13 December 2019

I was lucky to attend the launch of MSC Grandiosa in November 2019 with some of my colleagues. We visited the ship for an overnight stay while she was docked in Southampton and the biggest compliment I can give is that my short stay was not enough! I was blown away when I initially walked onboard by the sense of grandeur everywhere I turned such as huge open spaces, plush décor and Swarovski crystal stairs. I was particularly impressed by the ever-changing LED dome that stretches 93m on the indoor promenade. We witnessed paintings of huge colourful flowers, hot air balloons in a bright blue sky and the starry night sky and it was amazing! We stayed in a balcony cabin which was modern and well appointed. It came complete with Zoe (as do all rooms), your virtual personal cruise assistant, who can answer questions, act as a speaker for your music and even switch on the stateroom TV. We also went on a tour to see many of the other room types and there is an option for all family and group sizes. The cabins for families for example can accommodate up to 10 people in comfort in 2 interconnected rooms. We also visited suites with walk in wardrobes and hot tubs on the balcony! The MSC Grandiosa also caters extensively for kids on board and on shore. Kids and Teen clubs for all ages themed by Chicco or Lego, an indoor sports court, F1 simulators, a bowling alley, a huge aquapark and so much more. There are also dining options for kids such as speedy dining with the family and then being escorted to the kids’ clubs while the family sit back and enjoy dinner as well as shore excursions specifically made with families in mind. The pool area is spacious with plenty sun beds and there is also an indoor pool and many hot tubs scattered throughout. There is a varied entertainment programme including an exclusive partnership creating Cirque du Soleil at Sea - although I did not get to see it myself, I have heard it is not to be missed! There is 11 dining venues and 20 bars and lounges scattered throughout. We loved the Sky Bar on deck 18, adults only with views on the pool area and an extensive drinks menu. Food wise I had the BEST pizza I have had at sea! I really want to return to cruise with this ship to enjoy all of the above and with the added bonus of waking up somewhere new every day! Whether you are new to cruise or a seasoned cruiser, I can help you find the perfect cruise for you and yours. Why not get in touch today to start planning?

22 December 2019

In October 2019 I visited Milan for a quick weekend break with my partner, my 2 brothers and their partners. Italian food is my absolute favourite and I decided to put together my own food walking tour of Milan during our visit. We ended up splitting our tour over our visit but if you had a full day, your walking shoes and an empty stomach you could visit most of these together in one day. We started at Pavé Milano (Via Felice Casati 27) which is a few minutes’ walk from Central Station where our bus from Bergamo airport had dropped us off. Pavé is a small but extremely busy bakery and pastry shop. We arrived to a queue to get into this trendy establishment. After a brief wait, we ordered a selection from the menu including sweet and savoury croissants, fresh baked breads, fruit pastries, coffee and fresh juices. Prices were reasonable, we paid around €10pp for a huge selection and it was all amazing. We ventured to Brera for dinner and selected Il Kaimano restaurant (Via Fiori Chiari) where we had wood fired pizzas and seafood pasta. We also tried Ossobuco, one of the local specialities, which is a braised veal shank. In this case it was served with Risotto alla Milanese; a rich risotto flavoured with saffron and parmesan. Prices varied from around €12 to €25 depending on choice and the food was very good. TOP TIP: Brera is one of the best food districts in Milan, many of the places on my list (some of which we didn’t get to) were in this area. Restaurants of the same quality and style as Il Kaimano line each narrow street and you have a choice of places to visit, some restaurants offering various special rates throughout the evening. After dinner we wanted dessert (of course) and walked up to Pattini Bakery (Via Solferino) for pastries and coffee. There is a huge selection of “treat size” pastries which are charged by weight as well as tarts and other desserts and anything we tried was delicious. We visited again for take away the following day! It wouldn’t be a visit to Milan without going for Aperitivo in the evening. A local institution, most bars and restaurants we passed had evening specials for cocktails with and without food. My preferred area to visit would be by the canals in Navigli. I would suggest getting there early in the evening (or pre book if you can) especially if you are travelling with a group as seats are like gold dust. Grab a seat, a cocktail and watch the world go by. On our second day, we did a mix of visiting locations I had pre-selected as well as finding gems along the way. We spent the entire day wandering the centre of Milan including the Piazza Duomo (or Cathedral square) and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele where we partook in the good luck ritual by turning on our right heels three times on the mosaic of the bull on the floor in the centre. We wandered narrow streets finding homemade pasta and pizza to takeaway in Spontini (Via Raffaele) and gelato creations in Cioccolat Italiani just opposite. We stopped roadside for coffee and pastries in one of many café restaurants along the way and ventured over once again to Brera. We picked a random restaurant from its many offerings for a wonderful dinner topping off a wonderful time in Milan. Some notable places that we did not get to visit either due to full stomachs or closed hours (be sure to check opening times) were Rossi & Grassi deli (Brera), Tasta Gelateria (Brera), Piz (Via Torino – near to Duomo) and Panzerotti Luini (Via Santa Radegonda – near to Duomo). If you are a foodie like me and would like to sample some of Italy’s finest, contact me today to find out more.

