An Italian hideaway

Ever dream of running away? Ditch the kids, jump on a plane and have a proper holiday?

Well I can tell you now - I'd highly recommend it.

I'm just back from a week of perfect peace at the stunning Masseria Tinelli in Puglia, Southern Italy.  

It's an unbelievable find - one of those almost-to-good-to-be-true-maybe-it-doesn't-actually-exist places on Airbnb. The ones that you close your eyes, click confirm and hope to god it'll be there when you touchdown. 

And fortunately I can confirm that it does. 

Surrounded by olive groves and fig trees, Masseria Tinelli offers the choice of staying in a small private trullo or a larger apartment in the old house, all based on a working farm that our host Marina and her parents still run. 

Our trullo was perfection. Quiet, secluded and recently renovated just last year. The design and build mean that it remains cool on those melting hot days and warm on the colder ones. 

The stroll from the trullo to the pool runs through the olive groves, and you can pick ripe fruit from the trees as you go. The communal pool was almost always deserted, with the occasional other guest passing through from time to time. 

Staying on a agritourisma site allows you to see parts of Italy, and meet wonderful people that you wouldn't normally get the chance to. We took full advantage of their Italian cooking class - followed of course by a huge traditional meal where we got to meet other guests, locals and family during a wonderful evening. With our party covering every age from 2 to 92 it was an unforgettable experience. Grandma's cooking was some of the best we ate over the whole week (and we ate A LOT). And Papa's homemade wine was rich and smooth with not a touch of a hangover the next day. You can't get better than that. 

Our lovely host Marina

Dinner by the pool

The farm is a 1k walk from the nearest town, which is lively but almost entirely devoid of tourists. The food is unbelievably good and almost insultingly cheap. Among the best dishes we sampled (did I mention that there were many, many dishes..?) were - wild boar pasta, lamb casserole, seafood linguine, aubergine parmagiano, courgettes with mint and lemon, pizzas, pizzas, pizzas, wine, wine, wine and of course always ice cream to finish.

We rolled home each night thinking of hot, strong coffee and fresh fruit by the pool the following morning. The most taxing task of the day being lifting my book a little higher to block out the sun's glare. And so the days melted into each other and the stresses melted away.

If you think you could handle non-stop eating, drinking, sunning and relaxing, I'd highly recommend it. Tell Marina I sent you, and don't believe her brother about his Dad's wine. No hangovers, promise.


Useful Info: 
Ryanair fly from Dublin to Bari
Bari to Noci is approx 1 hour by car
Airbnb link to Masseria Tinelli

Cruise Control

Every thought of a cruise for your next family holiday? Chances are you probably haven't. It's not really the first thing that comes to mind for most of us when we're planning that precious week or two in the sun.

For one there's the expense, and then there's all the old people, not to mention being stuck on a boat with no escape. And lets not even get into the thoughts of one of the kids going overboard...

But just hang on a moment, because it seems that cruises have changed significantly in recent years.

Ships are now catering to whole families with multiple pools, kids clubs, spas, a choice of restaurants and basically anything you'd expect from a great hotel abroad - but with the added benefit of seeing the world and exploring different ports while you're at it.

Having had tour and lunch onboard the Caribbean Princess which was recently docked in Dublin I have to admit it's a tempting option.

The scale of the operation is truly awe inspiring. Not even close to being one of the biggest cruise ships out there the Caribbean Princess caters to over 3000 guests with over 1000 staff. That's a jaw dropping 1 :3 ratio of staff to guest.

But the size doesn't mean the quality is compromised. The food on offer is varied, great quality and caters to every need and whim.

Case in point - these hand made chocolates. And yes - they do taste as good as they look.

The staff are incredibly knowledgeable, happy and fun to be around. But sure why wouldn't they be - they get to sail the high seas and travel the world for a living. 

So what's on offer? 

Even though this isn't one of the largest ships there is so much to see and do. Multiple restaurants and bars, theatres, spas, gyms, kids clubs, pools, casinos and relaxation areas. The cabins are cosy and cleaned twice a day. There's 24 hour room service too. Oh, and did I mention that all your food is included in the price?

I visited the ship on a rainy, wet day in Dublin and was still impressed. The thoughts of lying by the pool with blue skies, sunshine and the ocean spreading our all around me has me reaching for my captain's hat. Let's just hope for your sake I'm not piloting your one...

The Carribean Princess is part of Princess Cruises and was visiting Duiblin as part of their British Isles tour. There is loads of great information on their website and you can get lost in their itineraries of cruises to everywhere from Alaska to New Zealand. Prices begin in the region of £450 pp.

