Spain

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.

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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.

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

Fuerteventura: Costa Calma

/ mikeosbornphoto / 2 Comments

My recent island travels have taken me to São Tomé e Príncipe and Cape Verde, which were all about exploration.

This time I visited Fuerteventura in Spain’s Canary Islands, where the emphasis is on sun, sand and relaxation.

I stayed at Costa Calma in the south-east of the island, settling down to days of hotel buffet meals, lounging around and sunset wanders.

But there was photography too, capturing the essence of this popular destination.

Would you like to kick back and take it easy here?

Tap/click first image to see gallery

Link to more posts about travel on mikeosbornphoto

Fuerteventura: Island architecture

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I recently went on a good old-fashioned beach holiday to the Spanish island of Fuerteventura.

It’s a destination blessed with a sunny climate, beautiful beaches and has relaxation at its heart.

But on Fuerteventura’s Costa Calma, especially popular with German holidaymakers, I became fascinated with the resort’s architecture.

Could your attention be turned away from the beach? CONTINUE READING BELOW

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I stayed at the SBH Crystal Beach Hotel, a large confection of concrete and marble made for hundreds of holidaymakers.

It was a layer cake of whitewashed tiers, confusing to navigate, but boasted a beautiful view over the long beach.

The coast has been developed over the years with several large hotels and a little resort town, packed with white and pastel buildings guarded by sturdy desert plants.

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The neighbouring Taro Hotel took the prize for architectural exuberance, topped with peaked concrete slabs like southern Fuerteventura’s rugged mountains.

Down on the beach, the bright yellow lifeguard pods became something of an architectural obsession in their own right.

This little getaway reminded me of family holidays to Spain in the 1970s and 80s, when the big hotel was king and you didn’t have to go far.

The beautiful skies, stark lines and rich colours were a joy to photograph – it wasn’t all snoozing and swimming on this sunshine break!

Has your simple beach holiday turned into an architectural joy? Let me know :)

Poolside

/ mikeosbornphoto / 12 Comments

Poolside abstract I

An inviting blue Spanish pool. Your instinct isn’t to dive into the cool waters, but to observe its ripples, glints of sunshine, textures and colours. Click first image to view the gallery

You also feel compelled to capture the top arch of the steps that take you gently into the water – but never set a foot in yourself. It’s almost a crying shame that the searingly bright metal is dappled with watermarks.

Photography rules over a luxuriously cool dip in a Spanish pool.

Watermarks