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  1. Jb

    Thanks for sharing all of the wonderful information. However…
    Why do you talk about SA without featuring indigenous Africans culture or giving people a more rounded and deeper glimpse into the country? The culture, the soil, and the history give the food, the wine and the awesomeness it’s flavor! Your audience may be people who look like you, however, feel empowered to show the reality of the place and the people as opposed to just your perspective. Although the vineyards are owned by the African settlers and much of the wealth is in their possession, the country is still made of of Africans whose cultures should not be white washed even if you’re talking about the high society activities that most of the locals cannot afford. You can still be ‘The Blonde Abroad’ and recognize that the country has deep history that’s more than bubbly and boutique hotels.

    I am an African and American who has lived and traveled extensively around the world. As a matter of fact, next stop is Mexico before going to Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Maybe our paths will cross one day. Cheers!

    • The Blonde Abroad

      Hi Joseph,

      I appreciate the question but I am not a travel journalist. There is so much to the country and culture, however, I am approaching things as a travel blogger sharing itineraries and tourism-focused blog posts to support South Africa (and places around the world), and hopefully encourage tourism there. I have a ton more articles regarding South Africa — but this post was strictly about their wine! Cheers!

Instagram

What if you could travel the world… without paying for accommodation? Sounds too good to be true, right?
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Here’s the secret—@homeexchangecom. It’s a social network where you swap homes with fellow travelers, whether it’s an apartment or a house.

While we stayed in a gorgeous, centrally located apartment in Manhattan to celebrate the holiday season, our guests enjoyed a sunny winter in Southern California while staying in our cozy home. It’s a win-win!

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A fairytale stay 🏰 
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I highly recommend staying a night or 2 at @themanor_house in The Cotswolds.

It’s located in the tiny, picturesque village of Castle Combe—one of my favorite stops of our trip.

We had the entire village to ourselves early in the morning and at sunset which was so magical!
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#themanorhouse #cotswolds #castlecombe
I can confirm—The Cotswolds are a dream! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🍂
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I took a spontaneous trip with my friend to the countryside of England and it was everything I dreamed it would be!

The Cotswolds feel like stepping back in time with historic villages and adorable cottages). While these places might seem similar at first glance, each village was actually quite unique. These are some of the cutest villages we visited:

- Castle Combe
- Bourton-on-the-Water 
- The Slaughters
- Stow-on-the-Wold
- Broadway
- Snowshill
- Bibury

Some amazing villages and towns not featured but also worth visiting include:

- Broadway
- Burford
- Daylesford & Daylesford Farms
- Chipping Campden
- Cirencester

Are The Cotsworlds on your bucket list?
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#cotswolds #england #uk
The most luxurious family-friendly stay at Four Seasons Boston @fsboston 🏢
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If you’ve been following along, you know we recently took a trip through New England for leaf-peeing and sightseeing amidst the crisp, Autumn foliage.

We concluded our 10-day roadtrip at the amazing Four Seasons property in the historic city of Boston, Massachusetts.

Four Seasons is known for their luxury and incredible service, but they really kick things up a notch for families here:

🧸 The Mystery Toy Closet: As part of the VIK experience (aka Very Important Kid Experience), guests are given a large golden key that grants access to an AMAZING toy closet behind the front desk. Filled with trinkets like rubber ducks, slinkys, coloring books, and–Ollie’s favorite–wiggly frogs, this was SUCH an amazing and one-of-a-kind treat to experience.

🍭 The Vault: One of the newer features to the Four Seasons Boston: a small room on each guest floor filled with complimentary snacks, candy, and beverages to grab-and-go!

🛎️ Amenities: Once again, Four Seasons has outdone itself with its amazing service. This city retreat offers a complimentary coffee bar for guests (and hot chocolate for the little ones), 24-hour gym, a pool with a fantastic view, a world-class spa, and even a morning run club to get your Boston marathon fix in!

🦞 The Food: Whether it’s in-room dining you’re after, quaint tea service in-between sight-seeing, or you want to experience New England’s famous seafood, Four Seasons treats your tastebuds with exquisite table-side service at their restaurant, Coterie.

This was truly such a luxurious end to our trip, I wish we could have extended it just so we could enjoy more time at this fantastic property.

A huge thank you to @fsboston for hosting us on our dream trip to New England and concluding our stay with memories that will last a LIFETIME!
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#fourseasons #boston #familytravel #newengland
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