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Travelling 2020
  • Gemma Craig H

Travelling 2020

Our travelling plans collide with the global pandemic Covid 19 and take some unexpected turns. Quite literally making it up as we go and travelling to any countries that will take us! Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 26, 2020
    Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Santorini Day 1

    July 26, 2020 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Seamless journey from London to Santorini. Heathrow pretty empty, 3 seats to ourselves on the plane, and we were the first off on the other side. Even the facemasks didn't piss us off.

    3 hours later and we arrived in Santorini - of course the buildings at the airport were white and had domes for ceilings.

    Within 20 minutes we reached Finikia Memories, our home for the next 4 days. The hotel was traditional Santorini down to the tee. Gorgeous view overlooking the sea with tastefully decorated cave like minimal suites.

    We had a chilled evening and made the most of the picturesque dinner spot in the hotel's restaurant whilst watching the sunset. The traditional Santorini tomato cakes were delicious and we were particularly fond of the Greek Eza Pilsner. The perfect first night of our trip ✈️🌅🍺🍅    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Santorini Day 2

    July 27, 2020 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Woke up and had a breakfast at Finikia Memories - had delicious Greek pastries and omelettes on the terrace overlooking the ocean.

    We wondered into Oia, taking in the gorgous caldera views. We stopped by the office for island boat tours and were completely suckered in by the charismatic Peter . Classic American customer service combined with Del Boy esque sales patter, had us hooked within 5 minutes but talked for 40 more - genuinely nice guy though who gave us a lot of good advice on what to do and where to go.

    We spent the afternoon by the pool and snacked on the freshest pitta and creamiest hummus from the local supermarket!

    Spent the evening at Santorini Mou - an authentic Greek tavern with live music. They place a flag on your table so everyone knows where you're from (not ideal for us hah). We were sat next to a Hungarian family celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary in the exact venue they married in 10 years ago.

    At Santorini Mou, they take pictures of every customer and file in huge albums! Our 12 year old waiter (Named Aris we think..) gave us a tour, pointed out their famous past guests (Jennifer Aniston and Greenday) and Craig made sure he showed off his flag knowledge.

    Ended the night with a margarita at Finikia Memories - made by the experienced and kind barman Dimitrious who took no offence in my amatuer explanation on 'how to make a margarita'.. 💙🇬🇧📷🍸    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Santorini Day 3

    July 28, 2020 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Woke up early (feeling a little worse for wear from last night) and went straight out to start our 10km hike from Oia to Fira, the island's capital!

    The route took us along the winding (and steep) coastal path with breathtaking views over the whole island. This walk isn't for the faint hearted and good trainers / running shoes are required.

    When we finally reached Fira Craig went to the shop and came back with a beer and a bottle of Moët to celebrate our achievement! We sat on a lovely shaded bench, looking out onto the sea enjoying our reward (at 11am).

    We did a little exploring of Fira and stopped for a fish pedicure - the weirdest feeling but left us with much smoother feet (although they don't work miracles, Craig!!).

    We stopped for lunch at Argo which had spectacular views over the caldera. The Fava with octopus was amazing and the tomato cakes went down a treat (again). Then onto PK Cocktail bar for a few post dinner aperitifs. I went for the espresso martini (for a boost after the hike and food coma) and a 'London Girl': gin, elderflower, grapefruit - how could I resist!?

    We hopped on the bus back to Finika memories and spent the evening relaxing and had another spectacular meal at the resort. 🗻🍾🐟🍸    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Santorini Day 4

    July 29, 2020 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    After a long hike the day before today was always going to be a rest day.

    After breakfast in the resort we lounged around the pool and our terrace, mostly reading and playing the odd game of cards...

    Around 6pm we took the same costal path from the previous day but in the opposite direction towards Oia (pronounced Ee-ah) and found a great bench for pictures and a great view!

    We had a great early evening dinner at Karma And again stuck to the starters only, in a tapas style attempt to try as many different things as we could.

