With Summer now officially underway (it starts on 1st June each year according to the Met Office), there’s no better time to explore the UK‘s wonderful array of gardens open to the public. Regular readers will be familiar with some we have visited in recent years – such as the wonderful National Trust Crook Hall […]
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Jun
Jun
The couple had chosen Mykonos because they had been there the previous summer and fallen in love with a particular view from a particular terrace on the south of the island. They wanted their wedding at that spot. They had photographs. They had a vision. What they did not have, when they first contacted me […]
17
Jun
Jun
It restores people without trying to. The wellness travel industry has become extraordinarily good at packaging the one thing that cannot be packaged. Rest. Genuine, unscheduled, nervous-system-level rest. Walk through any luxury travel fair and you will find sleep retreats, breathwork itineraries, cold plunge protocols, and anti-inflammatory meal programmes layered into every second proposal. There […]
16
Jun
Jun
Mykonos has one runway. It is short, it handles a significant volume of traffic in July and August, and the approach over the Aegean in certain wind conditions is the kind of thing that concentrates the mind. The island has been handling this situation for decades and the operation is professional. What it is not, […]
15
Jun
Jun
Spend long enough in a good hotel and you start to notice what’s missing. You can’t wander into a kitchen at midnight for a glass of wine without putting on shoes. Dinner is whenever the restaurant decides it is. The terrace, if there is one, belongs to everyone. A luxury villa solves all of this […]
14
Jun
Jun
The Southern Way is the name Tourism New Zealand has given to the network of routes linking the south of the South Island into one explorable loop. From Oamaru and Dunedin on the east coast, down to the Catlins and Stewart Island, through Murihiku Southland and into Fiordland before the icing on the cake of […]
13
Jun
Jun
This coming Saturday a couple from California land at Keflavík at a quarter to nine in the morning. They have nine days. They are not basing themselves in one town and taking day trips out from it. They are going all the way around the island, the full Ring Road, with their own guide and […]
12
Jun
Jun
For many Avios collectors, 100,000 points feels like a significant milestone. It’s enough to turn everyday spending, credit card bonuses and a few flights with British Airways, Iberia, or any of the other Avios earning airlines, into something much more exciting: a long-haul adventure, a premium cabin experience, or even multiple trips across Europe. The […]
As Europe starts opening up to travelers again, it’s more exciting than ever to think about the cultural treasures that await. For me, one of the great joys of travel is having in-person encounters with great art and architecture — which I’ve collected in a book called Europe’s Top 100 Masterpieces. Here’s an ancient favorite: […]
For me, one of the great joys of travel is having in-person encounters with great art and architecture — which I’ve collected in a book called Europe’s Top 100 Masterpieces. Here’s one of my favorites: Nowhere else does the splendor of Moorish civilization shine so beautifully than at the Alhambra — this last and greatest Moorish […]