Libby in Paris: How to drink wine like the French August 2, 2025 There’s something so effortlessly chic about Parisians. The French way of life is tightly woven with centuries of excellent wine-making, and they seem to drink it beautifully. I popped over for Bastille Day to see if I could learn to sip with similar sophistication. It began as soon as I arrived. I had booked a [...]
Inside incredible new Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in Los Angeles that sets a new standard July 31, 2025 It was only a matter of time before Virgin Atlantic opened its very own Clubhouse at Los Angeles International Airport. After all, it’s the only airline that can claim its founder, Sir Richard Branson, has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I flew through LAX recently and was one of the Clubhouse’s [...]
Brussels is cool now – we got the Eurostar to check out the new Standard hotel July 25, 2025 The Belgian capital is often referred to as ‘boring Brussels’ owing to its status as the de facto capital of the European Union and many other big political establishments. However, this stereotype and the city’s reputation for politics, doesn’t reflect the creative culture, multiculturalism or vibrancy of the city, which is exemplified with the recent [...]
‘Our guests like to eat’: The Maldives hotel with incredible food, gorgeous sealife and 24 hour butler service July 25, 2025 At Malé Seaplane Lounge on the final leg of my journey to a rather gorgeous hotel in the Maldives, I found a glossy coffee table book. Inside were photographs of tropical sunsets, grinning locals, and thoughtful essays on Maldivian culture. I wanted a copy; it was a welcome shift from the influencer reels I’d scrolled [...]
The ultimate Dubai city guide – where to get Dubai chocolate, best beaches and much more July 22, 2025 Dubai is booming. The most populated city in the United Arab Emirates welcomed 1.3 million visitors from the UK alone in 2024, a 14% increase from the previous year, as British holiday-makers enjoyed the emirate’s year-round sunshine, luxury hotels and endless entertainment options. It’s no wonder that Dubai’s government-owned Emirates has recently announced a record [...]
What a science tour of Wales taught me about time, the earth – and my nan July 21, 2025 The history of time, and a touching family connection, brought Damien Gabet closer than ever to rural Wales During the war my grandmother, Gwyneth, would walk from her parents’ farm in the South Swansea Valley to a neo-gothic mansion called Craig-y-Nos. Once home to the fabled opera singer Adelina Patti, it had since become a [...]
The Sense Experience Resort in Tuscany review: Blissful eco-chic July 16, 2025 When you conjure an image of Tuscany in your mind’s eye, it probably involves rolling vineyards, dusty olive groves and charmingly ramshackle wine estates. This is, after all, the land of Super Tuscans and ancient medieval towns and a tower that can’t stand up straight. What you probably don’t imagine is a modern eco-chic resort [...]
Where have the music festival headliners gone? July 14, 2025 Yoga in the Healing Fields and communal sing-a-longs around the Stone Circle were more popular than ever at Glastonbury this year, after headline writers and audiences slammed the music line-up as the worst in history. Headliners are the most expensive part of the festival experience, with fees for booking the world’s biggest acts running into [...]
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 [...]
The best part of Sri Lanka just got a stunning new hotel July 12, 2025 When the Australian cricket team finished a day’s play against Sri Lanka in Galle in February, they came for a well-earned break at the Radisson Collection hotel, fives miles down the seafront.They liked it so much that when they won the series a few days later, they returned to celebrate into the early hours of [...]