbooked by airlines as they even gamble on how many folk will turn up on the day. This is especially true when an airline operates different classes as they feel safer overbooking economy seats if they can upgrade any surplus into business class. This happens a lot.
Another method of selling large volumes of seats is through consolidators and wholesalers. These people have a lot of customers and they buy seats at low net prices from airlines for resale to their own market. Airlines get less but they have outsourced the responsibility of selling them to a third party.
How do you get the best ticket price? The only way is to book when others do not. Either early or risk a last minute attempt. It is like a game of chess really, except your competitors employ ‘grand masters’ to play their pieces!
Friday, 18 January 2013
Holidaying in the Maldives - General
HOLIDAYING IN THE MALDIVES
Over the past few years my wife and I have holidayed in the Maldives at least six times. For a man that is easily bored that is pretty regular so why do we do it? This is a summary of our trips and will hopefully go some way to explain our fascination with these islands.
Firstly it is not what you could call the real world. In fact it is pure escapism and the amount you ‘escape’ can be measured by how much you pay. The islands are pretty well perfect and the sea surrounding them vibrant with life and beauty. Everything there is imported (mainly from Asia and Australia) and you will be unlikely to return much the wiser about local cultures and lifestyles as it is extremely rare for any island to house a resort and a local village or township.
The vast majority of locals live on the main island called Male. This is where all the politics and local life goes on and very few visitors go there unless they are on business. It is very Muslim and, as such considered too restrictive for many westerners. Alcohol is not permitted and any that tourist try to bring is politely confiscated and returned once you are leaving the country. This is rather strange as the resort islands are permitted alcohol and most holidaymakers are in direct transit to these places. Be under no illusions, if you bring alcohol they will find it as they will sexy films and magazines which will not be given back!
The main airport of Male is not actually on Male. It is built next to it on a separate island of its own. If you want to go to the capital you need to take a boat. The airport island has three ‘terminals’. One is the main international airport. Across the runway is a seaplane terminal which takes visitors to the further islands. Next door to international arrivals/departures is a boat terminal where people are taken to resorts in the close-by atolls.
Approaching Male from the air is always a breath-taking experience as the views of the atolls are awesome. You only really need to avert your eyes once, which is when you fly over the island that they dump all their rubbish on. You can spot it by its ugliness and the pall of dirty smoke coming from it.
Some people are a bit wary of what to expect when arriving in Male and having to connect onward by say seaplane to their final destination. They need not concern themselves as all the resorts arrange for staff to meet international arrivals. Once you have cleared immigration and customs you will then have your cases xrayed for contraband, booze, magazines etc before being cleared. As you step outside you will find a sea of boards and booths with the name of all the different resorts and you just walk across to yours.
If you are flying onward to an island you will be put straight into a small air-conditioned bus and transported around the runway to the seaplane terminal. Here they will take your bags up to the check in counter, weigh them and give you your boarding pass. They may sometimes charge you for excess baggage but often this depends on how busy the flight is. Your experience at this terminal can depend on what resort and how much you spend. Some of the most luxurious resorts maintain their own lounge and you can sit in the cool with a drink watching the activity around you and filling in your resort check-in details. If not you sit outside and wait although, if you are lightly dressed this is not too unpleasant. Drinks and snacks can be bought with US dollars as well as quite funky T shirts.
They do not operate their planes to a strict schedule. They probably sit down the day before and work out how many people are going to which resorts at what time. They then compute how to use their available aircraft to cause the minimum of delays and ensure they are busy in both directions. I would not like to try this myself and most of the time they get it spot on for the majority of passengers who spend as little as 20 minutes waiting. Some few are less fortunate and they can wait over 3 hours.
There are two local airlines (Maldivian Air Taxi and Trans Maldivian Airways) and the majority of aircraft used are Canadian DeHavaland Twin Otters. These highly versatile 20 seat aircraft have floats attached to their undercarriages. They operate all over the world using wheels, skis and of course floats depending on where they are landing! They are not terribly sophisticated but very sturdy and reliable twin engine planes. They fly pretty low so your ears will not pop but you might need earplugs to mute the engine noise. Sitting furthest forward id best and probably cooler as a draft comes through from the cockpit and it is quieter.
Flight times range depending on where you are going and if they are dropping off and picking up on the way. Usually 20 to 40 minutes is likely. The views are stupendous so be ready with your camera. Often they circle your island before landing if you want to take a snap of it. Taking off and landing on the sea is quite a thrill (to me anyway) and you almost feel like Indiana Jones! Fortunately the lagoons are usually sheltered and calm but it can be ‘fun’ if you arrive in a squall. Again, depending on the resort the plane taxis up to a floating pontoon or a fixed pier attached to the land. If you disembark onto a pontoon a boat will make the short journey to collect you and drop off returning passengers.
If you need to make the onward journey by boat your reception agent will walk you across the road to a line of pontoons which usually have their boat waiting for you. Sometimes you may have to wait for it a short while as it brings in their departing guests. We used a boat once going to Cocoa Island and it was far more fun than I initially expected.
The harbour where you board is reasonably calm. If you get seasick I suggest you wait on the quayside until the bags are loaded and you are ready to go. These ‘power’ boats are usually quite big carrying about 16 guests and their escort. They travel very fast which is both exhilarating and easy on the stomach. My wife gets seasick but was OK on these boats. If you are lucky you may get joined by dolphins and flying fish along the way for part of the journey. Again they usually take up to around 40 minutes and you all get cold towels, cold water along with a safety briefing and lightweight life vest before setting off.
You are usually greeted on arrival with a tropical cocktail and introduced to the person who has been assigned to take you to your room and answer any questions. Most of the time the room is ready for occupation as the previous guests would be flying back on the international flight you came in on. The first thing we did was take off our shoes and they never went on again until we left. It really is quite liberating to have pure white sand between your toes although I do admit I had a pair of flip flops left by the boardwalks so my delicate feet did not burn in the sun! It was either that or I would leap about like a demented ballerina shouting OUCH all the time.
Maybe this would be a good time to talk about clothing? Most of ours had an untroubled holiday resting in the suitcase as you really do not need much unless you feel the need/desire to dress up. Very little is needed during the day and the evenings are more relaxed elegant than formal. Do not even think of jackets, ties, heels or similar, they really would look silly.
Cosmetics? Mossie cream? Yes. The resorts have very little apart from basic medicines and expensive lotion. Bring it all with you and save a lot. Also bring plenty of anything you think you might need like paracetomol, Rennies, After Sun , spare glasses etc as you are quite a way from anywhere. If you do need something badly then ask the manager if he has any staff taking the trip to Male and if they could get it for you for a tip. I lost a vital screw off my glasses but a member of staff went to an optician on the main island and got them fixed for me.
The mosquito situation varies by season and island but is usually far better than mainland Asia or say, the Caribbean. Like most of these places the culprits are more likely to be sand flies but usually properties are Fogged (sprayed with insecticide) once a week. The larger the island, the more likely there is some standing water and therefor mosquitos. You may of course get ants, spiders and the occasional large bat fly past but these are more likely in the beach not water villas. In my view nothing to be at all concerned by!
The places we went to were all well-equipped. Even the water villas had full facilities including hair dryer, dressing gowns, soaps and plenty of plug sockets for things like hair straighteners , laptops and similar. Fortunately for the UK most sockets are the same as ours with three square pins and operate at 220 volts. Most resorts have plenty of adaptors and transformers but it is best to arrive with the correct ones. If you are bringing an ipod then I suggest you bring it’s jack cable as you will often find it can plug into the system in your villa. If you are bringing DVDs I suggest you avoid putting them in sleeves that have scantily clad women on them!
So what else of a general nature might you like to know. You need to be aware of the cost of food and particularly drink as it is not cheap. They argue that everything needs to be imported from afar but I have been in more isolated places that cost a lot less. Everything is at a premium so you need to get your head around it now rather than get a shock. The beer is a little more reasonable but premium brand shorts and cocktails are at least twice/three times the price as say in the UK. In saying that they taste gorgeous and the measures are usually larger. There are all-inclusive resorts and we stayed in one called Lily Island which I will report on later. We definitely got our money’s worth there.
What they tend to do is have a general restaurant for those on meal plans and speciality restaurants for those that want a more ‘exotic’ and a la carte experience. Usually people on half board spend at least one evening in another restaurant for the sake of variety as much as anything else. Wherever you eat the food is usually to a good standard although some might find the regional fayre a bit hot!
Wine is again expensive with the cheapest bottles costing US$60 for something you could get at a UK supermarket for 20% of that. They will always offer water but I suggest you ask for local bottled water if you are on a budget. Otherwise they will provide something like Perrier at a premium cost. Food and drink in your room is on the same tariff and of course there is nowhere else to go. No competition equals higher prices I guess.
The people who own, and those that work on the island are a mixed bag of nationalities. All Maldivian islands are owned by Maldivians, it’s the law. These owners are rarely seen as they outsource the management of the resort to organisations such as Hilton, Taj, Banyan Tree etc. These groups share the profit proceeds with the owners and it works well for them. Sometimes there could be dispute over development of the island and the building of new villas which can cause a change in what is quite a delicate eco structure.
If you build a new breakwater in one place then you lose the beach in another part. Build a new line of water villas and it could wreck a reef system that has been around for centuries. But think of the extra revenue!
