Santorini

Destination

Whether you’re in town for Barcelona’s impressive structures – Sagrada Familia or Camp Nou, you’ll want to pop by some of the city’s other memorable sights too. Here, we could start listing Gothic architecture, Roman walls and some sort of UNESCO World Heritage rundown. But you’re too Google-savvy for that. No, we’ll point you towards achingly cool coffee shops or Barcelona tattoo artists that can do incredible things with ink. Because this is the stuff that makes or breaks, well… a city break. Antoni Gaudi may well have littered Barcelona with some showstopping landmarks – but if your baristas can’t rustle up a more than passable espresso, we’re just not interested.

Santorini with kids? It can be done…

See & Do

If your holidays tend towards kids’ club and theme park territory, you might be looking for something a little more grown up. It’s at this point we’ll recommend Santorini. And while Cliff-perched quaint villages awash with art and historic ambience might be a world away from a primary-hued ball pit. Honestly, the kids will love it. Castle ruins once romped through by pirates, beaches with the strangest sand colours and volcano craters that really don’t mind if you have a little peer in. What’s not to enjoy about that – at any age? Some pursuits (we’re talking hiking and jet ski safaris) will suit teens more than toddlers. And, yes, you might have to swerve the lengthy wine tasting tours. But there’s nothing to stop you nipping to the winery to stock up your suitcase. For a glimpse into what Santorini with the kids could be like, read on…

el-viento-villa

Say ‘I do’ to our Santorini wedding guide

Guides & Tips

Santorini weddings are romantic, sea-scaped and sunset filled days of joy. And we don’t say this lightly. Those among you who’ve always imagined your perfect day to be something approaching a fairytale wedding – this is your island. Ice white terraces gleam in the sunshine – providing the perfect blank canvas for your colour scheme. Caldera views and – sorry for the cliche – sparkling seas are your backdrop. Plus Santorini’s wedding venues come with everything from on-site accommodation to firework displays and gourmet food. But it’s not all glitz and bridal glam. Santorini beach weddings are no less impressive – but there are venues where the main focus is a chilled out vibe and, of course, the after party.

A wine tasting tour of Santorini

Food & Drink

Wine lovers, get ready to wax lyrical about bouquets, finish and perhaps even throw in a comment on malic acids, if you’re feeling fruity. Santorini’s vineyards are ready to welcome you with open arms – and, of course, a cheese platter. If you’re not quite up to speed on mouth-feel, ageing and tannins, fear not. On a wine tour, you’ll rarely be far from a sommelier or two to clue you in to the good stuff. And on Santorini, almost any wine is the good stuff. Depending on your palette, of course.

Bangkok

Destination

Bangkok is a city of extremes: come in from the airport via the MRT and you’ll see the politest and most reserved of Thai culture, as everybody stands in neatly formed queues to wait for the workers to clean the carriages. Being spat out into the bustling heat of the Phra Nakhon district is the opposite: a kind of chaotic freedom as locals and tourists eat, drink, and banter away. Although it may all seem disordered at first, you eventually begin to see the rules by which this city operates, and soon you’ll be crossing roads as scooters beep and drive around you without a second thought.