The unspoilt ski slopes of Gudauri in Georgia are Europe’s best kept secret October 12, 2018 The Georgian Military Highway winds its way from Tbilisi towards the Russian border, passing UNESCO churches, scenic reservoirs, and the somewhat over optimistically named Friendship Monument, a late 1980s celebration of Georgian-Soviet relations. As the road climbs higher, the forests cloaking the slopes grow thinner until you emerge above the treeline and they’re replaced completely [...]
Want to get the most out of the Cook Islands? Follow Chris Osburn as he explores this South Pacific paradise… October 8, 2018 The Cook Islands is a nation comprising 15 small islands sprinkled across a patch of the South Pacific, roughly halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. As remote as they are spectacular, the collection of islands is reminiscent of Hawaii before its mid-century tourism-boom, and though the largest of its islands is today ringed by boutique [...]
The Great Gig in the Sky: We hiked for two days to hear the world’s highest music festival October 5, 2018 The hills are alive with the sound of… my heavy breathing. I nervously inch my way along a slippery glacier while clinging onto a steel cable, the only lifeline preventing me from plunging hundreds of feet into the rocky abyss below. I am high up in the craggy and unyielding Dolomite Mountains in the Trentino [...]
Interiors: The story of a Chinese twenty-something who created a best of British flat in Shanghai October 5, 2018 Anyone casting an eye around this spacious contemporary apartment would find its elegance reassuringly familiar. English joinery, heritage brands, bespoke handcrafted furniture – you could be visiting One Hyde Park. But look outside the 18th-floor panoramic windows and it’s not the sweeping green of central London you see, but the majestic Huangpu river, snaking through [...]
Don’t write off this kitsch cultural phenomenon, the Golden State is seeing a third wave of these Polynesian-themed bars. October 5, 2018 Tiki hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons this summer, when a bunch of neo-Nazis and white supremicists fired up tiki torches and took to the streets in Charlottesville, prompting not only international revulsion, but also a stern rebuke from the makers of the flaming implements. “Our products are designed to enhance backyard gatherings [...]
Bored of Bora Bora? Set sail to the islands of Rangiroa, Moorea, and Tahiti to discover the real French Polynesia September 28, 2018 French Polynesia is the archetypal island paradise. A place of such astounding natural beauty that superlatives fail from overuse. This French overseas territory sits in the heart of the South Pacific, at the centre of the Polynesian-triangle; roughly equidistant between Hawaii, Easter Island, and New Zealand. It consists of five culturally and geographically diverse island [...]
A popular haunt of Beatrix Potter, Storrs Hall is a beautiful Grade II listed hotel on the shores of Lake Windermere September 28, 2018 The Lake District is well known for its historic association with fine English literature, but gets a free pass for having also inspired some of the country’s worst poetry, such as Gotta Love Dem Daffodils by Adam Glick, who visited last year, and Somewhere Around Here Is My Heart I Guess by Pauline Marr, an [...]
Ryanair strike: 250 flights cancelled and 35,000 passengers to be hit by today’s walkouts September 28, 2018 As many as 35,000 Ryanair passengers will be facing travel chaos this afternoon after the airline was forced into cancelling 250 flights as a result of strike action. The fresh wave of industrial disputes, which will affect almost double the number of flights that were previously expected to be cancelled, comes as pilots and [...]
Grotta Giusti review: Spa harder by spelunking deep underground into a network of hot, rejuvenating caves September 25, 2018 As if hearty Italian cuisine, elegant rooms and innovative cocktails were not enough, this historic villa in overlooked Lucca, Tuscany, has a spa that’s so out of this world it’ll take you to Heaven and back. Set in a series of underground caves, it will add a whole new dimension to your downward dog. With [...]
Simon Miller heads to Les Menuires in Savoie, and finds there’s nothing sedate about skiing with the kids September 24, 2018 Reberty is an upmarket suburb of Les Menuires. Its timber buildings are in stark contrast to the now protected, brutalist architecture of the surrounding areas, and its these classic alpine touches that lend a touch of class to this corner of the mountains. Contributing to this touch of class are the chalets run by Powder [...]