Tag Archives: city break

Could Sofia, Bulgaria be your Best Value Europe City Break?

28 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by in City Break, Europe

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Stop the press, travellers of the world. I come with a breaking news announcement today. After years of excavation in the holiday fields (and numerous failed attempts,) on a holy weekend in 2017 in the hugely underrated country of Bulgaria, I finally unearthed a treasure – and her name was Sofia.

This one goes out to all those of you, who have ever parted with 6 Francs for a bottle of water in Switzerland (been there), wasted 40 Euros on rubbery tapas from an overpriced restaurant on Las Ramblas, Barcelona (done that) or lost £200 on a shoebox sized musty European hotel room (that one’s happened to me a few times.)

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Sofia, Bulgaria

And the buck doesn’t stop at Europe either. Hop into a new window now, do a quick Google search for New York City hotels and no further explanation needed. NYC is my favourite city – I’ve been thrice in 8 years and it would have been double that had it not been for those pesky hotel prices, (although click here for my review on a great NYC hotel option.) I wouldn’t say I fall under the umbrella of budget traveller (my stays in the Seychelles and Oman are examples of that) but I do resent eye-watering accommodation prices, stomach-turning tube fares and the fact that it can be cheaper to spend 10 days in Asia than 5 days in Italy?!

alternative European weekend breaks

What if I were to tell you, though, that I had found a city, where you could stay in 5* hotels at 3* prices and sip cocktails on a beer budget, a country largely untouched by mass tourism, filled with ancient ruins and a growing, innovative foodie scene? This was the trip I made on Easter Weekend last year, booked at 10 days notice and proving to be one of the most delightful European cities I have visited. A travel tip I wrote about why it is such an excellent value destination was even published in the national press later in the year and today, I will fill in all the blanks in the hope it may inspire some of you to visit.

what to do in Sofia Bulgaria

A Bargain Break in Bulgaria

Continue reading →

3 Days in Berlin for £300 #CheapflightsChallenge

09 Sunday Jul 2017

Posted by in City Break, Europe, Germany, The World of Blogging

≈ 42 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

£150 a head, I pondered. Even my primitive mental arithmetic skills had allowed me to slice 300 in half with refined precision. I reflected on how far this could carry me in my own city, with its rocketing cost of living. I reflected on my city, which visitors from around the globe repeatedly denounce as inordinately expensive. My London-savvy brain rattled off a list with the chaos and velocity of jelly beans from a sweet dispenser:

  • A meal at a swish restaurant, complete with fanciful amuse bouches and dainty petits fours.
  • A pair of boots from the high street (or an empty cardboard shoe box from Russell and Bromley.)
  • A hair cut, colour and blow dry.
  • Two well-located theatre tickets.

Such funds could whittle down into an emaciated mess within a matter of hours in London so surely the proposed task was impossible?

German Parliament

The German Parliament Building

My index finger hovered tentatively over the mouse as I re-read the email, the uncertainty of my decision-making reflected in its feeble, wavering movements. The idea of accepting the challenge and failing with a wide berth filled me with a premature sense of shame, yet giving up without trying was more unpalatable still.

Berlin street art paintings

I looked back on the diversity with which I travel, exploring everywhere from Argentina’s glaciers to wacky museums in Budapest. I remembered how I loved the cosy Pisa B&B and the luxurious Bali hotel villa in equal measure and took pride in the fact that I thrive on playing around with budgets and accommodation types in order to get the most for my money.

Berlin city break

I wasn’t raised to shy away from a challenge, let alone one that was focused around finding value for money, something my parents always taught us so well and thus, with a confident “count me in”, I accepted, determined to pull this off with aplomb.

Bundestag Reichstag Building Berlin

The Cheapflights Challenge

My Cheapflights Challenge was to use a little pouch of dough (£300 to be precise) to plan a fabulous 2 night getaway for two adults to Berlin. Within that budget, I had to include flights, accommodation, activities and spending money. “You will never be able to do that” I kept hearing from those around  me.

I sang from the same pessimistic hymn sheet.

I would soon learn, however, that you do not necessarily know what is achievable until you try it.

bear monuments Berlin

Bet you didn’t know you can find bears in Berlin

Continue reading →

Beating the January blues at Lumiere London Festival

06 Friday Jan 2017

Posted by in Festivities, Love London, Weird and Wonderful

≈ 31 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

Every year, around this time in January, the general mood in the UK starts to plummet. Any evidence of ardently devoured mince pies has all but evaporated into the ether alongside the remnants of the festive-flavoured brandy creams once so strategically placed beside them. The reams of unread work emails that you shunned without guilt for a fortnight now adhere to your fingers like an unwelcome, lingering resin. And the glowing beams of Christmas lights that illuminated London’s skies throughout December have hibernated for the winter, leaving a darker, drearier backdrop for the New Year…or did they?

Westminster Abbey at night

Rainbow tones at Westminster Abbey

Lumiere London

Last year, when the glistening Yuletide bulbs in London vanished, they left a blank canvas for the likes of the Lumiere London Festival to stain the sky with brazen neon strokes, showing Londoners and visitors alike that there is more colour to January than the blues.

