Lifestyle

  • Manhattan’s new breed of design hotels
    Monday, 23rd August 2010
    Wall Street and Midtown have become attractive places to say
    Timothy Barber
    YOU could argue that New York does hotels better than any city in the world. Historic luxury landmarks, hipster crash-pads, fashionable design hotels, groovy boutiques, high-tech business places – it’s got more, and better, examples of each than pretty much all of its rivals. But even the best needs a shake up. The Big Apple has seen a slew of new launches this year (see box), including the two that have opened under the Hyatt Group’s Andaz banner. Both are in peachy locations – one on Wall Street, the other on Fifth Avenue in Midtown – and each does a good line in simple, stylish hospitality... [Read more]

  • Eastern lights: Asia’s sleepless city
    Monday, 16th August 2010
    Hong Kong is perfect for sport fans, culture vultures and partyers
    Esther Shaw
    A BRILLIANT meeting of East and West, it offers an unforgettable introduction to the Orient, and is the perfect place to explore a different culture while taking in the rugby at the Hong Kong Sevens... [Read more]
  • Rugby and more: Hong Kong Sevens
    Monday, 16th August 2010
    THE end of March marks the time when the rugby nations come to town for three days of non-stop action on the pitch at the Hong Kong stadium near Happy Valley. Off-pitch it's a non-stop party in the... [Read more]
  • How to find the perfect Maldives
    Monday, 9th August 2010
    In Part Two of our special on the idyllic islands, Leo Bear shows that whether you’ve got kids in tow, love diving or are feeling pinched for cash, there’s something for you
    Leo Bear
    BEST FOR: FAMILY FUN ANANTARA DHIGU Lots of resorts in the Maldives have kids’ clubs, but it’s the little touches at Dhigu that make a difference. From dusk til dawn, your sandy, sticky-handed brood... [Read more]

  • How to find the perfect Maldives
    Monday, 2nd August 2010
    So many idyllic resorts, so little time. Here is Leo Bear’s two-part guide to the chicest resorts to down towels in this autumn. Next week: best family spots and more
    Leo Bear
    BEST FOR: SPA COCOA ISLAND Voted best hotel spa in Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean in this year’s Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Awards, Cocoa Island is the go-to resort for spa... [Read more]
  • Fall in love with lava in wild and woolly Iceland
    Monday, 26th July 2010
    Geologists will be in heaven here, and so will plucky adventurers
    Lisa Young
    THIS year Iceland became infamous for the deeply inconvenient glacial eruption of “that” volcano – Eyjafjallajökull (pronounced “AY-uh-fyat-luh-YOE-kuutl-uh”). Its extraordinary qualities as a... [Read more]
  • Banqueting by a Cumbrian fell
    Monday, 26th July 2010
    The stunning food at L’Enclume merits the long journey to get there
    Harriet Bud
    HAVE you ever contemplated travelling from London to the Lake District for dinner? Until last weekend, such a suggestion would have puzzled me. Why go so far for an excellent meal when London is... [Read more]
  • The Cornwall haven that’s just for grown-ups
    Monday, 19th July 2010
    A luxury eco-hotel has transformed the coast of Mawgan Porth
    Zoe Strimpel
    THE Scarlet. Where to begin? The 37-bedroom eco-hotel in Mawgan Porth, northern Cornwall, is a nexus of cutting-edge green technology and style; of character and sleekness. It’s cosy yet minimalist;... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 19th July 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    The ultimate wellness holiday service to launch Desperate to recharge your batteries but tired of the usual yoga holidays? Enter Electric Bloom, a new, much buzzed-about wellness travel company... [Read more]
  • OTHER CORNWALL GEMS
    Monday, 19th July 2010
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    THE NARE This hidden gem of a hotel, in a quintessentially English country house, boasts spectacular views over Carne Beach, near Truro. It’s an independent, family-owned slice of boutique luxury... [Read more]
  • A new port of call far north of the Algarve
    Monday, 12th July 2010
    Portugal has more to offer than golf, starting with port country
    Timothy Barber
    IF you’re thinking of getting away to Portugal this summer, chances are it’s the Algarve you’re considering, for a bit of sea, sardines or the swing of a golf club. Well fine, the country’s southern... [Read more]
  • Treats in store at Lisbon’s glam Ritz
    Monday, 12th July 2010
    The service, elegance and luxury of the city’s Four Seasons Ritz Hotel thrilled Allister Heath
    Allister Heath
    IF you are going to visit Lisbon, you should stay at the Ritz Four Seasons, an enchanting, marble-clad property from one of the world’s best hotel operators. Its location and positioning is ideal;... [Read more]
  • Tequila’s birthplace gives the drink a whole new spin...
