Okinawa offers a very different style to the rest of Japan. Yes you still have the politeness, cleanliness and things, well, just working. But its all within the backdrop of semi-tropical trees and a culture quite different to that of mainland as the Okinawa island chain used to be the former Ryukyu Empire and only joined Japan in the 1870s.
Not many places in the world have that developed vibe in the tropics, so it’s definitely worth a trip, especially if living in this part of the world and fancy a weekend away. Worth also picking up a few of the local’s habits – Okinawans are some of the longest living people in the world!
Yep – offensively photogenic and screams “I want to go there!” from just about everyone who sees the photo. In my case, from my girlfriend. “You know it’s in the middle of the Pacific right? In the middle of nowhere?”, I reply. The determined eyes staring back at me need no vocal expression – “I want to go”, they clearly say.
For those who have the similar determination, you won’t be disappointed – the place really is that beautiful up close and it’s a lot of fun swimming around in the pool soaking it all in. The site has the added advantage of having some delightfully well maintained gardens on the nearby cliff edges where you can gawp at the gorgeous surroundings, and a series of rock pools that you can laze around in and get pushed and pulled around as the waves come in, which is also super fun.
To be fair, I don’t think you’d go this far to the middle of the ocean for just the Sua Ocean Trench, which really, spectacular as it is, you only need half a day for. Samoa itself has some nice spots to drive around to (I’d recommend hiring a car for convenience), friendly people and some fab food (make sure you have lunch at the Seabreeze resort only 5mins drive away).
Views from the nearby Seabreeze Restaurant, which is nice for lunch
But I’d recommend combining your visit as part of a 2 week trip of Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. Swimming with Humpbacks, diving with Tiger Sharks, white water rafting and kayaking from one picture perfect island to the next sound appealing? Then see here for more details, ideas and tips in this travel entry for –2 weeks in Tonga, Fiji and Samoa.
Staying in a Ryokan – a traditional Japanese inn with woven matt floors, sleeping on futons and eating all your (local and delicious) meals in the room – is one of those classically Japanese things to do. Doing so in the northern island of Hokkaido by a classically round active volcanic lake in the snow is even further accentuates the true Japan vibe. Only issue is you should chose wisely on the location.
We stayed in the Toya-ko Onsen town, which was easy to reach from Niseko / Sapporo, and the Daiwa Ryokan was great fun, but it’s not the most attractive town. I would suggest trying to find somewhere else, maybe a bit more isolated. Considering just how beautiful the surroundings are, it would be worth a bit more of a detailed search, even if you have to plough through the Japanese websites! (few are on international sites)
For something a bit unusual (more unusual) – head up to the Windsor Hotel, which is still on the rim of Toya-ko, and is an uber 5 star hotel that hosted the G8 summit in 2008. It’s nice to walk around and has superb views of the lake, but also bizarrely has 2 Michelin 3* restaurants on the top floor which, based on what we saw, are largely empty. Bear in mind there are only 135 Michelin 3* restaurants in the world, so you get the idea how random this is. We tried the French one which was great.
Unless a bit desperate for something to do (you mean you’re bored sat in one Ryokan room for 2 days?), don’t bother with the ferry ride around the lake. My girlfriend likes to say it’s the worst date we’ve been on. Instead, head up to the Usa-zan viewing platform.
Niseko has a strong shout for being the world’s best individual skiing destination. Yes, yes, I know the North American sites have vast slopes and every other room has a hot tub; the Alps are wonderful for their apres and interconnected communities; and I get that Queenstown has bungee jumping, but there are 3 killer reasons for why Niseko can take the crown:
- It is the undisputed King of Powder, with 15m / 50ft of wonderful light powdery stuff on AVERAGE each year.
- Its Japan. This means that everything works perfectly, people are 10/10 polite (no fighting over chair lifts), you finish your ski with an Onsen and the food . . . even the most basic of meals demands a quality zat wud mek even ze french jelos!
- The views. Think less endless mountain chains, and more looking at the perfect conical volcano of Yotei-zan, aka Hokkaido’s Mount Fuji
It can be expensive, especially around the holidays, but a bucket-list experience if you’re a skier.
