Where the Glassette Team are Holidaying this Summer

I went to Lake Wörthersee in Austria - ostensibly to watch my brother do an Ironman (he got injured, so we just enjoyed the lake instead). It's where Austrians go on holiday, almost no Brits, a bit charmingly dated and very stunning. We stayed in a hotel called Astoria that felt like a Wes Anderson film set, hiked to a viewing platform with a wooden reclining chair that plays classical music, swam in the lake every day, and I spent an embarrassing amount of time in the local supermarket. I'd forgotten how much I love an alpine summer holiday. Highly recommend.

There's something quietly thrilling about booking a long weekend with your best friend and knowing it's going to be a good one! Albufeira's Old Town is our base this weekend. Old towns have a way of cutting through the noise: they're the kind of bars and restaurants that have earned their place, where the food and drink do the talking. We're a short walk from the beach too - so this means lounging in the sun, sea dips, long lunches, longer evenings, and the kind of catching-up conversations that only really happen when you're somewhere beautiful with nowhere else to be. Eating, drinking, and the best company!

Cornwall holds so many memories for me. I used to holiday there as a child, in a little village on the Roseland Peninsula, and it's stayed close to my heart ever since - I got married there, and now I bring my own children back (I try to) every year. It's my favourite place in the world away from the city, right by the sea, and no matter how popular it gets, it will always be my escape from the noise. If you're visiting, head to Portscatho, Towan or Porthcurnick Beach for the best stretch of coastline, and make sure you eat at The Hidden Hut, the kind of spot that's worth the walk just for the setting alone, before grabbing a drink at the Plume of Feathers. If you’re travelling without kids, September is my favourite time to visit; the crowds have gone home and the sea is still warm.

If there's one thing I've learned from holidaying with small children over the last few years, it's that simple is best. This summer we're giving the airports a miss and heading to the English Riviera in Devon! I'm sure there will still be summer crowds, but we've found a quiet little village and are staying opposite a great pub called the Millbrook Inn, which feels like the perfect base. For the second part of our trip, we might go camping in Cornwall. There are some brilliant wild camping sites offering kitchen gardens, weekly feast nights, and cabins if tents aren’t your thing!

I went to the Italian Riviera in May - flew into Genoa (£40 return on Ryanair!!), hired a car, and did a bit of a road trip. Day one was lunch in Camogli, then a long coastal walk to Portofino. Day two was Cinque Terre. We got the train from Levanto to Riomaggiore for lunch and a swim, then a hike over the hill to Manarola - where I got engaged! Would very much recommend.

We went to L'Escala on a bit of a punt, if I'm honest - the hotel had been recommended and we just took a chance on it. We stayed at Hostal Empúries, right on the edge of the old Greek ruins, and basically lived on the coastal path that runs from the hotel into town. It winds past loads of little beaches which was lovely. It felt like an old school holiday tbh. Highlights were the anchovies (L'Escala's famous for them), and lunches at Xiringuito Olivia where you can eat with your feet in the sand. They also do takeaway drinks, and a cold Shandy Damm with the sun beating down was lovely. Their other place, Bretta, is up in the ruins and just as good. The town itself is brilliant - but it was the evenings that were the main highlight. Everyone pouring out onto the streets, sitting outside the bars, kids still playing on the beach as the sun went down. It was lively, but not trashy at all. Just a proper old-school holiday vibe! Would recommend although service at hotel left a lot to be desired...