What are the opening hours?

Monday 9:30am - 7:30pm Tuesday 9:30am - 7:30pm Wednesday 9:30am - 7:30pm Thursday 9:30am - 7:30pm Friday 9:30am - 7:30pm Saturday 11am - 6pm Sunday 11am - 6pm

Sue Aitken - Travel Guru, 141 Park Road, London (2026)

07/06/2026

𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗮: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿. I’m not sure any description of Namibia ever quite prepares you for how strange and beautiful it actually looks. At times it barely feels real.
Flying over it was one of the highlights for me — vast rocky desert landscapes, shipwreck coastline, dry riverbeds, dunes that looked as though someone had turned the colour saturation up too high. The scale of the place is difficult to get your head around until you see it from the air.
And I think that’s the thing people underestimate about Namibia — the sheer emptiness of it all.
There are very few places left where you can travel for hours and feel genuinely removed from the rest of the world. Namibia still has that feeling.
It’s also one of those destinations that tends to attract a particular type of traveller. People who like dramatic landscapes more than polished resorts. Who don’t mind a little dust and unpredictability in exchange for somewhere that feels genuinely different.
And yes, there’s wonderful wildlife too — particularly around Etosha — but for me Namibia is less “Big Five safari” and more atmosphere, space and scenery.
It’s not a destination for people who want to spend a fortnight moving between swim-up bars.
But if giant skies, safari camps in the middle of nowhere and landscapes that make you involuntarily reach for your camera every five minutes sounds appealing, it’s quite extraordinary.

06/06/2026

𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸. Vietnam and Cambodia for two couples celebrating a milestone birthday next February.
What struck me as I was putting the finishing touches to the itinerary was the contrast.
A street food tour of Ho Chi Minh City on the back of Vespas.
A leisurely three-night cruise up the Mekong aboard a beautiful riverboat.
Visits to the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh to understand one of the darkest chapters of Cambodia's history. The Khmer Rouge have a lot to answer for.
Then four nights in Siem Reap, staying at Viroth's. I've stayed there myself and am always happy to recommend it. It's one of my favourite hotels in Southeast Asia, and previous clients I've sent there have come back equally enthusiastic.
Four nights also means plenty of time to explore the remarkable temples of Angkor without feeling rushed, while still having time to relax by the pool when the Cambodian heat starts to bite.
The trip finishes with four nights in Hanoi, a city that somehow manages to be both chaotic and charming at the same time.
Great food. Extraordinary history. Ancient temples. Bustling cities. Quiet moments.
It's going to be quite a trip.

05/06/2026

𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 £𝟱,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻?
Probably.
But I'm not convinced that's always the right question.
Japan is one of those destinations that sits on people's wish lists for years. They read about it, watch programmes about it, save posts on social media and dream about finally going.
Then, when it comes to booking, the budget starts driving every decision.
And every compromise may be perfectly sensible in isolation.
One night fewer. One less destination. A simpler hotel. Skipping the ryokan stay. No guiding. Not travelling in peak season, even though that's when they really want to go.
The problem is that those compromises add up.
Before long, they're no longer planning the trip they've spent years dreaming about. They're planning the trip they can squeeze into a number.
Cherry blossom season, for example, can easily add around 30% to the cost of a trip compared with many other times of year. That doesn't mean you shouldn't go then. It just means it's worth thinking carefully about what matters most to you before you start cutting things out.
Don't get me wrong. No one can spend whatever they like, and a simpler Japan trip can still be a fantastic experience.
But if Japan is your once-in-a-lifetime trip, I'd at least ask yourself this:
Would you rather go next year on a budget that forces compromise, or wait a little longer and do the trip you've always imagined?
Sometimes the most expensive holiday isn't the one that costs more.
It's the one that leaves you wishing you'd done it differently.

04/06/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿. Over the years, I've noticed something interesting. The destinations clients come back most enthusiastic about aren't always the ones they ask for most often.

Sri Lanka is a good example. Very few people contact me and say, "I've always dreamed of going to Sri Lanka." Yet time and again, clients return talking about the variety of experiences, the scenery, the wildlife and the warmth of the people.

Namibia is another. South Africa is usually the destination on people's radar, but Namibia has a habit of quietly blowing people away. Vast landscapes, dramatic desert scenery, fascinating wildlife and a real sense of space that is increasingly hard to find.

And then there's Penang. Not somewhere that features highly on many wish lists, but those who visit often wonder why they hadn't considered it sooner. A lovely beach, incredible food, fascinating history and a completely different feel from many of the better-known beach destinations in South East Asia.

None of these are destinations I get asked for very often.
Yet all three have generated some of the most enthusiastic feedback I've ever received from clients.

