An insiders guide to Bournemouth

I'm lucky enough that I live in a UK holiday hot spot. Bournemouth is blessed with some of the best of England's weather and beaches which can turn an average weekend a mini break in an instant.

But stained with a reputation for stag and hen groups, nightclubs and nastiness, it's easy to see how you could overlook a town with so much to offer.

Here, I'll take you on a tour of some of my favourite things to do, eat and drink whilst weekending in my Bournemouth.

Art Deco styling at Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre

Beaches

With 7 miles of golden beaches (4 miles in Bournmeouth and 3 in Poole) along one great stretch its easy to plan a wonderful day by the sea. Families can find parking and mini golf in Sandbanks and Alum Chine, whilst day-trippers and holiday makers flood the piers at Bournemouth and Boscombe. Stretch yourself a little further and you'll find a local crowd at the quieter end in Southbourne.

LV= operate a kids safe zone on certain parts of the beach for a little extra piece of mind, and a land train connects Alum Chine to Bournemouth Pier, and Bournemouth Pier to Boscombe Pier.

Beach huts are available to rent from the council, and some owners also rent their huts on sites like gumtree. Expect to spend upwards of £25 per day.

Views of Poole Bay from Overcliff Drive

Cafes

When it's time to seek some shade, there are some great places to grab a snack or sit down to lunch. One of my all time favourite spots is Delice de Champs opposite the Arcade on Westover Road. This french fancy is great for grabbing a croque monsieur and cafe to go, or for a delicious baguette or salad in the french themed interior.

If you're coming straight off the beach, Urban Reef in Boscombe has a small deli for hot drinks and cafes, plus a decked seating area offering a great range of light bites and drinks overlooking the sea. Grab a seat on the decked upper level and watch the world go by.

Afterwards, treat yourself to some of the UK's favourite gelato at Giggi's Gelataria. Recently expanded, Giggi is famous for their award winning gelato and authentic flavours delivered from from Italy.

Lunch Al Fresco at Urban Reef

Dining

Some say the dining options in Bournemouth are limited, but I don't agree. Bournemouth has an excellent selection of restaurants outside of the town centre, which mostly has chain's. Turtle Bay is a recent addition to the town centre scene, and it's Caribbean flair has taken off!

Outside of The Square are the tapas twins Lolitas and Koh Thai in the Triangle (the top of Commercial Road). Lolitas is a staple to Bournemouth and excellent fun if you don't mind a little 'Spanish hospitality'. Koh Thai is part of an expanding empire in the south, serving thai tapas, and proper sized meals in beautiful surroundings.

Towards Westbourne pizza lovers will be split between the authentically Italian and family run Da Mario's and the hipster friendly Baffi (Italian for moustache). Da Mario's started as a take away and has been serving the best pizza in Bournemouth for some time. They've recently expanded adding more tables. New kids on the block Baffi have outlets in Westbourne, Canford Cliffs and Southbourne and are becoming a town favourite with imported beers and a laid back vibe.

Pizza at Baffi with a glass of red.

Nightlife

Bournemouth isn't just a stag and hen mecca; there's plenty of places to enjoy a few drinks or a dance without being hit it the face by a blow up whatever. 1812, within the Royal Exeter Hotel has a good bar and happy hour. Live music is on most weekends and it counts as your daily slice of history as The Exeter Hotel encompasses the building which founded Bournemouth in 1812.

Gay bars are to be found in the Triangle, along with not-specifically-gay Smokin Aces, with a team of talented barmen and women who'll mix you just about anything you like with style and expert knowledge.

Back in Westbourne, recently opened Renoufs offers cheese, charcuterie and wine flights to anyone lucky enough to get a seat. The wine flights are a particular favourite of mine, allowing you to try 3 wines at a time in smaller doses.

Happy Hour at Smokin Aces

Entertainment

The Pavillion and BIC are the resident concert and exhibition centres and an Odeon and ABC cinema run on Westover Road. On summer evenings you can enjoy candle lighting in the gardens (Wednesdays in August) and Family Fiestas and Fireworks on Fridays (July and August).

The Oceanarium is perfect for a cooler day with the kids. The ticket lasts all day and you can meet the new penguins, coo over the otters and watch the turtles being fed.

