This Arizona town will let you play out your cowboy fantasy: Ride bulls, wear cool hats, walk into a saloon and have the music suddenly stop playing, the works November 4, 2016 They say “all sunshine makes a desert.” But in Arizona (299 sunny days per year; average temp 24 degrees celsius) I don’t hear anyone complaining. In fact, this state is booming, with capital Phoenix now one of the fastest growing metro areas in the US. Scottsdale, a wealthy destination town in the northeast of the [...]
There’s a restaurant in the Maldives that’s entirely underwater and it’s pretty nice October 31, 2016 To visit the Maldives is to bathe in the clearest ocean of purest aquamarine blue. To visit the Maldives is to revel on soft white sand and eat delicious fresh pineapple. To visit the Maldives is, crucially, to be handed so many cool mint-scented flannels that you cannot remember what it is like to not [...]
Long Weekend: Discover the glitzy nightlife and historic Portuguese-Chinese heritage of Macao, China October 21, 2016 THE WEEKEND: Macao may be known for its glitzy nightlife, but this unique destination only 40 miles from Hong Kong on the south coast of China offers a whole lot more than the roll of the dice. A huge foodie scene, a dazzling array of luxury hotels and a vibrant selection of cultural hotspots make [...]
The wine region of Porto and the Douro Valley are a must visit for plonk fans October 21, 2016 Douro is “Tuscany before the crowds”, a land forever locked in an annual cycle of wine making, olive picking and almond harvesting, a rural idyll that became electrified only after the 1950s. Leave Porto, whose historic centre is a Unesco world heritage site, and cross the Serra do Marão mountain range, and the city gives [...]
Can Toronto seriously become the North American city break of choice? October 14, 2016 As the cab from the airport inched forward in nose to tail traffic towards the distinctive skyline in the distance, I already knew I was going to be charmed by Toronto. While beaches and mountains are all very well, I’m a city girl at heart and the lure of late night shopping, museums and a [...]
Long Weekend: Inside Paris’ magnificent The George V hotel, where you can spend an entire weekend without leaving the premises October 14, 2016 This is one of Paris' ultra-luxury Palace Hotels – here's the lowdown on our recent stay. The weekend: When you’re laying down well over a grand for a night in a hotel – and that’s without your bircher muesli – it had better be good. For a special occasion, a short hop on the Eurostar to [...]
Long Weekend in Wallops Wood Cottages: This baby-friendly cottage retreat is perfect for families October 10, 2016 Hidden off the back roads in the beautiful Meon Valley, Wallops Wood Cottages offer a perfect rural retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life. Less than a two hour drive from central London these relaxing holiday homes are an ideal destination for families looking for a long weekend or short trip to the [...]
Renting in Havana: How Airbnb started its own Cuban revolution October 10, 2016 On the face of it, Cuba is everything you imagine it to be. Cuba libres drunk on verandas in the tropical heat, Fidel Castro’s tobacco plantations for his Cohiba cigars, taxi-rides in buffed vintage cars, horse rides in the rainforest, palm-fringed beaches and salsa rhythms. But as vibrant and appealing a destination it is, there’s [...]
This extract from the print version of Atlas Obscura highlights five of the world’s oddest tourist attractions October 3, 2016 "When we launched the Atlas Obscura website in 2009, our goal was to create a catalogue of all the places, people and things that inspire our sense of wonder,” says co-founder Dylan Thomas. “We wanted a way of finding curious, out-of-the-way places that don’t often make it into traditional guidebooks – the kinds of destinations [...]
Long Weekend review: How to get some rest and relaxation on Europe’s most notorious party island September 30, 2016 The weekend: For many years, Ibiza was defined by its drugs and decadent party scene, the capital of banging clubs and, well, banging. While its hedonistic days are far from over, pockets of the island are settling down with a degree of refined elegance. Decent restaurants and the arrival of all the big name hotel [...]