Where To Stay In London | 10 of London's Best Located Hostels In The City

Living in London you experience so much of the city that it makes it easier to recommend where to stay in London. I travel quite a bit and usually when I book a place to stay what tends to come to mind is how close is the hotel to the top things to do in the city I am visiting. With that in mind, I consider how much is the price of the accommodation versus how much I would have to pay in transportation and time get to those places while saving a few bucks/pounds on accommodation located out of the center. Living in an expensive city like London, as a local, I thought I would share with you my tips on where to stay in London by way my top 10 London hostels I would recommend in the city based on their proximity to London's top tourist attractions as well as the cost and rating factor. I also thought this would be a great follow up to my post on A Local's Guide on What to See and Do In London and my other post on Top 10 Money Saving Tips for Visiting London. Also, with Christmas fastly approaching you may wish to visit London during the festive period without blowing the budget. If that is the case then this is a post for you!

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This Is Zambia's Hidden Gem Along the Zambezi Where The Safari Comes To You

I have been wanting to write this post for like a million years, the pictures are nearly fossilised. This post might also be great for a people that think that Safari trips in Africa are super expensive. I am all about proving a point and I guess this could be one of those posts. I will do another post on how to do a safari without giving your bank account a hernia. So, Maramaba River Lodge, this little Zambian gem sits on the banks of the Zambezi River and oh so close to Victoria Falls that you can take a short drive to see one of mother nature best gifts this side of the globe. I wanted to get some of the Zambia trip posts up these as I am in the midst of planning another African road trip at the end of the year. Still figuring out itineraries.  

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Hotels In Phuket | Where To Stay In Phuket

When planning a trip to Thailand, I was keen not to leave without seeing Phuket. I wanted to explore the island as much as possible. From the beautiful beaches in Phuket to markets as well as surrounding islands and bays close to Phuket. The planned tours in Phuket meant that we would be visiting various corners of Phuket which meant to make this easy and accessible to surrounding islands in Phuket we were planning on visiting, we would need to change hotels. Ikon Hotel was one of three beautiful hotels we sampled during our visit to this popular and beautiful part of Thailand.

The change of hotels in Phuket saw us sample three different hotels on the island. From the oddly named Golddigger's Resort to our luxury private villa at Renaissance to Ikon hotel featured in this post. When I book hotels and apartments, I always shop around. From checking out sites like Booking.com, Expedia, to searching out Trivago to see if I can get the same room for less. Golddiggers I think we booked via Booking.com, Renaissance we booked directly via Marriott and Ikon was via Trivago.

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Mandarin Oriental | A slice of Luxury In Kuala Lumpur

Up there among some of my favourite stays from last year. I was in Malaysia late last year and twice thrice this year. I am smittened with the city and yearn to see more of this beautiful country. Known for its beaches and rain forests, sadly none of which were on the itinerary for the last few trips. You have seen me post about my visit to the Batu Caves, a run down on what to see and do in Kuala Lumpur as well as the experiencing city views from Petronas Towers, and a culinary tour of KL's China Town. With all the city gems available to explore in Kuala Lumpur one needs to consider a comfort spot to lay your head. It doesn't get any better than Mandarin Oriental in the heart of the capital. Perfectly located, sits right next to Petronas Towers, KLCC shopping mall and many cool and trendy bars and restaurants within reach. It was definitely worth the splurge! Plus, we managed to snub a room with a view of the twin towers. 

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4 Ways To Experience Andalucia Like A Local

Wherever I travel to, I always try to experience the place like a local as much as I possibly can. I want to see where the locals hang out, they shop and chill out. This usually means you can avoid the majority of the tourist traps and find the real gems in the city. With that in mind, I thought I would share some tips by way of 4 tips for experiencing Andalucia like a local. Andalucia is one of those beautiful places in Spain with endless possibilities. Beautiful towns such as Cordoba, Ardales, Ronda and a few more whose names I can't recall.

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Where to Stay In Paris | Parisian Weekends with Views of Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe

Usually I complain about not visiting Paris as much as I should considering its only an hour and a half on the EuroStar. This year I have managed to rack up quite a few trips to the popular capital. One memorible trip from the visits was a weekend visit and staying on Champs Elysées, just before I left for Australia. Nothing bits an apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower, but even better is having a hotel room with not only a view of the Eiffel Tower but a view Arc de Triomphe from outside two of your private balconies.

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A Private Paradise | Are These Luxury Villas Phuket's Best Kept Secret?

