48 hours in… Kenmare, Ireland July 26, 2015 WHERE TO STAY With its breathtaking views of Kenmare Bay, Sheen Falls Lodge effortlessly mixes quiet charm with modern luxury. The rooms are comfort personified with high ceilings and antique furnishings. Visit sheenfallslodge.ie WHERE TO GO Kenmare is home to some of the best walking trails in Ireland. You can easily spend a day larking across the [...]
Meet Paul Lister, the Laird who wants to re-introduce bears, wolves and forests to the Scottish Highlands July 19, 2015 It says something about the wildness of Alladale that TV adventurer Bear Grylls chose a spot nearby to set up his Survival Academy. It’s a wild place: Paul Lister, the Laird of this Victorian hunting lodge in the Scottish Highlands, might even answer the baronial door wearing a wolf mask. It’s his self-deprecating joke; [...]
48 hours in… Belgrade July 19, 2015 WHERE TO STAY The city isn’t the prettiest in eastern Europe, but Hotel Moskva in the centre is beautiful inside and out. With a great restaurant and spa, it’s the most comfortable way of doing Belgrade. Visit hotelmoskva.rs, rooms start at €89 WHERE TO GO The National Museum of Serbia is the largest in the [...]
Making the most exciting holidays even more thrilling: The weird and wonderful world of “alternative” safaris July 12, 2015 You don’t need to augment Africa’s resplendent natural beauty – its incredible wildlife, its stunning scenery, its famous sunsets. You don’t need to – but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it anyway. Competition between eco-lodges and safari-operators is fierce, and many now offer a wealth of “optional extras”. So if seeing a majestic lion [...]
Lovely Laos: Asia’s unspoilt sanctuary is the perfect couple’s retreat July 5, 2015 I arrived in Laos shortly after sunset with my boyfriend in tow. As the tuk tuk trundled into town I caught my first glimpse of the Mekong, a silver streak beneath blueish mountains, lined by flame-red Poinciana trees. Our first stop was 3 Nagas, a boutique hotel spread across three colonial buildings. With original [...]
48 hours in… Malaga June 28, 2015 WHERE TO STAY The fourstar Hotel Molina Lario is discreetly located on a quiet street near the revamped marina and it’s popular with locals for Piscina Lounge, a large rooftop terrace with a swimming pool and grill restaurant that’s open all summer. From £116 per night, hotelmolinalario.com WHERE TO GO The Pompidou Centre has chosen [...]
Savour 2015: The foodie revolution arrives in the Maldives at Coco Bodu Hithi June 21, 2015 The Coco Residences set out in a circle formation at Coco Bodu Hithi A friend once told me, in total bafflement, about a couple who left their honeymoon in The Maldives early. They were bored, she said, in the midst of the Indian Ocean, so changed their plans and spent the rest of their [...]
48 hours in… Istanbul June 21, 2015 WHERE TO STAY Locationwise, you can’t beat The House Hotel Nisantasi. The Bosphorus-facing hotel is in the centre of town and it’s surrounded by chic boutiques. The modern rooms also come with a cocktail shaker, glasses and plenty of liquor for budding mixologists. From £147 per night, visit thehousehotel.com WHERE TO EAT If you’re ever [...]
Summer in Chamonix: Celebrating 150 years of climbing in the Alps June 15, 2015 Birthplace of the Winter Olympics and home to some of the Alps’ most challenging pistes, the Chamonix valley in France is a magnet for snow-sporting types throughout the winter months. But as warmer weather arrives and the snow disappears, so do most of the tourists, and the thousands of skiers are replaced by a [...]
Rome: The Eternal City that Hollywood can’t leave alone June 7, 2015 The Eternal City has managed what the Russians never could: knock out 007. Daniel Craig was shaken and stirred as he was carried unconscious by a wailing ambulance to hospital when the Aston Martin DB 10 he was driving in a high speed chase around the Tiber river hit pot holes while filming Spectre, the [...]