by Naveen S.Leave a CommentI had been wanting to visit Oman for a while, and mostly because I had seen gorgeous pictures of a hotel in the mountains, the Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort, located about 2 hours away from Muscat. But I really didn’t expect Muscat and its surrounding areas to be just as beautiful! The city...
by Naveen S.1 CommentI had never been to Amsterdam before this summer, and I can’t believe that I’ve waited so long to go there – what an awesome city! We had planned a short trip there, and since it’s a small place we were able to get quite a bit done in that time, but I would totally...
by Naveen S.1 CommentI’ve always known that Portugal was famous for its ceramics, but you don’t really realize how much its used in local architecture until you get there. Almost all of the buildings are covered in beautiful Azulejos (Portuguese tiles) – the churches, stores, train stations, museums, and any other building that needs a little oomph! Luckily, the gift...
by Naveen S.3 CommentsIf you’re visiting Lisbon, there is absolutely no reason for you not to take a day trip to the beautiful town of Sintra. It’s about a 45 minute train ride from Rossio station, but is so easy to get to that it totally counts as a “Lisbon attraction” for me. Get to the station nice...
by Naveen S.1 CommentI’m baccckkk! I hope you all got a break from the sweltering Saudi summer, and spent some time enjoying cooler weather on your vacation! So if you were following along on my Instagram (@thedesignsouk), you probably noticed that I had an 8-day stint in Portugal this summer. I seriously can’t tell you how much I...
by Naveen S.Leave a CommentFor our little mini-Eid break, hubs and I decided to visit Bangkok and Koh Samui. To be honest, I was looking forward to chilling on the beaches in Koh Samui more so than exploring Bangkok, but surprisingly, there were lots of things that I really enjoyed about the city that made my whole experience so much...
by Naveen S.Leave a CommentSo I’ll be honest… I totally went to Dubai for a JLo concert and then later realized that it was Dubai Design Week. I know. Worst interiors blogger ever. But seriously? What an awesome coincidence! While I wasn’t really in town for any of the workshops or presentations, I was able to go and check...
by Naveen S.Leave a CommentThis summer, hubs and I planned an amazing couple of days in Northern Italy on Lake Como. We loved our stay there so much that I decided to write a piece for the Arab News about it… BELLAGIO, Italy: When I think of the perfect getaway, I now picture the lakes and mountains of Lake...
by Naveen S.Leave a CommentIf you’re a fan of anything related to the Tudors, then you’ll be really excited to know that I visited Hever Castle, childhood home of Anne Boleyn (Henry VIII’s second wife and mother to Queen Elizabeth I). The castle is not as large as Leeds Castle (takes just about an hour or less to cover), but it...
by Naveen S.Leave a CommentI don’t know if it’s my insane love for Game of Thrones, or just a bizarre obsession these days, but I decided that I needed to go visit some castles this summer. While London definitely has its fair share of historic sites, I was craving to see something outside of the city, so I chose to go...
by Naveen S.Leave a CommentIf London is one of your vacation spots this summer, rather than spending all of your days shopping on Oxford Street, I would highly recommend a day trip to Kew Gardens. It is one of London’s largest UNESCO World Heritage sites, and holds a huge collection of plants that is considered to be the most...
by Naveen S.2 CommentsI find that food pretty much makes or breaks my vacations. I could be in the most beautiful or in an extremely significant historic location, and would probably not want to go back because of my “hate” relationship with the food. I know. It’s horrible. London, however, never fails me. Not all of the restaurants...