Best Hotels

Everyone going to Lech Am Arlberg goes there for the fun, whether it is for the skiing or those who find there so much else to distract them, they don’t have time to ski. This famous but relatively small village in ski resort terms has hosted many famous guests, most are very discreet but it is well-known that Princess Diana and the Dutch, Monaco and Jordanian royal families have also been frequent visitors.  

Jeep Grand Cherokee Night Eagle 3.0 Multijet-II V6 Special Edition Review
The first impression you get from the special edition Jeep Grand Cherokee Night Eagle is that it’s a leviathan, a lumbering behemoth, something that could take on any other car and leave them a crumpled torn mess, without leaving a scratch on its own polished exterior, ditto with taking on any road surface or landscape.

The beach At Bude Hotel is set high on the cliff overlooking one of the most stunning beaches in Cornwall. You reach it by driving through the rather idyllic seaside resort of Bude, past lovely little boutiques, following the rising coast road to the right side of the bay until you reach a row of 19th century coloured terraced houses. This uber trendy hotel is almost the last on the row, perched above Summerleaze beach, a magnificent vista of twisting sand dunes, grassy hillocks and long rolling waves sweeping in to shore.

Calcot is a warm and welcoming 14th century country house in the Cotswolds. A cosy, family friendly, spa hotel. They have 35 bedrooms, two restaurants, a large indoor pool, a spa and an exceptional outdoor hot tub with open wood fire. It is set in 220 acres of gorgeous meadows and the ideal place to luxuriate whilst you visit the surrounding areas.

International Excellence Luxury Magazine photographed the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider at The Devonshire Club in London. This little beauty in yellow drew many admiring glances during the shoot, and was a delight to drive through London even during rush hour.
Our own Yves de Contades photographed the lovely Zavi (Zavinta Karsokaite) from Profile Models, who was a pleasure to work with and strikingly beautiful from every angle.

What a buzz to attend the London premiere of the new psychological thriller ‘The Unseen’ last week, let alone style two of the films stars and the director!

Flaine is the Vivian Westwood of ski resorts; so it was away with the expected Alpine style which has become so hackneyed across the Alps that it can be suffocating.  Flaine’s style is certainly challenging; conceived in the 1960s, in the era of ‘Brutalist’ architecture which has been so derided by the general public, but loved by minimalist architects and Guardian readers.  Many Brutalist buildings have now been demolished but there is now an undercurrent of recognition for the best of the era.  Flaine, the original part is called Flaine Forum has embraced the movement and has preservation

Kitzbuhel is one of the great classic resorts; interesting and beautiful mountains, varied standards of skiing all well covered and complemented by a resort centre that sets the standard for the travel industry.  However, its reputation faded as they failed to invest in new skiing infrastructure resulting in slow and inadequate lift capacity for ‘eco’ reasons.  

Never have I skied in the shadow of such dramatic mountains; every run in the Dolomites was dominated by craggy vistas that diverted your attention; pure magic. OK, the Matterhorn is stunning but is not the focus on all points of the compass.  There was drama on another front as well; there had been no snow for weeks and this was mid-January; the plan was to tackle our ‘Ski Safari & Gourmet in The Dolomites’ so we were expecting to cover a large number of different runs.

Midleton Whiskey unveiled their latest Very Rare Vintage 2017 last week at the Midleton Distillery in Cork with an exclusive tasting of each vintage from the Midleton Very Rare Collection from 1984 to 2017. As the whisky, and whiskey, expert for International Excellence Luxury Magazine, I flew over to beautiful Cork to sup, sample and partake of these superb tipples.