Ibiza & Formentera

I'm in two minds about Ibiza but I kind of feel like I need to go before I get too old...

I would definitely love to visit Formentera, which looks gorgeous:

 

I'm particularly keen to stay at Atzaro, which has fabulous reviews. It's built on an orange farm and seems absolutely glorious.

A weekend in Budapest

Budapest is my favourite city in Europe, absolutely stunning and well worth at least a long weekend.

Friday

Walk across the Chain Bridge to see a beautiful view of the banks of the Danube. From the Chain Bridge you can see Budapest's main bridges, the Hungarian Parliament building, Gellért Hill, Gresham Palace and the Buda Castle.

Walk to the Buda end and take the Castle Hill Funicular up to the Castle District. Explore the Buda Palace, the cobblestone streets and the ancient castle walls. 

Afterwards take a tour of the Hospital in the Rock - an underground  network of caves that formed an emergency clinic during World War II.

Saturday

Explore VI district. Visit St. Stephen’s Basilica then walk down Andrássy Avenue until you reach Heroes’ Square. 

 
Walk around City Park and then visit the Széchenyi Baths. 

Afterwards visit the Vajdahunyad Castle.

In the afternoon take the M1 yellow metro from City Park to Vörösmarty Square. From there walk along Váci Street to do some shopping. 

Sunday

Visit the Great Market Hall to try some traditional Hungarian food. 

Cross Liberty Bridge and then climb Gellért Hill to the Citadel. 

In the afternoon walk through the Jewish District. Visit Europe’s largest Jewish temple - the Great Synagogue on Dohány Street.

Continue on to Matthias Church and the Fisherman’s Bastion for one of the best views in Budapest.

Indonesia (via Singapore)

My parents are off to Indonesia next Summer and I have been helping them plan their trip.

London - Singapore
3 nights

Hotel
Shangri-La (Deluxe Pool View, Garden Wing)

Itinerary 

Day 1
Arab Street
Sultan Mosque
Malay Heritage Centre
Chinatown Heritage Centre
Yue Hwa
Thian Hock Keng Temple
Night Safari - Singapore Zoological Gardens

Day 2

Serangoon Road
Sri Veerama KaliammanMustafa CentreAsian Civilisations MuseumThe Historic District
Singapore Sling @ Raffles Hotel

Day 3
Singapore Botanic Gardens
National Museum of Singapore
Jurong BirdPark

Singapore - Jakarta
1 night

Hotel
Kemang Icon by Alila 

Itinerary

Monas - National Monument

Taman Mini Indonesia Indah
The Istiqlal Mosque and The Catholic Cathedral
Jalan Surabaya
Old Town & Sunda Kelapa Harbour

Jakarta - Yogyakarta

3 nights

Hotel

Dusun Jogja Village Inn

Itinerary

Day 1

Borobudur Temple
Prambanan 

Ratu Boko (Sunset)

Day 2

Malioboro
Plaosan Temple

Mount Merapi

Yogyakarta - Ubud

3 nights

Hotel

Four Seasons

Itinerary

Monkey Forest
Tegalalang
Mount Batur
Pura Besakih

Ubud - Lombok

4 nights

Hotel

The Lombok Lodge

Lombok - Ubud

1 night

Hotel

Four Seasons

Ubud - Komodo and Rinca Islands

2 nights

Boat Trip
Komodo Adventure Tour

Petit St. Vincent

Just came across this spectacular hotel in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean...

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre has been on my wander list since I saw a picture of the colourful houses of Manarola many years ago...

Perched on Italy's Ligurian coast, the five villages that make up Cinque Terre (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso) all look absolutely breathtaking. I imagine it's not as unspoilt as it once was now that it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site but I'm not sure I care. 

London - Genoa - Monterosso

Hotel
Villa Steno

Day 1

Drinks
Enoteca da Eliseo

Dinner
Da Eraldo

Day 2

Sights & Activities
Visit the Old Town
Visit the New Town
Beach

Dinner

Gastronomia San Martino

Day 3

Sights & Activities
Hike from Monterosso to Vernazza (2 miles)
Visit Vernazza

Dinner
Ristorante Belforte

Day 4

Sights & Activities
Train from Monterosso to Riomaggiore
Visit Riomaggiore
Beach

Drinks
A Pie de Ma

Dinner

La Lanterna

Day 5

Sights & Activities
Train from Monterosso to Corniglia
Scalinata Lardarina
Ice-cream at Alberto Gelateria

Drinks
Bar Terza Terra

Dinner


Osteria a Cantina de Mananan

Day 6

Sights & Activities
Train from Monterosso to Manarola
Visit Manarola Harbour

Drinks
Nessun Dorma

Dinner


Trattoria Dal Billy

L'Ariège

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law had their wedding at Chateau de Queille in St Quentin de la Tour in the Ariège region of the central French Pyrenees (the picture below is of the spectacular chapel where they had their ceremony).

We made a trip of it and decided to visit some of the sights in the local area. We started in Foix - the region's capital - where we wandered through the old town and visited the fabulous castle.

We stayed in a little hotel in Mirepoix, a medieval bastide town half-way between Foix and Carcasonne. If we ever visited the area again, I would love to stay in the Relais & Chateaux - Relais Royal - which looked amazing.

We also visited Camon which is said to be one of the most beautiful villages in France. It has a fabulous hotel - L'Abbaye-Château de Camon - a converted ancient Benedictine monastery dating back to the tenth century.

Kalkan

Last summer we went on a family holiday to celebrate my parents' 30th wedding anniversary. We rented a stunning villa (Villa Lavender, through The Turquoise Collection) in Islamar, which is at the bottom of Taurus Mountains and 15 minutes away from Kalkan and the sea. 

It was predominantly a beach holiday but there is plenty to see and do in the area. Here are some of the things we did...

1) Chartered a traditional Turkish gulet for the day

2) Spent the day at one of Kalkan's many beach clubs (we went for Villa Mahal)

3) Visited Xanthos, the capital of ancient Lycia

4) Enjoyed a massage at The Likya Residence Spa

5) Trekked through the Saklikent Gorge and then went rafting down the Sakklikent River

Dublin

Inspired by the last post, I wanted to write about our trip to Dublin. It was our first weekend away together and it was absolutely glorious.

We stayed at The Merrion - not normally my kind of hotel (I prefer boutique) but I have to say it was wonderful.

We did the Hop On-Hop Off bus tour (yes, I'm a big fan and like to do them in every city I visit!).

I remember walking around quite a lot - it's that kind of place. We sat and had a coffee on the grounds of Trinity College Dublin and visited the Guinness Storehouse, which was great fun.

 

Next time we go to Ireland, I would like to head out of the city and visit some of the luscious countryside. It's something I've been wanting to do for a while.