18 July 2024

Another city, another concert. First time to Finland so I was very much looking forward to ticking another country off the list, but more so I was very much looking forward to seeing Bruce Springsteen in concert again! My husband, TC Ted and I flew Finnair from Heathrow on Wednesday 10th July and landed just as England were about to kick off against the Netherlands in the Euros semi final. We got chatting to our friendly taxi driver (EVERYONE is so friendly in Finland) and next thing we knew he had got the match up on his phone and handed it to us in the back to watch the first half! Arrived at our hotel, the Hilton Helsinki Strand, just as first half was ending – the match was on the large screen in the bar, so we quickly checked in, dropped our bags in our room and went back down to watch the second half. Lucky result for me (English) but not so lucky for hubbie (Dutch!), though my gloating would stop on the Sunday when we lost to Spain in the final! Now the Hilton Helsinki Strand is a fabulous hotel. Yes, it’s a business style chain hotel, but location was perfect. We had king suite with balcony and oh my word, it was huge. We had 2 entrances, kingsize bed, huge separate lounge, 2 full bathrooms, 2 mini bars, 2 coffee making sets, large TV in both bedroom and lounge, sofa, chairs, chaise longue and large dining-height table & chairs in lounge, and decent sized balcony overlooked the water. After the footie match finished we went and sat on our balcony even though it was gone midnight. It was still quite light outside and the temperature was very pleasant. Although the bed was very comfortable I didn’t sleep well after a long day travelling and at 3am I looked out the window to see the sun was just starting to come up (having not completely gone dark at all!). Hotel is immaculately clean and everything in good condition. Breakfast was impressive with lots of choice. Staff really friendly and helpful. We had access to the executive lounge and there is an indoor pool and sauna area but due to the short time we had in Helsinki we didn’t use either, but something to consider when we (definitely) return! The Hilton is within easy walking distance to everywhere central – just 20 minutes’ walk to the lively Market Square and 35 minutes to the Olympic Stadium where the concert was held. But just a 2 minute walk away is the charming Flying Dutch boat bar/restaurant which I highly recommend for lunch, dinner or just drinks on the water. There is very little traffic in Helsinki and lots of green spaces – walking around was a pleasure. Thursday morning after breakfast we started our wander, and popped into the Music Hunter vinyl & memorabilia store. We intended to go back as it was a real rabbit warren of a place and music fans like us could spend hours browsing in there, but time didn’t permit as we had a whole city to explore in just 2 days. We headed up to Market Square, stopping off at Kappeli restaurant’s terrace bar for a coffee. After checking out the souvenir and food stalls and watching the excursion boats and ferries come and go, we walked over the road to Il Siciliano for lunch (Italian obviously) which was excellent. After a late lunch we headed back towards the hotel and stopped at Flying Dutch for a beer. There was a bit of rain today but nothing major – I was warned that weather in Helsinki can be very changeable, and indeed it was, we had a whole range of slightly cool, wind, rain and then on Friday afternoon and Saturday it was almost tropical weather in the mid 20s. Take layers! That evening we tried a traditional Scandinavian restaurant called Saaga. It was very good but service was appallingly slow so we wouldn’t rush back. So to Friday and the reason we came to Helsinki! We allowed ourselves a bit of a lie-in after all the walking yesterday and 2 late nights in a row, and wandered back to Market Square where we had fish soup and whitebait style street food from a food stall – delicious. Back to Kappeli for a beer – Kappeli is THE place to go and watch the world go by according to several Finns we got talking to, and there is a bandstand just outside where occasional music pops up. Great atmosphere. Then for a coffee on the pavement terrace outside the plush Hotel Kamp (with unusual touch of strawberry plants instead of flowers in the planters by the door!). Rumours were that Bruce Springsteen was staying there but that turned out to be a false alarm, he was actually staying much closer to our own hotel and unfortunately hubbie banned me from going and stalking outside!! At 5pm we left to go to the Olympic Stadium as we had a buffet package with our tickets. Bruce came on just before 8pm to a packed (40,000) audience. Right from the start I knew it was going to be the best concert ever. Acoustics were just spot on, Bruce looked like he was having FUN the whole time, and for a 74 year old his voice and energy was as good as ever, and the E Street Band just amazing. They played for just over 3 hours without a break, playing 32 songs and the crowd were just ecstatic. Long walk back to the hotel with aching feet and had a nightcap or two on our balcony, absolutely buzzing. Saturday and time to leave. Packed and then headed over to Flying Dutch for a quick and delicious lunch before a 30 minute taxi ride to airport. Prices in Helsinki are pretty similar to London. Obviously depends on where you go and what you eat/drink, but there are no shocks. Food is heavily centred on seafood (particularly salmon and herring) and reindeer as you would expect, but most places have lots of other options if you’re not into either. Everyone speaks either reasonable or very good English which is useful as Finnish is totally alien to me, and as I said before everyone is so friendly and helpful. Helsinki completely exceeded my expectations and Bruce definitely didn’t disappoint. TC Ted thoroughly enjoyed himself too! I will definitely return and will definitely stay at the Hilton Strand again.

11 November 2023

During the pandemic my husband and I spent a lot of time listening to music. We discovered that there’s a whole world of pleasure outside of UK and US musicians and Italian music became a regular and favourite feature. When we were in Rome last October (sorry never got round to writing the blog for that trip, but it was fabulous albeit very crowded – everyone seemed to be in Rome enjoying a post-covid break!), we came across a lot of music in restaurants and on the radio, and one of the artists that captured our attention was Ligabue. I call him the Italian “Bruce Springsteen” but I guess his style is more a cross between a younger Rod Stewart or Bon Jovi – whatever, he is very very GOOD! So we decided to go back to Rome and see him live in concert. Like Antigua earlier in the year, this was another trip where a heatwave greeted us! We stayed at the hotel Capo d’Africa again, which is located just a few blocks away from the Colisseum and our room was a lovely suite with a large terrace (so nice to sit outside but be sheltered by the parasol). Unlike last year when we walked for miles, toured the Colisseum and Forum and generally covered every square mile of Rome, we didn’t do much walking around (it was too hot, the pavement was literally melting, and we’ve done all the famous sites in the past), but we did venture back to Trastevere which is so less touristy than the main centre of Rome. Here we sat in the welcome shade outside our favourite little bar, Bar San Calisto where they seem to live in days gone by, their coffees sell for 1 Euro and Peronis for 1.50 Euros!. A new thing we also enjoyed was a visit to the Romeow Cat Café. I adore cats but had never been to a cat café before, and it was truly delightful. On the evening of the concert we set off on our carefully planned route to the Stadio Olimpico. First a taxi to Piazza del Popolo where we paused for some refreshments, then a tram to the stadium. All went smoothly until on arriving at the stadium we realised that the entrance for our seats was right round the back – and it’s a huge stadium - and so we had to walk of what felt like miles in what was still 35 degree scorching heat. (If we go again we will get a taxi ALL the way to the stadium!). When we eventually got in and seated we were both drenched, and had never been so pleased to see a bottle of water in our lives! The excitement built up and we were treated to an incredible show of energetic music and fabulous light displays. He is hugely popular in Italy and very easy on the eye too!! After the concert we two bedraggled and buzzing little concert goers got the tram back to Piazza del Popolo but found a very long queue for taxis but none arriving, so we popped into the very posh Hotel De Russie up the road to ask if the bar was still open to wait it out – regrettably it wasn’t. Now, whether that was due to our dishevelled appearance or the fact that the bar actually WAS closed, we will never know, but they did kindly call us a taxi and we managed to get back to our hotel in time for a nightcap! On our last evening we paid our regular visit to the iconic Harry’s Bar – a haven of movie memorabilia and home of very fine dining, not forgetting the famous Bellini. Arrivederci Roma and Ligabue – you were both fabulous

11 November 2023

With the recent arrival of a new great nephew in Holland, we found ourselves having to travel to Amsterdam to pay a visit. Now, many of you know that me and kids don’t mix too well (!) so we had to find something else to make the trip worthwhile. What could we do? Oh, Bruce Springsteen is playing in Amsterdam at the end of May – Sorted! So off we went. We stayed at the Sheraton at Schipol Airport as it’s such a good base (the family live outside Amsterdam and we’ve been into Amsterdam so many times we didn’t need to be in the city). After a lengthy delay we arrived about 10.30pm and headed straight to the hotel bar where we met up again with our favourite barman (Steve, an Englishman from Rotherham who married a Dutch lady and now works at the Sheraton). Lots of banter about football and chat about music (and complimentary top up of drinks!) later, we retired to bed, and next morning got the train to the seaside town of Zandvoort aan Zee. The weather wasn’t exactly beach weather – extremely windy (which did blow the hangover cobwebs well and truly away though!) – but we had an enjoyable few hours sampling Dutch beers and croquettes at the various charming beach cafes there. Then the moment we had been waiting for and we set off for the Johan Cruijff stadium (home of Ajax football team) for the concert. I’ve been a lifelong fan of The Boss but the last time I saw him live was in 1990, so I was over excited for this. At 73 years of age (now 74) he has not lost his voice or his endless energy, he and the E Street Band are the absolute showmen and they still perform for 3 hours without a break. All the old favourites, as well as some new songs, and all in all it was a legendary performance that I will never ever forget! So, next day was the family day and we got the train to Haarlem and met up with our niece & nephew in law and baby Matts (surprisingly cute!), sister and brother in law and had a good old family lunch at a lovely old fashioned Dutch restaurant, then brother in law drove us to the airport and our 3 days were sadly up. Now we're really looking forward to seeing Bruce again next July in Helsinki – I just love making city breaks out of concerts! - it will be our first visit to Finland so another country will be ticked off the list!!

11 November 2023

Just had to go back to one of our favourite happy places! After the snow in Oslo in March, some warm sun was very much needed, and boy it was hot! Temperatures in Antigua are usually pretty similar throughout the year, hovering constantly around 30 degrees in the day and 24 degrees at night, but we arrived in the middle of a “heatwave” – a good 3 or 4 degrees higher than normal, and all the locals were moaning it was waaaaaay too hot. Not for us, although having said that after a few days the heat was very zapping! We started with a week at the Inn at English Harbour on the south of the island where we had stayed last year (we are creatures of habit as you probably know by now!) and enjoyed going out for lunch and dinner at English Harbour and Nelson’s Dockyard areas. We were on half board basis and they are flexible to allow you to choose lunch or dinner as your included meal, and there is a fairly new beach restaurant, the Loose Cannon, just steps away on the same beach, so we also had a few meals there. Our stay again coincided with the annual Sailing Week and we had one very lively early evening enjoying the party atmosphere at the Antigua Yacht Club with live bands and lots of rum! We also discovered our new favourite restaurant, Incanto (Italian of course!) just across the bay from the hotel – Giovanni came to pick us up in his little boat and dropped us back after a wonderful meal which was accompanied by the Sailing Week “entertainment” across the water. After our week was up, we moved on to our “second home”, Galley Bay on the west coast, but en route we first stopped off at Keyonna Beach Resort for lunch and a site inspection. A really lovely property, with a stunning beach and a very rustic but luxurious atmosphere. Galley Bay, as always, was a haven of all-inclusive relaxation. We settled ourselves in and stayed put for our second week – swimming, eating, drinking, swimming, eating, drinking sleeping – and Repeat!. We made friends with the resident ducks too! We are looking forward to returning to Antigua in April 2024 – this time we will be spending the whole two weeks at the Inn at English Harbour – not because we have gone off Galley Bay but simply because we have stayed there 7 times already and there’s a whole lot of places in the South that we haven’t discovered yet!

21 April 2023

A belated report on our trip to Antigua in May 2022… Following our first post-covid trip in January to the Seychelles, we treated ourselves again and revisited another of our favourite places, Antigua, in May. This time there were no forms to fill out, no covid tests, and travelling was almost normal! Not much to report other than it was as fabulous as ever! We split our stay this time – I have found that if going for 2 weeks it makes it feel even more of a holiday to spend a week each in two different hotels, so we had the first week at the Inn at English Harbour in the south of the island (which we had visited for lunch last time we were in Antigua in 2013) and the second week back at Galley Bay about 45 minutes away on the north west coast (our sixth time there). They are quite different properties (but equally as fabulous), the Inn being very colonial and on half board with a short boat or taxi ride across to the lively English Harbour and Shirley Heights areas for alternative dining and watering holes, and Galley Bay being more tropical/rustic, all inclusive and more isolated. Both have magnificent beaches, beautiful pool, top notch food and service, and that’s good enough for me! Weather was very kind to us (I always regard May as a great time to visit Antigua) and the sea was very calm, so our days were mostly spent swimming in the sea and the pool, and just “chilling”. We did venture out a few times over to some restaurants while at English Harbour, and to St John’s for lunch whilst at Galley Bay, and although we toyed with the idea of going to the weekly Sunday night steel drum and reggae bbq party at Shirley Heights (we’ve been several times before and it’s great fun), we could hear all the music from the Inn, so we got lazy, grabbed a few bottles of beers and relaxed on our sunloungers "at home" instead! As I write this belated report, there are just 5 more sleeps until I’m back in Antigua! At English Harbour we caught the final couple of days of Antigua Sailing Week – or rather we heard the loudspeakers and the entertainment from across the water at the Inn, but we are going slightly earlier this year so hopefully we will see some of the action this time, and just as importantly be there before the lobster season finishes on 30th April! We will be repeating the same itinerary as last year - it was so good we just had to do it all again! I am a huge fan of Antigua – if somebody told me I could choose only 3 places to travel to I would choose Antigua, the Seychelles and Italy. You’ve had my 2022 Seychelles, you now have Antigua, and upcoming blogs will be for Rome (we visited in October 2022 and I’m still to write that up, and are going back again in July 2023). Contact me if you would like to hear more about these (or other, obviously) destinations.