    By the time we had overeaten our way through yet another menu, the sun had already disappeared and the crowds were walking in the opposite direction towards the restaurants as we headed to the romantic hotspot! Even at a time the island is said to be at 20% capacity this was still a busy place, regular season must be swamped!

    We caught some great views of the night sky post sunset which we both seem to prefer!

    Finally we took some side streets away from the relative hustle n bustle and came across a lovely terraced bar called Sphynx with santorini sparkling wines, an organic locally brewed beer (amazing) and fab music! After a few drinks we walked the main road back to the resort and had a margarita before an early night in preparation for the boat trip the next day!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Santorini Day 5

    July 30, 2020 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Another early start for the boat trip. We said our goodbyes to the staff at Finikia Memories, scoffed down our breakfast and jumped in the taxi to the harbour.

    The boat took us around the south side of the island. The first stop was the hot springs next to the volcano. Craig and I jumped into the water but didn't fancy swimming the whole way to the springs. (they said competant swimmers only....)

    The next stop was next to some impressive caves. We jumped in for a quick snorkel and then lunch was ready. The fried fish was amazing!

    The final stops were to see the white and red beach. We were warned not to visit the red beach by the crew due to frequent landslides. Madly the beach was packed with families who had ignored/didnt seem to care about the warnings.

    It was also at this point Gem dropped the idea to look into changing our flights around and staying in Greece another week instead of going home, a superb idea in my mind and 'the most spontaneous thing I have ever done in my life' in Gemmas!!

    After the boat trip we were dropped to our next hotel, Marvarit Suites. The rooms were beautiful and had private plunge pools. Although we were a little put off at the proximity to the airport (you can see the runway from the room), the flights were infrequent and the service and attention to detail from the staff more than compensated!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Santorini Day 6

    July 31, 2020 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    After waking up 6ft from the private jacuzzi and having a banquet of a breakfast delivered to our suite, most of the morning and early afternoon were taken up doing nothing but relaxing, and after a pretty active few days this was a perfect leveller.

    We were treated to a bottle of wine and beers on the house from Vaya, who was like our Greek mum, looking after us throughout the stay - perfect before our trip to Santo Wines in the evening.

    We were the first guests to arrive at Santo and were rewarded with a prime table at the front of the sunset view terrace. After an initial taster of 5 'crisp' wines (that went down far too quickly) we changed tactics and started ordering two glasses a time of sparkling wines that Gem was confident she'd like. To be fair some were very nice and by sunset they were obviously starting to take effect!! After previously talking about (and subsequntlywriting off) a trip to Mykonos, the flights were booked for a day trip before you could say Yamas!

    We finished with some great pictures taken by the patient waiters who, at sunset time are basically walking selfie sticks, and jumped in our taxi back home! A great evening, probably my favourite of the trip so far! 🥐🍷🍾🌅    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Santorini Day 7

    August 1, 2020 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    On what was intially supposed to be our last day in Santorini we started by checking out of our lovely room, which was unfortunately not available for us to extend our stay in. Luckily we were able to move into a larger suite which was even nicer and we spent the rest of the morning relaxing on the terrace.

    We had a taxi booked at 1.30pm to head to perivelos beach (the black sand beach) which was nowhere near capacity but still lively considering the empty nature of the island at this time!

    We headed for Jojo's Beach Bar after a recommendation from some Brits on our boat trip - though they recommend getting a bed for €50, we were guided to a table with a beach view and 2 comfy sofas that was more than enough for us. Gee'd up by our touch with the tables we promptly set about drinking 50euros worth of 'basically free' drinks and ended up with a bill over double that, think they saw us coming.. but worth it for the delicious Santorini Mules!

    After a fun afternoon of boozing and people watching we headed onto the beach for a splash about (what sand...) before jumping into our taxi home.