    Monday, 5th July 2010
    Chris Beanland went to Mexico to discover the fine art of making – and enjoying – tequila. He’s a convert now
    Chris Beanland
    I’M drinking Tequila for the first time in years, as fingers of blazing Mexican sun poke down between the swaying branches of a shady tree. I can’t quite believe that I’m sipping firewater on the... [Read more]
  • Experience Paris and all that jazz
    Monday, 5th July 2010
    The Paris Jazz Festival is the perfect excuse for a summer weekend break
    Jennie Milsom
    I DON’T think you ever need an excuse to spend a weekend in Paris but how about a weekend of live jazz in the city’s beautiful Parc Floral? Every weekend until 1 August the park is hosting the Paris... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 5th July 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    Macau Mandarin opens For a different spin on Hong Kong, head to the island of Macau, just 45 minutes by ferry from central HK, where a brand new, super-luxe Mandarin Oriental has just opened. For... [Read more]
  • Where safari meets heavenly white beaches
    Monday, 28th June 2010
    Tanzania has it all, from super-luxury tents to tropical resorts
    Judith Baker
    TANZANIA combines the thrill of safari through the vast plains of the Serengeti with relaxation on the tropical beaches of the exotic Spice island of Zanzibar. Serengeti We draw the curtains of our... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES: BUDGET-FRIENDLY STAYCATIONS
    Monday, 28th June 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    Mid Week Food Lovers Boutique hotel Fishmore Hall, on the edge of the foodie hotspot of Ludlow, is ideal for a foodie staycation. Go midweek (Sunday to Thursday) and you’ll receive a 50 per cent... [Read more]
  • The elegant side of the Balearics
    Monday, 21st June 2010
    Roger Baird felt nourished in mind and body at Mallorca’s historical new Hilton Hotel
    Roger Baird
    THERE is so much more to Mallorca than sun, sea and the late-night drunken menace of us Brits in Magaluf. The largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands, the 3,275 sq km atoll has mountains, lush vegetation... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 21st June 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    Valencia restaurant week: 5-11 July Like tapas but want to explore the best of Spanish food further? Combine a week of serious food discovery with a sunny Spanish holiday in Valencia, one of southern... [Read more]
  • Jungles, sea and history in old Malaysia 
    Monday, 14th June 2010
    A potent mix of adventure and culture make for a brilliant Asian holiday
    Zoe Strimpel
    A 100-mile ferry-ride across the South China Sea is Langkawi, one of the world’s most idyllic spots for sunbathing, swimming in crystal green waters framed by lush jungle, and the total luxury of a... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 14th June 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    Summer savings in Mauritius Escape unreliable British weather with a trip to this heavenly Ayurvedic retreat in Mauritius, currently offering savings to the tune of £1,525 per person. If you stay... [Read more]
  • Bali high: a health retreat with a view
    Monday, 7th June 2010
    Timothy Barber escapes the stresses of the city in stunning Indonesian surroundings
    Timothy Barber
    FROM the long balcony of my private villa up in the Balinese hills, I can gaze out over the kind of view that feeds the soul. The villa’s perch overlooks a jungle-swathed canyon that rises on the far... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 7th June 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    Portuguese paradise This brand new hotel and spa is a seaside paradise of a different sort than the usual palm tree and white sand type. Surrounded by pine trees, sand dunes and the Atlantic, it... [Read more]
  • Step off the beaten track to find France’s secret treasure, the Loir
    Monday, 24th May 2010
    Ben Griffiths discovers a hidden but convenient corner of France that seasoned visitors will adore
    Ben Griffiths
    SITUATED on what used to be fiercely fought over territory separating Maine from Anjou, the Fléchois region was for centuries at the heart of some of France’s best-known and most bitter conflicts.... [Read more]
  • Medici palace that became Europe’s most splendid hotel
    Monday, 24th May 2010
    The Four Seasons Florence is an enchanted haven of history and art