15 April 2023

A bit of a bucket list trip for me at the end of March. I’ve been to Oslo twice before and loved it but when we saw that Andrea Bocelli was playing in Oslo, it was a no brainer to return. My taste in music is quite varied and I love rock music, country rock and reggae mostly (Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, Tom Petty, the Eagles, Bob Marley etc etc), but opera is one of my guilty pleasures and over the years I’ve become a huge fan of Andrea Bocelli. He did not disappoint! We had 3 nights at our favourite hotel in Oslo, the Continental – which also did not disappoint! We arrived to snowy landscapes and below zero temperatures and took the train from the airport to the station just a couple of minutes’ walk from the hotel (funnily enough no planes or trains were delayed or cancelled due to weather in Norway – UK take note!). We settled in to our spacious junior suite and in the evening wandered up to the harbour for our dinner. Afterwards, despite the cold (about minus 7 I think at the time!) we sat on our balcony with a bottle of wine and played some Bocelli music on our Spotify play list. The following morning we woke to more snow and everywhere was white and so very pretty. A walk around, a visit to our favourite record store, Rakk and Rolls for a good browse, then some lunch and another wander by foot and tram. That evening we had the most fantastic meal at the 3 michelin star restaurant Maaemo. 16 courses and every one of them photo-worthy and every one utterly delicious. I dare not mention the cost, but let’s just say we had very little change out of £1,000 for the aperitifs, food and wine pairing!! Worth every penny though, we were in there for 4 hours and were thoroughly entertained by the “show”! On the Thursday we had a late lunch at the oldest restaurant in Oslo, Engebret Café – a place stuffed with charm and character as well as great food – then back to the hotel to get ready for the highlight of the trip. We headed off to the Telenor Arena, just a couple of stops on the tram and joined the buzz of excitement. Bocelli came on to do a couple of numbers, then some guest musicians did their bit, including a fabulous violinist and a stunning soprano, some numbers with Bocelli, some without. Later Zucchero joined the stage (remember him? – he had a hit with Senza una Donna hit in the 80s. I only knew that song of his but he did others and was surprisingly good and I’d love to go and see him again). Then Bocelli again. The encore was the masterpiece with 4 curtain calls (some of the audience crazily left after the first one thinking it was all over, but oh no!), and finishing with the iconic Nessun Dorma and rapturous applause. WHAT an evening! Would I go back to Oslo? – YES. Would I see Andrea Bocelli in concert again? – another big fat YES!

23 April 2022

Of course we just HAD to go back to the Seychelles for our first holiday in over two years due to covid! Our first visit to Hilton Northolme and this is now our favourite hotel on Mahe Island. Initial impressions were not great, but we’d arrived at 8am, we’d had a 6 hour connection in Dubai and our room was understandably not ready yet, so we were tired and frazzled. We used the day room and went off to the pool. A small pool with rather uninspiring surroundings, but a swim was just what we needed. But then, just after 10am our room was ready, a grand ocean view pool villa. WOW WOW WOW!!! The private pool felt almost as big as the main pool, with a large decking area and sunbeds and table/chairs. The room was huge, bathroom and dressing area massive. A welcome bottle of wine and happy 65th birthday spelt in petals and towels shaped as elephants on the bed for my husband’s birthday. I could LIVE in that room. Food and staff were mostly excellent, views are to die for, and only a short taxi ride to Beau Vallon area if you want to go out – however we mostly stayed IN and thoroughly enjoyed our most comfortable surroundings. If you want a peaceful relaxing couples only holiday with easy access to local restaurants and bars Northolme is most definitely the place for you. But definitely go for one of the pool villa room categories. We stayed 5 nights at Northolme and then moved a couple of miles down the road to Story Resort (formerly known as H Resort) on Beau Vallon beach for a further 8 nights. We had stayed here on our last visit so knew it was good. We had a pool villa again but the pool felt tiny compared to Northolme! The main pool is the key for me at Story though, and I spent many a happy hour swimming up and down, better in the early mornings before the children arrived (it is a predominantly family resort), but it felt SO good to be away after over two years, noisy kids didn’t even bother me! Service wasn’t quite as good as last time, and we weren’t that impressed with their Japanese restaurant, but we loved our old favourite Trader Vic’s and ate there a couple of times. During the day we mostly swam and walked up the beach, and in the evenings we mostly went out to local restaurants and bars – to La Perle Noire (beautiful – we had eaten there on our first visit in 1987 and I’m sure they have the same menu!), to Baobab Pizzeria (another of our favourites) and to Beach Shak for beautiful cocktails watching beautiful sunsets. The Boathouse for people watching, La Plage for ocean watching, and Fisherman’s Cove hotel next door for somewhere we could walk to easily. Weather was NOT good! We knew that January/February was likely to be very rainy (and it certainly was!), but we weren’t there for the weather, we were there to celebrate being able to travel again by going back to our happy place, and we made the most of it. I had to keep pinching myself, and caught myself saying out loud “can’t believe we’re here” many many times during the two weeks! And despite the weather and the requirement at the time for covid tests and forms to fill in, we had such a relaxing time and so glad we didn’t have to postpone AGAIN! As my husband had his birthday while we were away, it is only fair that I get my turn to have a birthday in paradise, so hoping that we will go back next July, it would be rude not to!!

25 October 2019

We arrived home from the Seychelles on 3rd October and just 2 weeks later we headed off to Chicago for our first ever visit there. Normally I wouldn’t arrange two trips so close together, but I was determined to see Bob Seger in concert one last time on his final tour, having loved his music pretty much all my life, so Chicago on 19th October it had to be! I was trying to keep my excitement to a minimum – Seger is now 74 and has cancelled concerts in the past, but I was inwardly buzzing and confident that this would go ahead. So off we flew on BA from Heathrow. The reason for the trip was the concert and we’d never really considered going to Chicago as a destination in its own right, so we booked for just 3 nights and took the late afternoon flight from Heathrow on 17th October. We therefore arrived pretty late and went straight to the hotel, the Thompson, which is a great 4 star choice in a beautiful part of the city – lots of trees and greenery, and plenty of bars and restaurants within easy walking distance. Even at this early stage we had the impression that Chicago is a fantastic city (the lit-up skyline as we approached from the airport was stunning and looked oh so familiar – if I didn’t know better I’d have sworn I’d been there before) and we were blown away by how friendly the people are. After a quick and friendly check in, we freshened up and popped over to a bar across the road for a nightcap. Next day we walked for miles! Across to the shores of Lake Michigan (which is huge – Chicago really feels more like a coastal city), then a stop for a late breakfast close to the Trump Hotel (he gets everywhere), down the Magnificent Mile with all its posh shops, along the river, and down to Millenium Park and Grant Park, stopping at the sign which marks the start of the historic Route 66. The architecture is amazing – modern skyscrapers side by side with characterful historic buildings and we enjoyed a bird’s eye view from the observation deck at the top of the John Hancock building ($22 per person/$27pp to include a drink). When we came down to earth (literally – 2 floors per second, 94 floors!) we had a late lunch at the Cheesecake Factory next door – I knew that in America menus and portions are large but this was something else, we could have spent hours browsing the menu. I opted for cheeseburger spring rolls (an American take on Chinese spring rolls, with minced beef, cheese and onions inside the crispy wafer wrap - $7.50). This was actually plenty for 2 or 3 people as a starter or for 1 as a large main course, even though it was from the “Small Plates and Snacks” section! Then a flatbread pizza ($10.50 - you have to have pizza in Chicago!) which again was large enough for 2 – and not exactly flat! We somehow found room to share a (large obviously!) slice of cheesecake ($8). But the food was delicious and afterwards we waddled back to the hotel. No room for any more food that night so later we strolled over to the historic Drake Hotel for a drink and then back to another bar opposite our hotel. Prices were quite reasonable, around $10 for a glass of wine, $12 for a G&T, $7 for a bottle of beer, $5 for a cappuccino (and everywhere you get a carafe of water included even if you’re not eating). Saturday and the day of the concert arrived and we did more walking. Our weary legs insisted that we get a taxi back to the hotel ($7.50 for 1.5 miles) and we finished off about 3pm with lunch at the Original Pancake House, again opposite our hotel. A huge choice again, and I was presented with 6 large pancakes with fruit & sauce on my plate ($12) – delicious but filling! At 7pm we set off with our prearranged driver for the United Center where the concert was taking place (home of the Chicago Bulls basketball team and the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team). And WHAT a night. First of all I couldn’t believe how smooth and quick the entry process was (we had the tickets loaded onto our phones and we just showed them while security did a quick bag check), nor were there any long queues for food, drink or merchandise – there were so many outlets and staff were quick and efficient, so nobody had to wait for long (Ipswich Town Football Club take note!) The support band, Anthony Rosano & the Conqueroos started at 8pm and then Bob Seger came on to wow the sold-out stadium at 9pm. At 74 he still has his voice and energy and never stops smiling (and we certainly had a constant smile on our faces that evening), he obviously loves doing what he does (as does his audiences!) He played a set of 22 songs including 2 encores – all his old repertoire – and everyone in the audience sang and danced to every one of them. An absolute LEGEND! After such a brilliant bucket-list performance we were absolutely buzzing and our driver took us straight to the bar over the road from our hotel where we stayed til 1.30am raising a few glasses to our hero. The weather was very kind to us throughout our trip – sunny with lots of blue sky and no rain – although it was a little chilly and windy at times. Chicago is known as “The Windy City” but I am officially renaming it “The Friendly City”! It also felt very safe – like every city, Chicago has its no-go areas, but the “tourist” zone is totally fine as long as you don’t “advertise” that your wallet etc is in your pocket. Just don’t leave your brains at home – this indeed applies to wherever you go in the world. Traffic, however, is very heavy. It took 50 minutes from airport to city and vice versa – apparently there are always traffic jams on the expressway. Needless to say we found it difficult to get up next morning – we had a late breakfast and a short wander around the local area, pootled around packing and then went to the bar to watch The Chicago Bears (American Football) play the New Orleans Saints on TV before going to the airport for our overnight flight. They were playing at home so we could have actually gone to see them live as our flight was delayed by 3 hours until midnight, but we didn’t know that until after midday - it was too late by then to arrange to go in person. Next time we will be more organised! So, yes, we are planning to go back to Chicago for longer – it completely exceeded our expectations, there is so much to see and do, and we simply couldn’t fit in everything in just 3 days. We totally fell in love with the place, the people and the laid-back atmosphere - everything.

12 October 2019

We had a great trip to the Seychelles last year (see my previous blog from Oct 2018) and decided to treat ourselves by repeating the experience in September 2019 – with a few little differences! This year we flew on the British Airways direct service from Heathrow and spent 3 nights at the Banyan Tree followed by 8 nights at the H Resort, both on the main island of Mahe. We had never visited the Banyan Tree before, but having decided this would be a wise choice, on arrival the good decision was quickly confirmed. First impressions were an oasis of charm, colonial character, peace & quiet and beautiful scenery, and when we were shown to our “room” we thought we had died and gone to heaven! We had an ocean view pool villa (the lowest category) - very spacious with all the facilities you could ask for, and a gorgeous bathroom with its own sea view, but it was the private outside area that really wowed us - a private pool with huge outdoor terrace furnished with sunbeds, sofa, table & chairs, and there was also a high wall & lockable entrance gate giving a feeling of total privacy. I wasn’t able to view any of the higher room types, but I can only imagine that if OURS was so good, then these must be a total dream. The layout of the Banyan Tree is very hilly and our villa was quite high up, so although we always walked down (just a few minutes) to the main building where the main restaurant, bar and pool area are located, we always got a lift in a golf buggy to go back up. Due to the remote location of the hotel we didn’t venture out during our stay, and ate in the main restaurant on the first & last nights, and the Thai restaurant (Saffron) on the 2nd night, with lunch each day at the pool or the Rum Shack, the hotel’s rustic beach bar just a short walk up the beach. Food in the main restaurant tended to be a little hit & miss, though breakfast there was superb, and the dinner at Saffron was exceptional (despite an unfortunate incident with a piece of what must be the world’s hottest chilli which shouldn’t have been in my meal but had slipped in by mistake! The staff couldn’t have been more apologetic and almost queued up to bring me cold water, hot water, sorbet and then ice cream to tone down the heat! All back to normal after a few minutes and no damage done!) There was no entertainment at the hotel, just the soft noise of the birds, insects and waves – bliss – as well as occasional soft music (though like last year the music was sadly not typically Seychellois). The pool area is gorgeous – a small pool with a long infinity pool to its side. I spent many enjoyable hours in that pool, swimming up and down with frequent stops at the far end to enjoy the view over the bay. On site there is also a very interesting Marine Conservation Centre, which, along with a small “museum” detailing the history of sea life and the work they do to protect turtles in the area, houses 6 giant tortoises and an organic garden which provides a lot of the fruit and veg used in the hotel restaurants. You can visit this and then pay a donation to its upkeep if you wish – which we did of course. On to the H Resort (which we had checked out last year with a look at some rooms, lunch, afternoon by the pool and then dinner). H Resort is located on the fabulous Beau Vallon beach – the sea there is very calm and very swimmable - in a much livelier area and you can easily walk to various restaurants, bars and other hotels. Again our room was very spacious and well appointed and, having chosen a beach villa, we had a small private pool here too. Privacy was not so good here though as we were right on the beachfront and there was always a lot of people walking past and sitting on the low wall which separates the path from the beach. I’m told though that the hotel is due to put in fence doors in their next refurb which means you’ll be able to open or shut off the view and choose your privacy level. At the H there is a choice of 4 restaurants - a main buffet restaurant with a different theme every night (which we didn’t try – we had very good breakfasts here though), a Japanese (which again we didn’t try), Eden which is on the beach and is where we had dinner last year (we ate there again and it was good but not as good as last year), and Trader Vic’s which was our favourite - good old Trader Vic’s with a very appetising menu and live music every evening (Latin music, though, not Seychellois – and elsewhere it was the awful international chill out music again!), and where you could sit in the main room, on the open sided terrace or in the bar area and have a full meal, a snack and a drink, or just a drink. We ate there on 3 of our 8 nights. On the other nights we ordered room service, went back to our favourite Baobab Pizzeria at the far end of Beau Vallon, back to Paris at Fisherman’s Cove hotel (same great menu and same staff as last year), and because our visit also coincided with the annual Seychelles Regatta we also had street food one night. The Regatta is nothing to do with boats, just a HUGE excuse to party with live bands, DJs, food & drink stalls, and the Miss Regatta beauty contest! It was tremendous fun to “hang out” with the locals on the Saturday evening and Sunday and actually hear some local music for a change! So, a lot of similarities to our trip last year but better accommodation, and livelier. What was notably different though was the amount of rain we had. We got absolutely drenched on more than one occasion. However, it didn’t spoil things and at least it is warm rain there and quickly passes! Seychelles can be on the pricey side, but it is worth paying a bit extra for a slice of paradise. Some guide prices are: * Local beer in local bar £2 - £3 / at hotel £6; * Cocktail at hotel £12; * 2 course dinner for 2 including bottle of wine at hotel £145; * Glass of Coca Cola at hotel £3.50; * Bottle of wine at hotel from £55; * Rum punch at local beach bar £7; * Pizza for 2 + half litre carafe of wine at local pizzeria £32; * Taxi from airport to Beau Vallon £60. Once again, I feel really blessed that I have been lucky enough to visit the Seychelles 5 times now. One of my favourite places on earth, and yes we are planning to return – probably in 2022 for my husband’s “big” birthday! Not enough space here to tell you everything about the destination or my trip, so do contact me if you’d like to know more about the very special place that is the Seychelles.

