This experience includes:

• one night’s accommodation,
• access to the spa facilities,
• a 55 minute treatment each,
•  3 course dinner and
• breakfast

Everything has already been taken care of in this wonderful break for two.  On arrival you’ll be checked in to your contemporary ensuite bedroom and have access to all the spa facilities.  You can spend your day in the magnificent 20m indoor to outdoor hydrotherapy pool or relax in the natural light in the fabulous lounge area. You’ll each choose and enjoy a delightful 55 minute treatment during the day to ensure optimum relaxation before heading for a delicious 3 course dinner. Finally, you will retreat to your comfortable room for a restful sleep.

You’ll find plenty of things to do during your stay. The hotel is set near the gorgeous Malvern Hills – a unique area containing a wide variety of landscapes in a small area, making it an ideal location for a walking or cycling.

This voucher is valid for 10 months for two people and is available to over 18s only. This experience is available Sunday to Thursday only – however you can pay a surcharge of £11.50 for Friday and Saturday dates. All dates are subject to availability

Want to treat your lovely lady to this wonderful gift that she will always remember?  then BOOK HERE to avoid disappointment!

Alternatively, if you prefer a pampering day out at a top health club without an overnight stay, you could BOOK HERE for a  2 for 1 Pamper Day at Bannatyne’s Health Club where you can use all the facilities ie: the air conditioned gym, pool, Jacuzzi, steam room, sauna etc. and participate in exercise classes such as Tai Chi, Pilates, Boxercise and Aerobics. Each of you will also receive a mini-treatment lasting 15 minutes.

Gift Ideas for Women

Gift Ideas for Men

Gift Ideas for Girls

Gift Ideas for Boys
Gift Ideas for Kids

Gift Ideas for Professionals
Gift Ideas for Anglers
Gift Ideas for Footballers
Gift Ideas for Gamers
Gift Ideas for Golfers
Gift Ideas for Chess players
Gift Ideas for Athletes
Gifts Ideas for Bikers
Gifts Ideas for Driving Enthusiasts
Gifts Ideas for Music Lovers
Gift Ideas for Film Enthusiasts
Gifts Ideas for Martial Arts Enthusiast
Gifts Ideas for Swimming Enthusiasts
Gifts Ideas for Technology Geeks
Gifts Ideas for Book Lovers
Gifts Ideas for Whiskey Enthusiasts
Gifts Ideas for the Home Bartender
Gifts Ideas for the Astronomer

Does the person you’re buying a gift for like listening to music while commuting, cycling, running, working out or whilst doing anything else?

Does he or she like to capture casual video footage of funny, amusing or unusual events to share with his or her friends?

If so, the new, 5^th generation iPod Nano is an ideal present. With the new iPod Nano you can not only listen to music, but watch music videos or any other video clips.  What’s more, it has a video camera so you can spontaneously take video clips of any event you want to record.

Video Recording and Playback

To use the video camera, all you have to do is scroll through the menu and select – you can then record video in portrait or landscape mode.  You can choose from fifteen video ‘special effects’ eg: film grain, motion blur, tunnel vision, cyborg – and more, to add special character to your fun video clips. It has an integral mic and speaker, which allows you to capture and playback audio, so when you play back your video clips on the iPod Nano, you’ll hear the recorded audio with it.   You can also use it as a Voice Recorder to record and play back personal notes etc.  The video file sizes are small and ideal for emailing to your friends or uploading to Facebook, YouTube or other social media or video sharing networks.

FM Radio with ‘Live Pause’

Should you wish to listen to your favourite radio programme while traveling or working out, the new iPod Nano comes with an amazing new feature: ‘Live Pause’ which lets you pause the radio programme, rewind it- as far back as 15 minutes, replay it and then fast-forward to catch up with the live broadcast – all with a click!  The FM tuner also has RDS support that lets you see the names of songs and artists you’re listening to on the radio.

‘Genius’

‘Genius’ allows you to sync your iPod Nano with iTunes music on your computer and create up to 12 ‘Genius Mixes’ –  which are genre based ‘channels’ of similar music -which you can choose from to play according to your mood.   You can also create ‘Genius Playlists’ of selected tracks ‘on the go’ with a a few clicks, to listen to right away or save for later.

