It’s a close second too, with Finland leading the rankings at 7.8 out of 10, followed by Belgium, Austria, Romania and Slovenia, all in second place and just a smidge behind the leader, at 7.7.

With the survey based on everything from living conditions, employment, health, education, leisure and social interactions to economic and physical safety, governance and basic rights – it appears I’ve ignored Belgium for far too long, favouring its neighbour, France.

I have actually been to Bruges once before but remember little of it, being a junior reporter on a local newspaper in the UK at the time and invited to go on a work trip to Amsterdam. Having hit the nightlife too hard in Amsterdam, I spent the few hours in Bruges asleep on the coach and missed out.

It was a friend’s review of Brussels for The Sun Lounger which made me realise that I had overlooked Belgium for far too long. Impressions I’d long-held of the country in my mind were that it might be a bit boring, the food was nothing special and it was all about beer. Basically, that it was compared to France! Shame on me for thinking that.

I was ready to be proven wrong and I was. Read on for The Sun Lounger’s guide to the perfect weekend in Bruges.

About Bruges

Bruges – known as the Venice of the North due to its network of winding canals – is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its well-preserved medieval architecture, cobbled streets, waterways, beer, lace and chocolate. The Venice reference is a bit of an exaggeration, to be honest. It’s nothing like it but is a beauty in its own right.

It is the capital and largest city of West Flanders in the Flemish region of Belgian. Forget your Duoligo French here; they speak Dutch. Bruges in the north-west of Belgium and the sixth most populous city in the country, although still relatively small.

The city itself is oval, encircled by the canal, and has a population of around 120,000 of whom around 20,000 live in the city centre. You can walk around it in just a few hours and that’s part of its appeal.

When to visit Bruges

We went to Bruges for three lovely (although freezing-to-the-bone) nights in January, when the shiny streets were relatively quiet, except for the occasional clip clop of hooves from carriages carrying tourists around and the bell chiming in the ancient clock tower. Despite being quiet, pretty much everywhere was still open and you had to book restaurants in the evening a weekends, as they were buzzing.

There are advantages and disadvantages of travelling out of season. I’m not sure I would love it as much if I had to jostle with herds of tourists in the pretty squares of Burg and Markt, although the outdoor bar culture would be world-class.

How to get to Bruges

I’d looked into travelling by Eurostar to Bruges, which would’ve meant changing trains in London and again in Brussels, but decided that the quickest and easiest option for us was to drive, crossing the channel via LeShuttle, which I believe always takes the stress out of travelling, especially when you have a tonne of coats in your luggage and hate lugging it behind you, as I do.

Living in the UK, it was possible to get from door to door in a little over four hours (two hours to the LeShuttle terminal at Folkestone, 35 minutes crossing – a.k.a. time for a nap – and then 1.5 easy hours driving to Bruges itself).

Instead of turning right out of the terminal, towards my beloved second home of Le Touquet, we took a left this time, whizzing past Dunkerque before crossing into Belgium and zipping up to Bruges. There were no tolls, the quiet roads were a breeze and navigating Bruges itself was easy, due to its size.

Once you get into the labyrinth of little streets and bridges over the canals in the historic centre, you’ll know it’s time to find your accommodation, drop your luggage off and then find a car park. There are several within the inner sanctum of the city and ours cost around €50 to park for 4 days.

The only traffic we encountered on our entire trip was in the UK, whose roads seem eternally strewn with traffic cones and nobody apparently working.

Crossings on LeShuttle start from £59 each way.

Who goes to Bruges

While there, it felt as though there was a mix of both locals and tourists, which isn’t always the case in some major European cities, like Barcelona, for example. We encountered mostly Dutch and Spanish tourists, with a smattering of Brits, Germans and Italians.

We didn’t see as much of that uber cool coffee shop scene that you see in lots of other places, meaning the tourists in January were mostly couples from early 30s upwards. Despite the abundance of beer, there wasn’t a stag party vibe, that one might have expected. It was all rather civilised and – I’ll use the word again – mellow, although not at all boring.

Where to stay in Bruges

Prior to going on a city break, I normally do a moderate amount of research and decide what I want to see while there, then create a rough itinerary. This time I broke from tradition and decided to see where the days took us and simply wander. The only thing we’d booked in advance was the accommodation. And what a good decision I made.

When a Brit hears the term ‘B&B’, they may think of a chintzy, rather faded establishment with a matronly and slightly stern patron serving ‘full English’. That’s not the case at all at the boutique B&B Barabas, a majestic 16^th century mansion which has been lovingly preserved, with a peaceful, idyllic waterfront garden fronting one of the city’s most picturesque canals, just a few steps away from everything you will need to see in Bruges.

Understated as you approach it from the street, inside is a dreamy design triumph, beautifully combining old and new, with guest suites with dripping with luxe detailing. It’s was a darling find and now I have discovered it, I wouldn’t want to stay anywhere else in Bruges.

Before arrival, the very charming and helpful Bert will send you a Whatsapp message, giving you instructions of how to gain access, where car parks can be found and other essential details. If one of the equally charming ladies isn’t there to help you on arrival (Bert runs a nearby bagel shop during the day), you’ll find your key on the large antique table and instructions on how to get to your room.

Ours was on the first floor, up some steep stairs (thank heavens for a partner who was willing to lug the suitcase full of coats up said stairs). Overlooking the canal at one end of the room and a quiet, narrow street at the other, the modern rooms are a bright contrast to the largely antique vibe downstairs and ours featured a very ‘designy’ and ridiculously pretty, free-standing bath.

The loo and shower were found in two separate dark glass cubicles at the street-end of the room. If you are bashful re bathroom sounds, turn the volume up on the TV while one of you pays a visit – or there is another loo downstairs!

The bed was huge and the square continental pillows, which many of us Brits don’t really understand, were actually among the best we’ve ever rested our heads on. Speaking of pillows, that’s how my partner described the bread rolls at breakfast, served on vintage crockery, while we sat in retro seats. In fact, his exact words were as follows:

“Breakfast is served in the orangerie, where you can enjoy a delightful selection of yogurts with homemade granola, a continental buffet selection with a side of scrambled eggs and crispy bacon and the most delicious, light bread rolls which I can only describe as being lightly crusted which, when prised open, have most wonderful consistency, like little fluffy pillows of breaded loveliness.”

There’s no physical bar but there is an honesty bar (there are cameras, if you are of a dishonest persuasion) which is well-stocked, including with some local beers.

My only regret was not having been able to sit in the garden and enjoy an aperitif. Maybe next time, when I’d also like to book into the cottage holiday home, accessed via the garden, just for the views from the bed.

Junior suites at Barabas start from around €300 a night.

What to do in Bruges

If you don’t want to wander freestyle, there’s lots to see and do in Bruges:

• Belfry of Bruges: A 13th-century tower with 47 bells that’s part of the World Heritage Site of Belfries of Belgium and France 
• Church of Our Lady: A Gothic church with a brick spire that’s the second-tallest in the world
• You can take an open-air boat tour along the canals (closed when we tried on a Monday in January), bathe in beer, make chocolates, go on a guided walking tour and enjoy making Waffles ‘n Beer – where you combine the two and get creative. We booked this as it was right near our B&B and reviews were great, but it was sadly cancelled by the organisers and our money refunded 
• Other attractions Concertgebouw Brugge (Concert Hall), O.L.V.-kerk Museum (Museum of the Church of Our Lady), Godshuizen (Almshouses), The Hanseatic Quarter and Groeningemuseum.

Where to eat in Bruges

You’ll find wall-to-wall Flemish beef stew, perhaps rather strangely for a Brit, served with apple sauce, salad and/or chips, and vol-au-vent smothered in creamy chicken, sometimes with small meatballs thrown in too. You have to try moules frites, waffles and chips with mayonnaise too.

If you are going to eat anywhere in Bruges, make it the quite new, stylish and very cool Atelier D The Bistro (above). We’d peered admiringly through the windows of this small, up-market eatery as it was on the corner of the street we turned down to get to our B&B. Having quickly glanced the menus to make sure it wasn’t another beef stew and vol au vent joint, we decided to book for my partner’s birthday meal.

We turned out to probably be the most difficult diners they could ever have asked for, but they were utterly charming. The reason for our difficultness? On sitting down and reading the menus properly, we discovered it was a seafood restaurant and my partner reacts badly when he eats all things fishy. On top of that, I was midway through a course of diet injections at the time, so was full after a few bites and therefore filled with shame at not being able to clear my plate, as usual.

Rather than putting our coats on and running (we were close to the door), I discreetly asked the chef if he was willing to make anything non-seafood for my partner (did I mention that the Belgians speak better English than many Brits?) and he happily obliged, serving a dish of goose liver for a starter and plume of pork for dessert, spooning over the shiny sauces in person at the table, directly from a small copper saucepan.

I was persuaded by the server to try the oysters (above) as they’d been having a caviar tasting and had some Iranian fish eggs left to serve with them. Despite Monjauro (my choice of diet jab) telling me I’d made the wrong decision, I gulped them down, followed by a dish of fresh brill.

When we asked what wines they had, we were taken down into the cellar and given a tour of what was good – something I’d never experienced before in a restaurant. We said no to the 1924 Margaux at £800 a bottle and went for wine by the glass, my diet injections forbidding me from drinking too much, anyway.

Telling them it was my partner’s birthday, they appeared with a steady stream of bottles, first pouring us rosé wine, then red, then champagne, then dessert wine and charging us for virtually none of it.

I managed to ‘avoid’ a delicious dessert but my partner found his rich and chocolatey, as one would expect from the country which can produce up to 600,000 tonnes of chocolate a year. As if that wasn’t enough, it was apparently compulsory to have a spoonful of tiramisu before exiting.

Our server couldn’t have been lovelier (he even played Happy Birthday by Stevie Wonder over the sound system when all the other diners had departed) and kissed us when we left. Every time we subsequently walked past, they waved enthusiastically at us through the windows. Not a bad reception for the most difficult diners in town!

Starters €28 and main courses €48 per person.

Where to drink in Bruges

Bruges is famous for its beer culture and Belgium has around 1,600 different beer brands. The city even has underground beer pipeline that runs from the De Halve Maan brewery to a bottling plant, pumping around about 4,000 litres of beer per hour. 

Beer is actually regarded as tangible cultural heritage in Bruges, officially designated by UNESCO. You’ll find many different types of beer in the city, including Trappist, Abbey, Belgian dubbels, tripels, quadrupels, witbiers, Lambics, Flanders red and Guezes. 

You can take brewery tours or just find somewhere nice to try a few, but be warned, some of them are very strong indeed and you may find your legs don’t work properly after a couple. One are two are stronger than most wines, at 15%.

You’ll find lovely watering holes around the city and  couple of our favourites were Bar’n and the Bruges Beer Experience. Although a restauran serving traditional Belgian dishes and not a bar, Diligence (above) is where scenes from the Colin Farrell film In Bruges were filmed. All are within walking distance of each other.

Bar’n (above) is the size of a postage stamp (seating no more than about 20 people) but is a beautiful little traditional bar with a modern twist serving banging cocktails as well as beer and other tipples. The charcuterie boards are a great accompaniment to the liquid refreshment.

We originally popped into the Bruges Beer Experience (above), where the beer menu is on a magnum-sized bottle, to shelter from the cold and to have a loo break, but were drawn in by its premise of four different beers for €10. I am not a fan of beer, but loved the raspberry one. You can also learn all about beer in the museum here, but we just drank and didn’t learn!

And, in case you were wondering, Bulgarians are the most unhappy in Europe, with a score of just 5.9.

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As she describes how her father would lay out the garden of their French home with table lamps every evening, a Mozart piano concerto softly playing as he did so, while she and her sisters rehearsed a play to perform to the adults in one of the property’s barns, close your eyes and you can almost picture the white muslin curtains wafting in the warm, lavender-scented evening air.

Visualising her 17^th century French home as Damaris describes it, it wouldn’t feel out of place for a Kiera Knightley to enter, stage left, carrying a tray of drinks, walking barefoot across the lawn, heading in the direction of the laughter.

Damaris, aka ‘The Queen of Lingerie’ is no stranger to the world of celebrity, her luxury pieces having been worn by Kate Moss, Angelina Jolie and Kendall Jenner. When Selfridges stocked a collection from Damaris, the store found itself with a waiting list for underwear for the first time in its 112 year history.

Damaris’s first high street collection, with M&S in 2021, was being “M&S’s prettiest collection ever”, a celebrated accolade, considering brand’s then 137-year history.  That year, former M&S CEO Steve Row commented in The Times: “Damaris has played a part of Marks and Spencer’s success”.

She comes from a long line of creatives and artists, her lineage including Sir William Rothenstein, once principal of the Royal College of Art, and Sir John Rothenstein, the Tate Gallery’s longest-standing director, so it’s no surprise that she was drawn to an artistic career herself.

