Travel

The Greenway Hotel & Spa, a Cotswolds escape

Set in a sprawling country estate with a gentle grasp on the Cotswolds just moments away from Cheltenham, a long driveway lined with neatly coiffured hedgerows leads to The Greenway Hotel & Spa. Resident to the same lineage from its construction in 1584 until 1854, after just three subsequent owners, it opened as a luxury hotel in 1945. Relatively untouched, the Elizabethan architecture still reigns throughout the grand Grade II-listed 16th-century manor. 

Saint Martin de Belleville

YogiSki, mixing movement in The French Alps

Freshly back from a YogiSki retreat in the French Alps”, is a phrase quite enjoyable to leave hanging in the air at an early morning on set. It holds steady with awe; with a pinch of the smugness generally associated with regaling tales of a ski break, alongside a heaped spoonful of intrigue at the idea of early mornings stridden with a grounding yoga practice, deep in the mountains.

The Gilpin Spa Suites: My New Benchmark

Half-walled with glass, a surrounding decked courtyard garden is enclosed with a stone wall peppered with ferns. Textural elements from our backdrop are mirrored in the interiors, with well-tended plants, bark-tiled feature walls, underheated wooden floors, a hanging fireplace and his and hers sinks held up by exposed tree roots.

Alpine Aperture

Embarking on the inaugural ski trip of the season is a journey I relish every year. My repatriation to the mountains for each new alpine season is an assault on the senses, both physically and mentally. This season I sought a destination that would combine alpine charm with my usual hunt for contemporary sophistication. The Falkensteiner Hotel Kronplatz in South Tyrol’s Puster Valley, nestled at the foot of Kronplatz mountain in the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage area, was a very strong choice indeed.

Pehna Longa

At the heart of this verdant expanse, in the southern foothills of the Sintra Mountains, I discovered the Penha Longa Resort; a sanctuary that beautifully marries luxury with the great outdoors and boasts one of the top 30 golf courses in Continental Europe and among the top 10 in Portugal.

Santa Barbara’s Soulful Sizzle

Located just 90 miles north of the intensity of Los Angeles and 325 miles south of vibrant San Francisco, Santa Barbara is affectionately called The American Riviera. A place that has carved out an authentic laidback bohemian beach vibe, whilst simultaneously delivering a sophisticated lifestyle for its well-heeled and celebrity residents as well as its visitors.

When Is All-Inclusive Not a Dirty Word? Welcome to Ikos, Mallorca

I had been warned — in the way you’re warned about particularly smug schools or eco-retreats — that this was a place of six-pack mums and silent, whirring prams. I can confirm both exist. But so do white stone terraces kissed by the sun, a beach that practically whispers your name, and a level of service that gently erases any resistance you might have been clinging to.

The Ghan Train

The Ghan

I’m certainly no Francis Bourgeois, but there’s something so romantic and intriguing about crossing lands unknown in the comfort of a sleeper train. Being given the opportunity to see vast landscapes that many won’t ever get to witness, solely due to its sheer remoteness, is a rare delight.

Monterey Car Week: What to expect in 2024

A few key events are akin to film festivals and fashion weeks in the automotive world. The British have the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Revival. The French have Retromobile and the Chantilly Concours of Elegance. The Swedes have the newly launched Auroura Concours, Italy brings us the legendary Concorso D’Eleganza Villa D’Este and Fuori Concorso, and then there’s North America… 

Boutique Retreats, Sojourn

Wilderness perfected, by Boutique Retreats

Travel is a fine and freeing thing. The unshackling of the metaphorical chains, the daily grind of work, and life’s endless expectations. Oh, and the choice! Sunshine, or snow? Lakes, forests, dunes or mountains? Total relaxation, escapism, exhilaration or luxuriation?

ViseVersa, The Hyatt Regency Lisbon

It would be easy to say that the past decade or so has been kind to Lisbon – it’s subtly undergone the kind of glow-up certain other smaller European capitals keep putting on the backburner… and it’s been driven organically by tourism raised high on the shoulders of social media’s more gastronomy-oriented corners. 

Langdale Chase Hotel

Steeped in amazing untold stories, the house was designed by J.L Ball, JT Lee and Pattinson of Manchester and built as a private house in the late 19th century for Edna Howarth

Saint-Martin-de-Belleville

The Greatest Outdoors

Set between Les Menuires and Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, my recent foray to the mountains offered plentiful serene moments of reflection and emotional expansion, with ample time to enjoy the last of the white stuff as the ‘23-’24 ski season came to a close.

The Penthouse by 3SA Estate. Limitless Luxury in Super Chic Marbella

I am revisiting Marbella after decades to take a fresh look, as I’ve heard more than a few murmurings that this locale is experiencing a new era of redefined luxury. Indeed, Marbella is said to be undergoing a renaissance created by attracting an entirely new highly sophisticated and professional global jet-set, one that is thriving on a new limitless lifestyle whilst honouring its pedigree and provenance.