26 July 2019

My second short trip of the year, this time back to Oslo. I loved it in the dark and snow when we tagged on 2 nights at the end of our Norwegian coastal voyage in February 2017 and wanted to see it in the Summer! We stayed at the same hotel as before, the Hotel Continental, which I 100% recommend – its location, service, staff and cleanliness are all simply the best. I even managed to get us the same room that we had before, a deluxe corner room with huge wraparound balcony. Some rooms don’t have a balcony but luckily my request for balcony, and preferably the same room, worked – views of the Royal Palace from one end and glimpse of the harbour from the other and people-watching in between. As usual, we set off with the intention of doing very little, preferring to wander around all day stopping for frequent refreshment breaks and people-watching. The first couple of hours after we arrived were spent shopping as my husband’s suitcase hadn’t made it onto the plane (though it did turn up next morning so it was only a minor inconvenience). The hotel concierge recommended a men’s clothing shop but when we got there we realised it was the equivalent of Harrods (we must look important!) We knew that British Airways wouldn’t appreciate a claim for designer price tags, so we did an about-turn and quickly found the equivalent of M&S and all was well, then we went for a well-deserved drink on the gem of a roof terrace at the Grand Hotel. Weather was glorious at this point, and we followed that with an ice cream. Despite the sometimes harsh climate in Norway, the Norwegians love their ice cream – even back in February I remember seeing several ice cream shops open! Now, Norway is very expensive (think double or three times UK prices for drinks, and at least double for meals out) but don’t let this put you off as the plus point of this is that there are no hen or stag parties, or Brits on cheap-booze-trips! Just discerning tourists like myself! The harbour area in the evening is very lively, with street musicians and bars and restaurants lining the streets – my sort of place! The next day we had some rain, but between showers we walked and walked – then the heavens really opened (accompanied by thunder) so we took refuge in Café Cathedral on their charming (covered!) terrace. After the rain we found an old vinyl record store which also sold heaps of music memorabilia and spent a good hour browsing in there. What a place! My husband worked in the record industry for over 30 years so he was in his element, and I could have spent a dangerous amount of money in there – in the end I settled for a Bruce Springsteen CD/DVD box set/book in the form of a scrapbook with handwritten lyrics, notes and old photos, which is a great addition to my collection. In the evening we had a superb dinner at Brasserie France (about £190 for the two of us for two courses, but it did include a good bottle of wine and a glass of champagne each). A good bottle of wine is generally around £65 upwards so we made sure we chose one we knew and loved and made it last! (Wine by the glass is usually around £13 upwards, a small beer around £10, a soft drink or coffee £5-6 - and a G&T £12 or so, which is actually pretty good for Norway). Saturday 20th July and my birthday! We had booked to have lunch at Lille Herbern, a restaurant on a small island not far from the city centre, but the clouds looked a bit ominous. Rather than risk having to sit inside a quite ordinary building and not on the beautiful terrace we were hoping for, we decided to cancel the reservation and instead go for lunch at the harbour area where we could at least sit outside, under a covered terrace if necessary, and watch all the comings and goings without having to pay for a taxi and ferry each way. Just as we were about to leave the hotel there was a knock on our door and I was presented with a plate of chocolate mousse cake with a lit candle and a birthday card. We had only just finished breakfast but it looked so delicious – and it was! That was a really lovely surprise. So after two “breakfasts” we wandered up to the harbour where Regent Seven Seas Navigator cruise ship was in port – we went on this ship when we did one of our Alaska cruises a few years ago so it was a real pleasure to see it again up close. A great lunch sitting outside at Lekter’n restaurant (the forecast rain hadn’t materialised and it was actually very warm) then we wandered back to the centre and paid a visit to the Magic Ice Bar. About £22 per person entry fee which included a drink in an ice glass (wine blended with crowberry juice – very acceptable!) It is quite a small bar but the theme was works by Edvard Munch the famous Norwegian artist so it was an interesting ice art gallery as well as a bar, and it was refreshingly cold after the warm sun. We didn’t really need the fur lined jacket and gloves we were given to wear inside but we complied and dressed up like polar explorers! More wandering around and then back to Lekter’n at the harbour where we had prime position to watch the Navigator sail off to her next port of Copenhagen at 6pm. By this time the rain had started again, so we went back to the hotel for a quick change and then had a light dinner at Olivia, an Italian restaurant. And so ended a long and tiring day, we didn’t do much apart from walk, eat and drink, but it was a most enjoyable birthday. Sunday and our day of departure arrived all too quickly – 3 nights just isn’t enough in my opinion! We had a late breakfast followed by coffee in a café before getting a taxi back to the airport. When we arrived in Oslo we got the train from the airport (an easy 3 stop journey and the hotel is less than 5 minutes’ walk from the city station - costs about £20 per person), but we treated ourselves to a taxi on the way back (about £95). The weather was very mixed (hovering around 23 degrees, but as I write both UK and Norway are in the grip of a heatwave which would have been unpleasant to walk around in, so I think our timing was just fine!). Food and drink expensive, but it was a fantastic trip – I can think of plenty of worse places to spend a birthday weekend! Oslo is definitely a city I want to visit again, especially as quite a few restaurants close for holidays in July and August and there were a couple we would have loved to eat at – 9.5 out of 10.

10 May 2019

I’ve just got back from a short break to the beautiful Liguria region of Italy, the main reason for our visit being to see the Cinque Terre (or “5 villages” of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corneglia, Vernazza & Monterosso) which cling, seemingly precariously, to the rocky coastline - and hopefully do some walking. We based ourselves in the picturesque small town of Portovenere to the south, which was definitely the right decision as, although it was only early May, the tiny villages were already heaving with tourists – tip: visit very early or late in the day! Portovenere is about 2 hours’ drive from Genoa Airport but we had booked a car transfer so didn’t have to drive ourselves, and it’s definitely worth the long journey. Portovenere, which lies at the southern end of a peninsula on the Gulf of La Spezia, also attracts a lot of tourists, but not nearly as many as the Cinque Terre villages – and although cruise ship passengers arrive in La Spezia just to the north, most virtually bypass Portovenere on their way up through the more famous Cinque Terre, which means that Portovenere is considerably more peaceful and unspoilt, and therefore even more beautiful. We stayed at the very comfortable Grand Hotel Portovenere, a former convent which overlooks the small harbour area with its bars, restaurants and shops, and the narrow strait over to the partially inhabited island of Palmaria. We had a cloisters Junior Suite with spacious balcony and harbour view – the bed was so comfortable I didn’t want to get up, and when I did get up I could have spent all day sitting on the balcony looking at the view! I highly recommend this hotel. The town itself is full of history dating back to the 12th century, and has lots of character with its pretty pastel coloured buildings. The “main square” is dominated by the castle and old town walls, and we enjoyed wandering around each evening before dinner when the lights started to twinkle as the sun went down. Beautiful sunsets too! The day after we arrived it rained in bucketloads! Rather than exploring the Cinque Terre in the rain, we got a train from La Spezia up to the coastal town of Moneglia – my husband had a holiday there 40 years ago and he wanted to revisit. It is a delightful town and so peaceful – definitely off the tourist trail, though we did meet another English couple who were revisiting after FIFTY years!, and we really enjoyed our afternoon there. Next day we took a ferry from Portovenere up to the northernmost Cinque Terre village Monterosso, with the plan of working our way back through the other four villages by train, but because of the crowds we only visited Vernazza before heading back on the train to Monterosso and catching the boat back to Portovenere. We had also hoped to do the easy walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola along the Via dell’Amore, but the pathway is currently closed – there are pathways connecting all of the villages, but there are frequent landslides which close the paths. The real hardy walkers can follow longer more strenuous and hilly inland trails between the villages, but we certainly didn’t fancy more than an hour or so’s walking. I really do think though, that the best way to see the villages is by boat from the sea – which is what we did so we weren’t disappointed. The boat from Portovenere to Monterosso takes just over an hour and costs 18 Euros per person each way, and the train from La Spezia to Moneglia which took over an hour was only about 4.5 Euros per person. You can buy day passes which will reduce the overall cost a little if you’re going to be doing a lot of boat and train travel and stopping off in lots of places, but we just paid as we went as we weren’t sure how much we were going to fit in in one day. Although there are no “posh” restaurants or Michelin star standards in Portovenere or the surrounding area (the 3 Torri and Le Bocche restaurants are of particularly good standard though), in the four days we were there only one meal was slightly under par, and we had no problem doing what we love doing which is a bit of walking, people watching, and stopping frequently for a drink or two. If you are vegetarian or meat eater your choice will be fairly limited as menus predominantly feature seafood (with delicious local mussels and anchovies in abundance), but there are plenty of pasta and pizza dishes, and the local olive oil and pesto is superb - nobody is ever going to starve here! Of course the gelato is also delicious (this is Italy after all!), and the 3 Torri restaurant (the 3 Towers) serves the best panna cotta I have ever eaten! The local wine is pretty drinkable too, and we appreciated it even more after seeing the incredibly steep vineyards which line the cliff faces – the winemakers here certainly work hard! In general you will pay the same or lower prices than in similar establishments at home, with the added bonus of complimentary stunning scenery and Italian-Mediterranean ambience. An example was the 12 Euro a head bill for a huge pizza, beer and coffee each with sea view. 20-25 Euros will get you a decent bottle of wine, and a beer is usually 2.5 - 4 Euros, an Aperol Spritz around 8 Euros. Only three slight panics on our trip - the day we arrived I put on my beloved walking sandals which have been my reliable companions for many years, but half an hour later they had finally had enough of travelling and had split – after an initial slight tantrum I realised this was a good thing as I had an excuse to go and buy some shoes and I now own some very comfortable Italian sandals! The taxi driver who drove us from La Spezia station back to our hotel was very keen to practice English and did not stop talking - every time he started a sentence he turned around to face us whilst simultaneously negotiating the winding roads with lots of oncoming traffic (I can understand why Italians are so religious now!) – and at midnight the day before we came home I was convinced my passport and wallet had gone walkabout, but after spending a good half hour turning my already neatly-packed bags inside out I found them safely tucked away in the side pocket of my handbag. Note to self – don’t start packing immediately after having drunk an Aperol Spritz & 1/2 a bottle of wine! If I had to describe the Cinque Terre area in one word it would be “charming” – despite the crowds it gets a big thumbs up from me and I think a return trip is definitely on the cards!

09 October 2018

I consider myself very lucky – very lucky indeed. I first visited the Seychelles in 1987 to get married, returned for our fifth wedding anniversary in 1992, and we decided it was the ideal place to celebrate the Millennium. And, now, nearly 19 years later we felt a fourth visit was long overdue. So off we set again to paradise - from Heathrow on 26th September, flying Etihad Airways via Abu Dhabi. The hotel where we got married, and where we have always spent at least part of our stays (Sunset Beach Hotel) had been due to be closed for major renovations, so this time we chose a similarly small hotel on a lovely beach, the Carana Beach Hotel. A nice enough 4 star, with superb friendly staff and great food, we did feel a little disappointed at the lack of local character however. The rooms and restaurant/bar areas are very modern and not very Seychellois. The pool, albeit on the small side, is great to swim in (useful as the sea was usually too rough to swim in), and wherever you are in the hotel you are no more than a few steps from the beach. The remote location on the north coast of Mahe means there is nothing you can walk to, and if you want to go out for lunch or dinner you need to take a taxi. This was not too much of a problem, and we ventured out 4 times in our 8 nights there. The evenings we spent at Carana, however, were very quiet – most people seemed to head off to bed around 9pm, often leaving myself and my husband the only people in the bar! Entertainment was also very low-key. Although they had a musician or band 6 nights a week, there was not much local music which was disappointing as Seychelles music has such a wonderful rhythm and is much better, in my opinion, when you’re on a beautiful island, than international chill-out music! The main purpose of our visit was to simply relax and do very little. It has been a while since I’ve had a beach holiday, our last trips having been cruises or city breaks (or non-beach seaside holidays). With the fantastic weather and lovely beach and pool I quickly made myself at home, spending a lot of time on a sunbed reading lots of books and relaxing. We decided not to do the usual touristy things like visiting the capital Victoria (though we did drive through it to and from the hotel – oh how it has changed, it is getting very built up!) The botanical gardens, the fish market, the tea plantation, getting on boats or visiting other islands etc. We have done all these things before and we therefore didn’t feel the urge to rush around seeing and doing things this time. One day we went for lunch at Baobab Pizzeria which we had first visited 31 years ago, and the pizzas were just as good as we remembered (as good as in Italy!) I know pizzas are not typically Seychellois, but the rustic old building on the beach, with sand on the floor is – it hadn’t changed a bit and it brought back wonderful memories. On our way back to Carana we decided to stop at Sunset Beach Hotel for a drink – it was still open, having delayed their refurbishment three times so far and still no definite date set. We received a very friendly welcome and chatted to the staff about our wedding zillions of years ago, and although the hotel is desperately in need of a freshen up it has a lovely fairly new bar area built on the rocks overlooking the sea – much better than where the old bar had been located. If and when they refurbish, Sunset Beach could easily become one of the top hotels in the Seychelles – its location is unbeatable, the sea is calm with great snorkelling, and as its name suggests it is a magnificent sunset spot. We decided we would return later in the week for dinner, and although the restaurant had been moved to where the old conference room was (the room we got married in as it had been raining on the day of our wedding) we had a lovely evening again full of reminiscing. We were treated to one of the best sunsets we have ever seen anywhere. It was very sad to find the hotel was only about a quarter full though, and again at around 9pm we were the only people left in the bar. I do hope they manage to bring it back to its best once again. With my travel agent hat on we went to visit the H Resort at Beau Vallon on the Monday for a site tour and lunch. Now this hotel really has a wow factor. It has bags of character, a huge swimming pool, a choice of 5 restaurants, and is right on Beau Vallon beach which is simply gorgeous – soft white sand and calm water. We were treated to lunch by the Sales Director Isabelle, but we didn’t want to leave and spent the afternoon on the beach and by the pool before changing into suitable evening attire (which we had brought with us just in case!) to spend the evening there for dinner at their lovely beachside restaurant Eden. I predict another visit to the Seychelles coming up, perhaps in the next year or two, to stay at the H Resort. On our final evening we picked a real gem for dinner – Paris restaurant at Fisherman’s Cove Hotel at the southern end of Beau Vallon beach, another hotel with masses of local character. You don’t generally go to the Seychelles for gourmet food, but oh my goodness we were blown away with the food and ambience here. It was as good as some of the Michelin star restaurants we have been to – taste, presentation and service were absolutely top notch and my camera was very busy that evening. Have you ever eaten a purple egg? It was surprisingly delicious and there was a duo playing local Seychellois music during dinner, I was very happy. Towards the end of dinner, we got chatting to a gentleman on the next table and it turned out he was from my home town Ipswich – what a small world! We spent a very enjoyable couple of hours with him chatting about our roots and downing a nightcap or two. What a lovely way to finish off our holiday. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect – 30+ degrees, and only a couple of very short rain showers in 9 days, no midges or mossies, and clouds which magically appeared for a short while for some welcome relief just when it was getting a bit too hot. Such a magical, special place – and as I mentioned above I consider myself very lucky!

