Category: Expert Travel Advice

By Rachel Ricks

There’s a place in Buenos Aires that every visitor must go to say they’ve really been to Buenos Aires – and it happens to be in the middle of the city’s most dangerous neighbourhood.

It’s La Boca – the colourful port-side streets a-buzz with tango dancers, steak restaurants and arts and crafts stalls. Photos of the area convey to the whole world: this is Buenos Aires.

We had been in the city three weeks and still hadn’t made it to La Boca, somewhat put off by it being far from the central areas where we’d been staying. Then eventually, one Sunday afternoon, we decided to pluck up the courage and go.

We had planned a waterfront route that we could walk, but as we were leaving our San Telmo hostel and checked with the receptionist for her opinion on the route, she started shaking her head emphatically and said walking would be “muy peligroso” (very dangerous). Yikes. Instead, she pointed us to the bus stop on the other side of the street. Continue reading I survived La Boca

Author Charles Davis takes a look at the history and culture of the beautiful area of Brittany, the ends of the earth.

Brittany is France’s Celtic fringe, bearing the same topographical relationship to the rest of the country as Cornwall does to Britain, and an emotional, political and historical link comparable to that of Scotland and Wales with England. In other words,Brittany is out on the edge of things, and for many years the rest of France was determined to keep it that way, except insofar as the peninsula was able to provide a steady supply of fish and cheap labour.

Nowadays Brittany is very much a part of modern France and is an increasingly fashionable domestic holiday destination for those who have tired of the crowded beaches and traffic jams that a traditional southbound break entails. Nonetheless, the old ways endure, Celtic culture is flourishing and is more vibrantly celebrated than ever before, and the region is highly recommended for anyone looking for an interesting break in a place that is at once French but something other, as well. Continue reading To The Ends Of The Earth – Brittany

The Pub. One of the best aspect of living in Britain or Ireland. Something I really miss every time I spend even just a few days in Poland. I have to admit that there are periods when I might visit them a bit too often (from my liver’s perspective at least) but it is such a fantastic institution, how could one resist?

So during my recent trip to Ireland I couldn’t miss the opportunity of visiting a good Dublin pub. Our choice (based on a recommendation of one former Dubliner) was The Stags Head. Located at 1 Dame Court, it is not far from the touristy Temple Bar area but far enough to escape the worst aspects of its mass tourism. At first glance it looked like many other historic pubs; dark wood panelling, stained glass, and a real stag’s head above the bar. It could even be seen as kitschy if it wasn’t also so real at the same time. It is hard to explain what I mean but it was different than all those bland corporate pubs which try to look like the “real deal”. Surprisingly it is actually run by a pub chain.

But the best aspect of this fantastic watering hole was the bar staff. I have to say they offered the best service I have ever experienced in any pub, in any country. Ever. On the night we popped in there were only two guys serving but they managed without the slightest issue, despite quite a sizeable crowd of tourists and locals. They were even collecting and washing glasses themselves. One would expect a frenzied chaos or unfriendliness in such situation. And one couldn’t be more wrong. Continue reading Dublin Pubs – The Stags Head

In their latest blog post Matt and Sharon Ward passed through the wonderful historic town of Hoi An in Vietnam.  Here’s what they had to say on the town from a His and Hers perspective.

After an early morning pick up from our Da Lat accommodation, we headed to the airport for our flight up to Hoi An. This felt like travelling in style after our previous bus journeys and we arrived at the Sunshine Hotel in Hoi An around mid-morning. As our room wasn’t quite ready, we took the opportunity to relax by the pool and take in our new surroundings.

His Guide:

I was taken aback by the cleanliness and bright white walls of our latest accommodation. Not only was it very reasonably priced, but the staff couldn’t do enough in helping us feel at home. After a quick bite to eat in the restaurant, we headed out to see what Hoi An had to offer us. I had heard great things about the town so I was feeling very relaxed about our time here. I was delighted to see that the main shopping streets were blocked off to cars and motorbikes, which allowed us to causally walk around the streets and stalls in peace.