!
The actual island senior management are usually European. The middle management have a lot of Sri Lankans and the occasional Maldivian. The majority of the workers come from India, Sri Lanka and The Maldives. Each hotel resort has to have a certain quota of Maldivians working for them. Are they treated well? Now that is a difficult question.
All the best parts of any island are for the guests. There is usually no more than a compound in the middle where the entire staff live. Few visitors go in there but I could imagine going ‘stir crazy’ if I lived there. Most staff (particularly senior members) get holiday time off island to regain their sanity.
Lower level staff go home only for visits when they have generated enough in tips and salary to do so. Tips are critical to them but you need to say they are for that staff member alone, particularly the person looking after your room that will depend on your generosity. Tipping is a big issue. I personally tip nothing until I leave but I make sure they know that. Other people I know tip small with everything but I think that is neither helpful on liable to gain better service. You take your choice. I tipped a good room cleaner US$50 for a fortnight.
What are you going to do when you finally get there? Very little unless you are a keen diver in which case you have just entered heaven. It is also a great place to learn and receive your certification. Otherwise there is little to do but relax in a ‘desert island’ paradise sitting outside your villa or snorkeling the reef. Most islands have their own house reef where fish are abundant and the water is crystal clear.
You should however expect to see sharks! There are a lot in the Maldives although I have never ever heard of any attack a human. Most are very small juveniles that come inside the reef to avoid being eaten by the bigger ones. It is amazing how easily you become blasé about them. Apart from them you are in your own private aquarium that includes a huge array of coloured fish, turtles and rays.
A big thrill is to swim with Mantas and Whale Sharks. These huge beasts are spectacular and can be enjoyed even with a snorkel kit. Most resorts run boats to take you out to where they cruise. The only thing they do not like you to do (unless they do it themselves) is feed the fish as it makes them dependant on hand-outs. Some places also offer night fishing off the reef where you can catch your dinner using hand lines which can be fun.
Unfortunately some resorts now have fish feeding shows where all the guests gather on a pontoon to watch staff throwing bloody fish guts into the illuminated night-time water. The fish expect it and whilst it is dramatic seeing sharks and the like thrashing in the water. Maybe hinting to sharks that humans provide food is not a great idea in my mind, let alone the injuries they can inflict on each other as they fight over scraps.
What else to do? There is usually a spa on the resort where some fragile little Thai girl will manipulate you into submission in double quick time. I do not like hot stones, seaweed baths or full body massages but those that do think the service at these spas is first class. Very often they will give you treatments above a glass bottomed floor so you can watch the tropical fish as you lie there.
A few of the resorts have water sports including skiing, parascending and tyre riding. I tend to avoid these like the plague as my idea of tropical paradise does not include them, however, they do tend to use them where they are less likely to disturb miseries like me!
Finally there is what is to me their most successful offering which I call maximum chill out. I never read at home but I go through volumes in the Maldives. Using an E book is best or you will end out taking half a library with you. By the way there is always a small library or books left in your villa at these places. I read a bit, then have a splash in the sea, watch the fish, have a cold beer, grab my snorkel and fins, then repeat regularly. Do not expect high activity however, even if you do, you will soon slip into the lazy relaxed lifestyle The Maldives is famous for.
What about the villas? You tend to get two sorts i.e. the beach villa and the over-water villa. I prefer the latter although it is usually more expensive. They are very clever how they use screening to protect your sun deck and many contain both Jacuzzi and lighting underneath for fish watching when the sun goes down. There is nothing like lying at night on your deck sunbed with a drink and a map of the heavens identifying Orion and the big dipper in the starry sky.
Bar life is usually only busy on the big or all-inclusive islands but you usually can find a like-minded couple to talk to. Otherwise the bar staff are very keen to talk in order to improve their language skills. I suggest you do not travel to the Maldives with anyone that you do not enjoy talking to! Like all such places doing nothing can be very tiring and most people are falling asleep early or turning in to be ready for a morning dive. Remember, if you are diving you need to comply with regulations about the timings on when you can or cannot drink.
Time change is another thing to remember. Most resorts operate on a time one hour ahead of the official Male time. This enables the connection services from the island to link better when you depart. They call it ‘Island Time’
.
Well that is the generalities as much as I remember them. If anyone thinks I have missed anything important then send me a ‘comment’ using the box below this blog and others will benefit to.
When I started I told you that I had made a number of trips to The Maldives. I have stayed at the Hilton/Conrad, Mirihi, Cocoa Island and Lily Beach. Here are my reports on all these islands (to follow).
Over the past few years my wife and I have holidayed in the Maldives at least six times. For a man that is easily bored that is pretty regular so why do we do it? This is a summary of our trips and will hopefully go some way to explain our fascination with these islands.
Firstly it is not what you could call the real world. In fact it is pure escapism and the amount you ‘escape’ can be measured by how much you pay. The islands are pretty well perfect and the sea surrounding them vibrant with life and beauty. Everything there is imported (mainly from Asia and Australia) and you will be unlikely to return much the wiser about local cultures and lifestyles as it is extremely rare for any island to house a resort and a local village or township.
The vast majority of locals live on the main island called Male. This is where all the politics and local life goes on and very few visitors go there unless they are on business. It is very Muslim and, as such considered too restrictive for many westerners. Alcohol is not permitted and any that tourist try to bring is politely confiscated and returned once you are leaving the country. This is rather strange as the resort islands are permitted alcohol and most holidaymakers are in direct transit to these places. Be under no illusions, if you bring alcohol they will find it as they will sexy films and magazines which will not be given back!
The main airport of Male is not actually on Male. It is built next to it on a separate island of its own. If you want to go to the capital you need to take a boat. The airport island has three ‘terminals’. One is the main international airport. Across the runway is a seaplane terminal which takes visitors to the further islands. Next door to international arrivals/departures is a boat terminal where people are taken to resorts in the close-by atolls.
Approaching Male from the air is always a breath-taking experience as the views of the atolls are awesome. You only really need to avert your eyes once, which is when you fly over the island that they dump all their rubbish on. You can spot it by its ugliness and the pall of dirty smoke coming from it.
Some people are a bit wary of what to expect when arriving in Male and having to connect onward by say seaplane to their final destination. They need not concern themselves as all the resorts arrange for staff to meet international arrivals. Once you have cleared immigration and customs you will then have your cases xrayed for contraband, booze, magazines etc before being cleared. As you step outside you will find a sea of boards and booths with the name of all the different resorts and you just walk across to yours.
If you are flying onward to an island you will be put straight into a small air-conditioned bus and transported around the runway to the seaplane terminal. Here they will take your bags up to the check in counter, weigh them and give you your boarding pass. They may sometimes charge you for excess baggage but often this depends on how busy the flight is. Your experience at this terminal can depend on what resort and how much you spend. Some of the most luxurious resorts maintain their own lounge and you can sit in the cool with a drink watching the activity around you and filling in your resort check-in details. If not you sit outside and wait although, if you are lightly dressed this is not too unpleasant. Drinks and snacks can be bought with US dollars as well as quite funky T shirts.
They do not operate their planes to a strict schedule. They probably sit down the day before and work out how many people are going to which resorts at what time. They then compute how to use their available aircraft to cause the minimum of delays and ensure they are busy in both directions. I would not like to try this myself and most of the time they get it spot on for the majority of passengers who spend as little as 20 minutes waiting. Some few are less fortunate and they can wait over 3 hours.
There are two local airlines (Maldivian Air Taxi and Trans Maldivian Airways) and the majority of aircraft used are Canadian DeHavaland Twin Otters. These highly versatile 20 seat aircraft have floats attached to their undercarriages. They operate all over the world using wheels, skis and of course floats depending on where they are landing! They are not terribly sophisticated but very sturdy and reliable twin engine planes. They fly pretty low so your ears will not pop but you might need earplugs to mute the engine noise. Sitting furthest forward id best and probably cooler as a draft comes through from the cockpit and it is quieter.
Flight times range depending on where you are going and if they are dropping off and picking up on the way. Usually 20 to 40 minutes is likely. The views are stupendous so be ready with your camera. Often they circle your island before landing if you want to take a snap of it. Taking off and landing on the sea is quite a thrill (to me anyway) and you almost feel like Indiana Jones! Fortunately the lagoons are usually sheltered and calm but it can be ‘fun’ if you arrive in a squall. Again, depending on the resort the plane taxis up to a floating pontoon or a fixed pier attached to the land. If you disembark onto a pontoon a boat will make the short journey to collect you and drop off returning passengers.
If you need to make the onward journey by boat your reception agent will walk you across the road to a line of pontoons which usually have their boat waiting for you. Sometimes you may have to wait for it a short while as it brings in their departing guests. We used a boat once going to Cocoa Island and it was far more fun than I initially expected.
The harbour where you board is reasonably calm. If you get seasick I suggest you wait on the quayside until the bags are loaded and you are ready to go. These ‘power’ boats are usually quite big carrying about 16 guests and their escort. They travel very fast which is both exhilarating and easy on the stomach. My wife gets seasick but was OK on these boats. If you are lucky you may get joined by dolphins and flying fish along the way for part of the journey. Again they usually take up to around 40 minutes and you all get cold towels, cold water along with a safety briefing and lightweight life vest before setting off.
