48 hours in… Tallinn March 29, 2015 WHERE TO STAY Merchant’s House Hotel in the old town is a traditional Estonian-style inn with original features like stone archways and nice touches in the rooms including cow hide rugs and paintings of Estonian noblemen. merchantshousehotel.com WHERE TO GO The Estonian History Museum celebrates all things Estonian from the mid 19th century onwards, including [...]
Why Namibia has the best safari in Africa March 22, 2015 When it comes to seeing game in the wild, Namibia beats South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe Everyone has their ultimate fantasy destination. Ever since I peered out of an aeroplane window on a flight to Cape Town and saw the endless terracotta sand of the Namib Desert, Namibia has been mine. Now I was actually [...]
48 hours in… Antwerp March 22, 2015 WHERE TO GO Don’t miss out on the Antwerp’s Royal Museum of Fine Arts. It contains the world’s largest collection of Rubens in the world, which is worth the admission fee alone, and it also has a great collection of modern painters including Magritte. kmska.be WHERE TO STAY Boulevard Leopold is the grandest B&B you’ll [...]
Easter snow: A comprehensive guide to the best places to bag a late skiing holiday March 22, 2015 FAMILY FRIENDLY Watching Franz Klammer skiing on the edge of disaster at the 1976 Winter Olympics is not for the faint-hearted. His gold medal-winning run at Innsbruck looked sure to end in catastrophe on several turns. How do you learn to ski like that? According to Klammer – who insists he was perfectly in control [...]
Bijou skiing on a budget: Saint Martin de Belleville March 15, 2015 You can’t beat this intimate 14th century village for convenience and scenery. Saint Martin de Belleville is the most civilized way to access the Three Valleys without having to re-mortgage your dacha. It’s aptly named; villes don’t get much more belle than this. The town square boasts a church built in the 14th century facing [...]
48 hours in… Kefalonia March 15, 2015 WHERE TO STAY With stunning views overlooking Lourdas Bay and an infinity pool, Villa Zeus Temple is one of the best hotels on the island. Visit uniquevillaskefalonia.co.uk WHERE TO GO This was the rock where Byron would sit, write and philosophise. “Time passes more pleasantly than ever long before,” the poet said of Kefalonia. WHERE [...]
How to hire a private island: Top tips and where to book March 15, 2015 Think desert islands are only for the Bransons of this world? Fly away to your secluded paradise in the sun. Peter Island, British Virgin Islands elegantresorts.co.uk With over 1,800 acres of unspoilt land, five pristine beaches and only three villas, Peter Island is a real isolated hideaway in the Caribbean. It has a spa [...]
Top tips for booking your private island March 15, 2015 By Diana Cherry, director of operations at Oxford Private Travel 1 Plan your stay with travel in mind – One of the best things about private islands is their total seclusion, so by their nature, they can be a tricky to get to. If you only have five days or a long weekend for a [...]
Gordon Castle: Let us whisky you away to Scotland March 8, 2015 It was here atop the snow-spattered hills of Speyside in the Scottish Highlands that King Macbeth was said to have met his violent end. According to legend, it was the future King Malcolm III who stabbed him in 1057 (he died several weeks later). Life in the valleys rising up either side of the river [...]
48 hours in… Reykjavik March 8, 2015 WHERE TO GO Iceland is one of the best places to spot the Northern Lights. There is, of course, no guarantee you’ll be able to see them given the region’s unpredictable weather, but when the conditions are right they are spectacular. There is no best month to catch them, but avoid May-August, when the days [...]