Why La Tzoumaz in the Four Valleys is a beginner’s ski paradise Life&Style If winter sports conjure images of designer salopettes, Champagne-fuelled après-ski and intimidating pistes packed with experts, it may be time to look beyond the Alpine headlines. Tucked quietly into the Four Valleys ski area, Switzerland’s La Tzoumaz offers a gentler, more reassuring introduction to the Alps and proof that when it comes to mountain escapes, [...]
A modern type of safari with Sri Lanka’s leopards and elephants Life&Style 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 [...]
Inside the ‘best ski resort in the world’ in the Swiss Alps Life&Style Last year, travel booking site Omio crowned Arosa-Lenzerheide in Switzerland as the best ski resort in the world. Beating 6,000 other winter sports destinations, including big name competitors like Courchevel and St Moritz, Arosa-Lenzerheide scored an impressive 91.73 (out of 100). Omio considered everything from the number of lifts and lengths of slopes, to the [...]
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 [...]
Why Florence, Italy makes the ideal spring break from London May 3, 2025 If I were searching for heaven on Earth, Florence is the first place I would look. The Italian city‘s Renaissance art and architecture make my spirit soar with their otherworldly beauty, the mountainous backdrop refreshes my eyes and soul, and the food and drink? Well, a Tuscan feast is exactly what my body ordered, in [...]
Aboard the real Orient Express train from Europe to the East April 9, 2025 It has always irked me that trains billed as the Orient Express, like the Venice-Simplon-Orient-Express, only go as far as Istanbul. Why evoke the romance of the Orient only to end the journey at the edge of Europe? It’s a disappointment, but more gallingly for anyone passionate about long-distance train travel, it’s also a missed [...]
Haute Maurienne Vanoise: A mindful hike in the French Alps February 17, 2025 On my climb towards the Vallonnet glacial cave in Haute Maurienne Vanoise within the Savoie region of the French Alps, the landscape was pristine and the silence profound – it was a stillness I had never experienced before. There was no wind, no animal sounds, no people, no traffic. Nothing. The snow is abundant – [...]
City break in Munich: Where to stay and what to see in Bavaria January 31, 2025 If there’s one thing Munich is famous for it’s Oktoberfest. But if beer-swilling stag parties aren’t your thing, visit the Bavarian capital any time of the year apart from late September and you will find one of Europe’s richest, most varied city break destinations. The art scene is second to none, and the beer stein [...]
Les Gets: A smaller alternative to crowded giant ski resorts October 15, 2024 From a musician in a balloon to a connection with the rocks beneath her skis, Sophie Ibbotson finds bliss in the Alpine resort of Les Gets. The music-maker stood in the forest preparing his hot air balloon for a flight. It was the perfect night for storytelling, inky dark and with a thick crunch of [...]
Bristol holiday ideas: How to plan the perfect UK staycation August 27, 2024 Bristol is a varied, multicultural city unlike any other, with a rich and sometimes troubled history. Here’s how to plan the perfect weekend there. THE WEEKEND: For 1,300 years, the world has sailed in and out of Bristol. Explorer John Cabot pioneered trading routes across the Atlantic, and in doing so discovered Newfoundland; the infamous [...]
