November 2022

For that dream winter sun holiday, one place stands out from the rest, the Maldives. It is the quintessential holiday desert island poster that dreams are made of. As Sinead sang so aptly, “nothing compares”. But how to choose the right resort in a country famed for over a thousand islands?

We decided to fly over in business class with Srilankan Airways and discover the very best the Maldives has to offer, from outright luxury to fabulous beaches taking in the finest residences, outstanding cuisine and adventure sports along the way.

Captivating Christmas Objects of Desire

A wish list of the most fabulous gifts if money was no object, a dream fulfilled smorgasbord of stocking fillers that would require some pretty big stockings. Plus a book by Rob Delaney that feeds both the soul and the mind.

Harley Davidson 2022 Sportster S

I was going to start this feature by saying “Once in a while” but it needs to start with “Once in a generation”

Gwalarn French Whisky

A Celtic Blend.

After creating two prestigious single malts (Kornog and Glann Ar Mor), Celtic Whisky Distillerie has developed its first blend, born from the blending of whiskies of Celtic origin. Like its single malt predecessors, this blend bears a Breton name that evokes its character, Gwalarn or “North-West Wind”. The French distillery in Côtes-d’Armor intends to bring a breath of fresh air to the world of blended whiskies.

Frippy Jameson (born 1978), who now lives and works in the Scottish Borders, studied Fine Art Sculpture at Camberwell College of Art and Design, but, as she explains when telling her own story, she didn’t follow the mood of that moment in the early nineties, when YBAs such as Hirst and Emin were generating all the critical excitement, controversy and headlines, with their conceptual new art.  

Daniel Crane, born in Norfolk in 1969, is the youngest son of a farming family, always surrounded by animals and the countryside, with a respect and love for them both. 

The Audi e-tron GT is a razor-sharp katana on 20-inch wheels, with a hint of Iron Man's mask. Interesting as we first saw this car driven by Tony Stark in Avengers: End Game. The first electric car that achieves supercar beauty. The Vorsprung Durch Technik designers have smashed this out of the park and straight into the future. 

As I pulled up at The Royal Duchy Hotel in the new Audi E-Tron GT Quattro, I was splendidly greeted by the concierge James who showed me to my free electric charging parking space and immediately made me feel at home. He has worked at The Duchy for just under 40 years and is an expert on the hotel and the area. In fact, Mark, the manager and James are genuinely good company and skilled at predicting a guest’s every wish.

These days I generally ride in jeans and a jacket. I find it comfortable and like the way it looks and with modern technology being employed, it still provides good protection.

I’ve used a few brands and styles of jeans but am currently wearing Furygan K11 X Kevlar Jeans and loving them.

Luxury is ephemeral and different for everyone. For some it’s a hot bath or a luxurious massage after a long day, for others it’s a stay in a fine hotel where you are pampered and served as royalty. For brands, it is exclusivity, the use of the finest materials, the latest technology, age-old craftsmanship, skills handed down through the generations, attention to detail, exquisite engineering, hand-crafted manufacture and lastly a price that places the product or service at the very top of the market, available only to a select wealthy few.