Damaris told us about her memories of growing up with her artistic parents and her home, Haute Caussine, nestled in the Tarn et Garonne area of south-west France, an hour from Toulouse:

I was brought up in a family where travelling and seeing the world and different cultures was pretty much standard. Luckily, I had my daughter in my late 30s, which meant I had the whole of my 20s and most of my 30s to travel the world as much as I could.

One winter, a car load of good friends and I went skiing every weekend throughout the winter season, bar two… now I wouldn’t consider that. My childhood was full of travelling; however, it was all by car in Europe.

My father worked as a journalist throughout the Middle East, Africa and Australia for my childhood, so it was normal to think of a life filled with travel as being very normal. We didn’t fly, though, and my childhood is full of memories of my mother reading the map and directing my father through Europe on the slow roads, stopping off for long lunches when they’d found the perfect spot.

Those who had similar parents will understand that the long picnic lunches could easily add an extra four hours to the daily journey which was so painful for me, as a child, at that time… and with no iPads.

After my mother died, when I was 10 years old, my father took my sisters and I around the world. He sold a family portrait that covered the cost of the flights and we visited Hong Kong, LA and Australia together. That love of travel has stayed with me and there’s nothing more that I enjoy than travelling with my daughter Kitty (11).

On that trip, before we were about to board a plane, which was the first jumbo I’d ever been on, my father used his charm with the air hostesses and arranged for the airline to call our names, so we were invited on board before anyone else. That’s such a sweet memory I have of him.

My parents stumbled upon Haute Caussine in 1969, whilst on their honeymoon. After they both passed away, it was left to me and my sisters. I bought my sisters’ shares in the house, then in much need of renovation, in 2012. If I was asked to find three words to describe Haute Caussine, it would be: angelic; simple and tranquil.

Back in the ‘60s, my parents sold their basement flat in Notting Hill (then very bohemian) for the main house at Haute Caussine. Over the years they bought the rest of the hamlet.

The local farmers who owned the valley in which the idyllic hamlet of Haute Caussine sits didn’t want to live in these beautiful old farmhouses, as it was much simpler to simply build new homes. In those days, they wanted to build houses at the bottom of the valleys, so the farming was much easier for tractors, animals and managing the farm. So, these beautiful houses, which were often set up high up on the valley hills, were left to become ruins.

When my parents were driving through the area they fell in love with how rustic and rural it was. They stopped at one of the farms and asked if they knew anywhere that was for sale. The farmers showed them to Haute Caussine. Now, my parents weren’t going to suddenly buy an entire hamlet, but they did like the main house. And that’s where it all began.

The house was surrounded by beautiful trees and, wandering around the property, they dropped to the field below and saw the incredible, eye-watering view. When my parents saw that view they decided that they had to buy it.

They called the tenant in Notting Hill and asked if he still wanted to buy their basement flat. Luckily, he said yes and my parents told the farmer that they would buy the property and come back in a few months’ time, which they did.

Haute Caussine became a heavenly spot for my parents and their incredibly interesting bohemian, academic, artistic friends and to meet for heavenly summers to come.

My parents remained friends with the French farmer they bought it from, Monsieur Boudettte. We have stories of how, early it the morning, my mother would be reading a book on the terrace and my dad would be woken to shrieks from my mother, who was being chased around the kitchen by Monsieur Boudette, who was trying to steal a kiss from her!

The house has seen three generations of my family. As a child, we spent eight weeks every summer there, the house always being full of my parents’ friends coming to stay. They were artists, writers, poets painters and sculptors. They read a lot laughed a lot, cooked beautiful food and drank beautiful wine.

As children, my sisters and I would sometimes walk 21km to the nearest town where there is a swimming pool. My father would refuse to take us both ways and so we would have to choose whether we hitchhiked there and got collected and brought back, or get a lift there and, at the end of the day, hitchhike back, exhausted. We always chose hitchhiking there. We never had any money to buy water or food throughout the day and I don’t know how we managed, but we did.

When I became a teenager, the parents of my friends would sometimes join us on holidays. They were horrified at the thought of us walking the 21km or hitchhiking. I rather enjoyed having our friends parents there, as they would take us and bring us back!

When I left London and came to live here, with just Kitty, it was the most extraordinary time and experience for both of us, with a change of home, life, friends and culture. It was honour getting up every morning and being with Kitty which, as a mother, gave me incredible strength.

Kitty’s father was in England at the time and I love and treasure the experience I had with Kitty and that she very comfortably embraced the unknown with me in the security of our happiness and comfort together.

We were such a beautiful team and enjoyed every minute of it – filling our Mini full to the brim in London, setting off on the road and it then taking four hours to unload when we arrived at Haute Caussine. That’s how much we packed into it. Not once on any journey has Kitty ever asked me: “Are we nearly there yet?”. I think that’s pretty remarkable for anyone, let alone a child!

When I shut my eyes and think of what I love and what makes me feel happy it is looking out to the 200km view from the terrace or any of the rooms at Haute Caussine. I have seen a lot of views and this one is the most mesmerising of any inland view. Every day is magical and you do not know what you will wake up to.

Prior to the renovations, there were three bedrooms upstairs, a kitchen downstairs and the bathroom was around the back of the house, which my father had built. I was bathed in a bucket on the terrace, but what a view. That memory stays with me to this day. Nowadays, I often don’t really care about where I’m staying. I don’t mind, as long as there are clean sheets and a good view!

Spending these last years in France at Haute Caussine has been magical. Having three baths a day looking out to the extraordinary view is not uncommon, whether it’s to warm up, as that is less expensive and easier than working out how to heat the house with the fire downstairs, or to cool down on a hot day.

For Kitty, to experience going to school in a chateau set upon a hilltop setting was like something from the film ‘Chocolate’ and gave her the opportunity learn to speak the beautiful language fluently, with an accent so rural it gives me credibility at any French restaurant.

When you live there, you know which boulangeries are the right ones to get your baguettes and croissants from in the morning. The one nearest to us is in a beautiful small village called Toufailles. It is an incredibly small and quiet village, but you can still get a cake made to order and personalised within 24 hours of someone’s birthday. It is pretty remarkable. The French take this sort of thing very seriously!

Back in 2012, when the house became mine, I came straight from being a designer in Primrose Hill, London, to get stuck into renovations, which was far from glamourous. I quickly became an expert in sanding shutters, mixing concrete and digging trenches, often amid storms and freezing temperatures.

Décor in my homes in the UK has always been so minimal, bar the art, which I must have around me to inspire me to work. Everything must be clean and white and all clutter tucked away, then I can function. Haute Caussine is the opposite. It is full of colour, on everything – from the plates, which were hand-painted in Mallorca, the colourful upholstery of the furniture and my Missoni bed linen. I can’t get colour enough in France and can’t have any homes I’ve had in the UK!

What’s the average day like at Haute Caussine, you ask? That’s a blog full of questions in itself as no day is ever the same. But I can’t wait to wake up every morning and see what the view has to offer…and then we will decide.

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The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all but essential travel to some parts of Kenya, in east Africa, with the country’s border with Somalia and northern parts of its east coast being identified as the most dangerous and volatile.

It says that “terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Kenya”, and adds: “There is a heightened threat of terrorism across Kenya. Attacks could target westerners, including British nationals. These could occur at any time including at religious events, public holidays or celebrations. Attacks are indiscriminate and could occur in places visited by foreigners, including tourists.”

While acknowledging there are parts of the country visitors should avoid at all costs, Tina has a strong love for Kenya and its people, having visited around 30 times. She said: “Apart from the amazing warm weather all year round, the people are what makes Kenya so special. They are always friendly, polite and smiling.”

Over the past 12 years, Tina has pioneered the delivery of menstrual health management education and washable reusable period dignity kits to over 28,000 girls and women in Kenya. Gladys (below) makes period dignity kits with stunning fabrics.

We invited Tina, who was made an MBE in the Queen’s honours list in 2023 for her unrelenting services to tackling period poverty in the UK and overseas, to tell us about the land which has her heart. This is what she said:

I’ve lived in Leeds all my life and am a mum and grandmother. I founded Freedom4Girls in 2015 and still run the charity today. I also work in public health and have done since 2008. In addition, I’ve been a fitness instructor for 20 years and teach five classes a week, in HiiT, circuit and pilates. I also help and support food banks in Leeds and help source food. So, my time for hobbies and chilling is next to zero!

Freedom4Girls is a UK-based charity that tackles period poverty and menstrual stigma by providing access to menstrual products and promoting menstrual education. The organisation operates both in the UK and in Kenya, with a focus on ensuring that no one is held back from education, work, or daily activities due to a lack of access to period products or the stigma surrounding them.

I visit Kenya two or three times a year and it’s the education and reusable period project that takes me there. My first visit to Kenya was in 2012 with a friend who was a midwife, working on a mother and baby project. After a few years, I set up Freedom4Girls, after learning that nearly 50% of girls and women do not have access to safe period protection.

In your view, is it safe to visit Kenya?

I mostly stay on north coast in the Nyali/Bamburi area, around 15kms from Mombasa.From personal experience, I’ve never felt threatened there. Obviously, you have to be careful, look after yourself and exercise precautions, just like you do in any country.

Don’t wear ‘bling’ jewellery outside of your hotel confines and watch your phone, even in the car, as it can be stolen through the window. Zip your bag up. There are pickpockets at large, as there are in many countries.

It’s my understanding that terrorist attacks usually happen in the north of the country or on the Somalian border. That’s a definite no-go area for foreign visitors. My advice, if visiting the country, would be to stick to your hotel, unless with a guide, and don’t attend events like large political rallies, for example. Most places frequented by tourists are in the countryside and national parks, where you have the safety of a guide and a driver.

As in some other countries, there is corruption so be careful and don’t get yourself into trouble. It’s not unusual for the police (usually the traffic police) to stop you and try get money off you. Your driver will usually sort it out as they’re used to it. 

How do you get to Kenya from the UK?

While flying is obviously the best way to get there, unfortunately there are no direct flights to Mombasa from the UK. Flight costs vary depending on where you fly from and what airline. I usually pay around £700-£800 from Manchester, via Addis Ababa or Nairobi.

It’s a long journey (11 to 12 hours) but in summer, it’s only two hours ahead of the UK and three hours in the winter.

What are the Kenyan people like and do they speak English?

Kenyans are the most friendly, happy people you will ever meet. They are really helpful and humble. Many speak excellent English as they are taught it in school. Remember to speak more slowly so it’s easier for local people to understand you.

In more rural areas, they may not have had much opportunity to learn English, so Google Translate is handy.

Do you see many tourists in Kenya?

There is a lack of UK tourists in Kenya, compared to a few years ago. I think a main issue for people in the UK there is no direct flights, which puts people off, as well as concerns about safety. 

According to the Kenyan Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, Kenya had 1.75 million international tourist arrivals in 2023, up from 1.48 million in 2022. About 40% are these are holidaymakers.

Is there much shopping for tourists in Kenya?

You can buy beautiful traditional materials carvings and beaded jewellery at the markets or in shops. Take some shillings (currently 168.5 to the British pound) with you but you can use cards in supermarkets, big shops and bars, and be prepared to barter at the beach. US dollars are also accepted in some hotels.

Do you get any down time when you’re in Kenya and what do you like to do when you do?

Downtime when I am in Kenya is chilling on the beach, swimming in the Indian ocean (which feels like a warm bath), enjoying a cold Tusker cider for the equivalent of around £1.50 and feeling the warm sun on my skin.

The coast is amazing, with white sandy beaches on the south coast and, just as breath-taking as the beaches, the countryside is beautiful too. Here, you can go on a safari holiday or just to a local safari park, such as Bamburi Haller Park in Mombasa, where you can feed the giraffes and watch the huge crocodiles being fed. Also, exploring the reef off the coast is an amazing experience and water sports are good in many places.

It’s an amazing experience to swim off a glass bottom boat on the reef. You can catch one at Bamburi (have a look online) or from the hotels. The sea life off the reef is amazing and the fish and the coral are beautiful. The boats have basic snorkelling masks. If don’t swim, you can see everything through the glass bottom boat.

There are lots of private hotels on the beaches, where you can also pay to use their facilities for around a tenner a day, even if you’re not staying. There are good beach bars at Bamburi, such as the one at Big Tree Beach Resort, which has a lovely big bar on the beach, where you can stay all day. Coco Cobana beach in Mtwapa is full of beach bars. It’s a bit off the beaten track but nice to go swimming in the creek and you can also see the mangroves. 

There’s a public beach at Bamburi, but be aware that there are no life guards there and I also wouldn’t leave your personal belongings unattended. Beach boys will try and sell you everything from safaris to property, necklaces to sweets, but you can politely decline.

Where do you stay when you’re in Kenya?