You are usually greeted on arrival with a tropical cocktail and introduced to the person who has been assigned to take you to your room and answer any questions. Most of the time the room is ready for occupation as the previous guests would be flying back on the international flight you came in on. The first thing we did was take off our shoes and they never went on again until we left. It really is quite liberating to have pure white sand between your toes although I do admit I had a pair of flip flops left by the boardwalks so my delicate feet did not burn in the sun! It was either that or I would leap about like a demented ballerina shouting OUCH all the time.
Maybe this would be a good time to talk about clothing? Most of ours had an untroubled holiday resting in the suitcase as you really do not need much unless you feel the need/desire to dress up. Very little is needed during the day and the evenings are more relaxed elegant than formal. Do not even think of jackets, ties, heels or similar, they really would look silly.
Cosmetics? Mossie cream? Yes. The resorts have very little apart from basic medicines and expensive lotion. Bring it all with you and save a lot. Also bring plenty of anything you think you might need like paracetomol, Rennies, After Sun , spare glasses etc as you are quite a way from anywhere. If you do need something badly then ask the manager if he has any staff taking the trip to Male and if they could get it for you for a tip. I lost a vital screw off my glasses but a member of staff went to an optician on the main island and got them fixed for me.
The mosquito situation varies by season and island but is usually far better than mainland Asia or say, the Caribbean. Like most of these places the culprits are more likely to be sand flies but usually properties are Fogged (sprayed with insecticide) once a week. The larger the island, the more likely there is some standing water and therefor mosquitos. You may of course get ants, spiders and the occasional large bat fly past but these are more likely in the beach not water villas. In my view nothing to be at all concerned by!
The places we went to were all well-equipped. Even the water villas had full facilities including hair dryer, dressing gowns, soaps and plenty of plug sockets for things like hair straighteners , laptops and similar. Fortunately for the UK most sockets are the same as ours with three square pins and operate at 220 volts. Most resorts have plenty of adaptors and transformers but it is best to arrive with the correct ones. If you are bringing an ipod then I suggest you bring it’s jack cable as you will often find it can plug into the system in your villa. If you are bringing DVDs I suggest you avoid putting them in sleeves that have scantily clad women on them!
So what else of a general nature might you like to know. You need to be aware of the cost of food and particularly drink as it is not cheap. They argue that everything needs to be imported from afar but I have been in more isolated places that cost a lot less. Everything is at a premium so you need to get your head around it now rather than get a shock. The beer is a little more reasonable but premium brand shorts and cocktails are at least twice/three times the price as say in the UK. In saying that they taste gorgeous and the measures are usually larger. There are all-inclusive resorts and we stayed in one called Lily Island which I will report on later. We definitely got our money’s worth there.
What they tend to do is have a general restaurant for those on meal plans and speciality restaurants for those that want a more ‘exotic’ and a la carte experience. Usually people on half board spend at least one evening in another restaurant for the sake of variety as much as anything else. Wherever you eat the food is usually to a good standard although some might find the regional fayre a bit hot!
Wine is again expensive with the cheapest bottles costing US$60 for something you could get at a UK supermarket for 20% of that. They will always offer water but I suggest you ask for local bottled water if you are on a budget. Otherwise they will provide something like Perrier at a premium cost. Food and drink in your room is on the same tariff and of course there is nowhere else to go. No competition equals higher prices I guess.
The people who own, and those that work on the island are a mixed bag of nationalities. All Maldivian islands are owned by Maldivians, it’s the law. These owners are rarely seen as they outsource the management of the resort to organisations such as Hilton, Taj, Banyan Tree etc. These groups share the profit proceeds with the owners and it works well for them. Sometimes there could be dispute over development of the island and the building of new villas which can cause a change in what is quite a delicate eco structure.
If you build a new breakwater in one place then you lose the beach in another part. Build a new line of water villas and it could wreck a reef system that has been around for centuries. But think of the extra revenue!
!
The actual island senior management are usually European. The middle management have a lot of Sri Lankans and the occasional Maldivian. The majority of the workers come from India, Sri Lanka and The Maldives. Each hotel resort has to have a certain quota of Maldivians working for them. Are they treated well? Now that is a difficult question.
All the best parts of any island are for the guests. There is usually no more than a compound in the middle where the entire staff live. Few visitors go in there but I could imagine going ‘stir crazy’ if I lived there. Most staff (particularly senior members) get holiday time off island to regain their sanity.
Lower level staff go home only for visits when they have generated enough in tips and salary to do so. Tips are critical to them but you need to say they are for that staff member alone, particularly the person looking after your room that will depend on your generosity. Tipping is a big issue. I personally tip nothing until I leave but I make sure they know that. Other people I know tip small with everything but I think that is neither helpful on liable to gain better service. You take your choice. I tipped a good room cleaner US$50 for a fortnight.
What are you going to do when you finally get there? Very little unless you are a keen diver in which case you have just entered heaven. It is also a great place to learn and receive your certification. Otherwise there is little to do but relax in a ‘desert island’ paradise sitting outside your villa or snorkeling the reef. Most islands have their own house reef where fish are abundant and the water is crystal clear.
You should however expect to see sharks! There are a lot in the Maldives although I have never ever heard of any attack a human. Most are very small juveniles that come inside the reef to avoid being eaten by the bigger ones. It is amazing how easily you become blasé about them. Apart from them you are in your own private aquarium that includes a huge array of coloured fish, turtles and rays.
A big thrill is to swim with Mantas and Whale Sharks. These huge beasts are spectacular and can be enjoyed even with a snorkel kit. Most resorts run boats to take you out to where they cruise. The only thing they do not like you to do (unless they do it themselves) is feed the fish as it makes them dependant on hand-outs. Some places also offer night fishing off the reef where you can catch your dinner using hand lines which can be fun.
Unfortunately some resorts now have fish feeding shows where all the guests gather on a pontoon to watch staff throwing bloody fish guts into the illuminated night-time water. The fish expect it and whilst it is dramatic seeing sharks and the like thrashing in the water. Maybe hinting to sharks that humans provide food is not a great idea in my mind, let alone the injuries they can inflict on each other as they fight over scraps.
What else to do? There is usually a spa on the resort where some fragile little Thai girl will manipulate you into submission in double quick time. I do not like hot stones, seaweed baths or full body massages but those that do think the service at these spas is first class. Very often they will give you treatments above a glass bottomed floor so you can watch the tropical fish as you lie there.
A few of the resorts have water sports including skiing, parascending and tyre riding. I tend to avoid these like the plague as my idea of tropical paradise does not include them, however, they do tend to use them where they are less likely to disturb miseries like me!
Finally there is what is to me their most successful offering which I call maximum chill out. I never read at home but I go through volumes in the Maldives. Using an E book is best or you will end out taking half a library with you. By the way there is always a small library or books left in your villa at these places. I read a bit, then have a splash in the sea, watch the fish, have a cold beer, grab my snorkel and fins, then repeat regularly. Do not expect high activity however, even if you do, you will soon slip into the lazy relaxed lifestyle The Maldives is famous for.
What about the villas? You tend to get two sorts i.e. the beach villa and the over-water villa. I prefer the latter although it is usually more expensive. They are very clever how they use screening to protect your sun deck and many contain both Jacuzzi and lighting underneath for fish watching when the sun goes down. There is nothing like lying at night on your deck sunbed with a drink and a map of the heavens identifying Orion and the big dipper in the starry sky.
Bar life is usually only busy on the big or all-inclusive islands but you usually can find a like-minded couple to talk to. Otherwise the bar staff are very keen to talk in order to improve their language skills. I suggest you do not travel to the Maldives with anyone that you do not enjoy talking to! Like all such places doing nothing can be very tiring and most people are falling asleep early or turning in to be ready for a morning dive. Remember, if you are diving you need to comply with regulations about the timings on when you can or cannot drink.
Time change is another thing to remember. Most resorts operate on a time one hour ahead of the official Male time. This enables the connection services from the island to link better when you depart. They call it ‘Island Time’
.
Well that is the generalities as much as I remember them. If anyone thinks I have missed anything important then send me a ‘comment’ using the box below this blog and others will benefit to.
When I started I told you that I had made a number of trips to The Maldives. I have stayed at the Hilton/Conrad, Mirihi, Cocoa Island and Lily Beach. Here are my reports on all these islands (to follow).
Thursday, 20 December 2012
Bequia Travel Report -Pics on Travelprotales
Where and what is Bequia and why have so few people heard of it? The simple answer is that it is one of the Grenadine islands in the Caribbean just south of St Vincent, a little north of Grenada and about 35 minutes flight west of Barbados. It is quite small but remarkably full of all the pleasures and amenities people look for on holiday. Why have so few people heard of it? It is probably because it has a small airport and nowhere for cruise ships to dock. It is literally an unspoilt gem of a place.
We first found it about 3 years ago. The attractions of Barbados, Antigua, Tobago and St Lucia were beginning to fade as their popularity grew so we set out to find places that still reflect the charm of the Caribbean. Somewhere that did not have mass tourism but was still civilised, welcoming and reasonably easy to get to. Previously we discovered Anguilla that fits the bill perfectly but now we wanted to see if there were any more out there.
