Best Hotels

Hotel Ambasador Split: A Luxury Arrival

Arriving at Naturhotel Forsthofgut feels like stepping into a perfectly balanced world  - one where the warmth of a family-run retreat meets the refined elegance of a five-star hotel. Nestled at the foot of the Asitz Mountain in Leogang, it’s the kind of place where the air carries the scent of pine and wood, mingling with the aroma of freshly baked bread in the morning, and where hospitality is more than just a service; it’s second nature.

For the Alpine A110 R 70 Tour, we took that feather-light French racer—the automotive equivalent of a bespoke Yves Saint Laurent dinner jacket—and let it loose on the winding backroads of Sussex, heading to the rather fabulous Star Hotel in Alfriston.

Perched high above the dramatic embrace of the South Devon coastline, The Cottage Hotel in Hope Cove stands as a quiet, graceful anomaly. In an age of sleek minimalism and curated experiences, this cherished family-run institution is unapologetically traditional, a testament to the enduring appeal of genuine warmth and a hospitality that feels less like a service and more like a welcome home.

One doesn’t simply pass through the Cotswolds; one glides through it in a stately fashion, ideally in a gleaming Audi Q8. It was in just such a manner that we swept up to the Greenway Hotel and Spa, a 16th-century Elizabethan manor just outside Cheltenham. There are grand hotels, boutique boltholes, and heritage inns, but the Greenway manages to be all three at once: a luxurious little country estate with a serious culinary pedigree, an Elan Spa that makes monks of even the most restless, and a garden straight from Alice’s dreamscape.

Audi Q8 Cotswolds Tour

Gliding through the rolling hills of the Cotswolds in the supremely comfortable Audi Q8, one is lulled into a sense of pastoral ease—honeyed stone cottages, gently meandering rivers, and villages so pretty they look airbrushed.

As Part of Our Audi Q8 50 TDI Quattro Tour

As I approached ‘Hotel Berlin, Berlin’ in the early evening, a neon blue strip cut across its angular façade, hinting at its mid-20th century roots while embracing the city’s constant evolution. Inside, an LED banner wrapped itself above the self-service reception, flashing contemporary art, just one example of the hotel’s blend of design, innovation and sustainability.

Set the scene
Just 15 minutes from Providenciales airport, at the quiet end of Grace Bay, Wymara Resort + Villas stands out for its modern minimalist styling. When you arrive your eye is drawn to the central palm-tree lined infinity pool and the white-sand beach and turquoise sea beyond. It’s a view that Caribbean dreams are made of.

Two hours drive from London and only 90 minutes by train from London’s Paddington Station, and set, like Jerusalem and Rome, amongst seven hills is the city of Bath (www.visitbath.co.uk). The city centre is fantastically accessible and walking about is a real pleasure both visually and practically. Very at ease with itself with a vibe that’s genteel and civilised and very clean. Here is the Abbey, clean and light with its fan vaulting to heaven, and the beautifully-preserved Roman Baths.