Anna Coogan

A five-star fling in Paris: 'Living like the other half comes highly recommended'

Elizabeth, a young woman with a French fringe and a slash of red lipstick - who looks like she's just stepped out of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film Amelie - meets me off the plane in Charles de Gaulle.

Sailing upriver through French wine country on the SS Bon Voyage

Hats off to beautiful Bordeaux: My wonderful river cruise in wine country

I watched my favourite hat blow away in Bourg-sur-Gironde, a sleepy village in Bordeaux where a ginger cat stretched out on a windowsill of one of the honey-hued houses in one of the many enchanting medieval alleyways, only half opens his eyes to acknowledge us as we pass.

A cheetah can reach speeds of over 100kmph. It can also laze about for half the day

South Africa: Close encounters on the Eastern Cape

As South Africans go to the polls this Wednesday, hoping to see more post-apartheid promises met - and on the 25th anniversary of the country's first democratic elections and Mandela coming to power - it's an interesting time to be invited to visit the beautiful birthplace of Nelson Mandela: South Africa's Eastern Cape.

Executive suite in four-star Clayton Whites Hotel turns out to have a fab view over Wexford town and harbour which is stunning, especially at night

'Compact and compelling' - A midweek break in Wexford goes down a storm

We weren't the only ones thinking about a good catch-up, because while we are checking in to Clayton Whites Hotel, we stand looking at the groups of women seated at tables in the lobby/cafe and who are bowed over in conversation. Someone's ears are burning.

The Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood in St Petersburg was built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was fatally wounded by assassins in 1881

A short break in St Petersburg: In Russia's empire of the senses

As the plane touches down in St Petersburg, there's a great feeling of excitement. No one in our small travel group has been to Russia before, or had thought a four-day city break in St Petersburg was actually possible, assuming it would be too far to travel for a short visit in what is the second largest city in the world's largest country.

The City of the Tribes is the perfect weekend destination

G Factor: A five-star getaway in Galway

We are greeted by a summery sky when we disembark in Galway, which is still not to be taken for granted given that our original plan to go west had been postponed due to the Beast from the East.

The church of Our Lady of the Angels located at Collioure harbour inspired both Matisse and Derain. Photo: france-voyage.com/tourism/collioure

France: Charming Collioure casts its spell

The best recommendation for a holiday destination is the reaction you get when you say you're heading there. Whenever I said I was off to Collioure, the faces of those who'd already been went soft and dreamy.

Bern, the capital of Switzerland, is built on the Aare Rive

Switzerland: Go on, feel the Bern

I had completely underestimated the appeal of the common onion.

Nine out of ten cats prefer... Kilkenny

Going down the country on the train is always great fun. There's the chat, bags of crisps, and watching the fields whizz by - and me and my pal are in relaxed holiday form when we're met by James Doran in Kilkenny. James is our driver for the weekend, and on his taxi tours he regularly shares his knowledge of the area with tourists, and it seems quite a few visiting Dubs.

Silver Muse on the Med: An ultra-luxury cruise with butler and Bvlgari

Sometimes you find yourself thinking about money, which is exactly what I'm doing while looking up at the €300m Silver Muse, Silversea Cruises' new flagship, which is docked in Marseille in France.

Stunning: Sitges is home to many envy-inducing fabulous and ornate mansions and hotels

Spain: On the coast in Catalonia

I'm not sure I'm capable of driving a two-wheeled self-balancing vehicle for 6km through a vineyard owned by the Giro Ribot family in the beautiful Penedes region on the Costa Barcelona.

Riverside: Porto is located on the Douro river but is also a short journey from the coast should you fancy a day at the beach

Make your way pronto to Porto - Portugal's seductive second city

With air access booming from Ireland, Anna Coogan visits Portugal's second-largest city.

Chilling out - Melanie Griffith has a home in Aspen

Global village: Melanie Griffith stays mellow in Aspen

Oscar-nominated Melanie Griffith took some time out to go skiing in Aspen, and the 59-year-old glowed with health while spending time in the posh Colorado ski resort.

