Are there too many hotels in Antwerp?

At the start of December 2024, Antwerp welcomed a brand new hotel: a Motel One at Oever, in the city centre near St. Anne’s Pedestrian Tunnel (Sint-Annavoetgangerstunnel). And a new Van der Valk Hotel is readying a space near City Park (Stadspark). But the Antwerp Hotel Association believes that too many hotels are being added,…

Spain demands personal data from all tourists

As of today, Monday 2 December 2024, tourists in Spain will be required to provide more personal information under a new regulation. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the measure is “justified in the public interest for the security of citizens”. The measure applies to foreign visitors and domestic – i.e. Spanish – tourists…

PORTUGAL | Three days in Lisbon

Easter Holiday 2024. Danny and Sam visited Porto in February, I visited the capital, Lisbon, in April with Steve, Philippe and Nicolas. I had my free week during a school holiday and as the boys work in education, I made the best of it. We chose Portugal for its convenience and our hope for fair…

REVIEW | Casa Chaká Boutique Ka’an Room in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico 

June 2022. Although I have been in Mexico before, the last time was in 1994-1995. Twenty-seven years later, Oriol and I are doing a classic tour of the United Mexican States, featuring Mexico City (CDMX); Palenque in Chiapas; Villahermosa in Tabasco; Uxmal, Mérida, Chichen Itza, Ek’ Balam, Valladolid,  and a few cenotes (waterholes) in Yucatán…