The capital of Cambodia is underrated – but it’s as good as Bangkok March 4, 2025 It’s the last day of Khmer New Year as I disembark my vessel, step off the Mekong River and into the sweaty clutches of Phnom Penh. Cambodia’s capital is a playful cityscape of concrete and glass, reflecting the vast economic boom the country has experienced over the last decade, not to mention its strong ties [...]
Arty Athens: Greece is a must-visit for galleries in 2025 March 4, 2025 THE WEEKEND: When it comes to combining thoughtfully preserved ancient archaeological sites with a cutting edge modern art scene, nowhere comes close to the revitalised Greek capital of Athens, Greece. The city has been overwhelmed with new openings and refurbishments in recent years. When the Goulandris Foundation was unveiled at the end of 2019, for [...]
Why Tasmania is Australia’s overlooked wine destination February 26, 2025 It was only four years ago I was served a glass of House of Arras, an exceptional sparkling wine, full of crystalline precision and refined fizz. I was surprised to hear it was from Tasmania. Before then, I knew very little about wines from this region. London is the most exciting marketplace for wine in [...]
Haute Maurienne Vanoise: A mindful hike in the French Alps February 17, 2025 On my climb towards the Vallonnet glacial cave in Haute Maurienne Vanoise within the Savoie region of the French Alps, the landscape was pristine and the silence profound – it was a stillness I had never experienced before. There was no wind, no animal sounds, no people, no traffic. Nothing. The snow is abundant – [...]
The Ritz: Losses continue at iconic London hotel February 7, 2025 London’s iconic Ritz hotel has now lost more than £75m since it last turned a profit, it has been revealed. The luxury London hotel has posted a pre-tax loss of £10m for 2023, accounts filed more than five months late with Companies House show. The latest figure comes after The Ritz posted a loss of [...]
City break in Munich: Where to stay and what to see in Bavaria January 31, 2025 If there’s one thing Munich is famous for it’s Oktoberfest. But if beer-swilling stag parties aren’t your thing, visit the Bavarian capital any time of the year apart from late September and you will find one of Europe’s richest, most varied city break destinations. The art scene is second to none, and the beer stein [...]
7 incredible places for food and wine in South Africa January 30, 2025 A culinary cruise around South Africa, with our restaurant columnist Martin Williams As a restaurateur, January is the perfect time of year to take a holiday; exhausted from the efforts put in to maximise Christmas business. As an entrepreneur with M, and whilst leading Gaucho, it’s a period when, after setting objectives for the months [...]
The real White Lotus hotel: San Domenico Palace, Sicily January 28, 2025 In the world of luxury and super-luxury hotels, a new category has emerged, one that’s so exclusive it has only been bestowed upon two resorts in the entire world: the White Lotus Hotel. The White Lotus is, of course, the fictional hotel chain from the eponymous HBO drama, a place where the world’s wealthiest families [...]
A ski holiday in Val d’Isere is the hippest way to do the French Alps January 28, 2025 Val d’Isere has always felt hip, but a new design hotel is upping the stakes, finds Adam Bloodworth Think of a ski holiday in the Alps and a certain image springs to mind. That of impossible wealth, of royals and oligarchs resplendent in furs, of Hooray Henrys from the King’s Road necking jeroboams of rosé, [...]
Denmark has the ‘happiest city in the world’. I spent a week there in search of their secret January 22, 2025 Can a city cure sadness? Adam Bloodworth visits Denmark’s other capital, Aarhus, to speak to some of the happiest people in the world You probably haven’t heard of Aarhus, but Denmark’s second biggest city – which has serious beef with Copenhagen – claims to be the ‘happiest city in the world’. The British Institute for [...]