Other Features:

Other features include:  ‘Cover Flow’ which enables you to scroll through album art for the song you want to hear – or you can just revert back to normal mode to select a track to listen to or to add to your ‘on the go’ playlist.  ‘Shake to Shuffle’ allows you to play music randomly – so with a simple shake of the iPod Nano you can change the song currently playing to another random song.

The new iPod Nano comes with a larger 2.2” screen, in nine cool colours and a shiny aluminum finish.  The 8GB version can store up to 2,000 songs or 8 hours of video.  The 16GB version stores up to 4,000 songs or 16 hours of video – probably enough for the most avid music or video enthusiast.

The only criticism of the iPod Nano is that the video camera is standard definition. So although video quality in normal lighting is acceptably good  for casual use, it is not high definition – like my Flip Ultra HD 8GB reviewed in an earlier post.  However, you have to remember that the iPod Nano is the world’s best music player first – with an  FM radio and a handy and fun video camera thrown in.

So, if the recipient needs or wants a fantastic music player – with an FM radio with really cool features – plus the ability to take casual video on the go, then look no further than the new iPod Nano. It is extremely good value for money and is in great demand this season, so order yours early before stocks run out as we get closer to Chrismas!

iPod Nano Range and Colours still in stock at:

Amazon UK

John Lewis

Play.com

No. I don’t mean clothes for the blonde in the picture – that was only to get your attention!

Do you always choose flowers and chocolates for your wife or girlfriend as a safe bet? Do you buy her gift vouchers as the easy way out?  Maybe you buy her jewellery every year, thinking that she’ll happily have jewellery, so you’ll just spend the money and get the ‘chore’ out of the way quickly. Do you always avoid buying her clothing as a gift because you’re afraid of making a huge blunder and Christmas becoming a disaster?

Fear not – it’s not so difficult.  Buying her clothes she will love to wear is personal, shows that you are in touch with your woman, her personality and her tastes.  It shows her that much time, thought and effort has gone into choosing her something nice to wear.  If you’re prepared pluck up the courage to do something different this year and buy her clothing, the following tips will give you the confidence to buy her clothes that she will love to wear:

Don’t Stuff Up at the first hurdle – Get her Size Right!

The easiest way to get this right is to check the size of the clothes in her wardrobe.  Pay particular attention to the clothes she wears most often – these are the clothes she’s most comfortable with, so these are the sizes you want.

Be careful to note the sizes of tops and bottoms separately – women often wear different size clothes for tops and bottoms.  You may get away with less specific sizes  when choosing loose fitting clothing, for example a cool cotton kaftan or a baggy cashmere sweater in which she can relax, where the only size choice may be small, medium or large.

The most important point here is you must get the size right.  Get her something too large and she will be offended that you see her larger than she really is.  Get her something too small and she will be embarrassed that she really is larger than you thought she was!  Either way you’ve stuffed up!

Choose Style she’ll be comfortable with!

I’m sure all men have fantasies about the clothes in which they would like to see their woman! But let’s be practical here – we’re trying to choose clothes to please her not ourselves. So back to her wardrobe to check out the styles she likes most. Women like to wear styles that make them look slimmer, so pay particular attention to the clothes she wears most often –these are the styles she’s comfortable with. Pay attention to hints and remarks she makes, when she sees people wearing the clothes she likes on the telly, in magazines and elsewhere.

Decide the purpose for which you’re going to buy her clothes as her styles will differ for different occasions. For example a smart suit and shirt or blouse for work, classy but casual skirt, trousers or designer jeans and fashionable top for the theatre or a posh restaurant, sporty gear for working out, casual bottoms or jeans and loose tops or baggy sweaters in which to go shopping or simply relax etc

The important point here is to choose a style she will be comfortable wearing.  By all means choose styles in which you think she will look cool and sexy, but stay firmly within her comfort zone!  If, for example, you buy her clothes which are too revealing or fitting – which she’s not comfortable to go out in, they will collect dust until the next wardrobe clearout for charity.  Your opportunity to buy her clothes which are more revealing or which you want her to wear will come when you buy her intimate lingerie – but be patient – that’s the subject of another post!

Be Creative with Colours!

OK, so you’ve done your research in her wardrobe – checked out the correct sizes for tops and bottoms and got a good idea of the kind of styles she likes.  You’ve even noted the colours she like to wear – colours she feels comfortable with and which reflect her own personality.

