21 April 2025

Home now 24 hours from my break onboard Scenic Eclipse. This Discovery Yacht sets a benchmark for Ultra Luxury 6 Star expedition cruising. Settling into my Veranda suite , we made good time departing Santa Cruz de Tenerife, bound for neighbouring La Palma. This first stop, a dramatic island that gets a small fraction of visitors compared to its neighbours, has the obvious upside of a serenity sel

05 November 2024

Cruises seem to be like buses for me in 2024. You never see them, then two come along in 2 months! Explora is the new ultra luxury division launched by MSC. My vessel of choice was Explora I, launched just last year, with their most recent addition, Explora II only in operation since SEP24. My short trip was an exploratory 4 night journey from Venice, south through the Adriatic, via Croatia & Mo

01 November 2024

It’s not normally a type of trip that’s ever been on my radar but having taken a last-minute decision on a Riviera Travel Rhine cruise, I have to say I am absolutely sold! As it turns out, there is something serene about peacefully traversing one of Europe’s greatest arterial waterways - who knew?! Flying into Düsseldorf from Dublin, with a short transfer to the MS Oscar Wilde (docked in Köln) I

20 December 2021

Immediately prior to pandemic lockdown in March 2020, I’d taken a first trip to any Nordic country with a long overdue visit to Iceland. My first time on an aircraft since then and deferred from 2020 due to Covid travel restrictions, I was Nordic bound again, flying mid-December 2021 to Finnish Lapland. A charter flight direct from Dublin into northern Finnish airport of Kuusamo (800km due north o

20 February 2020

After procrastinating for 30 years, I shouldn’t have been surprised at a 24 hour delay to my flight to Reykjavik – it was winter in Iceland after all! What I was more surprised at was the ease at which our exclusive partner OBEO Travel were able to rearrange transfers, accommodation and tours in a few short hours with the typical Icelandic good humour – All done less than 24 hours before travellin

16 November 2018

A quick week away to Mexico was a great immersion in the country for my first trip a little while back. Whether you connect via the US or fly direct from a European hub, there is no escaping the gargantuan size of the capital – Mexico City. On approach in the evening, the lights of the city below seem to appear so long before your actual touchdown. This is additional reinforcement of the 9 m

26 June 2018

Selected to represent Travel Counsellors on a trip organised by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Visitors Bureau, I flew direct from London Gatwick into Fort Lauderdale / Hollywood International Airport (FLL), one of a growing number of US destinations offered by this new carrier, shaking up the transatlantic market. Probably best described as a ‘low cost / long haul’ operator, Norwegian operate the

16 October 2017

A long overdue visit to Canada’s British Columbia province was everything I always hoped it would have been. Beginning in Vancouver city with a great hotel location in Yaletown had any number of dining options within a short distance. This most walkable of cities initially had us at the central Canada Place from where the ‘FlyOver Canada’ experience is located. We entered not knowing what to

11 July 2017

First time to Canada after more than a dozen times to the US and I certainly was not disappointed. Using the Air Canada Rouge direct flight from Dublin to Toronto (Vancouver also in the summer season) was seamless. Pitched as a ‘low cost’ carrier I certainly didn’t feel that corners had been cut excessively. No seat back TV’s initially throws people, but with their notice to have the Air Canada

29 July 2015

If I had a penny for everyone who had the idea of driving Route 66… I have done it myself and for the most part I was unimpressed, in comparison to a drive I did before then. I fine-tuned my plan and ended up with the following route: https://goo.gl/maps/Mysu3 Flying into the ‘Mile High City’ of Denver, Colorado was to be my start point. An easy night there to recuperate before heading the 200

13 July 2015

I experienced some new amazing places I'd heard of and revisited some of my favourites on my milestone 30th trip to South Africa recently. I flew over with British Airways who operate their new Airbus A380 aircraft to Johannesburg and this experience really was a step forward in quality, space and service. Recovering from the 10 hour flight from London was made much easier by a short stay at th

13 March 2014

This family trip to the Republic of Mauritius (Île Maurice) was for a big birthday for my father-in-law. We stayed in the wonderful Lux La Morne on the south west corner of the island. It’s so named for the freestanding La Morne Brabant Mountain, which rises immediately from sea level to over 550m. Standing on the beach, the views looking up at this iconic UNESCO World Heritage mountain are on

18 February 2014

For my fourth visit to the Maldives we decided to celebrate and go all out, spending 16 nights in one of the most impressive properties in the country (and maybe the world?) Shangri-la’s Villingili is situated on the most southern point in the country. Instead of the typical seaplane or boat journey, this actually requires an additional transfer by domestic plane to the airport at Gan from you

18 February 2014

A lifelong awaited trip to Easter Island (Rapa Nui). Arguably the world’s most remote inhabited island, it can be reached from the Chilean capital Santiago on LAN’s thrice weekly flight (or coming westbound from Tahiti). Famous above all for the 800+ stone statues (or Moai) scattered throughout, Easter Island is now declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Bodies carved from the solidified

18 February 2014

We brought my mother on her first trip to Thailand and there is nowhere to improve upon the incomparable Dhara Dhevi in Chiang Mai in the north of the country (previously managed by the Mandarin Oriental group). This paradise of a hotel is built within 60 acres of locally farmed rice paddy fields and is home to, quite likely, the world’s top spa. Previously employed rice farmers have now been

18 February 2014

My 29th visit to South Africa (honestly!). This time to try and improve my time on the incredible Cape Argus bike ride. Staying in a great central location at the Mandela Rhodes Place in the middle of the ‘Mother City’ which provides spacious apartments, a great pool deck and great food. A very necessary relaxing time afterward in the picturesque Cape Winelands village of Franschhoek allowing

15 October 2013

A trip to New Zealand to visit my sister brought me back to the beautiful Marlborough province of the South Island; home to the eponymous Marlborough Sounds coastal area and is also renowned as the premier white wine producing area in the entire country. All of the above makes this a whole destination in itself. We drove around the relatively compact area enjoying all that it had to offer, incl

15 October 2013

I travelled in May 2013 to the newly opened 5 Star St Regis Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi with my family. I found this to be a great time of year to visit before the very hot summer. Located on a fantastic 12km stretch of beach with a sparse 3 luxury hotels at this location. It’s fantastic for walks as far as the horizon with uninterrupted views, certainly harder to come by in Dubai in my experi