My friend and I love a bit of luxury for our birthdays (affordable, of course). Why not?! It’s our birthdays! You only have to look at my Malta blog to see the sort of hotel we love to stay at! We chose the Hesperia Sevilla as it seems to be a good mix of comfort, price and location, close to the centre. We’ve also seen some very positive reviews on TripAdvisor, where, at the time of writing, it’s ranked 27th out of 221 hotels in Seville. Hopefully we won’t be disappointed!

Where is it?

The hotel is in Nervión, Seville’s main shopping district, where many businesses are based, so it’s a good spot to explore the city from! It’s just outside the old town, about 800 metres from the edge of the historic centre, and about a 20-minute walk to Plaza de España, the Royal Alcázar and the cathedral. That’s where we’re heading on 6 November, so look out for a blog that day.

The hotel is really well connected, with a metro station right on our doorstep and the tram just up the road. The airport is only about a 15- to 20-minute drive by Uber or taxi, which will make life much easier since we’re landing in the evening.

On top of that, there are lots of shopping centres, supermarkets, bars and cafés all within a few minutes’ walk, which will help us grab any emergency supplies or food when we arrive. It’s also close to the Buhaira Gardens.

What the hotel has

According to the website, the hotel was fully renovated in 2024 to make it more modern, while staying inspired by Seville’s history. It features bright colours that reflect the city’s vibrant centre. Looking at the photos, I think I’m going to love the colour scheme. With its bright hues and colourful style, it’ll make relaxing there a whole lot easier!

As I mentioned, we love a bit of luxury for our birthdays, so we’ve each booked a Suite with Terrace. We’ve asked for our rooms to be near each other, so let’s see if they can accommodate us. The suites have a living area and a walk-in shower, which will just add to the relaxation.

Breakfast is a buffet from 7:00 to 10:30 every morning, in the Barbarita restaurant. We’ll see how it compares to Malta’s buffet breakfast, which has big shoes to fill! Barbarita also serves lunch and dinner, and there’s a lounge bar called Porta Coeli.

The hotel also has a terrace, a pool, and a fitness centre. However, the fitness centre costs around €15-€18 per day, which is disappointing, as Malta’s was free. So it’s unlikely we’ll use it much, maybe for one day, but we’ll see!

If you fancy a sneak peek, head over to the Hesperia Sevilla website, where you can find photos and a virtual tour. I’ll be putting my own photos up too when we get there.

What we’re looking forward to

Well, after our trip to Malta last year, the Hesperia Sevilla has a lot to live up to! Our rooms look stunning in the pictures, so we both hope they live up to our expectations. We just want a comfy place to rest our heads and relax after a busy day, and with four things planned already, we’ll definitely need it! You can catch up on our plans in my itinerary post from earlier this week.

Full review coming after the trip

I know I keep forgetting to review my trips… but this time is different! Once we’re back, you can expect a full review of what I liked, what I didn’t, and how it went. I’ll be upfront and honest, so hopefully I can help you decide if you’re thinking of visiting Seville and staying at the Hesperia Sevilla. As usual, I’ll give you a sneak peek of my thoughts with a room tour on day 1 of the blog.

For now, head to Spain 2026 to see all my Seville posts so far, and look out for more soon!

See you on the next blog, not long now!

So, in just 15 days, we head to Seville, Spain! We both need the break. I thought I’d use this blog to share our Seville itinerary so far. We’ve already got four things booked, which is great!

Travel day

Firstly, today I booked our seats for the outbound flight to make sure we’re sitting together, and my friend booked the return flight seats. The flights were filling up fast, and we couldn’t risk being split up, so we paid for seats.

We fly out of Gatwick in the late afternoon and arrive in Seville around dinner time. The plan for the first evening is simple: settle into the hotel, then pop to the shops to pick up any supplies and food for our stay.

Our Seville itinerary so far

Friday 6 November: the Royal Alcázar and the cathedral

Our first booked trip is to explore the Royal Alcázar and visit the cathedral. They’re only about a 30-minute walk from the hotel, and apparently it’s a nice walk, so we’ll get to explore a bit on the way!

Saturday 7 November: my birthday at the Seville Aquarium

On my birthday, we’re heading to the Acuario de Sevilla, as I love aquariums! After that, we’ll spend the rest of the day relaxing around the hotel.

Monday 9 November: a boat trip on the Guadalquivir

On the 9th, we’re doing a boat trip called “Los Rincones del Guadalquivir”. It should be a good little trip, and maybe it’ll be similar to the one we did in Malta!

