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Portmanteau Travel Designs & creates luxurious travel experiences

05/03/2025

✈️ POSTCARD FROM HO CHI MINH CITY ✈️
Ho Chi Minh, Hoh Chi Minh, you are sensational! I’m in The Blank Sky Lounge, 76 floors above the ground and it’s rocking, hardly surprising as most of the city’s population is under 35 years old! I was dying to try this famous bar, but I have to say, I do feel rather ‘old’ so I think one martini maybe it for me 🍸

I love modern day Vietnam and specifically the 24 districts of Ho Chi Minh City, both urban and rural and so diverse. I wanted to stay centrally, in District 1 and when I walked into my temporary abode, to see the grand lobby, its 7 meter vaulted ceilings and all the glitz and opulence I had a laugh, but I was very impressed.

My love of Chinese Vietnamese food led me to Cholon and specifically to Hai Ki Mi Gia, a legendary family-run institution specializing in Mì Vịt Tiềm, duck leg and yellow egg noodles served with mustard greens in a rich, dark broth seasoned with medicinal herbs and spices. So that’s what I had – perfect!

Today, I wandered through the Bến Thành Market - stalls were piled high with silk scarves, spices and the most beautiful and fascinating street food! Then I zipped through the streets on a Vespa – chaotic, yes, but certainly thrilling and had to be done I thought! I made stops at the War Remnants Museum as well as The Saigon Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral. I then went over Saigon Bridge, but fell off my vespa 🤭

I’m SO excited about tomorrow – I’m going to ‘Noir - Dining in the Dark’, which is exactly that! I’ll be guided into a pitch-black dining room, to eat a mystery multi-course meal without seeing anything, to heighten sense of taste, smell and touch, making every bite an adventure. Not very NOR-MAAL but can’t wait! The issue for me is that I keep thinking of ‘I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here’ and that I may be given insects!

’til next time! 😎

Divine Phu Quoc, only an hour from Ho Chi Minh City 😊
03/03/2025

Divine Phu Quoc, only an hour from Ho Chi Minh City 😊

14/02/2025

POSTCARD FROM RAJA AMPAT

I just love watching turtles calmly gliding by – they’re actually really elegant! Today I also saw a tiny shark, an octopus, a lobster and the most enormous humphead wrasse! Raja Ampat has the most diverse reef ever - it’s a sensationally stunning archipelago.

From Bali, I flew to Sorong to be met by Pindito, a beautiful liveaboard dive yacht. We did a 15 hour cruise to the best part of this paradise, Misool, in the south. There are 16 of us and apart from the diving and snorkelling we’ve had cocktails on a remote beach, paddle boarded to the most stunning and completely uninhabited lagoons I’ve ever seen (some of us much better than others 😊) and had a million belly ache laughs on the deck in the evening. The crew have guitars so some of the guests are showing off their skills and providing a fabulous sing-along experience! Tomorrow we’re going to visit a village and meet the locals.

The food is all fresh Asian fusion inspired and there is a LOT of it – will take many gym sessions to get the extra kilos off!

‘til next time

My favourite hotel in Montenegro.
07/02/2025

My favourite hotel in Montenegro.

Here’s our client Harry on his trip in Montenegro, in the submarine tunnel!
05/02/2025

Here’s our client Harry on his trip in Montenegro, in the submarine tunnel!

16/01/2025

I’m in a dream destination – an eco-luxury lodge in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon. There is a walkway bridge, 30 meters above the ground, allowing guests to enjoy an amazing view of the Amazon. This vibrant, biodiverse region covers nearly 60% of Peru’s territory, forms part of the Amazon Rainforest and is one of the most biologically diverse places on earth. It’s a long way for so many travellers, but it’s a bucket list place for sure.

I flew from Lima to Iquitos and then took a river boat down the mighty Amazon, travelling deeper into the jungle. I didn’t really think about the fact this would be one of the major highlights of the trip, seeing, for the first time, pink river dolphins, various kinds of monkeys, iguanas and the most amazing birds. Finally, I arrived at my lodge, just in time for cocktail hour!

I had a private guided tour to a remote village. The village people welcomed us with traditional dances, handcrafted gifts and a ‘blowgun’ ceremony. The blowgun, a 3 metre cylindrical bamboo weapon, symbolises the connection between human and nature and represents skill and nature. I had a go – no skill!

Exploring the Madre de Dios region was one of the best experiences I’ve had – right up there with a safari in the Serengeti. I saw giant river otter’s, a capybara (the world’s largest rodent), more monkeys, eagles, parrots and yellow spotted river turtles! Then I was treated to a stunning lunch cooked by Chef on a secluded riverbank - grilled tambaqui fish, yuca and fresh starfruit juice – SO good!

This morning I went for a sunrise canoe and now I’m relaxing in my cabana watching hundreds of different bird species flying by, also content with life.

‘til next time!

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