Tasty Treats

When given the option I love to stay in hotels whilst on holiday, someone else making your bed, changing your towels and preparing all your food? Sounds great. However, there are times when staying in a villa or an apartment is preferable, particularly when there's great local produce to cook with.

I regularly take trips to Cascais in Portugal and the fish you can eat there is always a highlight. When I'm catering on holiday I need quick, easy and simple dishes.

It doesn't come much simpler than fish kebabs, quick, tasty and super colourful! Enjoy with a glass (or two) of crisp white wine.

 Darkness descends on Cascais

Spotlight:: Octopus Resort, Yasawa Islands, Fiji

If anyone is concerned that Paradise has been lost, I can tell you where it can be found.

When the days are shorter and colder and darkness seems to set in by mid afternoon in the Northern Hemisphere, I always enjoy reminiscing about trips made to the Southern Hemisphere.

The Octopus resort in Fiji is a beautiful boutique hotel, with plenty of activities to offer, excellent service and a friendly family atmosphere. Fiji is beautiful; breathtaking beaches, wonderful weather and friendly locals. All these factors mean inevitably hotels in Fiji are popular, however often they fall short of the quality and service you might receive in other exotic locations. However, this is not so at the Octopus Resort, clean, tidy but friendly and inviting in its surroundings.

There are a variety of rooms on offer, from shared dormitories (for the budget backpackers- who aren't on quite such a budget as they've stumbled onto the Yasawa islands) to twin rooms and finally luxury beach front cottages.

On arrival there is a typical Fijian welcome, with the hotel workers serenading you. Their happiness and upbeat vibes were infectious and I instantly felt excited to look around the resort. From this point the hotel staff are a huge draw for the hotel, always willing to assist you and accommodate your every need.

By day you can relax by the pool, make your own jewellery or go diving. You can do as much or as little as you want. In my case, it was very little.

There's no shortage of activities at Octopus resort, yet it still manages to maintain a relaxed atmosphere, you can't escape the oasis-like calm.

As evening comes the resort goes from a tranquil haven to a lively bar and restaurant. Everybody congregates in the dining area for dinner, lots of dishes are brought to the table for a family-style shared meal between everyone. Typical of Fiji, the food at the Octopus resort is some of the best on the Yasawas and portion sizes are large too. Meal time and music is followed by team games. It might sound a bit like Brownie Guide camp, but participation is not compulsory and on an island where most rooms don't have TVs and days are often spent reading, having fun (or spectating on it from the side, like me) with fellow holiday guests can actually be surprisingly enjoyable.

Winner of a number of prestigious awards, this hotel is highly recommended. If you don't believe me, why don't you take a trip and check Fiji out for yourself? It's a long way to travel but, it is most definitely worth it. 

Rates for budget options start at approximately £15/ $21, all details here. 

The Beach

I've grown up loving beaches, the romanticism of the sea, the sand between your toes and the inevitable relaxation.

I've been lucky enough to visit some incredible beaches from New Zealand to Thailand, Fiji and the West Coast of America. But, recently on a stay-cation in the UK I realised I don't have to travel so far to find a beautiful beach.

Given the usual UK weather (windy, rainy generally dismal), experiencing the beach below was pretty special.

Salcombe, United Kingdom

Spotlight:: The Cosmopolitan of Vegas

I recently took my first trip to Sin City.

It is an incredibly different place to most of the places I have visited. It is somewhat like the Bangkok of America; bright lights, big shows, lots of people and a big personality. I finally realised the immensity of the place and just how many hotels there are to choose from. Apparently Las Vegas has more hotel rooms than all of Europe, and The Strip is home to 15 of the 20 biggest hotels in the world. If you've been, you'll know the sheer size is incredible.

The Basics
For my trip I chose The Cosmopolitan. This is a relatively new hotel, opened in late 2010, with just under 3000 rooms, set in two high-rise towers, over 52 floors. It's huge. Most definitely the largest hotel I have ever stayed in.

