To say my expectations were exceeded is a bit of an understatement.
๐ง๐ทBrazil was on my travel list but not near the top. I had preconceptions on safety and I just wasn't sure it was somewhere I needed to visit within the next 10 years. ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ด when the reward is a trip like I had in June with Abercrombie and Kent. It kept on giving and every day presented a new adventure and I discovered Brazil was a gem hiding in plain sight. I took helicopter flights, a boat into the Iguazu falls, enjoyed dinner at a chef's house, was immersed in the carnival spirit and jogged along the Copacabana beach to name just a handful of memories that will stay with me forever.
I am so excited to see the country on Race Across The World. It's full of beautiful and inspirational people, delicious food (one of the best places I've been to as a vegetarian) and drenched in stunning nature. If Brazil is not on your bucket list, I would urge you to add it.
Abercrombie and Kent has a wonderful philanthropy project it supports in one of the favelas (a major highlight of the trip). It has created so much good and so for every booking I make to Brazil between now and the end of the year with them, I will also be making a donation to the same project.
I would be delighted to help you plan your trip to this wonderful destination and so please do get in touch.
#brazilholiday #AbercrombieAndKent #bucketlisttrips #celebrityraceacrosstheworld
I was shocked to learn the stats behind this but there's a lot we can do :-)
#tourismleakage #sustainabletravel #supportlocal
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A beach day! Baratti is just a short 15 minute drive from the hotel. There is a long stretch of beach including an organised section and it backs on to rocks and pine forest. The water is the perfect temperature (I got in for a swim and don't do that unless it's a decent temperature!) and it's perfect for kids as it's quite shallow for a fair distance. Lovely to see such clear water and sea life and great to have a sandy sea bed. Definitely a great beach for all ages ๐๏ธ
#barattibeach #tuscanbeach #italybeach
Our adventure in the Tuscan Hills is coming to an end and it's off to the coast today ๐ We've had a brilliant time exploring Volterra, San Gimignano and Siena and here are just a few postcard snapshots of our time here ๐ฎ๐น๐
#volterra #sangimignano #siena #tuscantowns
A wonderful day truffle hunting with the talented Asso in the Tuscan hills. Followed up with delicious truffle themed dishes and wine tasting (far more than I anticipated!). Brilliant value and a great experience whilst here in Tuscany ๐ฎ๐น
#trufflehuntingtuscany #trufflehuntingitaly #poggiorubino
Farewell Florence! You've been amazing but super busy and now looking forward to our Tuscan retreat in the countryside. Here is just a small collection of our three days in Florence. I've picked up lots of helpful hints and tips for my lovely customers and probably climbed the most steps in any trip!! ๐ฎ๐นโฅ๏ธ
#florence #florenceitaly
Yesterday we visited the Duomo complex in Florence (we've saved the Bell Tower....and our legs.....for today). You get to the top by walking up 463 steps and all sorts of staircases. It starts with fairly normal steps and then moves onto a spiral staircase which ascends to the galley area; this is just wide enough for one person to walk around. At the gallery stage you can take a little time to look at the painted domed ceiling but not much as you have to keep moving. It's then on to the smaller staircases as this is where you scale the dome! Once at the top, you get the most incredible views of Florence and it's actually bigger up there than you may think.
It's timed entry here and my advice is to book the 9am slot. Once finished, we exited and joined the cathedral queue and glad we did as this grew very quickly into a long queue. Once in the cathedral you can appreciate the ceiling again. Inside, it didn't feel particularly spectacular but the ceiling is the highlight and of course, the beautiful facade.
We spoke to a lady who tried to book tickets on the day and was told she'd have to wait until 19th July and so so book in good time!
#duomofirenze #duomoflorence #viewpointflorence
Wonderful day hiking the Cinque Terre. So glad we did Riomaggiore to Manarola on arrival day.....the toughest hike perhaps. The normal routes from Riomaggiore through to Corniglia are closed and so we had to take alternatives.
We started in Monterosso al Mare which is a pretty beach village, on to the stunning Vernazza, Corniglia for lunch and then back to Manarola.
We enjoyed cannoli, focaccia, granita and like a mirage in an oasis on our longest hike........a vineyard selling wine and much needed shade!!
We celebrated Ben's birthday with a testing menu at a beautiful local restaurant and then fell into bed.