My friend’s birthday: the White Villages and Ronda

The last thing we’ve booked so far is for my friend’s birthday: a tour of the White Villages and Ronda, which is set to be a full-on day of sightseeing!

What’s next

That’s everything planned so far! It’s shaping up to be a busy little week, and we can’t wait. It’s been a rough year for both of us, and now we get to explore somewhere new (for me, anyway) and enjoy the sights and sounds of Seville.

The next blog will be all about packing for the week, so look out for that as we get closer to the trip. See you on the next one!

Where have I been?

Well… hello there, people! It’s been a LONG time since I last spoke to you, back in February. It’s been a crazy year, but things are starting to slot into place. Not as quickly as I’d have liked, but we’re getting there!

Unfortunately, the plan that was in place in February didn’t go ahead and has been delayed until next year. That’s left me unable to afford trips and travel, which is why the blog has been so quiet. A bit disappointing, but as we head into next year, things should start to kick in, and I’ll be able to tell you more about the plan.

I haven’t been resting on my laurels, though! My entire server setup has moved to a dedicated server, which has improved the site’s performance, so expect snappier browsing.

A birthday trip (and a big one)

Now on to the exciting stuff! As you’ll know by now, my friend and I agreed last year to go on holiday for our birthdays every year, and this is year two. It also happens to be my 40th… which is quite scary! Thanks to my friend’s brothers, we can get away for our birthdays this year.

So… where are we going?

Drum roll, please… We’re heading to Seville, Spain, from 4 to 12 November 2026! Yes, we’re revisiting Spain, and anyone who saw the photo will have guessed it by now. Next month we’ll be flying out of Gatwick with British Airways.

We’ll be staying at the Hesperia Sevilla, a 4-star hotel in the centre of Seville. The rooms look great, and I can’t wait to finally get away after a whole year.

What’s coming up on the blog

As always, you can expect regular updates as we build up to the trip, and posts from Seville while we’re there. I can’t believe it’s come round so quickly. I can finally start to get excited!

I’m sorry for the lack of content lately. It’s been a difficult year, very much a knock-on from the last one. I hope you’ll follow along with our trip to Seville, and as we head into 2027, I’ll have much more for you.

See you on the next blog!

Last time I left you, it was at the end of our awesome Malta birthday holiday! I did say I’d do a travel home day blog, but it didn’t materialise! So I am sorry about that! By the time we got home (and it was an adventurous journey home to say the least…) I was exhausted, and I wanted to focus on unpacking and hit the sack. As with any end of the holiday, life just continued on without a blink of an eye!

As we all know, the middle of November through the middle of January is a very hectic, busy time, including Christmas and New Year. It goes so quickly, you miss it! I ended the year on a positive note, despite it being a rough year for me.

Now, let me explain where the website went! I have been looking to save some money on my monthly spend, so I opted to shut down my old VPS because I was paying a lot and not really seeing the value! However, I missed blogging to you guys, so I found a brand-new host! This new host is still on a VPS but is £10 cheaper and not tied to a year’s contract! So I will be resuming posts soon!

We are now 2 months into 2026, and some big changes are coming soon. Firstly, I will be going back to a full-time job soon (after being self-employed for the last 10 months), which will bring in more money and mean more travelling! Also, I will be relocating soon! I won’t go into details now, as things are still being finalised, but hopefully I’ll be able to share with you all soon!

Expect more blogs from me over the coming year, as I will have a better income flow and be able to travel more. Plans are underway for my 40th birthday: we will be going away with my friend again in November, and this time, all the family is invited! On top of that, we plan to take a few short breaks around Europe soon as we both settle into our new jobs. I will also be focusing on my fitness, as it’s about time I got myself sorted! I also want to resume local UK trips soon, as I missed doing those!

So for now, I’ll leave you with this – Happy Lunar New Year and here’s to the year of the horse and the year of getting my life back on track! Look forward to more blogs from me soon! I hope those who celebrate the Lunar New Year have a great time, and here’s to a prosperous new year!

As I said yesterday, we were planning to visit the Popeye film set; however, we later found out it was just a theme park with no historical significance, so we lost some interest and decided to do something else. We decided to go to the Garden and the chapel called Mysterium Fidei, which had been closed to the public for 400 years! It was very interesting! Here are a few pictures from the walk around:

It was very interesting and humbling to realise that people had lived their entire lives in this small area; it was amazing!

