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Chefchaouen, Morocco

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I am so excited to share with you one of the most incredible trips I’ve done this year with my best travel crew– Chefchaouen!

Those who were following me on Instagram for a while can probably remember my trip to Marrakesh last year and the struggles and problems I’ve been facing on that trip. The most important one – I didn’t feel safe there. Maybe because it was my first trip out of Europe and I was a naive tourist rather than experienced traveler, but still, after the trip to Marrakesh I was sure I won’t be coming back to Morocco. However after I got back I started to read more about this country and the culture and I became fascinated with it and wanted to explore more.  My top bucket list place in Morocco was Chefchaouen- the Blue city. Imagine how happy I was when I found out on my birthday(!) that we’re going there all together with my closest friends two weeks after!

We’ve started our trip in Rabat where we spent our first day. There was few ways to get to Chefchaouen- trains and buses but as we only went there for a weekend, to save the time we decided to rent a car and just drive there. The journey was around 3.5 hours long .We had few issues with police stopping us on our way and we had to pay a few fines haha I am not really sure for what, as nobody could speak English so it was a bit stressful, but when we finally got there we all forgotten about it and fallen in love at first sight.

It was so magical, felt like a completely different world. So beautiful and  peaceful compare to overcrowded and noisy Marrakesh.

There was not much to do there, but it was just perfect place for a relaxing weekend trip. I loved strolling around all these charming, blue streets, shopping at the local boutiques, sipping traditional mint tea and admiring the magical views. Also- I think I have never taken so many photographs! It’s the most photogenic town I’ve ever seen! You should definitely add it to your bucket list!

 

 

 

Mykonos & Santorini with Rocabella Hotels

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Have you ever been dreaming of visiting a place for years but never actually managed to do so? This is my story with Mykonos & Santorini- two islands I’ve always wanted to tick off my bucket list but there was always something blocking me. I even had flights to Santorini booked once and didn’t make it. All that made me crave visiting these destinations even more!

This year I’ve finally made it- what’s more- it was a birthday gift from my boyfriend! Isn’t the most incredible surprise ever?

First island we visited was Mykonos. And I have fallen in love at first sight. Literally… I’ve never seen any place that was SO PERFECT before. All the colours, flowers, boutique restaurants, bars, hotels. I was obsessed with every little street, every cute cafe and every single shop. Just look at it. My memory card became full real quick!

Shirt dress – Dancing Leopard

Jumpsuit – Mister Zimi

Skirt – Mango

Bag- MANANA Jewels

But my birthday getaway wouldn’t be the same without incredible stay at Rocabella Mykonos. I can truly say it was the most beautiful, boutique hotel I’ve ever stay at! It was perfect at every little detail. I loved its minimal chic design and bohemian feel- after I got back I started to redecorate my place, I swear! I highly recommend to stop there even for couple of nights- it’s a real fairytale and escape from everyday life.

After few amazing days in Mykonos we moved to Santorini. The connection between these to islands is actually great! We used Sea Jets ferry and in less than two hours we were already wandering around magical Santorini. We stayed at Rocabella Santorini– what a dream! I couldn’t have imagined a better place to celebrate my birthday!

 

 

Venice & Burano

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I always thought Paris is the most romantic place in Europe, but after visiting Venice I have completely changed my mind. The idea of going there came when I started to plan where to spend our anniversary. Of course I wanted it to be special and as much as I love London the vision of grey, rainy day in the middle of calendar summer was the last thing I wanted. I was dreaming of warm nights, delicious italian food and loads of wine. Venice was a perfect match. Again my favourite SkyScanner app didn’t disappoint me! I have only booked a ticket a month in advance ( and I was super sure the tickets would be expensive – August, full season) but surprise – it was only 70 pounds per person, so I booked them immediately and started the countdown.

HOW TO GET THERE

When booking a plane tickets to Venice you need to know there are 2 airports – main one – Marco Polo, second one ( a bit more far) Treviso. We landed at second  one ( usually tickets to Treviso are cheaper) and to be honest it was pretty easy to get to the city centre. The only thing is it takes a little bit longer than from Marco Polo.

How to get to Venice from Treviso? As you walk out from the airport search for the bus shuttle ATVO. The ticket is cheaper when you buy the return one straight away – 22 euro per person. It takes around 45 minutes and you will arrive at Piazzale Roma. To get to main square Piazza San Marco take the public service boat number 51 or ’N’ (after midnight). Get off in San Zaccaria. The ride should take you around 1 hour, but it’s actually pretty enjoyable, you get an amazing first look at Venice.  How to get to the centre from Marco Polo? Take the boat line called ‘ALILAGUNA’ which takes you to stop San Zaccaria in around an hour. The ticket costs 15 euro per person.

