Vampire hunting in Transylvania October 31, 2022 It’s been 125 years since Bram Stoker published Dracula, the novel partially set in the vast, untouched landscapes of Transylvania. Much has changed since then, but the destination remains—as one character puts it—”one of the wildest and least known portions of Europe.” With hillsides darkened by dense forests, pastoral farms toiled by horse and cart [...]
Ghost-chasing in Gothic Bath is a thrilling way to see the city October 31, 2022 THE WEEKEND: You might not think of Bath as the perfect place for a Halloween getaway, but there’s more to this city’s history than extravagant balls and witty debutantes. Mary Shelley was a resident and fans of gothic horror should check out the excellent House of Frankenstein, a highly interactive museum dedicated to the author [...]
A Lord of the Rings pilgrimage to The Ribble Valley October 24, 2022 THE WEEKEND: I’m a lifelong fan of the great JRR Tolkien, and so to mark the release of the new Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power series dropping on Amazon, I’m visiting the village of Hurst in Lancashire’s rural Ribble Valley, which has a circular 9 km trail in honour of the Lord of [...]
Portland Oregon is the best of the West Coast – and a new direct flight makes visiting easy October 24, 2022 Portland Oregon is your new West Coast city visit, thanks to a new direct British Airways flight route
Birch in Cheshunt is digital detoxing a half-hour train ride from the City October 17, 2022 THE WEEKEND: Perched a handy half an hour from Liverpool Street, boutique hotel Birch in Cheshunt is well-placed for a last minute escape from the City. The Grade-II listed mansion has been stripped back and revamped by a former Ace Hotel boss, offering creative workspaces, farm to-fork fine dining and hipster décor for city workers [...]
Inside AlUla, Saudi Arabia, where monuments are older than the pyramids October 17, 2022 Just when you think you’ve grasped how ancient the city of AlUla, Saudi Arabia is, you stumble upon an even older part, and then another, each earlier still. By the time someone mentions palaeolithic axe-heads from 200,000 years ago, a 12th century Islamic town is beginning to sound contemporary. What’s made all this Indiana Jones [...]
Spike in package holidays and foreign travel may be ‘rare positive legacy of pandemic’ October 11, 2022 Foreign holidays are back with a bang with 45 per cent of people going abroad in the last year. The latest study from travel agent association ABTA found the level of foreign travel in the last 12 months was equivalent to 70 per cent of that in 2019, pre pandemic. With coronavirus restrictions lifted, a [...]
Sipping martinis at DUKES hotel, St James, on the 60th anniversary of James Bond October 10, 2022 Dr. No was released in cinemas in October 1962, and to celebrate James Bond’s 60th anniversary our Travel Editor visited the film franchise’s most iconic worldwide locations. We also checked into DUKES Hotel, where Ian Fleming drank martinis in the 1950s… THE WEEKEND: A two minute walk from Green Park and the throws of Piccadilly, [...]
James Bond locations: become Bond by sinking martinis at these worldwide filming destinations October 10, 2022 Your mission, 007… Visit these James Bond locations around the world. From St James to Jamaica, so much of Bond is about escaping to the planet’s most gorgeous corners The view from the private balcony of The Duke of Clarence Suite at DUKES Hotel offers Green Park so close up that you could throw a [...]
Very lively in Venice: Having a ball in the city of water September 13, 2022 Every Italian has their favourite region of their home country they believe to be aesthetically and culturally superior. Part of the reason is the dizzying variety of culture, cuisine and architecture, which differs dramatically from region to region, the result of foreign invasions that chopped up the boot-shaped country a dozen centuries ago. But even [...]