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Feel the Love in Bali’s Berry Amour Villa
Imagine waking up every morning in a beautiful private villa? A regular of hotels and even hostels in the past, for me the comfort and privacy of a luxury villa was a welcomed change. Before we headed to Bali, I have done extensive research on 4 and 5-star villas that would meet our location, price and amenities criteria. Once we came across Berry Amour romantic concept villas in Seminyak that ticked all of our boxes, we booked it immediately. After 11-day relaxing stay, I can say our villa was worth every penny. Let me take you on a virtual tour to judge it for yourself! First, after a long but rather…
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Luxury Travel With Qatar Airways
As you already might have read in my previous blog posts, earlier this summer I went to Bali to celebrate my 40th birthday. I decided to do in style – from business class flights to a private villa in Bali! While I have already well documented my Bali shenanigans in other posts, I wanted to dedicate this one to trip logistics and share my impressions of business class travel on the Qatar Airways. Let me start with the fact that I am a huge fan of Qatar Airways, having flown them before on business trips to South Asia. They were even nice enough to upgrade me once to a business…
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A Day in Nusa Lembongan, Bali
If you’ve been to Bali more than once, sooner or later you’ll want to venture out and check out some of the neighboring islands. While some are popular among the backpackers and party crowd, others are quieter and perfect for families and newlyweds. With 11 days booked in Bali, my husband and I knew we wanted to check out either one of the Gili islands or one of three islands on the southeastern coast of Bali (Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan or Nusa Lembongan). We wanted to make it a day trip, so after some research, we settled on Nusa Lembongan, an island close to Bali and supposedly, an untouched paradise.…
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Bali: Return to Paradise
“Why did I ever leave Bali?” I was asking myself looking out of the window at London’s grey sky after returning from almost a 2-week holiday. This is probably a question many people ask themselves after visiting the Island of Gods. The more I spend time in Bali, the more I am falling in love with it and everything it has to offer to my wandering soul. From lazy sun lounging on a beach, swimming under the waterfalls and kayaking in fast rivers to rejuvenating at a yoga retreat and hiking mountains – Bali has it all! Having been to Bali once before (read my previous blog here), my husband and…
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72-Hour Guide to Cambodia: Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (Part I)
Cambodia is one of those Southeast Asian countries that I have been wanting to visit for a long time and last year I got to go there twice. I rarely mention my work in my blog but my international development career often takes me to various places around the world. For two years I was overseeing a big initiative in Asia and Cambodia, thankfully, was one of the countries in my portfolio. Cambodia is a beautiful combination of spirituality and soulfulness, and is still less touristy and commercialized than neighboring Thailand. But it has lots to offer to international vagabonds such as myself. If you don’t have much free time like me (I was…
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London Gems: 2017 Magical Lantern Festival
January is such a dreary time, especially in grey and cold London. However, if you want a bit of sparkle in your post-holidays life – head to Chiswick House and Garden for the Magical Lantern Festival. It was my second year in a row and I absolutely loved it. Check out photos and video below to see why. Magical Lantern Festival has been running in London for two years now and marks annual celebrations of Chinese New Year. This year’s theme was the Silk Road, the ancient trade route from China to Europe. Having grown up in Central Asia, I was particularly excited and curious to see how the Silk…
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12 Exotic Destinations to Visit in 2017
For many people January is time for making new year resolutions, but for me it’s time to look over my bucket list and make travel plans for the year ahead. I was recently checking a list of countries I already visited (36 countries so far!) and figuring out where to head next. I have been to some really cool and exotic places, from Bali and Morocco to Iceland and Central Asia. But today, I am sharing my and other travel bloggers’ top picks for exotic places you should put on your 2017 travel list. p.s. all photos belong to contributing bloggers (unless indicated otherwise) 1. KENYA I went to Kenya twice…