Ko Samui has long had a reputation for being a backpackers’ paradise – but it’s got a rather unexpected stylish and grown up side June 30, 2017 The taxi taking me on the ten-minute journey from Ko Samui’s tiny, open-air airport terminal to my hotel on Chaweng beach, one of the island’s most popular resorts, slows to a crawl when it hits Chaweng Road. The main artery into this area, the route comes to life after sunset when a host of raucous [...]
The long weekend: Unwind on the French Golden Island of Porquerolles at the meeting point of Provence and the Cote d’Azur June 26, 2017 We discover the golden island of Porquerolles off the south coast of France. THE WEEKEND: Spend a long weekend on the picture-perfect Isle de Porquerolles, an island little-visited by Brits in a region where the rustic charm of Provence and the cosmopolitan chic of the Cote d’Azur overlap. Cycle through olive orchards, hike along rugged [...]
Taking a tour of Tokyo’s fish markets, karaoke bars and robot restaurants June 19, 2017 The best day I spent in Tokyo was when I woke up, with a start, asleep on my sofa still at 10am after staying out until five doing karaoke, drunk still but with a hangover headache. On the surface level I would not recommend this to anyone – the housekeeping woman was incredibly scared by [...]
For King and Country: As Swaziland celebrates 50 years of independence, the king took to the stage to make an astonishing announcement June 8, 2017 Portraits of the Lion and the Great She Elephant — King Mswati III and his mother — stare down from the wall of the immigration office. The animal print pattern of the king’s tribal dress seems a world away from the border-bureaucracy of entry stamps and customs forms, but it’s part of the dichotomy of [...]
Heading to the America’s Cup? Here’s where to go and what to do in Bermuda June 2, 2017 There are few things more intimidating on the water than suddenly finding yourself in the middle of a practice race for the America’s Cup. The oldest trophy in international sport is being contested in Bermuda for the first time in June 2017, but teams have been based on the Atlantic island for months, training for [...]
The long weekend: Brecon Beacons, South Wales June 2, 2017 We explore Wales’s illustrious and ancient mountains. THE WEEKEND: Spend an inspiring weekend amidst gorgeous rolling countryside and valleys, dramatic mountain ranges, breathtaking waterfalls and forests. The Brecon Beacons National Park is a haven for lovers of the outdoors at every level of exertion, from leisurely strolls along the River Usk, stopping at traditional Welsh [...]
Going off grid: How I spent a week living in an ‘apocalypse dome’ May 30, 2017 The more we learn about the effects of social media on the human psyche, the worse it seems to get. The planet is hooked on dopamine squirts triggered by clever algorithms developed by the world’s finest minds, for the sole purpose of keeping us scrolling. And scrolling, and scrolling. We’re connected to thousands of other humans from the second we wake to the [...]
Long Weekend in a magnesium bath at Princess Yaiza, Lanzarote May 19, 2017 The weekend: If, like most City workers, you spend long hours hunched over a keyboard, punctuated by occasional bursts of exercise that you never properly warm down from, you’ve probably got your share of aches and pains. This is why holidays offering spa “cures” are increasingly attractive. The Princesa Yaiza Resort Hotel in Lanzarote offers [...]
Long Weekend in El Jadida, Morocco: Golf and belly-dancing at Mazagan Beach Resort May 12, 2017 The weekend: Spend a long weekend on the central western Atlantic coast of Morocco, a region that combines the old town charm of El Jadida – formerly named El Mazagan – and the luxury of the five-star Mazagan Beach Resort complex. The micro-climate here offers pleasant weather year-round, but with tourism still in its ascendancy [...]
Brunch in Dubai is luxurious in the extreme. Just be careful not to eat the golden macarons – they’re purely decorative… May 12, 2017 Visiting a destination for the first time is like being on a first date. You want to go to a nice restaurant, you’d like him to be charming, but arriving with six dozen roses and a list of potential baby names is probably overkill. Dubai is like the most try-hard of bunny boiler boyfriends, the [...]