Once we had finished there, we headed to the Musume of Illusion nearby, and that was amazing! There were really cool illusions, and we all loved it! Here are a few pictures from the tour:

It was amazing! There were so many really cool illusions! Well worth it! With that done, we headed back to the hotel and got ready for my massage! Yet again, it was awesome and I loved it! For dinner tonight, we decided to have a Maltese buffet, and it was awesome!

Once we had our fill, we headed back to our room and packed up for tomorrow. With that, our time in Malta was done! Tomorrow we’re headed to the airport to fly home! It has been ridiculously awesome, and I will miss Malta! So join us tomorrow for travel home day!

We started the day by driving to the port where the boat would be sailing from; they had a strict boarding time, so we left early. Surprisingly, parking was a breeze! We were able to park on the side of the road for free, which is unheard of in the UK!

We had to run to the shop quickly because it was windy, and my friend wanted a hoodie. I also grabbed some sun cream as I didn’t have any. In the end, my friend loved the hoodie and my Mum wanted one too!

Our first stop on the tour was the Blue Lagoon, which was awesome! The water was the bluest I have ever seen, and the view was stunning, with a little hike! It was awesome! You could swim in there, but we decided not to! It was amazing!

Our next stop was Gozo, and we first stopped at the cathedral, which was awesome and very majestic! It was steeped in history, and it felt special to be there and realise all the history that had taken place years ago!

The next stop was the church, and it was awesome! There were a lot of symbolic things to see, and you really felt like you were in the House of god.

We spent a good 30 minutes just in awe at the church! We only had about 2 hours and 30 minutes in Gozo, which wasn’t really enough! We headed back to the coach that got us back to the boat! There was a LOT of walking, but I guess that will be good for me!

We got back out to sea at sunset, and we got to experience the most majestic sunset I have ever seen. It felt special!

The photo above is one of my favourite sunsets I’ve ever taken! It was amazing! It was a long day and lots of walking, but it was so worth it! By the time we got back to port, it was already dark.

And with that, my friend drove us back to the hotel, where she had a birthday tea, and then she decided to go to Burger.Ink, which was awesome! Once we had finished, we headed to the hotel and enjoyed a cake and a drink. Once we had finished, my friend headed back because she had a family call scheduled. Mum and I headed back to our room, and that finished another stunning day!

Tomorrow we head to Popeye Island, where the movie was filmed. It was recommended to us, so we may as well use our last day there! I also have another massage booked to relax me, ready for the journey home and back to reality! So join me tomorrow for our last full day in Malta!

We decided to explore the area as my friend wanted to see the church up the road from us, so we went on a little hike around the area! It was worth it! The church was amazing, and the architecture was brilliant!

We noticed a cross in the distance and wanted to go see it, so we hiked along a rocky road to find out what it was all about. It turns out it lights up at night! Pretty awesome to see! Here are some pictures from the hike:

There were some stunning views to see! Once we had our fill, we headed back to the hotel. My friend wanted to go to a shop called Ard Discounts, which appeared to be a homeware shop, but it wasn’t, it was a discount supermarket! We walked there to explore the area further!

It wasn’t a bad shop, but it was not what we expected! So got our items and headed to Welbee’s supermarket to get stuff we wanted to take home.

After that we headed to the hotel and had afternoon tea, it was awesome!

We wanted to go up on the roof to see the sunset, but unfortunately, it was cloudy, so we couldn’t see it. Here are a few pictures:

With that, the day was done, and we retired to the hotel rooms and got ready for bed! Tomorrow we have a boat tour, as it is my friend’s birthday, so that should be good! See you tomorrow!

We started the day heading to my friend’s church, so we explored the area while my friend went to a sermon at Church. Mum and I stopped at McDonald’s and had a Mango milkshake, and I had a McFlurry. It was awesome!

Once my friend finished at church, we headed to the capital! It was a brilliant capital! It had nooks and crannies all over the place! Hills and twists and turns, it was great! It had a great history, and you could tell!

This was a brilliant little tour around the capital. We were able to get gifts for friends and family when we got home. We were supposed to see the cathedral in the capital, but unfortunately, my friend booked the wrong cathedral – New York in the US! A bit of big ops! So made the most of it and explored which was worth it. For lunch, I had a lamb kabab wrap, which was really nice!

With lunch done and everything, we wanted to explore it was time to head back to the hotel! For dinner tonight, we got a meal ticket from the hotel for a buffet-style dinner.

This was awesome! It had a lot of choices and unlimited drinks and food, although I did eat far too much!!

