At KOL, a Celebration of Mexican Flavours in 9+1 Parts

Of all the countries I've visited, Mexico is the one that tops my list of places I'd love to return to. When I spent two weeks there in 2015, the food was one of the highlights of the trip, from the street food in Mexico City (and elsewhere) to tasting menus and cooking classes in Oaxaca. It's no surprise, then, that I was muy emocionada to hear about the opening of Santiago Lastra's KOL restaurant in Marylebone almost a year ago. Lockdown and not managing to book far enough in advance meant that I was only able to visit with my parents a couple of weeks ago, but it was well worth the wait.

The Caffeine Chronicles: Kapihan

UPDATE (April 2022). Unfortunately, this location of Kapihan has now closed permanently. But they are planning to reopen soon in Vauxhall.

Two of the recurring themes in my London coffee shop write-ups during this year-and-a-half of COVID have been: the power of coffee shops to connect people amid the loneliness of lockdown, and the ability of coffee shops to transport you and allow you to experience a taste of other places and cultures even when travelling is impossible or, at least, much harder than it once was. Both of these rang true at Kapihan, a Filipino coffee shop and bakery close to Battersea Park, which I visited again at the weekend.

How To Spend Nine Days in Malta

This is the last of my posts about my recent holiday in Malta, rounding up my overall experience: my itinerary and how it worked out, where I stayed, what I did and how I travelled around. You can also read my other Malta posts here: Valletta city guide; day trips from Valletta; and four days on Gozo. And there are even more photos over on my Flickr.

How To Spend Four Days on Gozo, Malta

This is the third of four posts about my recent trip to Malta. You can read the other instalments here: Valletta city guide; day trips from Valletta; and how to spend nine days in Malta.

Gozo, known locally as Għawdex, is the second-largest island of the Maltese archipelago, lying just north of the island of Malta and about 50 miles south of Sicily. Second-largest doesn't mean much when it comes to Maltese islands: it has an area of 26 square miles and a population of about 33,000. Its name comes from the medieval Aragonese word for 'joy', which is appropriate given how much joy its beautiful cliffs, cobalt waters and geological features brought me. I spent four days on Gozo after my time in Valletta; read on to find out what I did.

Three Great Day Trips from Valletta, Malta

This is the second of four posts about my recent trip to Malta. You can read the other instalments here: Valletta city guide; four days in Gozo; and how to spend nine days in Malta.

Malta is small — the main island is just 17 miles long by 9 miles wide — and because it's easy to get around by public transport, I decided to base myself in Valletta and take day trips to visit some of the other locations. It's even easier to get around by car, of course, but I prefer not to rent cars unless I have to — I find the flexibility it affords usually isn't worth the cost (economic and environmental) and the hassle. And you can get from Valletta to almost anywhere else on the main island by bus in under an hour for a €2 fare. It just takes a little planning, as most buses run only once or sometimes twice per hour.

I took three amazing day trips from Valletta by public transport; read on for turquoise waters, ancient fortified cities, stunning geological features and perfect sandy beaches!