Seduced in Seville

It's ironic that it has taken until now for me to explore Seville. I mean, I studied and lived in Málaga for a few years, blessed with the good fortune of the sun and sand of the Andalusian Costas as my back-yard. Yet never had i reached Seville. This trip was a long time coming.

Oddly, however, despite my proximity I didn't expect to find and feel what I did.
A city hopper, practically by trade, there are a number of iconic must-see cities that make up the magnets of every refrigerator door - Paris, London, Rome, Barcelona. Seville, possibly not. But it should be. This is a city you need on this list.

Seville totally seduced me like a secret love affair. A brief rendez-vous, in my already smitten Andalucía, every twist and turn of the city captured my heart and wooed me.

It's a city to get lost in - metaphorically it is mesmerisingly beautiful but, geographically, it is complex and vast. This is a trip to plan in advance, otherwise you risk missing some if the incredible sites to be discovered. With leisure, a minimum of five days and prepare to walk. Travel light, walking shoes, a sun hat and spf.

The architecture, whilst totally different, is as impressive as the Gaudí of Barcelona. 

Institutional landmarks, churches, cathedrals and simple streets span from Christian to Arabic to Gothic and the Jewish quarter, la Judaria, is a labyrinth of flamenco, crafts and the most amazing tapas hideaways. In fact, el tapeo is a cultural heritage that explores the best of Spanish and Andalusian cuisine, remarkably light on the wallet. You need 2-3 hours daily to interweave this into any one day's plans.

Lodgings are vast, from pensiones to paradores and designer hotels, there is something for everyone, and a few still house the original Arabic and Turkish baths and spas. I sought out el Gran Meliá Colón, recently refurbed and now a famous retreat for football teams and bull fighting legends. It didn't disappoint. Located in the heart of the city centre, equipped with the obligatory city view roof terrace and decadently appointed with layers of designer icons for Phillipe Starck.

Modern is at home in Seville. It reaches its extreme in the Setas, the controversial architecture that resides footsteps from the casa de la Duquesa de Alba. But bars, restaurants, hotels alternate between traditional rusticity to modern minimalism and the blend is stylish and chic - terracotta floors and hanging jamones on the ground, through to the sun strewn roof terrace of Eme, in touching distance of la Giralda.

For me, the creme de la creme of the sevillian sights, La Plaza de España - another unexpected mastery that carved a place in my heart, alongside la Sagrada Familia or Le palais de Versailles.

Tourism is booming, but without the tackiness of the Costas. Even the former Expo village has been developed to a new local living quarter that is an expression of modern Seville, just outside the city itself.

Seville is alive, vibrant, friendly, exciting. It was worth the wait, but it will definitely need a return.

'Til next time, Pandora

Belgrade - A Box of Tricks

I've been a number of times to Belgrade, but it's always coincided with winter. Rain at best, snow mostly. And not the snow that we Brits typically complain about. No, Serbian snow falls by the foot, not inches - beautiful to fly into, scary to taxi-speed drive through and cold. Very cold. It's not a time of year for outdoor exploring, not without layers.

This trip, however, included sunshine and was such a delight to enjoy the beauty of Belgrade in warmer climes and bright evenings. Sunglasses were on, but my eyes were truly opened. Working in Neo Beograd and playing in the old city, it's a game of two very distinct halves, but a surprising box of tricks. 

Hotels in Belgrade are great. Keen rates for significant luxury. In New Belgrade they are popping up with frequency and, like their neighbouring architecture, they are creating a skyline of poured concrete high rise and finished with a millennium shine. The Hyatt Regency a stunning five star marbled pleasure, but I guess it could be a hotel in any city, simply from its same shine. The IN hotel, four star,  offers ample rooms and modern facilities but has down to earth Serbian charm.

Across the Ada bridge greyness is being restored to grandeur. Post iron curtain history is being redeveloped and is holding on to its cultural roots. This trip I visited the newly refurbished Metropol Palace, formerly the The Belgrade City Hotel, and a great of example of upcycling the best assets.

The old city is slowly regenerating. For every refurb there is a crumbling tower around the corner and you can sense the climb. Yet it has so many a hidden gems, unexpected and brilliant, every one.

Wining is outstanding. Watch this space, Serbian wine is the next big thing on your table. Dining is fantastic, from the kooky Kakalamba with its weird interiors and Serb cuisine to slick modern eateries. Best menu choices are the meat dishes, but vine leaves and paprika do not come more flavourfully stuffed and spiced than here! 