It simply doesn't get any better than this!!! Considering my birthday falls right at the end of the year when I am a little more reflective which means I opt for more relaxed celebrations. For my birthday, December last year I opted for a month long celebration which saw my boyfriend and I travel from Budapest to Beijing and then to Cambodia's Siem Reap to Bangkok, before landing in Phuket. For my actual birthday, the day before, the birthday and the day after I just wanted peace and quiet, no tours, no crazy activities, just pure indulgence! What the lady wishes for, so she must have and I did get, by way of a private paradise at Renaissance Phuket.

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Marriott Court | Where to Stay In New Delhi

It's no surprise that I am a big fan of Marriott hotels. Having stayed at many of their hotels. From USA to Germany, from Thailand to England, and From Hong Kong  to Poland. I use them a lot when I travel for work but now also look at their properties when traveling for leisure as well. When my boyfriend was going to work in India for two months, I new it was only going to be one place I was going to be looking at. His office was Gurgaon, which is just on the border with New Delhi. Perfect for my exploring of New Delhi's tourist sights and perfect for his morning commute to the office.

Marriott Hotels are some of the most comfortable hotels I have ever stayed in. Service is impeccable whatever the time of day and the locations of the hotels are usually in the best spots in the city. Clean, comfortable and affordable luxury! Why wouldn't I want to stay there? This is one is part of the Courtyard by Marriott Hotels. In addition to a spacious room and comfortable bed, food is great and even better breakfast selection to set up for the day. The hotel also has a rooftop pool, perfect for watching the sunset while lounging by the pool - the makings of a great stay. My stay was super short but my boyfriend stayed on for 2 months with no problems.

The hotel is also on hand to help with arranging tours to many other places around India. They were also on hand to help book and arrange for a car and driver from New Delhi to Agra so that we could visit The Taj Mahal before I left to come back to London. I am keen to revisit India again soon. For more hotels options in New Delhi check out this list of hotels in New Delhi as well as my post on Top 13 Place You Should Visit In New New Delhi.

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Golddiggers Resort Phuket | When You Book A Hotel Simply Because Of Its Name

My mind had conjured up so many things when I first spotted the name of the hotel and at $40 a night I thought to myself it can't really be that bad, can it? To my relief, it was bad at all. In addition to the name, I chose it because it was a short distance from the airport as we were flying from Bangkok in the late afternoon. We were going to be doing the Phang Nga Bay tour which takes of from the piers near in the Northern part of Phuket. Hence why were wanted to base ourselves this side of the island. I shared a post from our day tour from Phuket to Phang Nga Bay. 

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Sydney Apartments That will Bring Out The Naomi Campbell Out of You!

Lately, when I travel I prefer a little bit of "home from home comfort" so I tend to opt for apartments when traveling for leisure these days. Sure you might want everything taken care of by the hotel and that's great when I am staying in hotels while on a work project. For my trip to Australia this March, I wanted to be right in the city but still feel comfortable in the space I was staying and much less foot traffic compared to a hotel. I definitely found in Meriton Apartments. They have some of the tallest residential properties in Sydney. They have many apartment buildings in Sydney and some with penthouse. I chose to stay at Meriton Serviced Apartments in Pitt Street. Right in the heart of Sydney's CBD. Westfield Shopping Centre is just a street or 2 streets away. It is perfectly located in that you also have the world famous Queen Victoria Building with designer boutique stores, cafes and restaurants just a few steps away.  Just as well, as being close to many a restaurant meant I had enough time to evoke the Naomi Campbell alter ego before venturing off to dinner with travel friends I met in the city. 

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Poland | Where To Stay In Warsaw

Whenever I plan a short getaway, to get the most out of a quick visit to a city I try and plan where I stay carefully. This way you can kind of plan what to see and do and just how easy it is to get to from where you are staying. Also, as it's a getaway break from normal day living I also want it easy and rather effortless. I had a few options on where to stay in Warsaw, in the end, we decided on Marriott Hotel. It's has a great location in the heart of Warsaw. You are literally a few meters from Warsaw's biggest mall; Zlote Tarasy. It's also across the road from the Palace of Culture which offers amazing views of Warsaw. The shot below of the Marriott Hotel building from taken from the Palace of Culture building.

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Mandarin Oriental | Where To Stay In Kuala Lumpur

Petronas Twin Towers are Kuala Lumpur's most famous landmarks in Malaysia, if not the whole of Southeast Asia. When I was planning our visit to Kuala Lumpur I was also on the hunt for hotels in Kuala Lumpur city center as almost everything that I planned was close if not within the main part of the city center. We checked into Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur, which not only sits pretty with views of Malaysia's business district but comes with a bonus of being right next to Petronas Towers and the ridiculously HUGE Suria KLCC shopping mall. The location makes it some much easier to get started on the list of things to do in Kuala Lumpur as KLCC and Petronas Tower Bridge Tour Experience are right at your door!