    Gem spent the evening reading on the terrace whilst I sat down for an evening of FA Cup final straight into the return of boxing Post covid, perfect!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Santorini Day 8

    August 2, 2020 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    This day was saved purely for appreciating the amazing resort and suite we found ourselves in, after another big breakfast (sat inside with the double windows opening for a clear sight of the lovely view) we spent all day and night relaxing, reading, playing cards and not a lot else.

    We sat out until well after sunset to appreciate the colours of our last Santorini post sunset sky and got prepared to leave the next morning for our trip to Athens.    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Athens Day 1

    August 3, 2020 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    After an easy 40 minute flight from Santorini we arrived into Athens immediately jumping on to a metro to our city centre Airbnb, excited to be back in a bustling city after a week!

    The apartment is perfectly located within a short walk of Kerameikos metro station and a further 20/30 minutes from the city centre.

    Once we dropped the bags the first stop was for food and luckily on the next street to ours was a small shack type restaurant called Soublaki with no tables, chairs or even menu!! The guy cooked and served from the same small room, big enough only for him a cooker and fridge for drinks. He casually told me... 'menu no' before leading me to his BBQ cooker to say.. 'pork, chicken, lamb' raising each skewer up to my face as he listed them. Great menu in my eyes and 1euro50 for the pork sandwich was a bargain!

    We then walked up from our area through the main city centre street (which had so many cool little side street to explore) and settled on a vegetarian restaurant called Avocado for some dinner.

    Then headed for the national Garden to explore, walked through lots of different parks but each was almost overgrown and more of a walk through park than somewhere you would sit to relax!

    We also came across the stadium, which was unfortunately just closing but was an impressive sight even from outside and will be revisited for sure!

    After lots of walking we settled on a street in a hipster area called Pangrati and a particular street lined with cocktail bars, cafes and an irish bar (of course). In the Irish bar we had a game of darts and chatted to Alex and his friends who were nice and gave us some great tips for places to go, after we jumped in a taxi to a shisha bar near our apartment which was nice but I still don't understand the point of shisha and we left soon after!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Athens Day 2

    August 4, 2020 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Unfortunately the worst morning of the trip - we couldn't get the air con to work which resulted in an airless, sleepless night in a 30 degree apartment. It also happened to be the day where we had to stay in and wait for our package of belongings to be sent over from England!! We tried cold showers, sleeping on the balcony and I even brushed my teeth in the fridge!

    By 12ish the air BnB host arrived to fix the air con and by around 4 the package had arrived safely and we were ready to head out for another evening in Athens.

    I had found a vegan gyros place on trip advisor that looked great so we set off on our 40 minute walk to 'CookooMela' (part of the name translates into the grilled mushrooms used for the filling).

    We stopped at a traditional tavern on the walk with live Greek music and cheap beers! The good prices continued at CuckooMela - €3 for the gyros and €1.5 for a beer! We both devoured the amazing wraps, even Craig was shocked at how delicious they were.

    Our next stop was a wine bar called 'by the glass'. I was introduced to an amazing Greek wine 'L'Esprit Du Lac' that tasted just like a Provence rosé (even better than whispering angel - shamelessly my first drink in the Greek wine bar). Craig also found a great bear called Septem. We headed home after a few drinks and enjoyed a proper, cool night's sleep!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Athens Day 3

    August 5, 2020 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Day three, a cool night's sleep and we were ready for another day exploring. We took a different route towards the metro and stumbled across a cool cafe / bar called 'The Place'. They had great veggie options so we ordered food and pancakes (with enough chocolate that even grandma would struggle!). We noticed some wooden bikes outside and ended up booking a bike tour for the last day!

    The plan for the day was to visit the Acropolis for some culture after lots of eating and drinking. Of course the plan was to walk towards the acropolis, stopping off in bars / cafes. The first find was the Klook, a Mary Poppins inspired experiential weird trippy restaurant / cafe. I had a really sweet lemonade and Craig had a beer in a shoe (as you do).

    We stayed for as long as we could stand the weird music and Disney style cringey-ness (which wasn't very long) and spent an hour or so wondering around the cobbled streets of Monastiraki and stopped for a cocktail in Six Dogs. It was a lovely green courtyard and had a zero waste policy.

