My Top Five 2025 Favourite Places

🔝5️⃣ Another year, another list of my Top Fives. We will begin with Places. This year’s travels were almost entirely work related, and unfortunately a lot the places I visited were on repeat.

We did have one big family holiday, and that was to Qatar as we sought to open our daughter’s mind to another culture. The peninsula on the Arabian Gulf therefore took top spot, and here is a list of My Top Fives Favourite Places 🧳

1️⃣ Qatar 🐪

A small sovereign state on a peninsula on the gulf coast. More familiar now post World Cup and trying hard to be accepted. Modern skyscrapers and glitz meet traditional architecture, souks and a conservative Islamic culture.

Qatar met our needs. It was eye-opening, historical, majestic, interesting, hospitable and bloody hot – we went in August.

2️⃣ Mount Pilatus 🚠

A dramatic mountain nestled in clouds with panoramic views over Lake Lucerne and the Alps. This was a sidebar excursion from a work trip. We took the steepest cogwheel railway up and a cable car down. Lunch was had in between at the beautiful Pilatus-Kulm restaurant. Stunning vistas with the sun shining bright above grey clouds.

3️⃣ TriBeCa, New York 🚏

The Triangle Below Canal Street was coined in the 1970’s and I have often walked through it, but a few times this year on visits to New York I actually explored it properly. It is home nowadays to some of the cities sleekest high rises, contemporary shops and coolest restaurants. It does however retain a sense of calm, just half hour away from the maddening crowds of the financial district and Soho.

4️⃣ Coral Gables, Florida ☀️

I’ve always been a fan of Coral Gables with it’s Mediterranean hue and open air gardens. We were back there this year for the first time since before the pandemic, and tastefully done new construction projects have only added to its appeal.

5️⃣ Atlanta, Georgia 🍑

It felt at times I may as well move to Atlanta I was there so much in 2025 with work. It is a sprawling behemoth of an American city where the car is king, although mostly slow moving in traffic. There were however a couple of neighbourhoods I got to appreciate, particularly Sandy Springs, Inman Park, the Old Fourth Ward and the restaurant corridor of Burford Highway.