New year, new everything. But, before I get started on breaking every new year’s resolution before the end of January, I wanted to look back on my last year of travel. 2023 was arguably my biggest year of travel in what seems like forever. Pre-pandemic I was just getting a bit of a flow going with my trip to Java and Bali, then like so much else in all our lives, travel fell way down the priority list. Now with my first cruise, a few mini breaks and my first long haul in three years all done, let’s take a look back at how I regained my travel mojo.
2023 started out very quietly. I had surgery in December 2022, meaning I was grounded for a while. After a month of going from hospital bed, to my parents’ house (bed rest), to working from home from under my own duvet, I was itching for a break. I may not have been able see in the new year with a trip abroad, but I could definitely swing a staycation.
January travel: Start with a staycation
I chose the Malmaison in Reading because I was able to get a deal on booking.com – £110 for NYE, booked the same day. Straightforward travel as Reading is on the Elizabeth Line and the hotel is seconds from the station – the Malmaison is actually an historic station hotel dating back to 1844. The brand has a reputation for luxury boutique properties at a fairly accessible pricepoint. I have stayed with them before (their hotel in Oxford set in a former prison was cool), but the glam was looking a little tired in Reading. Not shabby, but faded, having definitely seen better days. My third floor club room – one category up from standard – was very spacious. However the decor was a bit dated – bold print feature wall, crushed velvet headboard and matching armchair? 2010 called and wants its mood board back…
However, the bed was huge, the ensuite had a bath and separate shower. Bonus? The room came with a Nespresso machine and there was mini box of Lindt d’Or on the bedside cabinet. For my purposes – change of scenery, long candlelit bubble bath with a glass of champagne, good night’s sleep – it was pretty decent, especially at the price I paid.
10, 9, 8, 7…
I nipped out to Sainsbury’s for mini bottles of Lanson to see in the New Year and breakfast pastries to keep the budget down. However, I did check the hotel bar on my way back – rude not too. I liked the sleek, backlit display of bottles behind the bar and the neon sign reading “Don’t worry, help is on the way”. Yes it was, in the form of the “Malchemy” signature cocktail list. The Pineapple & Smoke margarita – Rooster Rojo Añejo Smoked Pineapple Tequila, Briottet Liqueur d’Ananas, lime, sugar, smoke – was £12 and worth the detour.
Left after my noon check out as they were running a limited service (assume most staff were having a well-earned break), no Sunday roast, not even teas and coffees at the bar. I normally stick around on-property post-staycation to get my money’s worth using the facilities, but with nothing on offer, I headed homewards, stopping for a Soho roast on the way.
Final verdict: nice cost-effective break, but lacking in love all-round. You get what you pay for.
April travel: Belgium by rail
In 2022, I took a trip to Paris on the Eurostar. Booked my tickets last minute over the Jubilee Weekend, so they cost a small fortune. Good news/bad news, my return train got stuck in a storm five minutes outside Gard du Nord meaning we didn’t reach London until after 2am – 4 hours late. But that meant a refund, and the credit back on such a pricey ticket was enough for a whole new holiday. Once my travel ‘exile’ was lifted and I was able to get insured to go abroad, I thought I’d cash in my credit to travel around Belgium by train.
Bruges
First stop: Bruges for lots of chocolate and canals and, my favourite, cocktails. But mainly rain, to be fair. Got soaked exploring the city on a walking tour and also on a boat – but it was still very beautiful. Lots of highlights, apart from the history and architecture:
- Boozy hot chocolate at The Old Chocolate House and designer chocs at hip chocolatier The Chocolate Line
- Ceramics workshop by day, cocktail bar by night House of Mawi and epic drinks emporium Groot Vlaenderen
- Self-service beer taps at my hostel Hostel Lybeer
Lots to keep me occupied for 2 days/ 1 night until I jumped on the train back to…
Brussels
My time in Brussels was all about #beer : learning about it, drinking it…even bathing in it. My highlights?
- Brussels craft brewery tour with Liselot and her team at Beer Secret
- Cocktails, quirky decor and speakeasy vibes at Arthur Orlans
- Soaking in a handmade oak tub in my own private spa room, scrubbing myself with dried hops and daintily drinking a self-pulled pint at beer spa Bath & Barley
After a night in the Motel One and another free walking tour (full disclosure, actually did the beer spa en route to the Eurostar on my last day), it was on to…
Antwerp
After another walking tour and a side trip to the viewing deck at the fab Mas museum, my highlights were definitely the bars:
- Dogma had great drinks, great people and a ‘secret’ bar hidden behind a bookcase in the basement. Such a vibe.