I have been coming to Kenya for so long now that I now I stay with a family, but there are plenty of amazing hotels and Airbnbs to stay in, such as Bamburi Beach Hotel and Saravo White Sands Beach Resort and Spa.

I stay in a village called Mtomondoni, just outside Mtwapa, which is very traditional. Some people still live in stick and mud houses with no running water or electricity. Houses in the village are usually one storey and they are very basic, but they have what they need. What’s more, everything is recycled and mended .

The house I stay in is minimalist but again. Toilets are a mixture of latrines (holes in the ground) and proper lavs.

What’s the food like in Kenya?

Kenyans love to BBQ, so expect to find beef, chicken, fish and corn on the cob on the grill. Kenyans’ staple food is ‘ugali’, which is. maize flour mixed with water. It’s pretty tasteless, to be fair, but it’s okay when mixed with a relish or stew. However, like rice, it keeps you full forever.

You can buy the most amazing fresh fruit from the markets and there are also supermarkets where you can buy most things. Many Kenyans eat ‘mahamri’ for breakfast, a bit like donut mix in a triangle shape, dipped in sweet black tea. Sometimes, they stuff mahamari with beans and coconut, which is very nice . 

You’ll find some great restaurants in Mombasa. At Tamarind, you can savour a memorable dinner on a starlit terrace, perched on a cliff, overlooking the old harbour.

There’s an amazing floating restaurant called The Moorings at Mtwapa Creek. If you want traditional Kenyan food, try Coco Cabana beach at Mtwapa, where you’ll find lots of bars on the creek 

How do you get around while you are in Kenya?

I have a driver but local transport, such as a matatu (mini bus), piky piky (motorbike) or tuk tuk are cheap alternatives. Beware, there are no helmets and they ride like lunatics.

You can hire a car and a driver pretty cheaply (recommend you do this via your hotel) and they drive on the same side as the UK. Watch out for everyone and everything on the road, as it gets hectic. Trying to dodge hand carts, motorbikes, people the odd, cow or chicken is an art in itself.

Is it safe for a woman to walk around on her own in Kenya?

In my personal experience, I would say that daytime is fine, but avoid backstreets and quiet places, and anywhere during night time is a no-no.

What’s the temperature like and when is the best time to visit Kenya?

The Mombasa area is pretty consistent all year round, being near the equator, with temperatures of 30-35 degrees Celsius. December to March is their summer, there are long rains in April/May and short spells of rain in November.

It’s very hot on the coast and when you step off the plane, it’s like stepping into a sauna, which, to me, is fabulous after cold, wet UK. While Nairobi is cooler at night, make sure your hotel room on the coast has air conditioning or a fan.

What’s the cost of a meal in Kenya?

It varies considerably from £1 for a meal to £25, depending on where you eat. If you venture out of your hotel with a guide, you may find that local places can be good and cheap.

Is Kenya very different culturally to Europe and do you have any tips for people visiting?

It very much depends where you go. The coast is quite liberal but while shorts and shirts are fine, don’t walk down the street in a bikini. Nairobi is cosmopolitan but modesty is the key. Most Kenyans are religious and the coast has a high population of Muslim people so you’ll see lots of mosques as well as many churches. 

What vaccinations you need to have to go to Kenya and do you need a visa?

Yes, you’ll need to have a visa, which costs about £25 in the UK and really easy to apply for online, as long as you make sure you go through the proper website. In terms of vaccinations, hepatitis A, typhoid, tetanus, polio and, in some areas, yellow fever is also required.

Kenya facts:

With a population of round 50 million, the Republic of Kenya is the seventh most populated country in Africa. Its capital is Nairobi while its oldest and second largest city is the port of Mombasa, situated on Mombasa Island in the Indian Ocean, which is the region where most tourists head.

It’s bordered by South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda and Tanzania and has a widely ranging climate, ranging from snow-capped mountains with vast surrounding forests, wildlife and fertile agricultural land, to dry and arid deserts.

According to the US Agency for International Development, 70% of Kenyan families are chronically vulnerable due to poor nutrition, food insecurity and preventable diseases. It says that many Kenyans suffer from economic inequality, while a minority elite continues to exploit their labour, resources and opportunities.

Tourism is a major contributor to Kenya’s economy, generating foreign exchange and jobs. In 2019, tourism accounted for 8% of Kenya’s GDP and supported almost 1.6 million jobs. 

It’s a popular destination for wildlife viewing, with many animals to see in their natural habitats, including the Big Five (lion, elephant, rhino, leopard and buffalo) and the Big Nine (cheetah, giraffe, hippo and zebra). However, tourism can also have negative impact on Kenya’s environment, such as long-term declines in wildlife populations.

Always check government advice before embarking on any adventure, wherever your wanderlust takes you, and follow official advice.

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Ever got to an airport to pick up a rental car and been put under pressure to buy more car insurance and other extras? You are not alone.

In a recent car hire survey by Which?, under half of people arriving in Spain felt under pressure to buy more insurance at the car rental desk and 86% said they were worried about getting ripped off when hiring a vehicle.

Car rental firms we have contacted have failed to deny that staff are incentivised to sell customers extras on arrival, whether they need them or not.

According to Which?, there’s no requirement to buy extra insurance in Europe. Basic insurance is included in the rental – but be aware that you will have to pay the excess in the event of a bump or scrape.

The survey said that pressure selling is an endemic problem in this industry, even though it’s a criminal offence. So, isn’t it time car hire was made simpler? Is there a gap in the market for a car hire firm which clearly explains the ins and outs to holiday makers and doesn’t put them under pressure when they feel most vulnerable? Or are we just not reading the small print?

Booking directly with the rental provider and not a third party agent could be the answer, according to one car rental firm, who told us: “Europcar always recommends that customers book direct – that way all the information about the rental and the additional services that the customer has the option to purchase are provided.”

In our own experience, we’ve been put under pressure to buy extras every time we’ve hired a car on arrival in Spain, despite having paid extra for ‘premium’ or ‘full protection’ insurance at time of booking, whether via Holiday Autos, Ryanair or Booking.com. Interestingly, it hasn’t been the case when hiring a car in France, when we’ve never experienced any hard sell.

We’ve seen many a holidaymaker arrive and be surprised at the size of deposit they’re asked to leave when picking up their car, mainly because they’ve not read the small print at time of booking. It’s there, but it’s well hidden in ‘important info’ (see below).

For that reason, we’ve always chosen our car provider carefully and opted for a well-known one with favourable reviews and lower deposits. With Budget, the deposit was just €200, as opposed to €1,000+, which you may experience with other companies.

On the last three times on arriving at Girona Costa Brava Airport in northern east Spain, the pressure to buy additional insurance has been significant – and we’ve experienced the same at Barcelona.

In September this year, the group of young females in front of us in the queue at the Budget desk was told the insurance they had didn’t cover the windows of their hire car, hence bought additional insurance.

That may well have been the case, but if it had been made clearer to them at the time of booking, they wouldn’t have had that surprise on arrival. It begs the question of what if someone is arriving on a tight budget and hasn’t allowed for unexpected costs? Or are we all not paying enough attention when we book?

My own experience was not without issue either. I always pay extra for ‘premium’ or ‘full protection insurance’ at time of booking. This year I did so via Holiday Autos and was sent a reassuring confirmation email which stated the following: “The AXA policy covers you for this rental. You do not need to purchase another policy to cover your excess at the desk.”

I felt confident that I wouldn’t be asked to buy anything else on arrival. However, staff at the Budget desk at Girona Airport said that, if I spent an extra €7 per day, I would get reimbursed more quickly in the event of an accident, than with the insurance I had bought.

Fair enough, close inspection of my Axa policy showed that, in the event of an accident, I would have to pay myself and then claim the amount back from my insurers, and who knows how long that would take.

So, while the staff at the Budget desk at Girona may have had a point, one has to ask why it’s not simpler to buy full, thorough and finite insurance from the get-go, therefore preventing the minefield one has to tiptoe through on arrival at your destination airport.

Last summer, we were put under pressure to buy additional insurance simply because, in the words of the car rental desk staff member, the insurance I had bought was with another company and not with them.

The Sun Lounger asked Holiday Autos, Europcar, Hertz, Budget and Avis (the latter two being part of Avis Budget Group) four questions:

1. Why, when a person has bought full insurance on a hire car, are they often/always asked to buy another policy on arrival?
2. Why is full insurance, bought before a trip, not enough?
3. Do you know if car rental staff incentivised/set targets re how many sales they make?
4. Do you have any tips re making sure you have bought the correct policy before arrival?

Budget/Avis declined to comment. See below for what the others said.

CarTrawler, the owner of Holiday Autos: 

“We are committed to providing a positive car rental experience for all our customers. We encourage customers to thoroughly review the terms and conditions of their booking prior to travel to ensure they fully understand their insurance coverage. If any queries or issues arise, our 24/7 customer care team is always available to help.”

Europcar was the only car rental firm to provide a response, which was very thorough:

“When you hire a car in Europe, a collision damage waiver (CDW) is included as standard. With CDW, you’re not liable for the full cost of the rental car — even if it’s written off in a crash. Instead, you pay towards repairs up to an agreed excess — usually around £1,200. 

“For customers who wish to reduce this liability they can purchase an excess waiver from the rental provider which means, should they have an accident, they will not have to pay the excess. 

“Alternatively, the customer can purchase an excess waiver separately. For customers who make this choice, they will need to provide a credit card to secure a deposit for the vehicle. The deposit is not taken from the card but it is held against the card holder’s credit limit and returned when the vehicle is returned.

“If the customer has an accident, then they will be required to pay for the damages to the rental company and then claim the amount back from their insurance company. The rental provider’s excess waiver eliminates the hassle. 

They added: “The company’s agents are trained to explain the options for the excess waiver at the start of the rental. Depending on the location and brand, some rental agents in Europcar Mobility Group are paid for additional services they sell to customers.

“However, this behaviour is closely monitored through Net Promoter Scores and those agents who have NPS negative results are held accountable.”

The Sun Lounger’s tips for renting a car abroad:

Consider buying your own insurance

To enable you to say no at the rental desk, Which? suggests buying your own excess reimbursement policy online from a trusted care hire insurance provider. You then need to explain that you don’t want any extra cover at the desk and that you understand the need to pay up to the excess limit if you damage the car (you can claim this back). 

Hire directly with the car rental company and not via a third party agent

While it may appear less complicated to book your car hire via the airline or accommodation provider, both Which? and some hire companies say that you get a better deal and are better informed when booking directly.

That’s something I tried to do this summer, but gave up when I couldn’t find mention of the size of deposit I would have to leave when collecting the vehicle and booked with Holiday Autos instead.

What you see is unlikely to be what you’ll get

If you’ve booked a Fiat 500, Opel Mokka or VW T-Cross, for example, the chances are that isn’t the car you’ll get on arrival. That is purely a guideline and it does say ‘or similar’ in the small print when you book.

We once booked a Jaguar F-Pace (or similar) for a special occasion, but ended up driving away in a Seat Leon.

The first price you see is not what you will eventually pay

When booking, you may initially think you’re getting a great price, but, much like adding seats and luggage to your flight, the end price will inevitably be considerably more.

Keep an eye on price fluctuations

We booked a car for a week for around £500, but noticed that, closer to the time of booking, the priced had dropped by almost 50%. You can quickly and easily cancel your booking, so book first, to avoid disappointment, but keep an eye on prices to see if there are savings to be made.

How soon do you receive a refund of your deposit on returning the car?

You need to have available funds to cover the deposit on your bank card when picking your hire car, but this is held in pending transactions and not debited from your account. Therefore, you won’t get a refund at the end of the hire period, subject to it being returned in the same condition as when you picked it up. It will simply disappear from your pending transactions.

Can you use a debit card when leaving a deposit for your hire car?

Check the small print prior to booking, as some companies may want one or even two credit cards, as opposed to a debit card, when you pick your rental up. Don’t do what I did and transfer all of your holiday spends on to a prepaid debit card, such as the Post Office Travel Money Card, as these may not be accepted.

Check where the rental desk is

After you’ve taken a transfer bus from your car to the departure airport, elbowed your way off the plane amongst those who stand up as soon as the plane lands and potentially queued to get through passport control, the last thing you may want to do is get on a hot transfer bus, with all of your luggage, to get to the car rental desk.

While some are located in the terminal and others just outside, some can be further away. Check before you book but don’t assume it will be in the terminal.

Be prepared to wait when you get there

One of the reasons I book a front row seat on the plane and try to have hand luggage is so that I can get off reasonably quickly and therefore not be at the back of the queue at the rental desk, which is, in my experience, often understaffed.

If you have a set time to get to your holiday accommodation, bear this in mind.

This September, the Budget rental office at Girona Airport had just one member of staff in it, on arrival. The office quickly became crammed with adults, their children and luggage and, every time the staff member showed holidaymakers to their hire car, he had to ask those in the queue to go back outside while he locked the office, then unlocked it again, served another… and so it continued.