Global village: Lottie lives it up in Barbados

Kate Moss's half-sister Lottie is fast making a name for herself in the modelling world. Already, the 18-year-old has modelled for Calvin Klein and has graced the cover of British Vogue.

Discover fascinating Aboriginal culture at Uluru

Global village: Adele is heading to Australia

Chart-topper Adele is set to tour Australia - and why not. Edreams.com has listed some reasons why you might consider going Down Under too.

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones

Global village: Catherine chills in Mexico

Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones jetted out to Mexico for a break recently, taking her husband Michael Douglas along with her for some sunshine and relaxation.

Global village: Madonna chills in Cuba

Madonna rang in her birthday with a family holiday to Havana earlier this year. You might want to consider visiting the island too.

Global village: Stella soaks up Parisian sights

Fashion designer Stella McCartney and hubby Alasdhair Willis enjoyed the sights of the French capital following her show at Paris Fashion Week.

Global village: Gwyneth is hip in The Hamptons

Gwyneth Paltrow supported her ex-husband Chris Martin and his band Coldplay when they played at the Stephen Talkhouse in The Hamptons, New York.

Global Village: Beach life looking pretty for Pippa

There's a reason British millionaire hedge fund manager James Matthews has been whisking Pippa Middleton - little sister of the Duchess of Cambridge - off to the Caribbean island of St Barts.

Global Village: Charlene reigns over Monaco

Princess Charlene of Monaco looked stunning while arriving at the 68th annual Red Cross Gala at the Salle des Étoiles in Monte Carlo on the arm of her husband, Prince Albert II.

Anne Doyle walks everywhere because she never learned to drive. Photo: Mark Condren

Anne Doyle on her RTE departure: 'I live a less stressful life and I simply have less pressures'

Former RTE newsreader Anne Doyle is posing for photos on a sunny morning in St Stephen's Green. Pedestrians take a second look while passing her by and once they have determined that they are indeed looking at the woman who once read the news in their living room, they immediately smile widely.

The beautiful surrounds of Venice make it a perfect spot for a honeymoon or city break

Global village: Ana stuns at Venetian wedding

Tennis player Ana Ivanovic stunned in a simple white dress when she married Manchester United footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger in a canal-side ceremony in Venice earlier this summer.

Actor and writer Simon Callow has described Mozart's life as a 'vast meditation on the relationship between genius and talent.' Photo: David Conachy

Theatre: The symphony of talent that is Mozart and Callow

Simon Callow stole the show when he appeared in Four Weddings and a Funeral opposite Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell, with the most memorable scene in the film being when he croaked from a heart attack. So the other acts appearing at the Kilkenny Arts Festival have been duly warned.

From left: Lukhanyo Moyake (Justice), Siphamandla Yakupa (Winnie), Candida Mosoma (Dollie) and Yamikani Mahaka-Phiri (Mandela 2) photographed at the Mandela Statue Southbank

Theatre: Music from the heart of Mandela's life

Opera is the telling of an inspiring story on an epic scale, so where's the surprise in the news that Nelson Mandela is the subject of an original opera which is about to make its Dublin debut.

Author Caroline Grace Cassidy. Photo: Fergal Phillips

Hollywood's calling ... but life is not imitating art for creative Caroline

Author Caroline Grace-Cassidy is priming herself for a positive midlife crisis. "Not something overly dramatic," she says confidently, over a latte in the light-filled Atrium in The Westin Hotel where we're discussing her fifth novel, which is all about a woman having a midlife crisis.

Alpine chalets in the picturesque spa town of Bad Ischl, which sits on the River Traun in Upper Austria.

Travel: Climbing the Alps in Austria

I'm walking in the Alps in Austria because I need to get out more. I've travelled with Travel Department - their active holiday brand is TDactive - on an Austrian Lake District Walking Holiday, during which there'll be five guided walks. I've got new walking gear because, while I walk in and out of work, I rarely go up a mountain.