Excellence Luxury Villas
Picture the scene. You arrive at an airport (specifics on location and size are irrelevant). After spending an hour or so queuing in security, 30-minutes ‘indulging’ yourself with a poorly-made drink in some godawful departure lounge cafe, and then an undisclosed amount of time travelling to your final destination, you walk out of arrivals to ...
One word “friendly” sums up Banff’s Sunshine Village ski resort, but do not be fooled by thinking that all its slopes are flattering even to the lazy skier. There is a good spread of runs to keep the interest of all skills within a mixed abilities party across three mountains, all within the UNESCO World ...
The view from every window endorsed the fact that this was truly a ‘country house hotel’ set in spacious grounds surrounded by farmland. Sipping pre-dinner cocktails on the sunny west facing terrace offered a timeless experience with the garden seamlessly flowing into the field with sheep quietly grazing, a couple of cock pheasants proudly strutting ...
Fishing with dolphins Yves de Contades took a luxury tour of the Sultanate of Oman and went fishing with dolphins. Oman is the on the south eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula facing India. It is known for its economic and social stability and has only really opened up to tourism in the last ...
McLaren launched the new 570S Coupe in the Algarve last week at the Conrad Hotel and the race track at Portimao. It was quite a sight to see so many McLaren 570s’ all lined up outside the Conrad hotel, flanked by flames floating in the elongated water pools, and outside the race track in every ...
Following a £20m complete top to toe refurbishment, The Bellhouse Hotel in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire has opened her doors as the Crown Plaza Gerrards Cross Hotel, with a lavish launch party. The newly designed event space was put to good use, with guests enjoying some incredible canapés, non stop champagne, a cocktail bar, mini spa tasters, ...
I’ve been mouching around Cumbria recently and it really is quite bloody marvellous. So if you’re heading up there for some grub it’s worth noting that the Lake District is extremely good with food and its restaurants are some of the best on this planet. So without any waffling or further hyperbole, here is my ...
A city steeped in rich medieval history, littered with relics from bygone ages, and, currently, overrun with the visions of a frequently overlooked, misunderstood and- aesthetically at least- twisted artistic genius. It’s almost as though the realms of fantasy and folklore have been unleashed on ‘s-Hertogenbosch, more commonly referred to as Den Bosch, ...
Maybe the long, rather forgettable name of Bad Kleinkirchheim puts people off visiting which surely contributes to this resort being quieter than you would expect for a village in an extremely picturesque valley. The locals simply call it ‘BKK’. The village is also long as it follows the wide valley bottom but, along the way, ...
Interview Provenance and afternoon tea.. Critically acclaimed Chef Skye Gyngell has worked in some of the best restaurants in the world, including The Dorchester. After achieving and then, in true rock’n’roll style, rebelling against the Michelin star awarded to Petersham Nurseries Café when she was head chef, she moved on to become the ...
Five Days In Paradise For Lovers Of The Highlife Behind the title of ‘The Run to Monaco’ is a team that has developed and carried out a series of ‘The Run To ….’ rally/tours; it started with a group of friends who shared a big interest in exotic cars including F1. There are too few ...
Sommeliers have changed; traditionally they were unapproachably arrogant and regarded themselves of the kings of the wine trade. However, there are exceptions, sadly there is one in an otherwise highly respected Knightsbridge hotel. When the topic of rose wine was raised in an interview, I para-phrase, he said with disdain, “I do not regard rose ...