Mexico

Casa Crow's Nest, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Pivately booked --June 2003
Submitted June 2003 Client--Lydia Williams - CANADA

I too am in a wheelchair but able to transfer by myself and can stand, supported, for brief periods of time. This property, just outside of the city of Puerto Vallarta was wonderful and tranquil, even day trips into Puerta Vallarta were easy. Everything here was brand new and every effort was made for my comfort. I was picked up at the airport by the owners who live on site. There are two cottages which each have their own decorator style but both used lots of handcrafted items, sturdy leather furniture and tile floors throughout with no steps. The queen sized bed was on a concrete pedestal which made it easy to transfer without slippage. The cottage was designed with no doors on the inside so you couldn't get stuck, they made very creative use of offset walls for privacy. Kitchen counter was standard height so that was difficult for me. The pool and everything was easy to access with smooth, wide and level paths to the pool terrace itself. The pool had a good handhold getting in and wide steps to sit on. The view from the terrace was a spectacular panarama! The birds come so close by and there is so much to watch as the property overlooks the village of la Cruz and an international anchorage. Although we were here at the wrong time of year, this is where the Grey Whales come to calf and they do so right out front in the shallow waters of the beach right below the house. My husband is ambulatory and it is a stone staircase down to a lovely beach right below. There is a fire pit and second terrace down there which I was unable to access. We really enjoyed our stay here and the people were so helpful. They went out of their way to provide us with the little things which made life easier for us and our stay a pleasure. Also, thank you for this site, we really enjoy it's useful information. Hope that our little note helps. We found this place on a site called VRBO: property listing number 6318 "Romantic Beachfront Casita with Spectacular Views" Thank you Lydia Williams, Belle River, Ontario, Canada

THAILAND
THE SHANGRI-LA HOTEL BANGKOK--January 2004
Submitted Feb 2004 Client--Ron Winsch - SWITZERLAND