    By around 4pm it was cool enough to walk up to see the Acropolis of Athens. It was a spectacular sight and hard to believe that it's been around for thousands of years. Again, we were lucky as we didn't have to queue for anything and practically has the site to ourselves!

    Culture completed ☑️ and it was back to exploring! We had a drink at 360 cocktail bar which overlooked the Acropolis and then stumbled across 'Peek A Bloom', a bar in a tiny alley with a bohemian feel (and a secret toilet lol). We sensibly went home at around 8pm to get ready for our trip to Mykonos the next day.    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Athens Day 4 - Mykonos

    August 6, 2020 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Finally, our spontaneous trip to Mykonos had arrived 😁! We jumped in a taxi at 4.30am and by 6.30 we were on our flight to Mykonos. Our hotel was strategically only a 20 minute walk from the airport and at 7.30am it was cool enough for it to be pleasant!

    We dropped our bags off at Sea and Stone(??!!) resort and jumped straight in a taxi to Mykonos town. We were absolutely ravenous so headed straight to breakfast at yummy (salmon for Craig and veggie omelette for me - perfect!).

    Next we were off to the Mykonos windmills and given the time of day, there was not single a tourist to be seen. We climbed down and found a perfect bench by the water and enjoyed the peaceful moment! We did some exploring down the gorgeous narrow lanes and then on to Negrita (??!!) in little Venice for a smoothie and beer (both 8€ lol). By this point I was pretty chuffed with everything we'd managed to do in a few hours.

    We spent the afternoon at Santanna beach bar and splashed out on a front row sunbed on the beach. The music was good and I'd found a nice bottle of rosé to nurse slowly that didn't break the bank.

    We had a dinner reservation at Scorpios, which was a 5 minute walk from Santanna! Scorpios is owned by Soho House and my old boss Adam from Arcadia is now the FD for Europe and he had arranged for us to meet the boss there Vassillies who was so much fun and joined us for a drink. I went for the lobster pasta as the veggie options weren't great (and also coz why not) and Craig went for the steaks and both were amazing! We were delighted to find that a 50% off discount had been applied, making the bill much more manageable!

    We tried to find Vassillies after to say thank you but had no luck. By this point the bottle and a half of wine had taken its toll and we were asking the bar men to leave a drink behind the bar for Vassillies. The bar man said 'haha, no one buys Vassillies a drink'. Sober, we now understand this, no one buys the big boss a drink in his own bar! Anyway the gesture was there.

    We left to check into the room before the reception closed at 10pm and felt quite smug walking past the huge queue to Scorpios that snaked around the car park! The lady in reception at the hotel turned the hot tub on for us and we enjoyed a final drink before passing out! What a fabulous day!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Athens Day 5

    August 7, 2020 in Greece ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    We had an early morning alarm for the 20 minute walk back down to Mykonos airport, which at that time in the morning with a little breeze in the air was a perfect hangover cure! The flight was easy again and we ended up back at our Athens apartment by 11am.

    We had already booked at a lunch at a Japanese/Greek fusion restaurant called Nolan so headed there for the afternoon. The food was amazing, one of the best of the trip so far!

    After lunch we headed to a nice bar called 'peak a bloom' set just off a busy high street it played good music and served cheap drinks, perfect!

    We had a graffiti tour booked early evening which was interesting.. The tour guide was an anarchist and took pleasure in telling us a lot more about that than the actual art at first! But after the first half an hour the tour became great, he explained the differences between commissioned graffiti work and 'tags' and how most artists would never touch/go over a work they respected. I particularly enjoyed him showing a piece which he explained had started with slow detailed line work that went on to be finished by rushed scribbly linework due to the immenient arrival of a property owner or police officer. Once this, and other things also were explained, it made my appreciation for all of the other graffiti grow further.

    After 3 and half hours walking the streets, and wet from a quick shower that passed during we stopped off at a record shop that doubled up as a bar for a drink.

