I visited Ephesus twice already, but it was always at the wrong time of the day : 11am/1pm, terrible light and so many people! With Eric, we decided to enter the site at 4pm and stay until sunset!

If you’re travelling by yourself, without a tour operator, this is definitely the best choice ever! Why? First, because it will be way less crowded! Most people comes here with a group tour from Turkey’s coastline or from a cruise ship. They usually arrive at 10am and leave in the middle of the afternoon, but this is just the moment you will arrive

The air becomes cooler, especially if you’re travelling in summer as we did, temperatures sometimes rises up to 45°C in the hottest part of the day! And the most important, the light becomes softer…

When entering Ephesus at 4pm, you have about 3 hours to enjoy the site. For us it is enough time to both visit quietly and catch some shots! We took the option the visit the terrace houses, it was not my favourite part but still interesting to see!

Of course, what makes Ephesus so famous through the world and one of the most visited places in Turkey is its spectacular library! 

It was my third time here and I was still very impressed!

We tried to catch some different angles and play with the light!

The more the sun goes down, the less people you will see… We lost ourselves into the alleys, it felt like time had stopped…

But, time hadn’t stopped! At 7pm, the guard kindly reminded us it was time to leave! As usual, we were taking pictures, but the last rays of sun were so worth it !

During our road trip in Montenegro we had the chance to stay for 2 nights in a beautiful Glamping close to Skadar Lake.

Skadar Lake lies on the border of Albania and Montenegro, it is the largest lake in Southern Europe and one of the largest national parks in Montenegro, while the Albanian section is a nature reserve. It’s extremely famous for its diversity of flora and fauna. Lake itself is unusual for mutual vicinity of different living areas and their chain of feeding.

What exactly is “Glamping”?

Glamping is where stunning nature meets modern luxury. It’s a way to experience the untamed and completely unique parts of the world, without having to sacrifice creature comforts. We no longer just want to simply witness nature—we want to live in it. A fusion of glamour and camping, glamping is a way to authentically experience the most awe-inspiring locales.

It’s much more than a nice tent.

The glamping movement is growing, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. Across the globe, you’ll find incredible destinations, each offering their own unique advantages.

We stay at Hoopoe Glamping.

This lovely place is owned by two beautiful souls, Daria & Matthieu, who met here in Montenegro a few years ago! Daria is Polish, Matthieu comes from Belgium. They met here, close to the place they ended up building their own Glamping. We immediately felt so good here: welcomed by home made lemonades, fruits from the beautiful garden that we can see from the reception’s terrace & restaurant.

For our first night at Hoopoe we experiences the Safari Lodge Oak. A large full equipped tent with the comfort and design of a luxury hotel. Here are some details…

Our Tent has a lovely private bathroom including an open shower, with a view!

All the products in the bathroom are handmade at Hoopoe.

Here you can listen to the sound of nature while showering, it’s magical!

After enjoying our day we had a glass of wine and ended up with an excellent diner on our private terrace.

We finished our beautiful day by gazing at the stars!

Day 2 : Exploring the lake with Mathieu & moving to the Mint Bell Tent 

On our second day at Hoopoe Glamping we joined Matthieu, the owner, for a Canoe lake tour. We first had breakfast on the Glamping’s restaurant: all the products are freshly made and baked! It is such a pleasure to enjoy such a healthy and tasty breakfast with a peaceful nature’s view!

There is no better way than Canoe to explore Skadar Lake! Even thought it’s very hot in the middle of August, the water is refreshing and the views are definitely worth it! Images speaks better than words:

Mint Bell Tent

We spent our second night into a different tent called the Mint tent Bell.  This one was my favorite, probably because of its form which makes it looks very Boho style! Here, once again, every detail counts, the fournitures are so cute!

This tent also has its private outdoor shower that I love so much!

Because the temperatures were so high, our hosts revealed us their secret gem: a natural pool along the river to refresh ourselves; and we had it just for ourselves !

To finish this beautiful day our hosts treated ourselves with a succulent plate of cheese and vegetables that we enjoyed together with a glass of local white wine, on our private wooden deck, until the nightfall…

Our last morning we enjoyed our little cocoon before hitting the road:

we practiced some yoga on our deck and had our last breakfast that we enjoyed directly next to our tent.

