Experience the Roman Empire in Bulgaria for history to rival Italy – just without the crowds July 13, 2025 What have the Romans ever done for us?” quipped my partner, Ed, as we stood on the main street of Nicopolis ad Istrum, formerly a Roman town in Bulgaria that is now a glorious assemblage of ruins. “All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water [...]
The best part of Sri Lanka just got a stunning new hotel July 12, 2025 When the Australian cricket team finished a day’s play against Sri Lanka in Galle in February, they came for a well-earned break at the Radisson Collection hotel, fives miles down the seafront.They liked it so much that when they won the series a few days later, they returned to celebrate into the early hours of [...]
This Pacific Ocean country is one of Earth’s most biodiverse places July 10, 2025 This Pacific Ocean hideaway offers incredible sea life in brilliant luxury Anyone for fruit bat stew? “It’s delicious!” the museum guide assured me. “You cook the bat whole and serve it up in a soup, so it gazes up at you from the bowl. And you eat the entire bat. Because its diet is fruit, [...]
Inside Los Angeles stan culture, where it isn’t embarrassing to admit you’re a celebrity nerd July 10, 2025 Fans behave very differently in Los Angeles than they do in London. Longtime celebrity nerd Adam Bloodworth visited to explore the city’s outward love for celebrity A sea of aggressive power lunches are taking place on the terrace next to a swimming pool. I’m in the Tower Bar on Sunset Boulevard, which runs along the [...]
A spoiled travel editor’s guide to luxury hotels July 9, 2025 I know, it’s not en vogue to brag, but as City AM’s travel editor, I stay in the world’s plushest luxury hotels for a living. Here’s the shocking thing: despite the £1k-a-night price tags, they often fail to do the very simplest of things to make your stay better. So, here is some constructive criticism [...]
Jet2 hikes dividend on record passenger numbers July 9, 2025 Jet2 shares tumbled on Wednesday despite record passenger traffic as investors fretted over global geopolitical uncertainty. Shares fell more than 5 per cent by midday evven after the leisure travel group hiked its annual dividend and reported a surge in profit on soaring demand. Investors are set for a final dividend of 12.1p per share [...]
Consumer confidence rising as summer holiday season begins July 7, 2025 The majority of UK households are feeling financially secure, with 70 per cent of people confident enough to plan a summer holiday, according to a survey. The number of people feeling financially secure has risen this quarter by three percentage points to 58 per cent, while confidence that the UK economy is improving has risen [...]
Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons: Behind the culinary icon July 2, 2025 During my first visit to Le Manoir I could neither speak nor talk. This is not hyperbole about dumbfounded luxury – I was just a baby. But my parents still tell the story of how Raymond Blanc, in full chef’s whites, came to ask them if I had enjoyed the fresh pasta and butter the [...]
Inside the Belfast boutique hotel taking on Airbnb June 20, 2025 Can this hotel-private home crossover concept take on Airbnb? Julia Khamissa checked in to delve deeper THE CONCEPT Room2 bills itself the world’s first ‘hometel,’ a hybrid between hotel convenience, boutique design, and Airbnb-style autonomy. Think flexible booking, pet-friendly policy, and a kitchenette in (almost) every room. Room2 Belfast is set in a modern, curved [...]
Howl like a wolf and imitate monkeys and this new London spa June 20, 2025 At new London spa Shoreditch &Soul, strangers laugh like wolves in a 40-person sauna. Could this be London’s most joyful answer to the wellness boom? One of my favourite TV quotes comes from Samantha in an early Sex and the City episode: “You can’t swing a Fendi purse without knocking over five losers.” I recycle [...]