Scotland holidays: how the Lowlands beat the famous Highlands Life&Style Everyone’s been to the Highlands, so minimise travel and visit the spectacular Scottish Lowlands for your next Scotland trip, by Alexandra Pereira The first thing I notice at Glenapp Castle are the curling stones. Wedging open the heavy doors, these granite boulders are hewn from Ailsa Craig, the island you can see from the windows [...]
These are the best literary hotels in Europe Life&Style Poet, playwright and screenwriter Alexandra Pereira on her favourite literary hotels. Where will you check in to pen your tome? If you’re looking for inspiration for isolation, here’s where to book a room of one’s own, just a short train or flight from London, as well as the renowned, and sometimes controversial writers from the [...]
The capital of Cambodia is underrated – but it’s as good as Bangkok Life&Style It’s the last day of Khmer New Year as I disembark my vessel, step off the Mekong River and into the sweaty clutches of Phnom Penh. Cambodia’s capital is a playful cityscape of concrete and glass, reflecting the vast economic boom the country has experienced over the last decade, not to mention its strong ties [...]
Six Senses eco spa island in Krabey Cambodia: Health-luxe December 13, 2024 Krabey is a drop-in-the-ocean private island just a sneeze away from the Cambodian coastal city of Sihanoukville. With a large Chinese population and a pandemic-hit smatter of unfinished buildings, the city itself is pricey but with great food and markets But the real draw is discovering the tropical and unspoilt beaches and jungle flora and [...]
Italy holidays: swap the Amalfi Coast for this town with less tourists and beautiful vistas November 18, 2024 Italy holidays: In this quiet, Amalfi-adjacent coastal town, a much-loved Italian Count and his creations lie beneath a towering Christ the Redeemer WHERE: Swerving the Amalfi Coast, I took advantage of a new twice-a-week flight from London Stansted to Salerno and instead pivoted south on a spacious and picturesque 90-minute Italo train to Maratea, Potenza, [...]
Forget Paddington: Peru comes properly to life on a trip with Belmond November 18, 2024 En vogue right now due to Paddington, Peru is best seen by train, especially a Belmond train, writes Alexandra Pereira, who went on a pilgrimage in memory of her late friend A ruby-red Gothic typeface on the front of a bus adjacent to mine glows against the cornflower blue skies overhead as we creep into [...]
Tarantulas, temples and tall tales: Vietnam to Cambodia on the Mekong river is a soul-stirring delight September 23, 2024 Alexandra Pereira enjoyed profound human connections along the Mekong river On the first night of my journey along the mammoth Mekong ‘mother- water’ River, I watch on aghast as my companion crunches down on a large tarantula. He washes it down with a negroni, a sundowner like no other, and barely makes a sound or [...]
The authentic part of the Bahamas, with secret beaches and amazing food September 2, 2024 Arriving into a tiny airport after a twenty minute hop from Nassau International, we’re driving down the dusty palms highway to Freeport. The trees are ragged, stripped of their leaves and dead. Fields of new ones have been planted, but like anything beautiful in nature, patience is the virtue. It’s something the Grand Bahamians have [...]