13 July 2018

We thought we would have a short break with a difference (not Italy or France) in July so we headed off to Ireland for four nights, the main intention being to join an afternoon Father Ted tour, having enjoyed the (sometimes controversial but hilarious) 20-year-old comedy series when it was originally aired and all the recent reruns on TV. The series is not in fact set on Craggy Island (which is fictional) – it was filmed in County Clare on the mainland, so with its base in the small town of Kilfenora we made our base in nearby Ennis. Availability of hotels was limited due to our fairly late booking and it being July, and our hotel The Woodstock wasn’t really our style as it was more like a family motel. However, we loved the area and the town of Ennis itself, so it was a convenient base rather than a luxurious lodging! The weather was very kind and three out of our four days were beautifully warm and sunny, the other being cloudy but still very warm. This is quite unusual for Ireland’s west coast, so we made the most of it. On the first day we headed out in our hire car and explored the town of Ennis, the surrounding countryside, and coast at Lahinch which has a huge sweeping beach – and very busy with holidaymakers enjoying the sunshine. The countryside is ruggedly beautiful, and driving was very easy – despite the number of tourists around there was very little traffic and we only really got held up by the odd tractor or two. The Irish people are so friendly, and they love to chat – they get talking to you like an old friend and it was (pleasantly) difficult to get away sometimes. Dinner at the hotel was ok but nothing special but we’d had a long day, having left home at 6am for our 9am flight. The next day we set off earlier than required for our 2pm Father Ted tour to explore another part of County Clare and headed across to Doolin where the ferries leave for the Aran Islands. Doolin is quite touristy and there were lots of tour buses, but we found a quiet spot and enjoyed the sun and views. We then drove to Kilfenora and had a very acceptable lunch washed down with some Guinness. It tastes totally different to what we get in the UK, smoother and more refreshing and of course it is obligatory to drink Guinness in Ireland. I’m pretty sure you get fined if you don’t so we didn’t want to risk that! At 2pm six of us plus our guide piled into the Ted Tours minibus and we set off for Father Ted’s house. The house in the series is a real house, privately owned by the family who lived there when the filming was taking place and we sat in the front room for tea and cakes (sadly not served by Mrs Doyle!) and took photos and listened to entertaining stories about the filming. Full of delicious homemade cake we then went to see some of the other filming locations and visited Eugene’s bar in Ennistymon where the cast and crew spent many hours – the bar has its own dedicated Father Ted corner now with memorabilia and signed photos covering the walls. A very enjoyable way to spend a Thursday afternoon I must say. We had dinner in town at the Town Hall (the restaurant of the Old Ground Hotel) in the evening which was superb and very good value. The portions are huge and my two starters instead of a starter and main were more than enough. After dinner we went to Cruises Bar which had been recommended by our guide – as seems to be the norm every evening in many of the pubs there was a “jam session” taking place and we enjoyed a very pleasant couple of hours of traditional Irish music (diddly-diddly I call it), complete with a couple of locals Irish dancing. On the third day we skipped breakfast at the hotel and went into Ennistymon to a tea room we had spotted the day before. Then we drove to see the famous Cliffs of Moher. It was very busy there but worth the €8 per person entrance fee to see the dramatic cliffs close up. It would have been nice to take a boat trip and see them from the other direction too, but we didn’t really have time for that. After having our fill of cliffs and a nice long walk we drove north of The Burren national park to a seafood restaurant which had been recommended to us – Linnane’s Lobster Bar - which didn’t disappoint. Back to Ennis in the evening to watch a world cup quarter final on the big screen at Cruises Bar, then a quick simple meal in a local restaurant, followed by some more “diddly-diddly” music. Day four and Ashford Castle here we come! This was our final night’s splurge and wow - what a place! There was a real wow factor from the moment we entered the gates to the moment we left the following day. We were given a royal welcome along with a delicious welcome cocktail. Every staff member we met was superb – friendly, polite, professional, and happy – and the whole place was bursting with character. The ambience, architecture and décor are amazing and there is not a single hint of pretentiousness which you can often get in grand hotels. Lunch was delicious but the cherry on the cake was dinner in the elegant George V dining room – one of the best meals we have ever had. Saturday 7th July was such a great day. We arrived at what must be one of the most magical places on earth. The sun was shining, we were wined and dined like royalty, there was an excellent Irish band playing at the hotel after dinner, and we even got to see England beat Sweden in the world cup quarter final in the very elegant Billiards Room! I’d already decided we must return to Ashford Castle even before we checked into our room (a Corrib Lake view corner room which was most acceptable – small bathroom but hey how long do you spend in a bathroom). Pricey but worth every penny. The next morning, we had a great breakfast (you can’t go wrong with hotels which offer Eggs Benedict) and popped into the lobby area to meet the two huge local Irish wolfhounds (and their owner) who visit the hotel every morning between 10 and 11am to meet the guests. What a lovely idea. We had a wander around the vast beautiful gardens of the castle and then it was time for a very sad goodbye. I felt so at home in Ireland – such a hospitable friendly place. Perhaps it’s my Irish roots (going back several generations my family was a mix of Irish and Scottish) pulling me to my “homeland” – but actually no, anyone regardless of their heritage would feel at home in the Emerald Isle. I urge you to consider Ireland for a holiday or short break, you won’t be disappointed.

05 June 2018

Another short trip to Italy, this time Turin. Somewhere I have never really thought of visiting, but as a football fan I couldn’t pass on the chance to go to the last game of the 2017-2018 Serie A season Juventus versus Hellas Verona. Juventus had already won the championship (for the 7th year in a row) and Verona had already been relegated, so there was nothing riding on the game, but it was the last game that the legend Gianluigi Buffon would play in goal before retiring from football – and what a great atmosphere it was. Buffon was substituted in the 60th minute to allow a standing ovation followed by a lap of honour round the pitch hugging the lucky fans in the front seats while the game was still going on. The heavens opened, and thunder appropriately accompanied his tribute as he was going round! I don’t think anybody was really watching the game after that, nor noticed or cared when Juventus missed a penalty, nor noticed or cared when Verona pulled a goal back to make the final score 2-1 to Juventus! Turin itself is very different to other Italian cities I have been to – and personally it didn’t overly appeal to me. Lots of grand old buildings, museums and churches, but not much “life”. When we arrived on the Thursday evening we strolled out of the hotel to find somewhere to eat and drink but there was very little going on and most of the bars and restaurants in the immediate vicinity appeared closed or about to close and it was only 9.30pm. It had been raining (as it did every day of our 5-day trip) so outside seating had been stacked away. It just didn’t have that Italian Mediterranean feel – of course Turin isn’t on the Med, but you know what I mean! I’m not a fan of really touristy places but it’s nice to go to a city that is busy and Turin was very UNbusy and UNtouristy. There are pockets of “life”, such as down by the river there is a large area of bars and restaurants, but many appeared closed when we were there. I think this city comes to life more in the summer months! However, we did have a great time and walked for miles even though we had to dodge the frequent rain showers! We stayed at the Grand Hotel Sitea in the centre - a lovely 4-star hotel with a delightful courtyard garden where we had breakfast and drinks every day. The garden also housed a family of 5 tortoises – we have often come across hotel cats, dogs and obviously birds, and even rabbits, but never tortoises so this was an interesting and unusual surprise! Ristorante Carignano, the hotel restaurant, is superb – every dish was a real wow factor and very good value for its Michelin star. There are only 5 tables so advance booking is essential. Real personal service with the chef popping out regularly to ensure all was well – it was all very well! Maybe it was the rain, and maybe if it had been sunny I would have seen Turin in a different light, but even though it is part of my beloved Italy and we thoroughly enjoyed Ristorante Carignano and the football match, I am only giving it 3 stars!

31 October 2017

Having really enjoyed our trip to Ravello in early July, we thought we’d grab a bit of late summer sunshine and do a twin centre three months apart – so in early October we headed back to Italy, for a 5 night break to Positano, just a few miles from Ravello on the beautiful Amalfi coast. We had visited Positano for an afternoon a few years ago on a cruise, and it was stunning. Being November, though, it had been almost deserted, as the town tends to shut down from late October to April, and we wanted to see it in “full swing”. I had had a difficult few months with a family bereavement, and 5 nights of relaxation in a beautiful place was just what I needed to clear my head and recharge my batteries. It didn’t start off too well with a four hour delay at Stansted, but once we arrived at the Hotel Poseidon (at 10.30pm) we were given such a warm welcome and insistence on bringing us something to eat even though the restaurant had closed for the evening, we soon shook off the cobwebs. We sat on the terrace in the fresh evening air with our late snack – and our friends Ginandtonic and Prosecco – and took in the beautiful view of the twinkling lights of Positano and the boats in the bay. Next morning, refreshed and having had a great sleep in our quirky suite (it was called a Funny Suite – I think because to reach the (huge) terrace you went up three steps in the lounge area and exited through a large window instead of a “proper” door!), we sampled the very impressive hotel breakfast. Then we set off out to have a look around Positano. Just as we turned the corner we heard lots of car horns so we followed the sound and came across the annual Fiat 500 meeting. What a sight – about 100 of these iconic vehicles all starting up to cruise around town. Tiny, tiny cars, some of which had four very large people inside, it was such fun to watch. When they had all set off we wandered further down the hill to the beach area and bars and shops. Positano is a small town cradling a bay at sea level and rising steeply on both sides with buildings clinging seemingly impossibly to the cliff face. Hotel Poseidon is about half way up the cliff and it’s an easy 10 minutes’ walk down to the beach area by either gently sloping road or steps. There are shops, bars and restaurants along the way, and even though the walk back is uphill it is still a relatively easy stroll. The beach is the usual dark shingly sand full of sunbeds in high season and lined with restaurants. We particularly like L’Incanto with its little wooden terrace on the beach with the ubiquitous Lloyd Loom furniture – and resident cats! We bought ferry tickets to go to Capri, but then when Tuesday came around we decided against travelling on a crowded ferry with the prospect of queues for taxis the other end – even in early October there were still hordes of tourists everywhere – and after all we had just as good views from the mainland - and opted for a lazy day around the pool instead. The weather was mostly sunny, although a bit cloudy and cool the first couple of days, but our last two days were real sunbathing weather. The hotel pool was unheated and absolutely freezing, but I love swimming so I did venture in for a swim every day – and once in it was well worth the initial trepidation! And it was very amusing to watch others approach the pool not knowing quite how cold it was! The staff at the pool were very insistent that it was “rinfrescante” (refreshing) rather than freezing!. We had a couple of lunches and a dinner at the hotel restaurant, Il Tridente, and all meals there were excellent. We also dined at Caffe Positano which is literally a minute’s walk from the Poseidon, and loved it so much we went back on another evening. For our last evening we did our usual Michelin research and booked a table at La Sponda (one Michelin star) at Hotel Le Sirenuse. Unfortunately this was rather disappointing – the food was certainly good but nothing spectacular – no wow factor - and there were wandering musicians who were playing touristy music to individual tables which I thought was quite intrusive and not in keeping with an elegant restaurant. When we visit Michelin restaurants I usually feel the urge to take photographs of the dishes, but to be honest the food we had at Il Tridente and Caffe Positano was just as good and possibly more attractively presented. Never mind, we went back to the hotel to join our friends Ginandtonic and Prosecco on the terrace again for a nightcap! Hotel Poseidon is a lovely choice – it doesn’t have the five star “marbled luxury” feel but it is totally unpretentious, oozes charm, friendliness and quirkiness (full of interesting antiques and displays – including a very random glass cabinet full of model penguins!), and has the oldest (working!) lift in Positano dating back to the 1950s. The bathroom had old fashioned brightly patterned tiles which made me feel I was having a bath in a Spanish tapas bar!, but somehow the eclectic mix worked really well, and it has all the modern comforts you need – no tea & coffee making in the rooms which is a must for us, but when we asked if we could have a tray with kettle and cups etc this was immediately provided. It has been a family run hotel for generations and they really do care about their guests. We felt as if we were staying at a magnificent villa with friends rather than at a hotel with strangers. Somewhere I would love to return to – after perhaps exploring some other areas of Italy. Arrivederci Positano – a presto spero!

