Tag Archives: nature

Tenaya Lodge and Yosemite National Park

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yosemite

If you are driving through California, Yosemite National Park is an essential stop. This magnificent natural beauty has a multitude of things to see and do, including the giant sequoia trees, glacier viewpoints and mountain hiking trails. My favourite sights in the park were Glacier Point, and the quietly stunning Tenaya Lake.

While in the forest, I was lucky to experience horseback riding with Yosemite Trails. Since 1938, this eco-friendly company has been leading tours through the wilderness on horseback. After becoming acquainted with my horse, Dove, and learning how to handle her in the arena, we set off for a one hour tour of Big Creek. Our guide, Kim, led our group of horses through a beautiful shaded canopy of towering pines.

In order to experience all that Yosemite has to offer, you will need to stay a night or two either in the park itself or just outside. Just two miles from Yosemite’s most popular entrance, Tenaya Lodge is the ideal accommodation. This resort offers a touch of luxury whilst staying true to its natural surroundings.

I enjoyed a very comfortable night’s stay in one of the newly renovated rooms. If I’d had more time, I would have loved to try one of the treatments at the idyllic Ascent Spa. The hotel also has a range of dining options, indoor and outdoor pools, and meeting rooms for business needs. In the holiday season the property comes to life with gingerbread house making in the winter, and BBQs in the summer.

The motto at Tenaya Lodge is “it’s like roughing it, minus the rough part” which suited me perfectly as I explored the wonders of this national treasure.

More information and book a stay at Tenaya Lodge here.

Hot on the Highstreet Week 245

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I am very lucky to have a mummy who is an expert present buyer, with an eye for the most delectable gifts. One of my favourite birthday presents this year was a set of quirky Nature plates from Anthropologie, designed by Lou Rota.

Artist Lou Rota is renowned for producing ‘some of the most intriguing eco-chic artworks around today,’ and her one-of-a-kind recycled furniture art and decorative vintage plates quickly attained cult status. UK purveyor Liberty snapped up early works and Rota’s signature bird, bug and floral designs garnered huge press, prompting Selfridges, Caravan and Lane Crawford (Hong Kong) to join the retail queue.

To meet demand, Rota created a modern classic of English fine bone china with a chic twist. Anthropologie commissioned her to collaborate on a series of ‘Nature Table’ product lines which quickly became bestsellers in the UK, Canada, USA and beyond. She says of her work: ‘My designs are influenced by my passion for the natural world – especially insects – and I love playing with unusual combinations of flora and fauna.’

These unique dessert plates are timeless and beautiful, each depicting a different creature, from big (giraffe) to small (bumblebee)! Made from new bone china they should only be hand-washed, but though they appear delicate and vintage they are in fact strong and long-lasting. They are 20cm diameter in size and I think work best as serving plates to display biscuits or cake.

The plates are sold individually for £16 each, in store and online here.

Grenada Island Tour, Caribbean

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Grenada is a magical Caribbean island, full of character and virtually unspoilt. There is so much to see and experience and it is impossible to do it all in five days, but we were lucky enough to visit the most famous places on a tour with the Board of Tourism.

Roger picked us up at 9am sharp from our accommodation, we were barely ready and had to continue to munch our breakfast bacon butties in the car. As most of the hotels are located around Grand Anse Beach (on the western side of the island) we had to drive quite far north to reach our stops for the day…

St George’s Market: As we drove away from Grand Anse and through the capital, St. George’s we got a glimpse of the bustling market: a colourful affair, tables laden with fresh fresh vegetables and spices.

Concord Waterfall: There are several waterfalls in Grenada: Annadale falls is a gentle stroll through some pretty gardens, and the Seven Sisters can be found after a more energetic twenty minute hike. Concord Waterfall is located in the hills of Concord, St. Johns on the west coast of Grenada. Follow the path down and you will discover the awesome cascade, it’s very natural and cool up there and on warmer days, visitors can splash around in the beautiful clear water.

Gouyave Nutmeg Factory: The Gouyave Nutmeg Processing Station is one of the largest nutmeg factories on the island. Tours are available for only $1. See the workers choose, grade and package the nutmegs. You can also step into the stencil room and get a local jute bag customized with any words of your choice. At the end of your tour, explore ‘Nutmeg World’ for packaged spices, clothing and other locally made souvenirs of your tour.

Petite Anse Hotel : This additional stop was insisted on by Roger, who has a soft spot for this picturesque boutique hotel. We enjoyed a very strong rum punch whilst admiring the epic sea views and chatting to lovely English owner Annie. I’d love to stay here on my next trip to Grenada.

Belmont Estate: Located in St Patrick only an hour’s scenic drive from the island’s capital St. George’s, Belmont Estate is a unique and authentic 17th century plantation that offers guests an opportunity to participate in and observe the workings of a fully functional historic farm.Guests can enjoy exciting tours that include visits to the gardens, heritage museum and cocoa processing facilities. They also offer an exquisite restaurant featuring traditional Grenadian cuisine, a goat dairy farm, petting farm, conference room, gift shop, café, produce shop, credit union and craft market.

River Antoine Rum Distillery: We were amazed and impressed by this visit. This is a privately owned distillery, whose processes have changed little since the 1800s. It is the oldest functioning water-propelled distillery in the Western Hemisphere. Guided tours are available at $2 per person, and well worth the price. Be sure to try the 75% Rivers Rum at the end of the tour, at such a high alcohol concentration you are unlikely to try such powerful rum elsewhere.

Grand Etang Forest Reserve: This was our final tour stop: a fleeting visit to the tranquil and undisturbed Grand Etang Park. We fed the fishes and laughed at the monkeys and soaked up the beautiful, calm atmosphere.

Chatting to Roger in the car, I was impressed to hear how proudly he spoke of this Caribbean island’s rich culture and inspiring way of life. This is a country that has so much to offer and yet hasn’t sacrificed the beauty or personality of the island for mass tourism. Grenada is a very special place and I hope one day I can return to investigate its history more.

With thanks to Grenada Board of Tourism.

More information on Grenada and all it has to offer here.