Fort Lauderdale makes for a relaxing day escape from Miami. It is located around 45 minutes to an hour from South Beach and is often called the “Venice of America” because of its extensive canal system filled with yachts and gondolas. Boat rides are practically mandatory here. To explore the canals, you can take the Water Taxi, ride the Jungle Queen riverboat, or even hire a private gondola. The canals are lined with luxurious villas, many with private yachts, and gardens featuring modern sculptures. For shopping, restaurants, and galleries, head to Las Olas Boulevard. For a historical perspective, visit the Stranahan House Museum, the oldest surviving house in Broward County, built in 1901. Originally a trading post with the Seminole people, it later became the residence of Frank and Ivy Stranahan.There’s also a pleasant riverwalk, several museums, and plenty of dining opportunities.
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Are you visiting @lumini.scence at the Westminster cathedral with the story narrated by Hugh Bonneville? Absolutely phenomenal experience, accompanied by live choir. Don’t forget to book in advance!…
Save this hotel for your stay in Siem Reap, Cambodia:
📍Anantara Angkor @anantaraangkor Anantara is always one of our top-hotels to stay at, and Siem Reap wasn’t an exception. Anantara Angkor is a small (only 39 accommodations!) but a lash hotel located pretty close to the Angkor Archaeological park protected area (it takes about 10-15 min to get to Angkor Wat by car), with a restaurant, a few shops and a large public pool nested under frangipani trees. We received a wonderful welcome with a traditional krama scarf, a refreshing drink, and a foot massage, and during our stay staff was extremely friendly and helpful – we simply couldn’t ask for more attentive attitude. We stayed in a marvelous Henri Mouhot two-bedroom suite decorated with details from Angkor Wat and other local temples. And yes, we not only had a private pool but also a spa room with a jacuzzi! The food selection at their Chi (meaning ‘herb’ in khmer’) Restaurant & Bar was amazing. We had the best introduction to Khmer cuisine we could ask for with many produce being sourced locally like fish from Tonle Sap lake. They had some western dishes as well.
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The Design District is one of Miami’s most famous neighbourhoods, known for luxury fashion and modern architecture. Buckminster Fuller’s Fly’s Eye Dome at Palm Court is probably the most iconic installation here! Tiffany & Co. is decorated with Damien Hirst’s butterfly artwork, the Museum Garage parking structure features impressive art on every side, Louis Vuitton Men’s is the brand’s first freestanding men’s store in the United States, and one of the restaurants also features work by Zaha Hadid. Dior even has a rooftop café here – we were lucky to enter it without any queue and spent some great time there tasting their signature desserts! Make sure to visit the open-air Nader Sculpture Park, which opened in 2024 and displays around 50 sculptures by Fernando Botero (whose house we had previously seen in Colombia), Julio Larraz, and others. There is also a food hall offering a wide selection of cuisines, including Italian, Japanese, French, Israeli, and Mexican. Follow @purpurpurpur for more travel inspiration and find more itineraries and hotel reviews at Purpurpurpur.co.uk, link in bio #purpurpurpur_guides🔎🌎
Siem Rip, Cambodia, – it’s so much more than just a temples of Angkor Wat and other religious buildings around the area! Save my list of activities to attend there (more info at purpurpurpur.co.uk,link in bio)
1. Watch Apsara Dance – for instance, in @avapsaratheatre 2. Take a Boat Along the Tonle Sap (you can visit a crocodile farm there too) 3. Have a Remorque Tour – ‘taxis’ with a trailer for passengers 4. Visit the Angkor National Museum 5. Try Steamed Palm Cakes – best ones are from Preah Dak Village! 6. Adopt a Rat at the APOPO Centre (these pouched rats are trained to locate landmines) 7. Explore the Cambodia War Museum 8. Pay Respects at the Killing Fields of Siem Reap 9. Enjoy Night Markets and Pub Street 10. Have Dinner at the 1932 restaurant, @raffles_siemreap
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A unique activity not to miss in Florida? Spot Alligators at Everglades National Park @evergladesnps 🐊🐊🐊👇🏻
In Miami, you have a chance to experience something completely different from South Beach – and it’s just about an hour’s drive away from it.
Make sure to visit the Everglades National Park, established in 1947, which protects part of the original Everglades ecosystem and its animals. It’s an unmissable spot if you want to understand Florida, with its endless moors with potentially dangerous wildlife!
We took a one-hour guided airboat tour through the park. Although we saw many impressive bird species, we primarily came to see the alligators. They are iconic in this part of the world, and of course we couldn’t miss the opportunity to see them in the wild. We were lucky enough to spot more than a dozen alligators of all sizes, from tiny babies to enormous adults. They are surprisingly difficult to spot without a guide. Most hide when boats approach, though some seem completely unbothered. The trip felt perfectly safe as long as everyone followed the instructions. There’s also a themed shop there as well. Besides the boat tours, there are also walking trails to explore. We also saw crocodiles and alligators in protected enclosures.
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Victoria ship traveling around Europe and the UK is quite a unique attraction – and if you happen to be in a city where it is currently docked, try to visit it!
Nao Victoria is the exact historical replica of the ship of the same name that was the very first to circumnavigate the globe in the early 16th century!
The Magellan expedition, consisting of 5 ships – Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepción, Victoria, and Santiago – departed from Seville, Spain, on 20 September 1519 – 270 men were recruited for it. Magellan himself died in 1521 during the voyage on the shores of today’s Philippines near Cebu, and the circumnavigation was completed under the guidance of Juan Sebastián Elcano, one of the crew members. The Victoria ship is the only one surviving out of five that returned to Spain in 1522, finalising the first recorded trip around the Earth – with only 18 people on board.
It’s absolutely mind-blowing how such a small ship with just a few dozen people on board could bravely fight all the uncertainties and dangers of such a voyage five centuries ago, without modern navigation tools, modern medicine, and with limited knowledge of the shores – just remember that the Magellan Straits in South America were discovered during this trip!
The Nao Victoria @lanaovictoria you see today was constructed in 1991 in Spain after a detailed study of the documents describing the original ship’s size, various characteristics and equipment. In 2004 – 2006, following the original Magellan’s itinerary, it also circumnavigated around the globe.
Don’t miss this chance to see the ship for yourself! It’s docked at the St Katarina docks close to the Tower Bridge till the 12th of July.
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