15 July 2017

5 nights in beautiful Ravello in early July with the temperatures soaring into the mid-high 30s – my idea of heaven. We left a sunny and warm Stansted (always nicer to have that smug feeling when it’s raining and cold when you leave the UK though don’t you think?!) and flew with easyJet to Naples. Our driver quickly got us through the crazy Neapolitan traffic onto the motorway and on our way south through the winding mountain roads to Ravello, a charming hill village set high above the Amalfi Coast - such a scenic drive. We arrived at our destination, the Belmond Caruso, which is a gorgeous elegant hotel with possibly the best swimming pool I’ve ever swum in – a large infinity pool with breathtaking views across the hills and bay. The only downside was the handful of noisy children playing ball games in the pool, but the sun was so hot they didn’t hang around for too long. The pool restaurant is so pretty and charming – open from 11am to 7pm with a good choice of food and drink options (if a bit pricey). The pizzas there are delicious and just so Italian – a world away from the cardboard crusts we get over here. The staff are really friendly and helpful (not just in the pool restaurant - every member of staff was amazing). We had learnt from previous stays at Belmond hotels to beware of the drinks prices – if you ask for a “glass of wine” they may well bring you something more expensive than the house wine and you may have a shock! Tip – look at the wine list, order a bottle, have a glass, and ask them to put the bottle back in the fridge for you for later. They are happy to do this and it works out better value that way! The main restaurant is very good and has a line of outside tables with sea views, but you wouldn’t want to eat there every night – far too formal a menu despite the smart-casual dress code. We weren’t quite so enamoured with the evening bar arrangements – there is a Ferrari sparkling wine sponsored champagne bar in the gardens which doesn’t have sea views and ONLY serves selected champagnes and Ferrari sparkling wine. We went to this bar unaware of this and I ordered a glass of champagne. My husband wanted a gin & tonic, and it was only after a look of horror on the barman’s face and intervention by another barman that we persuaded them to bring a G&T, though it was made fairly obvious that this was not the norm. There is an indoor main bar (with a small semi-outside area and a small outside seating area closeby) which does have sea views but was always virtually empty. And a piano bar (indoors but with the front sides open to sea views) but the piano music is quite loud and a little cheesy, with the pianist playing to backing tracks all evening. Far better to do what we did and use the lovely outdoor bar area at the Hotel Palazzo Avino right next door – it’s a martini and lobster bar but they do serve EVERYTHING! The atmosphere is gently buzzing there, the pianist is pleasant, tuneful and more subtle, and there’s a more casual restaurant on the terrace overlooking the bay – as well as the usual fancy dishes you can order a cheeseburger or simple food for your evening meal if you wish. The Avino also has a Michelin starred restaurant, Rosselini’s, so of course we had to try that. The food was good, but a little disappointing compared to the other Michelinies we have eaten in – a large multi-dish complimentary appetiser then really tiny portions followed by a MASSIVE plate of cheese – delicious but far too much! Food presentation was good but nothing spectacular so we didn’t get that real wow factor we have had in the past. We had a village/garden view room at the Belmond which was really lovely – in a separate building across the road from the main hotel. Very clean and well-appointed, a superbly comfortable bed, and a spacious very private garden with table and chairs and pleasant views across to a neighbouring village and down into the valley. The Caruso is about a 5-10 minute walk downhill into the town of Ravello (longer coming back uphill so a convenient stop at Luigi’s bar as you get closer to the hotel was one of our better ideas!). The hotel also offers a complimentary shuttle bus into Amalfi several times a day, and once a day into Positano, as well as a complimentary coastal boat trip from Amalfi. We ventured into Ravello a couple of times and enjoyed the views and the people-watching – and of course the wonderful gelato! Villa Rufolo, an historic mansion dating back to the 13th century, was an interesting diversion, and from its gardens you get to see the view that must be in every Italian brochure – the two domes under the “umbrella” tree. We also went into Amalfi one day but it was far too hot to wander far – we toured the cathedral which has an amazingly ornate décor and offered much-appreciated shade, and then had a very pleasant lunch at a beachside restaurant. The beach is black shingle and almost totally covered with sunbeds and umbrellas – not our kind of beach but it was lovely to be by the sea with the refreshing sea breeze. We were quite relieved to get back to the peace of Ravello though – the pool was calling us after the crowds and heat of Amalfi. While we were there there were a lot of forest fires in the hills and a particularly large fire in Vesuvius National Park (the news suggested that arsonists were to blame, shocking – many people had to be evacuated and at its height the smoke was so dense that people thought Vesuvius had actually erupted!). On our last evening the smoke from the fires completely obliterated our view of the other side of the bay. On some days the mountain roads were closed and we were about our journey back to the airport, but all was well though we could see numerous fires still smouldering. With the Ferrari sponsored bar and a Bvlgari sponsored jewellery event which was set up next to the pool one day it felt as if we had been dropped into a Grand Prix hospitality area or conference – it didn’t feel quite right, but we absolutely loved our stay there despite this and the very high prices, and would definitely love to return one day…. as soon as the arm and leg it cost us have grown back and the money tree has been nursed back to health! We haven’t got another holiday booked up yet (Panic!!), but I’m on the case - my love affair with Italy continues, I really enjoyed being able to speak the language and was delighted to be frequently complimented on my Italian, so I think Italy it will be then! A presto, ciao!

12 May 2017

On my husband’s 60th birthday in January I bought him a short break to Carcassonne in early May – rather than spending his actual birthday in Carcassonne this would give a bit of space after our Norway trip (see my previous blog) and ensure that the weather would be more reasonable – and being a very generous wife I booked the trip for both of us! Freddie is very interested in the history of the Carcassonne area (conspiracy theories and mysteries to do with the 19th century Priest Bérenger Saunière in nearby Rennes le Chateau) but neither of us had ever visited this area, so it was a very long overdue visit. We flew from Stansted - with Ryanair for the first time in many years and I must say I was impressed. The flight was bang on time each way, the crew was efficient, and the choice of food and drink to buy on board was very good. I particularly dislike coffee on aeroplanes but Ryanair’s cappuccino was as good as I’ve had in any upmarket café on land. We checked into the gorgeous Hotel de la Cité after the taxi had dropped us off at the entrance to the medieval walled town where we were then transferred into the hotel’s minibus shuttle for the couple of minutes’ drive through unbelievably narrow arches and the mostly traffic-free bumpy cobbled lanes of the old town to the hotel. We received a very friendly welcome, and after a quick unpack (our room was fairly small and didn’t have much hanging or shelf space, but it was perfectly adequate for 3 nights) and a freshen-up we ventured out to find somewhere to eat. What a choice! I have never been anywhere with so many bars and restaurants – it was almost wall-to-wall! Even a couple of what looked like simple gift shops had a courtyard at the side where you could eat. The local dish is the ubiquitous cassoulet (goose or duck and sausage stew with white beans), so of course we had to try it, and it was really delicious. As were all the meals we had – I think with such a high concentration of eateries any establishment that isn’t up to scratch would surely quickly go out of business. You can walk around the old town in just a few minutes and I think we covered just about every square inch – it was an absolute pleasure to simply wander around and stop for coffee or something stronger as and when we felt like it (needless to say that was quite often – you know me too well!). The weather was beautifully sunny – warm enough to sit outside everywhere but not too hot so we were able to wander around in comfort. May is a great time to visit places like this when spring has really sprung but before the real crowds arrive in July and August. The day before we returned home we went on a half day tour. It was a little rushed as it was a “set menu” (we had asked the Concierge to book us a private tour to Rennes le Chateau and that is what we thought he had booked for us, but this must have been lost in translation as we were joined by a Japanese and two Bulgarian ladies!), but Rennes le Chateau is very small and we saw all we wanted to there in just over an hour. The church and museum were interesting and informative as well as a little spooky with its statue of the devil at the door. The tour then went on to Alet les Bains for a short 20 minute stop to see the abbey (and some very unexpected line-dancing at an open air flea market!), and then to Limoux for a half hour refreshment stop to visit a bar on the main square where a live band was playing on a stage and lots of people were dancing. It was quite an amusing eye opener and a lovely way to finish the afternoon. You just don’t get this in England! Apart from our afternoon tour we stayed within the walled old town of Carcassonne – other than driving through we didn’t see or explore the newer town. I’m sure it has its good points (in particular the view up to the walled town which is spectacular, especially at night when it is all lit up), but it’s the old town which houses the real charm and magic of Carcassonne. As part of our “mission” to visit Michelin starred restaurants whenever we can, we were delighted to find that our hotel restaurant (La Barbacane) has a Michelin star. We didn’t choose a tasting menu as we have done recently elsewhere, and it was slightly disappointing that the restaurant also doubled as the hotel’s breakfast restaurant, but the ambience was just right and the décor very elegant in the wood panelled room, and we certainly weren’t disappointed with the quality of food – nor indeed the value at 150 Euros per person for amuse-bouche plus 3 courses and a bottle of pretty decent wine. The cheese board was to die for, including some options so strong and aromatic they must surely be illegal anywhere else but France. My lobster main course was possibly the best lobster I’ve ever tasted, and I’ve had quite a few lobsters in my life I must say, including one or two as fresh as you can get straight from the sea. Although the locals all spoke reasonably good English, I practised quite a bit of French (probably more than my husband who is SUPPOSEDLY trying to become fluent – it’s not going all that well!) and I even got to speak some Italian with one of the hotel staff who had lived in Rome recently for 3 years. A really fantastic trip to one of the most beautiful parts of France, indeed Europe. Now I am counting down the days to our visit to Ravello on the Amalfi coast in early July – see you again then!

16 February 2017

For someone who enjoys warm climates, going to Norway in January was a bit of a strange decision to say the least, but it was a bucket list trip for my husband’s 60th birthday, and it ended up as one of the best holidays I’ve ever been on! We flew to Bergen, weighed down with 2 suitcases each (we needed to be fully prepared for the cold!) and stayed for 2 nights at the Clarion Collection Havnekontoret. A nice enough hotel in a great location, though it wasn’t really our style. Now, Bergen is one of the rainiest places on the plant and we duly arrived to grey skies and rain. Next morning, however, we woke up to clear blue sky and sunshine and it remained like that for the rest of our stay. I was surprised to find that a lot of cafes have outside seating even in January – and it was lovely to sit outside (under a heater!) in the sunshine. We had a good wander around for 2 days and went up the funicular for some great views. We knew that Norway is expensive and we quickly discovered that eating and drinking costs at least double what it does in the UK, but hey, we were on holiday! On day 3 we boarded our Hurtigruten ship, the MS Finnmarken for our 6 night coastal cruise northbound from Bergen to Kirkenes. Hurtigruten operate each of their ships as a combined passenger ferry, cargo transport and cruise, but onboard it felt just like any other cruise ship. Beautifully appointed, clean and with friendly crew. We had booked a suite with a balcony and we were more than happy with the size, the space, the amenities and the comfort. We even had tea and coffee making facilities in the cabin which is unusual for a cruise ship. We stopped regularly at various towns along the coast – usually for only about 15 -30 minutes (even during the night), but each day there was a longer stop of 2.5 to 6 hours where we could get off and either do an excursion or wander around under our own steam. The shorter stops are for loading and unloading cargo and letting A-B passengers on and off. There are also some excursions available from the shorter stops where you get off and rejoin the ship at the next port later. We got off in Alesund, Trondheim, Bodo, Tromso and Honningsvag, and also did a Meet the Vikings excursion where we got off in Stamsund while the ship sailed on to Svolvaer where we got back on after “meeting the Vikings”. This trip was really good – I was worried that it would be a bit touristy but it was not at all – it was such fun and very informative and included lots of food and drink (mead!). My favourite stop was Tromso – somewhere I’d definitely like to return to for longer. Food was excellent on board (probably the best food I’ve had on a cruise) although there was very little choice at dinner. Breakfast and lunch were vast buffets, and dinner was waiter-service. We were so lucky with the weather – most days were clear blue skies and calm seas, albeit getting colder the further north we went. And the scenery got prettier as we went north, as it became more mountainous and there was a lot of snow on the ground. The highlight was getting to see the Northern Lights four nights in a row, the last night’s “show” being particular spectacular! This was way, way beyond my expectations and such a magical experience. The Crossing of the Arctic Circle ceremony was also great fun, with King Neptune “coming on board” and pouring ice cubes and ice water down everyone’s backs (not compulsory I must add!). On arrival in Kirkenes, we got transferred to the Kirkenes Snow Hotel, and we did a very exciting dog sledding trip here, racing over a frozen lake (which I swear I could hear creaking underneath us!!). Those dogs do like to run fast, especially around corners! We had booked an ice room but also had a warm cabin as a back up – and yes, I'm afraid we slept in the cabin! The sleeping bags you get for the ice rooms are quite tight and don’t allow much movement and we felt we’d get more sleep in the cabin! The Snow Hotel is very pretty and the ice bar is a real wow factor, but everyone does a tour of all the ice rooms and takes pictures anyway so there’s no real need to actually book an ice room to sleep in if you really don’t want to. I wouldn’t have missed the Snow Hotel for the world, it is a unique experience, although I did find the place a little laid back and disorganised, and there was a set timetable – 5pm meet as a group for tour and briefing, 7pm is dinner, 9pm the ice bar opens for half an hour, then there’s not much else to do but go to bed. After our night in the winter wonderland we flew to Oslo (where we saw the first FALLING snow of our trip) for our stay at the Hotel Continental. This has got to be in my top 5 favourite hotels in the world – everything was perfect. A grand hotel with a very classy but unpretentious feel, nothing too much trouble for the staff, everything spotlessly clean, and the location couldn’t be more central. Short walking distance to a huge variety of bars, restaurants and shops, the Royal Palace, the Parliament building, the harbour. Fantastic! Would I go again? – absolutely! I one hundred percent recommend such a trip, so do let me know if you fancy following in my footsteps and I can tell you more – I just don’t have enough space here to tell you everything.

14 July 2016

Just a short trip to Toulouse to meet up with our Aussie friends Chris and Aileen who were over in Europe to spend time at their sister’s house in France. Destination Monesties in the beautiful Tarn departement of France. A short flight to Toulouse, then we picked up a hire car to drive to Monesties in the stunning rustic French countryside. We didn’t do an awful lot apart from swim, eat, drink, and catch up with our friends and their family in their amazing house with views over the valley to die for, and beautiful sunsets and clear unpolluted night sky, but we did have a lovely day out in Cordes, a charming hill village about half an hour’s drive away – though the walk up to the top was not quite so charming, especially as the temperature was about 40 degrees centigrade that day!! After a much needed beer and rest at the top it was a real pleasure to browse the boutiques and craft shops and numerous cafes and then have a leisurely lunch before embarking on the steep slope back down to the car. We also visited St Antonin Noble Val (setting for the film the One Hundred Foot Journey) to meet up with some other friends Karen and James who live close by – and that is another charming village. We visited the gite that they run and spent a very enjoyable (and again very warm!) afternoon catching up and meeting all their animals – 2 cats, 2 dogs, 3 goats, 2 llamas and a well-stocked fish pond! A midday flight out on Friday and a late flight back on Monday only gave us three full days, but we are already planning to return to explore this area properly – what we saw we absolutely loved and would like to see more of. Our journey home was eventful – a three hour delay and then we were diverted into Stansted when we should have landed at Gatwick, arriving home at 4.30am with the car still at Gatwick (as we live a lot closer to Stansted and at that time of the morning it made more sense to get a taxi home and get some sleep!), so the things I am definitely going to consider in future and which I recommend to you based on my own recent experiences are: 1. Stay at an airport hotel the night before a flight if you live more than an hour’s drive from the airport and your flight is before 2pm. Much more relaxing all round as traffic can cause HUGE unexpected delays, especially on the M25! 2. Avoid a late flight if you can – a late evening flight always has a higher chance of delay after any knock on effects from earlier in the day. 3. If you do take a late flight consider taking a taxi or getting a lift to and from the airport instead of driving and parking JUST in case your flight gets diverted. Very rare but it CAN happen - as I have just experienced! No more trips planned for this year, but counting down already to our Norway holiday in January - see you then!

