Recently, we were lucky to be able to escape the chaos of our renovation and have a night in Estepona, where we met an old Manchester friend, who was out visiting family. We'd only drive around...
Travel…
We love to travel. And while we’ve been travelling, because we tend to veer off the tourist trails, we realised that we were discovering so many hidden gems, having amazing experiences and picking up tips and avoiding near-disasters, that we thought it would be a nice idea to have somewhere, where this could be shared. In March 2017 we finally realised our dream to relocate to the sunshine and moved to Istria, in northern Croatia. We continued to travel, and although the pandemic restricted where we could go, it gave us the opportunity to discover Istria and Croatia. Things took a very different turn in early 2024 when we decided to sell our renovated house, and take another big plunge – this time moving to Andalucia, and taking on the renovation of a traditional Spanish townhouse.
What we blog about is a good mix of wherever we go. If you love quirky places and things maybe a bit different from the norm, hopefully you’ll like what you find here. You can also pop over to Twitter, for the brief version!
And, we’re not being paid to mention hotels etc, & none of the blogs are sponsored – although, if one day, I could make a living out of travelling to gorgeous places…
recent travel blogs
medina sidonia : andalucia
Before we started researching areas, as possible places to buy a property and relocate to, I don't think we'd heard of Medina Sidonia before. However, the name resonated with us, creating visions of...
hotel la almoraima : castellar de la frontera : andalusia
We're now increasingly finding that we need to be a bit more hands on with the house renovation, and need to factor in time to get across to Jimena de la Frontera to meet with Jose, the project...
punta paloma dunes : tarifa : andalucia
The shifting dunes of the south western coast of Andalucia, really are a sight to behold, perhaps the most dramatic being those located at Punta Paloma, the headland just to the north of Tarifa,...
design hotel verbenicum : vrbnik : krk island
Vrbnik is a picturesque town located on the eastern coast of the island of Krk, which is part of Croatia's northern Adriatic region, known for its medieval architecture, stunning views, and rich...
the ruins of dvigrad : istria
If we take the motorway south, to Pula, through the Istrian peninsula, about halfway down, we cross a high road bridge. From this vantage point, nestled amidst the lush countryside, it is possible...
lido di jesolo : venetian riviera : italy
Jesolo is always on our radar, as it's not too far from where we live in northern Istria. A couple of hours and a bit away, there's an expansive beach - 15 kms - to be explored, making it one of the...
museo mille miglia : brescia
Very recently, we watched the film "Ferrari", based on a family recommendation, because of its locations. We're definitely not car-people and so if not for the Italy connections, we might have...
salon de provence : bouches-du-rhône : france
Our road trip to France, was semi-planned. We had an idea of certain areas we wanted to visit to see if they could be added to our list of possible places for relocation. So, as we set off for the...
centro paolo vi : brescia
We're not religious people by any stretch of the imagination, but I do like a bit of Italian theatrics when it comes to things of a holy nature. I also like a hotel which is a little bit different,...
l’ancienne boulangerie : caunes-minervois : occitanie
Sometimes you stumble across somewhere that is just too pretty to be real, even when the weather isn't on your side, and instead of being bathed in sunlight, grey clouds and drizzle dominate. On the...
casa m apartment : citta alta : bergamo
Whenever we stay in Bergamo, in Lombardy, we like to discover new places to stay. In December, we met up with friends from Manchester who had flown over, and so rather than a hotel room for two, or...
one night in verona
Because of where we now live - northern Istria, near the Slovenian and Italian borders - we get to travel a lot more than we ever used to. We rarely fly now, as our location means many places,...
piran : slovenia
Until very recently, we hadn't actually realised that our closest beach/seaside town, was actually in Slovenia, not Istria. Not by many kilometres, but enough to be our closest. In just over half an...
Mövenpick Hotel Zagreb
Hotel Mövenpick, Zagreb, is located in a business area nestled near the Museum of Contemporary Art, Bundek Park, the city centre and the international airport, Zagreb Franjo Tuđman Airport. It's in...
strasbourg : the capital of christmas
Strasbourg, frequently named “European capital”, is a city in eastern France in Alsace on the left bank of the Rhine, playing a major role as a business, commercial, and cultural centre. Besides its...
rocksalt b&b : folkestone : kent
Rocksalt Restaurant and Rooms - with four boutique en-suite bedrooms - have a very enviable location on the South Kent coast. The glass fronted restaurant sits right on the harbour, overlooking the...
the iron men : crosby : merseyside
It's been a while since we've visited the permanent sculpture exhibition on Crosby Beach, but it was a place we'd often drive over to from Manchester, if we wanted to get some blowy, fresh air....
le royal hôtel : nîmes: occitanie : france
Continuing our late summer road trip to France, we headed to the city of Nîmes, known for its well-preserved Roman monuments such as the double tiered Arena of Nîmes, dating from approximately 70 AD...