Luxury Hotels|Restaurants|Resorts
To spa or not to spa, that is the question. Now, Ludwig van Beethoven and Marie Curie might not automatically spring to mind as spa goers. Born almost 100 years apart, one of the most recognised and influential of all composers and the double Nobel Prize winner frequented spa towns in what is now modern day Czech Republic, though for very different reasons.
Do you know your Pierogi from your Bigos, or your Kluski from your Zurek? Well, it might come as a bit of a surprise to many but the city of Kraków (Cracow in English) in southern Poland near the border to the Czech Republic became the first recipient of the ‘European Capital of Gastronomic Culture’ for 2019.
Royal Huisman and Huisfit have announced that the 44m /143ft ketch Juliet is set to embrace all the latest hybrid technology benefits: the ultimate systems upgrade with leading-edge propulsion and power generation.
Juliet is a fine example of pioneering, custom-built technologies in the late 20th century. With nearly a quarter million of ocean miles under her keel, she still looks and sails like a dream.
To find the true treasures in life, it can be rewarding to seek out the quiet, lesser known ones as they may reveal qualities beyond their description and image offering very individual experiences. You find it in anything from chefs through to skiing resorts; Slovenia hides lots of treasures including the acknowledged “ world’s best female chef”, dig deeper and there is much more to find. Aspen, St. Moritz, Gstaad and Courchevel 1850 are known to all.
Parma, a central city to the valley, is only an hour from either Bologna or Milan airport and is still a hidden joy for most Brits. Yes it gets very hot in August and very cool in January but the other ten months are divine and it’s never crowded so there are none of the queues you can get elsewhere in Italy and mercifully no sign of any selfie-sticks.
I’m just going to pause here. Right here, in the courtyard of this 19th century convent, now home to La Fourvière Hotel.
With the Baltic country of Lithuania marking the 30th anniversary of the restoration of independence this March from the Soviet Union, I thought it appropriate and in order run through some top sights, leading hotels and gastronomic delights in and around Vilnius, the capital, which was first settled in the Stone Age. Over the years it has changed hands between Imperial and Soviet Russia, Germany, Poland, and Lithuania a multiple of times.
It’s not all camel rides through the desert in the sandy vista of Oman, although they are possible! The vast expanse of land is mythical in itself, shadowed by mountains, and exotic architecture, captivating locals and ghost towns, it is easy to get carried away by an Arabic adventure.
I visited Oman when the country was still in its forty days of mourning- the much loved Sultan Qaboos bin Said had passed away, and the country was sombre. However, it didn’t affect the stunning scenery, and vistas which dominate the southeastern coast of Western Asia.
Irish Distillers, makers of some of the world’s most enjoyed whiskeys, has introduced Redbreast 27 Year Old, the oldest permanent expression in the beloved Redbreast series. An iconic addition to the collection, Redbreast 27 Year Old includes whiskey matured in ruby port barrels from Portugal’s Douro Valley to bring a new complexity and depth to the Redbreast collection.
It’s 6pm. Two sleepy pairs of legs are heading to the 20th floor of a building in the centre of Reykjavík. We walk into an empty foyer surprisingly devoid of the hurry-home hussle of workers sharing the tower. I notice, happily, that Icelanders are rather good at clocking-off on time. The lift pings our arrival and we’re greeted by Anni, our warm and welcoming Tower Suites concierge who shows us to our room – one of 8 suites.
