holidays

Six serene summer holiday spots

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June marks the start of the summer holiday season when most of us choose to get away.

If you’re wondering where to go, here’s a handful of relaxing destinations that I’ve tried and tested and will hopefully provide some travel inspiration.

If you have any questions or your own suggestions, feel free to fill in the form at the bottom of this post. Happy holidays!

SERIFOS, GREECE

Unlike the popular Greek islands that tend to be overcrowded, sleepy Serifos is a simple blend of quiet beaches and lofty walks if you’re feeling energetic, with small-scale accommodation and plenty of tavernas and cafes. The island has a direct ferry connection to Athens. A recipe for holiday bliss? You betcha.

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A blue and white church on the Greek island of Serifos

WIRRAL, UNITED KINGDOM

A short hop away from Liverpool city centre, my homegrown serene spot is based on many day trips which could turn into a holiday. West Kirby’s waterside is a place to walk, relax and enjoy the scenery. Just be prepared for the British summer weather.

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Walkers pictured at West Kirby's Marine Lake in the Wirral.

SANTIAGO, CAPE VERDE

As Sal becomes an ever more popular tourist hotspot, my advice is to visit Santiago, markedly less visited even though it’s Cape Verde’s largest island. There’s a coastal area just south of Praia with a relaxed feel, while Tarrafal in the north is tropical and laidback. Santiago can be reached via Lisbon and is a good launchpad to explore the rest of this African archipelago.

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Boats on a secluded beach at Tarrafal in the Cape Verde islands.

DJERBA, TUNISIA

A well-established North African escape less popular with Brits but easily reachable. You can doze on a sun lounger, wander along the beaches or experience some Arab culture if you’re feeling more active. Just watch out for some very hot weather in this little piece of Tunisia.

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A stretch of Djerban coast, the blue of the Mediterranean and the Spring sky.

MOHÉLI, COMOROS ISLANDS

Okay, so it takes around 24 hours to reach this rarely visited destination from the UK. But you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful tropical island scenery, your own lodge hut by the beach and the chance to see rainforest bats and stunning sea creatures. Throw in some sublime sunsets and this will be a transformative visit.

Tap/click image for more about Mohéli

COSTA CALMA, SPAIN

The ever popular Canary Islands are around a four-hour flight from the UK, with Fuerteventura being one of the quieter options. Costa Calma is a long sweep of sand in the island’s south. Relaxation is the name of the game here. There’ll be other tourists around but there’s plenty of room for them – and the great weather is almost guaranteed.

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Palm trees, blue sky and sea seen beyond a hotel balcony in Costa Calma, Fuerteventura.

Five escapes from the winter gloom

/ mikeosbornphoto / 5 Comments

The European winter is long and hard with freezing weather and dreary days.

Here in Manchester, we’re enduring a spell of really cold torpid days instead of hopeful signs of Spring.

This makes February and March a perfect time to get away and inject some sunshine and warmth into our lives.

If you’re fortunate enough to be able jet off, jumping from winter into an early summer is worth the journey. Here are five places you might consider for an injection of Vitamin D – and much more.

1. AGADIR

Feb/March temperature: 20-23C

This Moroccan seaside resort has been welcoming European visitors escaping the winter for decades and is a four-hour flight from the UK. It has a broad stretch of Atlantic beach and a host of hotels and restaurants. The old town comes with a souk and a splash of North African colour to complement the warm seaside vibe, while there are other lovely coastal towns to visit.

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Visitors on a shimmering shoreline on Agadir beach in Morocco.

2. HAVANA

Feb/March temperature: 26-28C

This sunny destination is more long haul, but well worth the journey. This legendary city with its colourful, tumbledown buildings, vintage cars and salsa rhythms is a real experience which will erase all memories of winter. If you want to sip rum cocktails on the beach, then head to Varadero to soak up the sunshine and also consider visiting some of Cuba’s other delightful cities.

Tap/click image for more about Havana and the island of Cuba

A jumble of multi-coloured buildings in the Cuban capital Havana.

3. CAPE VERDE

Feb/March temperature: 22C

This African island archipelago adrift in the Atlantic Ocean, around six hours flying time from the UK,  boasts a very pleasant all year round climate. The arid islands of Sal and Boa Vista have become popular beach holiday havens. But you can visit the other islands for a different flavour, such as rugged, verdant Santo Antão which is a great place to get your hike on.

