A gourmet Tuscan break with a splash of luxury January 19, 2014 From fine olive oil and rolling vineyards to hunting for truffles in the forests surrounding San Gimignano, the heart of Italy is the perfect place for a foodie winter getaway ON MY second day at Castello di Casole, the concierge told me that an American tech supremo recently booked out the entire villa complex for [...]
11 things to know about Val d’Isere January 12, 2014 It’s the ski destination to the great and good. Slopes veteran Cally Squires gives the lowdown on how to get the most out of this stunning downhill paradise 1. Ski with the crème de la crèmeThe resort hosted the Alpine Skiing World Cup last year, which saw golfer Tiger Woods turn out to support girlfriend [...]
Head to the glittering lights of Glasgow for culture and cuisine January 5, 2014 Helen Ochyra gets acquainted with the food, and cattle, of the city set to host the Commonwealth Games in 2014 IF YOU had asked me last month which UK city has the best shopping district (apart from London), I’d have gone for Brighton, with its bohemian boutiques, or Newcastle for its vast Metro Centre. I’d [...]
Searching for Santa in the Arctic December 8, 2013 Katie Hope and her four-year-old son James embark on an 18-hour journey to find the real Father Christmas TRACKING down Father Christmas in Lapland is akin to hunting an extremely rare and precious species. Come December, his impersonators are lurking everywhere you look, but the genuine article is tucked away in the icy depths of [...]
A room with a view December 1, 2013 Hotels in which you don’t need to leave your bedroom for a spectacular vista WHETHER you prefer Manhattan’s ever-changing cityscape or the rolling, green mountains of St Lucia, there is a perfect hotel for you. Check out some of the most stunning vistas on the planet through the windows of these super-luxurious hotels. 1. Arts [...]
Discovering the entrepreneurial spirit behind Argentine wine November 24, 2013 Laura Ivill travels to Mendoza in Argentina to experience the wine-making journey from humble grape to fine-dining staple DRAW a line on the map from the bustling streets of Buenos Aires west across Argentina’s interior and you reach the soaring 6,000-metre peaks of the Andes. In the foothills, the low-rise sprawling city of Mendoza lends [...]
Chile: the most varied country in the world November 17, 2013 From mountains to desert, Ashwin Bhardwaj is enchanted by the diverse delights of Chile AT UNIVERSITY, we teased our Geographer housemate for doing a degree in “colouring in.” But we secretly envied his trips to exotic corners of the globe, digging ice cores and monitoring volcanoes. Visualising geography is difficult in England as this green [...]
Culture and shopping in Shanghai and Hong Kong November 10, 2013 When Michelle Filmer went to China, she split her time between its two most vibrant cities. From luxury to history, she selects the top ten highlights of her visit 1. THE BUND The waterfront area in central Shanghai that runs along the west bank of the Huangpu river is known as The Bund. The west [...]
Tired of the rain? Try these winter getaways November 10, 2013 NOW THE embers of Bonfire Night have fizzled out, the nation can get on with the serious business of preparing for Christmas. But what about afterwards? Once the pudding has been gobbled up and the fairy lights have been put away, all that remains is frost, a terrifying credit card bill, and indigestion. Our winter [...]
A rural idyll a stone’s throw from London November 3, 2013 Under an hour from the capital, the Four Seasons Hampshire is the perfect place to recharge your batteries THREE years ago, during my first ever stay at a Four Seasons Hotel, my friend and I invented a game. In order to win all you had to do was walk from our room to the bar [...]