27 replies to this topic

[The D]

Hey Everyone,

Who has had a great holiday somewhere that was wheelchair friendly?

Add some pics if you have some.

I am trying to get a national TV travel program to include an accessible holidays segment once a month as its hard to find good places to go both locally and internationally. Would be good to supply a list of places.

Happy trails!

D

Edited by The D, 11 April 2009 - 09:30 AM.

[ems]

Thailand is lovely ;) I'll dig some stuff out... though I think i might have talke about it eles where on the forum.. I'll go havea look..

inparticular.. in Thailand itself, and on the peninsular Phuket....Dusit hotels inc Hoi Hin, Le Meridian and friendship beach in Phuket..

Hired a canoe for 7 days (400baht!!!!) while in Phuket the last time, taped the tide table on to the front, took a GPS, put my water/food sac between my knees with my roho in it for better stability... and off I went ;) Great fun!

My first tim at friendship beach.. the room wasn't accessible.. so they wined and dined me .. till it was ready.. they rounded up some men.... and got the cenment mixer out!!! 4 hours later.. I had a ramp up to the cabin.. concrete embellished with anti slip stones..they had made a sort of mosaid with stones and ceramics.. lizards and flowers etc up the ramp.. was fantastic!! That evening.. we went to the Bar ( a hut) and there were steps up to it.. 20 mins later.. a wooden ramp ws in place.. honestly, they are the most caring ppl.. they cant do enough to help you.. though sometimes.. it gets a bit over the top.. like.. on the last week there.. before i headed back uptp north thailand.. I had put my sandals out on the floor to dry over night.,. the next morning they were gone..!!! Now the Thai dont generally steal.. its bad karma.. An envelope was slipped under my door with a note and some money.... one of the houseworkers there had sold my shoes!!!!!!! ....."why you need shoes"? she asked when I went up to reception.. I just had to laugh.. T_I_T the American guy there said.. " THIS IS THAILAND" ;)
A couple of days later the laundry girl came in and gave me my linen for the day.. she was smiling and smiling.. jsut a huge grin from one side of her face to the other.. she was wearing my shoes!!! LOL I had to smile back ;) It was pointless trying to get them understand WHY I wore shoes ;)

Edited by ems, 11 April 2009 - 01:15 PM.

[cosmosmallpiece]

Don't go too the UK as it is one the most difficult to get around in a wheelchair.

[cosmosmallpiece]

Ps it is also permanent winter here.

[Scribbler]

The best Holday I had was quiet a few years back. We went on a months criuse to the Caribbean over Christmas and New Year. We set off from Southampton as my wife didn't fancy the stress of airports. The weather the first 2 days was a bit dodgy but once we got round the Spanish coast it was great.

What surprised me was crossing the Atlantic at its widest part. 7 days of hot sunny weather and almost flat calm; we didn't see another ship for 7 days.

I'll find some pics and write a bit more about it.

[jass1]

Phuket is very nice i stayed in Kata beach

[BenjaminLucas]

Don't go to Washington D.C. That is all I know.

Slanted sidewalks with countless bumps, and it seems everything is uphill: even some parts indoors.

And some of their metro stations had out of order elevators.

I highly do not recommend.

[wheelywendy]

cosmosmallpiece, on Apr 11 2009, 02:57 PM, said:

Don't go too the UK as it is one the most difficult to get around in a wheelchair.

hey come on its not all bad in the uk!!!!!!! i like it here, most trains and a lot of buses are now easy to use in a wheelchair, try the free rough guide to accessible britain i posted on a few days ago (dont know how goood it is yet as mine hasnt arrived yet!) but come on guys all you from other lands come visit britian (cause with the credit crunch we need your money!!!!

Edited by wheelywendy, 12 April 2009 - 06:39 PM.

[wheelywendy]

cosmosmallpiece, on Apr 11 2009, 03:04 PM, said:

Ps it is also permanent winter here.

awe now thats unfair we get some sunshine! between the downpours!!

[margs]

The Sun Princess cruise ship has great wheelchair access and the cabin rooms for wheelchairs have great facilities ( shower and toilet are large and well designed). The ship staff are friendly and can't do enough to help! cruise is also a holiday in itself!

We have booked a holiday to Bali in June staying at Villa G at Ellora in Sanur. The villa is purpose built and the owner has a partnership with a transport company which we can hire a driver and fully equiped van with hoist to accommodate electic wheelchair and up to 3 passengers. Facilities look good so hopefully it will be a great holiday.

Link to villa is www.disabledholidaysbali.com

[Murray]

For a little fun on the slopes, pick any well-equipt outfit (Colorado). For some rock climbing (really!), try Yosemite National Park, CA. If you like the desert, try Utah, Nevada, Arizona or New Mexico. If you like the ocean, hit Hawaii. But if you like history, you've got to leave the ol' US of A. We're just a bunch o' cowboys over here.

