At last we have made it to Devon. Dartmoor to be precise. It’s the furthest south in England that I have ever been, having holidayed as a child either in Italy over the summer and Switzerland or France in the winter. My Dad was an avid skier and a Europhile so there wasn’t much time for all the beauty of the British Isles. Having said that, my grandparents lived in Bournemouth part of the year so I did visit Dorset quite a bit which as a kid I absolutely loved. As an adult, I’ve certainly globetrotted but again to more exotic climes, always escaping the ‘dreary’ British weather. I know that I’ve been missing out. We have a stunning country just on our doorsteps. I’ve done the obligatory Cotswolds, been to Edinburgh but Devon, Cornwall, the Highlands and the Lake District are all on the travel bucket list. Continue Reading

Well it’s not been very long since our last visit to Bath when just a few months ago it was hitting the thirties in centigrade and were swimming in an outdoor pool and languishing lazily in the garden. No time nor inclination to even take a peek into the city despite my love of Bath.
This time we are back for what must be at least a sixth time and we are staying bang in the centre to take full advantage of all it has to offer. It’s small but perfectly formed with something for everyone. Me, personally, I’m looking for food (lovely cheese shop) and some retail therapy, or at least some window shopping.
We are on a whirlwind tour en route to Devon. It’s a bit too much to do the whole four and a half hours in one with our toddler so a stop in between for a day mooching around Bath and eating dinner in a three AA rosette restaurant seemed hardly a hardship. Continue Reading

It’s not long ago that I finished my review of Sani, that wonderful resort just 45 minutes from Thessaloniki. Greek Experts feature another hotel that was on my radar. A Small Luxury Hotel of the World, a brand that I trust, also a Macedonian Hotel; Eagles Palace sits on the third peninsula of northern Greece . We are a nomadic and adventurous family at heart so a two day visit at the end of a wonderful ten days was in order. The 90 minute drive through stunning mountainous scenery gave us a chance to take in some of the countryside and villages and soon we had arrived at our next luxury pick, on the approach to the mystic mount Athos. A family-owned gem, this hotel offers luxury accommodation; rooms, suites and bungalows with private pools overlooking the golden sandy blue flag beach and crystal-blue sea.  Known as one of the best beaches in Halkidiki, the view from the terrace is breathtaking. Continue Reading

All this complaining about the lack of summer and here it is. It turns up when all hope is lost. When emigrating abroad starts to become a real possibility. When you can stand it no more in the grey, freezing, miserable weather. 30 degrees, even 31. They say its going to be a loooong , hot summer now. Well, at least the next few weeks are going to be balmy. What has happened to our good old English weather. It’s become moodier than a teenager! Continue Reading

It seems like a long time has passed since those three idyllic days in Hampshire. The  clear blue sky and swimming outdoors temperatures, those days that we have now classed as our summer, having given up on any reemergence of the sun this year. Long gone! Continue Reading