    We then headed back to the vegan restaurant Cookomella for some dinner before getting a cab home for an early night after a very long day!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Athens Day 6

    August 8, 2020 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Our last full day in Athens arrived far too quickly!

    We hailed a cab towards shopping district in the morning to get some essentials for the rest of our trip (bearing in mind we left England with two small hand luggage cases)! I also got my nails done whilst Craig had a quick pint in one of our favourite bars - he guiltily only admitted this to me the other day hahah!

    We spent the rest of the afternoon packing up the air BnB and getting ready for the flight to the Maldives the next day.

    Before long it was time to meet our guide Robbert (a Dutch entrepreneur living in Athens) for the bike tour. After around two minutes of cycling the heavens opened and there was a torrential downpour. We sheltered under some trees but the rain wasn't going anywhere so we made a mad dash for a bar a few minutes away, ordered three pints and waited for it to blow over.

    Once the rain stopped we resumed the tour and visited some of the most famous ruins in Athens. The highlights were the stunning Philopappos Hill - the birth place of democracy which also had a great view of the Acropolis, Hadrian's Arch & Temple and Hadrian's library.

    After a fab few hours the tour was over but we were getting on so well so we decided to to carry on the evening together. First stop was a sports bar, then a craft beer brewery and finally a tavern bar ran by his friends (with free Ouzo). Throughout the crawl we learned about Roberts multiple business ventures, from wooden bikes, to solar energy, to plant subscriptions (I even reviewed a business plan at one point but not sure how helpful I was after that many Ouzos).

    We ended the night in a beach bar with some cocktails, completely oblivious to the headaches that would naturally accompany them the next day!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Maldives Transit (Qatar)

    August 9, 2020 in Qatar ⋅ ☀️ 44 °C

    After an amazing (extended) two weeks in Greece visiting Santorini, Mykonos and Athens it was time to officially start our travelling trip - with an impromptu two week trip to the Maldives.

    Flying in a global pandemic takes more time and preparation than normal (filling out tedious health declarations, wearing masks, sanitising 24/7) but also has its perks with quieter planes, airports and the flexibility to rearrange and cancel.

    Our flight from Athens to Qatar was at about 10% capacity meaning we had plenty of space to stretch out and the full attention of the staff. The only negative was the compulsory visors but they really weren't as bad as we thought and soon forgot about them (literally, to the point we're we were trying to drink water and ended up bashing the water into them!)

    We thought our 5 hour wait in Qatar would drag but couldn't be more wrong. The airport was huge with a good selection of shops, bars and restaurants. We settled in a food hall but weren't impressed with the food so went to the Harrods restaurant after which was much better! We killed the last hours in a bar and nursed our drinks very slowly - the bill made Mykonos look budget!

    We boarded our flight to the Maldives at 1.30am and although it was much busier than the last flight, we still had a bank of 3 seats to ourselves. Absolutely exhausted, we slept for the whole flight and woke up just as the piolet was announcing the descent into the Maldives.    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Maldives Day 1

    August 10, 2020 on the Maldives ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We quickly realised that the 'Paradise Island Resort and Spa' quite literally lived up to its name. We were staying in a beach villa (does what it says on the tin - back door opens up onto the beach).

    We spent the first day exploring the island (it's so small you can walk all the way around it in about 45 minutes). We walked to the end of the pier, took off our shoes and sat on the edge taking in our beautiful new surroundings when Craig's flip flop was caught by a gust of wind and went straight into the water. The chase was hilarious as Craig is not a particularly strong swimmer and the wind kept pushing the shoe further out! Was like a sloth chasing a tennis ball downhill.

    We familiarised ourselves with the half board set up - luckily only one breakfast / dinner buffet restaurant was open due to the low occupancy rates and it was the more exclusive one with Lagoon views overlooking coral reefs with sharks, sting rays and tropical fish . Usually this restaurant is only for those staying in the more expensive, luxury water villas.

