Jan Gledhill

The Maldives is my favourite place I have visited so far. The powder white beaches, turquoise water and amazing sea life, what’s not to love.  My particular favourite is Meeru Island Resort in North Male Atoll.  As well as all above the staff are the most amazing people I have ever met where nothing is too much trouble and many of them have become personal friends.  It’s a place where you can kick off your shoes on arrival and literally live a “no news, no shoes” life for a while.

The land of smiles.  The people are some of the friendliest I have met.  There is so much to do from canoeing down the Khao Sok River, to bathing elephants in the National Park.  Visiting temples and learning about the Thai culture.  Cooking schools to visiting schools.  Thailand has it all.  Not to forget the beaches, Thailand has some beautiful beaches both on the mainland and the Islands. 

I visited here with my husband for our 10th Wedding anniversary and pushed the boat out with a 5* trip with business class flights. Our first stop was a Spa retreat at Tembok in the North of the island where we spent 3 days relaxing and being pampered with daily spa treatments.  Next up was Ubud, the cultural heart of Bali where I think I left a piece of my heart.  This was my favourite part of the trip where we visited the stunning rice fields, beautiful temples, watched cultural dancers and enjoyed  the wonderful local dish of Babi Guling (Baby suckling pig).  Our final stop was the beach in Seminyak where we mostly relaxed and watched the most stunning sunsets I have seen.  We also visited the famous temple of Ula Watu where we enjoyed the views and the fabulous Kecak fire dance at sunset.