On our first morning, we wandered downstairs to make the most of the breakfast, which was included in our room price. I was gobsmacked to see a couple at the table across from us happily tucking into a plate of spaghetti carbonara. With that sight still fresh in my mind, I went for the more familiar option of omelette and toast. After breakfast we walked back into the town to sample more of Hoi An. I don’t think I’ve ever seen more tailor shops in a small area in all my life. I would have had no idea which one to buy from, but luckily I wasn’t on the lookout for a suit. Around mid-afternoon we started spotting motorbikes zooming along the cornered off streets. We figured out that there must a point in the day when it’s ok for them to use the streets again, much to my disappointment. Continue reading His and Hers Guide to the Globe: Hoi An

by Jess Williams

Another train brought us into Udaipur where we had had the foresight to organise a personal auto-ricksaw to our hotel, so we were greeted at the station with a sign for “Jeffica.” The Jess/Jeff mix up is fairly common when ordering taxis but this was a new highlight of mistaken names. I wish I had had the foresight to get my camera ready for the event.

Anyway, we were dropped at Minewa hotel in time for a Christmas Party Skype conversation with our London flatmates on the beautiful roof terrace, complete with cushioned alcoves. We spent a lot of time on that roof the next few days, working our ways through all the flavours of lassi on the menu.

Other, more culturally stimulating highlights of the city were the palace and view of the floating palace from Octopussy. Octopussy is everywhere, and screened every evening at some hotels. We manage to avoid it in favour of flute lessons though, and a trip to a fancy 5 star hotel to see our flute teacher perform. Oh, how the other half live…

We were actually very busy in Udaipur, squeezing in an early morning horse ride, a yoga lesson, and a trip to a leather workshop where we gave specifications for a very particular satchel, to have it whipped up in front of us. It was posted home, stuffed full of Christmas presents. Continue reading India: From Udaipur to Goa

by Rachel Ricks

Deciding which barrio (neighbourhood) to stay in Buenos Aires can be a tricky decision for travellers to the city. Ranging from the smart and leafy Palermo to the gritty Constitucion, you can find accommodation in all different areas of BsAs, depending what kind of experience you’re looking for. I stayed in each of the main central neighbourhoods while I was there – keen to get to know all the city’s faces – so I’ve done the leg-work for you.

Palermo/ Villa Crespo
The smarter end of town, you’ll notice the difference as soon as you step off the Subte. Tree-lined streets offer funky boutique shops, trendy hotels and pavement cafés. Great nights out can be had in the Palermo Hollywood and Palermo Soho neighbourhoods. You’ll need to take the Subte or buses to go anywhere in the city centre though.
Best for: Being smart and trendy.
My tip: Looking for some designer shopping? Look out for the Guia Queens Vintage Guide, a fold-out map of this area, highlighting all the cool shops and eateries. The main concentration of outlet stores is in the blocks between Aguirre, Avenida Cordoba and Murillo.
Where I stayed: Pop Hotel (Juan Ramirez de Velasco 793) – excellent, funky boutique hotel. Continue reading Expert guide: Which barrio to stay in Buenos Aires?

by Charles Davis

There are two Andorras. One, regrettable and forgettable, is a place of packaged Winter breaks, hypermarkets, shopping trips, crowded towns and traffic jams. The other is the traditional, timeless, romantic, landlocked principality high in the Pyrenees, the Andorra of independent character and a cheerful contempt for other people’s frontiers, of smugglers’ paths and high mountain passes, of medieval villages and remote refuges, the Andorra of a thousand lakes, of tumbling torrents, towering peaks, splendid vistas, meadows full of wildflowers, and some of the finest paths in the Pyrenees. No prizes for guessing which of the two we chose to explore in Walk! Andorra.

Andorra is a topsy-turvy sort of place, nowhere more so than in the nature of its seasons. Hectic with skiers during nature’s months of hibernation, the slopes go to sleep during the Summer, making it the perfect place to escape the crowds that reduce some sections of the Pyrenees to trekking motorways. This relative neglect has nothing to do with the quality of the walks, which are superb, but is the result, ironically enough for Europe’s highest country (the lowest point is 840 metres above sea level), of it’s comparatively modest altitude. The fact that its highest peak is ‘only’ 2,942 metres means the sort of people for whom mountains are an adult version of standing on top of the slide and chanting “I’m the king of the castle!” tend to be a bit sniffy about Andorra as a hiking destination, gravitating instead toward the major summits of western Catalonia and Aragon. Which is all to the good for the rest of us. Continue reading Walking in Andorra

by Gregor Swiderek

Ireland, the emerald isle, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. After trying to organize a tour of it on a couple of separate occasions I finally succeeded just a few months ago.