08 June 2016

This holiday was almost over before it started – leaving home at 08.30am for a flight departure at 1.30pm for a journey that normally takes two hours is fine wouldn’t you say? We normally book a hotel at the airport the night before for earlier flights, but thought we would be ok this time, but the motorway was very bad! We arrived at the bag drop five minutes before it closed, managed to get taken to the front of queue, straight through security and then to the boarding gate with no time for a stress releasing coffee – or anything! Note to self (and everyone): always book an overnight stay at the airport the night before your flight! But we got there (albeit by the skin of an eyelash), checked into our lovely hotel in Nice, La Perouse, and began to relax. We were joining an Azamara cruise so chose La Perouse for its location on the edge of Nice Old Town, close to the port, and definitely discovered a gem. A beautiful characterful building with friendly efficient staff, a lovely restaurant in a patio area, and a refreshing good sized swimming pool was just what we needed – a little oasis in a busy city. The following morning, after a swim and one of the best hotel breakfasts (the chef should have a Michelin star for his scrambled eggs alone), we had a wander into the old town then collected our luggage and boarded the Azamara Quest at 2pm. Check in and embarkation went smoothly and our cabin was ready, although our bags didn’t arrive until about 4pm (which is quite normal – so if you are going on a cruise make sure you have everything you need on you for at least a couple of hours after getting on board). Thursday saw us arriving in Livorno for my second visit of the year to Italy, and subjecting more of my gradually improving Italian on the poor locals! Most people head off to Florence and/or Pisa, but we decided to go to the charming walled town of Lucca. We got a taxi to the station and a train to Pisa where we had to change trains – before we did that though we walked up to the iconic Leaning Tower. Our last visit there had been in November several years ago and it was busy then, but late May was very busy and touristy. On to Lucca which is well worth a visit, and the old amphitheatre which is now a pretty square (circle!) surrounded by little shops and cafes was a lovely place to spend an hour or so with a glass or three of local wine before heading back to Livorno. Friday was St Tropez – again our second visit here, and as well as visiting the Minuty vineyard (one of our favourite Provence wines) we revisited the harbour area for the great people and yacht watching. We ate lots of Baby Trops (small tartes Tropeziennes - gourmet cream sponge, delicious). Cannes on Saturday, and the weather was getting warmer and warmer, so we just wandered into town, up the Croisette for lunch at one of the beach restaurants, and then back to the ship. Sunday was the main reason for our trip – the Monaco Grand Prix. We woke up in Monaco to pouring rain, low clouds and poor visibility - what on earth was going on? Up to then we had hardly seen a cloud, let alone a drop of rain. Luckily we had pre-booked a driver to take us to the Hermitage Hotel where we had booked a hospitality package (price of a small car mind, but worth it not to have to wear one of those plastic ponchos in the open grandstands). We were treated to the most lavish lunch buffet I have ever seen, including foie gras, lobster, caviar - you name it, it was in the buffet - and unlimited champagne and wines all afternoon. And a prime viewing position on the balcony just where Hamilton overtook Rosberg. I’ve never been a huge Formula 1 fan, and it was my first F1 race (one of those bucket list things) and I certainly don’t think it will be my last. The atmosphere was just so electric, and I am hooked! The weather even cleared up in the afternoon and we walked back to the ship’s tender in a buzzing mood. The Azamara Quest was good – it has recently been in dry dock for a refit and the furnishings all look pretty new and clean, although there are some areas of the ship that are still a bit “tired”, for example the stairs had been overlooked. It was just a five night cruise with most passengers being first time cruisers – there for the Grand Prix. Last time we sailed on Azamara it was on the pretty much identical sister ship the Journey, and board basis was full board – now it is all inclusive of drinks which makes it good value. However, if you like wine you may be disappointed with the choices in the complimentary package as they have one white, one rose, and one red each day (they do change the choice each day though) which they serve by the glass at meals and in the bars. You may well end up paying extra for more palatable wine on a chardonnay day! Entertainment was typical cruise entertainment – Las Vegas style shows, and an Italian opera singer who was good but somehow turned into X Factor meets Andre Rieu at Las Vegas (not our style)! There was also a “White Party” one night on the pool deck where the crew mingle and everyone is encouraged to wear white – a lot of the cabin bath robes came out that night! All in all a good fun cruise, with so much variety packed into four days. Farewell to the Quest on Monday morning, and off to Eze for our second visit to the Hotel Chateau de la Chevre d’Or. Another beautiful cloudless sunny day, although it was a bit windy, and being high up in a hill village we really felt it! (See also my blog dated 3rd October 2014 “A Week in Provence”). Two nights relaxing there with beautiful weather and stunning views was the perfect end to a great trip – until the grey skies of England and another horrible journey on the M25 – welcome home! With my husband learning French (you wouldn’t notice) and me learning Italian (you would notice!) there will hopefully be lots more little trips to France and Italy coming up.

20 April 2016

A little Spring break early April to Bologna and a dilemma about what clothes to take, would the weather be kind? It’s always difficult to pack when the temperature is in single figures over here. We needn’t have worried - Bologna was beautifully sunny and hovering in the low to mid 20s centigrade – Tick! We had booked a very grand hotel, the Grand Hotel Majestic Gia Baglioni – would we feel out of place? A very grand hotel, yes – full of charm and opulence, but with no pretensions or pomp – Tick! We were greeted most warmly at the Majestic and had a very welcome and pleasant upgrade to a junior suite. A very typically Italian room with cloth walls and draped bed – even the television was framed in an ornate “picture frame” so that it was in keeping with the décor. The Majestic is very well located, just a couple of minutes walk from the central square, Piazza Maggiore. Bologna is a very walkable city – we walked for miles each day, mostly just wandering around, looking at architecture (I have never seen so many churches, and although this is not really “our thing” they are all very beautiful and we loved just looking) and numerous statues, people-watching and stopping frequently for a beer or glass of wine – just our sort of place. Wonderful old fashioned delis, pasta shops, cake shops, cheese shops etc mixed with more modern quirky shopping - and a few leaning towers too - Pisa has good competition there! There are unfortunately rather a lot of vagrants and street vendors but it’s the same in most European cities these days, and fortunately they weren’t persistent or threatening – the whole city feels very safe, and it’s bustling but not too touristy. One day we went to Modena by train – we had managed to secure a table for lunch at the 3 Michelin starred Osteria Francescana – WOW! If you want to splurge this is most definitely the place to do so (though you will need to book a table well in advance – for example they open bookings for April on 1st January and they sell out immediately). Once or twice a year we like to go to Michelin star restaurants – not TOO often otherwise our money tree would definitely be with all the other money trees in the sky now – and this one was the best experience so far and one we would definitely go back to. About 650 Euros for two for a 10 course tasting menu including the wine pairing, but worth every cent. Each dish just kept on coming and coming and each was a work of art with an interesting story behind it. It was a full sensory experience – sight, smell, taste, a perfect mix of contrasting textures and colours, and we even got sound with the oohs from everyone in the restaurant including our own table! As I always say, it has to be likened to going to a top theatre show – we have paid similar money for a mediocre show which has soon been forgotten, but this meal was more entertaining and enjoyable and will never be forgotten. We didn’t prebook any other restaurants, and as we tend to have dinner around 9pm when we’re away, and, unlike other European places the Bolognese tend to eat a little earlier, we had difficulty getting a table at the best places, but twice we ended up in a little place called 051 just around the corner from the hotel which was fabulous. They even served our favourite champagne for 50 Euros a bottle – amazing value as we pay the same price in the supermarket here! The food was also great value, the biggest chicken Caesar salad I have ever seen for just 8 Euros. Compared to the larger cities, eating out is relatively inexpensive (apart from the Michelin star restaurants of course!) and even in the Majestic they charged only 13 Euros for a champagne (real champagne, not sparkling wine) bellini cocktail. Oh, and it was warm enough to eat outside in the evenings – did I mention that the weather was beautiful in early April?! Bologna is such a central hub with easy train journeys to so many places in Italy – we could easily have done day trips to Venice, Verona, Milan, Florence etc – even Rome is possible for the day. Would I return? – a big fat YES. Tick!

19 November 2015

As part of my goal to visit Italy every year, and as a huge fan of the Inspector Montalbano TV series (if you’ve not seen it look out for it!) which is set in Sicily, I was really looking forward to this holiday and it certainly didn’t disappoint. We started off flying to Catania and hiring a car, driving down to Modica in the south east of Sicily for our first 4 nights. In Modica we had a private guide for 2 days and she showed us around a large part of the local area where the series is set. We recognised so many places and at times I was like a little excited child!! The hilly inland area is steeped in history and stunningly beautiful with lots of baroque and gothic villages and the weather was kind to us with the clear blue sky adding to the beauty. We did so much walking and therefore didn’t feel guilty about the obligatory frequent stops for a Peroni and eating the large delicious Italian meals! Modica is a small town but has at least two world-class restaurants and we made sure we visited both. One – Ristorante Accursio – has a Michelin star chef and if you like Heston Blumenthal you will love this one. We had a seven course taster menu – each course a work of art and originality – at only 70 Euros per person. Modica is also famous for chocolate – a very different style which tastes gritty but is really moreish. Relatively few tourists used to venture to this area, but the Inspector has changed all that, and we came across many other “groupies” during our stay! Our hotel, the characterful Palazzo Failla was in the old town and there wasn’t much in the immediate vicinity, but there was a lovely local wine bar across the road where we spent many pleasant hours. The hotel felt more like a grand home than a hotel and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. On to Syracusa on the east coast with a stop for lunch in another baroque town, and on to our hotel where we made good use of the large swimming pool and enjoyed the view across the sea to Ortigia. Unfortunately a large conference group was staying at the same time as us so this spoiled things a little, but we were only there for 4 nights and went out into town most evenings. Syracusa is another town which is steeped in history and very beautiful, particularly Ortigia – and great shopping!. Our final 4 nights were spent in Taormina at the wonderful Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea by the sea. After a frustrating drive from Syracusa (motorway closed and gridlocked traffic turning our 2 hour journey into 4 hours!) we felt the tension oozing out of us as soon as we arrived. We were welcomed like old friends, and the staff were wonderful, and they all greeted us by name. Here we had a pool AND a beach, a very spacious sea view room with balcony and total luxury and relaxation. We ventured up to the main town a few times – it is quite touristy especially when there is a cruise ship in port, but we very much enjoyed the people watching and popping into pavement cafes listening to the local musicians. We were too lazy to do too much else, but we could have done a helicopter trip over Mount Etna, or visited the vineyards (though we did drink a lot of the local wine!) or visited some hilltop villages – something to definitely go back for. We did manage a boat trip around the bay though where we explored ancient caves and went swimming in crystal clear water off the boat which was quite magical. Instead of the 2 weeks flying by we had such a variety of experiences and scenery that it felt like a lot longer and almost like 3 different mini holidays – there are plenty of destinations where this is possible, and as your Travel Counsellor I can find a suitable combination for you, but Sicily is a great choice!

20 May 2015

I went to Australia for the fourth time in February. Some might say it’s a long way to go for just two weeks, but it really didn’t feel like it. We were lucky enough to fly Emirates business class – my first time on the Airbus A380. I was a little concerned that this huge plane would mean long queues for boarding, but it was actually a great experience – we boarded the plane’s upper deck straight from the business lounge and never even saw any economy class passengers! And once on the plane it didn’t really feel any larger than a “normal” plane, and service was impeccable. We slept most of the way to Dubai in our comfortable flat beds, changed planes, and slept again en route to Sydney, arriving at our friends’ house in very good shape and hardly a trace of jetlag. Having visited Australia before we were content to relax with our friends (who emigrated there several years ago) and live like Australians rather than tourists for the two weeks. However, we did manage a day trip into Sydney where we zoomed around the streets on an exhilarating motorbike tour, and people-watched from pavement cafes – the day we were there coincided with the Mardi Gras parade so some of the sights were rather interesting to say the least. We also managed a 3 night trip to the Hunter Valley in the middle of our stay and stayed at the wonderful Spicer’s Vineyard. An amazing small boutique hotel within a vineyard, with an inviting pool, THE most comfortable beds, delicious food, and a home-from-home feel. The bedroom was extremely well appointed and even had a working fireplace, although we didn’t need to use it as the weather was so warm. At the Hunter Valley the emphasis was heavily on wine! We joined a one day wine tour with a company appropriately named Two Fat Blokes. They took us to 7 vineyards where we tasted what seemed like every wine that the valley produces. We also enjoyed some cheese and wine matching, and some oil and balsamic vinegar tasting – there are many different flavours, infused with various fruits and herbs. And then we ended the day at a local brewery, just in case we were still thirsty! Such a lovely, but very tiring - and shall we say intoxicating - day! Back with our friends in the suburbs of Sydney we shared the wine and cheeses we had brought back from the Hunter Valley, and continued relaxing by their pool, going to the local shops, and having barbecues – as you do. On our penultimate day we packed their son off to school and arranged after-school care, and went off for a great day in the Blue Mountains, where we were blessed with clear sunny weather and stunning views. One of the highlights was a ride on the Katoomba scenic railway, the steepest incline railway in the world – even though my legs went to jelly. We said our sad goodbyes and headed off for a 3 night stopover in Dubai – back to our favourite hotel, the Residence at the One and Only where we have stayed about 5 times before. We were greeted as returning family and were given our usual room - now that really makes you feel special. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff there, the food was superb, and we only left the hotel to visit the sister hotel on the Palm island. Once again, another fantastic holiday and we’re looking forward to going back again when the money tree says yes to business class!

