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Drive just a few miles out of Kingston and you find yourself climbing into the beautiful Blue Mountains. Producer of some of the finest coffee in the world. Setting for spectacular mountain views. And, especially at the weekend, scene of countless dance parties. You can hear the music throbbing from miles away. You can smell the party atmosphere too when you get a bit closer.
A quiet private resort at Metung with many upper class town houses and cabins for couples and families. Set on the hill overlooking the lakeside at Metung, Mcmillans is walking distance (10 mins) from the town centre. Go and have a quiet comfortable weekend away. Highly recommended!
3 hours drive from Melbourne on the Gippsland lakes.
www.mcmillansofmetung.com.au
Going to Gippsland? Like a round of Golf at a new course in picturesque Metung?
I reckon Kings Cove on the hill overlooking Metung is the way to go.
The views are worth the cost of a round, clubs bags and buggies for hire. And if you don't play golf, go to the restaurant for dinner - recently voted one of the best country restaurants
in Victoria
Kings Cove golf course is at Metung on the Gippsland lakes, 3 hours from Melbourne
www.kingscovemetung.com.au/golf/overview.html
This hotel is too rarefied to really feel like Jamaica, but the view from its terrace out over Kingston is worth making a trip fior. The road can be pretty perilous, and often flooded, but it takes you into the foothills of the Blue Mountains, and lush tropical rainforest.
Either go at dusk, for a sunset cocktail, so you can see the lights of Kingston come out beneath you like upside down stars. Or go for Sunday brunch, and get a rare glimpse of the Kingston elite at play.
Irish Town, St Andrew, 876- 944-8400
About a 50 minute drive from Kingston.
www.islandoutpost.com/strawberry_hill
Sitting high above Port Antonio - you'll need a decent car or a high level of tolerance for bumpy local taxis - Jamaica Heights enjoys superb views over the town and countryside. So it's the perfect place to watch huge rainclouds blow in from the sea and back out again, hear local sound systems gearing up for the weekend, and enjoy lazy days on your own. Owner Helmut Steiner is a fund of knowledge about the local area, so what this place lacks in creature comforts is readily compensated by its unique spirit and character.
It's a huge sprawling cemetery in the centre of Cairo, which is inhabited (I guess squatted is the correct term) by around 1 million people. It is incredible to see, and it gives a closer idea of the conditions of living of a huge number of inhabitants of this amazing city.
Impossible to miss it really, it is near the Citadel of Cairo.
Most tourists to the Cape only stick with the tried and tested routes and experiences. !Khwa ttu is one of the very few GENUINE San Bushmen-led initiatives in southern Africa. It's set on stunning hillside overlooking the coast and Table Mountain and here you can meet the San, learn about hunting, gathering, tracking, take a trailer ride, see all of the amazing game and other animals, go on hikes, enjoy the restaurant or stay in their amazinginly peaceful accommodation (cottage or tents). There is a museum, art gallery, training centre, conference facilities and shop too.
I recommend it because I lived and worked with the San in southern Africa until recently and this is the BEST thing I have seen out there, that really, practically helps the San and teaches tourists about some of the real issues still alive in South Africa today...
What's more it's as cheap as chips if you are coming from Europe!
www.khwattu.org email - info@khwattu.org
It's just 70 km drive north of Cape Town - takes 40 minutes and just a short drive from the historic village of Darling and the beautiful beaches of Yzerfontein.
Not to mention the amazing art galleries Villa Borghese is an oasis of quiet in the bustling city of Roma - a must see for all visitors. If you want to visit the galleries you need to pre-book online before your visit ... tickets sell out fast but they are reasonably priced.
It can be reached by climbing the Spanish Steps but for the less energetic a taxi is relatively inexpensive.
www.galleriaborghese.it/borghese/en/edefault.htm
Jake's resort is often featured in round-ups of the best the island has to offer - and for a reason. Book into one of the theatrically-designed seafront cottages, where you can stargaze from the flat roof, shower alfresco or throw open the doors to watch the sea lap
against the cliffs from the comfort of your bed. No wonder it's popular with honeymooners.
www.islandoutpost.com
Treasure Beach is around 15 miles from Black River.
Maybe I'm biased because it was where I asked my wife to marry me, but the beach in Negril is one of my favourite places in the whole world. Obviously it's a long and sandy paradise, facing west with great sunsets. But it also has great bars populated by locals. And it's a good place to buy something to smoke. I never made it as far as Hedonism II though - which may be to some people's taste.
Get a rickshaw ride round Times Square. If you've never been to Times Square before you'll come out of the subway and be overwhelmed by it all. We found this a great way to soak it all up and it was definitely one of the funniest experiences we had in NY. We managed to get a 15-minute tour for $20, which I thought was a bargain (about £6 each between two people). You're bound to get a cool guy or girl with a story to tell who will give you a individual and real tour of the city - they live there after all. A lovely Israeli guy picked us up. Revel in being a proper tourist for a bit, being ferried round in the open air. You won't feel overly secure dodging in and out of the Times Square traffic but that was all part of it. If you don't take it too seriously, like a gondola ride in Venice, you will love it, laugh a lot and be glad you did it.
