Visitors to the five-star Paradee resort on the idyllic island of Koh Samed, can now get involved with their ‘Adopt-a-Turtle’ initiative which has been launched as part of growing efforts to promote the island’s natural beauty and wealth of native wildlife.

In February 2008, a female green turtle laid 100 eggs in a nest on the beach at Paradee, of which half were taken to be raised by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources as part of a conservation programme. The remaining eggs were left in the mother’s nest at Paradee and a special protection zone was set up to allow the eggs to hatch under the watchful eye of the staff and guests at the resort. At the end of April, following extensive beach cleaning, the hatched Paradee turtles were released back into the wild.

Samed Resorts’ Adopt-a-Turtle campaign aims to raise funds for the conservation of green sea turtles in the Gulf of Thailand, supporting the work of the Marine and Coastal Resources Research Centre in their turtle-breeding project on Koh Mun Nai, a short distance from Koh Samet at the heart of the National Park.

Sunny, sexy and sophisticated, Sydney is one the most attractive cities I’ve visited. I flew to Sydney last January to spend a month sunbathing, shopping and seeing the sights that I’d heard so much about! Sydney is one of those places that you feel at home in right away. It’s clean and very cosmopolitan – and the excellent metro system makes it an extremely easy city to get around, not that I needed to use public transport much as I stayed right in the heart of the action at the Sydney Travelodge.

Located in the regenerated southern area of the city, close to Oxford Street and the beautiful Hyde Park (perfect for an Aussie style morning jog!) the hotel is within walking distance from Central Railway Station, theatres and restaurants. Circular Quay, the Rocks and the Opera House are accessible by train via nearby Museum Station or by bus on Elizabeth Street. Chinatown is three blocks away and Darling Harbour is a 15 minute walk from the hotel. There’s so much to do in Sydney that you could easily spend a week here and still find yourself crashing into bed at night exhausted by trying to see all the main attractions. I didn’t spend a lot of time in my room in the day, but it was very well appointed with a modern and fresh look, open wardrobe (for all the clothes I bought!) with an iron and ironing board, fridge, tea/coffee maker and a microwave. The bathroom was clean and bright, with a shower and also hair dryer, which was great as I had packed very lightly and not brought one.

I would thoroughly recommend a visit to Darling Harbour as there is so much to see and do. There is an Oceanarium, an Imax theatre, museums, shops, restaurants and bars and I whiled away quite a few evenings enjoying a cold beer, watching the sun set and the boats and the people go by.

Of course the main attraction to Sydney is the beaches – there are over 20 strung along the city’s oceanfront and dozens more around the harbour I was spoiled for choice! I liked Bondi – it does get busy but there is so much going on. There is a great walk between Bondi and another good beach, Coogee that is definitely worth doing if you find the time between all the other activities on offer in this fantastic city.

We recently found ourselves in Mauritius for a friend’s wedding at Legends Hotel. Based around the ancient philosophy of Feng Shui, Legends is built round a beautiful sandy bay and is absolutely stunning with wonderful views towards the islets of Gunners Point, Flat Island and Sugar Loaf.

We chose to stay on an all-inclusive basis, which was perfect considering we were part of a group of ten other wedding guests, as no one was left footing the bill for the drinks each evening. The dining options were excellent, ranging from set menus to buffet style, with a choice of food including Chinese, Indian and International cuisine, but our favourite restaurant was Abalone on the beach, which had the most amazing choice of fresh fish. But be warned, you can’t just turn up at this restaurant and advance booking is highly recommended – especially if you are a large group! Food in the Italian restaurant was also delicious, again another tip is that it doesn’t open every night so make sure you don’t get caught out and miss the opportunity to sample it. As well as unlimited drinks, the all-inclusive option also includes 24 hour room service and a free mini-bar in addition to a selection of house wines at dinner and champagne – perfect for us group of wedding guests to continue the celebrations long after the happy couple had moved on to another hotel!

Our all-inclusive package included a 20 minute massage, tennis lessons, cookery class, trip to a private island, sunset catamaran trip and a meal in the á la carte restaurant. The beaches are fine, but the lagoon is manmade, so slimy rather than sandy underfoot. However there are also three pools to choose from and the service around the pool is superb – it even includes sunglasses cleaning if you need it!

I have to mention the wedding day, as it was a dream from start to finish and completely stress free for our friends getting married. They chose to say their vows in the secret garden which was very private and very, very, romantic. If we hadn’t of got married ourselves in Sri Lanka, I would have jumped at this hotel as it has everything a couple could want in order to start off their lives together.