Now’s the time to elevate your Marrakech holiday July 31, 2023 THE WEEKEND: Darling Marrakech is Morocco’s bohemian jewel, a soulful city surrounded by sand, anchored by an ancient Medina and crowned by the sultry peaks of the Atlas Mountains. Just three hours from the UK, there is no comparable weekend-worthy escape as bewitching, or as bonkers. There are hotels and then there is Le Royal [...]
Anne-Sophie Pic: I’m holding back on getting more Michelin stars July 31, 2023 France’s Savoyard region is wonderful for foraging and Michelin-starred food. Olivia Palamountain touched down to meet lauded French chef Anne-Sophie Pic It’s high summer in Megève, an alpinetown in the Savoyard region of France. It is one of those pretty as a picture, pinch-me places that remind you why the French do life best; all [...]
Beverly Hills, 9021: Oh! Checking into the Beverly Hills Hotel for its centenary year July 27, 2023 The Beverly Hills Hotel, aka The Pink Palace is still the place to be seen in Hollywood, says Siobhan Grogan. From celeb-spotting to relaxing, this is still a rare paradise at 100 years old Within a few short hours of arriving in Los Angeles, I’m sitting metres away from two of the most famous women [...]
Qatar’s top Arabic wellness retreat offers loads that Western retreats don’t July 24, 2023 Could Middle Eastern wisdom be the answer to modern ill health? Lisa Kjellsson checks into Qatar’s royally appointed new wellness retreat to find out It’s not every day you come face to face with royalty, but at Qatar’s new uber-luxurious spa retreat, I’m shocked to see the queen sweep past with her small entourage, instantly [...]
The Seychelles holiday you need to book now July 24, 2023 The Seychelles is thriving. Adam Hay-Nicholls checks into a recent opening to find creative inspiration Seychellen luxury hotel Mango House will cause you to abandon your beach book and erect an easel. The charming staff have arranged for me not only a cold SeyBrew and towels, but a tray of acrylic paints. With the encouragement [...]
Why now is the best time to visit wild, untamed Sri Lanka July 18, 2023 It has been a tough few years for Sri Lanka but Steve Dinneen finds a country that’s ready to welcome tourists The last few years have been devastating for tourism-reliant countries across the world, but few have had it quite as bad as Sri Lanka. Visitor numbers fell to virtually zero following the 2019 Easter [...]
California holidays: Why Monterey, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara make the perfect road trip July 17, 2023 There’s more to California than Los Angeles and San Francisco – try Monterey, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara, says Richard Franks America is the land of the road trip, and its Pacific Highway is up there with its most iconic. Hugging some 656 miles of rugged Californian coast between San Francisco and San Diego, the [...]
Bushmills Causeway Distillery: Worship at the cathedral of whiskey July 12, 2023 Today is the Twelfth of July, when Northern Ireland’s unionist community celebrates William of Orange defeating the Catholic King James II, at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. This victory secured a prolonged period of Protestant dominance, and the associated commemorations have been an ongoing source of sectarian tensions. Even now, parades organised by [...]
Bequia in the Grenadines: Tall tales and windswept shores July 10, 2023 Lawson Sargeant is bent over a scrubbed bench, fixing a tiny sail on a carved, wooden boat. It’s a fiddly and intricate business. In his workshop in Port Elizabeth, on the Caribbean island of Bequia, wooden replicas of yachts and sailing boats are lined up on turquoise-painted shelves all around the room. You might first [...]
Andaz Mayakoba is a near-perfect beach resort on the Mexican coast July 3, 2023 Playa del Carmen lies halfway between Cancun and Tulum, both geographically and spiritually. It’s not quite the tourist hellscape of the former, a haven for spring breakers and the kind of traveller who wears sports socks with sandals, but neither does it have the bohemian charm of the latter, which has positioned itself as the [...]