Finally, read, read and then read again your policy terms, so that you are fully in the know and can say no with confidence when asked to buy additional insurance, on arrival.

What to do if you get scammed by a car hire company

Which? says that, if you think you’ve been ripped off by a car rental company overseas, you should do the following:

• Ask the company for an explanation of any additional charges and supporting documents. If you’re not happy with the explanation, tell the company the money has been taken ‘under protest’ and inform your card company about the dispute.
• If you paid by credit card you can make a claim against the card provider under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.
• If you paid by debit card, you can ask your card company to use the chargeback system to reverse the payment and give you your money back.
• For complaints about car hire in Europe, try the European Car Rental Conciliation Service (ECRCS), whom we approached for a comment, but didn’t receive a reply. This is a free service and helps with unresolved disputes. The ECRS can get refunds for incorrect charges, but will only deal with complaints about its member companies.

The answer? What should be simple, in our view, really isn’t. Next year, I am considering driving to Spain I my own car, which I’ve done before and enjoyed. We can stop off en route and enjoy the wonders of France, and the cost of fuel, crossings and tolls will be much the same as the cost of the hire car and flight combined. Anything for an easy life!

Have you had a bd experience when renting a car overseas? Let us know in comments.

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

The post Holiday car rental insurance: is it all a big scam? appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

With their recommendations ranging from close to home to long haul, and from modestly priced to eye-wateringly expensive, here’s what they said:

Name: Damaris Evans, luxury lingerie designer

Recommendation: Log cabin near Trondheim, Norway*

When I was asked to think about a wonderfully romantic getaway, my first thoughts were a five star hotel with all the obvious luxuries, however, when I actually thought about where I would like to be, it’s much simpler than that. 

One place that stands out for me was a trip I went on for my luxury lingerie brand DAMARIS. We were there to shoot our winter collection and chose this as our venue, as well as our accommodation, while the crew stayed elsewhere.

We wanted a secluded, simple and rustic log cabin and this is what we found – probably the smallest in the whole of Norway. Set on the edge of a forest, surrounded in an idyllic winter wonderland, the windows of the cabin have red and white gingham curtains which frame the view of a mystical, ice-covered lake. 

We arrived at the Hansel and Greta-style cabin, which must have been close to 100 years old, under instruction to bring our own bedding and towels and got to work making our bed. We were left a small stash of wood to heat our new home for the weekend.  

The sitting room had a wall of books in all languages and several bonkers board games, with no TV in sight. Our light came from candles and the running water was from the stream outside, that we collected to bring into the cabin to brush our teeth. 

It is a magical place to spend time with someone that you simply enjoy life with. The focus was on us together in beautiful surroundings. Oh, and we got to see the northern lights, which were magical in themselves.

Name: Sarah Hedley Hymers, editorial director of Connecting Travel, the Middle East’s leading travel trade publication

Recommendation: Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai 

When I first pulled up at Al Maha, I was possessed by the spirit of Meryl Streep’s Dutch baroness in the romantic epic Out of Africa. There are key differences between the film and the resort, of course. 

Al Maha is less than an hour’s drive from the hustle and bustle of Dubai in one of the Middle East’s best-kept conservation reserves, so the sweeping landscape is a bit sandier than the film location, with a sea of undulating dunes extending to the horizon. 

In place of Africa’s lions, here the king of the wild is the majestic white Arabian Oryx, crowned with metre-long black horns. Also, instead of co-star Robert Redford’s brooding game hunter, the resort has young and enthusiastic field guides, but the outfits are pretty similar and the setting is just as stirring. 

Adding to the romance, the resort’s luxury tent-top villas echo the region’s nomadic Bedouin past. The vintage-style interiors recall the early 20th century in which the film is set, but they’re blessed with the addition of private infinity pools that spill into sunset views, best enjoyed with a soundtrack of chinking champagne glasses. 

Less reserved than the oryx, curious little gazelles that look like they’ve wandered in from a Disney animation will typically enter the scene, nibbling the leaves of the surrounding trees. If all this setting doesn’t ramp up your dopamine levels, nothing will. 

Rooms start from £1,000 per night

Name: Donna Taylor, fashion editor and celebrity stylist 

Recommendation: Sextantio, Matera, Basilicata, Italy

Located in the insanely beautiful Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage site where *that* James Bond film was filmed, the Sextantio offers guests a sublimely romantic experience with a touch of magic. 

The unique accommodation consists of ancient caves (starting from a classic cave room all the way up to an executive cave room) and all of the rooms are the perfect mix of both ancient and contemporary, as they’re all furnished with modern, luxurious facilities giving the stay an authentic, yet modern vibe.

The hotel staff are welcoming, knowledgeable and extremely helpful, and the breakfast is to.die.for. You could essentially never leave the room for your entire stay if you so desired!

If all this weren’t enough, the stunning panoramic views of the Murgia National Park, which the hotel overlooks, are breathtaking. The whole experience is one of romance, magic and wonder…a bucket list hotel stay for sure.

Rooms start from: €378 for two nights midweek in February.

Name: Andy Cooper, editor of Coast magazine

Recommendation: The Idle Rocks, St Mawes, Cornwall, United Kingdom

There can’t be many more romantic Cornish views than looking out across the Fal estuary from the charming village of St Mawes. Ergo the Idle Rocks Hotel, perched on the edge of the harbour wall, must be one of the most romantic hotels around.

But the stunning view alone is not what makes this a very special hotel, albeit one could easily while away breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and a late sundowner simply sitting on the terrace watching the world go by.

No, what completes the charm offensive is that everything at the hotel – interiors, service, food – is absolutely spot on. It totally matches the surroundings and makes for the most relaxing and memorable of stays every time.

This tucked away spot at the tip of the Roseland Peninsula gets everything right. The team seems to have an instinctive ‘feel’ for service, which means you are spoiled from the first minute of arrival to that all-too-soon moment when you are packing your bags and planning a return visit.

Book yourself a suite with a view, gaze in wonder at the tableau of activity and charm unfurling itself before your very eyes on the waters from your window, and look forward to making memories that will last a lifetime.

Rooms start from around £270 per night.

Name: Devinder Bains, editor, columnist, personal trainer and nutrition coach

Recommendation: Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi  

I know it’s a bit of a cliche to choose Paris or The Maldives as your most romantic getaway but honestly, the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi is a breathtaking resort…even compared with other hotels on the most perfect island paradise on the planet. 

The only thing more romantic and secluded than the resort is the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushiprivate island just next door (five-minutes by speedboat) which you can hire out for an approximate $75,000 a night price-tag, to really feel like you and your other half are the only people around. 

If you’re sticking to the ’normal’ paradise resort, as we did, then you can still enjoy a level of majestic peace and solitude in one of the impressive overwater villas. The huge space has a part glass floor which lets you admire the fish and ray that swim under your bedroom and living area. There are also luxe indoor and outdoor showers, but the pièce de résistance is the decked terrace where the infinity pool overlooks an active reef for snorkelling. 

I counted at least 20 different places to sit out there and chill with your loved one including two swinging beds, four loungers, two comfy sofa seats, two dinner tables and chairs, and two net hammocks that hang directly over the turquoise sea. 

When it comes to dining in the villa, there’s good old room service, a floating breakfast in the pool and a BBQ lunch of the fish we caught on our sunset fishing trip. If you can face tearing yourself away from the villa, then there are 11 restaurants to choose from. The standout favourite for ‘wow’ factor is the treehouse dining at Terra, the only hand-crafted bamboo dining pods in the Maldives.

Go for the lobster, as it’s Valentines!

Villa stays on the main island start at about £2,745 a night.

Name: Adebola Adeshina, chef patron at 3 AA rosette The Chubby Castor

Recommendation: Marine, North Berwick, Scotland

There are several romantic hotels I could recommend, but Marine North Berwick has the edge for me, primarily because of its away-from-it-all location. The beach here is unspoilt, with the hotel rising from the East Lothian landscape, offering guests a quietly elegant escape.

Wake up to views of Bass Rock (where an abundance of puffins nest) and all you’ll hear are the seagulls.

Yes, it’s nirvana for golfers, but it’s more than a golf resort. Rooms are eclectically designed with softly-coloured, bold-patterned wallpaper, velvet headboards and whimsical furniture which provide a clash of colour.

I have a deep-rooted love for Scotland, not least for its rich, natural larder, which includes soft berries, plentiful seafood and game, as well as the finest smoked salmon, which I serve in my own restaurant.

If you can make it out of your hotel room, the breakfast menu is more than traditionally Scottish, with dishes such as avocado and chimichurri on toast on the menu too. Better still, have breakfast delivered to your room. Stay in bed and admire the view across the velvety links.

The golfers can battle the elements, but you don’t have to, after all.

Double rooms from £189 a night, with breakfast included.

Name: Hannah Miller, PR and wedding planner 

Recommendation: Petit Palace Luxury Suites, Santorini, Greece

Petit Palace, perched on the caldera’s edge at Agia Irini, is a romantic stay that captivates from the start. The 23 luxurious suites, carved into the rock in Cycladic style, offer private pools and stunning volcano views 150 metres above the sea.

The hotel staff’s warmth and friendliness set the tone for a perfect stay. The breakfast is a delightful experience, particularly when enjoyed with a view of the Aegean Sea against the enchanting backdrop of the pristine white buildings. Moreover, restaurant Elia serves delectable Mediterranean cuisine in a romantic poolside setting.

A definite highlight of the stay is witnessing the sunset from the comfort of your private heated jacuzzi on the balcony – an experience that is not only incredible but also incredibly romantic.

Conveniently situated just 2 km from Fira, Petit Palace provides easy access to numerous restaurants, bars and shops in the vibrant town.

Prices start from around £160 per room, per night.

Name: Craig Townley, owner of sustainable activewear brand Universal Performance

Recommendation: Tamarind by Elegant Hotels, Barbados

I love to travel – it’s good for the mind and soul. I’m a believer that, if you have the opportunity to see as much of this precious earth as possible, don’t return to the same place twice. Trying to recreate the same magical feeling the second time is risky, so go and create some magic somewhere else. 

So why is it that I find myself not practising this, having visited the beautiful island of Barbados four times – twice with my then girlfriend, now wife, as a couple, with no cares in the world, and twice as a family with our children.

So, what makes it so special? The hotel staff are friendly, allowing you your space, and on the beach, there’s a local guy who offers a romantic boat trip to swim with the turtles and rays. This is Roddy. Now, I first met him 20 years ago, when he took my then girlfriend and I on a boat trip, where we drank rum, ate snacks and sunbathed on his small, colourfully-painted wooden boat on a perfect, turquoise ocean. Roddy pointed out the huge beautiful holiday homes of the rich and famous, such as Branson, Bieber and Cliff Richard! 

Twenty years on, we took our children on the same boat trip and Roddy remembered us!

It’s that kind of personal touch that makes the hotel, and the island, truly special. Note, there’s also a shop that sells diamonds in the hotel. I’m not sure you call that romantic, but it’s clearly there for a reason!! 

Make Barbados a destination with your loved one in your lifetime – you won’t regret it. Perhaps your only regret is that you didn’t visit sooner. 

Rooms start at £611 per night for two people (all inclusive).

Name: Keith Maynard, actor and presenter 

Recommendation: Titanic Hotel, Liverpool

In my mind’s eye, romantic hotels would typically have to be small, undiscovered hideaways located in some of the world’s classic romantic cities, like Venice, Paris or Barcelona. And while I’ve stayed in some fantastic hotels in those cities, I want to go slightly off the beaten track of love and talk about the Titanic Hotel in Liverpool. 

Based in Stanley Dock on the edge of the city centre, this luxury hotel overlooks the River Mersey and is just a small part of what was once the largest and most complete system of historic docks in the world. The hotel itself sits in the shell of the Old Rum Warehouse and has been so beautifully and carefully restored that it now elevates its Victorian roots to a new level of sophisticated glam. 

As the name suggests, the entire hotel is an homage to HMS Titanic, which of course visited Liverpool on its ill-fated maiden voyage and everywhere you look there are old photos of the ship in construction, official memorabilia and White Star line prints. These blend perfectly with the exposed brickwork, high ceilings and moody lighting. 

So why romantic? For me, the Titanic Hotel brings all the romance and elegance of a classic ocean liner to the modern day. Today, where the trend is to fit as much into as small a space as possible to create ‘value’ for investors, this hotel bravely awards its visitors such a wealth of space that it makes you feel like you’re in first class, as opposed to the steerage of many modern hotels. 

It’s a little bit of ‘love on the docks’, if you will.

Rooms start from £99 per night.

Name:   Anh Pham, founder of Paeonia 

Recommendation:    Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, Vietnam

There’s something about a bath with a view that screams both romance and luxury – and you’ll find both at this hedonistic retreat.