Lumiere London Regent Street

Continue reading →

10 Reasons to Love Greenwich and Blackheath, London

04 Monday Jul 2016

Posted by in City Break, Love London, Markets, Parks

≈ 47 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Anyone who knows me well will know that the city of London is firmly entrenched in my heart. It’s not just home, it’s my past, my present and (hopefully) my future and I got lucky in finding a man en route, who moved here for work a decade ago but ended up more taken with the city than I am.

I cringe at sounding all Carrie Bradshaw New York City about it but I speak the truth when I tell you that life in London is a dream realised .

Greenwich London highlights blog

I grew up in the suburbs outside London in a peaceful and leafy part of the country that fringes the city, so near yet felt so far from the city I yearned to experience. When university applications came, I had to select four choices – I gave all my allocations to London universities and after I graduated, I worked my backside off to bag myself a London job.

London blogs

Yes yes, I know you get nada for your money living hre and that the air will always be just a little lot more polluted and yes, I am not oblivious to the ugly, unforgiving sides of London but this month’s link up topic is about home – and this is mine.

Greenwich London Highlights

Greenwich Views

So how do you immortalise half a lifetime’s worth of memories and moments of a city into one blog post? Simple answer is you don’t so I won’t even attempt it. Instead, this post about the home within home – Blackheath and Greenwich a little pocket of South East London that even many Londoners are yet to visit. Until I met Pumpkin who was living in this ‘hood, I myself had never explored the area so if you aren’t yet familiar with this part of London Town, here are 10 reasons why I love Greenwich and Blackheath so much.

Greenwich and Blackheath Highlights

Continue reading →

A Theatrical Stay at Hotel Teatro Porto

19 Sunday Jun 2016

Posted by in City Break, Europe, Hotel Reviews, Portugal

≈ 32 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

When I decided to treat Pumpkin (and of course myself!) to a long weekend in Porto as a wedding anniversary celebration and I started putting some feelers out as to which hotel the travel community would recommend, the one name that kept recurring time and again was the Hotel Teatro. Repetitive soundbites included “quirky” and “funky” and it seems the elusive Mr and Mrs Smith also agreed.

Hotel Teatro Porto rooms

The city breaks that Pumpkin and I go on are typically jam-packed affairs, racking up some impressive mileage (I’m talking on foot not mid-air) and rarely leaving time to lounge around in hotels so truth be told, for most of my short-haul city breaks, I tend not to get too preoccupied with hotels. But on this occasion with so many comments coming my way about Hotel Teatro, curiosity took over and I couldn’t help but investigate.

Portugal best hotels

Continue reading →

4 Days in Oslo, Norway

29 Sunday May 2016

Posted by in City Break, Culture, Europe, Norway, Scenic

≈ 42 Comments

Tags

, , ,

You know that moment when your mother in law invites you round for the bank holiday weekend and you decide to take everyone to Oslo instead?

Oslo Opera House Reflections

I speak candidly when I tell you that this particular weekend break was every bit as whimsical, random and impulsive as my introduction leads you to believe, planned (in the loosest sense of the world) with a grand total of a fortnight’s notice.

weekend in Oslo

Easter Weekend in the UK is a cosy pocket of time for those of us who work hard and travel hard; there aren’t many other times in the year when can you can enjoy a 3 night break away without sacrificing even a day of annual leave but despite this, Pumpkin and I had never previously taken advantage of Easter weekend for travel purposes.

When I realised both he and I as well as my in-laws were free for the entirety of the weekend, I pounced opportunistically to try and coordinate a long-awaited family holiday. Pumpkin’s expression, when I proposed the idea, was predictable and familiar – the increasingly defeated face of an Instagram husband, wondering when the dust will finally be allowed to gather on his suitcase.

“But we’re going to Japan in just 3 weeks” he wailed in exasperation – the relevance of his point completely lost on me. 😀

Oslo travel tips recommendations

Oslo’s Modern and Innovative Opera House

Oslo, Norway, as a destination choice, came about completely by circumstance. Everyone wanted to visit a country they hadn’t previously travelled to (which ruled out most of Europe) yet we chose to stick to Europe given our limited time. A few internet searches later and I found myself booking a “bargain” weekend in Oslo but next time I dare to use the “b” word, I will be sure to do my research so I learn in good time that it is one of the most expensive cities in the world!

what to do with 4 days in Oslo

Unlike neighbouring capitals Copenhagen and Stockholm, Oslo, in many ways, seems to have fallen underneath the cluttered tourist radar, which makes it something of an ideal city break location; the streets are sparse, the tourist traps few and far between and the photogenic corners peppered across the city catch you completely off guard.

sights in Oslo

And to prove just how much of Norway’s mystical capital city you can see with just four days at your disposal (leisurely lie ins and afternoon coffee breaks included), here is my ultimate Top 20 Oslo guide. I rarely do chock-a-block compilation posts but I was taken aback by just how diverse an array of activities I found in this city and I left with the distinct feeling that Oslo deserves far more acclaim than it receives.