One of my favourites is the Kalemegdanska Terassa in Kalemegdan Fortress - stone walled prowess inside the surviving lookout that governed an ever-changing occupancy rule, on the confluence of the beautiful Danube and Save Rivers.

Just 20 mins from the city centre a self made pebble beach that boasts some of the cleanest swimming waters, lined with cool bars and restaurants and hot weather for locals to soak up the sun, nudist colony included!

Shopping is expensive, Serbia is not yet in the euro but it is not short of new shiny malls and there is a vast capacity for conferencing and concerts. The real strength of the city, the people. Incredible optimism, true sense of family, limitlessly accommodating and humble from a history of knocks that gives them a fighting spirit to get right back up and start again. I love Belgrade, I hope to go further to Montenegro and beyond. There is so much to give here and more people should enjoy it.



'Til next time, Pandora

Costa del Authentic

Summer season in Spain...rows of beach loving tourists by day, bars of beer loving tourists by night. It's still there, if you want it, but I highly recommend a deeper delve into life by the Costas for an authentic and more fulfilling experience of Spain.

The affluent times of Costa tourism for the Costa del Sol have long gone. Beach loungers are empty 10 months of the year, street menus have dog-eared corners and hotel offers are a sad reflection the partial occupancy levels. City life, conversely, has got it's sexy back. And it's hot. 

Málaga, now a major cruise hub, is bustling with visitors. It's grown up, learned how to appreciate word of mouth and holiday wallets, and is giving the modern holiday maker what it needs.

In a country struggling to stay above the economic recession, Málaga has cleaned up its act. 

Gone are the days of peddling gitanos and stalking guitarists. Instead, al fresco coffee shops are more chic, staff multi-lingual, eateries have accomplished a blend of rustic Andalusian tradition with minimalist design and hotels have joined the cool-set of rooftop pool bars, boutique chic and chill out music. The good old piña colada of the eighties has been replaced with Mojito mixology, no umbrella. 

My chic sleep, loyally luxurious at Molina Lario, where all the above apply. The new kid in town, five star Vincci del Posada, is also getting tremendously good feedback and still with great introductory rates.

If you need a beach over a pool, the city has this but you are only ever 20 mins to the coast, if you get the calling.

Off the beaten track, visit the Caves of Nerja and overnight in Hotel el Carabeo, for a taste of tourism without the buffet dinner for the masses.

Inland, go to Ronda, eat tapas, visit the bull ring, eat more tapas and bask in mountainside sunshine. This is a taster, you'll already be thirsty for more. And more there is, in abundance.

I could write on southern Spain forever. It won my heart many years ago. It's time to let ooh la Paloma Blanca fly, discover the modern and stylish side to authentic Spain.

'Til next time, Pandora

Photos: Pandora Skies, Molina Lario

Hong Kong High

My first visit to Hong Kong took me to new heights. My second and third visit, I soared. This city gives me a high, the shopping leaves me on a high, the nightlife transports me to the high life. Hong Kong was, and still is, my New York rival. Pound for pound, or rather dollar for dollar, this is a championship fight.

I won't ramble about Manhattan. There is so much great going on there, it is a blog onto itself (...watch this space). This will always be a tale of two cities, each equally amazing for different reasons. There is no need for East to meet West, when you can have so much excitement from travelling between them both.

First impressions, driving into Hong Kong island over the Tsing Ma bridge - how many golden 'Made in' stickers have travelled from the tower toppling containers. Hong Kong means business, even before you've reached the city. 

My latest visit included a luxurious stay in the Island ShangriLa, welcomed like a princess and risen to highest happiness in a luxurious harbour view room, 56 floors up. There is a single eagle that soars around the harbour and I shared his outlook, swooping over Kowloon. Indoors, the Shangrila boasts the largest silk painting in their lobby, 16 storeys long, The Great Motherland of China drops down through the atrium into a Chinese garden, my personal art gallery from a glass elevator every morning and evening.

If you're not on an elevator in Hong Kong, you're on an escalator. The city is non-stop, and it is built to help you keep moving with it. Day to night, the escalators in the city centre move you from bar to bar, restaurant to restaurant, store to store like a video game. And there is plenty of treasure to collect along the way, with every new level you reach.

Shopping. Hong Kong knows how to shop. It's like the recession just forgot to visit here. Designer stores from home have gone extra-large. Über glitzy, luxuriously decadent, impossible to ignore. Collect, win, next level....