The most beautiful hike we've ever done and they can recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good walk!
#cinqueterre #italyhikes
What an amazing first day.......we don't do things the easy way.......this is one of the hardest hikes on the trail!! With just two hours of sleep, we needed something to keep us awake and with the heat and humidity rolled into a rough trek, we absolutely stayed awake.....who wouldn't with these views ๐
We were lucky to get an upgrade to extra leg room with Jet2 which gave us more room than premium and a free middle seat. We clearly looked some of the fittest and more awake this morning!
We have found a free parking spot in La Spezia ๐คซ๐ and enjoyed all the sights, sounds and flavours of today..... although not sure I would try jumping from the cliffs like in this video ๐ง
Looking forward to the big hike tomorrow ๐
#cinqueterre #riomaggiore #manarola #laspezia
It's only 9am and it's ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ out there. The main promenade road is closed for Iron Man and so I joined the locals on a morning run ๐ I made it to the Emiliano where we had dinner on our second night ๐โโ๏ธ๐๐ฅต
Helicopter trip around Christ the Redeemer
Another WOW! moment yesterday......a helicopter flight around Christ the Redeemer ๐ no long trek up surrounded by lots of people and you get the flight from Sugarloaf. I was really surprised at the value when compared to a similar flight in New York!
#christtheredeemer #helisight #riohelicoptertour #abercrombieandkent
Good morning from the Copacabana Palace in Rio ๐
#copacabanapalacehotel #riodejaneiro #abercrombieandkent
Just a quick pan around our beach ๐ฎโฅ๏ธ
#fasano #angradosreis #paradise #abercrombieandkent
After breakfast and a quick sightseeing trip of Paraty yesterday morning for those gorgeous daylight photos, we had a property tour.
This boutique hotel has just 28 suites and villas situated around a courtyard with a pool, restaurant and spa. It's a tranquil paradise in the heart of old town Paraty and also the centre for its literary festival.
I was staying in an apartment which was a lovely sized room and I got to see a junior suite and a few larger suites. The Paraty Suite is quite unbelievable for the size of this hotel, you have to see it to believe it!
#pousadaliterariaparaty #paratyhotels #literaturehotels #boutiquehotelparaty #abercrombieandkent
Feeding the beautiful birds at the hotel this morning ๐
Fabulous evening at @casadochef.iguazufalls thank you Fabio and your talented team! A great journey through the history of Brazilian food, tasty dishes, wonderful entertainment and good conversation. We all experienced a closer connection to Brazil and it's food and I'm sure we'll never forget this night. I will return!!
#brazilianfood #casadochefiguazufalls #iguazufallsdining
Wow! We have now experienced the Iguazu Falls from both the Argentinian side, Brazilian side, by air and by boat (going under them!). We had no idea we'd be taking a helicopter trip until minutes before! This is a video of the falls and you can see the hotel we are staying at and the one we visited yesterday. Absolutely lost for words. It's only day two and I feel like we have done so much.
#abercrombieandkent #iguazufalls #iguazufallsbyhelicopter
What an incredible first day! We flew overnight with BA to Sao Paulo. On arrival we enjoyed a VIP transfer to our onward flight to Iguazu Falls. This is a must! It was a busy time at the airport and this made everything stress free and meant we made our connection.
On arrival at Iguazu we headed straight to the Gran Melia for a walk along the lower trail (one of three trails from this side). Access is direct from the hotel and in the summer this covered path leading to the national park is a haven for hummingbirds. You can hear the falls before you see them and they do not disappoint. Walk over bridges where waterfalls rush powerfully beneath you and watch birds cling to rocks and vultures circle. You then get the spectacular falls view with rainbows within touching distance. Around each corner there's another magnificent view and all accessible.
After our walk, a delicious lunch was calling and as we were in Argentina, Malbec and Dulce de Leche were calling too! All tasty with incredible service and the monkeys agreed!
Then we had room tours. After an overnight flight and lots of fresh air, we all wanted to claim one of these beautiful rooms with the most fabulous views. The Royal Suite was my favourite and it's not hard to see why given the space, views and private pool which come with this room.
I could have stayed and looked at the views all day long but now it's off to our hotel where we'll be spending the next two nights!
#iguazufalls #granmeliaiguazufalls #abercrombieandkent
