Archive for the ‘our travels’ Category
is this the world’s best bar? (yes)
heaven on stilts
shabby chic
A bar that resembles a shrine to the gods of the endless azure, you’d think it had risen from the ocean. We can’t keep our mouths shut about this one. The Pelican Bar anchored just off Treasure Beach Jamaica is a sublime ‘get away from it all spot’ where you can spend the day red stripe in hand soaking up those Caribbean rays.
Conjured up by local fisherman Floyd Forbes this rustic wooden bar is built on a sand bank a quarter of a mile out to sea a short swim from the bohemian chic bolthole Jakes. The bar only serves delectable rum punches and beer (what else would you possibly want?), and if your feeling a bit peckish simply cast a line and voila, a fish dinner. It doesn’t get more Jamaican than this.
Psst, stay at Jakes this summer and get your 5th night free.
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...from jamaica with love
golden shores
beaches at goldeneye
After rather a large shake (not stir) up, GoldenEye in Jamaica has reopened after two years of renovations in a blaze of glory…well they do say diamonds are forever. Just a 20 minute flight or 90 minute private car transfer from Montego Bay to the private Ian Fleming airport located 10 minutes drive from GoldenEye, this exclusive island retreat is set in 52 acres of tropical forests. Now boasting a brand new array of chic lagoon suites and beach cottages, the bedrooms are all individually designed with understated elegance meets modern Caribbean flair. The rooms are resplendent with lagoon and ocean views, private decks and outdoor dining tables for supping under the stars. The outdoor amenities continue with beautiful al fresco rainfall showers and claw foot bath tubs set in your own lush tropical garden.
Ian Fleming, the James Bond maestro, was originally sent to the Caribbean on his majesty’s secret service during WWII to monitor U boat activities, in an operation nicknamed GoldenEye. At the close of the War he decided to stay and make Jamaica his home. The great news…it is still possible to stay in his iconic home known at GoldenEye as The Ian Fleming Villa where he penned all 14 classic Bond novels and we wanted to go and check out what all the hubbub was about…
gardens of goldeneye
Starting our morning in a new lagoon suite, suspended over the edge of the water to create that dreamy floating illusion we sat taking in the uninterrupted lagoon views with the only ripple of water following the occasional guest on a paddle board quietly trawling past, we also simply loved wading out from the perfect powder white sand to a tiny Island, replete with sun decks and carefully carved stone seats, to enjoy a fruit punch. The most difficult thing then was deciding what to do next. The options for day time activities are endless. We found ourselves trying to decide between scuba diving and snorkelling in the calm waters of the protected reef, paddle boarding, jet skiing, fishing or even triathlon training with GoldenEye’s ex Olympian spa & fitness director Iona Winters or simply lazing on the beach (…fortunately we managed to squeeze them all in..well apart from the triathlon training).
We loved the fact that rooms came complete with a pair of kayaks for exploring the 250 metre lagoon and Caribbean coast line; we even paddled off to the field spa for our treatment one afternoon. Much to our delight we found out that the dining options had expanded with the addition of two new restaurants. We loved tasting head chef Conroy Arnold’s decadent offerings in the Gazebo restaurant before heading down to the Bizot bar for a night cap. It may have seemed apt to finish off the night with an espresso martini but we were tempted away by owner Chris Blackwell’s (founder of Island Records) own Blackwell rum a popular choice served on the rocks throughout GoldenEye…an excellent idea ‘ay Money Penny.
We made sure that before we left we became part of the Bond history and kept ourselves in very good company from ex PM’s to Hollywood A listers by planting a young guava tree in the GoldenEye garden with donations going to GoldenEye’s Orocabessa foundation…why not take a trip and see how it is doing?
