Heligan

The Land that Time Forgot

Tucked in a tiny fold of Cornwall, perched on a hill overlooking Mevagissey Bay sits a gem of a manor house with acres of prolific gardens and dense wooded parkland. At first glance, it looks like one of any number of Victorian Estates sprinkled around the quaint Cornish countryside. But we soon learn it’s so …

Viva La Cuba

¡Viva la Cuba!

I remember watching The Buena Vista Social Club documentary for the first time. It was 1999. The award-winning documentary featured an American guitarist and his son traveling to Cuba to record an album with some of the country’s greatest music legends. I was instantly smitten. The classic cars, the crumbling architecture, the soulful sound of …

Valletta, Malta

Discovering Magnificent Malta

Situated south of Sicily and north of the African mainland, the archipelago of Malta is perfectly placed at the center of the Mediterranean Sea.  The archipelago consists of three islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino and combined, measures only a mere 27 miles in length.  What it lacks in size, it makes up for in stunning …

Packing 101: On going light

You’ve planned ant epic holiday adventure and you’ve stuffed your oversized suitcase so full that you have to sit on it to zip it shut.  You checked your bag, boarded the plane and now you’re sipping prosecco flipping through in-flight movie selection.   Life is good. Hours later, you land, clear customs and groggily wait for …

Skaros Rock

Secret Santorini

We’ve all seen it. That iconic postcard with the tiny white stucco houses punctuated with blue domed roofs. Of course, it’s sunny Santorini, the most visited of all of the Greek Islands and in our opinion, one of the most scenic. Stacked cave houses, infinity edge pools, balconies spilling with hot pink bougainvillea — all …

Gerês National Park

Portugal’s Natural Playground

Perched at the top of Portugal, two hours north of Porto, is Gerês National Park.  Most travelers visiting Portugal spend time in the capital city of Lisbon or sunbathing on the sandy beaches of the Algarve, but those who venture further afield can soak in the resplendent natural beauty of Gerês, Portugal’s only national park.  The …