Grenada March 14, 2011 BEST BEACH Grand Anse Beach and Morne Rouge Bay are a pretty close tie, both are white sanded with lots of space and few crowds. Grand Anse allows visitors to walk its full length and take exercise, while dipping in and out of the gentle waves. Morne Rouge’s trees and stunning sunsets make it the [...]
Show your mother you care…in a luxe spa March 14, 2011 If you don’t want to let Mothers Day, on 3 April, creep up on you, here are four great spa packages that will show your mother you care (and haven’t forgotten her). CITY POINT CLUB, MOORGATE Best for: the City mum (or the super-busy City daughter). The package: Called “I Love Mum”, it certainly gets [...]
The Scan: off to the clinic for a bit of a surprise… March 14, 2011 WHO knew that not going to work could be so stressful? The day had begun well, with an early morning cup of tea and Radio Four while the rest of the house slept. But then Noel had rolled out of bed in a foul mood, bemoaning the 363 days remaining until his next birthday. And [...]
Ice chambers, wooden baths and good health in Austria March 13, 2011 IT is the depths of winter in Austria and what am I doing? Gracefully skiing down the Alps or snuggling up in front of a fire sipping Gluhwien? No, I’m dressed in my bikini and boots, awaiting instructions to go into a sealed chamber with a temperature of minus 130 degrees for three minutes. I [...]
A quiet haven of pure luxury in the Lake District March 13, 2011 THE old idea of Lake District hospitality is of floral-decorated B&Bs offering weak tea and a couple of cellophane-wrapped Jammie Dodgers after your long hike. Go to stay at the Lake House at Gilpin Lodge, however, and the biggest problem is working up the resolve to leave its elegant surroundings to explore the fells. Managed [...]
THINK ROOMS… with LateRooms.com March 13, 2011 GRAND HOTEL EUROPA 5* Südtiroler Platz 2 | Innsbruck | 6020 Being Innsbruck’s only five star hotel, Grand Hotel Europa has a prestigious status to live up to – and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Most impressive is the way the super-stylish Italian designs blend with cosy Tyrolean influences, particularly in the hotel’s Europa Suites which [...]
Travel Notes March 13, 2011 YORKSHIRE FITNESS RETREATS IF you’re looking for something to kick-start a spring fitness regime but don’t fancy crowded exercise classes and stuffy lunch-hour gym visits, you can find something a bit more relaxing and soulful with a break in the Yorkshire Dales. Natural Retreats, which runs a handful of swish, remote eco-cottages secreted into the [...]
Hammering away at the property auction myths March 10, 2011 WITH repossessions on the rise, property auctions are a topic on everybody’s lips. While you might not be interested in a flat in Ireland, the increasing supply of homes under the hammer has certainly sparked the British public’s interest in the market. Charles Lucas, an auction expert at Chesterton & Humberts, says there are more [...]
A penthouse with views to suit a Cityboy March 10, 2011 ANY self-respecting master of the universe wants one thing more than any other in a home – spectacular views of the City, so that he or she can relax after a hard day’s deal-making and survey their territory. You couldn’t possibly do better than the penthouse at the Benbow Walk development on New Globe Walk [...]
ORPINGTON March 10, 2011 BLUEBERRY FARM Price: £1.7m A handsome five-bedroom family home, parts of it dating back to medieval times. Tunnels run from underneath the house to the local church and pub, though sadly these are now blocked. There’s also a wine cellar, a sauna, a mosaic-tiled outdoor swimming pool and a floodlit tennis court. Contact: Savills on [...]