Spotlight On: Orange Holiday

Around the world with the hottest food and travel profiles.

1. Who are you?

Greetings from the West coast of Central Africa – Gabon! My name is Luba Fateeva. I am founder of Orange Holiday – a travel and food blog. I am a mom of a 2-year-old, a wife and in addition to all that an addicted foodie and traveller. All my life I have been travelling and that seems to stay that way. Over the years and definitely in the last two years, food experiments transformed from a hobby into a big collection of recipes, tips and ideas.

2. What is your site Orange Holiday about?

When I started my blog about four years ago, gastronomic tours as well as group and single adventure retreats were a mystery to most. Few people were testing new territories as a way to stand out from the crowd. I started my pilot project ‘Culinary Holland’, and very quickly things changed. Food and travel are now perennial buzz words. As more and more travel options are available for all sorts of budgets and desires, some of us still look for something special. In some way, Orange Holiday acts as a ‘global detective’, seeking out the newest and most exciting places for travel and food discoveries, providing the most reliable information out there based on the knowledge of local experts. Therefore, every recommendation and a recipe is reviewed in person and tested prior to publishing. Through my personal stories I want to inspire and help travellers step out of the standard routes and instead discover new places, new food, and new people. Orange Holiday is about just that. You can find me also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

3. What is one food tip you would give about Libreville in Gabon?

A must-see food place in Libreville is Life by Mayena. This place was recently built and became hugely popular due to its modern concept ‘all in one’. You will find a culinary oasis there of three restaurants – Mexican, African and a superb Indian, a lovely outside terrace for cocktails and drinks, a roof terrace with a stunning ocean view and the best ice-cream parlor in town, open until 1.00 am! Whenever I am in Libreville, I try to indulge myself in one these restaurants with delicious food, great service and fantastic choice.

4. What is one travel tip you would give about your city?

I live in Gamba, a small town 627 km to the South from Libreville, the capital. Though I often visit Libreville, I must say that Gabon has its beauty in its pristine nature and beautiful animal wild life. When here, you need to go out on a road trip and visit National Parks such as Loango, Lope or Wanga, where you can see forest elephants, hundreds of unique birds, surfing hippos, crocodiles, gorillas and more. Don’t miss an opportunity to enjoy the famous white sand beaches and take a boat out sport fishing or just for fun!

5. What is the best thing to eat in Gabon?

Across the whole continent of Africa fish, meat and poultry are prepared in a similar way – grilled or smoked. However, the sauces will be very different and unique. In Gabon, you should definitely try one of these options. The Nyembwe is a hand-made sauce cooked from mashed palm nuts; it blends perfectly with all meats including poultry. L’Odika is a sauce made from the fruit of acacia that looks like a wild mango, but tastes like cocoa. The second one is great for any type of fish.

  Africa, Gabon, interview, Libreville