Carmel California

Carmel-by-the-Sea: The Prettiest Little Town in California

Having lived in London my whole life I’ve always been a city girl, craving the flurry of people and the buzz of city life.  Never have I imagined myself living anywhere quiet or calm, away from the tall skyscrapers, the hum of traffic and the fast-paced way of life.  Not until I visited Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Surrounded by the seaside town of Monterey Bay, the mountainous wineries and one of the most beautiful coastlines I’ve ever seen, this picturesque village on the coast of California is charm personified.  The pretty streets, quaint cottages and ocean views made me feel as if we’d driven straight into the pages of a story book and its quirky laws and restrictions – such as no postal addresses, high heels or fast food restaurants – just make this town even more quirky and endearing.

Being such a pretty town it was only right that we also stay in the prettiest of accommodations and the Colonial Terrace was just that.  As soon as we arrived, the first thing I noticed was the glittering blue sea just a 2 minute walk from the doorstep.  A difficult feature not to notice when the waves and white sand are calling you towards them, but first we went to check in and unwind in the comfort of our room.

Continue reading

5 Reasons To Love Fabulous Las Vegas

Las Vegas was never somewhere that I particularly wanted to visit.  With no culture, not a lot of history, and no major sights to see, it seemed to be a place to just gamble and party.  And while I do like a good party, it isn’t the sort of thing I plan my travels around.

So I couldn’t have been any more surprised when I found myself absolutely loving the city almost as soon as we arrived.  I loved it so much that it was one of my favourite parts of our American adventure and I’m already desperate to go back.

From the minute our taxi hit the Strip, I had my eager face pressed up against the window, oohing and aahing at all the bright lights and enormous hotels dominating the skyline, people spilling out onto the sidewalks watching the majestic displays of entertainment on the streets.

There really is so much more to Sin City than I gave it credit for.  While it might not be to everyone’s taste, the fact that I ended up in complete wonderment of the place just goes to show that it certainly shouldn’t be written off.  I could enthusiastically chatter on about this place all day but here are just a few of the many reasons why Las Vegas won me over so easily.

Continue reading

Essentials for an American road trip

10 Essentials for an American Road Trip

There is nothing quite like the feeling of setting out in your car on an epic road trip, the back seat piled with bags, blankets and snacks, Rusted Root’s “Send Me On My Way” playing in the background, and your favourite travel buddy sitting beside you.  Whether we’re exploring somewhere completely new and having to learn the rules of the road in a different country, or just going on a short weekend break closer to home, road trips are one of my favourite ways to travel.  Being able to stop wherever and whenever we want, having no obligations or time limits, and just enjoying the freedom of an open road.

Our great American adventure is only a day off now (eeek!!), and while we may not have actually been on our American road trip yet, we have been on a fair few in the past, from roadtrippin’ South Africa’s scenic Garden Route to driving around the pretty Cotswolds.

So these are my 10 essentials that are needed for a great road trip, with a few that will give us those extra American feels as we’re cruising along Route 66.

Continue reading

Where to eat in Marrakech

The Best Lip-Smacking Places to Eat in Marrakech

Almost as soon as we had dropped off our bags in our beautiful riad we found ourselves stepping back out into the chaos of Marrakech’s Medina.  Cars tried to jostle their way through the dusty streets, donkeys pulling carts alongside them and mopeds speeding by loudly tooting their horns.  We darted out, joining the people (and cats) zigzagging between the traffic.  Our bellies were rumbling and we were on a mission to find some Moroccan food.

Not a total surprise, I’m sure, that the first thing I do in a different country is hunt out the local food.  But Morocco is a place where the cuisine is such a huge part of the culture – well I like to tell myself this anyway so that I have an excuse for all the eating!  With five days in this magical and mythical city we attempted to eat our way around the whole of Marrakech, from sipping mint tea in rooftop cafes, sampling street food in the bustling markets, and fine dining in luxurious hotels.

Continue reading

Travel blogger planning a trip

A Surprise Adventure

It’s been five long torturous months of having to keep this secret to myself and now I can finally share it.  Mr Ayla turned 30 yesterday and I’d planned a little surprise for his birthday.  There may actually be a few of you (okay possibly a lot of you) who already know about this surprise – I may not have been able to share it with my husband but the excitement was too much not to share with anyone at all!