20 ways to spend 4 days in Oslo

Continue reading →

Cassa Hotel Times Square – Boutique Chic in NYC

28 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by in City Break, Hotel Reviews, USA

≈ 39 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

City that never sleeps. Concrete jungle where dreams are made of. However, you want to describe this city and however much it divides opinion, personally, I never tire of visiting it but it is down to the supremely costly hotel fares that my addiction to New York City remains in check. With London being another infinitely expensive city, I usually find that our British pounds go a long way in other countries but in New York City, a pound still feels very much like a pound.

Times Square yellow taxi neon lights

Whilst this is the one city where I probably spend least time inside my hotel, the days of sightseeing are both exhilarating and exhausting so I seek somewhere comfortable, convenient and welcoming to return to; a hotel with a classy elegance reflective of the city it resides in but equally one where the nightly rate does not exceed the price of my international flight and this was how, after weeks of research, I stumbled upon Cassa Times Square.

Cassa Hotel Times Square

Continue reading →

Festive Fun at Bruges’ Christmas Markets, Belgium

04 Friday Dec 2015

Posted by in Belgium, City Break, Europe, Festivities, Markets

≈ 58 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

A couple of Christmases ago, Pumpkin and I touched down in Austria to commence on a mini break around some of the best European Christmas Markets. Our festive adventure started in Vienna, took us to the home of Mozart and Maria in Salzburg and ended in the country that does Christmas Markets like nowhere else – Germany.

German Christmas Market travel blog

As we first laid foot in these bejewelled, enchanting markets, we found ourselves surrounded by glistening, radiant baubles, reflecting festive colours in orbital planes. We fought temptation from the hearty aromas of German sausage hot dogs and steaming hot Kaiserschmarrn, exsanguinating fruit compote (a German dessert rather like a shredded pancake.) We took one look at each other with that kind of jackpot look of discovery children must feel when they arrive in Disneyland, knowing that the European Christmas Market break would become something of a recurrence for us.

Bruges Christmas Markets travel blog

The Magic of Bruges at Christmas

The Bruges Christmas Markets

And true to our intuitive glances, this year, we headed to Bruges. In the aftermath of the tragic events that took place in Paris recently and the raised terror alerts in Belgium, we approached with caution and indeed, on first glance, the change in tone was apparent with the presence of police and military on platforms in Brussels and at the Bruges Christmas Markets when it was busy, world’s apart from the Brussels weekend away I had enjoyed last year.

Christmas home decorations Belgium

Continue reading →

A Vintage Car City Tour of Havana, Cuba

10 Saturday Oct 2015

Posted by in Cuba, North America, Tour Companies

≈ 54 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

It is only a matter of weeks now till I venture to the Caribbean to embark (mind the pun) upon my first ever cruise. I may detest the cruise experience. I may find myself a convert. Right now, my main concern is how to avoid the weight gain that invariably seems to accompany a cruise experience (a first world problem if ever there was one!)luxury all-inclusive resort Varadero

What perturbs me though is the way I find myself referring to it as a first trip to the Caribbean. Because it isn’t. I went to the Caribbean only last year. I kayaked (with assistance) in shallow turquoise sea water and hydrated from straw-perforated coconuts on dove-white, emulsifying sand. Why then do I keep having to remind myself I have travelled to that region?

beach volleyball royal hicacos varadero

I think it is because my perception of the Caribbean was (wrongly) conceived as a product of brochures and magazines, television adverts and honeymoon promotions. The broad term, Caribbean which encompasses so many nations and sub-cultures, had in my mind conjured up illusions of luxurious resorts, high-end hotels, yachts and celebrities and naively, rarely had I thought about it in any other capacity.

colourful car architecture Havana Cuba photos

And then, I landed in Havana, the chaotic capital of Cuba to be faced with a Caribbean I had never anticipated and one that satiated every crevice of my travel curiosity.

Havana old town Viejo architecture

First impressions of Havana

Continue reading →

Alternative Sights and Experiences in Florence

21 Monday Sep 2015

Posted by in City Break, Culture, Europe, Food Markets, Italy, Parks, Scenic

≈ 25 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

We arrive at Santa Maria Novella station in Florence. We weave in a serpentine fashion trying to bypass the equally dehydrated crowds, the agile wheels of my micro-case menacingly meeting with the hurried heel of a fellow traveller. The small boutique hotel that awaits us faces the Duomo, affords us a view of its magnificence under moonlight. When we gaze at it at night from the window of our room, we acknowledge its proximity to the tourist hub of Florence.

Duomo Cathedral Museum Florence

Like so many before us, we have come to see David and the Duomo, to walk across the Ponte Vecchio bridge.

Ponte Vecchio Bridge Florence

But on this, my second visit to city, I came looking for more and if you have a bit of time to spare beyond the main squares and galleries,  why not head to some of these alternative sights in Florence instead?
Continue reading →