This is the first in a weekly series on our blog  - meet the Massey team! I am week 1's guinea pig...so here goes!

Name Diana Massey

Favourite destination
It’s hard to pinpoint my favourite destination – but I think it has to be Argentina. I’ve been twice and have just booked a third trip for next spring, it’s an addictive country! We fly into Buenos Aires and have a night at the stunning art-nouveau style Sofitel on Arroya Street - it’s within walking distance on a great leather shop called Arandu, great for stocking up on belts, bracelets, wallets and all sorts of argentine leather goods. There's an amazing atmosphere in BA, the wide tree lines avenue and boulevards give it a european feel that is almost comforting. From BA we fly inland to Cordoba to the wonderful Estancia Los Potreros, a stunning estancia in the foothills of the Sierra Chicas mountains owned and run by the Begg family. They make you feel like part of family, the warmth of their hospitality is second to none – and the malbec is always free flowing! We ride out with the gauchos in the day time, attempt to play polo (very badly but with much laughter) and revel in the house party atmosphere ( and seem to book a return trip within days of landing back in the UK!)




Favourite hotel (non client!)
Hotel on Rivington in NY has become my NY base whenever I get the chance to visit the Big Apple. I first stayed there not long after it opened, and I’ll never forget the amazing view I encountered as I walked into my room – floor to ceiling windows looking over Manhattan. As views go the ones from Hotel on Rivington are pretty hard to beat! They also do seriously good room service, and the staff are absolutely charming. Oh and there’s the best candy store, Economy Candy, just across the road incase you need a sweet fix! 

Most exciting/wonderful travel experience?

A few years ago I travelled to Bhutan with journalists, and we were lucky enough to climb up to The Tigers Nest. The walk itself, in such a high altitude, was really hard - every step was a challenge and the sun beat down on us, but the feeling of achievement and the view from the monastery made it all worth while. It felt like something out of a mystical fairy tale, as the mist swirled in the valley below.

Worst ever travel experience?
Flying from Jackson Hole in Wyoming to LA and seeing my bags still sitting on the runway as we took off was worrying to say the least…but they did catch up a day later! I’ve never had a nightmare trip that couldn’t be saved, but I have to admit that catching severe food poisoning in Bali, the day I was due to fly back to London, made for a pretty unhappy flight home!

What 5 things do you never travel without?
Passport – obviously!
iPod/iPhone – Kill time, play Angry Birds, and keep in touch with the outside world!
Bose noise cancelling headphones – I bought these years ago and winced at the price, but they have proved a great investment and I can’t recommend them highly enough.
Journal- great for jotting down notes, recommendations, and start that novel I meant to start about a decade ago!
Painkillers!

What city should everyone visit? Top tips from that city?
New York! I highly recommend:
Ed’s Lobster Bar - order a lobster roll, glass of Californian red and you’ll be in heaven!
The Cupping Room – great breakfast destination in SoHo – the waffles are particularly great!
The Shake Shack is great for grabbing a burger and shake, you need your energy for shopping!
Schillers Liquor Bar – on Rivington, just near Hotel on Rivington. Great for drinks and open late
And for pizza…well you can’t really go wrong popping into any of those pizza joints in Midtown and grabbing a slice! And even though its touristy – a trip in a carriage in Central Park just has to be done!

Where are you travelling to this year?
This year I’ve been lucky enough to visit Argentina and Venice, and there is a possible trip to Lapland in December to look forward to.

What are your tips for the hot place to visit in 2010?
As I work on the UK side of things at Massey I’m going to have to say Cornwall. Green is cool, and where greener ( or cooler) than The Scarlet Hotel in Mawgan Porth? The whole hotel has been built with such care and such love, that you feel your stress simply drifting away as soon as you walk in to the lobby and see that amazing floor to ceiling view down to the beach. Sitting in the hot tubs on the cliff top and watching the world go by…you can’t really beat it!

Where is your dream holiday destination?
I would love to visit Bora Bora in the South Pacific, it seems so exotic, so far away – real escapism. And on the flip side Tokyo is up there too – better start saving!

By Diana