My 2025 Coffee, Food and Cocktail Favourites

I'm taking a break from my Guatemala and Belize blogs to pick out some of my favourite specialty coffee shops, restaurants, bars and individual dishes from all those I visited for the first time in 2025, in London and on my travels around the world.

My Top Travel Experiences of 2025

As 2025 draws to a close, I'm looking back on my travel highlights of the year. I travelled to three new countries (Latvia, Guatemala and Belize) and one new island (Mallorca) in 2025. I also enjoyed return visits to destinations like Cannes, the Gorges du Verdon, Cambridge and Windsor. These are the moments and experiences from my 2025 travels that stayed with me — and might just inspire your next trip.

My Top Five Books of 2025

As I don't think I'm going to get any more reading time in before 11:59 pm on 31 December, I thought it was a good time to put together my annual recap of all the books I read in 2025 — and pick out my five favourites. I thought I'd beat last year's total of 123, but tapered off towards the end, reaching a total of 103 books.

Seven Specialty Coffee Shops To Visit at Lake Atitlán, Guatemala

I knew I'd find great specialty coffee in Antigua. But I wasn't sure what to expect from the cafes in Lake Atitlán, another of Guatemala's main coffee growing regions. I needn't have worried: I found at least one excellent coffee shop in each town I visited, many of them serving coffee grown, processed and roasted locally. 

How To Spend Three Days at Lake Atitlán, Guatemala

After my epic volcano hike, it was time to relax and Guatemala's beautiful Lake Atitlán region was the perfect place for it! I spent three days exploring the small lakeside towns by foot, shopping for handwoven textiles, admiring the street art and enjoying volcano-fringed sunsets. Here's my guide for making the most of your time in Lake Atitlán.

An Exhilarating Overnight Hike on Acatenango Volcano

"The first hour is very hard," my guide warns as I start the hike up Guatemala's Volcán de Acatenango. "But it will be worth it when you catch that first glimpse of Fuego." I didn't plan to do a volcano hike in Guatemala but the more I read, the more hiking Acatenango felt like one of the country's most unmissable experiences. I rearranged my itinerary accordingly — and what an exhilarating adventure I had!

10 Specialty Coffee Shops To Visit in Antigua, Guatemala

The erstwhile Guatemalan capital Antigua is located in one of the country's main coffee growing regions, where the fertile volcanic soils and subtropical highland climate combine to produce delicious coffees. Antigua is also one of the best cities for specialty coffee in a producing country and I spent several days exploring its beautiful coffee shops and cafés.

Three Days in Antigua, Guatemala: Pastel Hues and Volcano Views

Last month, I travelled to Central America for the first time in a decade to spend two weeks in Guatemala and Belize. First stop? The historic city of Antigua. I spent three days exploring the cobbled streets, baroque architecture, Mayan culture and coffee scene, in the shadow of the volcanoes that surround the city. Read on to find out what I got up to.