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Cotswold House Hotel

The staycation series: Cotswold House Hotel

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We enjoyed our trip to Stratford-upon-Avon so much that we’ve decided to make heading out on a little weekend break a regular thing. Since I’ve never visited the Cotswolds and always wanted to go, we made our next booking at the dreamy looking Cotswold House Hotel in the pretty village of Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire. We booked a two-night break over a Sunday and a Monday, thinking that we could relax on the Sunday, then explore on the Monday when it was a little quieter. The drive was so easy - just over an hour and a half from us here near Tring, in Hertfordshire. I’d say it’s better to have a car to fully explore all the surrounding towns and villages, but you can get a train to nearby Moreton in Marsh, which is served by London Paddington and Birmingham.

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Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski, Dominica

Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski, Dominica

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After the joyous whirlwind of noise, feathers and sequins that was Dominica’s Mas Dominik carnival, we said a fond farewell to the lush surroundings of Jungle Bay, and headed north in Trevo’s van, windows down, Calypso music blaring, to our final hotel, the utterly gorgeous Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski, Dominica. Cabrits Dominica is like no resort I’ve ever seen before. It’s the most magical mashup between traditional local style buildings and a super high end resort. There’s an abundance of local stone and reed-topped roofs, matched with chic interiors, clever, functional rooms (UK plug sockets!!), jazzy tiling and tropical planting. The resort is surrounded by deliciously inviting pools woven into the landscaping - some in unexpected places, but always with the same delightful rule: ‘if it’s blue, you can swim in it’. It’s beautifully contemporary, relaxing, tranquil and being so far on the northwest tip of Dominica in Portsmouth, it has a magical, hidden away quality about it too.

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Eco villas at Jungle Bay Dominica

The eco villas at Jungle Bay, Dominica

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So last time, I told you all about my life-changing visit to the Caribbean’s heavenly nature island of Dominica. After a long haul flight from Gatwick to Antigua, and a wildly exciting 45 minute prop plane flight, where we flew into a fiery peach sunset and skimmed over the top of beautiful Guadeloupe, we finally landed in Dominica. Our lovely guide, Trevo, picked us up from the airport, and as the sun set, we drove southwest - the warm air heavy with the grassy scent of the rainforest rushing through the windows making us deliciously drowsy, to the coast just above Soufriere to our first hotel, the brand new eco villas at Jungle Bay Dominica.

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The new hand luggage essentials

The new hand luggage essentials

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You know I love to travel. It’s not just about exploring and discovering beautiful new places, although that’s a huge incentive. It’s also about connections, meeting new people, and nurturing existing relationships by sharing these fabulous experiences. In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, I guess all travel will change, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go! The travel industry needs you. And the lovely people who work in travel, both here and abroad (including me), rely on you to pay their bills. So I thought I’d bring you my thoughts on the new hand luggage essentials. Plus after my life-changing trip to Dominica, it became clear that I really need to up my hand luggage game, so there’s a few in there that aren’t new, but are good reminders.

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Finding myself in Dominica

How I found myself in Dominica - the Caribbean’s nature island

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Oh my goodness, I cannot wait to tell you all about my trip to Dominica. I completely fell in love with this beautiful island and had such a wonderful, life-changing trip travelling back to my Dad’s favourite place in the Caribbean and - not to sound too ‘new agey’, I really felt that I found myself in Dominica - truly discovered a sense of peace and confidence after the sadness and anxiety of our marriage breaking down at Christmas. A wonderful week of feeling so close to nature, of swimming in the endless azure sea, dipping my toes in icy waterfalls, eating delicious fresh fish, dancing with abandon, wandering lush forests and boating along peaceful rivers is, it turns out, exactly what you need to get your head straight.

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Ten holiday ideas for a first-time solo traveller

Ten holiday ideas for a first-time solo traveller

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So, since separating just after Christmas, I’ve been thinking quite a lot about solo travel. Obviously, due to my job, I’ve travelled solo quite a bit, but you tend to be in a press group, or at the very least hosted in some way, so it’s not really solo travel. I’m thinking of actually being brave enough to strike out on my own, and I’m clearly not the only one - one of the biggest growth sectors in solo travel is women in their forties - and not just because they’re divorced, either, just because they want to strike out and see the world on their own terms. Whether you’re male or female, the choice of single travel options is surprisingly wide. I’ve been looking into it a bit and have collated ten holiday ideas for a first-time solo traveller that might take your fancy.

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What are the different staterooms like on AmaMagna

What are the different staterooms like on AmaMagna?

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Last time, I told you all about our gorgeous Christmas markets Danube cruise on board AmaWaterways’ revolutionary, double-width AmaMagna river ship. I thought I’d take the time to write a separate post about all the different AmaMagna stateroom categories, as there’s so much to tell you and I was conscious that the post was getting very long! So what are the different staterooms like on AmaMagna? Well, because there’s so much space, most of the staterooms (apart from a handful on deck 1) are suite class cabins. We explored the different stateroom categories so you can have a good look at all of them.

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A guided tour of AmaMagna in pictures

A guided tour of AmaMagna in pictures

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If you follow me on any of my social channels, you’ll know that I was away last week on the most beautiful river ship I think I’ve ever seen. You know I love a river cruise, and AmaWaterways’ new AmaMagna is spectacular - she’s a double-width river ship, but without double the passengers. I loved the feeling of space this creates, as well as the luxurious boutique hotel feel on board. So what’s it like to take a cruise on this delightful - and rather extraordinary - new river vessel? I thought the best way to show you around would be to create a guided tour of AmaMagna in pictures, to really give you a feel for this clever, and truly luxurious new ship Read more

Which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board

Which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board?

