Best Hotels

Spring is the perfect time to enjoy a stay at one of the Historic House Hotels of the National Trust. Guests may enjoy extensive spring gardens in bloom, and beautiful historic interiors at all of the Houses. The company has taken the best advice to ensure everything is in place for a visit that will be as safe as it will be comfortable and enjoyable, with safety measures introduced and praised after the first lockdown of last year that applies to staff as well as guests.

Sure enough, a week later I was back. Having previously recorded my experience of Kefalonia’s northern niches in Fiscardo and southern shores in Lourdata I just had to complete my exploration of the island and the western waves of Paliki.

As a peninsula Paliki is wonderful to drive around. I hired a car from Rentcarkefalonia (www.rentcarkefalonia.gr/en) run by the charming and unruffled Apostolis. It was perfect to escape all those airport interiors and queues by walking literally a minute away down a dappled lane dappled with trees.

Within two weeks I was back! This time to the southern half, beneath her mountainous ridge, her bays of golden sand and her view of the neighbouring island of Zante.
The water is family-friendly as it slopes gradually to its depths under a smooth flooring of sand. The vivid colours of the blue sky, the Cézanne-style white rocks and brown earth all protrude in sharp, pronounced definition.

There are rare moments in life where you can tangibly see the enormity of “Mother Nature” and feel incredibly small set against such an epic landscape. This is what I experienced as I stood looking upon the crystal clear water of Lomnicky Pleso (Mountain Lake) from a rocky outcrop at around 1,800m. Reflected in the glacial waters was Slovakia’s second tallest peak Lomnicky Stit at 2,634m, just one more cable car journey away.

At the time of writing for those coming from England Kefalonia’s one of the few free from Covid quarantine restrictions and still eligible for the ‘travel corridor’.

Exclusivity, privacy, active adventure, spending more time outside, safe environments and the constant pursuit of ‘new experiences’ are changing traveller and guest preferences in the wake of COVID-19. At the higher end of the market, the travel industry has seen a rise in private jet travel due to the renewed focus on personal health and hygiene. 

Rockliffe Hall’s team is busy making plans and developing innovative new offerings to ensure that if the Government gives the go-ahead for hotels to reopen on July 4th, not only will Rockliffe’s guests be safe, but they’ll still be able to enjoy the five star experience for which the resort is renowned.

With a matador-like swipe of the towel, our ‘GusMester’ (Mist Master) Matthias, directs a blast of hot, scented air towards our perspiring limbs within the confines of the sauna cabin. This form of aromatherapy is followed by a dip in the cold waters of the Oresund Strait between Denmark and Sweden, sending the endorphins into overdrive, giving an almost instantaneous feeling of elation and renewed vitality. This is ‘SaunaGus’, just one of the signature activities available at Denmark’s leading Spa hotel and part of a holistic approach towards health, well-being and luxury.

Vintage sepia photographs, part of a permanent display dedicated to the history of ‘pearl diving’ at the Bahrain National Museum, was an ideal starting point to understand this cultural heritage. Displays give an insight into the design of the timber Dhows, the basic dive equipment used and of course the men who crewed the boats for months at a time. The few grainy images available, show every muscular sinew visible across the diver’s torso, created from a life below the waves, and based on a diet of fish, dates and rice.

An unassuming, anonymous and heavy-set red door separates a quaint cobbled courtyard, from an intimately historic foyer, embracing an almost monastic-like silence. As the door closes behind you, Lisbon’s bright morning sunshine is replaced by softer tones; the sensory contrast is immediate and welcome. This is one of many such contrasts that guests of the exquisite ‘Palácio Belmonte’ will experience during their stay.