15 October 2019

In April 2018 my partner Paul and I went on a 3-week holiday taking in 2 Caribbean cruises. Our first cruise was onboard Celebrity Reflection for an 11-night cruise aptly named the “Ultimate Caribbean”. It was our first-time cruising with Celebrity cruises and the Reflection was at the time one of their largest ships. Celebrity is a luxurious cruise line and this was evident in the service, the food and the general atmosphere of the ship. Our days were spent lounging on padded sun loungers sipping on cocktails and our evenings were a buzz of culinary delights and entertainment. Our room was a partially obstructed view balcony which we enjoyed sitting on in the evenings to watch the sunset. At our stops we partook in a wide variety of activities; in Grand Cayman we visited the famous “Stingray City”, a sandbar in the middle of the ocean where wild stingrays have been tamed over time and weave in and around the visiting tourists. We even got to briefly hold one and it was amazing! In Cartagena we spent the afternoon wandering the quaint streets before returning to a quiet afternoon on board the ship as everyone else was in port. Aruba was our adventure stop as we joined a UTV (off road vehicle) tour. We visited a national park and even did some cliff diving and it was the experience of a lifetime. Aruba was also an overnight port and we choose this night to go to some of the speciality dining on board and visited the Italian restaurant the Tuscan Grille. In Bonaire we took a taxi and visited a local beach resort for the day and in Curacao we went off on a snorkelling trip and visited several beautiful reefs. We disembarked and we visited Sawgrass Mills outlets which are one of the largest outlets in the US and were a short drive from the cruise port. Two other couples from home joined us to go on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas the next day. The Harmony of the Seas is the second largest cruise ship in the world, and it is spectacular in both its size and in its variety of activities and facilities. On our first night we went to see the ships production of Grease and we also went to the Love and Marriage gameshow, the Ice-skating show and the Fine Line which is the outdoor show in the Aqua theatre featuring aerial stunts and diving. We visited Cozumel in Mexico and went off snorkelling as a group, we went to Ocho Rios in Jamaica and visited the “Blue Hole” a series of waterfalls and pools to hike around and jump into as well as going river tubing and sampling the local jerk chicken. Lastly, we stopped at Labadee in Haiti which is Royal Caribbean's own port and we spent the day sunbathing, swimming and enjoying a BBQ provided by Royal Caribbean. It was also a bonus that our drinks package also worked on land on this day! Overall this holiday was the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure on two completely different ships and we loved every minute! If you think you would love the above as much as I did, please contact me to find out more!

