So I didn’t actually intend to go hiking in the Blue Mountains at all. I just planned to go and see them, because they’re an easy two hour train ride from Sydney Central station to Katoomba, the nearest station for the Blue Mountains, through some spectacular scenery and pretty towns. The closer you get to Katoomba, the more dramatic and alien the landscape becomes, with dense, ancient rainforest.                 My hotel for the night was Lilianfels, which reminded me of an English country estate – it’s luxurious and very traditional, with Wedgwood wall ..read more

Forget having the blues on Blue Monday – let’s indulge in a bit of travel escapism with a look at the Top 10 Instagrammed Places in the World, measured by hashtag, courtesy of the lovely people at Cewe Photoworld. I’m a massive fan of Instagram – I love the fact that you can interact with fellow travellers and get their feedback on your images, use all sorts of inventive and sometimes hilarious hashtags to attract people to your posts, and I think it’s actually made me a better photographer. It makes me think about what I’m seeing differently, and want to capture sights as creatively as possib ..read more

There were two reasons I wanted to visit the Galapagos Islands. Firstly, the wildlife, of course, because of regular readers of this blog will know I’m kinda obsessed with seeing wildlife IN THE WILD. But secondly because apart from a day trip to Tijuana, which is basically like an Arndale Centre on the Mexican border, I had never been to South America before. So I couldn’t wait to travel to Ecuador.                 My Galapagos Islands adventure began in Quito, which is so high above sea level (2,850m) they actually TELL you to eat the locally produced ..read more

Langkawi couldn’t have been more of a contrast to Penang. This little archipelago of islands was the Malaysia of my dreams – a chilled out tropical paradise, with breathtaking scenery, fabulous beaches and great wildlife spotting.                 My highlights included taking a thrilling motor boat trip in the Kilim national park, where we saw actual eagles flying over the mangroves – it was amazing watching them circle and then dive for fish right in front of us…                 …the Geopark, which is absolut ..read more

So after Bangkok it was on to Malaysia, and Penang (or Penang Island) is the most extraordinary place, filled with magical, colourful temples, crumbling colonial villas, and with a peaceful vibe (35% of the population are Buddhists).   We started off our visit to Penang by exploring the Kek Lok Si Temple, with its intriguing murals…                       …and mosaic wall and floor tiles (before anyone gets upset, the swastika is actually an ancient symbol in South East Asia and you see it everywhere).     &nbs ..read more

Last month I spent one night in Bangkok before embarking on a cruise to Malaysia, and just to manage expectations, I didn’t see any ping pong balls or anything like that. In fact what I did see of Bangkok changed my preconceptions about the city, because it wasn’t seedy at all.               At first glance Bangkok reminded me of Shanghai – lots of skyscrapers, maybe not so much smog; but like so many Asian cities at night it becomes absolutely captivating. I’m told the best way to experience it is by taking a trip on the Chao Phraya river which snakes t ..read more

So I decided to go hiking in Maui when I was travelling round the Hawaiian islands because after my experience of hiking in the Blue Mountains I really wanted to push myself further, PHYSICALLY. I know, I know, it’s a massive surprise to me too. I joined the East Maui Waterfalls & Rainforest hike with Hike Maui. We were picked up in a mini van and driven to the location for our 5 and a half hour hike (yes, you read that right), and asked if we wanted to borrow special waterproof shoes (I declined, stupidly – more on that story later), a hiking stick (bamboo, which at first I decl ..read more

I’ve spent quite a lot of time in LA, mostly in Venice Beach and Beverly Hills; so staying in Santa Monica for the first time was a bit of a revelation, and as soon as I saw the white Art Deco facade of the Hotel Shangri-La I knew I was going to absolutely love this hotel. It just looks and feels quintessentially Californian, cool and elegant with a laidback vibe.                               Built in 1939 and renovated in 2008, the Hotel Shangri-La is the epitome of ‘luxury boutique’; it’s located right oppo ..read more

OK I wasn’t *actually* house hunting in Santa Monica, more like playing Fantasy Homes by the Sea, if I won the lottery. But when I spent a few nights there in December on my way to and from Hawaii I couldn’t resist going for a walk along that glorious golden beach with its pastel-painted lifeguard huts…                                   …and then going for a good nose at the beachfront homes. Now these babies would set you back millions of dollars, but hey, a girl can dream, right? They all looked really ..read more

I arrived at the Swissotel Sydney after spending one night in Singapore and an eight hour flight, which followed a 12 hour flight from London, so I was slightly confused about where I was (or who I was, for that matter). But as soon as I was ushered up to the Executive Lounge of the Swissotel Sydney and plied with all kinds of breakfast deliciousness and plenty of coffee I knew I’d found my perfect base for my first few nights in Sydney. The Swissotel Sydney entrance is discreet, right on Market Street, so close to some of the best shopping in the city and about a 10 minute ..read more