Jubilee Weekend: Cruise the Thames to toast her Maj May 23, 2022 One is not quite on the royal yacht – but I’ve certainly found my sort of gin palace as I board our hire boat to cruise the River Thames. To mark the start of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, I’ve joined a party on an eight-berth vessel to steer from Chertsey to Windsor, Her Majesty’s [...]
Ten Lifestyle posts loss due to higher costs and Omicron May 11, 2022 Travel concierge firm Ten Lifestyle has posted a 47 per cent slump in its earnings as a result of higher costs and the Omicron variant’s impact. In the six months ended 28 February, the group’s EBITDA went down £1.7m to £0.9m, while its cash and equivalents slumped to £5.1m. According to chief executive Alex Cheatle, [...]
Trekking Malaysia, from jungle to sea May 9, 2022 I stand, deep in the rainforest, and listen. Life is pulsating, filling the hot and humid air. It is pervasive, all encompassing, and almost suffocating. The leaf litter beneath my feet moves a little. It feels primeval. It is primeval: these forests in Malaysia are over 130 million years old. The air is filled with [...]
Prince Harry teams up with Google, TripAdvisor, Visa and Expedia to launch eco-tourism project May 9, 2022 The Duke of Sussex has announced the launch of a sustainable tourism campaign, inspired by New Zealand’s native Māori people. Prince Harry revealed his new project on a television show in the country this week, working with six major companies including Google and Skyscanner to promote more eco-friendly travel. The initiative, called Travalyst, was created [...]
Jet off to where well-heeled Athenians summer in Porto Heli, Greece May 9, 2022 THE WEEKEND: If you’ve done Crete, Corfu and Kos, follow royalty, billionaires and inthe-know A-listers to the Greek Riviera. Located on the eastern Peloponnese, pretty Porto Heli is known as the Hamptons of Greece and has been the holiday of choice for wealthy Athenians for years. It’s the ideal twin-centre break if you have time [...]
Dubai’s about arts and culture now, don’t you know? April 25, 2022 THE WEEKEND: Dubai’s new 25hours Hotel One Central is a world away from the synthetic image Dubai struggles with – that of vapid shopping malls and manufactured strips of sand. The city is channelling funds into artistic centres, independent cinemas, galleries and museums and this hotel feels like a part of the nation’s drive for [...]
Heart and Seoul in South Korea, as the nation reopens for tourism April 25, 2022 The baby octopus floats in its tank, blissfully ignorant, until, all too soon, its time comes. The tiny, wrinkled old woman, who, I later learn, has been manning this particular food stall in Seoul’s colourful, noisy, aromatic Gwangjang market for over thirty-two years, yanks it out unceremoniously and whacks it down onto the steel surface. [...]
Make like a Bridgerton and book 18th century period property Keythorpe Hall – with its own staff April 11, 2022 Whether you’re a fan of Regency-era period drama Bridgerton or can’t stand the sight of it, retreating to a stately pile in the English countryside has always been a pleasant experience, especially for Londoners. Even though restrictions have lifted for foreign travel I still love nothing more than a simple drive out of the capital [...]
The magical world of Blencathra: A unique melting pot in the heart of Cape Town April 9, 2022 While South Africa went through a drastic transformation in the early ’90s, with the end of apartheid and Mandela coming to power, something less noticeable but equally magical happened in Africa’s most developed nation. In Cape Town to be precise, the beating heart of the country’s travellers scene. In the leafy neighbourhood of Tamboerskloof, just [...]
Getting lost on the border of Dorset and Wiltshire at La Fosse April 5, 2022 THE WEEKEND: Getaway from the city by escaping to La Fosse in the idyllic village of Cranborne, which is postcard-perfect: simply strolling about will make you feel like you’re on the set of a period drama. Around a two hour drive from London, Cranborne is a much-loved corner of Dorset that remains unspoiled by tourist [...]