[HiltonP]

In terms of wheelchair access . . .
Most major centres in Oz are good,
Tasmania is a great destination,
NZ is pretty good,
Canada (Rockies and Nova Scotia) is OK,
Paris and London are great,
and then of course you've got Disney USA.

[Doppleganger]

cosmosmallpiece, on Apr 11 2009, 03:57 PM, said:

Don't go too the UK as it is one the most difficult to get around in a wheelchair.

Never been to Sweden then have you! Think of wheelchair access in the UK 20 years ago, throw in high curbs and cobbled streets and then you went be far off.

I'd vote for Hawaii or in fact most of America, just a shame about all the lardy yanks taking up all the space

Edited by Doppleganger, 16 April 2009 - 11:31 AM.

[toddbbot]

thailand - very lovely. not very accessible on the streets but the hotels were quite nice and the people was always helpful. aleenta resort in hua hin, www.aleenta.com, they made ramps for me when i was there. dusit resort in pkuket was 100% accessible except for the 1-2 inch step into the room, which is not a problem if you can do a wheelie. you can rent a private boat (usd 200'ish for a whole day) in phuket and go swimming/snorkeling or just cruise around and visit the islands in the area. everything was cheap there. 7/10 (considering you can't go around much in the city without help)

japan - tokyo was almost as accessible as souhtern cal. i didn't drive when i was there so i can't comment on parking. the hotels were manageable. 8/10

england - an accessible room in england usually means there's a build-in shower chair, so in some ways the hotels were even more accessible than in the us. hard to find parking in london. very very accessible though, as required by law. 8/10

maui, kauai, hawaii, oahu - all very accessible, all very nice. 10/10

i base my judgement vs los angeles' accessibility which is very very good imo. i'm a c4-6 incomplete, in a wheelchair but able to walk with a walker.

[macthefox]

The D, on Apr 11 2009, 10:28 AM, said:

Hey Everyone,

Who has had a great holiday somewhere that was wheelchair friendly?

Add some pics if you have some.

I am trying to get a national TV travel program to include an accessible holidays segment once a month as its hard to find good places to go both locally and internationally. Would be good to supply a list of places.

Happy trails!

D

Hi All
I am enjoying traveling in my retirement.
I travel alone but am always lucky enough to borrow somebody if I get stuck
For overall ease I would recommend New Zealand. I have been there two years running and apart from a bit of fine tuning I can't suggest anywhere better.
Everything from the ease of hiring an adapted car with a couple of days notice - to being able to get into the accessible rooms in most motels - I never book - I just turn up and ask - in the total of some 4 months I never spent a night on the streets. Wet rooms are in the majority and more and more a fitting drop down seats - you can use your Blue Badge although they were unsure as to whether it was official they told me to carry on they didn't need to issue theirs - I had no parking problems anywhere although there are nowhere near as many disabled bays as in UK.
My only issue was with the ramped kerbs with a half round gully at the bottom which meant you have to be careful using but I pointed it out to Local tourist information offices throughout for it to be passed on to L/A
In Alexandra where I have spent some time I was delighted this year when they renewed some of these to UK standards - they only have another 9*********** million to go.
My highlight was to stay in a backpackers / homestay where all adaptations had been made.
Beautiful country - ultra friendly people - nothing was too much trouble - just be relaxed and happy there ---------
I am back in UK and wondering why - I think I am joking!!!

[macthefox]

I am a full time wheelchair user and I have spent some time traveling in Vietnam on two separate visits and I am soon to return – NO it is not wheelchair friendly but it is a country not to be missed. It is not contaminated by Western tourism, yet, and it is beautiful in landscape, culture and people. Almost without exception anyone will give any help that they perceive you need you almost don’t need to ask.
Accessing accommodation is difficult and doorways to bathrooms are not made for wheelchairs so in general you will need more modern hotels and these will need fine tuning.
I travel alone but in Vietnam found that I needed a guide for the language, to check accommodation when I arrived so I knew that it was accessible in everyway rather than for me to go in pointlessly, to help me deal with kerbs and steps etc. Taxis are plentiful and reasonably priced and mainly cars not 4x4 which are too difficult for me to get into.
The roads are solid with traffic – you cannot access much of the pavements (where there are pavements) because of market stalls and motor bikes etc parked off the road. I wheeled down all the roads day and night and didn’t have one accident.
In summary -----
To see Vietnam at its best you need to go sooner rather than later
It is not designed for the tourist but the culture is all enveloping – to go you will need to accept in-accessibility – you will need to be lifted up stairs, kerbs etc – I booked hotels through travel agent as we moved around overland from HCMC to Hanoi on an almost a day to day basis – the travel agent knew my requirements and could fine tune the hotels – it didn’t always work but that is not surprising - BUT - I never spent a night on the streets.
On occasions I traveled the streets on my own – I speak virtually no Vietnamese but could make my self understood when I needed assistance for kerbs, steps etc. and it was always eagerly given.
Remember – it will become Westernised and the Culture of today will be no more.
The more chairs that use it the more provision is likely to be made – but in the long, long term – you will almost never see a Vietnamese on the streets in a wheelchair – we need to show them it can be done