We truly loved our escape and can only recommend a stay at Hoopoe Glamping!

**Update: The owners have now added a beautiful pool to their place, which definitely makes a stay there even more better! If you like nature, peace, good raw food, this is the place for you!

Book your stay HERE 

If you like clear waters, island life and design, Maldives is simply a must.

For my second time in Maldives, I had only a short 3-night stay before heading to Sri Lanka for a 2-weeks road trip.

The Mövenpick Resort Kuredhivaru just opened its doors a few weeks before my trip. Everything there was just brand new.

The Mövenpick Resort Kuredhivaru has 5 different types of accommodations, I had the chance to try two of those. After a sea plane ride from Male international airport to the island, we headed to our first home.

BEACH POOL SUITE SUNSET

We stayed 1 night in a beach pool suite sunset:

This beach 190m² villa is facing the sea with direct beach access surrounded by tropical gardens. It has a private Sala on the upper level (9 m²) from where you can watch the sunset and a plunge pool on ground level, just a few steps away from the white sandy beach.

OVERWATER POOL VILLA LAGOON

On the second day on the island I had the chance to experience the overwater pool villa Lagoon.

Located above the turquoise lagoon, our over water villas with see-through floors offer lagoon views.

I only needed to slide the glass doors to step into the overwater infinity-edge pool, lay on the overwater net.

This villa has the particularity to have the sunrise only because of its West exposure. This is a good reason to wake up everyday at 5am and enjoy this beautiful moment.

Plus, the sea species are always ready to come and say hi at this time of the day! Right after my coffee with a view, I jumped into the water and managed to see some fishes, rays and sharks, directly under my villa.

The good part of staying in the overwater lagoon villa is obviously the option to jump directly into the lagoon from our terrace: the lagoon water is the clearest of the island. Staying on the pool watching the whole scenery is fascinating as well.

If you are lucky enough, you will be able to enjoy a beautiful sunset from your villa too, because the sky’s colors are spreading all over the island…

What I enjoyed the most in the overwater pool villa lagoon was its spacious and well designed bathroom. It was such a pleasure to relax in the large bathtub with the lagoon’s view.

The place: https://www.movenpick.com/en/asia/maldives/kuredhivaru/resort-kuredhivaru.html

Instagram: Mövenpick Kuredhivaru

MGALLERY IN VIETNAM

“Right next to the majestic Old Quarter of Hoi An and bordered by the tranquil Thu Bon River, Hotel Royal Hoi An – MGallery is the latest gem on the crown jewel of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hotel Royal Hoi An – MGallery dazzles the eyes with elegant decorations, intuitive design and a fascinating love story that dates back to centuries ago”. 

As soon as you enter Royal Hotel How An you will immediately by amazed by its architecture and luxury design. Because we arrived before the check in time, our first stop was the pool. And let me tell you, it is the most beautiful pool floor I ever ever seen in my life! It is all done with mosaic, the drawings are extraordinary and the view from the top is a must! We took the time to swim and enjoy a cocktail. It is so good to be able to take a dip after a day in town.

Then, it was time to discover our Room!

We stayed in a Grand Deluxe Room that we immediately loved! The room is bright but decorated with taste. We had a open old style bathtub. We stayed there a while, just to enjoy the space, eating some local fresh fruits! It is such a pleasure to have all these exotics fruits at discretion in Asia!

After this little break, we went to our first town exploration. How An is definitely the town we loved to most in Vietnam. When the night falls, magic begins…

My favorite activity while travelling is : in bed breakfast! Nothing tastes better than being able to stay in bed with your bathrobe while enjoying what the kitchen cooked for you!

The day continued as sweet as it begun. Heading to the most relaxing place at Royal Hoy An: The Woosah Spa.

Honestly, I had the most relaxful massage of my life. Nothing else to say. Just thank you!

After this relaxing morning, we went to town again. What I love the most while visiting a town is getting lost in its little sweets. How an is full a colors, street art and beautiful architecture. Because images speaks better than words…

Back to Royal How An after a day cycling and walking in town. It’s time for a drink! The hotel as a rooftop bar which includes a second pool and an incredible view over the city and the river.

It is already time to leave to hotel but, before we did, we decided to rent a bike again and explore a little bit around. We ended up cycling in the middle of the piece fields! Incredible landscapes!

Thank you Hoi An!