Well, this was definitely a new one for us. The Hard Rock Hotel. In Puerto Banus. Not really our usual less-is-more. More, more-is-more-and-the-brasher-the-better... So, it begs the question - why?...
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
ronda : andalucia : 2024
It's over ten years since we lasted visited Ronda, and that was a flying visit, as we were en route to Seville for Semana Santa. But it imprinted such a memory that we always said we'd return for a...
hotel tugasa castillo de castellar : castellar de la frontera : andalucia
Our roadtrip around Andalucia has introduced us to some incredible places, and definitely places we probably wouldn't have otherwise discovered, if we hadn't been "in between homes". One such place...
ático 73, victoria : medina sidonia : andalucia
Situated in the southern Andalucian town of Medina Sidonia, Ático 73, Victoria, is advertised as an adults-only hotel. Although we're not averse to staying in places which are child friendly, it's...
road trip : istria to venice
We’ve just said goodbye to our second set of friends who’ve been staying with us for a few days. Amanda and Steve had a few days in Italy first – they flew to Venice Marco Polo from Manchester and...
puerto banus : andalusia : spain
Puerto Banus was built in May 1970 by José Banús, a local property developer, as a luxury marina and shopping complex. And, as we were staying in the area, we decided to check it out - depsite our...
cómpeta : andalusia : spain
Although much larger than Frigiliana, and perhaps not quite as immediately pretty, Cómpeta is another of Andalusia's white-washed towns - the famous pueblo blancos. In the Axarquía (meaning 'East'...
capo testa : sardinia : italy
Capo Testa is located in northern Sardinia and is a wild and pretty remote part of the island. For thousands of years, the powerful wind over the Mediterranean has shaped Capo Testa, into an unreal...
pisa : tuscany : italy
A double header of an Italian trip meant that we could visit Florence and Pisa in one trip. We travelled independently and so our schedule was very flexible. The main stay was in Florence, with a...
florence : tuscany : italy
Our trip to Florence was pretty whistle-stop as we also wanted to tie in Pisa, and we only had a few days. So, every time we return to Italy, if we are in the region (or thereabouts) of Florence, if...
bergamo : lombardy : italy : 2015
Bergamo, located west of Milan, in the region of Lombardy, is beautiful. Often overlooked for the more glitzy (and possibly more brash) Milan, it has everything. There is the lower, more modern town...
casa 1800 : granada : andalusia
Casa 1800 are hotels I've had an eye on for some time. With one in Seville and in one Granada, I figured that some way we'd find a way to visit one of them, at least, but I also assumed that price...
vineria cozzi : citta alta : bergamo : lombardy
We love Bergamo in Northern Italy. It's often overlooked as a gateway to its more showy neighbour, Milan, as lots of flights land here with easy transport links to the bigger city. But, you are...
los coracoles : frigiliana : andalusia : november 14
On a drive from the white washed hill top town of Frigiliana, down to Torrox on the coast, we noticed some strange shaped buildings looming up on a hill ahead of us - and were totally bemused, as we...
padre pio : san giovanni rotondo : foggia : italy
Having driven around much of Italy, I think we can safely say that this guy – Padre Pio – is very definitely a superstar saint. You can hardly escape him – statues, images, grafitti, even a whole TV...
riad mimouna : essaouira : morocco
This is riad is quite simply, stunning. Located right on the sea walls, and converted from a very grand 19th century residence, you just could not have a better place to stay in Essaouira. The...
hotel valemare : tropea : calabria
Tropea is an absolute jewel on the Calabrian coast and we couldn’t recommend highly enough, a stay in this beautiful town. However, if you are looking for accommodation, we couldn’t recommend highly...
villa mercede : frascati : lazio : italy
Villa Mercede is a bit different to many of the hotels we choose to stay in on our travels. Personal choice, but we prefer quirky, boutique style (although not those with silly prices), old,...
hotel rocca della sena : tropea : calabria : italy
When we were in Italy, last year, we had an awful experience with a hotel in the beautiful Calabrian town of Tropea. We’d booked into Hotel Valemare for four nights, but it was so terrible, we left...