Happy feet at the Oceanarium

No matter how you decide to spend the day in Bournemouth, I hope you have a wonderful time, and please share your favourite spots with me.

Life in Italy

A very old bottle of Barolo

It's been well over a month now since we arrived in Piedmont, and moved in with a local family to help look after their two children.

Above all else this experience has given us a unique insight into Italian life, its customs and nuances.

For example, did you know that Italians eat pasta with their right hand only, and never with the help of a knife. I noticed this one dinner time and was surprised to see the family switch which hand held the fork depending on whether they were eating pasta or anything else. I've always been a backwards eater, but this was something else!

Canale, the neighbouring "city" is where we have spent many an afternoon beside the pool and chatting away. The city is tiny, I know of larger villages in England. Its the kind of place where all the shops still close for 3 hours over lunch, there is a big market every Tuesday and a week long carnival in the summer. Every time we wonder the streets we bump into one family member or another. It's mad to think that places like this still exist, when back home I rarely bump into people and lunch time is prime time for shopping.

Breakfast, where my healthy eating ends!

Those long lunches are starting to take their toll though. A typical days eating here consists of some cereal and an espresso for breakfast, pasta, protein and vegetables for lunch, and similar for dinner with added antipasto, cheese and bread. Whilst travelling I think I stayed about the same size, but I can feel the lb's creeping up on me now! What's hardest is I know this amount of food is typical here!

Corrado and the birthday present we got him

Aside from all the pasta, one weekend I got to eat a lot of cake as it was Corrado's birthday! To celebrate the family held a small party at their grandparents house. There weren't any decorations, but the whole family turned up to wish him a happy 6th birthday. Corrado received a few carefully chosen and completely appropriate presents and stuffed his face with cake and crisps. He played with his friends whilst the family chatted, and we all sang when the candles were lit.

Vespas in La Morra

Last week, the other au pair Evanne's mum came to visit. They were off to tour the Italian countryside for a week, but before they left we took them out to the Langhe. We had been to this area before but looked forward to returning at a much slower pace. Our first stop was La Morra for the unparalleled view of the stunning countryside. We grabbed lunch in a tiny courtyard which was offering amazing wine. We topped lunch off with a wonderful Moscato gelato which was every bit as sweet and refreshing as you can imagine.

Wine on tap!

One Sunday we were invited to the opening of a wine bar down the road. The place had been a bar for a while but was opening under new management after a little refurbishing. As we arrived, lots of the locals were bundled under cover from the drizzle sipping their reds and whites. As the weather cleared up the band started to play their jazzy tunes on the drums, guitar and bass. The wine flowed freely and for free and we grazed on bar snacks such as fried aubergines and omelette.

Making pizza the best way

Last weekend was also filled with parties. On Saturday night the large courtyard outside the families house was filled with tables for a very special occasion; Davide was firing up the wood oven and making pizza. Davide is a chef by trade and hoping to open his own pizzeria in Canale this year, so we expected good things.

In the early evening the neighbours and friends started arriving and the tables were pilled high with bottles of wine. We started with pizza topped with cold fresh tomato, basil and red onion then slowly moved through gorzongola and sausage, stracchino cheese and rocket, tomato and grilled vegetables and Margherita.

Feast your eyes!

Towards the end of the evening the neighbour Gianpiere was opening Barolo wines from 1970 and 1965. This was a very special treat and we were honoured that he chose to share them with us. We finished off the feast with tiny cakes a bit like petit fours. Can you believe we cooked 48 pizzas for about 20 people; some did make it into the freezer for another days lunch though!

Its only 2 more weeks now before we pack up for the last time to head home. Our social calendar is all ready filling up with family events and nights out with friends. It all still feels a world away as I sit here in small town Italy with the church bells chiming in the distance...

Naples and Vesuvius

23-30 May

After a wonderful week in Rome, we were up bright and early for our train to Naples. We quickly realised we were headed for the wrong station and had to make a detour but we made it. We were sat in a cute 6 seat booth complete with wine glass holders. This was train travel in Italy. It felt like something from a movie, I was just missing some style!