Our ‘must have’ list was not huge but important to us and included the following:
A secure place with n
ice welcoming people. We did not want to be robbed, abused or snarled at on holiday.
A scenically pretty island with plenty of beaches and picturesque countryside.In other words a place that is welcoming to the eye.
We like to eat out on holidays so we searched for a place that had a diversity of restaurants from local bars to fine dining.
Accommodation to be comfortable in. We did not want crowds so we looked for something more boutique in size with air conditioning, a nice pool and alongside a beach. Somewhere you could really chill out in comfort.
Our first visit to Bequia those few years ago met all these criteria except for accommodation. The island is full of reasonably priced villas to rent and small hotels with basic amenities but we wanted to spoil ourselves. We moved into a hotel that was clearly perfect for us but unfortunately we did not listen to the owners when they said it was still being developed. We lasted only three days but vowed to return when it was finished and this is what we have just done.
So here is the story of our trip to what we hoped would be paradise. I think most will agree when I say there is a lot to know when you visit somewhere for the first time so I will pack my story with lots of detail which you can choose to absorb or ignore!
Obviously getting there is the first part. We flew from Gatwick to Barbados on Virgin in their Upper Class cabin. We chose them because they leave slightly earlier (1030) than British Airways and we had booked a connection separately on SVG airlines. I am glad we did because it gave us the necessary time buffer in Barbados and also BA have been cancelling and delaying their services to Bridgetown recently.
The flight was rather nice. Having got over the strange feeling of sitting 45 degrees to the direction of travel we enjoyed the service. The staff were good, the seats comfortable to sit in, there were plenty of drinks and they had been discreet in the way they had upgraded people into the cabin.
Every airline I know overbooks their economy cabin to holiday destinations as there is simply not enough business folk or higher fare payers to fill the front cabins. There is no way they can alter cabin size or seat types on big jets so they overbook and leave it to the day of departure to sort out. Who gets upgraded can be a bit of a lottery and often staff are assigned the task to walk around the gate area and choose likely folk. If you want an upgrade I suggest you dress smartly and make smiling eye contact with any staff that seem to be looking for someone! Other times the staff are likely to upgrade their friends and other airline staff. In my experience this happens a lot with BA at Gatwick.
The flight left bang on schedule and arrived early. In Bridgetown you walk off the aircraft and, as you are about to enter the building, you will be met by a representative of SVG (St Vincent and Grenadine Air Alliance) who will be holding a placard with names on it and taken to their transfer desk. There they will process your transfer and guide you to the departure lounge.
You will need to have completed a Barbados landing card even if you are in transit. They will also get your bag for you and put it on their aircraft. It will help enormously if you make your bags easily identifiable. I tied a yellow ribbon on bag handles (SVG colours are yellow) and took a picture of them to give to the transfer guy. It worked like a dream and they were the first found. If you are getting hot and thirsty by this time then either bring some EC$ (East Caribbean Dollars) or US$ as the stalls there accept both.
The connection flight will go on time. It has to because the smaller island airports do not have landing lights and shut around 1730. They usually operate De Haveland Twin Otter aircraft which are sturdy and safe but rather noisy. As we taxied out we saw the delayed BA flight landing which meant all their connecting passengers would waste a night of their holiday in Barbados.
The flight was scenic and uneventful and 35 minutes later we were approaching Bequia airport. A word of warning here. Not only do these island airports have no lights but they can be subject to crosswinds and Bequia is no exception. You land right next to some hills and often the wind hits the hill and bounces back. Do not worry! This is normal and the pilots are entirely ready for it even if you might not be!
So there we were. A seamless hassle free pair of flights and safely in Bequia. So what was it like? Well it is not huge. In fact it is probably about 6/8 square miles in total and less than 5000 people live there. They all seem to know or be related to each other in some way which helps keep community spirit high and crime low.
Anyway, I am starting to digress! Immigration and customs at the tiny airport are probably more thorough than Gatwick or Bridgetown. They take their job very seriously and do it thoroughly. Make sure you have filled in your arrival form; smile and you should get through without too much hassle. After all, if you had a job where you hung around all day for a very few small flights you would want to do it thoroughly to prevent terminal boredom.
The transport was waiting. It consisted of a man who was grinning from ear to ear and a canvas covered pick-up truck. We piled into the back and weaved down the road to our hotel. A hire car had been delivered to the hotel for us. If you send them a print of your license in advance they will queue up and get your local permit for EC$50. Do it as otherwise standing in line yourself is a pain. Did we really need a car? No. If we took taxis every time we needed them it would be cheaper than paying for your own vehicle to sit in the hotel parking lot. It is convenient though!
The Bequia Beach Hotel was everything we hoped it would be. What had been a building site is now a small but immaculate hotel resort with free form pool, spa, and beach restaurant. Everything seems new and clean including the pool and beach chairs and I admit we were very impressed…and not a little relieved. The food was good and so was the limited entertainment they provide. Everything is low key, relaxed and high quality, in fact very Swedish. The GM is a beautiful (in every sense of the word!) Swedish lady called Carina Peterssen and she was always around to take care of her guests. You want something? Just phone reception and a cheerful lady will get it for you.
They have a range of rooms there. We stayed in a beachfront suite which was exactly that. The room faced the sea which was no more than 30 feet away. We chose the first floor so that it was both quiet and perfect for sundown balcony drinks. Other rooms are all comfortable and they also have three villas you can hire as well. All plugs there are British three pin and the current is 220 volts so no adapters needed for the Brits. Those that do need them can borrow some from reception. Bottled water is best and you get free bottles to start you off when you arrive.
We were too lazy to try the spa and immersed ourselves in our Kindles instead. There are plenty of sun shades around the pool and trees next to the beach to shelter under if you wish. The bar is close by and they occasionally check to see that you do not dehydrate! The local beer is Hairoun which tastes better every time you try one.
WE had an unforgettable time there and made lots of new friends. OK there is no room service but, if you need it, pick up the phone and it will come. There are no real water sports but hey, do you really want to jet- ski and they will lend you flippers? There is no TV in most of the rooms but to me that was an asset! The best description of the place would be that you are a 5 star house guest of some very nice friends
The best part was the people. Apart from the lovely Carina there were the guys and girls in the bar and restaurants. So thanks Ozan, Colin Garvey ,Bridget, Daria and all of you for an unforgettable stay. By the end I even had the barmen buying me drinks. You don’t get better than that!
We ate in the hotel a lot, not just because we were staying in the hotel but because the food and service were so very good. They seem to have imported some very good chefs which combined with a very promising local lady turn out exceptional meals. We probably had 12 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 6 dinners here and not one was poor.
The lunch menu stays near the same with at least a couple of daily specials like pasta and fajitas. Otherwise they have burgers that make you drool and all sorts of club, bookmaker and fish ‘sandwiches’. Do not be fooled, they are not sandwiches in the traditional sense but tasty variations on a theme.
Evening meals were different each night and you can eat all kinds of fish, meat and salads. They were all good. And the desserts?! Wow, they were great. They have both a lobster and a barbeque night. Lobster was on Saturday and cost EC$116 (UK£26.50 each) for two courses. They are fresh because we saw the fishermen delivering them when we sat by the pool! The barbecue night was not that expensive and you have a choice of beautifully marinated steak, fish and chicken. Average lunch courses cost EC$55 (UK£12.59). Continental Breakfast EC$30 (UK£6.87) and cooked breakfast would increase this to about EC$50 (UK£11.45).
We also tried quite a few local restaurants which were very good considering the size of the island. Most were concentrated around the ‘capital’ Port Elizabeth. The ‘city’ has two main roads imaginatively called front street and back street with a few intersecting streets. The main supermarket for the island is called Knights and you can get most things there. Knight’s is on the corner of Back Street and the main intersecting lane. Further up is the Pharmacy, Hospital, Police Station and Doctor. We had to see the Doctor with ear infections and he prescribed antibiotics that would stop a charging Rhino in its tracks. It fixed us but boy the toilet visits were ‘interesting.
Many of the bars and restaurants are on the Belmont Walkway. This is a five foot wide strip of a path that creeps between the harbour itself and the mainland. It fell apart in a storm but has now been rebuilt and is better than ever. Here are some that we ate at:
Tommy’s Cantina – A nice reasonably priced place to eat
You can find Tommy’s right at the entrance to the Belmont Walkway. It is nothing pretentious and can get quite busy. We sat next to the rail overlooking the sea in wooden seats (no cushions) and watched the world go by. Do not expect gourmet food here but if you want something basic but tasty and not as pricey as some it is worth a try. The service was friendly and helpful and they will give you food to go. We had 4 beers, Goats Cheese Salad and Grilled Chicken for EC$98 or UK£22.44
Macs Pizza - Didn't want to go but glad I did
This is nuts. I don’t go to pizza restaurants, hell I don’t even like cheese! Nevertheless we went, mainly because of its good reviews and I am very glad we did. These pizzas are VERY well cooked and come in three sizes (9”,13” and 15”) and they will even do a delicious creation without cheese if you ask. There were a huge choice of fillings as well as wraps and sandwiches and, if you cannot finish (you won’t) then take it away in a box.
