I was first aboard Explora Journey’s new cruise ship. Does it beat the competition? August 21, 2026 A first-look at the newest luxury hotel-at-sea cruise ship concept by Explora Journeys You join me on a horizontal skyscraper in the Mediterranean. This is the newest cruise ship in the world. The paint has barely dried. Not a scuff or blemish can be found anywhere along her 268 metres and 14 storeys. She is [...]
Google Pixel 11 review: Can this new smartphone lure away iPhone users? August 20, 2026 Two years ago I reviewed Google’s folding phone and I was blown away. The extra screen real estate was transformative, particularly for someone like me who spends most of their time on smartphones reading. So enamoured by this device did I become that I ditched my previous handset and made it my own. I confidently [...]
Beyond your 9-5: things to explore in the Square Mile August 20, 2026 For most, the City of London is defined by the rhythm of the working week. Offices fill from Monday to Friday, and the streets fall quiet at the weekend. But since the pandemic that pace has changed, and incredibly the Square Mile offers so much beyond the traditional 9-5. A weekend in the City of [...]
Counter culture: The best counter dining in London August 20, 2026 Chairs with backs are nice and all, but sometimes the best meal is eaten on high – stool-high, writes Carys Sharkey A recent trip to New York has got me thinking about counters. I don’t think there’s loads New York does better than London, but counters are one. Counter seating is reflective of the city [...]
City institution Simpson’s Tavern reborn as British restaurant August 19, 2026 Simpson’s Tavern, the City’s oldest chophouse which closed in 2022, is to reopen later this year as a modern British restaurant. Cloth Cornhill will open on 1 October on the site of the former pub, which first opened in 1757 and was a favourite drinking haunt of Charles Dickens and William Thackeray. A new era [...]
Audi’s brought back the A2, and it’s gone electric August 19, 2026 More than 20 years after the original disappeared from showrooms, Audi is bringing back the A2 as a compact electric hatchback. The new A2 e-tron is expected to offer more than 400 miles of range and cost less than £35,000. Audi is bringing back the A2, more than two decades after its famously clever little [...]
Lotus Emira 420 Sport: the best Emira yet is a downsized supercar August 18, 2026 The one percent keep getting richer, while the remaining 8.2 billion on the planet feel the squeeze. And this widening disparity in wealth even plays out in the enthusiast car market. Just look at our coverage of Monterey Car Week. New hypercars revealed in California this month have included the Aston Martin Valen, McLaren McL [...]
We take a food and drink Odyssey through the Square Mile August 17, 2026 As voting for the Toast the City Awards enters its final week, we sent our wine columnist Libby Brodie on a wine Odyssey through the City’s finest bars and restaurants. Vote for your favourites on our website here. As The Odyssey continues to smash records – it’s now Christopher Nolan’s highest ever grossing film – [...]
From China with Love: Xpeng’s Luxury Ambition August 17, 2026 China is changing the car industry at extraordinary speed. For affluent professionals used to proven premium brands, the next chapter of that transformation is becoming ever more challenging to turn a blind eye to, writes our motoring journalist Tim Barnes-Clay. I had seen more Chinese cars than you can shake a stick at before, but [...]
New Aston Martin Valen is a V12 Vanquish with added attitude August 17, 2026 Imagine you are one of Aston Martin’s wealthiest customers, looking for a new addition to your car collection. Do you have the Vanquish, an elegant, decadent GT with a full-cream V12 up front? Or do you choose the Valhalla, a fiercely focused supercar with a mid-mounted, hybrid V8? It’s a textbook example of what social [...]