The luxury hotel boasts 10 restaurants serving up Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Spanish and other international cuisines. Gastronomy to the max! Kuala Lumpur is already a multi-cultural city but I love that the hotel is already offering you a piece of the world in all its international flavours without even having to leave the premises. With all the city's tourist sights we had on the cards, first on the list was a bit of R&R on the rooftop's infinity pool. Considering we had just spent a few days temple running through Cambodia's Angkorian Temples, it was time to relax by the pool with a cocktail before exploring began. A few days ago I also shared some pictures from our culinary tour through Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown.

Budget - Wise

Obviously, Mandarin Oriental is in the luxury category so expect to pay a premium for that, but it was well worth every penny or dollar that we paid. We had a room that was looking out to Petronas Towers, again those rooms charge a bit more. Others not facing the towers are slightly less. I will be posting more on the hotel. It was a birthday treat so totally justified, I guess. For a list of hotels in Kuala Lumpur head over to this list of hotels in KL.

Location Location Location

Location of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur doesn't get any better!  You are bang in the middle of it all. If you are after a hotel near KLCC then this is the place for you! Firstly you have the 10 restaurants inside the hotel, then the major Suria Mall within Petronas Towers next door. You have stores from luxury to sensibly priced stores. So from your Gucci, Fendi, Chanel to H&M and all the gadgets shops like the Microsoft, Samsung and Apple stores. I couldn't resist, I managed to come back to London with a gold and shiny Samsung A8. Exclusive to Asia, so I feel pretty chuffed that only a few people in the UK might have it. The hotel is perfectly located with plenty of sights are your finger tips. Also, perfect for anyone short on time but wanting to get the most out of your stay. You won't have to go very far to see the sights.

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Cambodia | Quick Guide On Where To Stay In Siem Reap

Tales of ancient civilisations, unique landscapes, and now UNESCO World Heritage sites. So you have decided on temple running through Cambodia's Siem Reap, but where do you stay in Siem Reap? Siem Reap serves as the gateway to temple ruins of the Khmer Empire.  It's a bustling city and you will want to be right at the heart of it, in terms of accessibility to restaurants, entertainment, and accommodation.  Siem Reap or Cambodia as a country for that matter is one of those places that you can surprisingly find a bed to sleep on for the price of a London Latte. Yes, I was just as surprised as you are right now. Yes, beds in a hostel can be as little as £3.75, which is great for those on a super tight budget. Fear not, for those with supercharged budgets as luxury hotels and villas, are a-plenty!

When I book hotels I can be a little fussy and sometimes I tend to opt for smaller hotels simply because I want a more peaceful stay without hordes taking up spots for the poolside lounge. Having scoured the internet and booking and cancelling places, we finally settled on Kiri Boutique Hotel. We booked this via Booking.com. You can check out deals on hotels, villas, and hostels in Siem Reap. You can also check out other sites like Agoda, Trivago, or Expedia.

Palm fringed villas and gardens, all surrounding inviting pools, with even better service are the makings of a perfect stay. In the land of $5 hour-long massages, you know you will be in for a relaxing stay. The beauty of our stay at Kiri Boutique Hotel was that in addition to the cheap and worth-every-buck massages you could get in the city, the hotel could arrange these in-house and have the masseuse come to our hotel room if all the temple running has got the best of us. Below I have listed a few spots covering most budgets just to get you started on your search if thinking of heading to Cambodia's Siem Reap.

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5 Great Reasons To Use Airbnb When You Travel

When I travel, accommodation is an important part of planning my trip. That also involves consideration on the cost, location, amenities near by as well as what's included in that too. So looking at apartment rentals has become a natural aspect of booking my trips, whether flying solo or exploring with friends and lovers! I am kidding, there is only one man in my life. Originally I was going to just put 5 reasons to use Airbnb, but it now appears I have to add a 6th; because Beyonce is using Airbnb as well! You haven't heard? During her stay in the city when she did the Super Bow performance of her latest Single Formation, she rented out an Airbnb mansion. Granted this place was $10K a night, I am not saying that's what you should all be booking, well unless you can afford it. In which case I may just be asking you to invite me to tag along, but I digress. So why should you use Airbnb when you travel? Check out my 5 reasons on why you should use Airbnb below. Just so we get this out of the way, this is not a sponsored post nor am I getting paid by Airbnb to post this. If you do want to start hosting your apartment on Airbnb or if you want to book your first Airbnb stay you can get £14 off your first booking with my Airbnb link.

