u/Lottie_the_Red

Hi folks,

This is my first time trying to book a chubby trip abroad and looking for accommodation advice.

I used to plan all my own trips but now I have kids and I'm much more senior at work, I just don't have the time. I also have more disposable income! So I thought I'd get an agency to do the leg work for me.

I've had a couple of itineraries back for Yucatan in Mexico and they're seriously missing the mark on the accomodation.

I like places like this:

The Red Tree House in Mexico City https://www.theredtreehouse.com/ - we've stayed here previously

And Casa Del Maya in Merida https://www.booking.com/hotel/mx/casa-del-maya-bed-amp-breakfast.en-gb.html

How do I get the agencies to understand this type of accomodation?

We love smaller scale, friendly, family/ locally run, quirky places, especially if they lean into local design and culture. Extra points if they're super unusual (like in a tree house, the jungle, a castle etc).

I've told them this and I'm still getting back larger scale, super exclusive, fancy fancy wellness themed places with fancy restaurants.

FWIW we have plenty of budget for travelling but tend to prioritise experiences over hotel accommodation, and local food over hotel fare. I'm not all about the boutique luxury and I strongly dislike wellness hotels. I also have a kid 😂 so I need it to be family orientated

FYI we used Audley Travel and Journey Latin America. We're in the UK.

Should I try a local agency? Any recommendations for agencies please?

Or for this type of accomodation that we should request or just go and book ourselves! 🤣

Hi folks,

I'm looking for recommendations for garden designers and/or landscapers (someone who does both preferred) who work in SE London or North Kent.

We have what is for London a medium sized garden in a fairly typical Edwardian terrace, but it's all set up wrong. We don't use the space efficiently - despite it being one of the warmest summers on record we've barely eaten at our outdoor table for example.

We have some raised beds that are falling apart so this winter we want to get someone in to fix that... We were thinking we might do a bit more and rethink how the space as a whole works...

I really want someone with radical ideas, rather than just signing off my own half-baked plans. Happy to spend, this is our forever home, we're not moving.