Luxury Travel

The Ginstitute: Making Your Own Gin in London

Published on 1 September, 2015

The Ginstitute has been on my radar (gindar?) for a while. In fact, all the way back in 2013 I listed it as one of the things I wanted to try in London. It took me a few years to get around to it (these things can’t be rushed) but with a friend’s big birthday coming up – the kind… Read more →

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Thinking of booking the Ginstitute, a gin blending experience in London? Read this honest review about the day including venue, booking & value for money.... Read more →

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10 Best Things To Do In Scotland on the West Coast

Published on 24 June, 2015

I was in my 30’s by the time I took my first trip to Scotland – quite an embarrassing confession given: a) Scotland is the neighbour of my native England; b) I didn’t need a passport (or even a flight) to get there; and c) I’d otherwise managed to take myself literally half way around the world (to Hong Kong,… Read more →

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Searching for the superlative, I travelled to Scotland's (Glasgow and the Lochs) to find the 10 best things to do in Scotland on the west coast.... Read more →

How to Plan your own Prosecco Tour in Italy (for a sip of the cost)

Published on 10 June, 2015

It was quite by accident that I found myself searching for a Prosecco tour in Italy. I planned to visit Venice, but I hadn’t really made the connection that this northern part of Italy is where Prosecco is from. Duh! It was just a few weeks before I flew to Venice when an email fell into my inbox – a regular round-up of… Read more →

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Prosecco tours in Italy can cost up to €600 per person but you don't need to spend so big. For under €100 per person here's a self-guided itinerary.... Read more →

Alternative Venice: 10 Things NOT To Do (and 10 To Do Instead)

Published on 27 May, 2015

If you’re looking for alternative Venice – a way to escape the crowds and make the most of this over-visited city, read on… UPDATED FOR 2017 to include new food, drink, accommodation and suggested activities in Venice. I hated Venice the first time I visited. I felt cheated, hustled, robbed (some of Venice’s prices should be criminal) and utterly underwhelmed…. Read more →

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Alternative Venice sightseeing. What to do in Venice & how to see the sights without the crowds: try these 10 best things to do in Venice. UPDATED for 2017.... Read more →

Regional Food in Puglia: What And Where to Eat

Published on 6 May, 2015

If you’re searching for information about regional food in Puglia, you’re already steps ahead of most of the millions of foreign visitors who arrive in Italy each year. Just recently, strolling down a side-street in Florence I had a waiter holler at me across the street: “pizza, pasta, spaghetti”. It was as though he were enlightening me to a food… Read more →

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Regional food in Puglia is a blend of local produce & slow food traditions with space for gourmet and play - street food and spontaneous vegetables, anyone?... Read more →

Italian Food in NYC – A Greenwich Village Food Tour

Published on 27 January, 2015

The last time I ate Italian food in New York I was taken to a tourist joint just off Times Square, which felt a little bit like walking onto a replica set of the Godfather. Diners were sat with red-checked waxy napkins tucked into their collars, twirling and forking colossal mounds of tomato drenched spaghetti and fist-sized meatballs into their mouths. As I sat down and donned… Read more →

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Every wanted to taste authentic Italian food in New York City? Then take a greenwich village food tour - where we went and what we ate, in pictures.... Read more →

Lake Austin Spa Resort Kickstart Fitness

How to Kickstart Fitness Without Sacrificing Happiness

Published on 6 January, 2015

Looking to kickstart fitness in the New Year…or any time of year? After decades of having ‘get fit’ on my New Year’s Resolution List, I’ve finally found a way to kickstart a new fitness regime without sacrificing happiness. I can’t recall which of my 38 years was the first year that ‘get fit’ made it onto my New Year’s Resolutions list, but… Read more →

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Looking to kickstart fitness? After decades of trying, I've found a way to kickstart a new fitness regime in just a few days without sacrificing happiness.... Read more →

Best Gifts for Travelers 2017

Published on 18 December, 2014

Updated for 2017 What are the best gifts for travelers? When I had a static location and endless cupboards to stash my possessions (instead of a nylon rucksack for my home), gift shopping for me was much simpler. These days, as family and friends watch me select clothes based on weight and drying speed, I can understand the trickery they face as… Read more →

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Never buy a dud gift again with these 40 best gifts for travelers written by a travel expert. Updated for 2017.... Read more →

Best Things To Do in Washington DC in 3 Days

Published on 11 December, 2014

My first trip to Washington DC was a bit of a write-off. Arriving in the Capital from New York in July, the first thing that hit me was the humidity. I consequently spent the first day shopping for clothes befitting a tropical island in the Pacific, my second day I hid out in a bar that was deliciously cool, had… Read more →

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Wondering what are the best things to do in Washington DC? Plan your trip with this 3 day itinerary including hotel and food recommendations.... Read more →

How to Make Sausages from Scratch

Published on 20 November, 2014

Feeling adventurous? Want to learn how to make sausages from scratch? And not only that, want to learn how to make some fairly healthy-sausages? Then I have a little treat for you! I recently spent a few days at Lake Austin Spa Resort (more coming on that soon) and while I was there, I attended a cooking demonstration where one… Read more →

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Whether you want to know how to make sausages from scratch for Thanksgiving, Christmas or just a weekend treat, here's a simple, tasty and healthy recipe!... Read more →