    It's funny to think that Craig was retrieving his flip flops in shark infested waters earlier that day! Don't worry mum, we've been assured that the reef sharks don't prey on humans 🤣    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Maldives Days 2-3

    August 12, 2020 on the Maldives ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We are spending most days in the Maldives relaxing, reading and making the most of the gorgeous beach on our door step and the beautiful clear ocean so there isn't as much to report as with the Greece trip.

    We befriended our cleaner who is the cutest 61 year old Maldivan man. We've been generous with the tips (poor guy probably relies on them and must have struggled the last few months when the resort was closed). He brought us fresh coconut one morning to eat (which we weren't massive fans of) and then coconut juice the next day which was delicious!

    On our third day we booked a couples massage which was a lovely treat after a few mad weeks in Greece. It nicely set the tone for a more relaxing, wholesome few weeks ahead of us. An hour's full body massage was followed by a lovely outdoor bath, full of flowers and a refreshing iced tea!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Maldives Days 4-7

    August 15, 2020 on the Maldives ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    By this point we had a nice daily routine: breakfast at the lagoon restaurant, relax on the beach, squash & gym, room service for lunch, relax on the beach, a few games of cards and then dinner at the lagoon.

    We've been enjoying the wildlife on the island and have become fascinated with the Maldivan national bird - the white breasted waterhen. They're everywhere and have a wobbly run like Phoebe from friends! At night there are cute, fluffy white rabbits hopping around the island.    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Maldives Day 9

    August 18, 2020, Laccadive Sea ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Dolphin Snorkeling 💙

    We were a little apprehensive when we booked this excursion, worried that it may involve coaxing, feeding & encourage reliance on humans but it was exactly the experience that we were hoping for.

    We set off early at around 9am and embarked on an hour's bumpy speedboat ride out towards the lagoon where the dolphins congregate.

    When we finally arrived, our guide told us that we would search for the dolphins, and jump in with our snorkel gear once we see them. The first few times we saw the dolphins swimming in the distance, jumped in but we were either too slow or the dolphins swam too deep and we couldn't see them.

    After an hour of searching, jumping and repeating, we hadn't had much luck and were running out of time. Even seeing the dolphins from the boat, swimming in the distance and watching their fins dip in and out of the water was enough for me so I was still delighted with our lot. Naturally, searching for wild animals is never guaranteed!

    We'd just started our journey back and the boat stopped and the crew started shouting to 'jump quick!!!'. We scrambled to the side of the boat and flopped over the edge. The next 10 minutes were magical! There were 20+ dolphins around 15 ft in front of us, twirling, spinning and joyfully singing as if they were putting on a show for us! Craig and I clutched each others hands as we watched in awe (I was literally squealing with excitement hoping the dolphins might take it as applause hah!).

    Once the beautiful creatures had gone we rushed back on to the boat (as we were already late) and we took the best seats at the front of the boat for our journey back with our guide taking a picture of us as we passed the capital city Male.

    We are still pinching ourselves today and can't believe our luck. Possibly the best day our lives (non sport related, of course ⚽)    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Maldives Day 10

    August 19, 2020 on the Maldives ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Another day where we stuck to our usual routine of breakfast and the gym. Rather than room service for lunch, we decided to walk to the Italian restaurant on the other side of the island which has lively views out to the ocean.

    After two delicious pizzas we decided to indulge on the beverage front so I ordered a bottle of sparkling wine (you can only buy bottles - promise!!). I enjoyed a few glasses and Craig has some beers whilst we enjoyed our surroundings.    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Maldives Day 11

    August 21, 2020 on the Maldives ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    It was our last night in our beach villa - can't believe 11 days had passed so quickly (when we were practically doing nothing every day)!

    Our lovely cleaner Ahmed left us a beautiful surprise for our last night with flowers all over the bed. It must have taken him ages to arrange ❤️Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Maldives Day 12

    August 22, 2020 on the Maldives ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Water Villa 💙

    We decided to treat ourselves on the last two days to one of the water villas and it was amazing! A shaded decking with a day bed, sun loungers, hot tub and steps down into the ocean!