    Zoe Strimpel
    FOR a couple of London girls, fresh off a Ryanair flight and a battle with striking trains and lengthy bus queues, entering the Four Seasons Florence struck us dumb. We’d walked into a world of... [Read more]
  • Baroque opulence in the eternal city
    Monday, 24th May 2010
    The Rome Cavalieri is a luxurious resort with stunning views of the Italian capital
    Timothy Barber
    ENTER the lobby of the Rome Cavalieri hotel and you’re greeted by a sweet swirl of art and ostentation. While the Renaissance came out of Florence, the subsequent era of the Baroque was all about... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 24th May 2010
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    Go adventuring in Canada Some people like beaches and relaxation for their summer getaway, while others like a tent, a rucksack and some epic scenery to hike across. If the latter’s your bag, the... [Read more]
  • The stylish way to take a hike
    Monday, 17th May 2010
    Timothy Barber picks hotels for people who don’t like to lose out on luxe when they hit the hills
    Timothy Barber
    THE LAKE DISTRICT The Samling Poking out of a secluded forest on the shore of Lake Windermere, The Samling must be one of the most magnificently appointed hotels in the country. It occupies a pretty... [Read more]
  • Waterways for a boating break
    Monday, 17th May 2010
    1. THE NORFOLK BROADS The spiritual home of messing about on the river, the Norfolk Broads is an area of ethereally beautiful countryside, remote villages and over 200km of navigable waterways, most... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 17th May 2010
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    Destination Tintin tours Billions of blue blistering barnacles! Quality tour operator On the Go Tours has teamed up with Moulinsart, the publisher of the Tintin stories, to put together journeys... [Read more]
  • Go hide away in the sun-drenched valleys of Jordan
    Monday, 10th May 2010
    With enough biblical history to satisfy any scholar, this land is mystical in its beauty too
    Zoe Strimpel
    THE afternoon sun is browning our sweaty pink skin as we lie by the pool at Evason Ma’in, nudged between a massive yellowstone fortress-style hotel and a water-spewing rock face. Well, it may be all... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 10th May 2010
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    Luxury and style in Vietnam Travel company Scott Dunn is offering a 25 per cent discount on trips to the stunning Vietnamese beach retreat Nam Hai. Sitting on the deserted sands of a fairytale beach... [Read more]
  • Rejuvenation and wine in Lombardy
    Monday, 26th April 2010
    Follow the rich and famous to a rigorous spa retreat an hour from Milan
    Zoe Strimpel
    PLINY the Younger wrote his Tragedia and Comedia in a villa on Lake Como and the lake has continued to attract the best and the richest of society, from Madonna and George Clooney to Gianni Versace,... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 26th April 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    Gecko Beach Club reopens After a six-month renovation, this boutique hotel on the island of Formentera (the sophisticated person’s Mallorca), has reopened. It’s the epitome of understated luxury,... [Read more]
  • For babymooners, Brown’s is best
    Monday, 19th April 2010
    The last trip away as a couple is precious. Jeremy Hazlehurst and wife try a classic Mayfair hotel
    Jeremy Hazlehurst
    WHEN I told people that my wife was expecting our first child, a lot of the men who already have kids did this laugh, a sort of bark that seemed to be at once ironic, sardonic and to suggest “you... [Read more]
  • Trolley bags for a summer getaway
    Monday, 19th April 2010
    Timothy Barber picks out the smartest luggage on wheels for those who like to travel in style
    Timothy Barber
    1. Townhouse Buckley trunk with wheels by Tumi, £2,895, www.tumi.com 2. Hovercraft garment bag by Eagle Creek, £215, www.eaglecreekluggage.co.uk 3. Quadrant suitcases by Antler, from £159, www.... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 19th April 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    A Marathon treat in Mayfair As you pelt towards the finish line of the Marathon on 24 April, it might spur you on if you know your next 24 hours will be spent in the lap of luxury at Dukes, the... [Read more]
  • Stress-busting in a Cyprus spa
    Monday, 12th April 2010