WHERE TO STAY

As you probably heard- Venice can be really expensive. A night in a hotel at Piazza San Marco can cost even over 1,000 pound. I have decided to find something cheaper, smaller, ideally close to the centre but more like a guest house rather than a 5 star fancy hotel. It took me a while as most of the places where fully booked already, but found this gorgeous, Venetian- style, family run place – Locanda Casa Querini. The location was perfect –  only 5 minutes away from famous and lively Piazza San Marco, but on a quiet square called Campo San Giovani Novo – honestly an oasis from the midst of touristy chaos. I absolutely loved our charming, venetian-style bedroom – it was just perfect for our anniversary. I also found the owner extremely helpful.  She gave us a map and explained how to make the most of out short stay.  Also the price was great – 70 euros per night with a complimentary buffet-style breakfast. Highly recommended!

HOW TO GET AROUND

Venice is not a big city and the best way to feel the atmosphere is walking through its little streets and alleys, admire the maze of canals, whimsical bridges and colourful buildings. However if you want to experience the authentic Venetian transportation system the cheapest is using ‘ Vaporetto’ – water bus. The single ride cost 7,50 euro ( valid 60 minutes) so if you’re staying in Venice a bit longer I would suggest to purchase the proper pass. We stayed in Venice for 2 days and got 24 hours pass for 28 euro per person. It was actually very useful as apart from getting around Venice you can also travel to nearby islands using the same ticket. It’s also great if you get lost- and trust me no matter how great your map is you will (and remember there’s no uber in here!)  Moving by ferries is super easy though, there are very few lines. If you’re staying in the centre getting back to St. Marco and asking for directions from there is usually the best and the quickest solution. Even if you do not speak Italian do not hesitate to ask locals for help – they are extremely friendly and helpful – I’ve seen them even drawing little map for the lost tourists in the middle of the night!

DAY TRIP TO BURANO

My favourite place to write about in this post. The place that has been on my bucket list for ages. The island I was dreaming about – beautiful Burano. Can’t even describe how excited I was the night before we went there, I literally couldn’t sleep! (So I have planned everything perfectly). Woke up super early as I wanted to avoid massive crowds and extreme heat. ( Have I mentioned that it was almost 40 degrees in the afternoon?)We used our boat pass and took a Vaporetto N 12 from Fondamente Nove. It took us around 45 minutes. It was only 9 am but it was already very hot and busy so looked like other travellers had similar plan to mine…Well, after I got off the ferry and looked at this place I forgot about the whole world and turn into a crazy travel bunny! No one and nothing was bothering me anymore. It was just me and a rainbow of colours. Can’t even name my emotions – happiness, positivity, energy and also that amazing feeling of your dreams coming true. Absolutely unreal, so quaint and perfect at every single corner. It was honestly the most cheerful place I have seen in my life. As I found out later, the houses were painted in different colours so the fishermen could easily recognise their home from the sea. Also Burano is famous for the lace so there are many cute boutiques where you can buy the gorgeous lace work

Of course I couldn’t leave Burano without taking a photo with every house on the island. Aren’t they just gorgeous?

This one was just The Blonde Flamingo PERFECT!

Do’s and dont’s in Venice

  1. Enjoy getting lost in Venice. You will get to discover the untrammelled and un-tourists parts of the city and trust me – these are the most charming ones.
  2. Do not buy souvenirs in Piazza San Marco – you can find the same stuff anywhere else at least twice cheaper! The same thing about buying there any drinks or snacks. And if you do, do not say I haven’t warn you – 5 euro for a little bottle of water or 9 euro for an espresso is a standard in this area.
  3. Do not eat anywhere with all the languages and food photographs on the menu – these are typical touristy, overpriced places with poor quality food that has nothing to do with the authentic Venetian cuisine. Spend some more time searching and I am sure you will find a hidden gem. I’ve discovered mine accidentally ( so I can’t really explain where it was) but it was called Osteria Al Portego. Unimposing, traditional italian restaurant filled with locals which was a good sign to me. I must say the food was absolutely delicious and reasonably priced. Try it if you’re around (and please say hello and a big thank you again to the lovely Italian lady who was patiently trying to remove the tomato sauce that I have spread all around my dress while eating, right before our gondola date! Whatever she did, it worked!
  4. Wear comfortable shoes as you will be walking A LOT – I am telling you from my own experience. On the first day I felt like I am in the middle of Italian movie and put on little white dress and platform sandals. It didn’t take me long to resign, ‘run’ back to the apartment  and jump into sneakers. Well, at least I have managed to take some Venetian- style photographs, haha!
  5. Get a gelato or a take away pizza and enjoy a picnic on the banks of the Grand Canal. I swear I could be sitting there and watching gondoliers for hours!

 

6. To avoid all hustle and bustle, take a gondola ride during siesta or sunset time – it feels much more special when all you could hear is singing gondolier and the lap waves rather than screaming tourists and shutterbugs( taking photos of your gondola ride at all times!) Also agree on a ride’s price before, as they may be very tricky!

