I am often asked where’s the one place I’ve visited that has totally blown me away and, I have to say, that’s a tough question to answer. I have seen so many wonderful places and each has its own special memories. But in terms of one country where I felt totally privileged to experience its remote isolation, where I got access to a traditional way of life not many people get to see and where I travelled through pristine landscapes, it has to be the Kingdom of Bhutan.
Read More
St Barth - A slice of the Cote d’Azur in the Caribbean
I certainly felt very lucky when I arrived on the island of St Barth. Firstly, my propeller plane had landed safely after a near vertical dive over mountainous terrain onto the infamous short runway, the wing tip almost touching the turquoise waters of St Jean Bay. And secondly, I was ticking off a place that had been on my bucket list for a very long time.
Read More
Something for the weekend - Tangier
Even the 5:30am call to prayer by the muezzin at the nearby mosque didn’t ruin the wonderful feeling of waking up in an exotic location a mere 2½ hour flight from the UK. Grabbing a coffee, I climbed to the rooftop and watched the sun rise over Tangier and the Strait of Gibraltar, where the inky Mediterranean Sea and the azure Atlantic Ocean meet.
Read More
The Two Giants of Turkey
Istanbul and Cappadocia. One a buzzing multicultural city, the other hard to pinpoint on a map but, known for its iconic moonlike landscapes. Each amazing in their own right and also great combined into a perfect week’s holiday.
My trip started in Istanbul, which is easily one of my favourite cities in the world. The Bosphorus Strait separates Asia from Europe within the city itself, but this is not a division, it is where East meets West and there are few places on earth where so many cultural contrasts live in such unison.
Read More