    Aphrodite Hills attracts both oligarchs and olympians. Huma Qureshi tastes the high life
    Huma Qureshi
    IT’S Monday morning and while the rest of the guests at Aphrodite Hills are catching the Cyprus sun and feasting on fry-ups in the breakfast buffet, I’m being lectured in the gym. Timi, my stocky... [Read more]
  • In the summer Switzerland’s mountains burst into life
    Monday, 12th April 2010
    To really make the most of the Alps, head up after the snow melts
    Timothy Barber
    I’VE been skiing just once, when I was 11. My chief memories are of floundering in a snowdrift as my Austrian instructor sped off cursing my inability to stay upright, and the fact that by the end of... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 12th April 2010
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    Get a perfect beach body in St Lucia The plush resort of Cotton Bay Village on the Caribbean island of St Lucia has launched a series of “diva boot camps” for ladies to get in shape in beautiful... [Read more]
  • American-style glitz and glam come sailing into Barcelona
    Monday, 29th March 2010
    The slick new W gives us a taste of what’s coming to London soon
    Timothy Barber
    WHATEVER the brand values are that the W Hotel group holds dear, subtlety probably sits low on the list. Take, for instance, the way it classes its rooms. Not for W those fuddy-duddy words like... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 29th March 2010
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    Get adventurous in the Caribbean You can head to St Lucia in the Caribbean and lie on the beach, or you can do something a little more active. The Cap Maison resort is offering action-packed breaks... [Read more]
  • Foodie Puglia finding a place in adventurous tourists’ hearts
    Monday, 22nd March 2010
    Big portions and blue skies make this south Italian region a gem
    Jessica Mead
    FOR centuries, sophisticated Italians from the north have regarded their southern compatriots with a mix of disdain and snobbery, even going as far as to brand them “terrone” in an allusion to the... [Read more]
  • WHERE TO STAY: MASSERIE TORRE COCCARO AND TORRE MAIZZA
    Monday, 22nd March 2010
    ON arrival in Brindisi, we were greeted by a smiling Italian named Carmello, who took our bags and drove us the 40 minutes or so to the Masseria Torre Coccaro, where we were to spend the first two... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 22nd March 2010
    CAITLIN NOLAN
    Bikini Bootcamp Looking to improve your fitness and have a blast doing so? Bikini Bootcamp has returned to The Grove in Hertfordshire with its programme full of various exercises designed to test and... [Read more]
  • Make the most of your World Cup holiday
    Monday, 15th March 2010
    If you fancy a break from the football, there is plenty more to do, says Jon Couch
    SO, we know now where England will be based for this summer’s World Cup in June and July. Fabio Capello’s guys will set up their training camp in the small town of Rustenburg, 70 miles from... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 15th March 2010
    CAITLIN NOLAN
    Plane Food’s healthy picnics Now the health-conscious jet-set can make sure they stay well fuelled on board. Stuart Gillies at Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food in Heathrow’s Terminal Five has created a... [Read more]
  • Lions and luxury in SA’s top resort
    Monday, 15th March 2010
    Just 40 minutes from Cape Town is a hotel paradise on the Indian Ocean, discovers Jon Faithorn
    IF the job of a hotel is to make guests feel at home, then you can’t really beat the Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa. When the French football team arrive there this summer they will be greeted with a... [Read more]
  • Games, guns and gyrating girls in Sin City
    Monday, 8th March 2010
    Dominic Wells finds a way to jump the queues and does Vegas just the way the big boys do
    FAHVE bucks? Girl, for five dollars yew can take as many pictures as yew want. Come on over, and get yo’ man over heyah too.” This was Elvis talking. Yes, Elvis. Tinted shades, jet-black jumpsuit,... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 8th March 2010
    Oporto, Portugal gains new luxury hotel This five-floor, sustainably-built hotel has been carved into the hillside using a terraced effect mirroring the vines of the neighbouring Douro Valley. Views... [Read more]
  • Luxury comes to Abu Dhabi’s glorious desert