15 October 2019

In April 2017, my partner Paul and I set off on a 6-week adventure via Dubai through Asia. It was to date the best trip we have ever been on and will be hard to top! We set a budget for the trip and decided to mix it up between luxury accommodation and more budget options throughout whilst also alternating between relaxation, cultural experiences and enjoying some nightlife. We started with a long weekend in Dubai where we visited the Dubai mall, went on a jeep safari in the desert and took part in the "brunch" tradition on a day visit to the impressive Atlantis The Palm Resort. From Dubai we ventured onwards to Thailand starting in Phuket for a few days where we stayed in Patong and sampled some of the nightlife it is famous for. We moved onwards to Phi Phi where we stayed in bungalows on the beach and took an amazing boat trip to visit the surrounding areas. It rained like crazy and somehow this made it all the better swimming in the hot Indian ocean! We took a short flight to Koh Samui and hopped on a ferry to the nearby Koh Phangan where we stayed in a boutique hotel. We spent a week here in a Balinese style villa with private pool and exceptional food and service. We had spa treatments and other perks included in our package and it was amazing. In the evenings we visited local food markets and we ventured across to Haad Rin for the world-famous full moon party during our stay. Lastly, we moved on to Koh Samui where we relaxed for a few days in a beach hotel. After Thailand we visited Kuala Lumpur. We first travelled down to Port Dickson and stayed in an extremely unique hotel, that is the world's largest collection of water villas all styled in the shape of a hibiscus flower. The room was amazing and had a private pool. I was glad to visit it once but probably would not return as it has made me add added visiting a water villa in a perhaps more tropical setting such as the Maldives to my bucket list! We journeyed onwards to Kuala Lumpur and spent a few days taking in the sights and local cuisine. We had a unique dinner when we visited the highly recommended "Dine in the Dark" restaurant where you dine in complete darkness and have no idea what the menu contains! All of the servers are blind or visually impaired and guide you through your meal, I would highly recommend it! Our last stop on our trip was to visit the Philippines of which I was most excited. We stayed for a week on the world-famous White Beach. The beach is split into 3 stations and we were situated in station 3 and it was an easy walk along the beach to eat, drink and relax. Lastly we went to El Nido. El Nido is often that paradise you see with kayaks and clear waters depicted in videos online and it did not disappoint. El Nido itself is rustic but you visit to go off on boat trips and explore some of the 7000+ islands that make up the Philippines. We first stayed in a very unique glamping option in the forest off the beach and the views each morning were amazing before moving on to a budget hotel. We had the trip of a lifetime and I would love to do it all over again! If you would like to go on a big adventure like mine, feel free to contact me to discuss and get planning!

15 October 2019

We haven't only cruised in the Caribbean, we also went on an 10 night Asian cruise in 2015. We embarked in Singapore and spent a wonderful few days prior to the cruise exploring this city-country. It was the cleanest and safest place we had ever visited and steeped in the different cultures making up its heritage. We visited many attractions such as the Gardens by the Bay where there is a spectacular light show! We didn't stay in the Marina Bay Sands which boasts the longest infinity pool in the world but we did visit for a chocolate and cheese buffet one evening and had a view over the entire bay. We also partook in a food tour one evening and sampled many unique and wonderful dishes. Singapore is known to be expensive, but we found that you can holiday here with any budget. We visited numerous "hawker markets" which are mostly like warehouses with food stalls throughout and had some of the nicest food we have ever had and great value. These stalls are all hygiene rated so you knew you were always eating from clean establishments! We then embarked on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas. This was a smaller and older ship that has since left Royal Caribbean. Having been on both large and smaller cruises I do prefer mid to large sized ships just for the variety of experiences, but the smaller ships also have perks as they are less crowded and have a more laid-back atmosphere. Our ports in Thailand were Koh Samui where we visited the beach for the day and Laem Chabang which was two hours away from Bangkok. This was an overnight port so we took advantage, booked a transfer and stayed in Bangkok for the night. We took a boat tour on the river including visiting some floating markets and visited the sites such as the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and the famous Khao San Road for some drinks and to watch the world go by. We also visited Thipsamai restaurant which claims to be the oldest Pad Thai restaurant in Bangkok and it lived up to all expectations and for under €5. After Thailand we went to Sihanoukville in Cambodia and Nha Trang in Vietnam where we visited some local beaches. We also visited Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and took a scooter tour through the city. Crossing the road in Vietnam was an experience but you just had to go for it and let the traffic weave around you! I would definitely visit Singapore and Asia on a cruise again. The cruise was a great way to sample some of Asia and it led to me booking a 6-week trip to Asia in 2017! If any of the above sounds like it might interest you, please feel free to reach out to me and we can plan your next adventure!