Yachting adventures in the Canaries
Mr P did some vital yachting holiday research for us in October… Too kind! I was manic with work and made a passing comment suggesting he go away with his best buddy somewhere nice and leave me in peace. I didn’t ever expect the offer to be taken up. But it’s OK as it was all…
View PostLazing in the Languedoc
What a gorgeous lazy time we had in the Languedoc, the benefit of doing no research… Aside from booking the hotel, all I knew was that Carcassonne was nearish to where we were going and that it’s a board game. So un-thorough was my research that a few days before we arrived I had to email the…
View Post6 things to do in Stockholm
Stockholm is less than 2 hours flying from Heathrow and perfect for a summer city break. A maritime city full of gorgeous architecture, flat for exploring and if you can stay a little longer there’s 24,000 islands in the archipelago to explore. We visited over the August bank holiday weekend, and I took advantage…
View PostInns and cottages for a perfect staycation
One thing I adore about the UK is the plethora of great little inns and cottages on offer. If you want to get off the beaten track and find something a little different when it comes to luxury you’ll find it. The luxury of privacy, space and charming hosts. Here are a few…
View PostWeekend in Milan and Como
When I was travelling too much with work, Mr P always used to ask when he could join me for the weekend. I always deferred as I wanted to get home from a trip as soon as I could. Then he started travelling an incredible amount with work and so started asking me when…
View PostIn search of sunshine – Tenerife
Normally in January we book something long haul and outrageous but this year we didn’t quite get around to it! In early Feb we worked out we could squeeze in 3 days leave and so get away for 5 days adding the weekend. We needed sun, a short flight and safety… The Canary Islands popped…
View PostFlashback Friday Travel 36 – The Cote d’Azur
It isn’t all high glamour and high prices on the Cote d’Azur – we had a fantastic week there in August 2012 and found relaxed and charming places to visit. We did of course go off in search of the glamorous areas, and dine out fantastically on one evening – but life is all about…
View PostVienna in a heatwave
We first went to Vienna in November – it was the first weekend of the Christmas Markets and the beautiful city was full of festive cheer. It was superb to head back in July to see a different season and more of the city. Mr P’s oldest friend lives in Vienna and we…
View PostBirthday weekend in Paris
I have quoted it many a time, but once more – ‘Paris is always a good idea’! We visited in 2009 in September when the city was sultry and busy and ever since we have both wanted to return for a slower mooch around, with less need to see the sites and so…
View PostFlashback Friday Travel Photo Memories 20 – Paris
Paris is always a good idea! And as luck would have it we are back there next month – I cannot wait! It’s just a long weekend, and it is bound to be chilly – but there isn’t much better than time away with my husband seeing the city – we’ll be wrapped…
View PostFlashback Friday Travel Photo Memories 17 – Almeria
Andalucía was never somewhere on my list to visit, probably as I hadn’t really heard of this region of Spain until Mr P came home one day and said that he was working with them as a sponsor in a sailing series he managed and he’d need to be there in October! Now…
View PostVienna in November
A weekend in Vienna in November was a real treat for us! Last month we went through the holiday blues coming back from the warmth of Greece with no more sunshine trips on the horizon (having thoroughly spoilt ourselves this year). But this month we had a long weekend visiting friends that live…
View PostFlashback Friday Travel Photo Memories 15 – Killarney
That’s the view from our suite at Aghadoe Heights, looking out over the lakes of Killarney. We’re in Ireland, in County Kerry – look how green it is, incredible! We arrived in the dark, which wasn’t planned – more of that later! The concierge that showed us to our room suggested we leave…
View PostFlashback Friday Travel Photo Memories 13 – Garda take 2
Oh the trouble I got in for taking this action shot… This is us in third spot, hot on the heels of 1st and 2nd place – we were flying in this race, everything was going well! To capture the moment I whipped out my waterproof camera that I had stuffed into a…
View PostAutumn visit to Greece
Greece – well finally I’ve found where future sunshine mini breaks will be!! I’ve only ever heard about the party islands or the gilded resorts on Santorini and so had crossed these off the preferred visit list. I wanted to enjoy the real and rustic country, in luxurious surroundings! Thankfully Mr P knew…
View PostSailing in Sardinia
As places to spend a week sailing, laughing with friends and generally relaxing and having a jolly good time go – well, it doesn’t really get much better! Mr P and I have both spent many years sailing on big boats and so we were thrilled to be invited to sail on Bella…
View PostFlashback Friday Travel Photo Memories 9 – Minorca Sailing
Not all holidays have to be relaxing, although we did have plenty of time to relax when we weren’t sailing! Minorca Sailing is one of the better equipped beach sailing companies and they also are very good at race training and racing for experienced sailors! We had a week down there honing our…
View PostFlashback Friday Travel Photo Memories – 2 – La Rochelle
Sailing, sailing, sailing, we used to do something water-based near on every weekend! On this occassion Mr P was sailing at a dinghy regatta with a friend in La Rochelle and I was studying for my chartered accountant exams. So I took the study to the sunshine and worked while he sailed! La Rochelle is…
View Post3 days driving the coast of Donegal and Derry
It is just a short hop from Heathrow to Belfast – about 50minutes flying time. It is an incredibly busy route and one that my husband and I have done a number of times for work commitments. We did try to change our flight back home to an earlier one due to unplanned…
View PostSelf catering luxury on the banks of Lough Swilly
I’m still congratulating myself on finding this property! It really was perfect for what we wanted! I am a big fan of fancy hotels and exemplary service, but the hotel offerings in the area didn’t seem right – certainly not as ‘local’ and rustic as they should be. And then we stumbled upon…
View PostThe (Prosecco) merchant(s) of Venice
Venice was stunning, I hadn’t expected to enjoy our trip there quite so much, but wow! My favourite discovery has to be that it is in the Prosecco region of Italy – something I didn’t know before, but something that we grasped with both hands during the visit (hence the name of this…
View PostWhen in Rome with Hilton…
In the past month I’ve had the need to stay in 3 of the 4 Hilton hotels in Rome! I could have been braver and used another hotel group, but there is something to be said for brand loyalty to keep up a tier rating!! It isn’t usual to stay in so many hotels of…
View PostBeautiful Eze – relaxed Cote d’Azur
The south of France was quite the discovery – it isn’t all $$$$$ and it can be relaxing and rustic – thank goodness. We’d long put it to the bottom of the list for the reverse of those very accolades! We stayed at the Eze Hermitage, up the hill from Eze village (which…
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