Little Footsteps in the Big World

During our two-week stay in Indonesia in November 2023, we spent four days in Lombok island, part of the Lesser Sunda Islands. Lombok is an island of a similar size of Bali, but much less known than its neighbour Bali. We skipped Bali and opted for Lombok for a calmer stay with the kids. It is an absolute tropical paradise that can be easily reached from Indonesia's major cities. We flew to Lombok from Surabaya in East Java, where we had been staying previously; but you could also get to Lombok by fast boats from Bali. There are three main areas to stay on the island: Kuta, Senggigi and Gili Islands. Kuta is very popular place to stay - not to be confused with Kuta area in Bali. Kuta (in Lombok) is on the south coast and a popular choice for surfers. Senggigi is a little calmer but still has a great access to shops and supermarkets. Gili Islands are little car free islands reachable by boats from Lombok. There are three islands to choose from to stay, and they all offer wide range ...

Spring in Belgium this year turned to be the season of heavy rains and cloudy days, so we decided to take a long weekend break and go a little further south for some sun and sea. We had never been to Canary islands and when I found a direct and cheap flight to Lanzarote from Brussels, it was a done deal. The short four-day vacation on the first week of June was a long needed getaway for our family, a little break from work and school. Weather was ideal, high of 26 degrees Celsius during the days, not too hot, but warm enough that we drove in a rented convertible on the island. Most importantly, the ocean was warm enough to swim in. Choose your base town. Teguise is a popular old town, close enough from the airport in Arrecife, and close enough to the main attractions on the island. Puerto del Carmen is another popular base town for tourists. We chose Playa Blanca on the far south of the island as our base and chose a hotel at Flamingo Beach with its calm waters ideal for the family wi...