Inside South Africa’s two most exceptionally fabulous hotels February 4, 2026 Cape Town and the surrounding winelands are a clever choice for a start of year escape. Whilst London languishes in grey drizzle, South Africa glows in late summer sunshine. While there are plenty of great restaurants and wineries to visit across the country, an alternative option is to bunker down in the best hotels: here [...]
Experience Dan Brown’s Prague: the real locations in The Secret of Secrets February 2, 2026 THE WEEKEND To say the Four Seasons Hotel Prague plays a major part in Dan Brown’s new book The Secret of Secrets is something of an understatement. Main character Robert Langdon – best known from Brown’s mega-seller The Da Vinci Code – wakes up there at the start of the novel and it’s a key [...]
Valentine’s Day: My top recommendations for the perfect date January 29, 2026 Whether you’re treating your partner to a night on the town, whisking them out of the city for a weekend away or just cosying up together at home, here are my top recommendations for Valentine’s Day. For London lovers The Elizabeth on Ebury St, Belgravia will be serving a special three-course menu (£55pp) with an [...]
A modern type of safari with Sri Lanka’s leopards and elephants January 28, 2026 If I were a wild leopard, or a tiger, or an elephant, I could think of few things more terrifying – or more frustrating – than confronting a line of jeeps, the vehicles encroaching ever closer on my personal space as I grazed, bathed, or cared for my young. Recent horror stories of tourists blocking [...]
Sleep in a treehouse themed room at this eccentric UK hotel January 27, 2026 WHAT’S THE VIBE?Posh hotels are far too often cloaked in beige in order to appeal to as many people as possible while offending very few. Beige is the Toyota Corolla of luxury hotel design: boring but reliable. If you’re like me and are excited by the prospect of colour and personality, head immediately to the [...]
This hotel on the Elizabeth Line is 30 minutes from London but feels totally remote January 22, 2026 THE HOTEL: The Cotswolds has attracted A-Listers like Ellen DeGeneres and Beyonce partly because of its proximity to London. Morning meetings in Mayfair are softened by late lunches in the countryside. That’s old hat now though, thanks to the Elizabeth Line. The easterly stretches of rural Buckinghamshire and Berkshire can be considered London by virtue [...]
The London hotel in the heart of hip, creative east January 20, 2026 Bethnal Green’s town hall opened in 1910, and one hundred years later, the building was turned into the eponymous Town Hotel Hotel. Edwardian meets Art Deco architecture at this striking London property, celebrating its 15th anniversary. Modern art and proximity to creative East attracts an international cultural crowd. WHAT’S THE VIBE? Surprisingly low-key for a [...]
Inflation expected to inch back up due to travel rush January 19, 2026 Inflation is expected to edge back up as higher airfares and tobacco prices are squeezing British families’ budgets and adding to pressures on the cost of living. A Bloomberg poll of economists has predicted consumer price index (CPI) inflation to hit 3.3 per cent rate for the year to December, which would be higher than [...]
How Exclusive Collection’s Danny Pecorelli built the top luxury corporate hotel group in the land January 13, 2026 As managing director of Exclusive Collection, Danny Pecorelli oversees one of the country’s most distinctive luxury hotel groups, with a portfolio that spans country house hotels, a gastro pub, destination spas, Michelin-starred dining, golf, cookery schools and some of the most sought-after corporate meeting spaces in the UK. Born into the business his father founded [...]
From Elton John to Kylie: 10 best alcohol free wines for Dry January January 12, 2026 The best alcohol free wines to try this month Put down that sad glass of tap water. If you are taking a break from alcohol, I have some of the very best options out there, none of which involve pretending you enjoy drinking London’s chalky, limestone-heavy water. Spoil YourselfEven in the driest of months, there [...]