(7 votes, average: 4.86 out of 5) Loading ...down the canal with a paddle
panama canal
the great canal…
On a recent trip to the secluded beauty that is Panama, I was super excited yet a teeny bit apprehensive to find that I would be kayaking the Panama Canal. An architectural and engineering masterpiece; the canal connects the Atlantic Ocean to great expanse of the Pacific, and has seen a whopping 815,000 vessels voyaging through its tropical passage since opening in 1914. Quite the feat you’ll agree. Bearing in mind the closest I’ve come to a kayak voyage before this had been in a swimming pool on the Isle of Wight, you’ll see where the slight concern comes in. However the thought of gliding through the waters with lush jungle lying ahead and giant cargo ships destined for the farthest corners of the globe behind me was just too appealing. So I grabbed an oar and took to the waters.
We set off early in sight of visiting an indigenous community hidden on the edge of Lake Gatun, an artificial lake which links the canal to the Chagres River. With the monstrous ships setting sail for the Far East behind us we glided further into the lake, until we were surrounded by the blissful sounds of nothing, apart from the odd call of a howler monkey echoing from the teetering jungle. After making our way (very slowly) through a dense mass of waterlilies we approached the indigenous community where we were met by the community’s children showcasing handcrafted trinkets forged from local materials, followed swiftly by a brief overview of the community’s past.
Once back on dry land and having conquered the kayak it seemed amazing that we where so close to one of the worlds busiest waterways, yet with a few strokes of a paddle you could find yourself nestled in the midst of a pristine jungle wilderness.
Fancy experiencing the secret beauty of Panama for yourself get in touch…
(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5) Loading ...marc sethi: off the rails in india
Click on the image above for more inspiring pics
When we think of India there are certain images that flourish in our imaginations, those of exotic journeys traversing the extensive Indian Rail Network on board a traditional locomotive. Come to think of it a jaunt to this fascinating country isn’t complete without a trip on the rails. The hustle and bustle, the heady scent of the spices that linger on the platform, and the call of the tea sellers as they shuffle down the aisles all makes for a truly authentic experience.
Our friend and intrepid photographer Marc Sethi has given us a sneak peek at some awe-inspiring snaps of his Indian rail journeys that captures the spirit of the rails and its journeymen.
Fancy a trip to incredible India… get in touch.
colourful carriges
sleeper carriges
chugging along the tracks
dog on the platform
mass of trains
hustle and bustle
train trinkets
side car
on the road again
on the road again
busy ways
rail side towns
family waiting for train
(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...on the grapevine…
the bellevue
cliffs of the Bellevue…
The honnies at Beach Tomato have thrown their Pucci towels down on the smooth sun-warmed shores of Stiniva Beach of Vis Island in Croatia’s sparkling string of islands that makes up the Dalmatian Coast for #beachoftheweek. They told us that Hvar needed to take heed as this little island was steadily creeping out the shadows to emerge as this summer’s hottest destination. We whispered in their ear the locale of our favourite mainland Croatian bolthole, the Bellevue, in white hot Dubrovnik, as the ideal starting point before nipping off to the islands…
Now this is what friends are for…
See where else we’re headed this summer on our word of mouth tips.
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...we’ve just checked in to la la land
sunset tower penthouse
Whilst our co-founder Tom lands on the West Coast… we, back here at Black Tomato HQ, have taken inspiration from all the recent air-kissing at Cannes to have a teeny peek at Hollywood’s on/off screen love affair with one of our favourite hotels, The Sunset Tower Hotel. Not out of jealousy mind… not at all.
Now LA wasn’t always the celebrity hotbed it used to be. Turns out this was once a hilly outback. Yep, hard to imagine many of the current inhabitants navigating that terrain with a latte in a pair of Nicholas Kirkwood wedges, we know.
The Sunset Tower Hotel is indisputably something of a tinseltown titan, almost as famous as the Hollywood Hills themselves- John Wayne, Frank Sinatra and Howard Hughes have all called the penthouse of the ST home. And this Deco icon has been a favourite setting for Vanity Fair’s Oscar after party but, you know us, we can’t.quite.bring.ourselves to sound like a brightly coloured gossip rag. So instead, we’ll just have to let the gentle tinkling of the Tower Restaurant’s resident octogenarian pianist, Page Cavanaugh, fill the silence.
