If your ideal holiday involves spending as much time on the beach as possible then you need to know about Pineapple Beach Club, Antigua. The beaches in Antigua are absolute knock-outs and the bay that Pineapple Beach Club sits on is up there with the best. This resort, however, doesn’t just reside on the beach … Read more
Since writing my last post on some of the cultural quirks and customs of Japan I went back (for a 4th time!) and realised I had barely scratched the surface. Every day in Wakayama I’d scribble something else in my notebook that I wanted to remember if I was lucky enough to have a next … Read more
Tohoku is a region of stunning natural beauty found just to the north of Tokyo. Made up of 6 prefectures (Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata), Tohoku is bursting with hot springs, snowy mountains, ancient castles and precariously-perched mountain temples. To help discover these little-known gems, I’ve pulled together my top 5 places to … Read more
Have you ever heard of place in Japan called Wakayama? Don’t worry, neither had I until recently. But if I told you about Wakayama’s first-rate ramen, ancient castles and seafront onsens you’d be interested wouldn’t you? Last week I spent 48-hours exploring one of Japan’s best-kept secrets as part of a project called My Secret Wakayama. … Read more
I’m pretty sure the concept of snowshoeing is that you use the contraptions on your feet to elegantly glide across untouched snow. For a non-skier like me it’s an opportunity to play in the powder without the risk of losing limbs. It looked and sounds pretty simple and it is – as long as you … Read more
Travelling in Japan reveals a new story every minute. I’ve never been anywhere that respects tradition as much as modernity; you can be praying for your fortune at a temple one minute and watching giant robots battle to save earth the next. We’re talking about a country that has 5.5 million vending machines and trains that move at … Read more
A group of ladies in blazing orange smock dresses gathered around a tower of intricately wrapped sweets, chatting about which ones to take home as souvenirs. The men sat at the coffee shop nearby, sporting royal blue floral shirts and rubber yellow slip on shoes. A cylindrical aquarium containing bright blue jellyfish stood in the … Read more
I feel like I’ve been let in on a massive secret. Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka are names we hear often but I’m one of the lucky few travellers who can speak of travelling in Japan’s Tohoku Region. Tohoku is the northernmost region of Japan’s largest island, Honshu. Made up of 6 prefectures, it’s an area of … Read more
For those of us who like to plan ahead you may already be thinking about where to see in the New Year. Maybe some of the coverage from Edinburgh’s Hogmanay has made you consider Edinburgh for the next New Year celebrations? I certainly had the time of my life and am sure you will too. … Read more