25 November 2014

Having visited Nice, Cannes and the general Provence area a few times in the past we decided to return to coincide with another Star Clippers mini cruise in September. We started off with 2 nights at La Bastide Saint Antoine just outside Grasse, a beautiful small hotel that I last visited for dinner on my 40th birthday. Not much had changed, still as beautiful as ever, and this time we enjoyed seeing it all in daylight, and walking the half hour or so into Grasse (uphill on the way there, thankfully downhill on the way back!) The restaurant at the Bastide is delightful so we chose to eat there on both evenings and weren’t disappointed. We also revisited St Paul de Vence, a small and arty hill village about 45 minutes away and had lunch at the wonderful Colombe d’Or hotel which has hosted many famous patrons in the past, such as Picasso and Hollywood A listers. It is rumoured that Picasso paid for meals and accommodation there with his paintings, and several of his works still adorn the walls. A short ride to Cannes to join the Star Flyer and our 3 night adventure on the Royal Clipper’s baby sister began. The Star Flyer (and its sister ship the Star Clipper) are identical, but smaller than the Royal Clipper, although the layout and facilities are pretty similar and just as good, only smaller. Sailway was magical, as always, setting sail to the haunting strains of Vangelis’ Conquest of Paradise, and we settled into the Tropical Bar after dinner where the usual convivial atmosphere prevailed. The following morning we tendered off St Florent Corsica which was very pretty, but the weather wasn’t too kind to us, so we had no choice but to shelter from the rain in various bars and try some of the superb local rose wine! Our next port of call was Saint Tropez where we were tendered until late evening. On walking into the town I was initially unimpressed, and thought we would quickly be back on the ship, but it grew and grew on me and we ended up staying in town for dinner and going back on board at 10pm. A very upmarket and classy place with pockets of unpretentiousness, we loved sitting in the harbour area watching all the large and expensive yachts come and go. The next morning and our all too short cruise was over on arrival in Monaco. We reluctantly said farewell to the ship, the crew and our new-found friends, and drove to Eze, another small hill village, but even prettier than Grasse and bursting with charm and character. Our hotel, the Chateau de la Chevre d’Or (Castle/palace of the Golden Goat) was magnificent, and as we walked out onto the open air terrace the only words we could utter were wow! The views are absolutely stunning. The hotel itself is actually an integral part of the village, with rooms spread out – it wasn’t easy to see where the hotel began and the village ended - and our room was down the street and round a couple of corners from the main reception. Very hilly, lots of evil uneven steep steps and cobbled stones, but oh so pretty. We had a good wander around the village and a light meal at one of the cafes, then the following day we decided that a day relaxing by the pool was in order and made the most of the beautiful weather. That evening we ate at the Michelin starred restaurant at the hotel, and again many wows were uttered. Very expensive as you can imagine, but every course was a work of art and very unusual, and service was discreet and faultless. I likened it to paying a lot of money for seats at a top show – most of us have done that, we don’t do it every day, but for a most enjoyable and entertaining evening it is worth every penny. This was one of the best holidays I have ever been on - only a week but split into 3 different parts there was never any danger of boredom, and it felt like a lot longer. And the French do know how to feed and water you!!

15 August 2014

Never having been a huge fan of Shakespeare (at school I could never understand how literature crammed with what appear to be grammatical and spelling errors could be of use to a 16 year olds English studies), I must admit I had a few mixed feelings before our latest trip to Italy, to the city that has become almost synonymous with the Bard – Verona. However, I needn’t have worried! Arriving at our beautiful hotel, the Palazzo Victoria (which just has to be the best hotel in Verona – I highly recommend it), we quickly unpacked and headed off to the main square, the Piazza Bra which is dominated by the magnificent open air Roman arena which was to host the reason for our trip – the opera Turandot by Puccini. The square is bordered by al fresco cafes and restaurants and we quickly found a nice spot and settled in to people-watch helped by a glass or three of Prosecco. A lovely lazy Italian dinner followed and we returned to the hotel for a nightcap. The following day we walked, walked and walked some more, revisiting the Piazza Bra, and the other main square, the Piazza delle Erbe, for our refreshment stops. Verona is a very beautiful, very small city, and it is very easy to cover on foot. There are numerous museums and churches which we either quickly ticked off or bypassed (our main interests are wandering around looking at the old architecture, people watching and above mentioned frequent refreshment stops). We then headed to the obligatory landmark - Juliet’s House and the balcony made famous in Romeo and Juliet. We duly joined the large crowd and took photos, added our names to the graffiti in the archway (in exchange for the promise of eternal love!) and bought a few trinkets in the attached gift shop. Cheesy maybe, but something that has to be seen when in Verona! On Friday evening we booked a table at Osteria La Fontanina, a one Michelin star restaurant with great reviews just across the river. Food was good, though not exceptional, and the restaurant itself was very quirky and seating was a bit cramped, the interior resembling more an antique shop which was quite a novel experience! I’m glad we ate there, but not sure I would go back a second time. Having taught myself Italian this year, I was keen to try it out, and even though I say so myself I did very well. As well as the usual chit chat and ordering meals etc. I managed to ask an optician to tighten my sunglasses, ask directions a few times, and order “off-menu”, even though we didn’t really need any of these, but it was good practice and such a great feeling when I was complimented. I have made a pledge to visit Italy at least once a year from now on. On Saturday we decided to go the train station and take a train somewhere. We did think about a day trip to Venice (which is easy to do from Verona), but the next train was not due for over an hour and we were in Venice last year, so we took the next train to Peschiera del Garda on Lake Garda, just a 20 minute ride. A pleasant enough town, but quite touristy and child-oriented as it’s very close to the Gardaland theme park. Had we had more time we would have gone further north, maybe to Sirmione, Malcesine or Limone. We will do the lakes properly on another trip I’m sure! Back on the train to Verona the heavens opened! The weather had been perfect up till then, so this was a real concern, as the highlight of our trip, the open air opera, was due to start at 9pm that evening. We changed and went for dinner, uncertain as to whether the performance would go ahead, experiencing feelings of optimism one minute when it appeared to brighten up, and then feeling really down the next when the rain got heavier. However, the rain stopped completely about 9.45pm, the arena staff were confident that was it, quickly dried everything off and it went ahead just after 10pm. And it was meraviglioso! We had fantastic seats in the stalls and the experience was simply wonderful. All in all another wonderful trip. I am continuing my Italian studies, and have already started planning next year’s trip to Sicily – watch this space!

11 September 2013

This was my first trip to Venice, and loving all things Italian I was very much looking forward to it. After arriving in Venice at 8.30pm a speedy water taxi took us to the beautiful Londra Palace Hotel where we stayed for 2 nights. It is a short walking distance to St Mark’s Square, so very convenient, but the (only) downside is that the area is very touristy with souvenir stalls and hawkers on the promenade right outside the hotel. St Mark’s Square in the evening is a must – 3 competing classical music groups playing at different cafes provided a last-night-at-the-proms style atmosphere and we spent a few very pleasant hours there during our stay listening to the music and people watching. Getting lost in Venice is easy – but enjoyable. We wandered up back alleys getting frustrated when we came to a dead end (ie another canal) and had to turn back. But we weren’t in a hurry – we just enjoyed the scenery and the frequent surprise of coming across a pretty little courtyard with an inviting bar/restaurant where we could take a break and a drink. We thought we would have a drink in the legendary Harry’s Bar, having had one of our best meals ever in Harry’s Bar in Rome, but beware of the dress code of long trousers for men even for just a drink during the day – we weren’t made to feel welcome and were seated in a very unatmospheric area upstairs so we decided not to stay. Far better were the random bars/cafes that we found – all good and much more reasonable prices. Venice has a reputation of being really expensive, but there are many places which are reasonable –soft drink were on average around 4 Euros, glass of wine/ beer about 8 Euros, and pizza around 12 Euros, which for a touristy city is not too bad. 80 Euros for a 30 minute gondola ride, but worth it! Water taxis, however, are VERY expensive – minimum charge 50 Euros, and 110 Euros to the airport. Water buses (vaparettos) are much more reasonable and you can buy 12 hour, day, or multi-day passes without breaking the budget. You cannot really avoid using some form of water transport in Venice and although a pleasant way to get around, the vaparettos can get extremely busy during high season, and with so much water traffic around it’s not always a smooth journey! We then made our way to the San Basilio port to embark the beautiful Royal Clipper. Such a beautiful 5 masted sailing ship, with elegant dark wooden furnishings. Sailaway each evening is not to be missed and sailing from Venice was magical, up the Giudecca Canal and along the lagoon, watching people take photos of us, flashbulbs going off several times a second in the setting sun. On the last evening we had a wonderful experience seeing the ship with all the sails up from tender boats. Food was good and plentiful, although perhaps not excellent, and the crew were friendly enough, but the experience is mainly about the ship and meeting fellow passengers. There is no entertainment as such, as on “normal” cruise ships, although they did have an hour each evening at 10pm where they tried to get us to join in things like a fashion show, a pirate’s evening and a talent night – not to our taste, but after 11pm it reverted back to either taped music (oldies and goodies) or a singer who was very good – at first I thought it was taped music of cover versions and then I noticed him in the corner singing live. On our short 3 night cruise we visited Rovinj in Croatia, which is really pretty, and then the next day Piran in Slovenia – also pretty but Rovinj was the gem. Then back to Venice and the Hilton Molino Stucky which is located opposite the San Basilio port. A nice enough hotel with a very rare (for Venice) swimming pool on the roof, but it’s large and more impersonal, with very limited outside seating to have a drink and enjoy the views. The Venice Film Festival was taking place during our stay and we weren’t able to have an evening drink at the rooftop bar due to a private party which was very disappointing – even more disappointing was that I didn’t bump into George Clooney!! All in all another wonderful holiday!

19 June 2013

I have just returned from my fifth visit to Galley Bay Antigua, my all-time favourite beach hotel. If you don’t know Galley Bay and fancy a relaxing upmarket but casual all-inclusive holiday I would highly recommend you take a look. It's the staff, the beach, the unique pool and restaurants, and the relaxing ambience that makes this hotel really special. The rooms have everything you need, including very comfortable beds. Food was in good (some meals were superb) and we certainly didn't go hungry. The new Barefoot Grill for lunchtime burgers and wraps is excellent and right by the pool. You could eat there barefoot and in swimwear if so inclined. Nightly entertainment outside the main restaurant (the Seagrape) is fairly middle of the road with steel bands, reggae bands and jazzy style singers covering well known and touristy Caribbean music. Not many people stay till the end but the lovely south-Pacific style Tepee bar seems to be the hub of the resort where guests gather to chat – and having so many repeat guests says it all. We had a premium beachfront suite right at the northern end of the beach next to Ismay's restaurant. Galley Bay has a beautiful ¾ mile long beach – I just loved walking from one end to the other each morning, with hardly another person around, just listening to my iPod and treating myself to a cup of tea and then a long swim in the pool (empty apart from myself even though about 8.30am by now). The staff are brilliant - Ismay, one of the Ambassadors, has been there 50 years and one of the restaurants is named in her honour! We were welcomed as old friends and even if the staff didn't remember us they certainly made out they did, and that made us feel really special. This is a relaxing and casual - upmarket but not stuffy - atmosphere and most enjoyable holiday. The new manager, Chris, is always mingling with the guests and seems to be very proactive and receptive to comments and suggestions. Other than enjoying relaxing at the hotel we didn’t do much else! We did take a two hour trip with Sean (one of the approved beach “vendors”) on his new 38 foot sailing boat which was fabulous and went to the Shirley Heights steel band party which takes places every Sunday evening. It has great atmosphere and views over English Harbour. We also hired a car one day and, after getting hopelessly lost (road signs are either non-existent or faded) we arrived at the Inn at English Harbour where we had booked a lunch pass. We were shown around the hotel and facilities and I was most impressed. Beautiful colonial-style 5 star boutique hotel, with only 28 elegantly furnished rooms and a wonderful beach. The lunch we had there was the best food we had in our ten days on the island – pricey at around US$80 per person (3 courses including wine though – we made the most of it!) but delicious. The Inn offers half board basis, but there are lots of reasonably priced eateries for lunch close by in English and Falmouth Harbours. Like Galley Bay, the Inn is for adults only (or more specifically no under 10s, but it is not the sort of place teenagers would enjoy as there are no clubs or facilities for them). Both hotels are highly recommended – and our next visit to Antigua will hopefully be a twin centre staying at both the Inn and Galley Bay.

12 May 2012

I have just returned from a fabulous “fam” (= familiarisation = work!) trip to Italy. Here’s my diary: Day 1: On arrival in Rome we transferred to Hotel d’Inghilterra, a lovely characterful 88 room hotel in superb central location. We took a short walk to Villa Spalletti Trivelli for a site inspection and lunch - a beautiful old residence, which is now a 12 room hotel; a home from home and a relaxing haven in the heart of Rome. After a typical Italian lunch (large and delicious) we had a minibus tour around Rome’s major sights. Then it was back to the hotel for martinis followed by another sumptuous meal. Day 2: We started off with a walking tour of central Rome where each turned corner brought another delight. Then it was on to Bernini Bristol Hotel for lunch. Fairly ordinary looking from the outside, but you couldn’t fail to be wowed on the inside, particularly the spectacular roof terrace with amazing views over Rome. Another typical Italian meal (large and delicious in case you didn’t realise!). We then walked back to the hotel via the Spanish Steps, which were adorned with beautiful flowers. After collecting our bags we drove to Civitavecchia to embark on our 3 night adventure onboard Royal Clipper, the world’s largest and tallest sailing ship (max 227 passengers). WOW! An authentic sailing ship with cruise ship luxuries. After lifeboat drill and another gorgeous Italian meal we set off. Sailaway is a memorable experience – Vangelis’ haunting Conquest of Paradise is played as you stand on deck watching the coastal lights twinkle into the distance. Magical. Day 3: After a very restful night – comfortable bed and smooth sailing (just a soothing sloosh-sloosh of the waves outside my portholes) - the passengers were introduced to the crew. We anchored off Ponza, a small, quiet and pretty island (just 3,500 inhabitants). Being a Sunday not many shops were open but we enjoyed a walk and some delicious ice cream (the first of many!). In the evening we watched a fashion show on board followed by live and taped music suiting all tastes. Day 4: Royal Clipper anchored off Sorrento and here began our stretch of spectacular scenery. We had a coffee at the Excelsior Vittoria hotel then hopped on a minibus to Pompeii. It was my second visit to Pompeii but this one was more enjoyable – the guide was more knowledgeable and more “exhibits” were on display. We then had a quick dash back to Sorrento for Sailaway to Capri for the evening. Just as we were finishing a very rushed pizza we were informed that conditions were too rough to visit Capri - the local tenders are very small and it would be too dangerous, even though conditions seemed fine at Sorrento. So disappointment at not seeing Capri, but great we had more time in Sorrento. After a leisurely couple more hours we returned to the ship for drinks, dinner (yes another typical Italian meal!), Sailaway and a music quiz in the Tropical Bar. Day 5: Arrived at Amalfi after another smooth night’s sailing and said our goodbyes to the Royal Clipper. We were all sad to be leaving here - “normal” passengers were sailing onto Sicily and back to Rome. We enjoyed a short walking tour of Amalfi, including the amazing cathedral, before visiting Ravello. The Amalfi Coast is a stunning area of Italy. Ravello was peaceful compared to bustling Amalfi and after visiting Villa Rufolo and its beautiful gardens we had some spare time for more ice cream! We then drove back to Sorrento to spend our last night at the Grand Hotel Cocumella. I totally fell in love with this former monastery and its beautiful gardens stretching down to the sea. We were welcomed like old friends and the view of the gardens, huge swimming pool and sea from my balcony was dominated by Vesuvius. So relaxing and beautiful. Day 6: Early morning wander around the gardens before saying a sad farewell to Cocumella and Italy itself. Please contact me if you are interested in a cruise with a difference and/or breaks to Italy (or indeed elsewhere!) As Arnold Schwarzeneger once said – “I’ll be back”. Hmmmmm, think I just might!