And I have to say I absolutely loved it, so I decided to share some of my impressions. However, I’m not going to write about ancient ruins and monuments, or about the green and pleasant landscape, not even about tasty Guinness or lovely Irish pubs. No, I’m going to write about the most fun aspect of our journey, Irish roads.

Here, I have to admit that I am a road geek and I absolutely love driving (in case you hadn’t picked that up from my American journeys). I’m sure travelling by train is relaxing and travelling by bus lets you meet some fellow travellers but there is nothing better than your own set of wheels.

We started our trip in a car rental office in a suburb of Dublin. Nothing exciting or worth really writing about but in no time we were crossing the middle of the country on one of the new and empty Irish motorways. It was the first big surprise. Being used to busy British roads I just couldn’t believe how empty a major highway can be. There were quite long moments on our way to Cork when we couldn’t see a single car in front or behind us. Pure joy to drive.

Still, a motorway is a motorway, nothing really worth shouting about (maybe apart from some spectacular Alpine stretches in Switzerland). It was the smaller roads which provided some real fun. Our first encounter with a proper Irish road was R668 across the Knockmealdown Mountains linking counties Tipperary and Waterford. Due to inclement weather (to say the least) we couldn’t really admire the apparently great views but the drive itself was still fun with all the tight corners and moss covered branches hanging over the road. Continue reading An Irish Roadtrip

by Kasia Nowicz

The second part of our Montenegro trip was almost entirely devoted to the coastal landmarks. But first of all, we were desperate to plunge ourselves in refreshing water and get a bit of a tan. Once we found ourselves by the sea in a town called Petrovac, it turned out that the coast was so popular with the locals that finding accommodation, a room at a guesthouse, was a challenge. Each of the four of us set on a journey knocking on peoples doors (in this sort of places virtually everyone offers rooms to get some extra cash), just to find that they were fully booked. After about an hour of research, one of us returned with good news – there was a track.

It led to an elderly woman who took us to her unfinished two-floor house. It was a bit far from the town centre so we quickly said goodbye to the holiday makers hub. The house had very basic facilities, but there was a bathroom and a kitchen to our disposal. On top of that we had a separate entrance and a terrace to enjoy evenings on. Soon we met the elderly woman’s husband – wheelchair-ridden, ailing, but cheerful and chatty. We were glad to contribute to the couples modest finances.

It quickly turned out that we did not need to go back to the town to enjoy the beach; there was a small local one nearby. Happily, we set off with our beach gear. Even though the walk took us about 15 minutes it allowed us to familiarize ourselves with the vicinity and with the way people lived there. And it was not a posh part of the world. The path was dusty, along which modest housing or even shacks  baked in the scorching sunlight. Litter scattered around, a barking dog in the distance, a lost hen looking for some lucky grain. Silence; not even one person around. It must have been that time of day, when all the locals made good use of the lazy weather at the beach. When we emerged from the arid and barren landscape, a complete change of scene welcomed us at the fresh and lively beach.  Bunches of boys were jumping into the water from the rocks, children were splashing around, the bars and eateries enjoyed a good crowd of thirsty and hungry locals.

We soon named it ‘our beach’ and no other could compare to it. Others were either too crowded,  too dirty, too plain, or simply did not have the right vibe. Most of all, none of other beaches had the blasting music. And I am not a fan of spoiling natural scenery with loud artificial noises, but the local pop music just complimented the Montenegrin beach experience. I was soon floating on my lilo and immersing myself in local pop culture. We stayed there until the evening when we finally got the courage to do what the locals did –  disappear behind the rocks and come back covered entirely in white clay. A SPA treatment completely free in a most natural environment – my skin felt heavenly good. Continue reading Coastal Montenegro