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This is the last of my posts about my recent trip to Bali, where I summarise my overall experience: my itinerary and how it panned out, what I did, how I travelled around and some practical tips. For more detailed information, you can read my other Bali posts: Munduk ; Ubud ; Ubud speciality coffee ; the Nusa Islands ; Canggu, Seminyak & Jimbaran ; and Canggu and Seminyak speciality coffee . And I've uploaded even more photos onto my Flickr . PLANNING  Being invited to join a work meeting in Bali is the dream, isn't it? And better still, I had taken almost no annual leave this year and I was able to add ten days of holiday onto the four-day work trip. I consider myself very lucky! I had less than two months to research and plan what I would do. I had a few Bali speciality coffee shops saved in my Google Map but otherwise, I was starting from scratch. Luckily, there was a 2021  Lonely Planet guidebook , which helped a lot. As soon as I read about Munduk Moding Plantation (w...

It's been several years since I last compiled a holiday gift guide, but this year of all years, I thought it would be a good way to highlight some of the products I love — or would love to own — that can be purchased from some of my favourite coffee companies and other small businesses. I hope you'll find some inspiration for gifts for the coffee lovers in your life. And yes, that includes gifts to self, of course (I promise I won't tell). I can't think of any coffee lovers who would not love to receive a top-quality bag of speciality coffee beans as a gift, and I'd recommend finding a roaster or coffee shop local to you; they'd appreciate your support. But if you need more inspiration, my coffee city guides  may help. Equally, if you're thinking of purchasing a speciality coffee subscription as a gift, I can recommend  Dog and Hat  (which I reviewed here ) for the quality and variety of their selection. As we've all been spending a lot more time at home...

[[I wrote this blog post soon after returning from New York and Seattle one month — and a lifetime — ago. At the time, COVID-19 hadn't yet been declared a pandemic, although the World Health Organization had declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern a month earlier, and several cases had been confirmed in the Seattle area. It didn't feel right to publish this post at that time. I'm not advocating that anyone travels anywhere now — quite the opposite, in fact, as we should all be staying at home as much as possible. But some day we'll be able to travel again and if, like me, you're dreaming of your travel bucket list or looking for armchair inspiration, I can recommend Seattle as a great destination for future trips. Its coffee shops , restaurants and other small businesses will certainly appreciate your visit. Read on for my city guide.]] THINGS TO DO Seattle 101 walking tour I often like to take free walking tours when I travel — some are be...

When I found myself with a few days booked off work and no plans last week, it was the perfect opportunity to return to Bath, which I last visited two years ago . I took a train from Paddington on Sunday morning, returning home on Monday evening, which cost £42 (return tickets from London are generally around £60 unless you manage to score an advance fare). Bath accommodation can get quite expensive at weekends — with some properties requiring two-night minimum stays — while Sunday nights are often cheaper, hence the timing of my visit. Where to stay I stayed at  No. 15 Great Pulteney , a boutique hotel on the titular Great Pulteney Street, a rather grand street a short walk east of the city centre, across the River Avon. My 'cosy double' room was indeed very cosy, and colourful too with a woodland mural on one wall. Although small, it was well-appointed with a kettle, Nespresso machine (I supplied my own pods from Bath-based Colonna Coffee ), Dyson hairdryer and bath pro...