Fashion extends to food in Hong Kong, too. Which makes sense. You've just draped yourself in the latest season, accessorised with the latest bag, it makes sense to indulge in some haute-couture cocktails. And, in true Hong Kong high-life, the best wining and dining in the city are located double digit floors up from the ground, with roof terraces to make sure your hypnosis remains unbroken.

Armani prive, an opulent velvet cushion of red and tangerine surrounded in mirrors. The dark and seductive has a stairway to al fresco loungerino -cool music and even cooler exclusive collections of Moët and Bollinger.

Sevva, the hottest rooftop in the city, tucked above Charter Road and nestled in the middle of the financial power houses. Refreshing by day, enticing by night as the HK light show takes off around you, like a city-sized discotheque. Inside is even more eclectic - walls of foliage, Mad Hatter tea rooms, candle-lit sushi zens and gallery-worthy cake counters. This is social life as it should be lived, and it's addictive.

Across the harbour in Kowloon, look for the best seat in town to take in the infamous symphony of lights at Aqua. Three floors of glass, from cocktail bar to fine dining restaurant, is all that separates your from cinematic views of the skyline as it dances to the musical light show at 8pm.

There is so much to see in the city. Everything is sky-rise and the best way to appreciate it all is just like our eagle friend. Join the tourists at the Peak, ride the practically vertical tram to the top, and take in Hong Kong from its prime vantage point. The all-time high, top of the world in Hong Kong.

New York may never sleep but, in Hong Kong, you will never stop dreaming.

'Til next time, Pandora

Photos: Pandora Skies, Island Shangrila, Sevva

One Night in Bangkok and the World's your Oyster...

...three nights, and it's a fine line between being saint or sinner. There is everything in Bangkok, just like the movies show you, so what becomes of you really does depend on what you're after. I am the first to declare my undying love for Bradley Cooper but, flying home with a face tattoo wasn't the Bangkok I was looking to see. But you can. In fact, there is a Hangover II tour, designed to give you that very cultural enrichment, if you so desire.

No, not I. As obviously touristy as my path may follow, one cannot visit Bangkok without doing the rounds of the Buddhas and temples. They are exquisite, each and every one more magnificent than the next, from the holiness of the tiny but precious Emerald Buddha to the 46m-long gold-covered Reclining Wat Pho.

My show stopping moment of the tourist trek was the Grand Palace. Golden, glittering, glamourous, godly and gracious. I was wowed into silence. The reverence consumes you, you really do find yourself in a deeper state of contemplation.

How do you top that? Halfway through day one, and surrounded by street sellers trading human teeth, I was afraid I might soon be resorting to the back street block buster tour bus. 

But I had my own palace to return to, the Shangrila Bangkok, like a real-life palace for mere mortals. Just as much bling, layers of luxury, incredible service.

Breakfast by the Chao Phraya river to start your day, watching Bangkok come to a commuting life on boats and barges. Relax pool-side for spa and massage, or cool down as dusk drops with a moonlit dip in the infinity pool, to a backdrop of the impressive city skyline.

After dark, take to the rooftops. Yes, Bangkok has grown up and is playing with the cool kids. There is rooftop cocktail scene to challenge Manhattan, restaurants that will blow you away - Sky bar at Sirocco hangs 63 floors above Bangkok and is the world's tallest bar. It's so cool, its hot, but humidity hot, so think about your wardrobe to stay chic in the heat.

By day, step out of the city. A tour guide can coordinate some great cultural sightseeing. My favourites, the floating market at Damnoen Saduak. 

This is Thailand as you see on travel shows and it's exciting and enticing. Ok, its gridlocked with boats of floating tourists, but it's unashamedly great and you can really get your barter on.

Next stop, the tiger sanctuary. This left me forlorn. I can't quite get to grips with the fact (or fiction) that there is no sedation here. How can I really hand stroke fully grown carnivores? I can only hope the buddhist monk carers are doing this for the right reasons, but I'm not convinced the amazing photo opps don't have a slightly less spectacular story.

Lastly, my trip into history. Ride the train around Death Railway - phenomenal views of the stunning countryside and such an experience winding over Hellfire Pass. This and walking across the bridge over the river Kwai - these are moments that will stay with you, and to be just a few hours outside of Bangkok you really get to see more of the Thai countryside and people.

A amazing city, better than I might have given it credit for. A city of many shades, one night in Bangkok is just not going to be enough to be your oyster.

'Til next time, Pandora

Photos: Pandora Skies and Sirocco