Just hail one down. Preferably choose the best looking one because you will have a view of their arse the whole time.
My favourite part of Cairo is the area where the tentmakers work. It is about a kilometre walking from the Khan el-Khalili market. It is the walk there that is full of unbelievable experiences. You walk down a busy, narrow road teeming with Cairo life. People are friendly and helpful and will often show you things that boggle the mind. It is a route that is laden with surprises that embody the richness of the city's history. You walk past buildings that have been there for thousands of years, mosques, momorials and one of the old gates to the city. Climb the towers of the old gate and get wonderful views over the city. Stop and explore, listen and follow your nose. You could spend months in this area, be constantly fascinated and still not see everything. Eventually you'll find the tentmakers in an area that is brimming with atmosphere and people whose skill at making complex geometrically-designed appliqued tent panels is awesome. I found a 70-year old man who had been hand-sewing these panels his whole life and he had such a sense of contentment about his life's work. I was inspired.
Walk down the road that passes the Khan el-Khalili, cross over the pedestrian bridge and find the alley that goes past the mosque on the opposite side of the road. Follow your nose for about a kilometre.
Killarney Riding Stables runs horseriding trips into Killarney National Park for 1-3 hours daily. They cater for all levels, from complete beginner to advanced riders. This is a wonderful way to see the beautiful countryside around Killarney and the stables have an excellent reputation.
They also run trail rides of two days or five days.
Killarney Riding Stables, Ballydowney, Killarney, Co. Kerry.
One mile west of Killarney on the Ring of Kerry road to Killorgin.
www.killarneyridingstables.com
This seafood restaurant is about fifteen miles from Galway. It's in a wonderful location and is a superb place on summer evenings for a pint and some smoked salmon.
Moran's Oyster Cottage, The Weir, Kilcogan, Co. Galway.
Tel : +353 91 796 113.
www.moransoystercottage.com/
It's actually possible to escape the crowds and the noise in Cairo, although you have to put up with a lot of both on the way. I would recommend Beit el-Suhaymi, a wonderful, labyrinthine Islamic house-turned-museum where you can really picture how the large families used to live.
Before or afterwards take a stroll around the north of Khan al-Khalili market. Away from the hassle of the market stalls you see a bit of real innercity life. I am female and, being there on my own, I didn't feel hassled at all in this part. Be sure to respect their dress code though.
Another tip is go to the Mosque of Sulayman Pasha when at the Citadel. Around the Citadel itself, in particular the Muhammad Ali mosque, was very busy, but the simpler, smaller mosque felt like a peaceful oasis and has lovely mosaics.
Beit el-Suhaymi, Khan al-Khalili market and the Citadel are all located within the city centre.
The old Islamic quarter, known as Darb al-Ahmar, is great for a stroll through markets and stalls that feel like they haven't changed in five hundred years. Restoration work has been carried out on a series of mosques in this area which are architecturally stunning. I was lucky enough to be given an impromptu tour at night around one of them and the open roof revealed the stars. The Nile Hilton, not far from the Egyptian Museum (which is a must) has a rooftop bar which is definitely worth a visit for a drink overlooking the Nile at sunset. You don't have to be a hotel guest - just get in the lift and head to the top. One drink might be enough for some as it is not cheap but definitely worth the view.
Nile Hilton, 1113 Corniche El Nil, Cairo 12344.
Tel : 00 20 2 578 0444/ or 578 0666.
www.hilton.com
Sangria is a cool restaurant and bar built around an old tree on the banks of the Nile. Enjoy a view of Zamalek from the open terrace, which during winter months is well heated. The cuisine is mostly South-East Asian and the crowd tends to be mainly young and wealthy, judging by the posh cars in the restaurant carpark. It's a great place for a beer.
Sangria, Corniche El Nile.
Tel : +20 2 579 6512
On the opposite side of the road from the Conrad Hilton towards the Arkadia Shopping Centre.
Mariana, another baroque city worth a visit, can boast of the presence of the only organ by German baroque builder Arp Schitger to be found in the Americas (housed in the Mariana Cathedral). The organ is in playing condition and is usually heard in concerts on Fridays and Sundays.
Mariana is a half-hour bus ride away down a spectacular river valley.
This cafe-restaurant also offers wine tastings and sells wine and the terrace overlooks the vineyards and karri forests beyond. It's a good place to stop for a glass of wine if you need to steady your nerves after climbing the Gloucester tree.
Gloucester Ridge Winery (near Gloucester National Park), Burma Road, Pemberton, Western Australia. Open seven days a week, 10am-5pm.
www.gloucester-ridge.com.au
Google map: tinyurl.com/lllh9u
The Gloucester Tree is a 61-metre high Karri tree originally used as a bushfire lookout in the 1940s. If you have a head for heights you can now climb up 153 spiralling metal rungs stuck into the tree trunk to a platform at the top with spectacular 360-degree views of the forest.
Three kilometres from the centre of Pemberton in Gloucester National Park, in the southwest of Western Australia.
www.calm.wa.gov.au/national_parks/previous_parks_month/gloucester.html
Google map: tinyurl.com/n3uny7
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