Donna Occhipinti - Personal Travel Manager

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Donna Occhipinti - Personal Travel Manager

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24/08/2026

On Saturday we said goodbye to Dubrovnik and crossed into Montenegro — a stunning Balkan country of medieval villages, seaside towns, dramatic mountains and fjord-like bays. An up-and-coming destination and definitely one to add to the travel list! 🇲🇪✨

Thankfully, the notorious border crossing took just over an hour! 🙌

First stop was the gorgeous little seaside town of Perast for a wander and lunch, then on to Kotor.

I visited Kotor 10 years ago with my kids and folks, when we climbed the fortress walls for that incredible view over the bay. This time, with the heatwave in full swing, we skipped the climb and instead wandered the wonderfully narrow streets of the old town. ☀️

Next stop was Budva, our base for the night. We had every intention of exploring… but takeout, beers and an early night won instead! 🌯🍻 And honestly, it was exactly what we needed.

The following morning we squeezed in a quick look around the old town and a dip at the rocky beach before hitting the road for Albania.

We only had one night in Durrës on the way to Ohrid, North Macedonia, but we’ll be heading back south for a few more nights after Macedonia — so more on Albania to come! 🇦🇱✨

🇲🇪

22/08/2026

The final four days of our Croatian cruise have been just as fabulous as the first! 🇭🇷☀️🚢

We explored Hvar, Croatia’s “sunniest island” and party capital 🍹, wandered the beautiful medieval streets of Korčula, said to be the birthplace of Marco Polo, and sampled the famous GRK wine. 🍷

In Mljet National Park, we kayaked across the saltwater lakes to St. Mary’s Islet, before enjoying a beer and swim in a tiny crystal-clear cove. 🛶🍺🏊‍♀️

After a short stop in Slano came one of the trip’s highlights — the Captain’s Dinner, with fantastic food, dancing, drinks and plenty of laughs! 💃🥂😂

Our final stop was Dubrovnik, the “Pearl of the Adriatic”. Its spectacular medieval Old Town, ancient walls and stunning views over the Adriatic were the perfect finale. 💙🏰

I’ve absolutely loved every minute of this cruise — the ship, staff, food, new friends and incredible destinations have made it an unforgettable experience! ❤️🇭🇷

Now it’s time for the next adventure: a road trip through Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia! 🇲🇪🇦🇱🇲🇰

18/08/2026

Last Friday we flew from Naples to Split for the next chapter of our trip. ✈️

After a lovely night within the walls of Split’s old town, we headed to Trogir, about 45 minutes away, where we boarded the luxury motor yacht MAMA MARIJA II — our home for the week. 🛳️

With just 19 cabins and a maximum of 40 guests, small-ship cruising is perfect for exploring this part of Croatia. We can get into the tiniest ports, while also enjoying a much more intimate and friendly atmosphere with our fellow passengers.

We set sail on Sunday and so far have visited Milna and Bol on Brač, Vis, Biševo and the Blue Cave. 💙

Our daily routine has been pretty tough: breakfast, cruise, swim stop in crystal-clear water, lunch, cruise, dock, dinner ashore… and repeat! 😎

Next up: Hvar, Korčula, Mljet National Park, Slano, and finally Dubrovnik.

Not quite sure how I’m going to manage another four days of this! 😂☀️⛵

14/08/2026

🍋 Amalfi 🍋

Four nights in Amalfi, and what a way to soak up the last few days of our time in southern Italy! 🇮🇹

Lots of R&R, daily siestas and beach time — all absolutely required when you’re climbing so many stairs every day! 😂 Because, as I say… you don’t get this view without the stairs! 💪🏼🍋

Amalfi in August is definitely busy — but, honestly, we expected nothing less! The streets and beaches were buzzing, but it’s all part of the summer Amalfi experience. ☀️🍋

Apart from my unfortunate little dental hiccup 🦷, we took part in a crazy cooking (insert drinking & dancing 💃🏼🍷) class in Positano — more on that soon! — and squeezed in an adventure we definitely didn’t expect from Amalfi.

When you think of Amalfi, hikes and waterfalls probably aren’t the first things that come to mind, but Mr O & I were up before the sun to walk from Amalfi to Pontone, climbing 350m above the sea. 🌅🥾🌊 Totally worth the early start!

We said goodbye to Amalfi yesterday and headed towards Naples, stopping for a couple of hours in Pompeii along the way. 🏛️🌋 Once again, absolutely fascinating and such an incredible place to explore!

Naples… well, it’s not my favourite 😬 — busy, rough around the edges and not the cleanest or safest. But the food?! 🍕🤌🏼 Absolutely unbeatable and definitely the highlight of our night!