- Hidden speakeasy Le Souffleur was all theatre: you had to book and pay a deposit to even get the location. Very cloak and dagger, but fun.
- Marigold had elegant late night vibes (despite only being 5pm) and a delicious mezcal-based Mexican Beer cocktail
- Tazu was a glam spot with an Asian inspired menu, hidden in a medieval alley -definitely one for the evening
- Honourable mention to my hostel Yust . Bit out in the burbs, but great and right next door to the Dekoninck Brewery
Then back to Brussels and back on the Eurostar because I was done with Belgium. Kind of…
April travel: Belgium by sea
This year I took my first cruise. I’m by nature an independent traveller, so the idea of being stuck on a ship with 6000 other people wasn’t that appealing at first. But then I saw the price, and my bargain hunter instincts kicked in. 3 nights, sailing from Zeebrugge (Belgium!) back to Southampton, the week after Easter hols so all the kids were back in School (result!). I booked an inside cabin and an all inclusive drinks package for about the price of a big night out. Then, because they were sailing half empty, they upgraded me to a huge ocean view cabin at the front of the ship for free (result x2!). Didn’t care where going (Northern France, in case you do), my plan was to just stay aboard, relax, eat my body weight in pizza and ice cream, drink ALL the cocktails and maybe stumble into the gym a couple of times. Mission accepted.
My highlights?
- The ship. MSC Virtuosa was shiny and new and HUGE. It has 18 decks with a ton of bars and restaurants, theatres, casinos, swimming pools and more
- The main dining room: great for meeting other solos as we were all on the same table. Much preferred the buffet for food, though.
- The bars! And I could drink almost anything for free as part of my package.My faves were the champagne bar, the adults only Sky Bar and L’Atelier – the staff and cocktails there were insane
If I can avoid the school holidays – and get another bargain – I’ll def be doing this again.
May travel: Loving Luxembourg
In May, I escaped the coronation in The Kingdom to head to a Grand Duchy. Luxembourg. Perfect for a city break, I expected it to be a bit…dull? Not at all.
My highlights:
- The scenery: so pretty. Lots of green, lots of rivers, lots of chocolate box houses. Beautiful old buildings contrasting with modern architecture
- My Hotel: As hotel chains go, Mama Shelter is always a fave. Lots of quirky, cool design touches, fab cocktails, low prices
- Bars: secret speakeasy Lady Jane was my pick. You have to join the FB page to get the latest password, but it’s worth it.
- Free public transport! I was able to travel all the way to Remich on the border with Germany to visit Caves St Martin to try lots of lovely wines
Then a bit of a break until…
September travel: Ibiza, baby!
Fast forward to September (didn’t leave London all summer) for my 12th – YES TWELFTH – trip to Ibiza. This trip was a last-minute birthday gift to myself, and in just TWENTY FOUR HOURS , I managed:
- a chill day by the pool at Destino Pacha resort
- cocktails at Montesol Experimental, The Standard and Chidas Bar + Cantina
- an all-nighter watching DJ Black Coffee play Hï
No hotel – I was saving my budget for a big trip…
October travel: around the world in a week…ish
In October, I went full bucket list and took my first long-haul trip since the pandemic, circumnavigating the globe on a mad adventure, having experiences and going places that it had never crossed my mind to visit before. Oh, and I did it in about a week. I mean, why the hell not?
Muscat, Oman
First stop was Muscat. The Sultanate of Oman was never on any bucket list of mine, and here it was only supposed to be a brief stopover on the way to somewhere else. But it turns out it was incredible. The Sultan Qaboos Mosque, a tour of the city, the opera house, the museums, the desert. Then the two beautiful hotels where I got to hang out – but, unfortunately not stay – The Chedi and The W . Then the people, the hospitality, the tradition of welcoming everyone with coffee and dates – be it at The Mosque or the mall.
A beautiful surprise for a couple of days to kick off my big trip. Next stop…
Siargao, Philippines
Well via some airline drama and a morning in Manila. Worth it to reach the tropical island paradise that is Siargao. My highlights?
- Fun times at my hostel, Happiness
- hopping around the islands on our little boat tour, jumping into the sea at Hidden Beach and my first ‘boodle fight’ (google it)
- getting jealous of surfers at Cloud 9
- cocktails (of course), sunsets, palm trees and a LOT of swings.