7. Take some aperitivio time. Sit down in a place you like the most, order famous Aperol Spritz or a glass of the local wine, some cicchetti ( local little tapas) ,lose the track of time and just simply enjoy the Italian ‘ dolce far niente ‘ (sweet doing nothing)

8. Learn few words in Italian, like ‘Buongiorno’ – Good morning, ‘Ciao’ – Hello, ‘Grazie’ – Thank you, ’ scuza’ – I am sorry. I’ve noticed that makes locals so happy and also they won’t be looking at you as another dumb tourist, but a real traveller

9. Be aware of pickpockets in Venice. Keep your personal belongings safe (especially on those busy bridges and ferries- it gets SUPER crowded so it literally takes seconds to get robbed)

10. Empty the memory card of your camera. Every single corner, bridge, little street, gondolier or even a hanging laundry is literally begging you to take a photo! So make some space as you will take LOADS!

Venice is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities I have visited. It has stolen my heart completely. It’s one of those rare places where you truly want to get lost. Wandering among its ancient buildings, through its twisting, picturesque little streets and alleys and listening to singing gondoliers made me feel so relaxed. It was one of the most magical feeling- forgetting about absolutely everything. Just me in a middle of an ancient fairytale. Ohh, Venice! I’ll never forget you!

 

Maldives with Kinan Retreat

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Maldives on budget? Yes, it’s possible!

Have you always been dreaming of visiting Maldives but it seemed too expensive to get to? We all know Maldives being famous as a perfect honeymoon destination- 5 star luxury hotels, sleeping in over the water bungalows, getting around on the seaplanes, sunrise breakfasts on private beaches and dining at underwater restaurants. Yes, it is absolutely incredible, however crazy expensive. Some of my college mates may be laughing now. I remember we had to prepare presentation about our dream destination and calculate the cost of it it.Guess what? My speech was about Maldives! I remember it all came up SUPER expensive and that day I thought- ‘Omg I would need to become a lawyer to be able to afford that!”. And do you know what? 5 years later I am still here, I’ve never became a lawyer and I have just came back from the trips of my dreams! So happy so share with you how it all started and how I’ve managed to make it all work!

I remember it was one of those London’s summer days and I’ve been super bored at work, dreaming of another getaway and suddenly the offer came up on my Facebook feed. I looked at it and thought- destiny! I’m meant to go there! I said to my boss that I have to go to the bathroom haha and quickly booked it with SkyScanner. I knew the offer won’t last long so I couldn’t wait until my break! ( if my boss ever reads that- I am sorry, it became an addiction that I can’t control!) Pretty extreme considering that was our first travel that far from home, only done a quick check if we need any visa, but we didn’t yay! So how could I resist- 380£ return ticket for middle of November- perfect escape from London’s rain and cold?

What do you need to know before travel?

LOCATION

First of all you need to know that Maldives is a chain of 1190 islands ( yep, almost 2000 tiny islands one next to each other!) located south-west of Sri Lanka and India in the Indian Ocean.

BEST TIME TO GO

The best weather is between November and April. The high season falls between December and March. The monsoon runs from May to October. I think it’s better to pay a little bit more for a ticket and stick to visiting Maldives during the dry season as there’s not much to do when it’s raining. I have experienced that myself as we had one day of a proper monsoon and we were literally stuck at the hotel as there was not much to do on the island and the rain is was too heavy and the wind too strong to move to another island where the weather could possibly be different. The weather was changing quite quickly though, so do not get panicked when it rains a little during the dry season. Usually after an hour the HEAT is back. I must admit it was THAT HOT that sometimes I didn’t mind a 10 minute shower rain to cool off a little and watching the most magical rainbows over the crystal clear ocean after. Breathtaking!

VISA

To enter Maldives no pre-arrival visa is required. A thirty day free visa is issued on arrival for all Nationalities. All you need is a valid passport (

and should have at least 6 months validity)

CURRENCY

The Maldives has a non-convertible currency- Maldivian Rufiyaa – this cannot be purchased beforehand. One US Dollar is equivalent to 15.42 Rufiyaa. Paying in dollars it’s also accepted.

LOCAL TAXES

They are added literally everywhere so read carefully while booking your accommodation and keep in mind while dining somewhere if you’re travelling on budget! What I would suggest is to double check if the taxes are already included in the price of your hotel or you will be asked to pay the taxes on a arrival in the local currency. I’ve booked mine with AGODA and taxes where already included in the price. In the resorts, bars and cafes on the final bill you will see added 10% service charge and 12% T-GST (Tourism Goods and Service Tax). In the hotels there will be also an extra charge of $6 USD per person per night ( Environmental ‘Green’ tax).