[macthefox]

At the risk of hogging this subject a I am copying a piece that I sent earlier which hopefully can contribute to this item (for those of you who have read it before I apologise)
I am a permanent wheelchair user, generally travel alone, and have for more years than I care to remember struggled with the fact that there have been no wheelchair accessible toilet facilities on any airline.
I have made continual and repeated facility enquiries to airlines any other relevant enquiry points with no measurable success – ‘legislation does not cover aircraft and therefore no airline was prepared to address the need’.
We are told that new aircraft will now include this facility but no-one is available to define accessible toilet facilities. There are currently one or two adapted aircraft but no guarantee that they will be the ones used for your flight.
But
I have just travelled with Singapore airlines – 4 journeys and when researching was assured that they had addressed wheelchair accessibility and there was no problem. True to their word the toilets were totally accessible – a greatly improved aisle chair wheeled straight into the toilet, close the door yourself, transfer one side onto toilet and from the chair conveniently wash your hands. Simple grab rails and built in alarm if needed. So easy and if you need a carer - room for them too – just.
The airline staff, without exception were totally relaxed and supportive and nothing was too much trouble – I was actively encouraged to ask for their assistance in using the facilities etc. and the whole exercise went without embarrassment or fuss.

Singapore airlines assure me that they have similar provision on their planes in general..
Can I ask that whoever reads this -----------
tells everyone they can think of to spread the word as far and as quickly as possible so that many can actually open up new horizons after so many years and perhaps this will encourage other airlines to move forwards more quickly.
all to support this airline by using it whenever it could be an option irrespective of any disability need - they deserve it and you won’t be disappointed’.

If you find any alternative airlines can you let me?

Mac McDougall

[StellaLAtella]

Doppleganger, on Apr 16 2009, 07:29 AM, said:

cosmosmallpiece, on Apr 11 2009, 03:57 PM, said:

Don't go too the UK as it is one the most difficult to get around in a wheelchair.

Never been to Sweden then have you! Think of wheelchair access in the UK 20 years ago, throw in high curbs and cobbled streets and then you went be far off.

I'd vote for Hawaii or in fact most of America, just a shame about all the lardy yanks taking up all the space

"lardy yanks"??? That's not a very nice stereotype you are projecting. If you disliked it so much, you need not to return.
Stella

[Brokeback Brenda]

I just recently went to Disney World in FL and it was great. I didn't really have a problem getting around other than dealing with the crowd at times. They have some rides set up so you don't have to get out of your chair and my sister and daughter had no problem helping me transfer onto other rides. The only one I couldn't go on was Pirates of the Carribean I did learn that I only like going on the rollarcoasters that have the shoulder harness. The ones that have just the lap bar makes it tough to keep your butt in place and I had to struggle to keep from going UNDER the bar lol. I'd love to go back again.

[spinlife-healthcare]

Hi All,
If you are going to travel in South Africa..the best resource is to approach: DisAbled travel (http://www.disabledtravel.co.za)

They are brilliant and know who to stay at, where to go and all the other info you may need...

Enjoy,
Anthony

[simplepeachyme]

come to vancouver, bc! its probably one of the most accessible places in canada and ppl are always willing to lend a hand.

[Wheelchair Traveler]

Hello! I am a wheelchair traveler for wheelchairtraveling.com and we have all shorts of guides and articles on this very subject. Most are from the United States, especially the West Coast but it's our mission to keep adding. Check it out and let me know how I can help!

Have a lovely day!
Ashley
wheelchairtraveling.com

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[shadow21084]

BenjaminLucas, on Apr 12 2009, 07:06 PM, said:

Don't go to Washington D.C. That is all I know.

Slanted sidewalks with countless bumps, and it seems everything is uphill: even some parts indoors.

And some of their metro stations had out of order elevators.

I highly do not recommend.

I am planning a trip to Washington DC in the spring. I am trying to find wheelchair accessible hotels outside of the city, but within close proximity to the metro stations. I also need a room with a roll in shower. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have tried the hotel websites like hotels.com without much success.

[ohio4282]

Hotels.com does not have reliable accessibility info. Found that one out the hard way.

