A haunt of filmstars in search of peace and privacy, Palm Springs is California’s worst kept secret December 20, 2019 Palm Springs is a balmy Californian desert town about 100 miles east of Los Angeles, and ever since the 1930s, Hollywood actors have been retreating here to escape fans and flashbulbs. Famous for its Insta-ready palm trees and stark, mid-century modern architecture, it provides a great base for hiking and horse riding, as well as [...]
Live the life of an international man (or woman) of mystery with The Caledonian’s Aston Martin driving experience December 20, 2019 Hilton’s high-end brand Waldorf Astoria and iconic British car maker Aston Martin have teamed up to combine Bond-esque driving experiences for those resting their heads at the five-star hotel, in the hope that those who like high thread counts also like high-octane thrills. From the gawking and tourist photographs of the Aston Martin Vantage parked [...]
Revealed: The best and worst airlines of 2019 December 19, 2019 British Airways will feel the pressure as it freefalls to a spot alongside the nation’s worst flyers, above only Ryanair and American Airlines, according to a survey by consumer magazine Which. It is a fast fall from grace for the company that topped the tables in 2015 as strikes, IT failures and mass cancellations have [...]
Japan – with kids? Believe it or not, it works December 18, 2019 The looks of incomprehension became commonplace, from colleagues, friends, neighbours and, most severely, my mother-in-law. “You’re taking her… to Japan?” they asked, through a variety of similar rhetorical questions. A trip to Japan should surprise no one, these days. The island state is undergoing an eye-watering boom in tourism, with visitor numbers soaring from 13m [...]
Why you need to know about Hertz Dream Collection December 16, 2019 | Sponsored At Hertz Dream Collection we offer a collection of the most luxurious car brands available to rent. As far as prestige car brands go, we have the whole range! From Audi to Aston Martin, from Mercedes to Rolls Royce, we have you covered for your needs. Our collection boasts of car models that include the [...]
Bangkok 2049: What do the next three decades hold for this neon metropolis? December 11, 2019 It looked like volleyball from afar. Up close, I realised the players were only using their feet. And the ball was hollow; a spherical rattan of bamboo. Sepak Takraw (or “Muzzle”) was being played with brio by a group of local boys on Phutharet Square, a Thai time capsule in Old City Bangkok. They invited [...]
The unexpected consequences of gorilla conservation in Uganda December 11, 2019 Standing in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, I’m dodging a light hail of fruits being thrown down by gorillas in the trees above. The animals climb down and gallop through the undergrowth. While they roly-poly down the steep slopes, we chase them in a less dexterous fashion, slipping onto our backsides and hoping we don’t roll in [...]
Sky-high skiing and Mario Kart sledding in France’s Three Valleys December 10, 2019 I’ve mastered the chair lift, and nine times out of 10 will make it to the top of a drag lift without ending up on my behind in the snow. The suggestion I received over drinks in a bar that I might want to try “skiing on a rope” at 100 km an hour, however, [...]
Whisky business: A wintry trip to the magical Highlands December 10, 2019 Winter sun, this ain’t. Trundling northwards through the Cairngorms towards Inverness, you could be forgiven for thinking you were travelling through an alien landscape. Grey, spare hills emerge from the drizzly low cloud; the “torrents and loud-poured floods” of Rabbie Burns’ poetry run high and violent. Not for nothing do the Scots have several different [...]
Realise your cowgirl fantasies on a trek into the desert surrounding Palm Springs November 29, 2019 Just outside the kitsch Californian town of Palm Springs is a vast expanse of desert, just made for making cowgirl fantasies come true, finds Laura Millar… The wooden sign swinging in the breeze proclaims I’m at Smoketree Stables, just a short drive south of Palm Springs. Beyond the Western-movie-set compound of wooden buildings, stables, saddles [...]