Think sun-kissed, glowing skin after a day on the beach, sharing a pre-dinner bottle of champagne with your loved one while immersed in bubbles, staring out across the South China Sea, as the sun goes down. Does it get any more romantic than that?

I like to return to my native Vietnam at least once a year and believe that nobody does hospitality better than this part of the world – although I accept that I could be biased! Service at this luxury resort is seemingly effortless, with the most discreet attention to detail. You will want for nothing.

Just across from Nha Trang, the resort has beachfront and overwater villas, as well as villas nestled into the island’s rock formations, overlooked by towering mountains, making you feel totally secluded. 

The spa is breathtaking. Forget about the real world while you take the ‘Couples Connect’ three-hour ritual and enjoy steam and sauna, an orange body exfoliation, full body and head massages, plus a coconut milk bath,x together.

They are right when they say the resort is a sanctuary for all the senses. It is a slice of paradise. You may have to pinch yourself to check you’re not dreaming.

Rooms from around £850 per night for a private suite.

And finally, proof that you don’t have to jump on a plane to feel truly loved up and pampered, here’s a UK recommendation from The Sun Lounger’s Vanessa Munnings:

Recommendation: The Finch’s Arms, Hambleton, Oakham, Rutland, United Kingdom

Despite being 10 minutes off the A1, there’s something about the location of this very tasteful AA five star boutique gem, tucked away in a very exclusive location, which makes you feel isolated from the rest of the world.

Maybe it’s the fact that the hotel is on a strip of land which rises up out of the manmade lake or maybe because all you can hear from your balcony overlooking Rutland Water is the chink of glasses in the well-heeled restaurant below, while you watch the ospreys ‘sky dance’.

There are open fires throughout downstairs, creating the perfect spots to cosy up with a cocktail and your beloved before dinner.

Top tip: book room three for uninterrupted views across the water, an intimate balcony on which to serenade your loved one and a bathtub big enough for two (in a bathroom with a glass partition wall to the bedroom).

Rooms start from around £170 per night.

*No prices currently available.

The post Guide to the world’s most romantic hotels and getaways appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

During the summer, she teaches yoga at festivals in the UK, but currently, she practices yoga on the beach in the Algarve, running her online business, sea swimming and meditating daily. Vanessa Munnings of travel blog The Sun Lounger caught up with Kaye before she ups and heads to Morocco for the next stage in her epic adventure.

First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself

I’m Kaye, a northern lass from Manchester. I’m 46 and spent 20+ years in the corporate world, originally hopping from admin to admin job until I hit a career in digital marketing. I worked my way up the ladder, but also knew that there was something more to life for me than the 9-5 and sitting at a desk all day.

When I was 28, I set off on my first solo adventure, backpacking around the world for 12 months. I came back to the UK with confidence and a sense of self which meant that I was then able to climb the ladder at big companies across numerous sectors.

In 2016, I became a contractor for about five years, whilst I lived in London. When I turned 40, I moved back to Manchester, my contract role came to an end and I ended up waitressing to get by, going from £500 a day to minimum wage, but feeling freer and happier with no pressure.

After finding Kundalini yoga – a sacred science of technology and a powerful form of yoga which involves, chanting, breathing exercises, repetition and holding of postures – something called me to go on the Kundalini yoga teacher training. It was more for personal development not to become a teacher. However, the yoga wisdom was so profound that I felt a need to share this and started teaching.

You’re a Kundalini yoga, mantra and meditation teacher, Sekhem healer and qualified transformational life coach. How did you find yourself taking this path?

The first time I took a Kundalini yoga class was at Triyoga in London. I hadn’t experienced a yoga class like it before. I had my hands up in the air, chanting (not knowing the words) but really losing myself in the moment. When I came out, I had to bike through Battersea Park back home and I felt like I was flying! It was like my soul was remembering. I had never experienced a yoga high like it before!.

In 2018, my body was shot and I was feeling down emotionally, mentally and spiritually. So, I moved back to Manchester to ground myself. After 10 months of intense training, I wanted to share all this knowledge and started to teach a regular yoga class. I’d also had a dream a year before about me having a double decker bus, named Yoga on the Move, which was a mobile yoga studio (which I’m still pursuing), so I named my business @yogaonthemove.

Lots of chanting and meditation made me realise my initial dream about my van and after nine months of sitting on the idea, I did something about it. Within my self discovery journey, I have gone down a more spiritual route and finding all things esoteric and energy-based is very interesting to me. After all, we are all energy!

Tell us a little bit about the van which is now your home and your mode of transport?

She’s called Eileen and was actually named by the guy who I bought it from. She’s named after the Dexy’s Midnight Runners song ‘Come on Eileen’. I often sing this when we’re going up a hill!

She’s a 1994 VW T4 Transporter – Motorhome style. At first, I envisaged one of these new converted Transit vans, but she’s perfect. Being in Eileen feels like an actual home. I don’t have to put away the bed every night and there’s quite a bit of storage for everything that I had to downsize to. Everyone who stays in Eileen absolutely loves her. She has such a magical vibe – so cosy, welcoming and homely.

Did you do this in the UK, before taking off to the continent?

I usually spend April  to November in the UK. Two years ago, I had the idea to drive to Spain to follow warmer climates, then I had to come back after the 90-day rule. I put the van in storage and headed to Mexico from Feb to May in 2022, teaching yoga and embarking on a three-week yoga retreat out there too. I came back for the summer and taught yoga at numerous festivals.

That’s how I live now. I teach yoga at the festivals in the summer, hold space for my online life coaching, either distance or in person, energy healing for clients and then heading to warmer climes for winter. Now I’m a digital nomad. I really give you the freedom to work from anywhere.

What got you into yoga?

It was in my mid 20s when I tried yoga and my practice was very much more off than on – sometimes weekly, then slipping to fortnightly or very ad hoc, especially when I lived in London. After heavy alcohol-fuelled weekends, something would always pull me back to the mat to retreat. It was my safe space, my time to go inwards, I craved solace and peace as London’s noise was too loud for me at times.

What inspired you to go on a life-changing adventure like this?

I had to change. My body was screaming at me. My face had broken out in acne at the age of 40. Having flawless skin all my life, I never had to wear foundation and going from that beautiful gift to having to cover up the sore redness was just heart-breaking. It was a sign for me that I was overdoing it and not speaking to myself kindly at all. Our bodies are far more intelligent than we are!

Did you have a practice run before making the move or did you just go for it?

I just went for it. I’m a massive risk taker – that is something I pride myself on. Everything is figure-out-able. I’m very adaptable and a firm believer that if you take a risk, the universe will catch you. There was a quote in my yoga teacher’s kitchen which said: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

When did you start your adventure and did you time it to avoid a British winter?

This year I started my winter adventure on 7th November and totally timed it to avoid the British winter. Last year, I house sat in Trowbridge and studied. The house was cold and I didn’t know anyone in the area, so it was perfect to hermit away and get my head down. 

After travelling Spain and Mexico the year before, I swore to myself that I wouldn’t spend another winter whilst living in the van in the UK. So off I went, Portsmouth to Bilabo and travelled down through north-west Spain to Portugal. Because of the stupid Brexit rule, I’m off to Morocco at the end of January to chase the sun and extend my stay out of the UK until it gets warmer.

Is the better weather a major benefit of living in Portugal now?

Abso-bloody-lutely! It gets cold in the evening (around 10 degrees), sometimes a little rainy, but mainly sunny. I’m on the beach most mornings, doing my practice, sea swimming, hiking and living outdoors.

Was it easy to make the move, now that the UK is out of the European Union and was there any red tape you had to negotiate your way through?

I’m working within the Schengen rules. As soon as you enter any country within the Schengen area, your 90-day clock starts. I will have two weeks left of my 90 days, so moving to Morocco and if I want to travel back before the 180 days, then I have two weeks left to travel through Europe, back home without any penalties. It’s such a palaver.

Have you had any experience of the van life before this?

When I was in Australia, me and four other girls hired a van up the east coast. Now, that was an experience! My ex and I hired a wicked campervan whilst travelling Oz for around the same length of time too, so I have a little experience of van life.

Is it easy living in a small space?

Yeah, you get used to it. It gets really messy really quickly, but then it’s all tidied away within minutes.  Everything has to have its own place and is put away!

What did you do to prepare for your trip?

Everything I own is with me in the van, apart from a couple of boxes and a suitcase at my mum’s. I made sure Eileen was all good to travel, had a service done beforehand and new tyres fitted and all good to go!

How do you slim down an apartment full of belongings to what you can travel with in your van?

That was a tough job, I’d collected so much over the years that I actually found it very therapeutic getting rid of stuff. The emotional attachment that we have to possessions is amazing. Letting things go really frees up emotional space.

I originally put all my furniture from my apartment into storage for 12 months, just in case. Then, I decided to sell all of it. Luckily, I sold it as a job lot rather than bit by bit. Clothes I sold on Vinted and have the bare minimum, but still a nice selection of the beautiful clothes I’ve collected over the years, plus I have to think about all seasons too. Shoes were an issue. I think I had collected nearly 100 pairs at one point, so they all went to charity or were sold.

Were you frightened at all about taking this journey you are on?

No. I may have been a little uncertain about finding my feet initially, but I don’t bring that energy into the van. I know I’m protected. Every time I’ve broken down, people appear out of nowhere to help, plus everyone loves Eileen!

What do family and friends think about it?

I get ‘inspiring’ a lot and that I’m a nutter! I had to ask my family and this is what they’ve said:

“She’s brave, courageous, an inspiration and encouraging others to live out of their comfort zone. Fearless to travel on her own and she owns it. She’s a lot more at peace and has changed her complete outlook on life and really helps others through living a life of compassion and non-judgement. She now has more time and energy to live the life how she wants – being fluid.”

What was the journey down to Portugal like? How long did it take and where did you stop en route?

After arriving in Bilbao, northern Spain, I took the coastal route via Austurias, Galicia, which was stunning! I love the ocean and hugged the coastline as much as possible to practise on the beach and sea swim most days.

I then dropped into the national park in Portugal, down to Porto, Lisbon – loads of little towns all the way down south. I went to Nazare to try and see the big surf, but it’s not quite the season, before residing in Lagos to rest for a little while before I make my journey through Spain and on to Morocco.

Why Portugal? Is it a country that you knew before and do you speak Portuguese?

I’ve travelled on holiday as a kid and have visited Lagos three times previously, where I currently am. It’s a beautiful place to hang out and coast around south-west Portugal. I speak a tiny bit of Portuguese (‘hello’ and ‘thank you’), to be respectful.

Tell us about your average day

I wake up, meditate, do my journal, head to the beach to practice yoga and sea swim. I go to a local cafe, work on my business, do my social media, email marketing etc. I take client calls in the afternoon, hike and watch the sunset. I catch up with friends and family on the phone or meet up with new friends in Lagos. Every day is slightly different and 90% of the time, I say yes to everything that comes my way, to really adventure into the unknown.

What have been the highs (and lows) of your Portuguese adventure?

The most significant highlight has been staying in Lagos. I’ve connected with so many beautiful people here. I’ve felt such a beautiful connection with the landscape too. It’s just incredible.

The lowlight was trying to figure out which way to take my business in and seeing my savings deplete. Having to budget and get thrifty was humbling and a little scary. I had to really surrender into the unknown, let go of so many old ways of thinking, to be hit with inspiration and be catapulted into sharing my journey and showing up online to help others. 

Are you happier for embarking on such a life-changing adventure?

For sure. I was never one for routine and I always bent the rules, so this life suits me perfectly. I didn’t realise how much of a connection I would establish with nature. After living full-time in nature for nearly three years, I sleep much better, I live an outdoor lifestyle, I feel a lot more in sync with the cycles of life, hibernating in winter and living fully in summer etc

Do you miss your life in the UK at all?

There is something really special about the UK: the sense of humour we have, the music scene and fashion. These qualities are slightly different when you’re travelling but I get to meet so many different people from many countries that I wouldn’t have met if I didn’t travel. Plus, I live in the UK throughout the summer, so I get the best of both worlds.

How easy was it to move your work life from the UK to Portugal?

The majority of my work is online, so you can pretty much work from anywhere. When I stay in places long enough to integrate more with the community, I’ll host an event. This is what I’m doing here in Lagos next week. 

Did you know anyone there, before you set off?

No. I knew that a few other friends who have vans were also setting off, escaping the UK winter, so I have met up with them and travelled a couple of destinations together.  Plus, a friend of mine wanted to visit Porto. She came over for the weekend, which was so much fun, and another celebrated Christmas with me in Lagos. It’s been great to have my mates come and stay with me and Eileen.

How easy has it been to meet new people?

It’s pretty easy on the road to hermit yourself away, so I often park near other van-lifers and we get chatting, or, here in Lagos, there’s a big digital nomad scene. I’ve been to a couple of the meet-ups which is a great opportunity to meet like-minded people. There is a huge digital nomad community all over the world now, so I tap into this throughout my journey.