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...global guide to friday the 13th
mukuji ceremony
Today is Friday 13th and we in the office are attempting to ward off those nasty evil spirits by taking inspiration from the Punu tribe from Gabon for inspiration.
The Punu belong to a collection of tribes known as the Shira, originally from Angola, but now at home on the left bank of the Upper Ngoume River, Gabon. How do they go about dispelling evil spirits? Well, the ‘Mujuki’, that’s how…
The men of the tribe don wooden masks, representing female figures from each of the nine Punu tribes, which they adorn with natural red white and black colourings. Kitted out in raffia costumes, covered with a loincloth and the skin of a genet (a cat-like creature indigenous to Africa) the wearer dances on stilts over two metres high whilst shaking a handful of small branches…Yep it’s hard work this superstitious lark. Meanwhile his fellow revellers will dance around him in concentric circles calling out to the spirits. Now, where did we leave the raffia…
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...beyond the guinness
Ireland is pretty well known for its beer we’d say… But even in beer country like this, it’s good to get away from the Guinnesses and Murphys once in awhile…
franciscan well beer festival
The Franciscan Well in Cork is one of the first microbrewery pubs in Ireland and it does a great job with the copper coloured tanks sat right behind the taps and cheery staff pouring away. On a brief five day jaunt over to Cork recently, I found some proper local brews here. The Easter beer festival was in full swing – a festival that has brought hundreds from all over the world to these Irish shores to taste tipples from several different microbreweries. Ales, stouts, lagers, whatever takes your fancy. Including chocolate flavoured beer…(it was pretty delicious, but no real surprise there).
Outside in the beer garden during the festival, the walls are lined with one after another of the guest breweries with a break in the bars for the giant BBQ. Exactly what a spring beer festival should be
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...just the tip of copenhagen’s gastronomic iceberg…
copenhagen
copenhagen hues
As the sun slow-baked the industrial courtyards of the Copenhagen’s burgeoning Meatpacking district last weekend, impromptu terraces unpacked in front of the modestly glamorous restaurants that have credited this city with a world heavy-weight title in ageless culinary excellence.
This town is indisputably a design-aficionados dream and the food served amidst this blue-and-white gallery district certainly doesn’t disappoint the eye. At Pate Pate (Slagterboderne 1) we broke the yolk of a perfectly poached egg over a savoury polenta cake cushion and lingered over a main of snails and beef. Yep, it’s not a combination you find too often, but trust me, it works. The desert I managed to shield from the eager spoons of my fellow diners, a molten blueberry soufflé with perfect posture, lives on in my memory of finest non-celebratory suppers…
copenhagen
Copenhagen’s cocktail culture doesn’t lag too far behind its culinary counterparts. At the (deservedly) frequently cited canal-side Ruby (Nybrogade 10) a team of hand-son experts seamlessly blend the offerings from an exceptionally large spirit cabinet amidst ultra laid-back drawing-room surrounds. Across the other side of town, the lesser-known neighbourhood bar Salon39 (Vodroffsvej 39, 1900 Frederiksberg) – partner property to the distinctly un-Danish and therefore locally-esteemed tiki bar Brass Monkey (Enghavevej 31) – takes mixology to a new (spirit) level with an elegant dimly-lit intimate space reached via a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it doorway. No. 39 that is.
Un-surprisingly, the Danish do nourishing brunches exceptionally well too. Ricco’s on Studiestræde 24 was our favourite for a late Saturday morning. The hand-made bolle that came stuffed-to-the-brim with local produce were just as the owner himself had assured us from behind the counter; not savoury nor sweet. On the food journey between my clasped hands and my mouth I pondered yet another sensual balancing act, and then I stopped pondering and took another big bite…
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...babbles top 25 for family travel
This is beach
life’s a beach…
Like a proud big brother we are happy to announce that our sister website Beach Tomato has been nominated for Babble’s Top 25 Travel Blogs For Families.
Click here and take a peek why…
(5 votes, average: 4.20 out of 5) Loading ...