The place is nearly at the end of the Belmont walkway and is charming to look at and sit in. You can stop on the road high up behind it and go down some special steps to collect a takeaway. If eating there I recommend you sit at the upper level of the restaurant as it catches more of any breeze. It is also a good place to meet local people and we enjoyed a pleasant evening next to our hotel security guard and his wife and child. Cost for 3 rum punches and a 9” and 13” pizza was EC$160 or UK£36.64
Papas Bar – Best bar on the island
This place is sometimes billed as a ‘sports’ bar which I am sure will put as many people off as it attracts but it is much more than that. Yes they do show all sorts of sport from cricket to rugby to NFL to Baseball but mainly on request and only in one area. The rest of the place has panoramic views, good service and decent well priced food. It is perched overlooking the harbour on the left hand side of the road passing the ferry docking pier. You can sit and eat indoors or al fresco on its large balcony. We sat outside watching a children’s dinghy race, drinking rum punches and enjoying some burgers and salad. When we left they charged us $110 which I thought was pretty steep but, as I left, the waitress chased after me saying that I had paid far too many US$ as the price was in EC$. Nice and honest and well appreciated. A great place.
Jacks Place – Very pretty and relaxing
If you want an interesting picture postcard type of place you will not be disappointed. It is very well laid out and overlooks one of the best beaches on the island. They will let you use their beach sun loungers if you eat there which is a nice touch and it is owned by the group who operate Papas and Devils Table.
We had Barracuda and chips as well as pork loin. To be frank the pork loin was rather bland and dry but the fish was very tasty. For some reason many places in the island tend to overcook their meat. So the food was adequate, it was scenically stunning and the people were nice. You need to take a narrow steep track down the hill to it and parking is a little limited. Probably a taxi might be best.
Devils Table - A difficult one to critique
This is a hard one because I met one of the management while having a drink in Papas Bar (they run it too). He was telling me how unfair some of the criticism was about the Devils Table and how he suspected some of it was malicious and possibly local. I told him we would eat there and give an honest personal view and here it is.
This place is visually sumptuous and fun to the eye. It looks like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean which we enjoyed. The setting is perfect too as it seems built into the side of the rocks and has all sorts of nooks and crannies. It is a place to sit back and relax and, unless you take yourself very seriously, a place to chill and enjoy. So that is the best part.
The less special part was the food and I urge them to look harder at this aspect of their service. My wife had baby ribs and I had rib-eye steak. Both were not really up to standard compared with the rest of the island. My steak was dry and poor quality and the ribs were inedible. Sorry Mr Owner sir but they were. They were cooked to dryness and smothered in a dry burnt pepper crust which was not nice. As a contrast the chips and Christophine gratin was spot on. Yet there was a kind of macaroni pie that was truly horrid in a dehydrated sort of way.
The price for our evening which included the two mains and 5 rum punches (we became very thirsty) was EC$233 (UK£ 53.36) so it was not exactly cheap. So my verdict was that the place was great and has fabulous potential and I wish I was there sipping yet another rum punch. I would however recommend that you should monitor your meals more closely before they go out. I would also suggest you allow more space between tables.
Finally, how about putting a sign by the road showing where you are. I bet many like me did not realise you are up that side road between Coco’s and the beach and you have parking available.
p.s. your expat locals do seem to scorn island visitors but I expect there is not much you can do about that!
Whaleboner – Thar she blows!
Now this is an interesting place and something I have never seen before. It is about half way along the Belmont Walkway and entered through what looks like an arch made up from whale ribs. The bar itself has another ‘rib’ built into it and the bar stools are made from what appears are whale vertebrae. The rum punches are wicked and the place becomes hard to leave if you settle there! The drinks are very nice, bar staff charming and it is positioned next to a dinghy park which is wonderful for late evening ‘entertainment’ as yachties return to their crafts. It is both open air and sheltered and has a boutique and restaurant attached We did not eat as the menu was frankly pretty average.
A great place to chill and relax. Good luck getting home!
L’Auberge Des Grenadines – Not much changes
The last time we went to this restaurant was about 3/4 years ago and I was looking forward to see how it had developed since then. The answer was not at all. The menu was the same as was the décor. Even the owner appeared the same as he sat in his corner bar stool looking cool, French, and not very visitor friendly. There was a jazz trio with a good guitarist a most adequate lady saxophonist and a distinctly strange keyboard vocalist that looked just like Zoot in the Muppet Show. They actually were rather good except for some laden remarks from ‘Zoot’ if we did not applaud loud enough! It was not crowded so we had to do a lot of clapping to keep him happy.
The starters were excellent and we had the same as our first visit which was Calalou soup and Onion soup and they were first class. We began to relax so ordered wine and water and two lobster mains fresh from the tank. My wife had to hide her eyes as a struggling lobster was plucked from its pool. Sadly it might have died in vain as. Like a lot of things on the island it was a bit dry but I enjoyed mine at least.
By this time the owner’ regular drinkers turned up to join him at the bar. I am sure I recognised some from last time! We certainly started to feel like outsiders at a private party as the bar got louder and louder with much posturing and teasing going on. In fact we paid our bill and slunk off without a farewell from good old Jacques but EC$410 lighter (£93.89). For that price a mere acknowledgement of existence would have been appreciated!
All in all it was great to have so many different places to eat and we barely scratched the surface. There is a place called Fernando we never got to. This is like the front porch of a house where this guy Fernando goes fishing in the morning and cooks it for ‘house guests’ in the evenings. Absolutely brilliant apparently but we never made it. Coco’s is another fun relaxing place that we missed. Many are hard to find so just ask anyone and they will tell you. You will love it I promise.
I hope we have identified that you will not starve on this island. But what about activities? What is there to do and see? Perhaps unsurprisingly there is not a vast amount apart from greenery and beautiful beaches. By the way the best beaches are Lower Bay, Princess Margaret’s Bay, Friendship Bay (where our hotel was) and Industry Bay.
If you want something different visit The Old Heg Turtle Sanctuary. This is a place at the furthest tip of the island run by a guy called Brother King. He both rescues and breeds turtles to a point where they are ready to release back into the sea. This guy must talk about it thousands of times but you can still feel the passion and dedication in him. The island used to be a local centre for the whaling industry and that is what most of the fishermen used to do. He is trying to convert them in to more eco-friendly activities. Entry is free but please make a small donation.
As with all good things our holiday came to an end. We travelled in late November early December and stayed at the Bequia Beach Hotel. The weather was brilliant with only two rain showers which was quite a change from the alarmist forecast that said rain every day.
The flights back were tedious but relatively uneventful. You need to totally clear customs and immigration in Barbados so fill in all those forms! If you want to use a lounge in Bridgetown there is still only one and it is not very nice. All the BA, Virgin, American, Air Canada folk all pile in it. Flying overnight on Virgin was a bit disappointing. Their very new flat beds are not as comfortable as the old ones and their flat pillow means your head is lower than your feet! Turbulence was bad (a seasonal thing) but service was better than BA.
You may have already guessed that we love Bequia. And we will go back. It is how you expect the Caribbean used to be before the crowds moved in. The people are nice and you feel safe there. The scenery is stunning and the sea beguiling.
If you want to know more then send me an email!
We first found it about 3 years ago. The attractions of Barbados, Antigua, Tobago and St Lucia were beginning to fade as their popularity grew so we set out to find places that still reflect the charm of the Caribbean. Somewhere that did not have mass tourism but was still civilised, welcoming and reasonably easy to get to. Previously we discovered Anguilla that fits the bill perfectly but now we wanted to see if there were any more out there.
Our ‘must have’ list was not huge but important to us and included the following:
A secure place with n
ice welcoming people. We did not want to be robbed, abused or snarled at on holiday.
A scenically pretty island with plenty of beaches and picturesque countryside.In other words a place that is welcoming to the eye.
We like to eat out on holidays so we searched for a place that had a diversity of restaurants from local bars to fine dining.
Accommodation to be comfortable in. We did not want crowds so we looked for something more boutique in size with air conditioning, a nice pool and alongside a beach. Somewhere you could really chill out in comfort.
Our first visit to Bequia those few years ago met all these criteria except for accommodation. The island is full of reasonably priced villas to rent and small hotels with basic amenities but we wanted to spoil ourselves. We moved into a hotel that was clearly perfect for us but unfortunately we did not listen to the owners when they said it was still being developed. We lasted only three days but vowed to return when it was finished and this is what we have just done.
So here is the story of our trip to what we hoped would be paradise. I think most will agree when I say there is a lot to know when you visit somewhere for the first time so I will pack my story with lots of detail which you can choose to absorb or ignore!
Obviously getting there is the first part. We flew from Gatwick to Barbados on Virgin in their Upper Class cabin. We chose them because they leave slightly earlier (1030) than British Airways and we had booked a connection separately on SVG airlines. I am glad we did because it gave us the necessary time buffer in Barbados and also BA have been cancelling and delaying their services to Bridgetown recently.
The flight was rather nice. Having got over the strange feeling of sitting 45 degrees to the direction of travel we enjoyed the service. The staff were good, the seats comfortable to sit in, there were plenty of drinks and they had been discreet in the way they had upgraded people into the cabin.
