World Travel Guide

We are proud of this website and love developing it, but if you’re looking for something out of the ordinary or perhaps extraordinary, you will find inspiration in the labour of love that is the World Travel Guide of Alan and Alexandra, two friends of ours and intrepid travellers who travel the globe to indulge their passion – writing about it!

Occasionally a good friend will beg to contribute, but Alan and Alex bring their own warmth and style to their travel stories, restaurant reviews, experiences and recommendations.

Lucky enough to spend a deal of time in their home just North of Lisbon, Portugal (to be precise Torres Vedras) the history of the area is of particular interest as are some of the fabulous boutique hotels in Lisbon and the quirky bars and restaurants of the Bairro Alto.

Whilst truthfully the World Travel Guide is still in its infancy, its travel recommendations range from Honeymoon resorts in the Caribbean to city breaks such as Lisbon and this travel guide includes travel tips, check lists, information and recommendations about a range of travel experiences plus a whole host of boutique hotels across the World and a range of different destinations including:

Portugal
Malaysian Borneo rain forest and Orang-utan
Honeymoon destinations in Antigua, Caribbean
Weddings in Antigua, Caribbean

There is also an expanding section on city breaks including Lisbon plus an exciting swath of imminent detail following their World travel throughout 2010/11 a synopsis of which is already in their world travel blog, including the following and more:

San Diego – Classic USA offering a wonderful mix, from the 2 day, annual La Jolla motor car classic, which starts with a road rally from the auto museum each March, the USS Midway (now a floating museum) to wonderful restaurants in Little Italy and the little known 30th street, to Bird watching, beaches and nightlife including the annual Mardi Gras in the Gaslamp Quarter.
Hawaii – a real experience from the "must do" (and hectic) Waikiki beach, fabulous Hawaiian hotel, the Trump International on Waikiki Beach Walk, restaurant reviews Hawaii, to the much quieter Island of Maui and wonderful boutique Napili Kai beach resort.
New Zealand – for a comparatively small country, New Zealand has a huge reputation for sport and outdoor activities (not to mention rugby!), although its more recently gained fame and popularity as the stage for the Lord of the Rings amongst the spectacular scenery of South Island.
- Auckland – New Zealand’s most populated area which spans, four cities – Auckland, Manukau, North Shore and Waitakere is hugely influenced by its Polynesian, Asian and European inhabitants and offers a dynamic mix of walks in the Waitakere ranges, wine trails, beaches, restaurants, sailing and more...
- Bay of Islands, New Zealand – This most beautiful archipelago is a quiet 2 hour drive north of Auckland and offers fishing, sailing, walking and if nothing else, peace and quiet at the boutique serviced accommodation of the Boat House.
- Waiheke Island – An hour’s ferry trip West of Auckland, this wonderful (almost) tropical island and its micro climate has over the years been found to produce some of the World’s most fabulous wines and hence is the home of many wineries and restaurants as well as offering great beaches, walks, wind surfing and boutique hotels New Zealand such as the fantastic "Boat Shed".
- The Abel Tasman National Park – Words deify the beauty of this reserve, where wonderful opportunities for camping and walking abound, boats have to have permission to sail and indigenous seals come up and play....
- Nelson – a typically quiet New Zealand town, but the closest city to the Able Tasman National Park and a great base for exploring, but there is lovely boutique accommodation just outside at The Pavilion at Kisamar.
Sydney Australia – "incredibly expensive, but an incredible experience" is how we would summarise Sydney Australia. From restaurants on the famous "Rocks", harbour cruises past the Sydney opera house and under the harbour bridge or (cheaper and as good) the 45min ferry trip to Manly Beach - this is the most spectacular of cities.
Vietnam - now rushing to welcoming tourists, this still, perhaps "hesitant" country is changing fast from:
- Hanoi in the North of Vietnam is a hectic, nay manic city that is much colder than one might expect and regrettably polluted and dirty, but the old town is a must!
- Ha Long Bay – (descending Dragon Bay) is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, absolutely worth what is regrettably a dirty, tiresome journey and even then polluted, but at the same time, somehow quite spectacular
- Hoi An - has comparatively recently been given World Heritage status and one can immediately see why. One of the quieter cities of Vietnam, cars are banned from the main streets where over 400 shops and restaurants are pretty new to tourism in this town that dates back to the 15th century and the welcome from the wonderful local population is palpable
- Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – Much warmer by some 10 degrees Celsius than the North of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City is another fascinating place, but from our experience another equally dirty polluted city, although the Hotel Intercontinental Saigon is an oasis amidst the bustle and fumes, the market huge and fascinating and the people so welcoming they’re probably are a good reason to visit on their own!
Cambodia – sometimes spectacularly poor, Cambodia again is rushing headlong to embrace tourism where in 2000 there were only 4 hotels and ten years later, over 100! The people of Cambodia also, were the most delightful, humble and hard working. Crime rates are very low and the ancient temples of Angkor Watt an incredible experience. Read our tips on the best times to visit the Cambodian temples of Angkor Watt.
- Siem Reap – literally "the defeat of Siam" now Thailand and refers to the blood bath that was, but is now the fastest growing City in Cambodia and staging post for your visit to the forest temples of the Angkor region from a boutique hotel Cambodia such as the lovely "budget boutique" Sojourn Hotel and Villas
- Angkor Watt – Probably the best known, most detailed, most spectacular and certainly best preserved temple is this central feature of the Angkor World Heritage remains of the Khmer people where thousands and thousands of metres of intricate carvings depict the city’s history
Singapore – strikingly clean and safe this bustling city is a melting pot of cultures offering more shopping and dining opportunities than you could count. Predominantly Chinese, the City of Singapore is growing at an incredible pace having claimed land back from the sea for such spectacular hotels in Singapore as the Marina Bay Sands, which is a statement in modern architecture, although a much nicer hotel to stay in is the lovely Fullerton Bay Hotel or sister hotel, The Fullerton Bay Singapore

We hope you enjoy the World Travel Guide as much as the authors have enjoyed writing it, but we would love to hear your comments.