Best Hotels

We drove the Mustang California sedately through 123 acres of parkland along the tree-lined access road past the tennis courts to the hotel entrance and parked outside.

The hotel buildings are set higgledy-piggledy around the main country house, built in 1849 by James Hodges, an accomplished civil engineer who would later manage the construction of Montreal's Victoria Bridge. The historical roots of Pennyhill Park's land trace back to its pivotal role as a beacon site during the national defence against the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Kitzbühel has the charm and sophistication of a wealthy Grande Dame that other resorts respect and allude to.  Check if the snow conditions are good, then I would put forward the more than 750 year old small town of Kitzbühel. It is a winter (and summer) resort that you can return to time and again and still find more of interest both on and off the slopes.  However, there is nothing stuffy here as the well-groomed pistes have a magnetic vibrancy.

On the next leg of our Range Rover Evoque tour, we venture down to Falmouth, where we have the pleasure of staying at the charming St. Michael's Resort, a delightful coastal hotel with an inviting hydrotherapy spa.

Nestled behind narrow Cornish streets and enveloped by lush tropical trees and foliage, St. Michael's Resort is artfully concealed behind a terrace and gardens that overlook the beautiful Gyllyngvase Beach. This golden shoreline is just a stone's throw away, separated only by a quaint coastal road.

Some hotels might say they’re fit for a king, but in the case of The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa it is undeniably true, as King George V once stayed here, as well as nearly every US president since Roosevelt, and not to mention rock royalty in the form of The Beatles and Rolling Stones.

Sat in the heart of downtown Denver, it remains one of the most luxurious and iconic hotels in the Colorado capital since opening its revolving doors in 1892. 

Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands nestled off the African coast, is renowned for its rich and captivating history.

The story of Tenerife dates back to prehistoric times when the Guanche people, believed to have arrived around 200 BC, established their presence on the island. The island derives its name from Chief Tinerfe, who divided the land into nine areas for each of his nine children, which still exist today as the municipal areas of Tenerife: Taoro, Guimar, Abona, Anaga, Tequeste, Taraconte, Icode, Daute, and Adeje.

ClubMed in the French Alps has gone luxury with a capital L. Opulence, exceptionally friendly service, fabulous interiors, exciting entertainment and most of all, thrilling activities. All are included in your stay.

But let's start with the location, it is an extreme visual banquet of peaks. ClubMed Val d'Isère occupies the best location in town. 

Ski in-Ski out? You could ski from your balcony! Only we went in summer to take full advantage of the magnificent weather and enjoy the countryside untrammelled by snow or crowds.

Bedtime and afternoon reading by the pool and spa lily pond at the luxurious Leeu Estates in South Africa’s culinary capital, Franschhoek, was “Moments of Mindfulness", an anthology of African wisdom collected and curated by Danielle and Olivier Follini.  

It was left in my room.  And it left a lasting impression. 

Like the five-star, Western Cape Province hotel, it calmed the senses and prepared the soul to receive simple teachings. As taught by Africa and Africans.  Relax. Don’t fret. Keep a cool heart and remain patient. 

Our last stop on the Audi R8 V10 Tour was the Great Fosters, a Tudor estate just outside Windsor in Surrey. 

Great Fosters is the quintessential historic English Manor estate, offering exquisite dining under new head chef Alex Payne. Plus indulgent pampering with massages, afternoon tea packages and luxury suites frequented by kings and queens set in ornate gardens filled with outstanding and immense topiary (hedges sculpted into a variety of forms).

As we drove the rather superb Audi R8 noisily (V10 engine) over the Clopton Bridge across the River Avon we could see the white walls and red clay roofs of the Arden Hotel behind the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

The Arden Hotel in Stratford is set in the most perfect location, right on the river across the street from the RSC and the Swan Theatre. You are bang centre in the middle of the richest history in England. 

William Shakespeare's last home and the church where he is buried are a hundred yards away through parkland and quaint narrow streets.

Adventure beckons the moment you arrive at The Cary Arms in the positively tropical Babbacombe Bay. A gentle cruise along the cliff-top coast road in the new Bentley GTC brought us to a small single-lane track. So steep that you wonder if the car will make it. Of course, it's a Bentley so it's a breeze.  Though anything without four-wheel drive will struggle. 

Gorgeous cottages perch precariously in a verdant green oasis lining the descent. As you get closer to the Cary Arms reception, the road becomes truly hair-raising. Many people eat here just to watch the cars get stuck.