The Seekers

The skies are grey and dull. The dark evenings creep in earlier and earlier. The school run is a whirl of wet raincoats, cold fingers, soggy school bags and frayed tempers. 

Is it any wonder I'm dreaming of sunnier times and climes?

This time last year we were in Spain enjoying the longest holiday of our lives. Although the kids struggled with Spanish school, the rest of the experience was a wonderful one. 

Room with a view

During our time there we became The Seekers - hunting out adventure around every corner. We were swimmers, explorers, snorkellers, divers, hikers and friends. 

We took on challenges we thought we could never do. We joined in crazy Spanish street parties, celebrated ancient Spanish traditions, and shed clothes at every opportunity....

We made new friends, ate new foods, got lost amidst the cobbled streets, walked barefoot over smooth warm rocks, and said yes to every new experience on offer.

All that sunshine forces you to live life outdoors - which is exactly what we want in a family holiday.

Being outside in a sun kissed world with your kids immediately makes you a better parent. Gone are the impatient dashes through the cold streets to pick up the forgotten milk, and in come the arm in arm meandering strolls through the village stores.

Gone are the bickering afternoons stuck indoors watching telly, and in come new adventures down unknown paths.

Our dream holiday?

A little sunny corner of the world to call our own for a short time where we can once again become The Seekers.

The Seekers

Wonderfest 2014 - Was it really that bad?

We've just come back from a weekend glamping at Wonderfest 2014 in Malahide. It was a weekend of self imposed offline-ness, so it wasn't until today that I caught up with all the negative publicity being generated on Facebook and beyond about the inaugural event.

Some of the issues raised were completely founded. Some people however seemed to be enjoying the public lashing a little too much.

I can only speak from my own experience - so here's how it went for us.

Check in was supposedly open from 6pm on Friday night. The early birds dutifully queued up ready to be admitted to the camping area. In hindsight it was a good time to get the queuing practice in - as it was going to be needed for the weekend. 40 minutes late and with no explanations they finally opened to the hatches to hand out the wristbands. Not a great start.

The glamping area was lovely, but on opening the tents there was a lot of confusion - two single inflatable mattresses per family. The poor festival staff were getting chased around the site by the poor campers trying to grab an extra mattress for the night. There were lists made, lists ignored, miscommunication and much grumpiness. We made the most of our extra duvets and blankets and bedded down happily enough. By the same time the following night the mattress fiasco was sorted. But still...

A brief moment of clear blue skies. 

Happy Camper

The next morning we set off for the free sunrise tour of Malahide Castle which was fab. Then on for free coffee, kids drinks and a gift from the Avoca cafe in the courtyard grounds. Unfortunately the communication issues continued and it seemed the Avoca staff hadn't actually been made fully aware of the arrangement. Oops.

Oh Deer

The castle, grounds and garden were lovely and there was lots of opportunity to wander and explore.

Then it was on to the festival itself.

The events on offer were a mixed bag with some considerably better than others. There were long queues for anything decent - the climbing wall (which disappeared after the first day), the Trinity College Makeshop, the bungee trampolines, even the bouncy castle - which were barely even up on the first day due to the wind and lack of staff. The magic and science shows were good, but the schedules kept changing so it was very much pot luck as to what you happened upon at any one time.

Free drinks at the lovely Vita Coco beach bar (non alcoholic of course)

Watching Knights of Leon with the rest of the audience

Since there wasn't enough to keep the kids occupied for the weekend in the festival grounds there was plenty of exploring of the area to be done. 

First up - a free rickshaw ride into town.

And then on to the beach

Poking Jellyfish on Malahide Strand

Sunrise at Malahide Marina

The festival had also organised free sailing and kayaking lessons - but they were sadly booked out before we called earlier that week. I also heard complaints that the complimentary transport to and from the site to the sailing school turned out to be non existent. 

Night times at the tent were cosy and fun. What kid doesn't love camping - especially when it involves a big bonfire and 'fire' twirlers. 

We had a really wonderful weekend, but the festival itself was a big disappointment. It is a great idea and has such potential - it was just badly organised and didn't live up to the promises it offered. The weather didn't really help either as it was mostly cold and cloudy - something no one can blame the organisers for. 

All in all I'm glad we did it. But I think it's safe to say we'll be booking the amazing Body and Soul next year instead. 

The weekend did give me one of my favourite photos of the year though - so all is forgiven!