23 April 2012

Having travelled with Silversea last year where we had such an amazing time, I had high expectations with this trip. We got off to a brilliant start, with 5 nights at the very impressive One and Only hotel in Cape Town where we did little more than laze by the stunning pool and eat and drink at the V&A Waterfront area (oh and a lengthy tour and wine tasting at de Grendel Winery which produces very drinkable wines!). We then set off on Silversea's Silver Wind bound for Maputo, Mozambique before returning to Cape Town 10 nights later. The ship is smaller than the Silver Shadow which we sailed on last year (see my earlier journal), which in my opinion is not a bad thing. But if you are a Silversea regular, then you will need to know that the cabins and public areas are smaller than their other ships. However, the evening entertainment was better than last year, the crew were great and we had a marvellous time. Due to windy weather the ship was late arriving into Cape Town so it was fairly chaotic at embarkation, and when we reached Port Elizabeth our first port of call we were unable to do the fly-in elephant back safari we had booked due to rain at the airstrip at Addo Elephant Park. That's the nature of cruising, however - if your tour is cancelled due to weather or late arrival you won’t be able to try again the next day! Maputo was interesting - a large city with a lot of poverty, but with a lot of interesting architecture, and it was good to tick another country off my list, even though we were there only a few hours! Our next port of call, Richard's Bay, proved to be the highlight of the trip - we successfully embarked on a safari at Hluhluwe where we saw lots of giraffe, elephant, white rhino, impala, water buffalo, zebra, warthog and many species of birds. The zebras and elephants were particularly exciting, the former galloping quickly past our open sided safari vehicle, and the latter a group of about 20 crossed the road in front of us, stopping and turning to face us ominously. After the safari we did the real touristy bit and visited a Zulu traditional village (a very touristy one!) to watch some dancing and have some traditional dinner. The following day we did a lake cruise at St Lucia Nature Reserve where hippos and crocodiles were in abundance, and again it was a very good day. We sailed on to Durban where we found a fabulous local African restaurant for lunch, and then onto East London. Unfortunately our planned safari at Inkwenkweze had to be cancelled due to bad weather, so we had a mooch around the town and a drink in a bar overlooking the ocean. All in all we very much enjoyed our holiday, we were just a bit unlucky with the weather and sea conditions. As said previously, the Silver Wind isn’t quite as premium as Silver Shadow, but it is still a marvellous ship and the staff can’t do enough for you. So I'm rating this trip a Silver rather than Gold, but am looking forward to sailing with Silversea again as soon as I can.

05 December 2011

Jersey – one of the Channel Islands and a little gem right on your doorstep. Just a short hop by plane, you feel that you have gone much further afield when you arrive and are greeted by palm trees. Some people may not consider the idea of holidaying so close to home, but if you are one of those do have a rethink. We went to Jersey for four nights early October 2011. It was not the warmest time of year, especially as it coincided with the END of the late heat wave, but it certainly wasn’t cold or rainy, and we had a fabulous time. Our hotel, the Longueville Manor, was as the name suggests an old manor house – and was superb. We couldn’t fault a thing – we were made to feel so welcome and felt like old friends returning. It is set in beautiful gardens with a lovely outdoor swimming pool (unfortunately too chilly to make use of it) and an impressive kitchen garden where they grow their own fruit, vegetables and flowers for the hotel and restaurant. The only thing I would “fault”, if I were pushed to find something, would be that its location just north east of St Helier means that it has no view of the sea. But you can’t have EVERYTHING! Jersey is full of charm and has a staggering amount of top quality restaurants. We ate in both their Michelin starred restaurants, both of which were fully deserving of the accolade. Bohemia on the Thursday night, and then Oceans at the Atlantic Hotel on the Friday night – this was our favourite, nothing could be faulted. It’s expensive, but it was one of those meals where it just didn’t matter what the price tag was, it was worth every penny. Our favourite place for lunch was the Oyster Box, set on the stunning St Brelades Bay. The beach is long and wide, and ideal for walking off your calorific lunch! A close second has to be Suma’s in Gorey, where, if you’re lucky or reserve a table well in advance, you can dine on a small balcony overlooking the harbour - perfect for long lazy lunches. The restaurant at Longueville Manor should not be overlooked either – very elegant fine dining. Ask for a table in the Oak Room as this is very traditional, with oak-panelled walls, compared to the other dining area which is much more modern and more suited to breakfast or lunch there. Jersey is very much influenced by the French due to its location and history, and this certainly manifests itself with the standard of cuisine. As you may expect, there is a lot of seafood on offer too. Hiring a car is a great idea on Jersey – the island is only 9 by 5 miles and you can see most of the island in a couple of days. Journeys take a bit longer than you might think, as a lot of the roads are narrow and winding, and you do have to keep stopping to take photographs! Corbiere Lighthouse is a great spot – watch the waves gushing forcefully upwards as the tide comes in and covers the walkway at high tide. The Jersey War Tunnels is a thought-provoking experience but very interesting, with a few interactive exhibits. The Zoo (founded by Gerald Durrell) is a great half day out too. We have been to Jersey 3 times before so had “done most of it”, but it was lovely to have a refresher, and even if you just hire a car and drive around the island, stopping for refreshments along the way at the many harbours and beaches, you will have a great relaxing time taking in the beautiful, sometimes rugged, scenery. Definitely worth considering for a long weekend, or a shorter holiday of say five to seven nights, you will feel as if you are a lot further from home. I would recommend Jersey to anybody – great for families, great for couples young and old, and also for groups of friends.

24 April 2011

After a lovely week in the suburbs of Sydney staying with some friends who have emigrated down under, we joined the Silversea Silver Shadow for a magnificent and memorable cruise. Starting off in Sydney and ending up in Singapore, we called in along the way at Brisbane, Hamilton Island, Cairns, Thursday Island, Kupang, Komodo Island, and Bali, which made for a very interesting and varied itinerary. The cruise lasted 15 nights, with a total of 7 days at sea, so it was a nice mixture of going ashore and exploring and staying onboard and relaxing. Sydney was warm but cloudy and we had a bit of rain, but as we travelled north it got progressively hotter and more humid with lots of sunshine. There were many highlights on this trip, and space prevents me from mentioning all of them, but here are the best of the bunch: Sydney: Performance of Madame Butterfly at the Sydney Opera House. If there is one place in the world to see an opera, then Sydney is it. Even if you are not a fan of opera music, this is a must-see/must-do - I defy anyone not to be moved by the power of the performance. The galley brunch on board: On one of the days at sea, guests were invited into the ship's galley where a lavish buffet was set up - a major photo opportunity and a real wow factor with amazing fruit, ice and chocolate carvings decorating the already beautiful presentation of a huge variety of food. Get there early so you can see the buffet in all its glory before it starts getting eaten! Brisbane: Cuddling koalas and hand-feeding kangaroos. It was also good to see that Brisbane had recovered well from the flooding a few weeks ago - we could see no evidence of the earlier devastation. Komodo Island: Seeing real komodo dragons up close. They were smaller than I was expecting, but I think the smaller less dangerous ones had been fed (and were therefore sleepier and less inclined to attack!) and put close to the paths where we walked, so that sightings were guaranteed. Bali: Riding an elephant was THE highlight of our trip and left us determined to go back and repeat the experience! We were honoured to ride the same elephant as David and Victoria Beckham had done a while back (so we were told!), and our elephant Mr Wong was a real character - he even "played" the harmonica in exchange for a banana or two! Bali itself is beautiful - stunning scenery with lots of rice fields. The ship itself was also a major highlight! Accommodating a maximum of 382 passengers, the Silver Shadow has very spacious cabins, everything is spotlessly clean, the crew are superb - friendly and professional, and we enjoyed some of the best food we have ever eaten anywhere. The ship operates on an all inclusive basis so all food, drinks and gratuities are included - with the exception of the speciality restaurant Le Champagne where you pay $30 per person and purchase wine from the chargeable wine list. This may sound excessive when you are on all inclusive, but it was worth every penny. Little touches also contributed towards a VIP experience: - such as the luxurious Bvlgari toiletries in the bathroom, the butler shining our shoes without being asked before the formal evenings, a personalised menu at Le Champagne which was delivered to our cabin after our meal, the bar tenders remembering our names and our favourite drinks (and actually ensuring stock was later available when we asked for a brand that wasn't onboard when we embarked), the maitre d' accompanying the ladies to their table with linked arms, one of the waiters making me a rose out of a paper napkin..... I could go on, there were so many nice touches and gestures throughout our cruise. Initially Silversea may appear to be expensive, but with so much included in the price and the 6 star accommodation, food, service and treatment it really is well worth the splurge. So, once again I am voting my latest holiday my best ever trip. As some of you know, I have become a real fan of cruising on small ships, and this journey has done everything to consolidate my belief that cruising is a most wonderful way to see the world, and I can recommend Silversea Cruises 1,000 percent! Contact me if you would like to have a wonderful experience yourself.

11 November 2010

Like many people, I had never really considered visiting Northern Cyprus, but when I was invited to take part in an educational trip there I jumped at the chance to learn more, and I am now eager to return. We stayed at the 5 star Mercure Hotel & Wellness in Kyrenia on the northern coast for 4 nights – it has one of the best swimming pools I’ve come across and it was such a shame we didn’t have much spare time to make full use of it (one good reason I want to return!) – and we packed a lot of hotel visits and sightseeing into our itinerary. We visited castles, museums, mosques, ancient sites, and beaches, and took in trips to Nicosia (the only remaining divided capital in the world) and Famagusta. Northern Cyprus is a fabulous uncrowded, uncommercialised destination, full of character and history, and friendly people. There is a touch of the exotic mingling with its natural beauty and wildlife, with opportunities to go hiking, cycling, birdwatching, and – from May – nesting turtles which start to hatch in July. Add to this the good variety of quality hotels, casinos, spas, clean beaches, golf and diving, and there really is something for everyone here. The highlights of my trip (and all good reasons to return!) were: * Bellapais Abbey, a beautiful 12th century Gothic monastery close to Kyrenia; * Having a nightcap at Kyrenia harbour at one of its many pavement cafes – you can even try a traditional hubble bubble pipe here; * Lunch in Nicosia at the Buyuk Han, a charming 16th century courtyard, a former inn, made up of craft shops and the Sedirhan Café; * The wonderful meze dinner starters (the local equivalent of tapas) available almost everywhere; * The Roman ruins at Salamis near Famagusta; * Petek Patisserie in Famagusta – rightly famous as a “cake heaven” (Note to self: make sure I leave more than an hour between lunch and Petek’s next time!); * The stunning views from the hillsides over the northern coast, and the amazing sunsets. * As a cat lover I was amazed at how many cats were roaming around, even in the hotel grounds – happily they all appeared very healthy and friendly, otherwise my suitcase would have been overflowing with poor little rescued moggies! * And, last but not least, the weather – 25 degrees and clear blue skies in early November – was simply fantastic. One area we didn’t have time to visit was the Karpas peninsula with its many deserted beaches, and where wild donkeys roam – another good reason to return! We flew direct to Larnaca in the south with British Airways, the transfer time to Kyrenia was a smooth 1.5 hours and the border crossing was hassle-free, driving is on the left-hand side, and the sockets are British 3-pin, so it all felt very civilised - and the currency is the Turkish Lira so no expensive Euros! All in all ten out of ten!

04 October 2010

To celebrate my 50th birthday I went to Alaska in July 2010 with my husband and two friends - 2 nights LA, 2 nights Vancouver, 2 nights Anchorage, then a 7 night cruise back to Vancouver on board the wonderful Regent Seven Seas Navigator. We started off in LA, staying in Beverly Hills at the very nice Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire hoping to spot some celebrities (we had two definite sightings!), and the weather was so hot - Universal Studios in 90+ degree heat was a challenge to say the least! Vancouver was lovely and warm too, and we took the opportunity to relax by the pool at the Pan Pacific hotel which overlooks the harbour - it has a great location right by the cruise terminal. Then on to Anchorage where the weather was getting a little cooler but still fine. We saw our first wildlife only a few yards outside Anchorage airport - a mother and two baby moose crossing the road. We had ARRIVED!! We spent a lovely day at the Alyeska Hotel Resort close to Anchorage and went up the cable car for lunch at the mountain top restaurant. There was still snow on the ground in July and it was breathtaking. The cruise itself was fantastic, lots of relaxation interspersed with exhiliarating excursions, such as kayaking in the rain(!), fly fishing and bear watching. The fly fishing trip was interesting - just the four of us and a guide walking through "bear country" (the guide carried a gun but fortunately didn't have to use it!). Unfortunately the weather was not kind to us on the day we were due to go dog sledding so we had to shelve that idea, but the bear watching more than made up for missing the dogs. A short seaplane journey to Neets Bay out in the wilderness near Ketchikan and we were treated to several bears catching salmon in the stream right next to us. Every day we woke up to a different destination, and we have some lovely memories of seeing the glaciers at close hand, and sailing past small blue-tinted icebergs in millpond-calm waters. Regent Seven Seas Navigator is a lovely small ship (only 490 guests at maximum occupancy) and all your drinks are included as well as all meals. Most shore excursions are also free of charge (but there is a charge for trips that involve seaplanes or helicopters). Wonderful staterooms, wonderful crew and service, and the food was always divine (and plentiful!) - I highly recommend it!