But what do you think?  Do you think lighter or brighter colours bring out the tones of her healthy complexion?  Do you feel certain shades emphasise the colour of her eyes?  If you really know your woman well, this is your chance to be a little creative and buy her clothes in a colour she doesn’t already possess.  Visualise how good she will look in a different colour. If you’re still unsure, buy her clothes in a colour she already loves wearing – but in a different, unique or unusual shade!

Other areas where you can be creative with colours are when matching clothes.  For example, if you buy her a dark coloured smart suit for work or a dark coloured smart jacket for evening wear, then you can comfortably buy her a bright coloured shirt or blouse. Also, keep your eyes open and note the colours that are in fashion this season – if you’re still not sure, flip through some fashion magazines at your local newsagent!

Accessorize!

So you’ve chosen clothes you want to buy, but the constraints placed on you to stay within her comfort zone for the right size, style, colour and so on, may sometimes make your gift seem – well not special enough.  Accessories are a great way to make up this perceived deficiency.

Use you imagination! A classy silk scarf or a soft wollen scarf,  for example, can perk up your gift’s appearance..  It’s both useful in the chilly Christmas season and will look and feel good.  Leather belts, purses, jewellery, perfume etc are other items you can buy to add to her gift.  The good thing about accessories is that there is a huge range of stuff you can choose from.  You can get something in a a neutral colour which she can use with any outfit and you don’t always have to worry about the right size!

Get this things right and you will surprise and delight her with your resourcefulness and – if you’re lucky – she may even thank you in a way that shows she really means it!

Where to Buy Clothes and Accessories

OK, so you’ve been married or together for nearly 10 years. You’ve been asking your wife or girlfriend what she would like for Christmas. She’s delighted that you are actually interested in Christmas and offers a few suggestions or  hints – but she’s not been specific about what she would like most. You play it safe and buy her gift vouchers from a reputable online or high street store, thinking that she can get what she wants.

“We come bearing gift vouchers!”

Unless it was a voucher for a thoughtful Experience Gift like a relaxing Spa break –WRONG MOVE!!

Notwithstanding the value of the gift voucher, she will not be happy!  She will think that you do not know enough about her or her tastes – or did not care enough to make the effort to get her something special. Yes – you’ve really blown it!

Gift vouchers are great for non-immediate members of the family, friends or co-workers. If you are not that close to them, you are not really expected to know their tastes and interests. In these situations, gift vouchers are an appropriate and flexible way to get them what they need or want.  Take care to ensure that the recipient can get a reasonable choice of gifts from the merchant and look carefully at the small print for special conditions – especially an expiry date.

The only circumstances in which you would give a really close member of your family a gift voucher is in the form of a secondary gift or as a Christmas stocking filler – for example a gift voucher of modest value to buy CDs, DVDs, video games, books etc

In rare cases your other half may reluctantly ask you for gift vouchers from a particular store. Don’t think you’re off the hook or she will happy with gift vouchers. This is usually a sign that you can’t be trusted to remember precisely what she asked for, or are likely to get the colour or size wrong. If this is you, you had better up your game, or all you’ll be getting from her over the Christmas holiday period is “I’ve got a headache” and Christmas turkey sandwiches!

Where to Buy Gift Vouchers

Where to Buy Experience Gift Vouchers

Most physical gifts have a limited life.  They wear out, or stop working.  Often they become obsolete – or we just get bored with them because we are distracted by something new.  For many of us, we already have all the jewellery, clothes, accessories, gadgets etc. that we are likely to need.  Some of us would rather buy these things ourselves to ensure that we get exactly what we like and what we will really use -  rather than have somebody buy something that will never get used.

Experience Gifts on the other hand may last several hours to a several days, but the memory of the experience lasts for much longer – often forever, especially if the experience is captured on photographs or video.

There are many experiences to choose from for the person for whom you are buying the gift:

For Women:

Pampering Experiences

Buying a pampering gift experience for her will allow her to unwind from the stresses of work,  taking care of the home, the children and of course you!

Most pampering gift experiences include access to the health club, gyms, spas, steam rooms, sauna and a variety of treatments from facials to massages to relax and rejuvenate.  There are quite a few options available ranging from a few hours to weekend breaks.  Venues are available around the country so she won’t have to travel too far – and anyway you can make it a break for two so you can drive her there and enjoy the break with her!