Tap/click image to explore the Cape Verde islands

The rugged coastline of the Cape Verdean island of Santo Antão at Ponta do Sol

4. ABU DHABI

Feb/March temperature: 25-28C

The futuristic city of Dubai is a huge draw for winter tourism with a party vibe, but just up the Gulf coast is Abu Dhabi, which is less about staggering skyscrapers, feels more lived in and less of a showcase. It boasts a delightful corniche and sandy beaches, while a visit to the stunning Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque is an absolute must.

Tap/click image to see more of this waterfront city

Water and illuminated marble of Sheikh Zayed mosque in Abu Dhabi, seen at night.

5. CAPE TOWN

Feb/March temperature: 25C

One way to virtually guarantee a successful escape from the European winter is to head to the southern hemisphere summer. This South African city is perched on the edge of the continent with invigorating beachscapes and the majestic backdrop of Table Mountain. The multi-coloured district of Bo-Kaap lifts the soul. Cape Town is a great starting point for exploring more of South Africa.

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A street of multi-coloured houses in the Cape Town district of Bo-Kaap.

✈️ Do you seek the warm sunshine in winter? If you have any destination suggestions, please leave a comment below. Thank you!

2024: One year in 7 photos

/ mikeosbornphoto / 8 Comments

A Happy New Year to you all! We might be wondering what lies ahead in 2025, but the old year can be neatly packaged.

I’m pulling together 2024 in just seven photographs. It was a year punctuated by more travel since the pandemic, including some unheralded destinations.

Spells at home were spent stalking the changing buildings of Manchester and waiting for the next departure – a rollercoaster ride. 

Do you have just a few photos that bring the year to life?

1. FAMILY HOLIDAY

A family of four enjoy a sunset walk on the shores of Costa Calma in Fuerteventura.

I went on a summer break to the Spanish island of Fuerteventura and observed hundreds of family holidays, including this beautifully-placed one taking their sunset walk along the beach. It was for me an unusually relaxing, enjoyable week in the sun and I found a fascination with resort architecture in this holiday playground.

• See more from this sun-kissed isle here

2. LITTLE CORNER OF THE MARKET
A market street scene in the capital city of São Tomé e Príncipe.

The African island nation of São Tomé e Príncipe was an adventurous trip to a virtually unknown destination. The main island had a lively, chaotic capital city and amidst the natural beauty was still processing its colonial past. I’d found my gateway to seeing more unusual corners of the planet with this memorable visit.

• See more of fabulous São Tomé here

3. CUBES AND THE TOWERA conical tower block and famous yellow of the Cube Houses in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

I visited the Dutch city of Rotterdam with the intent of chasing the city’s varied and bold post-war architecture – and wasn’t disappointed. Even the zany cube houses, seen by millions of tourists, were a delight. Rotterdam, basking in summer sunshine, was a pleasant place to spend a long weekend.

• See more of ravishing Rotterdam here

4. PERAST AND BEYOND

A scenic view of Perast and beyond on the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro.

This was a first trip to Montenegro’s stunning Bay of Kotor – an inland sea with the qualities of an Alpine lake. The town of Perast (pictured) and a beautiful hotel were quieter out of season in April, while my relaxing stay also included a whistle-stop tour of Montenegro’s ruggedly scenic north.

• See much more of Montenegro here

5. TINY ISLAND CAPITAL

Tall palms hold sway over the town of Santo Antonio on Príncipe island.

You can’t visit São Tomé without hopping over to sister island Príncipe – much smaller, less developed and natural. It’s become a far flung destination for small-scale more sustainable tourism and has turned a legacy of plantations into high-end accommodation offering relaxation and adventure. I could easily go back for a two-week holiday.

• See more of this little paradise here

6. CENTRAL HALL, MANCHESTER

An interior view of Manchester Central, the city's former railway station.

The one Manchester highlight that has squeezed into a travel-rich 2024. This building, not far from where I live, started out as a railway station and is a well-known city centre landmark. It was opened to the public this year and stepping inside made its true scale and ingenuity apparent. It’s not all about new skyscrapers in this city.

• See more of this engineering feat here

7. OUTSIDE THE STORE, ANJOUANTwo brightly clothed women outside a neighbourhood general store in Mutsamudu, Comoros Islands.

The final trip of the year took me to a country which took a long time to reach and was barely touched by tourism, possibly the most obscure destination I have ever visited. The Comoros Islands was beautiful, its people fascinating and wonderfully photogenic even in mundane settings. I’m still digesting my visit as 2025 takes hold.

• See more of unknown Comoros here

Montenegro: Kotor day trip

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This is the beach getaway to Spain that turned into a break in the small Balkan nation of Montenegro.

I stayed in the historic town of Perast on scenic Boka Bay, and a trip to nearby Kotor was an obvious way to spend a day.