Anyway, my fiance and I live right out side of DC and to celebrate an anniversary, we stayed downtown for a weekend, because neither of us could manage a real get-a-way. We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Crystal City (Arlington, VA). They have several rooms that have roll in showers. We loved it. We found it on this site http://www.disabilit...org/hotels.html. There are many other options, some closer or further from DC. The site tells you which hotels have showers and how many rooms have them. I don't know for sure how close or far some of them are from the metro stops, as we live here and drove, but if you can't find it there, the hotel websites usually give a distance.

[ohio4282]

I'm actually looking for a similar hotel as Shadow, but somewhere in the Caribbean Islands. Roll in shower is a must. We are trying to plan our honeymoon there. Both of us have always wanted to go and we aren't thinking about a specific island as of yet. But, we would prefer a beach front hotel somewhere, resort style. We've been checking websites and I tried a search here, but didn't find anything. And I don't want to have to call a bunch of hotels to get the info, if it can be avoided, so any advice is appreciated.

[mellowgator]

I ALWAYS GO TO SNOWMASS COLORADO AND STAY AT THE SILVERTREE HOTEL IN THE W-C ACCESSIBLE ROOM WHICH IS 110. IT DOESN'T HAVE A ROLL IN SHOWER JUST A TUB. WHEN I TRAVEL WITH MY FRIEND I JUST WASH MY HAIR WITH AN ICE BUCKET AND WHORE BATH IT. I ONLY HAVE TO GO DOWN THE ELEVATOR AND OUT THE DOOR TO MEET MY SKI INSTRUCTOR. I SKI WITH CHALLENGE ASPEN AND MY FAVORITE INSTRUCTOR IS RICH. I'VE BEEN SKIING WITH HIM FOR 10 YEARS AND WE HAVE A BLAST. THE MALL IN SNOWMASS HAS ALL KINDS OF RESTAURANTS AND SHOPS AND IS GREAT AFTER A DAY OF SKIING. IF YOU ARE IN THE MOOD TO FINE DINE IT AND CELEBRITY WATCH WE GO TO ASPEN WHICH IS 15 MINUTES AWAY. I ONLY WEIGH 115 SO I HAVE THE VALET TAKE MY CHAIR OUT OF THE SUV AND PICK ME UP AND SIT ME IN MY CHAIR. IF THEY ARE CUTE I WILL GIVE THEM A KISS ON THE CHECK. THE BUS'S ARE ACCESSIBLE BUT MY FRIEND USUALLY HAS HER CAR. IT'S A SUPER FUN VACATION AND THE SILVERTREE HAS A GREAT LOCATION AND THE MALL IS SUPER EASY TO GET AROUND IN A W-C.

[AlanWalker]

We are based in Hoi An Ancient Town, Vietnam - my wife owns a hotel there, however that is a separate matter from this post.
Last month I took a 'test flight' from Gatwick direct to Hanoi, connected to Da Nang (airport), with hotel minibus pick-up. My concern was whether this voyage was potentially a 'wheelchair friendly' experience, or not.
I was relieved to discover that Vietnam Airlines, the Hanoi transfer, and the newly built Da Nang International appear to be 'fit for purpose'.
The reason for posting this message now is that we are now designing/planning a modest 12 unit 'home stay' new build project next to the river (hotel, cafe/restaurant/bar, pool, spa, etc.).
We are designing-in wheelchair accessible bedrooms and facilities based on published international standards, but want to make sure we don't miss anything that can't later be rectified!
Any suggestions or thoughts would be much appreciated.
We look forward to receiving your comments and suggestions.
Thank you!
Alan
(Pages 128-138 of the ADA Standards refer - http://www.ada.gov/r...DAStandards.pdf)

[bruceofmaui]

Maui is No Ka Oi (the best in Hawaiian) Maui is a tropical island paradise that is part of the USA so you get all the exoticness of a tropical island which includes long sandy beaches, lush rain forests, beautiful ocean views and sunsets not to mention the bizarrely serene moonscape of a Haleakala the dormant volcanic crater 2 miles in elevation, (you start the adventure at 0 feet in elevation). Mix this with being part of the United States which means first world services like clean water, limited crime, telephone and internet and being under the laws of the USA makes it safer then other world locations like Mexico etc. Maui also has many direct flights from the US mainland and Canada which is very nice. The wheelchair accessiblity of Maui is very good as it is covered by the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and has other disabled support services like Accessible accommodations with roll in showers, accessible van rentals, medical equipment rental, attendant care workers for hire, accessible helicopter tours,,beach wheelchairs plus many accessible venues for entertainment and dining. My website www.mauiaccessiblecondo.com previews my accessible condo and information on accessible adventures and disabled support services on Maui. In addition to my website I have done a google map which shows the many accessible activities around the island http://maps.google.c...1e760b6e69&z=10

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