Danny MacAskill is still alive (just) after his breathtaking day out November 18, 2016 | City Talk Risking his neck on roof tiles. Cycling precariously over straw bales. Balancing on a knife-edge on railway tracks… Scots biking daredevil, Danny MacAskill is living (just), breathing proof that Scotland's stunning scenery and fantastic open spaces are the ultimate outdoor playground. Watch. And be amazed…
Fancy some stargazing? Hop on a plane to La Palma, the most stellar of the Canary Islands November 17, 2016 The farthest of the Canary Islands from the coast of Africa has just 80,000 inhabitants, and 150,000 visitors per year. Unlike its rocky neighbours, there is enormous variety on the island, with mountains above the clouds, black sand beaches and a night sky that has made it a must see for astrology lovers the world [...]
Discover a side to Tuscany that the Italians have been keeping a secret from the Brits November 17, 2016 Enjoying an aperitif on my balcony on our last night in Punta Ala, as the sun dipped below the island of Elba, I wondered who deemed this paradise an appropriate exile for Napoleon. With clear stretches of pristine coastline overlooked by rugged volcanic natural parks, it’s a side of Tuscany not often seen by tourists. [...]
Searches for flights to the US plummeted after Donald Trump was elected president November 17, 2016 Whether or not US President-elect Donald Trump's wall will prevent people from entering America, his negative image abroad already has. Since the election results were announced last week, demand for flights to the US dropped globally, new research has suggested. The so-called "Trump Effect", calculated by travel search engine Kayak.co.uk, reported the number of searches for [...]
London business people gave Travelodge some of their most bizarre customer requests this year November 16, 2016 Have you ever asked your hotel staff to help out with a wedding proposal, do your VAT returns or wake you up with a bagpipe serenade? If so, your wish might have landed on Travelodge's list of the most bizarre requests from the last year. A few peculiar questions were simple mistakes made by tourists lacking knowledge of the UK. [...]
Gordon Ramsay interview: Michelin stars, overtaking the French and why his new restaurant, Le Pressoir d’Argent, is something special November 9, 2016 “If I’d tried to open this restaurant 15 years ago, I’d have been shot, hung upside-down and had my bollocks put in that thing over there, the pressoir d’testicle.” Finally, I thought. So measured – serene even – was the Gordon Ramsay sitting opposite me, I’d started to wonder if his famously filthy lyricism had [...]
This Arizona town will let you play out your cowboy fantasy: Ride bulls, wear cool hats, walk into a saloon and have the music suddenly stop playing, the works November 4, 2016 They say “all sunshine makes a desert.” But in Arizona (299 sunny days per year; average temp 24 degrees celsius) I don’t hear anyone complaining. In fact, this state is booming, with capital Phoenix now one of the fastest growing metro areas in the US. Scottsdale, a wealthy destination town in the northeast of the [...]
There’s a restaurant in the Maldives that’s entirely underwater and it’s pretty nice October 31, 2016 To visit the Maldives is to bathe in the clearest ocean of purest aquamarine blue. To visit the Maldives is to revel on soft white sand and eat delicious fresh pineapple. To visit the Maldives is, crucially, to be handed so many cool mint-scented flannels that you cannot remember what it is like to not [...]
Long Weekend: Discover the glitzy nightlife and historic Portuguese-Chinese heritage of Macao, China October 21, 2016 THE WEEKEND: Macao may be known for its glitzy nightlife, but this unique destination only 40 miles from Hong Kong on the south coast of China offers a whole lot more than the roll of the dice. A huge foodie scene, a dazzling array of luxury hotels and a vibrant selection of cultural hotspots make [...]
The wine region of Porto and the Douro Valley are a must visit for plonk fans October 21, 2016 Douro is “Tuscany before the crowds”, a land forever locked in an annual cycle of wine making, olive picking and almond harvesting, a rural idyll that became electrified only after the 1950s. Leave Porto, whose historic centre is a Unesco world heritage site, and cross the Serra do Marão mountain range, and the city gives [...]