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You already know that I’m a huge fan of P&O Cruises. From attending the naming ceremony of Britannia back in 2015, to a foodie cruise with my pal Erica in 2016 and our gorgeous relaxing break on board elegant Oceana last year, I’ve always loved the cruise line’s effortless knack of making a cruiseholiday seem both glam and unstuffy all at the same time. The food on board is always a highlight, and P&O Cruises’ continued partnership with their brilliant Food Heroes means that as well as tasting their food and drinking the wine they choose, you can even get to set sail with them. I absolutely can’t wait to get on board brand new ship, Iona (especially because I love a bit of Scandi chic), and P&O Cruises have just released details of when the Food Heroes will be sailing, so if you fancy combining your holiday of a lifetime with learning a few tricks from your very own favourite wine expert or master pâtissier, here’s your chance: I’ve got a full list of which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board.

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My 10 favourite Universal Orlando experiences

My 10 favourite Universal Orlando experiences that aren’t attractions!

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Of course we all visit Universal Orlando Resort, Florida for the brilliant rides (I think Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure has knocked Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts off the top spot in my favourite rides top ten), but there are so many more brilliant things to do and see when you visit the parks. I thought I’d do a quick and very unscientific roundup of my 10 favourite Universal Orlando experiences that aren’t attractions (catchy title, huh?). Admittedly, many of these include eating and drinking (you can’t visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter without sampling a Butterbeer) but I’ve included some shopping and some of my favourite relaxing things to do when you’re in the parks too, so there’s something for everyone. Read more

A look at TUI's new river cruises

TUI’s new river cruises: everything we know so far

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You all know I’m addicted to cruise travel, and one of my favourite cruise lines is TUI’s Marella Cruises. I love the bright, colourful ships, the warm and friendly staff and the fabulous itineraries (you can read all about what I thought of Marella Explorer here), so I was delighted to hear the news that TUI are moving into river cruising with a fleet of three gorgeous river ships that will be setting sail in the summer of 2020. As with their ocean vessels and land-based holidays, TUI does river cruising a bit differently, so I thought I’d take a look at TUI’s new river cruises and check out the ships, cabins, restaurants and itineraries to give you a bit of an idea of what to expect. At the moment, we only have artists’ impressions, but they’re looking pretty spectacular already.

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Planning your Disneyland Paris holiday into 2020 and beyond

Planning your Disneyland Paris holiday into 2020 and beyond!

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Last week, Disneyland Paris announced their future plans at a brand new Media Expo event and I thought it would be really helpful to create a Disneyland Paris timeline, to show you what’s coming up for the rest of this year, and also next year (including the return of Marvel Summer of Super Heroes which we loved last year!) and beyond. I’ve also got news of an absolutely brilliant winter offer which will save you a fortune (but remember you need to book before October 1st so don’t delay!). Here, then, is all you need to know if you’re planning your Disneyland Paris holiday into 2020 and beyond.

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Halloween Horror Nights 2019: 10 houses, 5 scare zones, and 2 original shows in one night

Halloween Horror Nights 2019: 10 houses, 5 scare zones, and 2 original shows in one night!

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So finally after wishing and hoping and thinking and praying and planning and dreaming my whole summer away, last week saw a small but beautiful group of UK media head over to Orlando for the opening night of Halloween Horror Nights 2019. I always feel super lucky to be counted amongst the proper journos and invited on these trips and I feel a deep sense of obligation to take absolutely everything in so that I can report it all back to you. I know from your messages that a lot of you pop here to get updates on Halloween Horror Nights, and to get help planning your trips to Universal Studios (and to Orlando and, indeed, Florida in general) and I also understand that there’s a fine line between giving you information, and telling you too much about the experience and basically spoiling it all for you before you’ve even got there! So here, without further ado, are my thoughts on taking on Halloween Horror Nights 2019: 10 houses, 5 scare zones, and 2 original shows in one night! Read more

Bigfire at Universal CityWalk

The one where we went to Bigfire at Universal CityWalk

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While we were at Universal Orlando Resort for the opening of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, we were really lucky to also be there for the opening of a brand new restaurant at Universal CityWalk, the brilliant location just outside the entrance to the parks that’s full of gorgeous places to eat and drink, and loads of things to do, from cinema to karaoke and mini golf to the Blue Man Group show. Here’s what we thought of Bigfire at Universal CityWalk.

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Everything you need to know about Universal's Surfside Inn and Suites

Everything you need to know about Universal’s Surfside Inn and Suites

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So while I was hanging out with Hagrid, Draco and Luna recently in Orlando, I was also doing some proper work too, I promise. I was really excited to get a sneaky peek inside the first of the two properties that make up Universal’s Endless Summer Resort (I can’t believe I was first talking about it back in May 2018), their first ‘value hotel’ (different to Cabana Bay Beach, which is listed as ‘prime value’). The other property, Universal’s Endless Summer Resort - Dockside Inn and Suites will open in March 2020. Here’s everything you need to know about Universal’s Surfside Inn and Suites.

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Les Villages Nature Paris: a different way to do Disneyland

Les Villages Nature Paris: a different way to do Disneyland

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I’m always up for a different approach to a Disney holiday, and I’ve recently discovered one that I think you’ll really like - a beautiful resort just a stone’s throw away from Disneyland Paris with tons of space and all sorts of things to do. If you’re a bigger family, this is absolutely perfect for you: a perfect, self catering apartment option with a little Disney magic thrown in. Here’s everything you need to know about Les Villages Nature Paris: a different way to do Disneyland!

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