Are the people friendly and welcoming in Lagos?

The Portuguese are really friendly that I’ve met. I park where other vans park and everyone I’ve met travelling in vans are so open and lovely.  It’s a real community on the road of like-minded free spirits.

Where next for @yogaonthemove?

I’ve never been to Morocco and a lot of people try and put the fear in me, asking if it’s it safe there for a woman travelling on her own. I feel safety is all about your own perception of how safe you feel within yourself.  Eileen and I feel totally safe. Yes, I will probably have to be a little more vigilant, but I’m pretty streetwise now. My intuition is fierce and I don’t bring that energy of fear, as you really do attract what you put out there.

I’m taking the ferry from Algeciras to Tangier. Other than that, I haven’t done much research as yet, but what I find, is that like-minded people you chat to will always give you advices about places that they like. I love taking recommendations. So far, on my list, I have Essaouira, Marrakesh (the obvious one) and Chefchauren (the blue town). I’ll probably head down the coast to the little surf towns, plus I have a friend to visit too, who’ll no doubt give me some advice and recommendations.

Is it the van life for you now, or do you think you’ll move back into bricks and mortar one day?

I’m feeling the call to be a little more stable during the summer, when I’m in the UK, to stay in one place rather than travel so much. I’d like to find a community van campsite or maybe some kind of house-sit situation, where you look after someone’s house whilst they’re away this year. Let’s see what arises, I’m pretty much open to whatever comes my way.

Do you have any tips for anyone thinking of doing something similar?

Just do it! I live by the mantra of: “I’d rather regret the things I have done, rather than regret the things I haven’t done”. We can take life far too seriously sometimes. To me, it’s just a massive game. Learn to play the game of freedom, be more childlike and have lots of fun and adventures, life shoots by so quickly, not to have done so.

Anything else you’d like to tell us?

I turned my whole life around in my 40s. It’s never too late to make that change, take the risk, try something new. Life is short and you’re the star of your own movie – make it a movie that you would love to sit down and watch with a big bowl of popcorn in your later years. I’m the lead actress walking down the red carpet!

You can follow Kaye’s adventure on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/yogaonthemove/

https://www.facebook.com/kaye.sutcliffe

The post Chasing the sunshine as a digital nomad appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

I got a new puppy a few months ago and I’m rather obsessed with him.

So, when I was trying (and failing) to wrangle working/travelling/studying family members into looking after him for a few days while I flew to Stuttgart to visit a dear friend pre-Christmas, I was delighted when it was suggested I drove to Germany and took him with me. Why didn’t I think of that?

Never having actually taken a pet abroad but having heard about other people’s expensive/stressful experiences, it wasn’t without some trepidation that I organised my crossings and Googled what the requirements are for taking your dog to the continent from the UK.

Various questions raced through my mind: was I bonkers to consider taking a puppy not even seven months old yet on a European road trip; was it wise driving all that way on my own in December, of all months; what if I experienced problems at the border as Pablo, my rescue pup, has a Spanish passport and I don’t; was it wise to get him out of his home routine and would it be a nightmare getting him back into it when we returned from our adventures?

That said, I am so grateful to my beloved for suggesting I took my big eared canine wingman with me, as it was the loveliest of trips and a perfect bonding experience for us both. Rather than do it in one blast, I opted to overnight in France on the way there and back. Not only would it mean I would be more rested, it gave me the chance to stay in my favourite place – Le Touquet-Paris-Plage.

Le Touquet is west of Calais, when I should have been travelling south-east, but when I compared travelling from Calais to Stuttgart to Le Touquet to Stuttgart, the driving time was roughly the same. Therefore, I opted to go somewhere I know and where I feel safe, rather than booking somewhere en route that I didn’t know, which gave me peace of mind, being a solo female traveller.

About my travel companion

But first of all, a little bit about my bestie. Pablo is a podenco whom I adopted from Brighter Days Rescue in the UK, after the sudden loss of our beloved flat coated retriever, Monty, earlier this year. Brighter Days is a small charity in Staffordshire, UK, committed to rescuing and rehoming dogs from unfavourable conditions abroad. Their primary focus is rescuing dogs in Romania, where many are stray and subject to abuse and neglect, although they take dogs from other countries too.

Brighter Days had taken Pablo (then called Danny) from Puppy Rescue in Spain, after the tiny little mite was found on his own in amongst bins in southern Spain, completely alone and covered in fleas and ticks. Heaven knows what had happened to his litter mates and mum. Nobody had shown any interest in him, which baffles me (but I am thankful for that now).

If you don’t know the breed, podencos, which range in size from a dachshund to a greyhound, are known as the invisible dogs of Spain. According to Hope for Podencos, at the end of each hunting season, it’s estimated that between 60,000 and 80,000 Spanish hunting dogs are dumped, abandoned or killed every year.

Most of them are abandoned by the side of the road but some are punished for poor performance or simply for ‘sport’ by being killed in the cruellest of ways. I won’t go into details here, but Google heralds all kinds of horrors. Most of these perfectly healthy dogs are under the age of two and many of them will be pregnant.

So basically, Pablo, who now has a wardrobe of coats and a comfy bed in every room in the house, has landed on his feet and will be loved until the day he dies! We are besotted with him.

I did attempt to adopt a rescue dog in the UK, but failed due to not being able to find one which was cat-friendly or other charities not being prepared to hold on to a dog for me, until I was able to get there to view it. So, I gave up and looked to Brighter Days. And thank heavens I did. The adoption process was simple and the people lovely. I cried when I first saw Pablo and instantly knew he was for me.

Pablo is a blessing and came at just the right time for us; the loss of Monty having left a big dog-shaped hole in our lives. Pablo must’ve had a brilliant start with his foster families in Spain and the UK, as he has never had any ‘accidents’ in the house, isn’t a chewer and his only issue is being slightly timid around other dogs. We are working on that by giving him plenty of love, socialising him and taking him to puppy training. He’s incredibly affectionate, intelligent and eager to learn.

Believe when they say that a rescue dog takes three months to settle into its new home. Pablo had a few minor quirks while settling in (nothing major) but we overcame them with some advice from Brighter Days.

Enough of me waxing lyrical about my new baby. Here is some advice about travelling to the continent from the UK with a pet:

What’s the best way to travel to Europe with a pet?

To me, this is a no-brainer. It has to be via Le Shuttle (formerly the Eurotunnel).

When you arrive at the shuttle terminal at Folkestone, you’ll see signs for pet reception and there are designated pet exercise areas too, although your dog is allowed into the terminal building (not in duty free). As mentioned, I was nervous about Pablo having a Spanish passport and me having one of the new British ones, but I needn’t have been. We were only in pet reception for a matter of minutes. I simply handed over his passport for them to check, they handed me a scanner for his microchip and we were away.

I’ve travelled on Le Shuttle numerous times and quite often, if you arrive early and the train is not heavily booked, they let you on an earlier crossing. No paperwork is necessary, as you just drive up to the barrier, it recognises your number plate and lets you through.

This was the first time I’ve ever had a delay, which was due to a technical fault, but I would rather be safe, so was happy to wait in the terminal, Pablo getting plenty of attention, until it was swiftly sorted and we were able to board.

Within minutes, we were in France. At just over half an hour, it’s so much simpler and quicker than getting a ferry. I have childhood memories of ferry journeys to the continent and lasting visions of rushing to find a seat on deck (often we didn’t manage and had to stand or sit away from one another), waiting anxiously at the top of metal stairs to get to the car decks towards the end of the crossing, the catering being diabolical and queuing for what felt like an eternity to get off, anxious to get on with my holiday. That’s not to mention the state of the loos when there was a rough crossing (not everyone has sea legs).

All that may have changed now and I gather that ferries also have pet lounges on board, but getting Le Shuttle makes life so much easier – and faster.

One friend of mine was easily convinced he’d be able to see dolphins out of the window of the train when beneath the Channel and we also once came across some confused charity workers, going out to give blankets and food to migrants in camps near Calais, who thought the stairs to the floor above in the two-storey train would lead them to the non-existent buffet car. No, it was just full of more cars.

There’s no buffet car on board, but there’s no need. The crossing is so quick. I get excited every time I get to the terminal. It feels like your holiday has begun.

You pay a flat fee for the car, not the number of passengers, and a crossing in December cost approximately £125 each way. Keep an eye out for special offers, book well in advance for best prices and you may pick up a bargain for a short stay.

What do you need to do to prepare to take your pet to the continent?

First of all, can I please clear something up? Who takes a ferret on holiday to France? The UK government gives advice on taking a dog, cat or ferret overseas. There’s also a tick box on the official form at pet reception upon which you need to declare how many ferrets you’re bringing back into the UK.

I’ve only ever known of one person who’s had ferrets and I am 99.9% certain she has never taken them kayaking along the Dordogne or even shopping in Paris. I live in hope of seeing one at Le Shuttle terminal one day, though.

The following is going to sound more daunting than it actually is. Believe me when I say, it’s actually very simple and, once you have all of your ducks (or ferrets) in a row and your dog has all of the vaccinations that it should have, you’ll sail through pet reception.

When heading to mainland Europe from the UK, you need to ensure in advance that your pet has:

• A microchip
• A valid rabies vaccination
• A pet passport or animal health certificate
• A tapeworm treatment (see below)

I am lucky in that Pablo came with his own passport, in which all of his vaccinations are recorded. He’s been to more countries than some people I know, to be honest, and more than 60% of US citizens!

A quick Google search tells me that a pet passport costs around £180, although costs vary from vet to vet. By contrast, a friend recently took her dog to her holiday home in Brittany and I understand the animal health certificate cost around £250 – and you need a new one every time you travel. Someone else told me the one for her cat took around three weeks to arrive, so make sure you plan well in advance.

Most importantly, your dog won’t be allowed back into the UK if a vet hasn’t given it a tapeworm treatment and it hasn’t been recorded it in their passport or health certificate. The treatment has to be done every trip and must be given no fewer than 24 hours and no more than five days before you return to the UK.

If you are going for a long weekend, have it done by your own vet before you leave or make sure you can get an appointment at a vet surgery overseas, before you return.

In Germany, my friend booked Pablo into her local vet surgery in Sindelfingen, a suburb of Stuttgart, and the treatment cost around €50. He’s now registered at the surgery, if we go back, to make things simpler. They were also very useful in letting me know that Pablo was due his vaccination for distemper, so I had that done too (total cost for both treatments: €90) to avoid there being any problems at pet reception on our return.

I’ve been with a friend when she’s brought her dog back to the UK and a French vet had recorded the tapeworm treatment on the wrong page of the passport, meaning it was touch and go whether her dog would be allowed in. Thankfully, we caught them on a good day.

Seatbelts for dogs are obligatory on the continent, just as they are in the UK.

What are French roads like?

Excellent. Once through the tunnel, I drove from Calais to Le Touquet (43 miles) and then onwards to Stuttgart the next day (465 miles) and we didn’t come across a single traffic jam or hold up in France. The same can’t be said about German roads and it felt like one set of roadworks after another.

You’d be forgiven for thinking there’d been a zombie apocalypse at times, as you drive through France, as the roads are often seemingly empty.

The French authorities have erected random pieces of art along some stretches of the autoroutes, aiming to break the boredom, and there are large brown tourist signs which tell you a little bit about towns you sail past.

In France, there are two types of autoroute service stops, or ‘aires’, and it’s well signposted how far away you are from the next one. First of all, there are the regular ones, where there’s a petrol station, restaurant and loos. You can often get a good meal at these – not just a tuna sandwich and bag of crisps – as the French like to eat properly. More often than not, there’s also a Paul or something similar.

The second type of stop has an unmanned toilet building and picnic tables. The friend I was going to visit keeps a table cloth in her car at all times for these stops and I have one now too. Even on the autoroutes, the French know how to eat!

The old-fashioned French holes in the ground, where you had to hover and hold your nose, seem non-existent now. Jingle Bells was playing in French in the loos at one of our toilet stops which made up for the lack of loo roll (take tissues with you). They were all very clean and satisfactory and make good rest stops for dogs.

I knew I was over the border with Germany when the flow of traffic grew heavier and the Peugeots, Renaults and Citroens were replaced with BMWs, VWs and Mercedes.

I was needing to fill up with fuel by the time I crossed the border and wrongly assumed there would be a German equivalent of an ‘aire’ every few miles, like in France. Service stations didn’t seem as plentiful in Germany and I ended up having to search for a petrol station on my sat nav and venture off the main road and into a town.

What’s the speed limit on French motorways?

In France, the speed limit varies depending on the weather conditions. In dry weather, the top speed on autoroutes is 130kph (80mph), which drops to 110kph (68mph) if it’s wet.

Speed camera detectors are illegal in France and have been since 2012. If you’re caught with one in your vehicle, you could be fined up to €1,500. The authorities can also confiscate your car and device, so watch out.

