Mark Nicholls hikes across western Crete with a group of solo travellers from the Mistral Hotel. Guest feature by Mark Nicholls Across the mountainous landscape of western Crete, diverse paths plot a course through some of the Mediterranean’s finest walking terrain. They edge along cliff sides, open onto broad beaches, descend into shaded woodland, or […]
The Mayflower Pilgrims in Delfshaven
Delfshaven and the Mayflower Pilgrims departure for the New World: In 1608 a group of religious Separatists who ultimately became known as the Mayflower Pilgrims escaped from England and made their way briefly to Amsterdam before the Mayflower Pilgrims settled for 11 years in Leiden. Here they enjoyed enough freedom to pursue their religious life as […]
Les Deux Alpes, France – Ski Resort Review
Les Deux Alpes – snow-sure skiing in a friendly French resort. Les Deux Alpes ( or Les 2 Alpes) is located in the Southern Alpes in the Isère region of France. It is the second oldest ski resort in France after Chamonix. The two alps refer to the villages of Mont de Lans and Venosc […]
Staycation in Scotland
Where to Stay in Scotland. Many of us at the moment want to travel. Yet, while we are all craving a break away from home, for many the idea of getting on a plane just doesn’t appeal. Apart from the complex new regulations around air-travel after lockdown, there’s also that risk that a local flareup […]
Goolet Sailing around Croatia
Croatia dreaming As travellers, it’s hard to plan in these times of Corona. There’s certainly too much uncertainty to book too far ahead. So we are likely going to find ourselves making last-minute bookings once we know routes have opened up and we can travel safely. Having postponed most of their May and June charters, expert […]
Lockdown in Pistoia, a hidden treasure in Tuscany.
Ciao from Pistoia. Guest post: from Michela Ricciarelli – a professional tour leader who, in addition to working for some of the leading food tours operators in Tuscany, can be hired to help you plan your own holiday or to lead gourmet, art or fashion tours of the area. An authentic medieval town located in […]
Wines of Le Marche and Roasted Red Pepper Pesto
Guest Post by Madeline Jones from Hotel Leone – Le Marche Wines Introduction Last year, when we could travel freely, I was lucky enough to visit Hotel Leone in Le Marche and to meet Madeline and her husband Tim. I LOVED the place and was hoping to return this year. Sadly that looks unlikely – […]
Athens Food Walking Tour
Gastronomy in Athens, Greece – a Walking Tour I was in Greece as the guest of Gastronomos magazine, the foodie magazine published by the respected Kathimerini daily newspaper. I was there to cover their Food Producer Awards which were in their 9th year and to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Gastronomos with an ‘Athens Foodie Walking Tour’. I travel to […]
Eat, Sleep, Do in Porto
A quick guide to Porto – Northern Portugal – Porto Part II While for some, the whole point of Porto is Port Wine, there is a lot more to discover in this UNESCO World Heritage Site. The second-largest city in Portugal, Porto really does have a charming personality of its own. A brief visit in […]
Romania, New Year, New Wines
Wine Tourism and More in Romania: Most people know little about Romania, other than that it includes Transylvania, the home of Dracula. That’s despite the fact that Prince Charles first visited Romania in 1998 and has returned many times. Romania remains an undiscovered land. So while my visit was ostensibly for the wines, I took […]