Author

Sue Quelch

Environment

Lets Celebrate the Return of the Whales, but Not Forget Our Past

Why the Grytviken ‘spirit tables’ sculpture is important – a visitors perspective!

Future generations cannot learn from history if we eradicate the visible signs and monuments – that’s my belief. Nothing was more pertinent and obvious to me in South Georgia. The juxtaposition of the beauty and extensive wildlife on its beaches and surrounding ocean, compared to the remains of the Grytviken whaling station, where we nearly wiped out entire whale species, is a case in point. This place has much visible evidence of human devastation on our wildlife. Combining the ‘then and now’ is tricky, but it seems ‘art’ might provide a solution – a way of expressing history, AND showing hope.

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Travel

Being Expected

Villa 420 and What is the True Meaning of Luxury?

The island of Landaa Giraavaru, Maldives Four Seasons resort is an idyllic island paradise of true luxury. But what does ‘true luxury’ really mean? It’s always so personal, but for us here is how it goes.

Prefer to watch a video? Click HERE for my YouTube video instead.

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Travel

Scotland: 10 Five Star Hotels (mostly), 22 days (Part 4)

It’s All About the Biscuits!

Kentallon, Glencoe – A few days golfing!

Find out why some of the most expensive hotels in Scotland aren’t always good value. Read up on hotels that have taken action to be more sustainable, and those that still have a way to go. Use the information to help plan your own road trip up the west coast of Scotland.

‘THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY’

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Environment, Travel

How this all started!

Gold Harbour, South Georgia Island

It’s very difficult to describe life changing experiences. Standing on Gold Harbour beach at 5.30am witnessing the sheer volume of life and realising the absolute fragility of the planet, exacerbated by man…… was like no other moment in my life.

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Environment, Travel

One of the coolest ways to offset the negative impact of your travel …

Not sure about you, but I am really not keen on clicking that ‘offset your carbon footprint’ button when booking my flights. Don’t get me wrong, I want to offset my carbon, but I want to know what my donation is actually being spent on … whether it is benefiting the wildlife and the people where I am visiting. Some donations I make aren’t always to a ‘carbon offset’ project as such, but simply have a positive environmental impact. The following idea is definitely one that is great for the environment AND you will benefit too.

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Travel

We got wet bottoms at our ‘posh’ Christmas Dinner!

Love it or hate it, Christmas dinner is definitely a thing!  Eating out Christmas Day is typically expensive in the UK, and not always good value.  And what about that staff that have to work that day? Being in Lanzarote for Christmas presented an opportunity to do something different, something special and compare it to the traditional turkey dinner at home or the local pub.  Was it worth it? Was it good value? Did it meet our expectations for a special celebratory meal? Well ……

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Environment

What is this ‘speck’ of an island in the Indian Ocean doing with one of these???

Landaa Giraavaru, Maldives Four Seasons Resort is an island of mainly sand, in the northeast of Baa Atoll – It is really just a speck in the ocean, approximately 600 meters in length east to west, 200 meters in width, oh and something to think about, its maximum height is 2 metres. If you read up about this idyllic place’s history on Wikipedia it’s surrounded by mainly desert islands and has barely been inhabited over its lifetime due to low availability of fresh water. We took a ‘back of house’ tour this February and it was full of surprises. Little did we know what a ‘role model in hospitality sustainability’ our tour would uncover. But its not been all plain sailing for them…

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Environment

How the ‘Waste Bin’ Inspires Sustainability of Exhibition Stands!

Ever been to a trade show or trade fair? Perhaps the British Motor Show, or if you are an IT professional then CeBIT (the largest information technology trade show in the world)? Look around at all of the custom stands, all the materials recently put up to house the exhibitors and promote their brand, soon to be torn down and discarded the minute the show doors close. Well here is a story of one Graphic Design company, Design-Factory GmbH that had a vision, 15 years or so ago, inspired by the waste bin.

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Environment

itmustbeNOW – On Why the Time is Now!

When you are only a metre above sea level, a.k.a. the Maldives, global warming and the resulting melting ice caps kinda get your attention. Landaa Giraavaru, Maldives Four Seasons Resort has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited, a place I feel where you will never be disappointed. Being there felt like the world had stopped and I ‘stepped off it’ for a glorious 14 days – hubby has never seen me so chilled! BUT what is equally stunning about this resort is all they do to implement sustainable, carbon-free solutions to ensure the island has a ‘fairy’ footprint, AND they are transparent about it. Here is what they are part of….

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