While the UK was a member of the EU, French authorities were able to ask the DVLA for details of UK drivers so they could enforce speeding fines. After Brexit, those rules no longer applied (at least there’s one potential benefit). As a result, UK drivers are now less likely to be fined. However, a word of warning, you can receive on-the-spot fines and I know of someone who received a hefty one.

I wrong assumed that, like the super-efficient Germans, the roads in Germany would be rapidly free-flowing. While there is no speed limit on the autobahns and it can be a bit of startling when a Porsche tears past you at great speed, not all roads to Stuttgart were autobahns and at times were exceedingly slow. German roads are very comparable to those in the UK.

I also discovered that, when someone flashes you as you’re indicating to overtake, it isn’t necessarily an invitation to pull out, as it would be in the UK. It means ‘stay in your lane’. At least it did in my case. I didn’t pull out, but nearly did, which led to much gesticulating (not from me).

Also, don’t expect a ‘thank you’ gesture or flashing of your hazard lights if you let someone out. That doesn’t happen!

Are toll roads expensive?

While French autoroutes are marvellous, they don’t come without cost. Let me tell you, though, it’s well worth it. The cost of tolls for the French leg of those 465 miles was €45, although I bought a Ulys toll tag which meant I didn’t have to get out of my righthand drive car and run around to the machine on the left to pay the charge at every toll. It simply beeps and the barrier lifts, which also means no queuing. You can also opt for a subscription for Spanish, Portuguese and Italian toll roads.

Unlike other tags, there’s no monthly cost if you don’t use it and your toll fees simply come out via direct debit at the end of the month. It works in some car parks too.

Order yours well in advance. It took over a week to come and arrived on the evening before I was due to leave. Phew!

Luckily Pablo was fine with the noise the tag made, although my friend’s dog was so scared of the beep that they had to do away with theirs.

Is France welcoming to dogs?

Much more so than the UK. Germany too.

Most restaurants in France allow dogs in, hence many of them seem much more well behaved. I dare say you’d be asked to leave it your dog was unruly, though.

In Le Touquet, Pablo and I were welcome into bars The Globetrotter and my favourite Le Quento, although being a puppy and having had lengthy car journeys, I had a takeaway crepe from Aux Mignardises (delicious) rather than a sit down meal and kept on the move, to tire Pablo out and keep him occupied.

Be a responsible dog owner and take plenty of poo bags with you, although quite a few people don’t bother.

We chose to stay at the pet-friendly Novotel Thalassa Le Touquet on both legs of our journey, where I’ve stayed at a few times before, but never with a dog. The hotel is literally built into the dunes, directly on the beach, so, on arrival, I was able to take Pablo for a bracing walk on the sand (and also before we left) and fill our lungs with sea air.

For me, it’s by far the best hotel in Le Touquet – from the views from the sea-facing rooms to the extensive breakfast. The hotel is at the far end of Le Touquet, so it’s a 10-15 minute walk to the centre of town, along a flat promenade, and it’s a lovely walk.

Some original old mansions remain on the sea front, but there are many newer apartment blocks which must have glorious views across the Channel from the higher floors. This might be due to the fact that 2,000 bombs dropped on Le Touquet during WWII, devastating much of the town. It’s hard to imagine now, but the little town was occupied for four years during the war and the seafront was a military zone. Much of the old charm remains in the town, though.

At its liberation in September 1944, Canadian troops arrived in the deserted town amid devastation and the press described Le Touquet as “France’s most heavily-mined town”. It’s hard to believe any of that now, as Le Touquet is, to me, simply the most peaceful and happy place I can imagine.

On arrival at the hotel, there’s a large and spacious, modern reception, with enormous windows making full use of the stunning views across the opal-hued sands and out to sea. Dogs are really made to feel very welcome and Pablo loved watching other dogs with their owners, surfers and kite surfers on the beach, from our private balcony.

There are rooms facing the dunes and car park which are cheaper, but get a sea-facing room if you can and wake up to soft shades of pinks, blues and cream.

As mentioned, breakfast is a fabulous self-service spread, served in a dining room which has large sea-facing windows, so you really feel part of the outdoors. No dogs are allowed in the dining room, so Pablo stayed in the room and slept after our beach walk.

The hotel, one wing of which is an Ibis and the other the Novotel (rooms in both are good), has a large swimming pool, again, with fabulous views, and a tranquil Seawater Spa, where treatments have a sea-based theme. Before setting off, it was such a treat to have a few treatments, which left me feeling very zen and set me up for the final leg of my journey.

A dune-facing room starts from £138 per night, if you book via the Accor website and become a member. You get points when you do, which means you can redeem against future stays.

Would I do it again?

In a heartbeat. Pablo was amazing and took it all in his stride. He settled back into his home routine immediately. I think he was just happy to spend time with me – and me with him.

Special thanks to Novotel Hotels and Le Shuttle for their generosity and hospitality.

You can read about more travels from Vanessa and guest writers at The Sun Lounger and follow her on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

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Christmas markets in Berlin

Berlin really does now how to do a Christmas market, in fact you’ll find a whopping 60+ twinkly ‘Weihnachtsmärkte’ spread out across the German capital, oozing festive love, goodwill and amaretto-infused mulled wine (what a great invention) from late November to early January.

While each has its own charm and vibe, top of our list was the hugely popular tented magnet for all things Christmas at Gendarmenmarkt. You’ll discover tents full of artisans making and selling decorations, candles, toys and other crafts alongside fake snow-festooned kiosks roasting chestnuts and groaning under the weight of gingerbread houses.

It gets densely crowded at weekends and this most popular of markets attracts 800,000 visitors every year. Despite all of the body heat, there is a charming heated and covered restaurant area, where you can reflect on what you’ve bought after all that mulled wine and wonder how you are going to cram it into your hand luggage on the flight home.

You’ll find Christmas markets with ferris wheels, faux ski slopes and ice rinks everywhere you turn and we particularly enjoyed those at Alexanderplatz, Charlottenburg Palace and Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, among others.

You’ll find a map of all of the Christmas markets in Berlin, with how to get there at the Berlin official web page.

What else is there to do in Berlin?

One of the first things we did was hire a horse drawn carriage to take us around the city. We got ours at The Brandenburg Gate (cost: approx €100). This took us around various attractions, including the former border crossing at Checkpoint Charlie, where we got out and took photos.

We also trotted us past various sections of the Berlin Wall. It’s true to say that much of what Berlin has in terms of visitor attractions is evocative of often deeply upsetting times.

Standing at The Berlin Wall’s Eastside Gallery, it’s easy to get lost in the desire to get a good selfie in front of the ‘Fraternal Kiss’ (artwork depicting a kiss between Russian Leonid Brezhnev and East Germany’s Chairman Erich Honecker). But stand for a moment and remember that around 200 people died trying to cross from the former East Germany to the freedom of the west.

There was once 168km of wall dividing the east and west, with a wide area, later known as the ‘death strip’, that contained anti-vehicle trenches, beds of nails and other defences. 

The wall fell on 9 November 1989 and I clearly remember working at a local newspaper at the time, and doing a front page story about my then mother-in-law who was there on that historical night.

It’s important to see sites like the Holocaust Memorial and Topography of Terror, the latter being a place of remembrance on the site of the SS central command.

On a less serious note, beware of drinking and getting on one of the many scooters dotted around the city, when you are inclined to think you are invincible. You’re not! I speak from experience.

Where to eat and drink in Berlin

After the somewhat sombre time spent learning about world history, it’s important to let your hair down and Berlin encourages you to do just that.

We had one humorous (but low-key terrifying) meal in Berlin when the angry waiter came looking for me as there was still food on my plate and he thought I had left it (I was in the loo).

I’m not sure if it was a Germanic dry sense of humour that us feeble Brits didn’t get or he really was furious that I had disrespected the cuisine, but we hastily bundled our leftovers into a serviette and into my handbag, for fear of being apprehended, and quickly scarpered. The location shall remain nameless.

There are many cool brunch places in Berlin and vegans, like my daughter, are catered for well in this cosmopolitan and uber cool city, rich with cafe culture and quirky, independent shops.

We had one spectacular and unplanned evening at Wilde Matilde, which we happened on by chance (still with schnitzel in my handbag, as we fled from the semi-terrifying restaurant experience). We heard cheering and applause and wanted to be part of it.

There was a Barry White-style singer, burlesque dancing, juggling and acrobatics, as well as audience participation and wild cocktails, all happening on the wide-topped bar we were sitting at. Its madness was infectious.

Where to stay in Berlin

Our Airbnb apartment, The Metropol Park in the Mitte district, cost a little under £220 for two nights for three people, was perfect for what we needed and was great value. Whilst close to underground stations and of a high, modern standard, it cost more than I had thought it would in Uber rides, so I think it may have been further out of the centre than we had initially thought, but I’m not complaining.

Christmas markets in Budapest

One of my lasting memories of our festive trip to Budapest was of the cars we saw driving around the city, smothered in fairy lights, driven by people in Santa outfits, beeping their horns and attracting cheers and waves. I don’t know if this was a regular thing or people on their way to Christmas parties (or maybe even real Santas), but we were there for it!

There are Christmas markets scattered around town, the primary ones being in Vörösmarty Square in the heart of the city and St Stephen’s Basilica, just a few minutes away. There is another in Deák Ferenc, or ‘Fashion Street’, but this is more of a commercial shopping street with Christmas lights than a market.

Ranked by Time Out as one the five most beautiful Christmas markets in Europe, the Vörösmarty Square market is at the end of the Váci pedestrian street and opposite the historic Gerbeaud café. There are wooden lodges of people selling their fares (a few too many selling non-Christmassy items, such as sunglasses, for my liking) and numerous food stands which provide a taste of Hungarian cuisine. 

Less than 10 minutes away on foot is St Stephen’s Basilica Christmas Market which has a projection of different animated films on the basilica, taking place every 30 minutes after dark.

You’ll find dates and opening times on sites like Budapest Travel Tips.

What else is there to do in Budapest?

We had one boat ride trip on the Danube in which the commentary was only in Hungarian, so we didn’t understand a word and the wine tasted like vinegar. That said, this contributed to the hilarity and we had such a fun time. I’d do it again. If you book, maybe check to see if the guide will also be given in English.

Szechenyi Baths is one of the Instagrammable venue in the whole of Budapest, with its orangey walls and green and blue domes, looking like a big cake with coloured icing. Book in advance (you have to buy towels, not hire them), then spend the day in the hot international ‘people soup’, spread out over 18 pools.

We also went on one of the tourist buses around Budapest but the commentary was poor and at one point, we waited on the bus while the tour guide got off and went and picked up her Chinese takeaway.

A reminder of grim history is the Shoes on the Danube Bank (my daughters said it was disrespectful to take photos). This memorial honours the Jewish people who were massacred during WWII. They were ordered to take off their shoes and were shot at the edge of the water, so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried away. It’s deeply moving.

Where to eat and drink in Budapest

You’ll find ruin bars situated inside neglected pre-war buildings of the old Jewish Quarter, making them achingly cool shells of buildings, heavy with graffiti. There are often massive queues outside the best ones, like the iconic Szimpla Kert. You’ll find the top 10 listed here.

Don’t book for brunch at the simply scrummy Cirkusz; just queue up and wait, making friends while you do so. Every second you wait is worth it. I had the pulled pork Benedict (4200 HUF) which was divine. My vegan daughter had avocado toast with beetroot hummus (also 4200 HUF). Vegans and vegetarians are also well catered for in Budapest.

The city has a great food scene and another highly recommended venue is Leo Bistro & Leo Rooftop Sky Bar on the eighth floor of the Hotel Clark where we had a flight of cocktails and the view on the way to the loo was stunning (although lights went out on all of the illuminated attractions at about 10pm).

Another massive surprise to me was Mazel Tov, a cooler than cool restaurant which serves fusion, Middle Eastern cuisine in what looked like a derelict building from the outside, situated in the Jewish Quarter. Hummus, shawarma and shakshuka are on the menu, as you would expect, as is slow-roasted lamb with creamy polenta, pomegranate and pickled onions with sumac (8290 HUF). We loved this place.

Where to stay in Budapest

Our bright and modern, very central Walnut Tree Apartment was perfectly positioned and cost £396.33 for three people for four nights. We could walk to many attractions from here and it was perfect, although, on the first night we struggled to get in and almost attempted to get into the wrong apartment by mistake, which was our error, not the host’s.

And the winner is….

In terms of Christmas markets, I wish I had gone to Budapest before Berlin, as there is no competition, in my view. It’s like people saying they wish they’d visited Scotland before they’d been to Canada. Both have hills, mountains and valleys, but Canada has more and they’re bigger (I am guessing that’s right, as I have never been to Canada).

