Travel

Le Richemond

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Located across from the Square des Alpes, Le Richemond sits in pride of place on the banks of Lake Geneva. We arrived on a quiet Saturday evening, sat-nav fully deployed in the DB9. If, like me, Geneva is a mere stop-off destination before heading for the alps, it really should be given the respect it deserves. Now, I cannot work out if we arrived slightly off centre in regards to which side of the road we should be on, or if we went down a one-way street. Either way, anyone coming face-to-face with an Aston Martin DB9 tends to give way, especially in Geneva. It turns out we needn’t have…

Margi – Athens

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I love Athens . The modern capital of the ancient world, it’s become a little schizophrenic in its old age, as modernity keeps pulling away from its past. It’s a living, breathing museum that is a capital of the country. But if it’s not the heat or the incessant traffic in the main streets fraying nerves, it’s the throngs of tourists around the archaeology sites. So, if the city gets a bit too much, why not do what people have done for thousands of years: head to the sea and the Athens Riviera. From the road outside, they’ve done a pretty good job of making it look just like any…

San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge

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For over 25 years, Georgia and Stefano Barbini typified the world of fashion and haute couture design. Both owners of their respective fashion houses, they embarked upon an ambitious project to lovingly restore a sixteenth century farmhouse they found in the now Italian, but former Austrian, region of South Tyrol. The exact name is San Lorenzo di Sebato. When Stefano and Georgia came upon the 42 acres of pristine woods and meadows that was to become San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge, there was little ‘lodge’ to speak of. The property had been formally owned by the local clergy and was used as a battue hunting lodge. Stefano tells us that the…

Nizuc Hotel & Spa

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Let’s set the tone for our first day in Cancun. The Nizuc Resort & Spa was originally designed as a Cancun hideaway for Mexico’s president, so there are two elements that are guaranteed: style and privacy. Basically, the Mexican equivalent of Chequers – minus the rain and Buckinghamshire countryside. The resort is located on Punta Nizuc, a short 15-minute drive from the airport, but still a decent distance away from Cancun City, which I affectionately refer to as the battle zone. The hotel sits on 29 acres between a lagoon and has a protective mangrove forest And of course, a beautifully kept private beach. When we arrived somewhat jetlagged on…

Bedford Lodge Spa & Hotel

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Riding the jam-packed Jubilee Line on a Monday morning with passengers grimacing at each other in silent solidarity, I decided I needed a break. Not just a break from work, but a break from the city. A mid-morning trawl of the internet brought up the Bedford Lodge Spa and Hotel, an eighteenth-century hunting lodge that had been converted into a hotel in the 1940s. The Hotel is in Newmarket, about an hour and a half from London. Far enough away to feel like you’re out of the city, but not so far that you spend the majority of your weekend in a car. Bedford Lodge is set in 3 acres…

Hotel Rosa Alpina

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Having skied most of Europe over the past five years, some places twice, it was time that the team headed to pastures pinker. The Hotel Rosa Alpina resides in San Cassiano in the Dolomites, the epitome of Italian charm. If Peter Sarstedt’s ‘Jet Set’ needs a new bolt hole, San Moritz is out, San Cassiano is in. The small town of San Cassiano is located at the foot of Mount Lavarela. With a population of under 1000 people, it is a welcome change from the hedonistic attitude and footfall of its more meretricious cousins. We shan’t name names. San Casiano is more of a sybaritic escape for the great, the…

The Viceroy Riviera Maya

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Having landed in Mexico on our journey back from Belize, the expectation level for our last night was fairly restrained. The Viceroy Riviera Maya was our least-researched resort. I couldn’t tell the team what the accommodation would be like or what to expect in terms of scenery. This is not down to a David Brent-sized lack of professionalism, but more a case of wanting the last night of our trip to have an air of surprise to it. Usually these trips are confirmed, agreed, signed in triplicate, embossed, sent for the royal seal, buried in soft peat for three months, unearthed and filed away somewhere. This trip was no different;…

Decadence in Dubrovnik

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Croatia’s fairytale city, Dubrovnik is every bit as enchanting as Paris or Venice. Indeed, the city has slowly become a go-to destination for the au courant, as well as the rich and famous.  Our editor, Laith Al-Kaisy, took a seven-day tour of the city to see how the post-war mindset and investment has helped cultivate some of the most indulgent experiences in Europe Dubrovnik Palace Straight ahead, beyond the French doors and over the balcony, the edge of Dubrovnik gently falls into the Adriatic Ocean. It’s too dark to actually see, but it’s there. You can hear the water playfully slap the brusque, arid rocks that peg the land’s end….

ANDERMATT

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