With that, the day was done. Tomorrow we don’t have anything really planned, so we’ll see how the wind blows! See you tomorrow!

As usual, we started with breakfast! They had a few different things today, which was good to see! We had breakfast, my friend gave me an awesome birthday present, and told me what the plan for the day was, and I loved it! We first headed to Malta Aquarium.

Although it was rather smaller than I thought it would be, it was pretty great! Not as good a Portugal’s aquarium, but still good! Here are a few pictures from my walk around the Aquarimum!

It was great to have a wander around, although it was quite busy! Next, we walked down to the town centre from the aquarium, and we had a look at the gift shops! It even had a Wagamama’s, which was weird to see! The water was also very blue and looked awesome! We had a quick coffee stop plus a croissant halfway down.

By this time, my feet were starting to ache! I am not used to this much walking! Here are a few pictures from our walk

It was time for us to head back and stop at the supermarket, as we needed a few items for tonight! I forgot how big this supermarket was! Once we got back to the hotel, we had a bit of a chill in our rooms before the main event: a massage! I have NEVER had a massage before. My friend bought me a session to see what it was like, and it was awesome! I have felt so relaxed and loose, which is great! I will definitely have one again —although I was a bit hesitant in the first place. Well worth it! I also got a glass of Prosecco as a birthday treat!

Unfortunately, there was a slight issue with the booking, which meant my friend had to wait until later to have hers. This also slightly messed up dinner plans, but we adapted. All the restaurants in the hotel were busy, so we had to explore outside. We couldn’t wait too long, as my friend had a Teams meeting in the evening, so we ended up choosing Broasters. Here is what I had:

It was awesome! I had my reservations about the place, but it was unfounded; we had an awesome dinner! With that done, my friend had to go, wished me a happy birthday and went. It was a great day! Mum and I headed back to the hotel for a coffee and cake to finish the day:

And that was it! My birthday abroad was done! This is the second time I have been away for my birthday, and I will continue this on as I love being away on my birthday! Thanks to my parents, my friends and family who made today special! I enter the last year of my 30s… scary!

Tomorrow, we are going to a church in the morning, then to the cathedral and a garden walk in the afternoon. So follow me tomorrow to see what I get up to!

As usual, the day started with breakfast! We agreed to meet at 0830 for breakfast! I slept well last night, surprisingly! I usually struggle when I am somewhere new, so that’s good! Hopefully it will stay like that! Mum came up to my room and hung around for a bit before we met my friend for breakfast. We went down together, and boy, it was busy, but I guess that is to be expected!

Breakfast was served on level -1, yes, I know it’s weird saying that! They had a large selection of breakfast options, including their version of a full English, and it worked! You could have a full English, cereal, continental or just pasties; there was a huge selection of breakfast items for all tastes! Here is what I had this morning:

Once we all had enough, it was time to take a ride down to the shopping mall just on the outskirts of Malta’s capital, Valletta. The drive was awesome, with some great scenes along the way! My friend drove us, and it was about 25 minutes, give or take!

It was a fairly large mall, larger than I thought it was! It even had an M&S Food hall! We had a walk around the shops, bought some things and explored a little! We headed down to the water area, it was stunning!

The water was really blue and clear, which is rare in Essex, where I come from! After we had a look, it was time for lunch. We opted to have our own lunch, with Mum having a chicken wrap and my friend and I having a protein bowl! Ours was delicious! Here is how it looked:

After lunch, we finished up and headed to the supermarket for more supplies. This place was huge! They had everything we needed and more! We will definitely go back later this week to pick up things to take home!

Once we had finished our shopping spree, we headed back to the hotel and went gift shop shopping for everyone! They had some good gift shops, so my friend and my Mum got some gifts for family and friends. I saw some good gifts, so I will buy some for myself!

After we had done the gift shopping, it was time for dinner. This time, we decided to stop at Burger Ink, the burger place at the top near the hotel.

This place was awesome! We enjoyed the food, and the atmosphere was nice! Here is what we ate:

Yes, one of us did have fish and chips! Can you guess who? Anyway, the food was awesome and we all enjoyed it! After we had done that, we headed to the hotel and sat at the bar for a little bit. I had an awesome Pineapple tart, it was great!

And with that, the day was done! We had an awesome day today! Lots of steps and exploring, and some brilliant food! Tomorrow is my birthday! I have no idea what I am doing tomorrow as both my friend and Mum have kept it a secret! So who knows?! I will reveal all tomorrow once I know! See you tomorrow!