Pastel houses stacked above a harbour on the Ligurian coast, framed by wild yellow flowers in late afternoon light

Independent · UK and beyond

Discover places you'll never forget.

A curated collection of exceptional hotels, memorable restaurants and inspiring destinations, chosen for how they make you feel, not just how they look.

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As featured in

Cheryl working from a sunlit corner with a laptop and a cup of tea

A seafood platter of lobster, langoustine and oysters on ice, Honfleur

Wherever there's decent coffee and Wi-Fi, really.

Why this exists

Reviews that actually help you choose well.

I'm Cheryl. I travel often, mostly because I can't sit still for very long. Some trips are for work, some simply because somewhere catches my eye. Along the way I photograph everything, take far too many notes, and return with reviews that help you decide whether somewhere is actually worth your time and money.

Most visits are self funded. When a stay or meal is hosted or on a press rate, I disclose it at the top. Partners don't edit reviews.
How I review

Where to start

Four ways in.

Everything is scored the same way, every time, so you can decide in minutes rather than read for an hour.

Cheryl in a straw hat beside a barn door set into a turquoise-washed
stone wall at a boutique hotel

Hotel reviews

Boutique charm, serious luxury and well-chosen mid-range stays, scored for sleep, service, design, breakfast, location and value.

See the stays

Cheryl at an outdoor restaurant table in the Austrian Alps, menus and a
red gingham cloth in front of her, a wooden chalet behind

Restaurant reviews

Flavour first, drama optional. Tasting menus and neighbourhood gems, with portion sense, sauce confidence and bills that feel fair.

Pull up a chair

A Sunday roast plated with beef, Yorkshire pudding, vegetables and gravy

The Roast Edit

Sundays with standards. Food, service, atmosphere and value, plus potato crisp factor and how the Yorkshires behave under pressure.

Book your Sunday

Cheryl working from a balcony table above a bright blue bay

Work from anywhere

Hotels that make working on the road feel civilised. Quiet rooms, proper desks, sockets in sensible places and Wi-Fi tested on real calls.

Take the laptop

The journal

New reviews, recent adventures.

All tested in real life, all shot on my own camera. Click through for the full review with pros and cons, booking tips and the bits nobody puts in the brochure.

The Piato sign and entrance on a street in Agios Nikolaos, Crete

Tables·Crete·10 min read

Piato Agios Nikolaos Review: The Best Meal We Ate in Crete

My honest Piato Agios Nikolaos review. Cocktails under olive trees, sensational taramas, melt in the mouth steak and a secret wine cellar in Crete.

Read the story

Ember Yard Soho exterior, Fire Smoke and Cocktails on Berwick Street

Tables·London·11 min read

Ember Yard Soho Review: Spanish Tapas, Great Wine and a Perfect Summer Evening

My honest Ember Yard Soho review. Wood fired Spanish tapas, a brilliant £55 tasting menu, lovely wine and that unforgettable charred hispi cabbage, all in the buzzy heart of Soho.

Fresh oysters served on the harbour in Honfleur, Normandy

France·Honfleur·20 min read

A Weekend in Honfleur: Our Foodie Honfleur Travel Guide to Normandy

Planning a weekend in Honfleur? Our Honfleur travel guide has it all: getting there from the UK, where to eat and stay, the Mont Joli viewpoint, antique shopping and a day trip to Le Touquet.

The BodyHoliday resort in St Lucia — luxury all-inclusive wellness hotel on the beach

Stays·St Lucia·15 min read

BodyHoliday St Lucia Review: Why We Keep Going Back

We loved it so much we booked straight back. Here’s my honest BodyHoliday St Lucia review, from the helicopter arrival and daily spa treatments to the Bodyguards, the cocktails and the Frida.

All reviews

How I review

The details make the difference.

Anyone can tell you a hotel has a pool. I'm more interested in whether you'll sleep well, whether breakfast is worth getting out of bed for, and whether you'll leave thinking, "I'd absolutely come back."

Every review follows the same scoring system, making it easy to compare places and decide what's genuinely worth your time and money.

Cheryl on the beach at The BodyHoliday in St Lucia at dusk, sailing boats
moored on the water behind her — Hello, that's me.

Cheryl on a bridge over a quiet Venetian canal — Venice, off the main drag.

A note from Cheryl

I travel because it keeps life interesting.

I design websites for a living, which means you'll often find me in a lobby with a laptop, a flat white and a quiet grin when the socket is in the right place.

Friends kept asking where to stay, where to eat, and who does a roast that makes Sunday feel like a small holiday. This site is my answer: real stays, real meals, my own photos, and a clear scoring system that helps you choose fast.

If a place is worth your time and money, you'll find it here. If it isn't, you won't.

01 Scored the same way, every time
02 Dog friendly checked in reality, not in a brochure
03 My own photography, always
04 Hosted stays disclosed at the top

Dogs welcome

And by welcome, I mean welcome.

I check where dogs can actually go, not just where the brochure says they can.

Expect notes on room types, access to outdoor space, nearby walks, fees that make sense, and staff attitude when a water bowl appears before you have to ask.

If I'd happily return with Ada, it makes the list.
If not, the brochure can keep it.