Every airline I know overbooks their economy cabin to holiday destinations as there is simply not enough business folk or higher fare payers to fill the front cabins. There is no way they can alter cabin size or seat types on big jets so they overbook and leave it to the day of departure to sort out. Who gets upgraded can be a bit of a lottery and often staff are assigned the task to walk around the gate area and choose likely folk. If you want an upgrade I suggest you dress smartly and make smiling eye contact with any staff that seem to be looking for someone! Other times the staff are likely to upgrade their friends and other airline staff. In my experience this happens a lot with BA at Gatwick.
The flight left bang on schedule and arrived early. In Bridgetown you walk off the aircraft and, as you are about to enter the building, you will be met by a representative of SVG (St Vincent and Grenadine Air Alliance) who will be holding a placard with names on it and taken to their transfer desk. There they will process your transfer and guide you to the departure lounge.
You will need to have completed a Barbados landing card even if you are in transit. They will also get your bag for you and put it on their aircraft. It will help enormously if you make your bags easily identifiable. I tied a yellow ribbon on bag handles (SVG colours are yellow) and took a picture of them to give to the transfer guy. It worked like a dream and they were the first found. If you are getting hot and thirsty by this time then either bring some EC$ (East Caribbean Dollars) or US$ as the stalls there accept both.
The connection flight will go on time. It has to because the smaller island airports do not have landing lights and shut around 1730. They usually operate De Haveland Twin Otter aircraft which are sturdy and safe but rather noisy. As we taxied out we saw the delayed BA flight landing which meant all their connecting passengers would waste a night of their holiday in Barbados.
The flight was scenic and uneventful and 35 minutes later we were approaching Bequia airport. A word of warning here. Not only do these island airports have no lights but they can be subject to crosswinds and Bequia is no exception. You land right next to some hills and often the wind hits the hill and bounces back. Do not worry! This is normal and the pilots are entirely ready for it even if you might not be!
So there we were. A seamless hassle free pair of flights and safely in Bequia. So what was it like? Well it is not huge. In fact it is probably about 6/8 square miles in total and less than 5000 people live there. They all seem to know or be related to each other in some way which helps keep community spirit high and crime low.
Anyway, I am starting to digress! Immigration and customs at the tiny airport are probably more thorough than Gatwick or Bridgetown. They take their job very seriously and do it thoroughly. Make sure you have filled in your arrival form; smile and you should get through without too much hassle. After all, if you had a job where you hung around all day for a very few small flights you would want to do it thoroughly to prevent terminal boredom.
The transport was waiting. It consisted of a man who was grinning from ear to ear and a canvas covered pick-up truck. We piled into the back and weaved down the road to our hotel. A hire car had been delivered to the hotel for us. If you send them a print of your license in advance they will queue up and get your local permit for EC$50. Do it as otherwise standing in line yourself is a pain. Did we really need a car? No. If we took taxis every time we needed them it would be cheaper than paying for your own vehicle to sit in the hotel parking lot. It is convenient though!
The Bequia Beach Hotel was everything we hoped it would be. What had been a building site is now a small but immaculate hotel resort with free form pool, spa, and beach restaurant. Everything seems new and clean including the pool and beach chairs and I admit we were very impressed…and not a little relieved. The food was good and so was the limited entertainment they provide. Everything is low key, relaxed and high quality, in fact very Swedish. The GM is a beautiful (in every sense of the word!) Swedish lady called Carina Peterssen and she was always around to take care of her guests. You want something? Just phone reception and a cheerful lady will get it for you.
They have a range of rooms there. We stayed in a beachfront suite which was exactly that. The room faced the sea which was no more than 30 feet away. We chose the first floor so that it was both quiet and perfect for sundown balcony drinks. Other rooms are all comfortable and they also have three villas you can hire as well. All plugs there are British three pin and the current is 220 volts so no adapters needed for the Brits. Those that do need them can borrow some from reception. Bottled water is best and you get free bottles to start you off when you arrive.
We were too lazy to try the spa and immersed ourselves in our Kindles instead. There are plenty of sun shades around the pool and trees next to the beach to shelter under if you wish. The bar is close by and they occasionally check to see that you do not dehydrate! The local beer is Hairoun which tastes better every time you try one.
WE had an unforgettable time there and made lots of new friends. OK there is no room service but, if you need it, pick up the phone and it will come. There are no real water sports but hey, do you really want to jet- ski and they will lend you flippers? There is no TV in most of the rooms but to me that was an asset! The best description of the place would be that you are a 5 star house guest of some very nice friends
The best part was the people. Apart from the lovely Carina there were the guys and girls in the bar and restaurants. So thanks Ozan, Colin Garvey ,Bridget, Daria and all of you for an unforgettable stay. By the end I even had the barmen buying me drinks. You don’t get better than that!
We ate in the hotel a lot, not just because we were staying in the hotel but because the food and service were so very good. They seem to have imported some very good chefs which combined with a very promising local lady turn out exceptional meals. We probably had 12 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 6 dinners here and not one was poor.
The lunch menu stays near the same with at least a couple of daily specials like pasta and fajitas. Otherwise they have burgers that make you drool and all sorts of club, bookmaker and fish ‘sandwiches’. Do not be fooled, they are not sandwiches in the traditional sense but tasty variations on a theme.
Evening meals were different each night and you can eat all kinds of fish, meat and salads. They were all good. And the desserts?! Wow, they were great. They have both a lobster and a barbeque night. Lobster was on Saturday and cost EC$116 (UK£26.50 each) for two courses. They are fresh because we saw the fishermen delivering them when we sat by the pool! The barbecue night was not that expensive and you have a choice of beautifully marinated steak, fish and chicken. Average lunch courses cost EC$55 (UK£12.59). Continental Breakfast EC$30 (UK£6.87) and cooked breakfast would increase this to about EC$50 (UK£11.45).
We also tried quite a few local restaurants which were very good considering the size of the island. Most were concentrated around the ‘capital’ Port Elizabeth. The ‘city’ has two main roads imaginatively called front street and back street with a few intersecting streets. The main supermarket for the island is called Knights and you can get most things there. Knight’s is on the corner of Back Street and the main intersecting lane. Further up is the Pharmacy, Hospital, Police Station and Doctor. We had to see the Doctor with ear infections and he prescribed antibiotics that would stop a charging Rhino in its tracks. It fixed us but boy the toilet visits were ‘interesting.
Many of the bars and restaurants are on the Belmont Walkway. This is a five foot wide strip of a path that creeps between the harbour itself and the mainland. It fell apart in a storm but has now been rebuilt and is better than ever. Here are some that we ate at:
Tommy’s Cantina – A nice reasonably priced place to eat
You can find Tommy’s right at the entrance to the Belmont Walkway. It is nothing pretentious and can get quite busy. We sat next to the rail overlooking the sea in wooden seats (no cushions) and watched the world go by. Do not expect gourmet food here but if you want something basic but tasty and not as pricey as some it is worth a try. The service was friendly and helpful and they will give you food to go. We had 4 beers, Goats Cheese Salad and Grilled Chicken for EC$98 or UK£22.44
Macs Pizza - Didn't want to go but glad I did
This is nuts. I don’t go to pizza restaurants, hell I don’t even like cheese! Nevertheless we went, mainly because of its good reviews and I am very glad we did. These pizzas are VERY well cooked and come in three sizes (9”,13” and 15”) and they will even do a delicious creation without cheese if you ask. There were a huge choice of fillings as well as wraps and sandwiches and, if you cannot finish (you won’t) then take it away in a box.
The place is nearly at the end of the Belmont walkway and is charming to look at and sit in. You can stop on the road high up behind it and go down some special steps to collect a takeaway. If eating there I recommend you sit at the upper level of the restaurant as it catches more of any breeze. It is also a good place to meet local people and we enjoyed a pleasant evening next to our hotel security guard and his wife and child. Cost for 3 rum punches and a 9” and 13” pizza was EC$160 or UK£36.64
Papas Bar – Best bar on the island
This place is sometimes billed as a ‘sports’ bar which I am sure will put as many people off as it attracts but it is much more than that. Yes they do show all sorts of sport from cricket to rugby to NFL to Baseball but mainly on request and only in one area. The rest of the place has panoramic views, good service and decent well priced food. It is perched overlooking the harbour on the left hand side of the road passing the ferry docking pier. You can sit and eat indoors or al fresco on its large balcony. We sat outside watching a children’s dinghy race, drinking rum punches and enjoying some burgers and salad. When we left they charged us $110 which I thought was pretty steep but, as I left, the waitress chased after me saying that I had paid far too many US$ as the price was in EC$. Nice and honest and well appreciated. A great place.
Jacks Place – Very pretty and relaxing
If you want an interesting picture postcard type of place you will not be disappointed. It is very well laid out and overlooks one of the best beaches on the island. They will let you use their beach sun loungers if you eat there which is a nice touch and it is owned by the group who operate Papas and Devils Table.
We had Barracuda and chips as well as pork loin. To be frank the pork loin was rather bland and dry but the fish was very tasty. For some reason many places in the island tend to overcook their meat. So the food was adequate, it was scenically stunning and the people were nice. You need to take a narrow steep track down the hill to it and parking is a little limited. Probably a taxi might be best.
Devils Table - A difficult one to critique
This is a hard one because I met one of the management while having a drink in Papas Bar (they run it too). He was telling me how unfair some of the criticism was about the Devils Table and how he suspected some of it was malicious and possibly local. I told him we would eat there and give an honest personal view and here it is.
