Our Travels

We like the quirkiness and location of the Barceló Raval in Barcelona for a city break hotel.

We visited the town of Rethymno during our Crete trip, and if, like me, you enjoy pretty places with plenty of history, then you should add it to your “places I want to go” list. We had an unnerving experience when we arrived in the town. There are several car parks on the edge of the old town, but we struggled to find a space. Don’t do what we did, which was to try to get into the town with…

We were drawn to the O Mylos tou Kerata by the garden terrace overlooking the road passing through Plantanias. It is said to be one of the oldest restaurants in Crete and it’s in a spectacular setting. The terrace is shaded by fruit trees laden heavy with oranges and lemons, as well as vines. I liked the hanging picture frames in the trees, drawing attention to the natural art growing there. At the back there is a Venetian watermill dating…

Hong Kong was amazing, everything we’d hoped for and some. We were constantly on the go, out exploring everyday, we slept like the dead every night and didn’t suffer with jet lag on arrival or after our trip. I put the lack of jet lag down to flying to our long haul destinations overnight where we try to sleep as much as possible. On arrival we force ourselves into the local timezone for eating and sleeping, for us it’s imperative…

We route into and out of Gatwick several times a year, and the flights often involve an overnight stay. We started using the Premier Inn there a few years ago, and the hotel has delivered a consistent service for us during at least 25 visits over the last few years. One of my pre-requisites for an airport hotel is that it must be directly accessible from the airport, rather than requiring a bus trip – I don’t like being at…

We were walking back to our hotel at North Point, through Wanchai and Causeway Bay and we were looking for somewhere to enjoy our evening meal. We paused to check the menu out at Korea Restaurant and Jackie leaped up from the chair he was sitting on outside, and proceeded to persuade us to go in and try a traditional Korean barbecue. Never having eaten Korean style food before, we didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out to…

We wanted to experience Sunday brunch in Hong Kong. Whilst many of the 5* hotels offer a Western style brunch buffet, we decided to dine at Duddell’s for their fresh and unlimited Asian cuisine with free flow Veuve Clicquot. What a fabulous gastronomy delight! Duddell’s is situated in the heart of Hong Kong’s Central district, their restaurant on level 3 has been awarded not one, but two Michelin stars. The Weekend Salon Brunch is served in the salon on level…

We booked the 4* Harbour Plaza North Point for our 6 night stay in Hong Kong, the hotel was celebrating it’s 17th anniversary on our arrival. We were invited to a breakfast meeting on our first morning by Billy Wan, the Director of Business Development for this hotel. It was fascinating to learn the history and portfolio of properties including within the hotel group, understand their clientele and seasons, as well as gaining lots of local knowledge about Hong Kong.…