Mr Ayla woke up on his birthday morning to be greeted with a treasure hunt leading him to a selection of clues around the house and finally to his big surprise…

Continue reading

A weekend in Brighton

A Valentine’s Weekend in Brighton

Apart from family trips when I was little, as well as the odd night out in my slightly wilder days of partying and actually being able to cope with a hangover, Brighton is somewhere that I haven’t really seen in years.  So when my mum gave us a Segway experience voucher for Christmas, we decided to spend Valentine’s weekend trying out this new adventure near Brighton and then spending the rest of the weekend exploring the city.

After an afternoon of fun whizzing our way through the woods on our Segways, with me desperately trying to avoid tree trunks while attempting to keep up with Mr Ayla, we made our way down to the seaside.  Thankfully we didn’t have too much mud to wash off ourselves before heading out for dinner where, for once, I didn’t take a single photo of our food.  Shock horror I know!  But it was Valentine’s weekend and we just wanted to enjoy our meal for a change.  (I think Mr Ayla was rather happy that he was able to eat his food while it was still hot without all my photo taking!) 

Continue reading

Reasons to travel with someone you love

10 Reasons To Travel With Someone You Love

As Valentine’s Day is almost upon us and love is in the air, I thought I would share some reasons why I love travelling with Mr Ayla so much.  I spend so many hours at home just staring at our giant world map on the wall, amazed at all the pins in the places we’ve been, wondering where we’re going to discover next, and I wouldn’t want to fill up my map with anyone else.

I applaud those people who travel solo but it’s just not for me.  I once took a flight from London to Edinburgh – yes, only an hour long – and it just felt so strange.  I had no one to excitedly make my way to the airport with, no one to point to things out of the plane window, and no one to help me lift my heavy hand luggage into the overhead compartment.  Sigh.

After 12 years of exploring the world together, Mr Ayla is my favourite travel companion.  I wouldn’t want to go anywhere without him and here’s 10 reasons why…

Continue reading

Travel blog photos

30 Before 30

It’s no secret that I love a good list.  Whether it’s my bucket list that is constantly being added to, the list of destinations we’ve visited so far, or a meticulously detailed itinerary of our next adventure.  So, in honour of me turning 29 earlier this week (she says as she weeps quietly in the corner), I thought it was about time for another list!

Despite all the celebrating, cocktails and cake that have been involved in trying to forget I’m another year older, I can already feel the big 3-0 lurking just around the corner.  Maybe it’s because I’m soon to be leaving my wild(ish) 20’s behind or maybe it’s because being in your 30’s just seems a whole lot more grown up – even though we’ve been married for 8 years, have a mortgage, full time jobs and all those adult responsibilities already, both Mr Ayla and I still firmly put ourselves in the children’s category and bustle in with younger siblings and cousins at family parties. But I’m not so sure I’ll get that privilege when I’m no longer in my 20’s.

So, to take my woeful mind off my looming 30’s, and of course to make the last year of my 20’s pretty awesome, I’m taking some inspiration from others who have done this by making a list of 30 things I want to do before I turn 30.  What better way is there to forget that I’m another year older than to plan lots of new adventures?!

Continue reading

A weekend in Le Havre

A Weekend Discovering Le Havre: Part 2

As I promised in my post last week all about our weekend discovering Le Havre, here is our second day exploring this lovely city on the coastline of France, just a short ferry ride from Portsmouth.  Not quite as hectic as the first day, today was spent wandering around the city and, best of all, sampling lots more delicious French food.

Despite all the wine the previous night, we were up bright and early in the morning for a stroll along the harbour just outside our hotel.  And what a glorious morning it was.  Even though it was winter, the skies were bright blue and the sun shone down on us as we got ready for a new day of adventures.

Continue reading

Le Havre France

A Weekend Discovering Le Havre

Shortly before Christmas Mr Ayla and I set off for a weekend of discovery in Le Havre, along with Brittany Ferries, Le Havre Tourisme and a group of other keen adventurers.  Only a short ferry ride from Portsmouth (or a slightly longer ferry ride with a cosy little cabin to nap in), Le Havre was somewhere that I had admittedly never heard of.  I was expecting a small French town with not a massive amount to do and, extremely unusual for me, I hadn’t done a single bit of research before we left.  For once I was happy to let someone else do all the planning and Le Havre Tourisme had a fantastic weekend ahead organised for us.

Over the course of the 48 hours we spent in Le Havre, we had an itinerary packed full of sightseeing and adventures.  The quiet little French town that I was expecting to visit was nowhere in sight.  Instead, I was surprised to find a city rich in history, teeming with beautiful architecture, a mouth-watering cuisine and only a stone’s throw from the Normandy countryside.

Continue reading