Kota Kinabalu is the capital of the Malaysian state of Sabah which occupies the northern corner of the island of Borneo. ‘KK’, as the city is locally known, has arguably one of the most beautiful locations of any city in Malaysia. It faces the gorgeous emerald-coloured South China Sea while its harbour is protected by [...]
My velvet escape travel tip: Normandy
“My velvet escape travel tip” is a guest series about what the name ‘Velvet Escape’ evokes and what that would be in the hometown of the guest writer. With this series, I hope to uncover travel tips from places around the world to help visitors have a truly local experience. Polished pews at the back [...]
Breathtaking Positano
Positano is a small town on Italy’s stunning Amalfi coast, just south of Naples. The town is truly an engineering marvel as it clings precariously onto the almost vertical slopes of the massive mountains that seemingly plunge dramatically into the sea. The colourful pastel houses are stacked atop each other and the views of the [...]
velvet visits ‘AirTreks’
I first stumbled upon AirTreks several months ago when I was doing some research on online round-the-world travel services. Strangely enough, I landed on their About page. AirTreks is an agency that is specialised in multi-stop international air travel services: exactly what I was looking for! I was about to head to the main home page when [...]
Ten things to do in Cape Town
Cape Town ranks (on my list) as one of the world’s most spectacularly situated cities, alongside Rio de Janeiro, Vancouver, San Francisco and Sydney. Its location, fronting an impressive bay and backed by the magnificent Table Mountain, is simply stunning. I’ve listed below ten things you shouldn’t miss if it’s your first visit to this [...]
My velvet escape travel tip: The Lake District, Cumbria
“My velvet escape travel tip” is a guest series about what the name ‘Velvet Escape’ evokes and what that would be in the hometown of the guest writer. With this series, I hope to uncover travel tips from places around the world to help visitors have a truly local experience. A little wooden seat overlooking [...]
A glorious day at Da Adolfo
“Da Adolfo? Ahhh… bellissimo. Good food!”, the hotel receptionist said with a broad smile as I mentioned that my friend and I were heading there. Da Adolfo is a little beachside restaurant, a short boat ride away from Positano, on the Amalfi Coast. We headed down to the Positano jetty and asked around which boat we [...]
My velvet escape travel tip: Nova Scotia Atlantic coast
“My velvet escape travel tip” is a guest series about what the name ‘Velvet Escape’ evokes and what that would be in the hometown of the guest writer. With this series, I hope to uncover travel tips from places around the world to help visitors have a truly local experience. I have the good fortune [...]
Shop till you drop in Kuala Lumpur
Malaysians love to shop. I believe the favourite national pastime in the weekends is strolling through one of the many shopping malls. For the locals, it’s a family-outing or a way of spending time with friends. It’s also a great opportunity to people-watch or escape the scorching tropical heat outside! For tourists, Kuala Lumpur is [...]
The Blue Grotto, Capri
The Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra) is a well-known sea-cave on the island of Capri, Italy. It’s a bit of a squeeze getting into the cave as the entrance from the sea is narrow and low. Visitors have to lie flat in the boat as the boatman pulls the boat through the small channel. The cave [...]








