Arriving in Sonoma County in northern California after an 11-hour flight, I needed a drink — but I wanted a local drop. The first part of my itinerary involved wine surfing but crashing waves were nowhere to be seen — it’s just a cute rebranding of a wine flight, dreamt up by the folks at Gourmet au Bay, a beachside bar in the town of Bodega Bay. A tasting selection of three local, small-production wines are served on a dinky wooden surfboard. Continue reading “Why Sonoma County makes a great introduction to the California wine scene”
Category: Travel
Time Out area guides
Published in Time Out on October 24, 2017
I wrote several new area guides for Time Out London, including Vauxhall, Paddington and Stockwell.
Welcome to the Places of my Life
Published in Oh Comely on April 16, 2017
I wrote a piece for Oh Comely about a project with pals: Welcome to the Places of My Life, named after the Alan Partridge guide to Norwich, sees us visiting each other’s our hometowns, and reliving our teenage experiences.
Zip-lining: enjoy a birds-eye view and protect the rainforest in Laos
To one side, the rainforest stretches away in folds of blue-green to the horizon. On the other, a 120m waterfall crashes down a vertical rock face, so close I can feel the spray on my face. And below? Just empty space and rushing air, between me and a canopy of the lush trees. This feels about the closest a human being can get to flying – and is certainly the closest you can get to the heart of the pristine jungle of Laos. Continue reading “Zip-lining: enjoy a birds-eye view and protect the rainforest in Laos”
The rise of the five star festival
Yachts for hire, on-site spas and champagne by the bucketload… this summer, festivals have gone luxe. Continue reading “The rise of the five star festival”
Finding paradise on the 4,000 Islands of Laos
As I swing in a hammock, overlooking the Mekong river, the rather poetic name given to this patch of Laos seems apt: Si Phan Don, or 4,000 Islands. Continue reading “Finding paradise on the 4,000 Islands of Laos”
New Mexico: painting a picture of O’Keeffe Country
“When I got to New Mexico, that was mine. As soon as I saw it, that was my country.” So said Georgia O’Keeffe, the American modernist artist. She may be best known for painting flowers but a new exhibition at Tate Modern will illustrate just how important her adopted home was; six rooms are dedicated to paintings of New Mexico. Continue reading “New Mexico: painting a picture of O’Keeffe Country”
Cooking lessons in Thailand: Could a dream holiday end in kitchen wars?
When I moved in with my boyfriend, Sam, two years ago, one division of labour was easy to agree on: we would take turns to cook. There would, under no circumstances, be any attempt to make dinner together.
Continue reading “Cooking lessons in Thailand: Could a dream holiday end in kitchen wars?”
48 hours in San Francisco
Travel essentials
Why go now?
The Super Bowl turns 50 tomorrow, and San Francisco is hosting the US’s most watched TV event in its shiny new 49ers Levi’s Stadium (actually in Santa Clara, 50 miles south-east of the city). Continue reading “48 hours in San Francisco”
Tierra Chiloe, Chile – hotel review
You might not expect an angular wooden box to fit in on the pretty island of Chiloé. But while Santiago-based architect Mobil has created a striking silhouette, the design references the charming vernacular architecture of the local villages: its raised-up structure nods to the palafitos, houses on wooden stilts over water. The building is weather-proofed in the traditional way, with shingles made from larch, and with its raised position come views over the archipelago – also named Chiloé. Continue reading “Tierra Chiloe, Chile – hotel review”