The Tiffin Room is a bit of an anomaly - a classy Indian restaurant in the land of cream teas and ice-creams, otherwise known as the Isle of Wight.

It's attached to Bonchurch Manor, a B&B housed in a smart Victorian house with sea views but you don't have to be a guest to eat there. The food is delicious - the masala dosa was the best I've tasted and sea bass cooked in coconut, tamarind and coriander was fantastic.

Standard curry house fare is often too rich and heavy but this food - cooked by B&B owner Shuba Rao - is light and delicately spiced.
The wine list - chosen by Shuba's husband Mark - impressive too and amazingly good value.

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Hoi An is surely the tailoring capital of the world with about 300 little shops crammed into its narrow streets - all selling more or less the same designs made from the same material.

It’s very easy to get completely carried away with the idea of getting an entire wardrobe tailormade. I came back with a bagful of stuff - most of which went straight to the charity shop.

It’s best to know exactly what you want - take pictures from magazine or, better still, a favourite from your wardrobe for them to copy.

Getting shoes tailormade is even more exciting but equally risky - the materials are poor and the craftmanship not great. I spent hours in various shops and had a great time but picking and choosing the cloth/style was definitely the highlight - the final results a bit of a let down.

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Fabulous atmospheric ruins of an ancient city where Hinduism meets Brahamism meets Buddism. Slightly off the beaten track so not many tourists - take the bus from Hoi An.

Crumbling intricately carved temples and columns being swallowed up by the jungle. Well worth a visit.

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I didn’t want to like this cafe - done up by an ex-pat and catering very much to western tastes and pockets but the food was so good we went back for more.

Squid in lemongrass and chilli was tender and tasty and the Vietnamese spring rolls were gorgeous.

On the main street, Hoi An

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Jungle beach is a little cluster of bamboo and palm leaf huts on the South China sea run by a flamboyant Amercian whose laissez faire attitude pervades the whole ‘resort’ - if you can call it that.

The huts are very basic - thin foam mattresses on bamboo platforms with mossie net - no windows so the breeze off the sea provides air con. An hour’s trip from Nha Trang, it’s the perfect pitstop if you’re travelling the length of the country and a great place to relax and recharge between cities.

There’s nothing to do except swing in hammocks, go for walks along the beach (swimming is quite dangerous due to strong currents) visit a local waterfall - and eat.

Fantastic home-cooked meals are served around a communal table and at night there’s a lot of swapping of travellers' tales and drinking of beer. During our stay there was a real mix from posh teenage backpackers to an ageing biker. I thought a day or two would be enough but we ended up staying four and didn’t want to leave. It’s amazing how good doing nothing feels.

You need to book the accommodation in advance - so that they can arrange a pick up from Nha Trang airport (getting there independently would be tricky).

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The Pantanal is one of the best places in South America to go on safari. The Amazon gets all the publicity but the dense foliage makes it difficult to spot the animal and birdlife. By contrast the Pantanal is so flat and open you're practically tripping over the wildlife. And what wildlife.

A safari across the marshy land - whether on foot, horseback or by jeep - has a surreal quality to it. The Pantanal seems to specialise in oversized nature. It's home to the giant anteater, the giant river otter, the giant armadillo, the world's largest flightless bird (the greater rhea) and the hyancinth macaw (the biggest of its kind) to name a few. I was disappointed not to see an anaconda (the world's biggest) snake or a jaguar but we spotted countless other weird and wonderful creatures - so many caiman we became blase about them - and whole families of the hilarious looking capybara, the world's largest rodent, basically a giant guinea pig.

It's quite a trip - without having to touch any illegal substances. And the amazing thing is not many people go there so you can easily spend a day there without seeing another tourist.

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For a slice of unpolished Sicily, catch the hydrofoil from Trapani to the Egadi, a mini-archipelago off the north-west coast. We stayed on Marettimo, the smallest and most remote. There are walking trails across the island but the real joy is in the simple pleasures — sunning yourself on an empty, rocky beach, ordering a brioche con gelato in La Scaletta, the local ice-cream parlour, watching the fishing boats offload their catch on to wooden trolleys to be sold through the village.

When you arrive at Marettimo’s tiny harbour you’ll be greeted by locals offering rooms in fishermen’s houses. To guarantee a bed for the night — and more space — book into the Residence, the island’s only hotel. May and September are sleepy; in July and August the Italians pile over.

www.marettimoresidence.it

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Every weekend hip Amsterdammers descend on the beach 20 minutes outside the city. By day the area is a sea of gorgeous looking bikinied bodies and surfer dudes lounging on over-sized cushions and hammocks, by night there is dancing in the sand at one of the Ibiza style-clubs. It's a glamorous hippy vibe with yoga classes held in between DJ stints.

Trains to Bloemendaal leave from Amsterdam Centraal Station every half-hour. It's a short taxi ride from the station to the beach.

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A beautiful, imposing structure. Archbishop Tutu wrote that “as a site and focus of resistance against apartheid, St George's won the splendid accolade contained in the title The People’s Cathedral”.

Sunday mass (at 11am) is legendary, but you can visit at any time. The Cape Philharmonic sometimes performs here and on Friday evenings you can listen to jazz in the crypt.

Wale Street, CBD, www.stgeorgescathedral.com, 021 424 7360.

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A lovely rural hotel on an organic farm nestled in a sleepy valley in the north of Ibiza. Rooms have been restored according to strict eco-criterea: the walls are covered in clay plaster and painted with natural pigments. There's no TV, air-con, hairdryers and no pool - though it's not far from the beach. And the entire farm is run along sustainble prinicples.

An idyllic retreat on Europe's favourite party island.

www.canmarti.com,
00 34 971 333 500
07810 San Juan, Ibiza
Rooms from 110 Euros.

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Minato may be housed one of Cape Town’s more interesting buildings — decorated by artists Beezy Bailey and Koos Malgas — but this is no place for people who like their sushi served up in designer surroundings. You are instructed to ‘order only once’ to avoid confusion and irritation but no-one adheres to this rule, so go wild with a superb selection of sushi, sashimi and tempura and a good selection of oriental beers. Surprisingly reasonable prices — makes a change from the more fashionable sushi restaurants in town.

4 Buiten Street, CBD. 021 423 4712

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A showcase for innovative young Cape Town fashion designers on trendy Long Street. Co-owned by conceptual artist Doreen Southwood and designer Kirsty Bannerman, Mememe stocks an array of cutting-edge designers such as Richard de Jager, David West and Seth Harper, as well as their own designs.

A white polka-dot security gate and bright green faux grass doormat welcome you inside, while a pink metal poodle guards the cash register. If you’re looking for something original to wear, chances are you’ll find it here.

279 Long Street, 021 424 0001.

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Sushi in Rio may seem random but there are two good reasons to try it. One, you'll probably tire of rice and beans. Two, Brazil has the largest population of Japanese outside of Japan so there are some excellent restaurants to choose from. Two modern, trendy venues on the same street are Manekineko and Sushi Leblon.

Manekineko: 021 2540 7461. Sushi Leblon: 021 2274 1342. Both on Rua Dias Ferreira, Leblon.

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One block from Copacabana beach, Rio's first design hotel has 11 floors, each one conceived by a different Brazilian designer. Floor seven has a modern Oriental feel too it - all white rooms with oversized Japanese script on the walls. The top-floor bar and restaurant have great views over the rooftops. Not a bad price considering this is one of the more stylish hotels in the city.

hotelportinari.com.br.

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