    We checked in just after 10 and spent a few hours relaxing and cooling off in the ocean before heading to the gym. We grabbed lunch at the Italian restaurant again and returned to our villa with left over pizza and a bottle of sparkling wine. We enjoyed the booze and the rest of the afternoon on our terrace whilst playing a few games of cards.

    Lucky for Craig, the evening was a back to back sporting delight with Tottenham playing followed by the boxing. We had a lovely dinner at the lagoon restaurant again and even ventured out to the bar for Karaoke.

    Craig's addition to the post - Under strict instructions from Gemma that if at any point she feels forced into doing Karaoke she would leave immediately haha    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Maldives Day 13

    August 23, 2020 on the Maldives ⋅ ⛅ 40 °C

    We woke up on our last full day and headed straight down for our breakfast. I am going to miss the 3 course breakfast of cereal, omelette beans and toast then pancakes with syrup (although I am pretty sure my body won't)....

    After breakfast I had the strange idea of riding our rubber ring from our water villa into the shore. The thought was, I would end up somewhere close to the watersports place and could book paddle boarding up for that afternoon. Turned out after close to an hour of drifting in that general direction, and with sunburn starting to kick in, that I wasn't going to make it!! It ended with Gemma walking into the sea and calling me back in from playing like an angry mum!

    With the boxing not finishing until 330am local time I took full advantage of our lovely new villas daybed by laying in it for most of the day! We livened up for our paddle boarding at 3pm which was so much harder than the last time because of the choppier waters, we made if back to our water villa for some pictures and swam over plenty of stingrays on our way!

    We had a drink at the beach bar afterwards and then headed back to our villa to sit on the terrace until sunset - it was a perfect end to the trip!

    Our waitor Shiaan set up a lovely table for our last dinner and we said our goodbyes and got an early night, ready for a 530am start in the morning!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Dubai Day 1

    August 24, 2020 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 40 °C

    We got a wake up call at 530am and we're told to head to the restaurant as they were laying us on a special early breakfast, was unexpected and a final nice touch from a lovely resort! They even came down to the boat port to wave us off!

    The flight was very quiet and comfortable again, still yet to fly with anyone sitting next to us on this trip!

    Dubai Airport transition was the smoothest I've ever had and we were onto a metro to our hotel about 20 minutes after landing! We got straight to our hotel and dropped bags before heading out to the huge mall and for the Burj Khalifa!

    Walking to the metro from the hotel was fine and nowhere near as unbearably hot as I was expecting, even in trousers. Although the air-conditioning from the station was welcome after a 15 minute walk! The mall and burj khalifa are linked with the metro via walkways with aircon and airport style walking escalators so all good.

    The view from the top was brilliant and it was unreal to see the changes in skyline in only the last 10/15 years... Money eh!

    We settled on a Lebanese restaurant in the mall, Karam Bierut for dinner as we both fancied a change after 2 weeks of pretty similar foods in maldives and it was very nice, they had an outside space which backed on to the dubai fountain show which was great to watch after dinner.

    We took a picture from the top of the Burj of a Marina Bay Sands Singapore style building which had a rooftop pool - nobody we asked in the restaurant knew it but our taxi driver did and took a detour to show us. It was 'Address Skyline' and it seems to be on the plan for our last night...

    We got back to the hotel early and crashed out after a very long day!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HTravelling 2020Gemma Craig H

    Dubai Day 2

    August 25, 2020 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

    After a long catch up on sleep for us both I set off to find a golf course and a haircut whilst Gem exercised and waited for our laundry collection....

    We ventured out that evening to Jebel Ali Village where my friends sister Alysha lives, she cooked and told us some things to see/do and it was great to get an insight into regular Dubai life... (also Ibn Buttata Mall which they lived next to was as close to a must visit as any mall can be)Read more

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