Checking into Prince William and Kate’s getaway, Cheval Blanc Randheli Maldives March 16, 2023 THE HOLIDAY: Over-water villas and white sand beaches? Meh, I’ve heard it all before. The Indian Ocean archipelago of the Maldives can feel so clichéd, it takes a seriously swish hotel to stand out from the rest. Enter Cheval Blanc Randheli, a very French take on the postcard-pristine tropical idyll, owned by luxury goods house [...]
Why Kalkan on the Turkish Riviera is your next luxury retreat March 13, 2023 Kalkan on the Turkish Riviera is a slice of laid back luxury. Oliver Bilgutay plucks olives from the trees and eats the cuisine of his dreams The images of Turkey that were splashed across news channels in the wake of one of the worst earthquakes in recent memory make a stark contrast to pictures of [...]
Trekking for snow leopards – and the Yeti – in Ladakh, India February 27, 2023 We’re high up in trans-Himalayan Ladakh in India – dizzyingly high – and oxygen is hard to come by here. To reach the tiny village of Ulley, where we’re holed up in a local homestay, we’ve already passed through thundering mountain ranges, following lines of army trucks coiled like sunbaking snakes. We’ve motored up the [...]
Can The Maldives cure me? I went to find out February 20, 2023 “The first dedicated wellness retreat in the Maldives,” they said. “Nonsense,” I said. Every Maldivian island and their dog has “well-something” splashed across their website. Once you’re done petting dolphins, what else is there to do but be tended to by therapists promising repair, realignment, reconnection, restoration and revitalisation? “I’m not having it,” I thought. [...]
Paris on Valentine’s Day a cliché? Not at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée February 13, 2023 THE WEEKEND: Long-stemmed Jacqueminot roses. Flutes of fizzing Feuillatte. Boxes of bonbons by Belgian chocolatiers. A romantic weekend in Paris. You may call it cliché, but I call it classic. Besides, everyone knows Paris is a good idea—especially now, when there are new reasons to pay a visit to the City of Love. THE STAY: [...]
Why the Turkey earthquake shouldn’t stop you booking a holiday in a disaster zone February 12, 2023 The crisis in Turkey reminds Justine Gosling of her trip to the Dominican Republic after the hurricane hit in 2022. Her message is that visiting countries affected by natural disasters – safely, of course – can help strengthen their economy. Donate to the Disaster Emergency Committee appeal here to help the search for survivors and [...]
Hanging out with tortoises in turquoise cottages on the Caribbean island of St Barts February 5, 2023 The descent into Gustaf III Airport on the Caribbean Island of Saint Barthélemy – otherwise known as St Barts – is not for the faint hearted. We depart nearby Saint Martin strapped into a 12-seater Twin Otter plane and soar over the sea towards a small landmass. We spot yachts and catamarans sailing aquamarine waters [...]
Antwerp is a top city break just an hour from London February 4, 2023 “I’d be willing to bet there’s no quicker way of getting from the UK to mainland Europe,” said Robert Sinclair, CEO of London City Airport, as we stood on the tarmac at Antwerp Airport. The flight we’d just taken was 40 minutes from tarmac to tarmac, meaning you can leave the City or Canary Wharf [...]
Skiing in St Moritz and Pontresina, the Swiss towns where British ski holidays were born January 29, 2023 The Grand Hotel Kronenhof is like a Wes Anderson movie brought to life. You join me in Pontresina, in Switzerland’s Eastern Alps, a pretty little mountain town of 18th century villas and Belle Epoque buildings. The hotel itself is large and neo-baroque, crowned with a jaunty green dome, and was opened in 1848 before being [...]
Beyonce Dubai gig at Atlantis The Royal: Inside the world’s most lavish launch January 24, 2023 “There are two types of people in the world. The people that are in Dubai right now. And us.” So went the meme, shared tens of millions of times across the world this weekend. The occasion – as if you haven’t already heard – was the launch of a self-described “icon”, the Atlantis The Royal [...]