This place is visually sumptuous and fun to the eye. It looks like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean which we enjoyed. The setting is perfect too as it seems built into the side of the rocks and has all sorts of nooks and crannies. It is a place to sit back and relax and, unless you take yourself very seriously, a place to chill and enjoy. So that is the best part.
The less special part was the food and I urge them to look harder at this aspect of their service. My wife had baby ribs and I had rib-eye steak. Both were not really up to standard compared with the rest of the island. My steak was dry and poor quality and the ribs were inedible. Sorry Mr Owner sir but they were. They were cooked to dryness and smothered in a dry burnt pepper crust which was not nice. As a contrast the chips and Christophine gratin was spot on. Yet there was a kind of macaroni pie that was truly horrid in a dehydrated sort of way.
The price for our evening which included the two mains and 5 rum punches (we became very thirsty) was EC$233 (UK£ 53.36) so it was not exactly cheap. So my verdict was that the place was great and has fabulous potential and I wish I was there sipping yet another rum punch. I would however recommend that you should monitor your meals more closely before they go out. I would also suggest you allow more space between tables.
Finally, how about putting a sign by the road showing where you are. I bet many like me did not realise you are up that side road between Coco’s and the beach and you have parking available.
p.s. your expat locals do seem to scorn island visitors but I expect there is not much you can do about that!
Whaleboner – Thar she blows!
Now this is an interesting place and something I have never seen before. It is about half way along the Belmont Walkway and entered through what looks like an arch made up from whale ribs. The bar itself has another ‘rib’ built into it and the bar stools are made from what appears are whale vertebrae. The rum punches are wicked and the place becomes hard to leave if you settle there! The drinks are very nice, bar staff charming and it is positioned next to a dinghy park which is wonderful for late evening ‘entertainment’ as yachties return to their crafts. It is both open air and sheltered and has a boutique and restaurant attached We did not eat as the menu was frankly pretty average.
A great place to chill and relax. Good luck getting home!
L’Auberge Des Grenadines – Not much changes
The last time we went to this restaurant was about 3/4 years ago and I was looking forward to see how it had developed since then. The answer was not at all. The menu was the same as was the décor. Even the owner appeared the same as he sat in his corner bar stool looking cool, French, and not very visitor friendly. There was a jazz trio with a good guitarist a most adequate lady saxophonist and a distinctly strange keyboard vocalist that looked just like Zoot in the Muppet Show. They actually were rather good except for some laden remarks from ‘Zoot’ if we did not applaud loud enough! It was not crowded so we had to do a lot of clapping to keep him happy.
The starters were excellent and we had the same as our first visit which was Calalou soup and Onion soup and they were first class. We began to relax so ordered wine and water and two lobster mains fresh from the tank. My wife had to hide her eyes as a struggling lobster was plucked from its pool. Sadly it might have died in vain as. Like a lot of things on the island it was a bit dry but I enjoyed mine at least.
By this time the owner’ regular drinkers turned up to join him at the bar. I am sure I recognised some from last time! We certainly started to feel like outsiders at a private party as the bar got louder and louder with much posturing and teasing going on. In fact we paid our bill and slunk off without a farewell from good old Jacques but EC$410 lighter (£93.89). For that price a mere acknowledgement of existence would have been appreciated!
All in all it was great to have so many different places to eat and we barely scratched the surface. There is a place called Fernando we never got to. This is like the front porch of a house where this guy Fernando goes fishing in the morning and cooks it for ‘house guests’ in the evenings. Absolutely brilliant apparently but we never made it. Coco’s is another fun relaxing place that we missed. Many are hard to find so just ask anyone and they will tell you. You will love it I promise.
I hope we have identified that you will not starve on this island. But what about activities? What is there to do and see? Perhaps unsurprisingly there is not a vast amount apart from greenery and beautiful beaches. By the way the best beaches are Lower Bay, Princess Margaret’s Bay, Friendship Bay (where our hotel was) and Industry Bay.
If you want something different visit The Old Heg Turtle Sanctuary. This is a place at the furthest tip of the island run by a guy called Brother King. He both rescues and breeds turtles to a point where they are ready to release back into the sea. This guy must talk about it thousands of times but you can still feel the passion and dedication in him. The island used to be a local centre for the whaling industry and that is what most of the fishermen used to do. He is trying to convert them in to more eco-friendly activities. Entry is free but please make a small donation.
As with all good things our holiday came to an end. We travelled in late November early December and stayed at the Bequia Beach Hotel. The weather was brilliant with only two rain showers which was quite a change from the alarmist forecast that said rain every day.
The flights back were tedious but relatively uneventful. You need to totally clear customs and immigration in Barbados so fill in all those forms! If you want to use a lounge in Bridgetown there is still only one and it is not very nice. All the BA, Virgin, American, Air Canada folk all pile in it. Flying overnight on Virgin was a bit disappointing. Their very new flat beds are not as comfortable as the old ones and their flat pillow means your head is lower than your feet! Turbulence was bad (a seasonal thing) but service was better than BA.
You may have already guessed that we love Bequia. And we will go back. It is how you expect the Caribbean used to be before the crowds moved in. The people are nice and you feel safe there. The scenery is stunning and the sea beguiling.
If you want to know more then send me an email!
Tuesday, 20 November 2012
The Mechanics of Business Travel - Part 2
OK, where was I? I had just explained the first major evolutionary development in the travel cycle which was the demise of airline commissions resulting in TMCs (Travel Agents) presenting bills to clients rather than incentive cheques. This resulted in sweeping changes in the major travel markets although some of the smaller airlines still paid commissions to remain competitive.
In fact in some regions of the world this change is yet to happen. Some might think that companies would be 'up in arms' over the change but most welcomed it . You see, from a buyers perspective it is better to negotiate from a net price than a commodity that has built in add-ons already especially if you might consider some of them unnecessary. The key word here is commodity as it means the stripping of something to a base product that you can buy rather like drawing pins, washers or computers.
Every buying decision is based on price,at least that was what they thought. At this time technology was moving on in leaps and bounds and many airlines recognised that here was an opportunity to sell direct to the traveler at prices and payments they could control. In the same way you could argue that airlines thought they could cut out (or at least not pay) the TMC middle man they could also identify a method of getting direct to the traveler.
All change was viewed as progress and in most cases, it was. Except all progress releases a new set of challenges and this is particularly the case when talking travel development. Airlines had got what they wanted and so had travel buyers so what could go wrong? What went wrong was that little cost had gone away, it had just been deflected on to someone else. Who? Well in the main, the traveler was asked to pick up the tab as TMCs were able to prove themselves indispensable.
Why indispensable? Why not book direct? It would be so easy for individual travelers to pick up the phone (or PC) and make their own arrangements. Quite so but many corporations had a different need altogether. That was the need for Travel Management. It may sound crazy but a travel booking is probably less than 10% of what a TMC does in the course of their activities. The rest is everything known as travel management.
On the corporate list of travel essentials were such things as authorisation, booking changes, travel administration and billing/accounting. There is also a need to support preferred airlines that have offered discount prices based on minimum volume, The growing need for 24 hour traveler monitoring and support. What happens if there is a catastrophe somewhere? How and who gets your people out of there? These and more are essential requirements and none of them are free.
So who pays? Not the airlines as they have moved to a commoditised net price. Not the TMC because they are actually providing the service. Not the corporation either. They have welcomed the shift in the payment cycle but are not internally constructed in a way to take on such a cost centrally. They have mainly moved to charging cost centres which means the traveler invariably picks it up.
But hold on a minute. The traveler's primary interest is just 10% of all that. Why should they pay?.
The traveller either does it grudgingly or more likely, books through a cheaper means that does not carry these overheads. If nothing goes wrong the traveler wins, at the cost to the TMC and, more importantly their employer. Next time I will tell you about all those cheap (and not so cheap) fares out there.
In fact in some regions of the world this change is yet to happen. Some might think that companies would be 'up in arms' over the change but most welcomed it . You see, from a buyers perspective it is better to negotiate from a net price than a commodity that has built in add-ons already especially if you might consider some of them unnecessary. The key word here is commodity as it means the stripping of something to a base product that you can buy rather like drawing pins, washers or computers.
Every buying decision is based on price,at least that was what they thought. At this time technology was moving on in leaps and bounds and many airlines recognised that here was an opportunity to sell direct to the traveler at prices and payments they could control. In the same way you could argue that airlines thought they could cut out (or at least not pay) the TMC middle man they could also identify a method of getting direct to the traveler.
All change was viewed as progress and in most cases, it was. Except all progress releases a new set of challenges and this is particularly the case when talking travel development. Airlines had got what they wanted and so had travel buyers so what could go wrong? What went wrong was that little cost had gone away, it had just been deflected on to someone else. Who? Well in the main, the traveler was asked to pick up the tab as TMCs were able to prove themselves indispensable.
Why indispensable? Why not book direct? It would be so easy for individual travelers to pick up the phone (or PC) and make their own arrangements. Quite so but many corporations had a different need altogether. That was the need for Travel Management. It may sound crazy but a travel booking is probably less than 10% of what a TMC does in the course of their activities. The rest is everything known as travel management.