Which destination surprised you most?

04/06/2026

WORLD'S BEST BEACHES. Praia do Sancho in Brazil’s Fernando de Noronha archipelago is regularly described as one of the world’s most beautiful beaches, although getting down to it involves steep steps and ladders through the cliffs. The beach itself is a broad sweep of pale sand backed by lush greenery, with remarkably clear water that’s ideal for swimming and snorkelling. Strict visitor limits help keep the area protected, so it never feels overdeveloped despite its reputation.

01/06/2026

𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿.
People sometimes imagine safari as a sort of perfectly choreographed luxury experience where animals appear obligingly beside the vehicle at sunset while somebody hands you a chilled gin and tonic.
And occasionally, to be fair, that does happen. But safari is also:
• early morning alarms
• bumpy roads
• dust absolutely everywhere
• freezing cold game drives at dawn
• unpredictable wildlife
• long stretches where seemingly nothing happens
• trying to identify distant animals while pretending you can definitely see what the guide is talking about
And somehow all of that is part of the magic.
Because safari doesn’t really feel manufactured.
You’re not watching a performance. You’re sitting in the middle of a landscape where things are unfolding whether you’re there or not.
Some days are dramatic. Lions hunting. Elephants crossing directly in front of the vehicle. Leopards draped over trees looking deeply unimpressed by your existence.
And some days you mainly remember the light, the silence, the campfire conversations and the sound of hyenas somewhere beyond your tent at night.
I also think people underestimate how absorbing safari becomes surprisingly quickly.
After a couple of days, your world narrows in a very satisfying way. Wake up. Go looking for wildlife. Talk about what you saw over dinner. Fall asleep listening to whatever is moving around outside the tent.
Normal life recedes remarkably fast.
It’s not the sort of holiday where you come back rested in the traditional sense.
But it is one of the few types of travel that completely pulls people into the present moment.
So forget calling your first safari a “once in a lifetime” trip. There’s a very good chance you’ll want to go back.

31/05/2026

𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝘀 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗜𝘀 𝗠𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗼 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱. One thing I've noticed recently is that people often come to me with far more information than they used to. They've read blogs. Watched YouTube videos. Scrolled through Facebook groups. Read hundreds of TripAdvisor reviews. And increasingly, they've asked AI to plan their holiday.

The trouble is that whilst all of those things are very good at generating information, they're not always very good at helping you make decisions. In fact, sometimes they make things worse.

Ask Google where to stay in the Maldives and you'll get thousands of answers.
Ask AI and it'll happily recommend a dozen resorts.
Ask a Facebook group and you'll get fifty different opinions from fifty different people.
But none of them know whether you're the sort of person who'll be perfectly happy spending ten days on a tiny island with a good book, or whether you'll be wondering by Day 4 if you've made a terrible mistake.

That's where experience still matters. Not because I've got access to some secret list of hotels. And not because I somehow know more than Google.
But because the first thing I do is listen.
The more I understand about you, how you like to travel and what you're hoping to get out of a trip, the easier it becomes to separate the options that look good on paper from the ones you're actually likely to love.

Over the years I've visited destinations, stayed in hotels, listened to feedback from clients and seen what works — and what doesn't — for different types of traveller.
AI can tell you which Maldives resorts have the best House Reefs. It can't tell you whether you'd be happier on a tiny castaway island or somewhere with six restaurants and a bit more life.
It can suggest a two-week Japan itinerary. It can't tell you whether you're the sort of traveller who'll love spending a few days getting off the beaten track in rural Japan.
And it can tell you where to go on safari. It can't explain why one safari costs £5,000 and another £14,000 — or which one is actually right for you.

Most of the time, the value I add isn't finding information.
It's helping people cut through the noise, avoid expensive mistakes and work out what actually suits them.
And that's often where a conversation can save a lot of time, money and disappointment.