1. Value For Money - Most cases I have found you get much better value for money compared to hotels in the same location, offering same amenities in the area they are located in but are charging a premium solely based on location alone. You can usually find Airbnb to be much cheaper and you get to come and go as you please without dealing too much with hotel staff and guests. 

2. Late Check Out And No Fees - Usually you can check out much later without late fees or any qualms you will normally face in hotels. I have had late outs as late as 7pm and sometimes 8pm depending on whether I had a late return flight home.

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When Hotels Are Beautiful But Service Sucks!

In keeping with my 2016 resolutions about being vocal about things that displease me...well lets see how this goes. I try hard to keep my blog positive and thought long about whether to post this about my stay in Athens. I planned a trip to Greece last summer with my sisters. I booked pretty much all the hotels, flights and researched most of the activities me and the girls were going to be doing during our trip. With this in mind, for our stay in Athens I wanted to be fairly central without blowing out the 3 different budgets I was catering for. But I also wanted the views and comfort too.

Having booked several other places I then made the final cut down to Radison Blu in Athens. The hotel was greatly located. Not too far from places to eat and station and the rooftop pool with views of The Acropolis had me sold. The room was great for three people, we were well received at reception and staff were helpful on the ground level. It seemed that's were the great service starts and stops. 

So where did it all go wrong?

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Island Hideaway | Why You Should Stay in Santorini's Akrotiri Instead of Oia

Picturesque sunset views overlooking Nea Kameni, Santorini’s dormant volcano. Pitapat of feet edging towards the island's cliff sides in search of the best spots to watch as the sun descend into the Aegean Sea. And the sun sets, blue hour draws in as the lights on the island start to flicker on. I am sure you have all seen pictures of Santorini's town of Oia, with people enticing you to go and see the sunset there. Or drool-worthy Instagram shots of pools with views of the volcano. Well, as small as Santorini is, there is more to it than just Oia. Last week I shared with you a post on my explorations of Santorini by beach-hopping on a Catamaran that saw us sailing around the Greek island.

During my visit this summer, we managed to explore the little island back to back and around it, including sailing around it. Having been to Oia and Fira I was  glad we managed to book a place away from Oia and the crowds. From my point of view, most hotels lacked a little privacy as hordes of tourists  busy looking over the hotel balconies and pool areas, while I am sure those guests where trying to relax, no doubt.

The streets also don’t seem to sleep so if your hotel is near the foot paths then that is just something you will have to deal with. I am not saying that you cannot find places in Oia that are away from the crowds but you will either have to pay a premium or be lacking in views and I wanted both the views and peace and quiet with my rest and relaxation on the Island. I found it too! In Akrotiri. Akrotiri sits directly opposite Oia.(Santorini is kind of shaped like a ‘C’ or half-moon crescent. The tips you could say is where the two towns sit.) I booked my sisters and I a place with views of the volcano, Oia, Thira, and we had views of either side of the seas on the island which was a plus!

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A Stay At Zambia's Hotel Overlooking the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls + [Packing Tips For An Exotic Vacation]

Summer is here, although that might be a little hard to believe if you are in London. I don't know about you but the months of July and August usually conjure up thoughts of breezy beach fronts surrounded by picturesque sunsets as you chill and just let the sound of the water nearby sooth your soul. Perhaps a glass of wine around, an open wood burning fire and grill. Star gazing in the outdoors with a touch of rustic charm as you melt in pure luxe and relaxation or maybe an exotic vacation with a promise of sun-soaked adventures; The very remnants of my jaunt at Royal Livingstone Hotel. Architecture that speaks of its colonial past, wildlife roaming the grounds and large verandas with a good spread of relaxation areas.

Sitting on the edge of the Victoria Falls is a truly amazing experience to have and having a view of that same river that feeds that Victoria Falls is another experience one should add to that experience. All that and more are just some of the adventures up on offer when staying at Royal Livingstone Hotel(For a full list of places to stay in Livingstone have a look at this list of hotels). I have always found vacations set near the waterside to have a sort of spiritual renewal effect on me, very calming. The views from the patios of Royal Livingstone hotel are just pure delight. You can actually see the mist created from the falls without leaving the sun lounger. The same mist that can be seen some 30 miles away from the falls, in high season. That should give you some idea of the sheer volume of water falling over the 100 meter cravis of Victoria Falls.