On the corporate list of travel essentials were such things as authorisation, booking changes, travel administration and billing/accounting. There is also a need to support preferred airlines that have offered discount prices based on minimum volume, The growing need for 24 hour traveler monitoring and support. What happens if there is a catastrophe somewhere? How and who gets your people out of there? These and more are essential requirements and none of them are free.
So who pays? Not the airlines as they have moved to a commoditised net price. Not the TMC because they are actually providing the service. Not the corporation either. They have welcomed the shift in the payment cycle but are not internally constructed in a way to take on such a cost centrally. They have mainly moved to charging cost centres which means the traveler invariably picks it up.
But hold on a minute. The traveler's primary interest is just 10% of all that. Why should they pay?.
The traveller either does it grudgingly or more likely, books through a cheaper means that does not carry these overheads. If nothing goes wrong the traveler wins, at the cost to the TMC and, more importantly their employer. Next time I will tell you about all those cheap (and not so cheap) fares out there.
Thursday, 15 November 2012
The Mechanics of Booking Business Travel
Traveling on business is vital to UKPLC and hopefully a pleasant, or passable experience. It takes people out of their everyday lives and awakens many emotions from pride and planning to disappointment and incredulity. Sometimes all of them.
A booking and its associated journey does not just happen and there are a chain of stakeholders involved in every decision. The traveller needs to go to his company and justify the journey. The company usually goes to a TMC (travel agent) to make the booking and the TMC goes to the supplier who provides the end product. Simple?
No. Far from it. Each of these players has their own brief, their own methods and, importantly, their own objectives and it is these important elements that few people truly understand. For most travellers it is straightforward. They want to travel at a sensible time, at a very competitive price and they want their tight budget to stretch across the whole year. They also hold a rational view that says why pay for something I can do quickly and cheaply myself.
The company wants everything the traveller wants plus a lot more. They want a proper authorisation process and detailed total travel management control of the full booking process plus on-going support for travellers on the move.
The TMC wants to do all these things as they depend on the travellers and their employers to pay for their services. They are constantly producing new products and services which they offer, at a price, to their existing and prospective clients. The suppliers? This is the area that has changed the most and the source of greatest ‘misunderstandings’. In the old days they collectively decided to build into their fares a provision for payment to TMCs to cover their expenses.
As competition ramped up and new no frills airlines arrived they understandably decided this was a burden they could not carry any more. They set out to change the status quo and now most of the mainstream airlines do not subsidise TMC with commissions. As a result airline fares excluded agency payments and went down and the TMCs looked to their clients to pick up the tab for their cost.
This is where the misunderstanding started. Airline costs went down so they were more competitive and they took on their new foe, the no frill carriers. TMCs went to their clients and told them that instead of sharing their commission with them they would now start submitting bills. You see in those days that is what TMCs did. They won clients based on how much commission they were prepared to ‘share’ with corporations. Now they were saying that it would not be subsidising corporate cost by providing a ‘free/profitable’ service but levying fees instead. But never mind because the airlines would be charging less to cover these ‘costs’.
Companies had a problem. Travel was relatively low profile as its TMC management was often seen as a profit centre rather than the cost it had become. Many asked their procurement division to make sure they got the best deal out there and meanwhile set about trying to build in this new expense within its budgets.
The traveller got a shock. Not only was he being wooed by no frills airlines with big marketing budgets but also being expected to pay a ‘handling’ charge to TMCs who were perceived as being unfriendly to these newcomers. It was not very clear that mainline airline fares had lowered and the value of TMCs were questioned in a much more searching way. Remember what the thinking traveller wanted? I do not think that paying a TMC for services that might not be directly relevant or of value to that person came in to it!
What happened next?
In my next blog.
A booking and its associated journey does not just happen and there are a chain of stakeholders involved in every decision. The traveller needs to go to his company and justify the journey. The company usually goes to a TMC (travel agent) to make the booking and the TMC goes to the supplier who provides the end product. Simple?
No. Far from it. Each of these players has their own brief, their own methods and, importantly, their own objectives and it is these important elements that few people truly understand. For most travellers it is straightforward. They want to travel at a sensible time, at a very competitive price and they want their tight budget to stretch across the whole year. They also hold a rational view that says why pay for something I can do quickly and cheaply myself.
The company wants everything the traveller wants plus a lot more. They want a proper authorisation process and detailed total travel management control of the full booking process plus on-going support for travellers on the move.
The TMC wants to do all these things as they depend on the travellers and their employers to pay for their services. They are constantly producing new products and services which they offer, at a price, to their existing and prospective clients. The suppliers? This is the area that has changed the most and the source of greatest ‘misunderstandings’. In the old days they collectively decided to build into their fares a provision for payment to TMCs to cover their expenses.
As competition ramped up and new no frills airlines arrived they understandably decided this was a burden they could not carry any more. They set out to change the status quo and now most of the mainstream airlines do not subsidise TMC with commissions. As a result airline fares excluded agency payments and went down and the TMCs looked to their clients to pick up the tab for their cost.
This is where the misunderstanding started. Airline costs went down so they were more competitive and they took on their new foe, the no frill carriers. TMCs went to their clients and told them that instead of sharing their commission with them they would now start submitting bills. You see in those days that is what TMCs did. They won clients based on how much commission they were prepared to ‘share’ with corporations. Now they were saying that it would not be subsidising corporate cost by providing a ‘free/profitable’ service but levying fees instead. But never mind because the airlines would be charging less to cover these ‘costs’.
Companies had a problem. Travel was relatively low profile as its TMC management was often seen as a profit centre rather than the cost it had become. Many asked their procurement division to make sure they got the best deal out there and meanwhile set about trying to build in this new expense within its budgets.
The traveller got a shock. Not only was he being wooed by no frills airlines with big marketing budgets but also being expected to pay a ‘handling’ charge to TMCs who were perceived as being unfriendly to these newcomers. It was not very clear that mainline airline fares had lowered and the value of TMCs were questioned in a much more searching way. Remember what the thinking traveller wanted? I do not think that paying a TMC for services that might not be directly relevant or of value to that person came in to it!
What happened next?
In my next blog.
Friday, 5 October 2012
Thomson Airlines Champagne and Chocolates
One of the most frequent questions asked on my blog is about what size and quantity the champagne and chocolates are on Thomson planes. Why they do not explain it themselves goodness knows but the answers are:
Champagne - A full size bottle of reasonable quality.
Chocolates - A normal medium size box.
Plenty to start your holiday off but surprisingly lightly booked in advance.
We really enjoyed ours while others watched and nudged each other. Not sure if that was envy or they were muttering what big drinkers we were. Well it was before 7 A.M. leaving a particularly gloomy Gatwick!
BLOG COMMENT -Hotel branding. What’s it all about?
Quite a few people have been looking at some of my blogs on hotels. Whilst feeling pleased I also asked myself whether I had made myself as clear as possible. In case I haven’t here are some comments that may assist you:
What is the point of being part of a recognised hotel brand? A. Best description would be economy of scale and also a statement on standards. No major group is going to accept a substandard hotel into their family and most have a clearly defined ‘vision’ on how they wish to be perceived. This covers everything from furnishings to amenities and marketing to performance standards. Having been accepted in a group the primary benefit is that you become part of a much bigger sales and marketing opportunity. There are central promotional funds (mainly consolidated from members) and greater exposure globally.
The TMC (travel agency)world are far more interested in this type of grouping as it reduces the number of people they have to negotiate with. There are different types of hotel groups. Some private owners are willing to have their hotel name changed to the brand and hand over the management of the property to them too.
Others go only part way by becoming part of a consortium of like-minded properties. They retain their brand name but market as part of this group. They obviously have to maintain certain standards and contribute financially to the consortium management. There are different levels of consortium with differing standards and requirements.
Those that decide to ‘go it alone’ have a very different set of challenges. They may fill a particular niche in their own local market but outside that they are unknown. It all depends how much you value being ‘independent’ and how essential (or otherwise) it is to have a broader reach. If you are unique in that there is a big enough local market where you are a major player now and into the future then good for you. Otherwise you may need to think again. Like most business issues it is all about reputation, supply and demand, and resource.
What is the point of being part of a recognised hotel brand? A. Best description would be economy of scale and also a statement on standards. No major group is going to accept a substandard hotel into their family and most have a clearly defined ‘vision’ on how they wish to be perceived. This covers everything from furnishings to amenities and marketing to performance standards. Having been accepted in a group the primary benefit is that you become part of a much bigger sales and marketing opportunity. There are central promotional funds (mainly consolidated from members) and greater exposure globally.
The TMC (travel agency)world are far more interested in this type of grouping as it reduces the number of people they have to negotiate with. There are different types of hotel groups. Some private owners are willing to have their hotel name changed to the brand and hand over the management of the property to them too.
Others go only part way by becoming part of a consortium of like-minded properties. They retain their brand name but market as part of this group. They obviously have to maintain certain standards and contribute financially to the consortium management. There are different levels of consortium with differing standards and requirements.
Those that decide to ‘go it alone’ have a very different set of challenges. They may fill a particular niche in their own local market but outside that they are unknown. It all depends how much you value being ‘independent’ and how essential (or otherwise) it is to have a broader reach. If you are unique in that there is a big enough local market where you are a major player now and into the future then good for you. Otherwise you may need to think again. Like most business issues it is all about reputation, supply and demand, and resource.
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