What a city – I’ve loved New York everytime I’ve visited for work and as a tourist. Winter and in summer. But, I tended to visit before the simplicity of quality photos on the phone and before I really started to travel around the world trying things that weren’t on the standard checklist.
For these reasons, I don’t think I can do such an incredible city anywhere near the justice it deserves by writing a full review. So I haven’t shared photos or tips. Instead, I’ll just give it a score based on how I found it those years ago – can’t miss out on such an obvious global city in the ratings and its obvious wow factor.
York is definitely worth a stop when in the North of England based on its rich and well preserved medieval history, the pretty Harry Potter-style lanes to wander through and the immense York Minister Cathedral. 5 basic tips:
Tip #1 Can do as a day trip – you only need a day, so this is a simple trip from anywhere in the North of England. You could even push it as a day trip from London as its only 2 hours up the east coast train line.
#2 Walk the City Walls – a great way to see York is by walking along the City Walls. They’re 3.4km / 2miles in length, so a decent walk, and are in place for around 3/4 of their total length, meaning you only have to walk off them 3 times to cover a section that isn’t walkable. Friends of York Walls do a great simple guide for the walk here – York Walls Route.
#3 Be sure to visit York Minister Cathedral – the largest Medieval Cathedral in Northern Europe and a must.
#4 Have afternoon tea and scones – its the quintessentially York / English thing to do. There are heaps of tea rooms to try, but Betty’s is the favourite. Wandering around there also gives you that Harry Potter vibe you may be looking for.
#5 Try to learn some of the history but don’t get museum’d out – York has some fascinating history dating all the way back to the Romans, but it can be a bit overwhelming for a day trip considering you also want to do the above things. My suggestion is only to visit one of the museums / visitor attractions and for that to be Jorvik Viking Centre for an hour as it gives a good flavour of the time of the Vikings.
Seattle is worth checking out for a day. The Pike Place Market is a good place to roam around in, crab pot on the water with the mallets and bibs is fun, and make sure to do one of the walking tours where you learn about how the city is built on stilts. Plus, the surrounding scenery is really quite beautiful in places.
Beijing is the political, cultural and historic centre of China and, with its world famous attractions of Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden Palace, the Summer Palace, and nearby Great Wall, it is a must for any visit to China.
I lived for 2 years in Beijing, so wanted to use this not to write some kind of all-encompassing travel guide, but just share with you 10 tips on what I would suggest to get the most out of a 2-3 day trip.
In a nutshell:
- Political and historic centre of China, and a must-visit
- The Great Wall and the hutongs / Tiananmen Square / Forbidden City of the centre are the big highlights
- City is enormous – allow travel time
- Hutongs and food are a big part of the experience
- 2–3 days is the right amount of time
Chengdu is far from the highlight of Sichaun province, but it will naturally be one of the transit spots you pass through on your way to some of the wonderful natural landscapes surrounding it.
Make sure though to give yourself at least a day in Chengdu to see the pandas (giant and red versions) at the Giant panda Breeding Research Base; for a half day trip to the UNESCO world heritage listed Giant Buddha in Le Shan (1200 years old carved into the confluence of 3 rivers) and to generally spend either an afternoon in one of the traditional tea houses or an evening eating the super spicy Sichaun hotpot.
It’s punchy, but doable to do all this in a day. Makes most sense to get to the Panda Base when it opens at 8am for the morning feed (they are often asleep in the afternoon) and then try to get a tour to the Buddha leaving from Chendgu at around 11am. It’s 2hours to the site, half an hour or so getting a boat up to it, and potentially quite a bit more time if you want to walk around it – the queues at weekends and holidays will be very slow moving.
Last tip, do make sure to try the Sichaun hotpot, the province’s world-renowned dish. But be warned that it packs a put-the-toilet-roll-in-the-fridge-the-night-before punch. We tried Long Sen Yuan Hotpot which was great, with a good location and atmosphere. You’ll have had spicy food before, but its something about the combo of the spice (which is strong), plus the temperature of the broth, plus the numbing effect of the pepper corns that really does make this quite the experience – “enjoy”!