But today, we start the next chapter of our journey…

Croatia, here we come! 🇭🇷✨

13/08/2026

We’re coming to the end of our time on the Amalfi Coast, but between dental appointments 😬 and trying to put my phone down and actually enjoy the moment, I’m very behind on updating you on our travels! 🫣

Our final few days in Puglia last week were wonderfully slow and relaxed.
We spent one morning exploring Monopoli and swimming off the rocks, before retreating to the pool at our trulli for the afternoon. Another lazy pool day was followed by a late-afternoon trip to Matera, where we got to see this incredible city both by day and after dark. ✨

Believed to be one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, Matera is famous for its cave dwellings carved into the limestone and has provided the backdrop for numerous films over the years.

We also made the most of some wonderful home-cooked dinners at our trulli, as well as gorgeous little trattorias — the perfect way to round off our time in Puglia. 🍝🍕

It’s a vast region and we barely scratched the surface of what’s to see and do in our 5 days so we’ll just have to revisit another time but until then, ciao Puglia! 🇮🇹❤️

10/08/2026

Im officially convinced that when it comes to visiting the Amalfi Coast I am cursed! 😩

On our trip 10 years ago I arrived in Sorrento with a severe sinus and ear infection that required a house call from the doctor and a few days rest.

This time around I’ve fractured a tooth and after days of trying to alleviate the pain myself I could take it no longer so an emergency dentist visit was needed. Turns out I have a terrible infection under the tooth and had I waited much longer it would have abscessed! 😳

I’m now fully loaded with some very strong meds and will be on the mend in no time!

Sometimes these things happen and you just have to deal with it and thank goodness for travel insurance!! ☺️

07/08/2026

Perhaps it’s an inherited trait of being grocers’ daughters, but wandering through local supermarkets is one of our absolute favorite travel traditions! From hunting down unique products to comparing prices, we could easily lose hours just soaking it all in!

Tell me it’s not just us? ☺️

06/08/2026

They say home is where the heart is, but mine clearly lives in Italy 🇮🇹
Trip #5 back in my happy place! Same favorite country, but a whole new region to explore. ❤️
We touched down on Tuesday in Bari—the gateway to Puglia—where we met up with my sister and brother-in-law for the next leg of our adventure 👯‍♀️

Day 1 Roadtrip highlights:
🍝 Wandering down the famous “Strada delle Orecchiette” in Bari to watch the Nonnas make pasta look effortlessly easy.
🌊 Driving to the cliffside town of Polignano a Mare for a much-needed dip in the Adriatic at the iconic Lama Monachile beach.
🏡 Exploring Alberobello, the famous fairytale town known for its unique cone-roofed trulli houses.
🌙 Ending the day in the quieter, charming town of Locorotondo where we checked into our own private trullo, which is our home base for the next 4 nights.

Off to explore the beaches of Monopoli & Ostuni today, this really is living la dolce vita 🙌

03/08/2026

Our first visit to Amsterdam was a quick, 2 night stop 10 years ago with teens in tow so we didn’t have the time or inclination to venture too far off the main tourist route 🚲

Having longer this time allowed us to get out of town a couple of times visiting the Windmills in Zaanse Schans and the town of Haarlem but still gave us plenty of time to explore the city itself which was so much bigger than I remembered!

Full of old world charm, beautiful canals & bridges, museums and more bikes than you can imagine, everything about this city is quirky and fun, the rows of gorgeous crooked houses, local markets popped up here and there, cafes, coffee shops and pubs on every corner, it's busy like so many other big cities but it’s also uber relaxed, eclectic & very cool and somehow the chaos just works!

Because of the World Pride festival the city was absolutely heaving with hundreds of thousands of wonderfully diverse humans & meeting friends to celebrate Pride was such a joyful experience, Amsterdam really knows how to throw a party! 🏳️‍🌈

So now week one is done ✔️
Until next time Amsterdam 💛 …. Next stop Italy 🇮🇹 (with a random, unplanned night in Frankfurt thanks to a cancelled connection, but what can you do?!)

01/08/2026

Our first 48 hours in Amsterdam have been so fantastic & I’m looking forward to what the next few days will bring, but for now I wanted to share what is possibly the most beautiful boutique hotel I’ve ever stayed at!

Located in a UNESCO heritage building on Amsterdam’s oldest canal & around the corner from Dam Square, Hotel Estherea is anything but understated!

Chandeliers in every direction, carpets, walls & luxurious furniture in rich colors & fabrics, each room is unique and although it looks busy it actually creates such a beautifully, calm & relaxing experience without sacrificing any of the conveniences & facilities you’d expect from a 4* hotel.

They even have a house cat who was wandering the lobby as we arrived and in her excitement someone may or may not have still had their pack on while trying to take a photo and toppled over and ended up her back like an overturned turtle 🐢.… Take it from me, there’s nothing quite like announcing your arrival like lying on the floor of your luxury hotel foyer, 0 out of 10, do not recommend! 🫣😂

Address

Ocean Grove, VIC
3226

Telephone

+61419444430

Website

http://my.travelmanager.com.au/DonnaOcchipinti, https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/1270076

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