I went to Portugal for the first time ever last August. After a stressful week (read my post The one where I forget to renew my son’s passport, and you’ll understand), I was relieved to make it to Lisbon, Portugal’s capital, with my husband and two teenage kids. We stayed in the city for two nights, […]
Slieve Donard Resort & Spa luxury hotel review
This post is about my summer trip to Northern Ireland with my 17 year-old daughter. We flew from London to Belfast and spent a night at the Culloden Estate and Spa (you can read my review here) before driving to the coastal town of Newcastle by the Mourne Mountains in County Down. After an hour […]
Luxury at the Culloden, Belfast
We begin our first ever trip to Northern Ireland in style, with a night at the luxurious Culloden Estate and Spa, a five-star hotel near Belfast. My seventeen year old daughter and I are spending a few days away while my son is on school summer camp. I’m feeling pretty stressed before we leave home, and am delighted to accept […]
Star Castle Hotel, Isles of Scilly
The Star Castle Hotel must be in one of the most captivating locations in the Isles of Scilly. The hotel is in a star-shaped former fortress, the centre of a garrison which was built on a hill above Hugh Town on the island of St. Mary’s in 1593. The site must have been chosen for […]
Luxury family travel, & the key to a happy family holiday
My teenage son loved staying at Sicily’s Verdura Resort so much that he asked me if we could live there. We stayed at the Rocco Forte resort for just three days on a family trip to the Italian island a few summers ago, and all four of us adored the place. It’s beautifully luxurious, but also […]
Family-friendly places to stay in London
If you’re visiting London with kids in tow, how can you choose where to stay, from the thousands of options on offer? Whether you’re looking for five-star luxury, a budget option, or anything in between, do you want to know what a place is really like before you commit to staying there with your kids? […]
Park Hotel San Jorge, Platja D’Aro
I spent a few days on the Costa Brava in Spain in October with my husband and kids (17 and 12 years old at the time). I’ve already written about our zip wire adventure, the cooking workshop, and the astonishing human towers which we saw in Girona. This post is about the hotel which we […]
Without kids: Amba Hotel Marble Arch
When we’re invited to review London’s newly opened four-star Amba Hotel Marble Arch, my kids aren’t interested in coming along. The hotel looks great, but we’ve been away quite a bit recently, and they just want to stay at home. My husband and I decide to go without them. A kind friend agrees to come […]
Four Seasons Canary Wharf review
2018 update: This hotel is now the Canary Riverside Plaza, and I haven’t stayed there since this change. When you’re staying at a hotel do you like the staff to be friendly and chatty or do you prefer them to be more reserved? I much prefer the former because, to me, it feels welcoming. Four […]
Xandari Resort and Spa, Costa Rica
This is a guest post by Anglo-Italian journalist Lorenza Bacino. In August Lorenza, her husband and their two children travelled around Costa Rica in Central America with Hands Up Holidays. This is the last in a series of articles which Lorenza has written for Mums do travel about their experiences there. This post covers the final part of their trip. Xandari Resort ‘Xandari Resort […]
