De Jonkman, Bruges

A short bus journey from the fairytale streets of Old Bruges and far from the hordes of camera-toting tourists, past the city walls and windmills, brings you to the suburb of Sint-Kruis. It’s a quiet residential place with tree-lined avenues and family homes. It’s certainly not where you’d expect to find a two Michelin starContinue reading “De Jonkman, Bruges”

13C Wine Shop and Restaurant, Amman

Everything about 13C is surprising. It starts with the entrance – an unimposing door off a nondescript street in an area of central Amman that doesn’t feel like there’s much else around. Arar Street could be a commercial area of any city, surrounded by apartment buildings and furniture shops, save for the fact that it’sContinue reading “13C Wine Shop and Restaurant, Amman”

The House Boutique Suites, Amman

From the comfort of our bed on the 6th floor of The House Boutique Suites, we’re enjoying the best view in the city. As though back in our star-gazing bubble in Wadi Rum, we’ve left the curtains wide open and are taking in the city lights of Amman, glittering as far as the eye canContinue reading “The House Boutique Suites, Amman”

Mövenpick Aqaba

It is new year’s day and average temperatures in Jordan are sitting in the single figures. Hotels have the heating turned up full and outside locals are wrapped up against the winter elements. As we leave Wadi Rum desert the sky is grey and hanging low. But as we approach the rocky highway to Aqaba,Continue reading “Mövenpick Aqaba”

Mövenpick Petra

Picture the scene: you’ve been up since the crack of dawn to make it into Petra before the bus loads of tourists arrive. You’ve walked miles, scaled rocks, and climbed endless steps to the hilltop monastery, and your feet can barely carry you any further. This is the moment you realise how sensible you wereContinue reading “Mövenpick Petra”

Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum Desert

Rarely a day goes by in the world of social media where you won’t see at least one post about Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert. It’s a desolate expanse of oranges and blues with colossal rock formations jutting out from sandy plains; it’s otherworldly. And therefore – for better or worse – it’s a social mediaContinue reading “Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum Desert”

Sextantio le Grotte della Civita, Matera

Just one hour’s drive from Bari, crossing the border of Puglia into the region of Basilicata, is a city that Italy forgot for almost four decades. The history of Matera is fascinating; it was famously once labelled “Italy’s shame” for the squalid conditions in which thousands of families lived, in caves carved into the cliffsContinue reading “Sextantio le Grotte della Civita, Matera”

Masseria Grieco, Ostuni

As entrances go, it doesn’t get more grand than this. A short drive from Ostuni leads you through countryside to the imposing gates of Masseria Grieco. They open, as if by magic, and the anticipation builds as you travel up a seemingly endless tree-lined path towards your destination. Masseria Grieco is more than a fourContinue reading “Masseria Grieco, Ostuni”

Nina Trulli Resort, Puglia

After decades of being overlooked by tourists coming to Italy, Puglia is finally gaining the recognition it deserves. Social media channels are flooded with images of its turquoise waters and those strange, ubiquitous cone-shaped buildings: trulli. When searching for a truly (no pun intended) Puglian experience, there’s surely none more authentic than sleeping in anContinue reading “Nina Trulli Resort, Puglia”