The Location
The location is excellent, it is next to the Bellagio and some of the hotel rooms actually overlook the fountains. It's central and easily accessible, yet being so high you can feel away from the bustle of The Strip.

In the basement of the hotel we were able to drop our car off at the Hertz check-in. This is a great extra to have car drop off at the hotel, though I think most hotels in Las Vegas offer this. Check in was fairly smooth, with helpful check-in guy. There weren't the long queues that we saw at Ceasars.

The Room
I stayed in a One-bedroom terrace suite. This was a large room with a living area, kitchen and bedroom. The other huge plus about The Cosmopolitan is that many of the rooms have a balcony, as ours did. This is apparently very rare in Vegas, but a wonderful addition.

Unfortunately, though we were provided with a small kitchen area, we had no cutlery or crockery, so there were limitations on what we could actually cook for ourselves. The room had a Japanese soak tub, but having been told it had a jacuzzi by the man at the front desk, I was a little disappointed.

As with all hotels in Vegas, the inside is so much more than just a hotel, with numerous restaurants, bars, clubs and shops. There are some world renowned restaurants in the hotel such as STK and it is home to one of the best nightclubs in Vegas, Marquee.

With 3 swimming pools there is plenty of choice, but all were completely packed and it wasn't even peak season. In 96 degree heat, I imagine pool space is at a premium everywhere.

My main criticism would be that our room wasn't as clean and tidy as it could have been. We found a cigarette end on the balcony which was disappointing and the bathroom wasn't as clean as I would have expected.

My Top 5: 
1. The comfort and spaciousness of the room.

2. Chandelier bar: a very chic and stylish space to enjoy drinks with friends. I didn't see many other bars with such elegance whilst in Vegas.

Chandelier Bar

3. Henry for brunch: the perfect place to begin your day.


4. The coffee table books found in the rooms: perfect Phaidon titles to leaf through whilst relaxing. A wonderful alternative to television.


5. Having a balcony to overlook the sights and sounds of Vegas.

View from my hotel room

Final Thoughts... 

The Cosmopolitan is an expensive hotel, but ultimately you are paying for quality. For location, the views and the 'cool' factor, this is a great choice for Las Vegas. 

Rates start at $160.

As every story has 2 sides...

There are some places you visit and you have a fairly good idea what to expect. Going to Istanbul I was very uncertain what I would see, things I would experience and how I would feel about it.

The city definitely reminded me of Budapest and Vienna, but also had the hustle and bustle, markets and feel of Bangkok. The mixture of European influence and Asian atmosphere was an interesting combination for the senses, in many ways it felt like the best of both worlds, since I loved Bangkok but enjoy the style of European cities. 

I went for a 4 day break and definitely could have spent an extra day or two in the city if I had the time to spare. I was fairly out of season (the weather was sunny but it wasn't super warm), yet on the Saturday the city was packed. From what I heard people come from outside the city to do their shopping on the Saturday, so prepare for Bangkok- level busy. 

Take 5: 

1. Wondering around the city at night; beautiful buildings, lively atmosphere and warm enough to wear a light jacket.

2. Climb to the top of the Galata tower for incredible views over the city. 

3. We experienced quite a mixture of food, but by far the most enjoyable thing was the selection of baklava on offer.

4. The Spice Market- a sensory overload, where you are invited to try things first. 

5. A boat trip up the Bosphorus (Istanbul Strait); windy, but a must-do, you get to see both sides of the city.

West Coast Wonders

April was an incredibly hectic month with travels, more of which is to come.

But, for now I wanted to share a picture of one of the best things I did whilst in LA.

A sunrise hike up Runyon Canyon. Breathtaking views, beautiful weather and about as peaceful as it gets. (Not to mention it's free, too!) Sometimes something so simple can make for a truly memorable holiday moment.

Morning Beauty

There are moments when cities can look more beautiful than you ever imagined. A morning view of London from Primrose Hill creates exactly that.

The serenity looking over the city makes it easy to forget how bustling it can be.

Do you have any serene pictures of busy world cities?