Was this old city worth a visit? CONTINUE READING BELOW

Tap/click first image for gallery view

The journey from Perast to Kotor took half an hour on one of the regular local buses, costing a princely €2 each way.

As soon as I walked into the old town, it lived up to all my expectations.

Honey-coloured stone, small piazzas with churches and bell towers, and a labyrinth of alleyways studded with small shops and cafes were vying for attention.

Raise your eyes up a little further to see the cloud-topped mountains that tower above this old architecture, while the town is incredibly feline-friendly and a place to watch locals going about their lives.

It’s a tourist magnet and welcomes cruise liners, so expect these well-worn streets to get busy as they did even at the start of April. Arriving early and avoiding the summer months might be a wise move.

The old fortress high above the town of Kotor in Montenegro.

You might find yourself high above Kotor

Getting away from the city is a big part of its charm – if you’re feeling energetic you can climb above the old town to the tune of 1,350 steps, visiting the old fortress for stunning views over Kotor and the bay.

I think that going down can be trickier, but was glad to land back in the old town where there are no shortage of places for refreshment and to rest your legs.

As I returned to Perast, I wondered what it would be like to stay within Kotor’s walls and see it by night. I think my smaller base was the more tranquil option.

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São Tomé: Holiday paradise?

/ mikeosbornphoto / 10 Comments

Choosing an unusual holiday destination is a bit of a gamble.

But when a country has relatively few visitors, you hope your efforts will be rewarded with something out of this world (and bragging rights!)

So I journeyed from Manchester to Lisbon to catch a six-and-a-half-hour flight to São Tomé e Príncipe, a small island nation off the African coast.

São Tomé is the largest island with the bulk of the country’s 223,000 inhabitants. The journey from the airport was straight through the capital city at dusk, which hummed with life.

Was it worth going the extra mile to see this island? CONTINUE READING BELOW

Tap/click first image to view gallery

My first lasting impression of São Tomé was one of holiday bungalows set in palm-fringed grounds, with a private beach and pool area close by.

Club Santana seemed geared up to European visitors who could happily wile away a fortnight relaxing in the winter sun – and I tapped into that vibe.

But this was also my base to begin exploring the island, which I did courtesy of guide Diego and a driver.

The eastern side of São Tomé is pierced with coastal highlights including the lively Mouth of Hell and broad sandy beaches.

This was also my first taste of the country’s roças. These grand estates were built by the Portuguese during their centuries of rule to exploit São Tomé’s cocoa resources.

Since independence in 1975 the roças have fallen into disrepair, but families are still living in the dilapidated buildings and struggling to make a living. It’s ironic that these colonial throwbacks are now very much on the tourist trail.

A bungalow at the Mucumbli lodge on the island of São Tomé.

My Mucumbli bungalow was surrounded by lush tropical greenery

I visited Roça São João which has been turned into a small hotel and is famous for its multi-course tasting menu. Maybe this is the future for São Tomé’s dessicating colonial leftovers.

There had to be a trip to São Tomé’s capital city, where I was drawn to some crumbling but boldly painted architecture.

It has the chaotic verve of any African city with people going about their daily business under tropical humidity. It’s a lot and you need to keep your wits about you.

I left São Tomé for a number of days to stay on its tranquil smaller sibling Príncipe, returning to a new home and a different set of experiences.

Mucumbli lodge is on the west coast of the island, a verdant oasis with views over the ocean. I had my own bungalow again, with rustic furnishings and a peaceful terrace facing the trees and Atlantic.

Activities here were more energetic, including a hike around the island’s Lagoa Amelia, a rich area of cultivated terraces and dense rainforest.

Seven hours and many slippery paths later, I was proud to have made it and needed a very long shower back at Mucumbli and one of their beautifully cooked, tasty dinners.

Is São Tomé worth the journey?

So did my São Tomé gamble pay off and is it the holiday paradise we haven’t yet discovered?

Well if you want a very exotic couple of weeks basking in the sunshine, that’s possible. The island has some well established accommodation to suit languid Europeans. The quality of food and level of service is impressive.

But there’s so much more this country has to offer, with beautiful landscapes, stunning nature and a compelling history. You’d be missing out if you didn’t venture beyond your relaxing compound.

A word of warning, however. English has only been taught in high schools since 2019 and São Tomé is only used to relatively small numbers of visitors. But well worth considering before tourism really takes over these little islands.

My trip to São Tomé e Príncipe was organised by Archipelago Choice, a small specialist travel agency based here in northern England. International flights to the islands were with Air Portugal and inter-island flights with STP Airways.

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