My wife and I went on our first serious holiday for many years to a country which I always wanted to visit but it seemed so far away and I could get little information from the Internet about what sights could be visited by someone with reduced mobility and needing a wheelchair for distances over 100 yards. We need not have worried for we had a fantastic holiday, stayed in a fabulous hotel and were able to see all the sights we wanted to. Like everyone else we had to suffer the 10 hours plus journey but assistance at Bangkok (pre-arranged with the hotel) was perfect. We didn't need wheelchair dependent transport and the firm we used (Turismo Thai) could not offer this service. However, my Internet searches did come up with an address that could be useful. This was www.geocities.com/paris/1502. Plenty of friends had recommended the Shangri-la, which is located next to the Chao Phraya river and on the outskirts of the center of Bangkok. The hotel is 5 stars but one can find many discount deals on the Internet. We paid about £110 a night for a superior river view room (no 526), which was well equipped for the disabled and had plenty of room for getting round with a wheelchair. Breakfast was a further £ 9 per person. Seems a bit expensive but the buffet was enormous catering for all tastes. Get up late enough and you won't need a lunch! I found I could walk far enough to navigate all round the hotel without a wheelchair. Those needing a wheelchair can easily get around the ground (lobby) floor of the hotel and the lower (pool) level. To the left of the lifts on both levels you will find shopping corridors, which include newsagents, gift shops, jewelers, tailors and a good travel and sightseeing agent (Sea Tours). On the far right of the lobby level is the Lounge where there are tables and comfortable chairs overlooking the river. There is an upper level with three stairs to be negotiated. On both levels you can find a large choice of teas and very reasonably priced scones, sandwiches and pastries. We went there every teatime! The lower Pool level gives one access to:
1. The pool and the Pool bar (provides food and beverages) There is a lower level (four steps) with tables and armchairs by the river side with an excellent view of the colourful and agitated river traffic.
2. The Salathip restaurant serving authentic Thai food accompanied by a small Thai band and lovely Thai dancers. One fairly large step is required to get onto the restaurant terrace.
3. The excellent Angelini Italian restaurant that can be entered on both levels so check on which level you will be eating.
4. Move to the right after passing through the automatic doors and you will find Next 2 - the International restaurant. This is the most popular restaurant where you can eat either outside (warm) or inside (cool). The buffet arrangement serves for both breakfast and food 24 hours a day. You can either be served from the buffet or choose from the menu. In general, throughout the hotel food tends to be very reasonably priced but beverages can be expensive, especially wine. No problem for wheelchair access.
You can also take the lift to the third floor where there are two excellent restaurants, one Chinese and the other Japanese. I am not sure if there are any stairs in the way. There is a Tuk-Tuk service between the Shangri-la and its exclusive Krungthep wing where there are restaurants and lounge bar facilities. However, the Tuk-Tuk (motorized rickshaw) is not suitable for the disabled but I believe it should be possible to wheelchair round to the front entrance. I managed to walk to Krungthep on the path alongside the river but it was fairly tough going (several steps) and quite a way. The same problem was experienced for the return to the Shangri-la via the third floor connection. If you are mobile enough to climb 20 steep stairs I would recommend you try the hotel's Horizon dinner cruise on the river. It is also possible to hire from the hotel pier different boats to get you around. I would have liked to explore the canals in a long-tailed boat or flat boat but I knew I would not be able to get into either of them so that's one tour we missed out on. On the other hand we did hire, again from the hotel pier, a ferry (Rice barge) to go up the river for an hour. Bit over the top hiring a boat with 40 places but at least we achieved part of our objective. The boat cost £35 per hour, which is cheap if you are more than two. It was easy to get from the pier onto the boat but there are a couple of steep steps to get inside. These ferries will also get you to the other side of the river where there are one or two attractions (Wat Arun, Oriental Hotel riverside restaurant, etc)
SIGHTSEEING
Finding little to no information on the Internet we went in the knowledge that if the worse came to the worse we would still have a great holiday just staying in the precincts of the Shangri-la. We talked to both Sea Tours and Turismo Thai and from what they said it seemed there was a good chance to see just about everything of interest. Half-day tours cost in the region of £25 per person but of considerable interest was the fact that you can organize a private tour with a driver and guide for just an extra £3 per person. However, it is not really reasonable to expect the guide (usually a young Thai lady) to help you with the wheelchair as one agent declared, "Sir, they are just not strong enough" However, I am sure the hotel could organize extra help if necessary.
Here is what we managed to achieve by way of sightseeing:
1. Temple Tour With the wheelchair packed into the back of a minivan we went on this trip with Sea Tours. The following three sites were visited:
- Wat Trimit and the Golden Buddha. One has to climb about 20 steps to get to the temple. Nothing useful can be achieved by lugging up the wheelchair - as my wife heroically did - because to get into the temple you have to take your shoes off and with prosthesis this was not an option. They would not allow the wheelchair into the temple even though one's feet would not touch the ground! The guide did, however, take me round the back where I could see the magnificent Buddha through a side window. If you are wheelchair dependent it will be necessary to miss out on this part of the tour.
- Wat Po and the colossal Reclining Buddha. One has to negotiate two flights of steps of about 5 each to get to the temple of this 46m long Buddha. On this occasion I was allowed to wheelchair round the Buddha but got some shocked looks when I tried to stand up and take a photo. It is then relatively easy to wheel round the rest of the awe-inspiring temple grounds with its decorated spires, ornate gateways, etc.
- Wat Benchamabophit and the Marble Buddha. Again one has to negotiate two flights of steps of about 5 each to get to the temple of the beautiful Marble Buddha. It can be seen from outside the temple so one need not worry about not being able to get inside. To the side of the temple it is possible to gain access to the cloister by negotiating a few steps. 53 bronze Buddhas line the cloister walls. The surrounding gardens are very pleasant and there is no problem getting round them with a wheelchair.
2. The Grand Palace Tour
On this occasion we organized a private tour with Turismo Thai. The wheelchair was put in the boot of a taxi and with the driver and guide we painfully made our way through the inevitable traffic jam to the Grand Palace, which has large grounds and Wat Ohra Kaeo or the temple of the Emerald Buddha. There are some relatively long routes to get round the Palace Grounds and unfortunately the flagstones are rather bumpy. I gave up trying to work out how to gain access to the Emerald Buddha. Shoes have to be taken off before mounting the five steps to the large terrace in front of the temple and in any event wheelchairs were not welcome. In the right light conditions the Buddha can probably be seen though the temple entrance but I had to give up on this one. The rest of the Grand Palace grounds were full of wonderful temples, spires, and buildings one of which held the Royal Throne (too many steps for me). We were glad we had a private tour because we were able to set our own pace and leave once we felt we had seen enough.
3. The Rose Garden
We took the ordinary tour organized by Sea Tours to see not rose gardens but landscaped tropical gardens and the excellent Thai Village show. Although 45 kms away, the bus journey was fast and gave us the opportunity to see a little part of the local country side. No problem with the wheelchair here so you will be able to admire not only the great show but also local handicrafts such as silk spinning and weaving, pottery etc.
4. Jim Thompson's House
As advised by the very helpful receptionist, we took a taxi with the wheelchair in the boot directly to this famous group of old Thai houses. Guided groups are taken round the main house but quite a few stairs are involved. I had to give up near the end of the tour. But even then just sitting in the wheelchair and looking round the central courtyard with its tropical garden was very pleasant.
PARTING WORDS
There are, of course, other interesting tours that can be organized and you can bank on the hotel staff and the wonderful Thai people to make sure you are well looked after. I have to say that this was the most comfortable and enjoyable holiday I have experienced since being handicapped.
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Club St Lucia-Caribbean
Virgin Holidays --January/february 2004
Submitted March 2004 Client--D.Redclift - Cheshire

I am unable to walk more than a few steps, suffering MS which affects one arm and one leg. Not having taken a holiday since becoming disabled I was extremely nervous about flying to the Caribbean and staying at a resort of which I had no experience. We booked the holiday through Virgin, as their brochure indicated resorts suitable for wheelchair users and we had heard that they were good with disabled passengers. The airline was excellent, arranging an hotel for the night before at Gatwick airport including car parking (as I was disabled, they let me leave the car very close to the hotel for the duration to make it easier on our return). The room was a disabled one, and Virgin allowed check-in the day before to simplify thing on the morning of departure. I was allowed to take my electric scooter right to the door of the plane, where they had allocated me a seat close both to the door and the toilet. At the other end, the scooter was waiting for me at the bottom of the aircraft steps and as soon as I was on it we were escorted straight to the front of the queue at immigration control - almost worth being disabled for! The resort was absolutely ideal for someone on an electric scooter as the whole area was ramped - although if you were in a manual wheelchair you could have got pretty tired as the resort was very big, around 63 acres. I got issued with a room with all the rails etc. in the bathroom that you could hope for and a ramp to the front door (all rooms there are in small single-storey blocks but not all have ramped access to the door). Power was 220 volt with the UK-type plugs so recharging the battery was no problem. There were 4 restaurants, 3 I could buggy straight into, 1 had a single step up but they set a table outside on the terrace for us. All-in-all a refreshingly easy experience and I could thoroughly recommend both the airline and the resort to anyone in a similar situation to myself.