TRAVEL NOTES
Foody heaven in Cairo’s plush new hotel
One of the more exciting hotels to open in the Middle East in the last few months is the Kempinski Nile Hotel – a place of truly swell luxuries that’s also raising the culinary stakes for the Egyptian capital. Its rooftop restaurant, Floor 10, mixes modern French cuisine with spectacular views across the Nile, while there’s also a Turkish restaurant inspired by the Ottoman empire, a restaurant with no set menu where each dish is tailored to the particular requirements of the diner, and a Chocolate Lounge with its own chocolate menu. Yum. Rooms from €208. www.kempinski.com/cairo
A cool Christmas in the country
Cowley Manor, a funky country house hotel in the Cotswolds with a bold line in colourful, retro-cool interiors, will be a fun place to spend a cosy Christmas. As well as falconry displays, festive movies and carols around the fireplace, its also giving its Christmas weekend guests a free pampering treatment at its C.Side spa as a present. Beats a stocking with chocolate coins and a tangerine. There’s also 55 acres of rolling Cotswold countryside to roam around. Three nights, Christmas Eve to 27 December, including meals, £1,310 per room. www.cowleymanor.com
Glorious pampering at St Andrews
It may be beside the world’s most famous golf course, but the Old Course Hotel at St Andrews is world class too, not least its spa. The Kohler Waters Spa is now partnering with leading US brand Skin Authority, launching a range of new treatments using products free from fragrances, dyes and animal testing, but incorporating new-fangled anti-ageing technology. That’s alongside the 20m pool, rooftop hot tub, thermal suite, Japanese steam room and more. Rooms from £165, 24 hour Spa Break package from £502. www.oldcoursehotel.kohler.com