    Monday, 1st March 2010
    A new resort lets you marvel at the sands and sip champagne too,
    Esther Shaw
    THE Liwa Desert is in the area known as the Empty Quarter, and is the largest uninterrupted stretch of desert in the world. This vast area, which extends into the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES – UK EASTER BREAKS
    Monday, 1st March 2010
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    Cameron House, Loch Lomond Children can stay for free over Easter at Cameron House, one of the most splendid hotels in the British Isles. It occupies a grand 18th century country pile on the bonnie... [Read more]
  • OTHER LEADING CRUISES FOR ALL TASTES
    Monday, 22nd February 2010
    Silversea Seabourn’s only serious rival for luxury, it’s possible that Silversea even exceeds Seabourn when it comes to room design and service – the Silver Whisper ship, for example, has more space... [Read more]
  • New day, new port: a view of the world from a luxury cruise
    Monday, 22nd February 2010
    Zoe Strimpel sees the Med from a small but beautiful cruise ship
    WHEN Oasis, the world’s biggest cruise ship, launched last year in Miami with all the fanfare of a royal spaceship, I recoiled. The idea of a floating carnival/town/funfair/shopping mall/beach resort... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 22nd February 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    Explore Tanzania African tour specialist Wild about Africa has added seven new itineraries in Tanzania, ranging from eight to 13 days. They focus on the quintessential quartet of Tanzania’s “... [Read more]
  • Where to take the family for a splendid Easter
    Monday, 22nd February 2010
    The holiday season is full of oppportunities to get out of London, writes Timothy Barber
    Sunny escape in the south of France Les Jardins de Saint Benoit is a beautiful riverside estate in the Languedoc region of the South of France, with vineyards, olive groves and renovated medieval... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 15th February 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    Celebrate Caravaggio at Hotel Russie, Rome Art, luxury and culture come together with a package that revolves around Caravaggio’s 400th anniversary show at the Scuderie del Quirinale gallery. You’ll... [Read more]
  • HOTEL REVIEW: TEN MANCHESTER STREET
    Monday, 15th February 2010
    THE HOTEL: If you are staying in the West End, you can’t beat Marylebone. Manchester Street is a quiet Georgian number where the houses bear the discrete silver plaques of osteopaths and accountants... [Read more]
  • THE WILD ONE: OTHER CANADIAN ADVENTURES
    Monday, 15th February 2010
    Husky Adventure in the Yukon Learn the basics of mushing, and each day the trails through some of the most spectacular wilderness in Canada’s Yukon advance in difficulty. Relax in the evenings with a... [Read more]
  • Sore arms and seals in Canada’s beautiful waters
    Monday, 15th February 2010
    Nature and adventure go hand-in-hand on a kayaking trip off Canada’s coast, writes Laura Ivill
    Laura Ivill
    IT is a bright, warm and dazzling spring day and we are paddling our solo sea kayaks straight into the wind and sun. White diamond rays of sunlight bounce off the ocean; it looks like a carpet of... [Read more]
  • Slope back to the mountains one last time
    Monday, 8th February 2010
    There’s a chance for another ski trip this season, so make it good, writes Jenny Forsyth
    ­­­IT is around this time of year that the travel negotiations begin in earnest. At Christmas time, in our house anyway, the trading begins with: “I’ll see your night out with the boys, and raise you... [Read more]
  • BANG GOES THE BONUS
    Monday, 8th February 2010
    Even with those pesky bonus caps, surely there’s room for a little celebration. And if you’re looking for luxury, you could do worse than visiting the banker’s paradise of Zermatt in Switzerland. As... [Read more]
  • OFF PISTE AND PARTY
    Monday, 8th February 2010
    There’s no doubt package holidays are easier to arrange – book it and it’s all organised for you. But for flexibility on dates and sometimes (though not always) price, it makes sense to head off the... [Read more]
  • THE SKY’S THE LIMIT
    Monday, 8th February 2010
    For the real high flyers, a day (or two) heliskiing offers the ultimate adrenaline rush. And of course there’s no problem finding virginal top-of-the-mountain snow for the very best of late season... [Read more]