Go to Porto Montenegro to gawp at the most expensive yachts in the world PORTO MONTENEGRO The marketing slogan for Porto Montenegro, a luxury 450-berth marina and residential village, is A Life less Ordinary. And what could be less ordinary than the accompanying launch photo of a small boy fishing with his dad from the back of their boat: a gigantic superyacht? Given this new development is funded by the Investment [...]
A pilgrimage to the isle of Corfu CORFU Gazing out across the waters of Corfu from my villa’s infinity pool, I see rickety boats and intrepid paddle boarders. Further away, across the Ionian Sea, is the craggy coastline of Albania. Sea views often sound clichéd, but Corfu really is spectacular – and a perfect destination for spring. I picked Corfu as I’m a [...]
Jubilee Weekend: Cruise the Thames to toast her Maj jubilee weeked One is not quite on the royal yacht – but I’ve certainly found my sort of gin palace as I board our hire boat to cruise the River Thames. To mark the start of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, I’ve joined a party on an eight-berth vessel to steer from Chertsey to Windsor, Her Majesty’s [...]
Abama care: Tenerife getaway Abama is the complete wellness experience February 17, 2022 I am at a yoga camp lying on a beautifully manicured lawn in the Canary Islands, bathed in warm morning sunshine as incense and calming mood music relaxes my mind. My lycra-clad colleagues look like sculptures as their toned legs point skywards. I, on the other hand, keep losing my balance and toppling over. Trouble [...]
Live your own Winter Olympics with this top ski gear February 15, 2022 If the Beijing Games have whetted your appetite for cold-weather sports, we have the perfect round-up for you, with some of the hottest ski and snowboard gear for sloping off to the mountains. Viking of the mountain: Oakley Flight Path L Aleksander Kilde signature series snow goggles, £183. Developed with Norwegian World Cup alpine ski [...]
Escape to Poldark country this half term at The Polurrian spa hotel October 27, 2020 With a staycation the safe option for a half-term break from the city, Cornish oasis The Polurrian spa hotel on the Lizard at Mullion could be the answers to your prayers. The weekend This craggy cove, just 40 minutes’ drive from Penzance, offers a beautiful sandy beach, spectacular coastal walks and horse trekking across the [...]
The Twilight Zone: The best way to find powder snow in Morzine? Try uphill skiing in the dark… February 14, 2020 It’s a still night on the mountain, with the full moon glinting on the snow. By the light of the torch on my head I can only see a narrow path as I trudge through the forests of Morzine in the French Alps. Despite the freezing cold I’m rapidly stripping off layers, overheating with the [...]
Moving Mountains: How the biggest Alpine construction project in 20 years has transformed Val d’Isere January 17, 2020 The venue is Cocorico, a packed Val d’Isere après ski bar where the music is pumping. BBC Ski Sunday presenter and five times Olympic skier Graham Bell is regaling us of the time he broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest towed speed on skis. Dragged by a Jaguar XF Sportbrake in Sweden, he [...]
Holiday homes: Limassol seeks new lease of life as a luxury property hotspot December 6, 2019 Cyprus has long been a favourite family holiday destination – sunny nearly all year round, moderately priced and famed for its homely Mediterranean cuisine and relaxed atmosphere. Glitzy St Tropez it is not, but that is all set to change as Limassol – located on Cyprus’ south coast – sets its sights on becoming Europe’s [...]
The Great Gig in the Sky: We hiked for two days to hear the world’s highest music festival October 5, 2018 The hills are alive with the sound of… my heavy breathing. I nervously inch my way along a slippery glacier while clinging onto a steel cable, the only lifeline preventing me from plunging hundreds of feet into the rocky abyss below. I am high up in the craggy and unyielding Dolomite Mountains in the Trentino [...]
