A Coastal Maine Road Trip with Kids (What to Know Before You Go) We packed in lobster rolls, coastal strolls, lighthouses and one too many “just one more stop!” moments…all within 6 days (that’s all we had). And while it was so much fun, it was also… a lot. Looking back, I’d absolutely recommend stretching […]

Easy and family travel don’t always go together. Traveling with kids usually means more planning, more logistics, and more things to think about. Strollers. Car seats. Backpacks. Snacks. You know the feeling of needing a vacation after the vacation? Fortunately for us, this wasn’t that. Beaver Creek is different. We already knew this from spending […]

A client once asked me, on the 14th tee at Cape Kidnappers, why nobody had mentioned his handicap all week. I told him I had stopped listening for it around day three. He looked almost relieved. That doesn’t mean golf is incidental on these trips. It isn’t. Tee times, slope ratings, signature holes all matter […]

We never miss the opportunity to visit Hoi An and Danang as they are two of our favourite destinations in Vietnam, whilst the fact that they are just 30km apart makes it perfect to combine them as part of the same trip. From the picturesque streets and UNESCO heritage of Hoi An Ancient Town to […]

Dubai is a city that is seemingly synonymous with luxury. It’s a city where even the police force owns a Bugatti Veyron, and one where the acceleration of wealth is like nowhere else. It’s hard to imagine that in 1968 there were only 13 registered motor vehicles in the entire emirate of Dubai. Today, things […]

There’s a specific day every November when it tips over. Not a date you can mark on a calendar – more a feeling. The clocks have gone back, the heating’s come on, and somewhere around the third consecutive grey afternoon you start doing the maths on how many more weeks of this there are. Quite a […]

The table at Scorpios that appears on your screen when you search is not the table worth having. The table worth having at Scorpios does not appear on any screen. As CEO of Concierge Unique, I want to be clear about what I mean by this, because it sounds like the kind of thing people […]

KwaZulu-Natal is one of South Africa’s most underrated and undiscovered destinations, especially given its wide range of highlights all within easy driving distance of one another.  In just 10 – 14 days you can combine world class hiking, rich and diverse culture, delicious local cuisine (think Durban curries and bunny chows), a dramatic, emotive history […]

There comes a point every winter when the great British weather seems determined to test our resilience. When the novelty of cosy evenings and hot chocolate has well and truly worn off, the Christmas decorations are more of an annoyance than a celebratory feel good, and sunset arrives no sooner than you finish your afternoon […]

A couple contacted me at Concierge Unique in late May one year asking about a villa for the first two weeks of August. They had been looking online for several weeks. They had found properties they liked. They had a budget that would have been entirely adequate in February. In May, it was adequate for […]