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Gecko Ridge | An Oasis In The Heart of The Namibian Desert

Have you ever seen the sun set, and the moon rise? All in one night! Well Namibia gave me that gift last year, at Gecko Ridge. Our own little oasis in the desert. I have always believed that where you stay when you are on a holiday or an extended road trip can make or break a holiday. Staying in the busy, noisy and hectic parts of a city when you travel doesn't do your search for rest and relaxation any justice, nor does staying so far away that it makes exploring difficult. My African vacation last year saw my boyfriend and I explore Zambia, before driving to Botswana for his first African safari vacation, then extending our road trip to Namibia's dessert dunes. This was of course where we were going to be doing the sand boarding in the desert dunes, the thing that bucket lists are made of.  It's been on my bucket list for a long, long time. My brother who now lives in Botswana, joined us for this part of the trip too, which also made things easier as we could take turns to drive the long distances. If you are a lover of road trips I would highly, highly, recommend driving in Namibia! The roads are endless with beautiful backdrops of mountains and desert landscapes. There are many stops for markets, small townships along the way, not to mention the road sides have small tables and seats built for pit stops for a break from driving or just a stop for lunch. It's great to see that the road sides have designated stops, almost as if to encourage resting between long drives.

With a hectic and packed itinerary, I wanted us to have peaceful and comfortable places to stays. Having driven 10 hours from Maun in Botswana, we landed in Windhoek, Namibia late in the night. With a few hours to explore Namibia's capital the following day, we then set off for the Skeleton coast, but based ourselves in Swakopmund. People almost always assume visiting Africa is expensive. Its not! The main expensive thing is the flight but even that these days, if you know where to look you are in for an adventure. You will find most of the hotels typically available in Europe and most come with an even better view of nature than a view of the concrete jungle. Our stop in Windhoek for the night cost well £100. So you will get more for you money too. That's for a small suite, and a double room, all including breakfast for the 3 of us. This was also a last minute booking because we couldn't find the hostels we thought we were going to stay in,  having arrived so late and me getting a little bit on the hungry and cranky side. This was very much last minute of the next available place I could find.

With only a day to explore the capital we set of for Namibia's Skeleton Coast. This is the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean and stretches up towards Angola. The local people refer to it as "The Land God Made In Anger" while the Portuguese sailors apparently refer to it as "The Gates of Hell", because whale and seal bones as well as the many shipwrecks that litter the shore. We based ourselves in Swakopmund. A town that seems as if it had been plucked right and of Germany and dropped in Namibia. Architecture and language spoken is mostly German. As beautiful as the town is with its gorgeous beaches on one side and sand dunes on the other. I wanted a low key and quiet spot. I found Gecko Ridge Guesthouse in Swapomund. The owner an architect who made a deal with the land owner to be paid in land for helping the owner of the land to divide the acres of desert lands he owned. His portion of the land he builds this beautiful guest house which also comes with private chalets on the grounds. For more options on where to stay in Swakopmund, check out this list of hotels and guest houses in Swakopmund.

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Amsterdam's Best Food Experience You Must Try | High Wine At The Dylan

In my last post I shared with you pictures from the anniversary celebrations that involved touring Amsterdam while indulging in all the delightful foods the city has to offer while doing the Amsterdam Food Tour. Well, the anniversary weekend celebrations continued the theme around food as we ramped up the romance. This time were headed to The Dylan Hotel. They do a High Wine experience which as you may have guessed was born from its relationship to high tea experience. I have tried many an afternoon or high tea experiences, they don't know compare. This is on its own level. Dylan Hotel is housed in a townhouse with a rich history and located on one of the most famous areas of Amsterdam; Nine Streets. A fashionable and unique shopping district with a mix of designer boutiques, from vintage to modern fashion, chic little cafes and restaurants in what is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Quite befitting of a place to house a stylish and luxury hotel that is the Dylan. 

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Tongabezi | Luxury On The Zambezi River - Part II

"The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa- for he has so much to look forward to" - Richard Mullin

The second installment on my stay at Tongabezi, on the river banks of the Zambezi. A subtropical idyll with thatched roofed exclusive lodges all but one with views of the Zambezi and little cheeky monkeys cavorting the surroundings. That's in addition to the Hippos that lazily float before you. People and animals respect each other’s distance here. With a big tub run for you to take a dip under the star lit African sky and champagne waiting on the side. Please take me back to Tongabezi this instant! How about I stop drooling over the thought of going back and tell you what’s on offer when you visit. Once you settle in you also get a chance to sit down with the activities coordinator to run through activities you would like to part take in. All included in the price of the  stay. While my boyfriend opted for the guided bike ride within the national park in the hope of also spotting some animals, I visited the local school funded by Tongabezi. We also choose to do a morning game drive and the Devils pool, which sits on the edge of the Victoria Falls (not for the faint-heart and not included in the price). Also available is candlelight dinner on the Zambezi and many more but sadly we didn’t have time to do them all.

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