Bangkok has a way of getting under your skin. The hiss of wok-fried noodles at midnight, the tangle of tuk-tuks at an intersection, the golden flash of a temple roof glimpsed between concrete towers… It is a city that never quite sits still, yet always finds a way to welcome you in.And if there’s one misconception I hear over and over again, it is this: to stay somewhere stylish and comfortable in Bangkok, you have to splurge on a high-end hotel. You really don’t.Some of the most charming, design-forward places I’ve stayed in Bangkok were officially “only” three stars —…
Auteur/autrice : Olivia
The first time I saw the Amalfi Coast, it was from the window of a bus that was slightly too fast for the cliffside road it was following. Below, the sea stretched like a sheet of blue silk, crumpled here and there by the wake of tiny white boats. Lemon trees clung to terraces impossibly steep, and villages tumbled down the cliffs in cascades of pastel houses. It felt unreal, almost staged — and yet, it was very real, with laundry fluttering from balconies and the smell of espresso drifting up from hidden cafés.Planning a trip to this slice of…
Six months. It sounds both endless and impossibly short, doesn’t it? Long enough for a new language to start rolling off your tongue. Long enough for your favourite pair of shoes to give up on you somewhere between a Thai night market and a Portuguese cobblestone street. Long enough, especially, to feel your life gently shift on its axis.When I left for my first six-month trip, I thought I was prepared. I had spreadsheets, packing cubes, a budget app and a romanticised vision of myself journaling in sunlit cafés from Hanoi to Lisbon. Reality, of course, was messier — and…
There is a particular kind of magic in waking up just steps away from Milan’s Duomo — before the crowds arrive, before the selfie sticks lift like a metal forest towards the sky. The bells ring, the light softens the marble into pale gold, and you realise you’ve slept in the heart of one of the world’s fashion capitals… without selling a kidney for the privilege.Because yes: a stylish, well-located 3-star hotel in Milan near the Duomo is absolutely possible. You can have design touches, a cosy bed, and cappuccino foam thick as a cloud, all while keeping your travel…
There are cities that whisper, and there are cities that hum. Singapore hums – softly, steadily – with the sizzle of woks, the hiss of air-conditioning escaping from shopfronts, and the low murmur of conversations in four languages at once. It is also one of the world’s most expensive destinations… but it doesn’t have to feel that way when you know where to sleep.If you’re dreaming of smoky hawker food, glittering skylines and pockets of wild green suspended above highways, a thoughtfully chosen three-star hotel can be your best ally. Not a shoebox dorm, not a glossy five-star tower –…
Venice is one of those rare cities that seems to hover between water and sky, more dream than destination. But once you start browsing hotel prices along the Grand Canal, the dream can feel suspiciously like a financial nightmare. The good news? You don’t need a five-star palace to feel the magic of Venice. A thoughtfully chosen three-star hotel, tucked beside a quiet canal, can offer all the charm — and far more authenticity — without draining your travel budget.Over several visits, I’ve traded opulent chandeliers for creaking wooden beams, and marble lobbies for tiny terraces overlooking silent waterways. Again…
There’s a moment, just before sunset in Antalya, when the Mediterranean turns to liquid gold. The heat se fait plus doux, the call to prayer glides over the rooftops, and the old stones of the city begin to glow. You don’t need a luxury resort to savour that moment – just a comfortable 3-star hotel, a balcony with a hint of sea breeze, and the feeling that you’ve made the most of your budget.Antalya, on Turkey’s turquoise coast, is one of those rare places where sun, sea and history coexist within a tram ride. Roman gates, Ottoman mansions, sandy beaches…
New York is not a city you simply “visit”. It’s a place you step into as if into a film already playing, with yellow taxis sliding past, steam rising from subway grates and a constant hum that seems to come from the sidewalks themselves. In a city where everything moves fast and shines bright, your hotel doesn’t need to be spectacular – it needs to be smart. A good 3‑star hotel in NYC is less a destination and more a base camp: comfortable, well‑placed, and quietly efficient, so you can spend your time (and your budget) out in the streets.Why…
The first time I pressed my thumb on the quad’s accelerator in Morocco, the world shrank to three things: the low growl of the engine, the desert wind on my cheeks, and a cloud of amber dust catching the late-afternoon light. Somewhere behind me, Marrakech hummed and bargained and honked. Ahead, the tracks sliced through a vastness that felt suddenly timeless.Quad biking in Morocco is not just about speed or adrenaline. It’s about tracing invisible paths through deserts and palm groves, catching the scent of mint tea in a village you’d never have reached on foot, and learning how to…
The first thing that hit me in Bournemouth wasn’t the sea breeze, or the cry of the gulls, or even the scent of salt and vinegar from a paper cone of chips. It was the colour of the water. On a good day, the English Channel here turns a soft turquoise that feels almost Mediterranean — until a gust of wind reminds you very clearly that you’re in Dorset, not the Côte d’Azur.Bournemouth is what many imagine when they think of a classic English seaside escape: pastel beach huts, a Victorian pier, stripy deckchairs and that gentle hum of holiday…