Newsletter May Newsletter

Special Offer: Dolphins Leap

Newly built and receiving the finishing touches when we were putting together the Villa pages of our Summer Newsletter, Dolphin’s Leap is the latest and exceptionally luxurious addition to our Pelion villa collection. This five bedroom contemporary villa complete with private pool would stand out anywhere in Greece but its panoramic position overlooking the bay of Lefokastro in the Pelion peninsula is almost perfect.

All to your advantage as it is still available for all of June when we are offering a very special price of £3,500.00 per week for the villa if taken without the Writers Retreat – a meaningful saving of £850.00.

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Late Availability: Villa Daphne

Available for the impossibly busy Jubilee week in June is one of our faithful favourites, Villa Daphne. Set in two acres of landscaped gardens this beautiful four bedroom villa has a private pool, is a stone's throw from a secluded beach and a mere five minute drive from the pretty seaside village of Horto.

A stay at Villa Daphne from the 2^nd -9^th June is £2,550 excluding flights and car hire.

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Special Offer on Summer Availability:

Located on Costa de Prata, the Fora da Caixais a spacious five bedroom villa a forty minute drive north of Lisbon.

With a private heated pool and large landscaped gardens it is perfect for a relaxing holiday. The more active can enjoy watersports on the nearby lagoon or venture into the medieval walled town of Obidos, or further to the cosmopolitan city of Lisbon.

Real Holidays have a 10% discount on the remaining available weeks, the 27^th July- 4 August, 25 August – 8 September, taking the price to £2,790 per week.

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Just Back: Sacha explores Jamaica

On her annual pilgrimage to Jamaica, Sacha decides to branch out and explore.

I have been visiting Jamaica for the past twenty years; each year I am enticed back by welcoming family and friends, the thought of two weeks in the sun, the delicious traditional spicy fare, and the Strawberry Daiquiris, oh the Daiquiris. This year we decided to branch out, move away from the traditional sights and out of our comfort zone to explore the real Jamaica, by visiting as many of islands parishes and stunning beaches that time allowed.

Flying into Montego Bay, we took the beautiful coastal route to the small resort town of Ocho Rios to spend time with family before embarking on our road trip. A straightforward drive away from Ocho Rios to begin with, on what is known locally as a ‘good road’ to the famous James Bond white sand beach Oracabessa, St Mary. From Oracabessa the ‘good roads’ disappeared and our adventure began as we navigated crazy bumps and inhospitable potholes to some idyllic little beaches, that made the whiplash (I’m exaggerating) worth the while. Tucked away down a bumpy track, behind a dilapidated gas station, was the most tranquil, pristine beach we had ever seen. Far away from the crowds of tourists, we enjoyed for a lazy afternoon in obligatory hammocks on the beach with no name, listening to the gentle lap of the sea.

Read more about Sach's trip to Jamaica

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Just Back: Kate goes on Safari

Taking full advantage of the bank holidays over Easter weekend, Kate popped on a plane to South Africa to explore the game reserves around the Kruger National Park.

Enticed by Africa on Foot’s position in a lesser known northern Kruger reserve and their expertise in walking safaris, we ventured to Klaserie Private National Reserve for a two night stay. On our first evening we tracked a lion and lioness, taking some downtime from their exhaustive three day mating ritual, and left as the lioness eventually displayed her impatience at our prying eyes. By miracle, we immediately encountered our lions brother who was also embarking on his own three day challenge. As they lolled against one another, out of nowhere the lioness smacked the lion on the nose before retreating to longer grass. It seemed an act of defiance that the lion, instead of following her, approached our truck and satisfied our aspirations for the perfect photograph with a series of mane-swishing poses. An extremely lucky start we agreed, which gave incredible insight into lions habits, behaviour and temperament, setting the standard for the rest of our trip as we were spoilt by continuous and varied game sightings.

Wrapped up against the early morning chill and fueled by strong coffee and rusks, we approached our walking safaris with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.  Led by our ranger Ryan, the walk focussed on the ecology of the bush and animal tracks that we missed driving.  The morning after we spotted the lions, we started off as jumpy as the nervous impala that bounced from the thickets as we passed; we negotiated long grasses, prickly acacia trees and dusty tracks until we approached a waterhole. A hippo raised his beady eyes and wide nostrils from the water to observe us. Expressing his disdain with a loud snort, he returned to his wallowing as we rested.

Read more about Kate's Safari.

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What's On around the world

Does a festival celebrating warmth and cheerfulness sound appealing? Every May on Mount Abu, Rajasthan during the Summer Festivalthe people of Rajasthan and Gujarat do just that. From 18 – 20 May vibrant and colourful processions transform the streets accompanied by folk performances and a dazzling firework display provides the grand finale.

Closer to home is Rejkjavik’s Art Festival from 18 May – 3 June.  The city celebrates the best in opera, dance, theatre and exhibitions from around the world, with a focus on the Icelandic arts.  Its not too late to book a short break and when you’ve tired of the events you can relax in the natural thermal spas…

Ever thought about getting to know your tastebuds better? Nor had we. Not until now anyway. Taste by Appointment is running a series of events in a variety of glamorous London locations dedicated to just that. A Grey Goose fizz reception and a hands on cocktail masterclass maintains this is a light hearted affair as you given  talks about your palate and have a one on one taste consultation by taste experts (seriously). All in the name of finding the perfect cocktail.

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