One Philippine island down, 7,640 to go.
But before that…
Manila, Philippines
I was there so briefly, it shouldn’t really count…but I went to a great bar during my evening layover, so I’ll sneak it in. I walked from my hotel over to Newport World Resorts and found The Whisky Library . Brand new, it’s a gorgeous little spot over two floors with over 240 different whiskeys displayed wall to wall. Inspired by Marlon Brando, my cocktail The Don featured zero whiskey, but plenty of drama.
One 5am wake-up call later…
Singapore
Is it wrong that pretty much all I did during my layover in Singapore was drink cocktails?
On Jan 15 2020, Just before the world went mad, was redirected through Singapore on my way back from Bali and I posted on IG, AND I QUOTE:
“Was kind of trying to miss my plane so I’d have an excuse to head into the city and knock off about 6 bars on that #worlds50bestbars crawl I keep promising myself. But no, I figured I’ll be good and just come back another time.”
3 years and 10 months later, I was back in Singapore and the 50 Best Bars list for 2023 was by pure coincidence announced in the city the day before I arrived (if that’s not a sign…) to make good on my promise.
On my list:
- The absolutely stunning art deco Atlas at #48 for a bartenders choice gin and tonic.
- Nutmeg and Clove who made the long list at #64 with their inventive menu celebrating Singapore’s heritage, and were hosting a takeover by #17 Overstory from NYC
- The fab Jigger and Pony, best bar in Singapore at #14 for a sample from their ‘Identity’ menuzine.
- The Writers Bar at the iconic Raffles Hotel – not on the list but were hosting a signature session with Handshake Speakeasy #3 from Mexico City.
- The incredible Sago House. New entry at #32 and my bar of the night, they were hosting a takeover with Civil Liberties, best bar in Canada at #73.
- Last stop 28 HongKong Street at #59 for speakeasy vibes conveniently steps from my hostel.
Amazingly, no hangover the next day – good news, as I was about to board an 18 hour flight…
Up in the air
Sitting in the same plane seat for almost 18 hours or 17 thousand kilometres does sound like a bit of a random thing to have on your bucket list. But it is on mine. The whole objective of this big trip was to take this flight, Singapore Air flight SQ24 on their dedicated A350-900 ULR from Singapore to JFK. Currently the longest flight in the world, I’d been gagging to take this flight for years, and had built this entire trip around that dream.
But 18 hours though…? I’ll admit I did it in business class (hey, it was my bucket list flight!) so it was painless and I loved every minute.
New York City
Final stop on the ‘world’ tour was NYC. Because I’m a psycho, I landed at JFK 18:30 – after my 18 hour flight – jumped on the subway into Manhattan, checked into my hotel, then went straight out again. Just like Singapore, it wasn’t my first visit so I felt no guilt whatsoever focusing on bars rather than sights.
My highlights:
- The crazy fun Katana Kitten Just all around good vibes at this place.
- Employees Only. More clubby than I was expecting, but it was after midnight on a Thursday, tbf.
- Queued for 30 minutes to get into the iconic Double Chicken Please. Do they deserve to be #2 on #50bestbars ? Well I drank 3 cocktails at 5pm, so…
- My bespoke negroni at Attaboy did not disappoint.
- The legendary Dead Rabbit was fab. Love that you can get top-drawer margaritas in the taproom of an Irish pub!
- Got a fab espresso martini. At Starbucks. Well, the Arriviamo bar at their Reserve Roastery
Gotta love New York.
That was the final stop of my world tour, so it was back to the UK for the remainder of the year
November travel: back to the beach…in Britain?
Ending the year as I started with a staycation, of sorts. In November I had a bit of reunion with ladies I’ve known since university. Five of us congregated at the house of a friend who is now based up in Norfolk for a Friday night bouncing along to Jo Whiley playing 90s classics in a student union. Saturday brought a carb-laden pub lunch followed by a brisk winter walk along the beach at Caister-on-Sea, and, for the big finish? A spread of treats at critically acclaimed restaurant Brix and Bones, washed down with a LOT of red wine and a signature bone marrow fudge donut and rumchata espresso martini to finish.
Now if you are going to an epic travel year somewhere, I can’t think of anything much better than doing close to home with people I love.
Now, where am I going in 2024…?