An example of such a pampering experience is the One Night Break, Dinner and Treatment at The Malvern Spa for 2 described HERE

Makeover Experiences:

Which woman doesn’t want to dress up and get her makeup done by an expert so she looks and feels stunning?!  She can indulge herself in this experience where she will be snapped by a professional photographer while looking fabulous.  The experience generally includes a make-up session, getting her hair done, before being photographed in various clothes and with various backgrounds. She will get to see all the photographs, get a large free print and the chance to buy any others she might like.

An example of such a makeover experience is the Deluxe Makeover and Photo Shoot Experience for One described  HERE

Makeover Experiences:

Deluxe Makeover and Photo Shoot Experience for One

• Makeover Experience by a beauty expert,  including a Photoshoot to preserve the memory

• Personal Shopping Experience -  for the shopaholic, with her very own personal stylist
• Pole Dancing Experience-  for the fun loving, with group sessions taught by professional dance instructors

For Him:

• Driving Thrill Experience in a supercar eg: Ferrari, Lamborgini, Aston Martin
• Indoor Sky Diving, Bungee Jumping Experience etc for the adrenalin junkie
• Speedboat and Ribcraft rides for those who love speed on water
• Flying Lessons and Helicopter Tours for thrills in the air

For Couples:

• Spa Days for two including use of gym, pool, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna
• Sightseeing Lunch Cruise and London Eye Trip for two
• Day Trip to Paris with Lunch for two
• Romantic Hotel Breaks for two

A note of caution:  As Experience Gift Voucher is generally valid for no more than a year and sometimes somewhat less, so the experience will have to be booked by the expiry date as many retailers will not extend them.  This can be a problem where the experience is popular – for example the voucher could still be valid for another two months, but the experience itself is booked up for the next three months!  So when you give an experience gift voucher, make sure the recipient is aware of the expiry date and books the experience early.

Keep this advice in mind, an experience gift will be one remembered for many years to come.

See More Experience Gifts – that will be remembered!

This camcorder definitely makes my list of top gifts for this Christmas and after. Why is it different to any other camcorder?  Well, most traditional video cameras, however impressive their specifications or their cost, tend to stay in their box and only come out when we go on holiday or when we want to record a special occasion. For most of us they are too valuable to  risk damage by daily casual use. Also, they are often not small enough to carry about or to use without some fiddling. Not so with the Flip Ultra HD. 8GB.  It is so convenient to use, you will use this camcorder quite casually- almost daily:

• It is barely larger than a mobile phone, so small enough to fit in your pocket and carry around
• Easy to use with only a single big red button for ‘record’ and ‘stop’, buttons for fwd/play and rwd,  and a button for zoom.
• It records video for up to 2 hours in HD quality — yes HD quality!
• It connects directly to your LCD TV via an HDMI lead  for direct playback of video.
• It ‘plugs’ directly to your laptop via its integrated USB arm (no leads) for charging and downloading video recordings.
• No software to be downloaded from a disc.  The Flipshare software is downloaded automatically to your laptop when you first plug in the Flip Ultra HD.  You can then download the video recordings and also share video clips via email or upload video clips to YouTube.

I got a Flip Ultra HD 8GB as an anniversary present from my wife recently and it is nearly always in my pocket or by my side for use at a minutes notice, to record the ‘moments’ I wish to save and  for future viewing by family and friends and indeed by later generations. Of course I do have a really good incentive and video ‘subject’ at present — my two year old grandson who does something new and amusing nearly every time we see him and I just cannot help recording his amusing antics and viewing them with all the family later. I intend to use it a lot over the Christmas holidays.

Whether you just want a fun everyday camcorder to record your mates being silly,  important ‘firsts’ or  amusing actions of  your children or grandchildren growing up,  or a handy fun camcorder you can use  ‘on the go’  to capture unusual, amusing or important  events as they occur - the Flip Ultra HD 8GB is indispensible.

A word of caution: The model reviewed here is the Flip Ultra HD 8GB version which gives you two hours of HD quality video and comes in black or white. Do not confuse it with the Flip Mino HD 4GB, also a good little camcorder, but which will give you only one hour of video — or other similar models which give you only standard definition video recording.

The Flip Ultra Ultra HD  8GB model is extremely popular this year with an ideal price point for a Christmas present.   Currently, it is not widely available and merchants who do have them are selling out rapidly – so if you decide to buy one you will have to order right now!

The following online merchants still have stocks of the Flip Ultra HD 8GB model, but you will have to hurry!

Amazon

Play.com

Laskys

Firebox