Why Albania’s Tirana could be the city break of the future Life&Style “Tirana is like a cross between Mumbai and Las Vegas,” I was told by a teenage traveller a week before I arrived in Albania’s capital city. “I’ve never been to either place, but at least that’s how I imagine them to be.” I’m not sure if Tirana is really like either of those cities, but [...]
Skydiving in the Maldives: Why Ifuru Island is like no other Life&Style If I’m honest, my first thought when someone offered me a trip to the Maldives was bling and boardwalks, with limited character or culture. But Ifuru Island, a 5km long oasis in the northern part of the famous luxury region, is so much more. Ifuru – meaning ‘blossom’ in the local Dhivehi language – is [...]
A Roman Holiday by Vespa sidecar – a whole new Rome Life&Style As the world’s most beloved scooter turns 80, a former convent in the heart of Rome offers the perfect base for doing the Eternal City properly: by sidecar. The stay in Rome’s Palazzo Ripetta Palazzo Ripetta sits on one of Rome’s most storied streets, just minutes from the Spanish Steps in the Tridente district, a [...]
Beyond the Tour de France: How Girona became a cyclist’s paradise July 23, 2026 Girona quietly welcomes the world’s best cyclists – and the Tour de France. Damien Gabet rides through Spain’s bucolic countryside D’you remember the Festina scandal in 1998? The whole cycling team was caught bang to rights for doping. And because parts of it fell under French criminal law, les flics got involved and the soigneur [...]
Francis Hotel Bath: Old-world glamour meets new-school cool July 21, 2026 We braved the heatwave and the crowds to take a long weekend in Bath, a city that’s balances its ancient history with a tourist industry precision-engineered to meet the needs of the modern traveller – not least the newly renovated Francis Hotel Bath. As someone who lived in Scotland for more than a decade, it’s [...]
Coya Ibiza is bringing grown-up hedonism to Playa d’en Bossa July 20, 2026 You may know Coya for its London restaurants, but the group is exploring new shores in Ibiza with its first ever rooms. Anna Moloney checks in.
The Yahoo Boys: The men behind online romance scams July 10, 2026 In an extract from his new book The Yahoo Boys: Real Life with the Love Scammers of Lagos, journalist CARLOS BARRAGÁN travels to Lagos to uncover the truth behind romance scams When journalist Carlos Barragán’s mother fell in love with a man she had never met, it seemed too good to be true. She would [...]
Brits wary of EU summer hols as officials refuse to ease new border checks July 7, 2026 The European Union has refused to suspend its divisive new border checks despite admitting that it has found 20 “difficult spots” causing queuing chaos. The EU has said it will stand by its new Entry/Exit System (EES), a biometric border regime whose botched rollout has threatened to ruin thousands of summer holidays. Officials admitted that [...]
Avington Estate near Winchester is a bucolic paradise July 7, 2026 A short cab ride away from Winchester, itself only an hour from London, you can find the sleepy, bucolic village of Avington, nestled in the Itchen Valley. A place where reassuringly little happens, it’s a made up of winding country roads, quaint little churches and the stunning Avington Estate. For centuries this grand stately manor [...]
No Wales? No problem: Why I travelled to the World Cup even though my team weren’t there July 7, 2026 He bought tickets to see Wales play in the World Cup before they lost their place. Can Gav Murphy find solace in California despite the lack of his beloved national team? Despite everyone and everything – we are still here!” The words of the Welsh football team’s unofficial anthem, Yma o Hyd, rang out around [...]