CULTURE

You need to remember that Maldives is a Muslim country. It’s really important to be aware of that while planning to stay on a local islands rather than resorts. There are beaches where woman need to be covered. Usually there is a beach marked on the island as ‘Bikini Beach’ where you can wear swimsuit. Also, alcohol is prohibited (unless you’re staying at the resort of course).

CHOOSING THE ISLAND AND GETTING AROUND

So the first question after your ticket to Maldives is already booked is what island should we go to? I must admit it hasn’t been easy. It was pretty difficult to find some information about islands and getting around too. As I already mentioned I decided to go a bit off the track and discover local life rather than luxury. I’ve chosen Fulidhoo island located in Vaavu Atoll, 3.5 hours away by ferry from Male airport and the tickets for 2 of us cost 7USD. While Male was a super rainy the morning we have left , if further we went the sunnier it was. The good thing about the public ferry was sitting on its rooftop and watching the beautiful islands and resorts around- incredible. I’ve fallen in love at first sight! I had tears in my eyes the entire journey! This amazing feeling of your dream coming true! I can feel it even now when I am writing all this and have a picture of this view in my head. Seeing all this stunning over the water bungalows, endless blue lagoons and palms was simply unreal. I’ve always thought there’s a bit of photoshop behind all this, but I was wrong. It is really that beautiful!

FULIDHOO ISLAND

Fulidhoo looked slightly different compare to other islands we’ve passed on our way. It was actually more than we have expected. When we were getting closer with the boat I thought- ‘ If I ever called any other place a paradise before I was wrong- THIS is paradise”. There’s no over-the-water bungalow villas, no souvenir shops, no luxury cocktail bars and no infinity pools. It’s a pure nature. Few guesthouses, a mosque, one school, public beach, tiny bikini beach, tones of palm trees, tropical flowers and wild nature. Coconuts falling over your head. Smiley local families enjoying afternoon on the beach all together.  So many times I looked at them thinking “ Omg I wish that was my life”. Nothing bothered me there. I’ve never felt this way anywhere I’ve been before. Nothing matters when you’re there. Money has no value. It’s you, in the middle of nowhere. Heaven on Earth. There’s absolutely nothing to do on the island apart from simply living the moment and forgetting the ‘real’ world exists. And do you know what? I’ve absolutely loved it. Every single corner was charming. And there was almost no-one around. Sometimes I felt like it’s our own island. I loved watching the sunrise, observing local man fishing, drinking coconut water and admiring hundreds of little white crabs running on the shore right next to me feet. Sounds of tropical birds and smell of exotic flowers. All these little things made me love this island. Made me feel like this is where I really belong and where I am feeling truly myself and where I feel alive. Me and the nature. Nothing else. Rays of sun on my face and the smell of the ocean. All I need. ( and my flamingo of course!)

 

 

 

KINAN RETREAT

We’ve checked into our beautiful family-run guesthouse Kinan Retreat located right on the beach front, where we’ve been welcomed by friendly crew with a cold, freshly squeezed, tropical fruit juice and given some warm towels to refresh after the journey. It was such a perfect start of our stay! The rooms were clean, spacious and very bright. It’s worth paying few more dollars for the room with the terrace overviewing the ocean. Room prices varied between 60-80$ per night depending on the room type all with buffet style breakfast ( omg you will love their Mas huni!- typical Maldivian breakfast, composed of tuna, onion, coconut, and chilii.  I was obsessed with it and I am craving it everyday since I am back!) and wifi included in the price. They were also offering buffet style dinner for their guests. It was a proper feast! Dishes were pretty simple but incredibly tasty! I am a fish and vegetables lover so I was super satisfied and loved every dish that chef prepared for us. We’ve ended up eating at the guesthouse everyday.

There was also a water sport centre right next door to the hotel, where you could rent like boats, canoe, jet ski, snorkelling and fishing equipment. You can also book snorkelling trips as well as diving with the sharks or night fishing. KINAN RETRAT was also organising tours around, which was great and affordable compare to Male (during our one night stay in the capital I’ve seen a the same trip we went on from Fulidhoo at 340$ per person while at Kinan the price was 4 times lower so do not even hesitate! We’ve done trips to Picnic Island, Snorkelling, visited the sand bank, we’ve been swimming with sharks and even done a night finishing!

 

After few days on Fulidhoo island I felt home. I had my favourite spot on the beach, I made friends, found my favourite chocolate in the local sweet shop and kinda got used to drink a coconut water for breakfast. It was so hard to leave this tiny island. When I was packing my suitcase I was already checking the flights for New Year to come back. I’ve never felt this happy and grateful in my entire life. I’ve met so many amazing, inspiring people and I’ve seen the most breathtaking views. My biggest dream came true. Thank you KINAN RETREAT team for all these beautiful memories! I’ll be back one day!