31/05/2026

𝗔𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸, I’ve been to Argentina several times now and I’m going back again in the autumn. Which probably tells you everything you need to know.
Because this isn’t one of those destinations where you feel as though you’ve “done it” after a single trip. The country is enormous, hugely varied and somehow manages to feel both exhilarating and faintly chaotic at the same time.
Buenos Aires is definitely part of the pull for me. There’s nowhere quite like it. Grand old buildings, brilliant restaurants, slightly faded elegance, late nights, good red wine and a population that appears to regard dinner before 9pm as a sign of personal weakness.
But then you leave the city and everything changes.
Patagonia feels vast and elemental — glaciers, mountains, huge skies and weather that can turn on you in the space of an afternoon.
The Lake District around Bariloche feels completely different again — alpine scenery, lakes, forests and shops selling cuckoo clocks and chocolate that make you briefly wonder whether you’ve somehow crossed into Switzerland.
Then there’s Tierra del Fuego at the very bottom of the continent, where the landscapes are wild and remote. Up in the northwest, near Salta the scenery becomes dry, colourful and almost otherworldly. Mendoza revolves around vineyards with the backdrop of the Andes and lunches that somehow turn into entire afternoons.
And then there’s Iguazú. This is undoubtedly my favourite place on earth and it never ceases to take my breath away each time I return.
I know everybody says waterfalls are “impossible to describe” — but in this case it’s true. The scale of the falls, the noise, the spray, the walkways disappearing into mist, the sheer volume of water thundering past you… it’s one of the very few famous sights that completely exceeded my expectations the first time I saw it.
I also have a soft spot for the Esteros del Iberá wetlands — capybara wandering around lodges, incredible birdlife and a quieter, slower side of Argentina that many visitors never make time for.
And I think that variety is part of the reason Argentina pulls people back.
It doesn’t feel manufactured for tourism. It feels like a real country first — one with personality, rough edges and enormous contrasts from one region to the next. It also helps that the food and wine are consistently excellent, which never hurts.
I’m not claiming it’s the easiest country in the world to travel around. Things don’t always work perfectly. Inflation is a constant saga. Internal flights can involve the occasional bout of creative interpretation when it comes to schedules. But somehow none of that really detracts from it. If anything, it’s part of the reason the place feels so alive.

29/05/2026

𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹. A lot of people planning their first safari assume that once you’ve decided on South Africa, the hard part is over.
In reality, that’s when the rabbit hole begins.
Because there’s a huge difference between a self-drive holiday where you occasionally spot animals from the road and staying in one of Africa’s top private reserves with expert trackers, off-road game viewing and genuinely exceptional wildlife sightings.
Which brings me to Sabi Sands.
Bordering the world-famous Kruger National Park, Sabi Sands is widely regarded as one of the finest private game reserves in Africa. Crucially, there are no fences between the reserve and Kruger itself, meaning wildlife moves completely freely across a huge wilderness area.
The result? Quite simply some of the best game viewing on the continent.
The reserve is particularly famous for leopard sightings, with generations of habituated leopards allowing vehicles surprisingly close access. For many people, seeing a leopard properly in the wild becomes the defining moment of their entire safari.
And then there’s the accommodation. Within Sabi Sands, Sabi Sabi is one of the reserve’s best-known luxury lodge collections, with four very different lodges ranging from the ultra-contemporary Earth Lodge to the much more classic and romantic Selati Camp. So although guests are sharing the same extraordinary reserve, the overall feel of the safari can be completely different depending on the lodge you choose.
Now, none of this comes cheaply. A safari like this is a serious holiday spend once you factor in international flights, lodge rates, transfers and usually a beach extension as well.
But there’s also a reason people who’ve done a really good safari tend to talk about it differently from almost any other holiday they’ve taken.

28/05/2026

𝗠𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘂𝘀: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘆. I increasingly find myself recommending Mauritius to people who want a beautiful beach holiday somewhere exotic… but who also know themselves well enough to suspect they may start going slightly stir crazy if they spend 10 days on a small island.

Because Mauritius has beaches — lots of very lovely ones — but the island itself has much more going on than many people initially expect. One day you can be sitting under a palm tree staring at the Indian Ocean. The next you’re driving through mountains, visiting rum distilleries, exploring botanical gardens or eating enormous seafood lunches overlooking the water.

And I think that’s why people often end up loving it more than they expected.
Beach holidays can sometimes blur into one after a few days. Mauritius tends not to. It also helps that the hotels are generally excellent. In my experience, Mauritius often delivers a higher standard of accommodation and hospitality than people expect for the price — particularly compared to some Caribbean islands. There’s also a warmth to the place that people respond to. Not just the climate — the atmosphere.

And unlike some destinations where the resort is very much the main event, Mauritius rewards curiosity a bit. There’s enough variety across the island that getting out and exploring genuinely adds something to the trip. You can absolutely spend two weeks horizontal with cocktails arriving at regular intervals if that’s your thing.

But I think Mauritius works particularly well for people who want their beach holiday with a little more texture and variety to it.

Sue Aitken - Travel Guru

07/06/2026

06/06/2026

05/06/2026

04/06/2026

04/06/2026

01/06/2026

31/05/2026

31/05/2026

29/05/2026

28/05/2026

Address

Opening Hours

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Monday	9:30am - 7:30pm
Tuesday	9:30am - 7:30pm
Wednesday	9:30am - 7:30pm
Thursday	9:30am - 7:30pm
Friday	9:30am - 7:30pm
Saturday	11am - 6pm
Sunday	11am - 6pm