Yummy cakes

As the train approached, I got my first glimpse of Vesuvius and began to get excited about our trip to Pompeii. The city looked as large and intimidating as the volcano and I began remembering everything I'd heard about Naples.

It was early when we arrived so we stored our luggage and went for a wonder to the marina and a castle. Instantly I was getting vibes of Southampton and Cherbourg, both marina towns. The signs, the cruise ships and the atmosphere was oddly familiar.

That night a tour guide staying at our hotel was mugged a few streets away from Corso Umberto, the main street in Naples, and this made us anxious. The following day we were a little nervous to go out, especially as Mark had almost been pick pocketed in Rome. I couldn't believe that in all our months of travelling and scam dodging in Asia, Naples had me scared to leave the hotel. The city wasn't exactly doing much to make us feel any better either, even the ticket man at the train station warned us about watching our bag; all we asked for was a timetable! He was nice about it, and obviously trying to help, but he was a rare breed. Many people in Naples seem to be born angry about something. There weren't a lot of smiles.

I was smiling at the pizza though! If there is one thing the Neapolitan's do well it's pizza, and I munched my way through plenty whilst I was here!

Pizza Margherita in Naples! The best!

On Tuesday we climbed Vesuvius! We had found information on getting there and the prices very sparse, so here is a 2014 update! Get the train to Pompeii Scavi, and get a ticket from the vendor at the station. Their bus will take you from the station to the park, and from the park to the top by 4x4. You still have to walk the last very steep bit to the crater. The price is €22 per person. It was no cheaper to get any other offer as the crater price is €10 alone. Whilst we waited I heard another tourist ask if there was a restaurant at the top. Mark and I giggled his naivety, but actually there was a refreshment stand at the top!

It was a bumpy ride up as the bus was more like an armoured tank. The 4x4s were more comfortable, but also bouncy. We arrived near the summit surrounded by the clouds, and the cool wind was refreshing to the point of chilly at times!

About to be covered in cloud on Vesuvius

When we reached the crater it was so much larger than I expected. To imagine an eruption was quite frightening, especially considering there were constant streams of gases being released from the sides. I think our experience would have been better if the clouds had cleared and we could see the view, but the crater was still worth a visit!

Towards the end of our visit we went to the National Archaeological Museum, which houses an impressive collection of sculptures and a large collection of artistic and domestic items recovered from Pompeii. The mosaics were out of this world and I was astounded to see that the people of Pompeii had impressive glass and silverware.

Boney mosaic

Soon enough it was the end of our visit and we were off to Florence, and whilst I can't say Naples has stolen my heart, its been a great week!

That's amore! Pizza Neapolitana

Pizza is one of my top reasons for coming to Naples, so here is each one I ate!

We ate at Franco's, Pizzaria la Michele and Cantina dei Mille. La Michele opened in 1870 and people can queue for 2 hours for a table. It was also made popular by featuring in the film eat pray love. They only serve margherita and marinara pizza.

Franco's was close to our hotel on Piazza Garibaldi and had great reviews on trip advisor so really it would have been rude not to!

We had eaten a great traditional Italian meal at La Cantina dei Mille on our anniversary but had to go back and try the pizza too! When in Naples and all that!


Pizza Caprese (cheese, tomato, basil)

Pizza Caprese, Franco's

Pizza Chef (ham, mushroom and cream)

Pizza Chef, Franco's

Pizza Margherita double mozzarella (tomato, mozzarella, oil, basil)

Pizza Magherita double mozzarella, La Michele

Pizza Margherita

Pizza Magherita, La Michele

Pizza Campagnola (tomato, cheese, rocket, prosciutto and parmesan)

Pizza Campagnola, Franco's

Pizza Diavola (tomato, cheese, salami, crudo and basil)

Pizza Diavola, Franco's

Pizza Cappriccio (Tomato, mozzarella, mushroom, artichoke, olive, ham)

Pizza Capriccio, Cantina dei Mille

Pizza Peperonata (Sausage, pepperoni, provola cheese, olive)

Pizza Peperonata, Cantina dei Mille

All were delicious and I would order any of them again, but I can definitely say nothing beats a true Pizza Margherita in Napoli!

Buon Appetite