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luxury travel

Environment, Travel

Gravetye Manor: A Centre of Excellence for Gastronomy and Horticulture

Is there anything better than the English country garden in the Spring? Two nights at Gravetye Manor makes you appreciate all that is good about this part of England. I swear it was a degree warmer! But that’s not it. Perhaps the locally produced English sparkling wine, the meadows and tranquil gardens littered with spring flowers, the warm comfortable welcome from the happy helpful Gravetye team and the excellent cuisine? Yes, absolutely.

But of course, for me there was more… some surprising hidden ‘goodness’ that radiates outwards from this stately, historic manor hotel….

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April 16, 2024
3222
Environment

‘Audacious Goals’ May Save the Arctic Ice

Blink and you might have missed these news items….

My colleague and fellow adventurer to Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica, Brad Borkan – co-author extraordinaire of ‘Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results‘, writes about how an early explorer, a statesman and an engineer have shaped our current world by setting themselves audacious goals and not being put off by the naysayers!

He pointed out to me that we are seeing these audacious goals now in relation to the Arctic. We know the ice is melting. We know our wildlife – the bears, the seals, whales, foxes, birds – are suffering with the break up and disappearance of the ice shelves that they live, hunt and breed on.

BUT, things are happening! One or two humans are aiming high – audacious goals are needed to save the Arctic. Here is what we are seeing….

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March 12, 2024
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Environment, Travel

Scratching Beneath the Surface: Sustainability At The Treehouse London Hotel

Ok, I admit it – it was my birthday early February. Unlike the past two years, we were at home! Now I love birthday celebrations, my husband would rather leave the country! Couple that with our, what seems like permanent search for ‘fun’ or different hotels, those with a good vibe, great music – or at least not ‘parlour’ music – and a good view, a short London stay fitted the bill. The Treehouse London Hotel, Langham Place, London popped up on my Google search. Ooooh, I thought, that looks interesting. Roof top bar, perfect! It was indeed a perfect stay, one of the best and fun hotels we have stayed in.

But you know me, I always like to look deeper …. this is what I found….

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March 4, 2024
3372
Environment, Travel

When Having Clean Boots Is Actually Important

Bio Security and the South Georgia Habitat Restoration Project

Onboard our Polar Latitudes trip to Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica full focus was on the precious environment we were in and minimising our impact such as we could. Onboard the ship many things were already in place. No plastics, water stations and refillable bottles, bio-digester for food waste and pre-shore visit lectures with IAATO guidelines to adhere to. No food to be taken ashore and critical to ensure everything you went with came back with you. Humour is a great way to deliver these messages, and our team of guides were excellent on this score!

But for South Georgia and Antarctica there was much more, and here is why….

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February 23, 2024
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Travel

Hungry Anyone?

Playa Blanca seafront, Lanzarote is scattered with bars, cafes and restaurants, with a few breaks where a hotel has that precious beachfront space or a pointed rocky out-crop gives a pleasant return to nature and the sea.

Looking for is burger and chips? Please, close this blog, you are wasting your time!

BUT if you are looking for something a little special, with music or the best of Spanish food, then this might be for you.  

Can you guess which is my favourite restaurant?

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February 19, 2024
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Environment, Travel

SKI’ing in Lanzarote

Hotel vs Villa: The Princesa Yaiza Experience

Soon as it starts getting into Autumn – darker nights and gloomier skies – my husband’s thoughts turn to ‘where can we go to get some sun over Christmas and New Year?’. Now I am more of a ‘snow and fairy lights’ type of person… well that’s what I tell myself. With a ‘complex’ family structure – thats one way to describe it – exiting the country (UK) is a good way to extract ourselves from seasonal challenges, but it’s more than that. This is our third Christmas and New Year in Lanzarote, first time in a hotel rather than villa. Let’s look at how that went and explore how you can SKI’ing in Lanzarote when there is no snow or snow dome! Read on to find out more….

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January 31, 2024
3757
Travel

Shaping Guest Perceptions Positively

Part 3 of 3: Cliveden House Hotel, Taplow – what a welcome

We had friends from Germany visiting in the summer, with two young energetic children and a baby. It was a long weekend only but I always like to plan activities ahead with several options. Mainly ensuring places to run around for the children. 

The National Trust property, Cliveden House came up in conversation. Beautiful grounds going down to the Thames although the stately mansion house, previously owned by the Astor family steeped in history and political scandals, is now a Relais&Chateaux hotel.  We wondered what it would be like to stay in this historic hotel? 

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December 21, 2023
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Environment, Travel

Getting more ‘Polar’

Part 2 of 3: Scott Polar Research Institute – Polar Museum, Cambridge

Planning  our short trip away in the UK following  some medical ‘stuff’  I had always wanted to visit the Scott Polar Museum at the research centre in Cambridge.  My blog last week, our short stay at The Graduate Cambridge, was part 1 of 3 with this visit being the main reason for the Cambridge trip

2024 will bring a trip to the Arctic for me in June  – totally different of course in every way to the Antarctica trip but still with some common threads through explorers like Roald Amundsen reaching both the South and North Pole, I thought a history lesson at the museum was a good place to start.

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December 12, 2023
3672
Travel

Messing About on the River – Cambridge

Part 1 of 3: Graduate Cambridge Hotel

It’s funny what drives a short getaway, especially in November! Because of some medical stuff that had been going on we wanted a short trip to celebrate a 6 week recovery point. Criteria equalled not going too far in the car – my husband hates being driven, and I was driving! – and places we could easily walk. Combine that with something interesting to do, hmm thats not hard for me, the Scott Polar Museum = tick! A friend had mentioned Cliveden House and the beautiful grounds – a National Trust property but with the house now being a Relais & Chateaux hotel. I can see a mini-break coming together nicely.

This is part one, first stop Cambridge.

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December 6, 2023
4070
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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February 26, 2023
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