I like to buy a new bauble wherever I go in December, to evoke happy memories when I unpack decorations every year and we decorate the tree together at home. While I was spoiled for choice in Berlin, particularly at Gendarmenmarkt, there was little to choose from at the stalls in Budapest.

The Germans are just masters of Christmas markets. The whole city wraps itself in tinsel and embraces Christmas, wholeheartedly and beautifully.

While I read somewhere that Vienna had the first recorded Christmas market, I’ve also read that the Dresdner Striezelmarkt is considered the first genuine Christmas market in the world, dating all the way back to 1434. Whether they invented them or not, they are ruddy good at them.

That said, I was blown away by the restaurants and general food scene in Budapest. That isn’t to say that the food in Berlin wasn’t good, by any means; it’s just there were so many places I loved in Budapest and it was so darn cool.

My 20-something daughters say Budapest is their favourite European city for the all-round experience, but I would opt for the traditional festiveness of Berlin markets any day.

You can read more from Vanessa at www.thesunlounger.co.uk. You can also follow her travels on Facebook and Instagram.

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Le Touquet is like an old friend to me, writes Vanessa Munnings, blogger at www.thesunlounger.co.uk, but every time I visit (and I have been doing so for about 20 years), our friendship grows deeper and stronger, and this friend never fails to surprise me.

Where is Le Touquet-Paris-Plage?

This gem of a seaside town is situated approximately 45 minutes by car from the Channel Tunnel, on the Cote D’Opale in northern France. Just exit Le Shuttle, turn right, in the direction of Boulogne-sur-Mer, and you’ll see the Le Touquet exit in no time at all.

There is one ‘peage’ en route, but it only costs a few Euros and French roads, while you have to pay to use them, are largely fast and efficient. Only once have we been held up, but that was when the ‘yellow vests’ were protesting and they let us through the toll without having to pay. Vive la revolucion!

What’s Le Touquet like?

I visit Le Touquet at least four times a year and, every time, I find out something new about the darling place, which feels like home to me.

It’s been called the Monaco of northern France by the French themselves and, driving through the pine forest as you approach the town centre, you’ll see the affluent thatched mansions and understand why. Yes, it’s a playground for rich Parisians who have holiday homes here and property here is EXPENSIVE! But I disagree with this moniker.

The wealth is evident, but it doesn’t have that uber-rich, non-inclusive vibe which is so evident in Monaco or elsewhere on the Cote D’Azur. It simply isn’t snobby. Hands down, it’s the happiest place I’ve ever been. Visiting is like a tonic for the soul. You can’t leave feeling miserable; just reluctant that you have to go.

I say this as someone who, on the way back from dinner one evening, happened upon a road closed outside a neighbourhood tabac/newsagent/bar, and a middle-aged monsieur sporting a sequined jacket, playing French songs on his keyboard and the whole road alive with dancing locals. 

We all linked arms with the locals outside Le Quento, put our school French to best use and danced into the small hours, making many friends in the process. It’s that kind of place.

HG Wells, Noel Coward, Sean Connery, Alan Sugar, PG Wodehouse, Serge Gainsborough, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are all said to have fallen for the charms of Le Touquet – and the wife of president Macron has a home here. You’ll see the armed guards patrolling near their place, which is located above an estate agent.

What is there to do in Le Touquet?

There’s a top class golf course and a world-famous equestrian centre, plus a casino and museum. 

The beach – a soft pink vast swathe of sand which stretches as far as the eye can see – is fringed with dunes. Even in the height of summer, with all of the activities that the French are so adept at providing (boules, volleyball, children’s play areas), it never feels crowded.

There’s a tourist ‘train’ which leaves from the top of the steps by the carousel regularly and takes you around all the sights. The commentary is in French, but it’s worth it, whether you speak French or not. 

There is a great market at the end of Rue de Metz every Saturday and a farmers’ market in Quentovic every Sunday morning, where you can have a chilled glass of white and the freshest oysters, while watching a petanque match, or maybe joining in.

Before you book, check what’s on in Le Touquet, as there is often live music in the streets, which adds to the charm of this lovely place.

I come here for the food, drink, atmosphere and bit of shopping. Shops are good and varied – and not too exclusive. Chanel and Givenchy are not present in the town and rumour has it that the current mayor doesn’t want there to be, either. 

Expect reasonably-priced boutiques and a few household names, as well. as galleries and interior shops.

We come before Christmas, to stock up on wine and tins of duck confit at Cite Europe just by the tunnel exit in Calais. Despite Brexit, you can still bring 18 litres of wine into the UK. After filing your boot with wine, you can hot foot it to Le Touquet in time for lunch.

We come in the summer to sip wine with our toes in the sand and enjoy the soirees at Le Quento. I come with girl pals for a raucous catch up and also annually on my daughter’s birthday, as has become family tradition. I can’t get enough of the place.

What kind of people go to Le Touquet?

Although the town is largely visited by the French, due to its close proximity to the UK, you’ll find groups of British golfers, car enthusiasts and the like, in the town. There is a mix of ages, but it’s not a Puerto Banus – full of young would-be jet setters. It welcomes all ages.

French people and mainland Europeans in general are very welcoming to young families and there are a lot of them on the beach, but it’s so vast, you never feel as if you are surrounded by screaming kids.

Where to eat in Le Touquet?

Rue de Metz is the main thoroughfare in the town, although it’s not the only street, so do stray off it and explore. That said, it is packed with bistros and other eateries, as is Rue St Jean, which leads down to the beach and to the iconic carousel and mini Eiffel Tower faux sand sculpture.

Here are some of my current/all-time favourites:

Opaline: best for brunch

When a friend asked for a glass of prosecco with her brunch at Opaline, she was very politely told they only serve champagne. If that’s not enough to make you love a place, what is? Music to my ears.

I always have the sublime Opaline brunch (€32) which includes orange juice, a hot drink, pastry, boiled egg with soldiers, avocado or hummus toast, 18 month old Comte cheese, smoked salmon or bacon and a sweet pastry of your choice, which I generally take away with me.

Avocado toast with pomegranate, feta, zatar and pea shoots is €14.5o and a glass of Veuve Clicquot €12.50.

It’s one of those places where you have a strong urge to take photos of your food, as it is obscenely pretty. If you can, have brunch from one of the deckchairs in the garden. 

The staff speak excellent English, but are patient with those like me, who get braver with their French language skills after the first glass of champagne.

La Base Nord: best for cocktails/dinner with a view

Dine on the roomy terrace in the summer for sublime sunsets over the Baie de la Conche or in the buzzing, cosy, cutesy interior throughout the rest of the year. Whichever choice you make, it will be a good one.

The planche de la baie (€19), comprising cod balls, fish ‘rillettes’, salmon carpaccio, tempura prawns and samphire, is not to be missed.

Le Matisse: best for people watching

In the heart of the town is Le Matisse, a Touquettoise institution.

Enjoy delicious moules frites, the former being the pride of the region, on the terrace year round (they have an awning and patio heaters), sipping on Aperol Spritz and watching the well-heeled French shop for daily baguettes in the bakery opposite, kissing friends as they meet and carrying pocket-sized pooches under arm.

This place is often heaving, so I recommend booking. On our last visit, we sat inside and YMCA was blaring at full blast, so the interior might not be right for a romantic dinner for two. But if you like flaming flares in your bottles and to sing as you eat, don’t miss it.

Moules frites sets you back around €20.

Perard – best for seafood

This emblematic establishment is everything you want a French seafood restaurant to be. Sadly, I have developed a lobster allergy, so now I pass slowly and look through the windows longingly, daring not to go in, just in case. A brush with a lobster had me in an ambulance, so I can’t risk even breathing in the air.

Traditional, fresh and proud are three words I would use to describe this restaurant, which is rated one of the top seafood eateries in France. The decor is old-school and the fruit de mer is piled high.

Macron has a regular table and Alan Sugar and Tony Blair have apparently been seen here.

The assiette, loaded with crab, langoustines, oysters, whelks, prawns and shrimps is €41 per person. A three-course set menu of fish soup, catch of the day and creme brulee will set you back €34.

Enjoy it, even if I can’t.

Does Le Touquet cater for vegans?

Not massively so, I am afraid. In most restaurants, all that was on the menu for my plant-based diet daughter was a poke bowl, which she got a little bored with. 

There are some restaurants which cater for vegans, such as L’espadrille on Rue de Londres and Took Took on Boulevard du Dr Jules Pouget, but we struggle to find a typical French bistro/brasserie where we are all happy.

I also got some raised eyebrows, a tut and a head shake when I asked in one restaurant if they catered for vegans, albeit in my best French!

Where to drink in Le Touquet

There are a million and one lovely, welcoming bars in Le Touquet, so take your time and enjoy as many of them as you can. 

Le Sport Plage: best for the beach

Starting off as a hole in the wall with a few red plastic chairs at the bottom of the steps to the beach (look for the carousel and you can’t go wrong), this seasonal bar has Ibiza vibes in the summer, drinks service from your sun lounger, guest DJs and a nice menu.

There are several chiringuito-style bars along the boardwalk, but this is my favourite. Hire a sunbed for €20 a day in the summer and look out over the vast expanse of sand. I recommend the Minuty!

Le Globetrotter: best for late night revelry

An Irish bar or sports bar is somewhere I routinely avoid abroad, but not this one. Le Globetrotter is decidedly French and is the place to be if you want to mingle and soak up the party atmosphere.

Yes, it is full of middle-aged blokes on golfing weekends, but I have also had a conversation with a local lady in here about measures on the roads to prevent frogs getting squished and learned how to give commands in French to a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, to make him do tricks.

Situated next door to Le Matisse, there is sport on the TVs, but I never pay it any attention. Enjoy le craic!

Le Quento: best for mixing with the locals

Is it a tabac? Is it a newsagent? Is it a bar? It’s all of those thing and more.

Walk by in the morning and you’ll see elderly locals enjoying a small breakfast beer or glass of wine on the terrace (just the one). Pop in during the afternoon and it’s not uncommon for someone to pass round the Tupperware container of homemade Madeleines.

I simply love this place, but I’m not saying any more, as I don’t want to spoil it.

Where to stay in Le Touquet

Hotels and holiday homes for all budgets abound in Le Touquet. It is all about location. I have settled for the Quentovic part of town, which is situated midway between La Base Nord and Rue de Metz, making it quiet in the evenings but only 10 mins either way.

If you find yourself a distance from the centre, there are plenty of places to hire bikes in town. The tourist information centre can help.

Novotel Thalassa Le Touquet: best for sea views

Literally built into the dunes, book a room with a bed facing the sea and wake up to opal hues, crashing waves and the occasional, distant kite surfer. It’s built to withstand the sea air and whilst not a stunning building on the approach, it is so on the inside, with a breakfast to be marvelled at.

It is a 10-15 minute walk into the centre of town, but wander along the boardwalk and take in the salty air/some of the beach bars as you do so. 

Rooms with car park views start at about £214, but are cheaper if you become an Accor member and book directly.

If it’s full/too expensive, it has an adjoining Ibis (unlike any other I have seen) with the same views.

Air bnb/VRBO: best for flexibility

Search on either platform and you will find a plethora of accommodation – from cutesy cottages, to holiday apartments with great views and whole houses in the pine forest.

Location is important, so always check how far you are from the centre of town (using Rue de Metz as a waypoint). Be aware that in high season, properties in the centre of town might be more noisy and that parking can be expensive (we normally pay €25. for 2 days). Several holiday homes have private parking spaces, so look for those if it’s vital to you.

Hotel Red Fox: best for budget stays & the centre of town

A three-star hotel in the thick of it, steps away from bars and restaurants. Ask for the annexe, where rooms feel bigger. Expect some noise. Rooms start around the €130 mark per night.

How to spend 48 hours in Le Touquet:

Day one:

• Get a morning crossing from Folkestone on Le Shuttle (book a short stay – it’s cheaper)
• Stock up on wine at Carrefour at Cite Europe (closes at lunchtime on Sunday)
• Hot foot it for a light lunch at Matisse, followed by a bit of shopping, then find a deckchair and watch the kite surfers on the beach
• Check out Macron’s place
• Dinner at La Base Nord (booking essential), stopping at Le Quento en route
• Nightcap at Le Globetrotter

Day two:

• Brunch at Opaline, then head to the market for a mooch
• If you have room, grab a crepe at Le Mignardises on Rue de Saint Jean
• Tourist train around town or hire bikes and explore
• Dinner at Perard (booking essential)
• Back to Le Globetrotter to meet the friends you chatted to last night

Day three: 

• Grab a croissant for breakfast and baguette for lunch at one of the many bakeries and then head to the farmers’ market in Quentovic
• If you have time, the mini golf in front of the beach is fun, then back to Calais for Le Shuttle home
• If in doubt, get in touch with the tourist information centre in town

You read more reviews from Vanessa at www.thesunlounger and follow her on Instagram here and Facebook here

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