Best Hotels

Saas Fee obviously gets into the blood as successive generations come to ski in this low-key and very relaxed resort.  The large village is car-free and whilst there are plenty of shops, bars and restaurants, they are not adorned with the intrusive signage seen all too frequently these days.   

Gravetye Manor is a beautiful country house hotel with 17 bedrooms and suites, nestled in the most glorious gardens. The gardens at Gravetye, created by William Robinson who lived there from 1884 until his death in 1935, are really rather special, and their history and that of the Elizabethan Manor is fascinating to discover during your stay.

Art Therapy, Jacuzzis & Watercraft At Art Rotana Hotel Bahrain
Another day, another airport terminal at some ungodly hour of the morning. However it seems petty to moan as I was off to Bahrain to stay at the new Art Rotana Hotel and take in the sights and sounds of this island jewel set in the Persian Gulf between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

We could have been forgiven for thinking that we had stumbled upon a film set as we emerged from the wooded lane and crossed the old stone bridge under which a tinkling brook – yes it did tinkle – flowed.  A lady dressed in an overall added to the scene as she waved and smiled as we passed.  The over-used word ‘quintessential’ is certainly justified here as it has picture perfect historic buildings of an English village with its cricket pitch set along the tranquil River Windrush complete with neatly mown verges and roses in full bloom.

Having been an avid winter sports enthusiast since I was old enough to stand upright without assistance, Austria has long been on my radar during the colder months. And there’s no better destination in the country than Kitzbuhel, the Alpine enclave renowned for hosting the Hahnenkamm.

McLaren launched the new 570S Coupe in the Algarve last week at the Conrad Hotel and the race track at Portimao. It was quite a sight to see so many McLaren 570s’ all lined up outside the Conrad hotel, flanked by flames floating in the elongated water pools, and outside the race track in every available colour. Not quite as good as driving them, but we’ll get to that.
 

Resort: Lech (Austria) is very much its own character; the word ‘genteel’ fits well.  This small village provides a great diversity of slopes for all grades of skier and boarder, but with more focus to the beginner and intermediate skier.  Lech makes up a part of one of the world's best ski domains, providing good connections into the neighbouring mini-resort of Zürs and the world class St Anton.  Experts will head for off-piste skiing, heli-skiing and the challenges at the neighbouring St.

The Resort:  Courchevel 1850 (France).  Their own small, challenging airport has 6,000 private aeroplane movements each ski season which says it all.  These guests come for the cluster of very individual, small 5* hotels and the new breed of mega-chalets, gourmet restaurants galore, night clubs and boutiques selling the world’s most desirable, as well as the most exclusive jewellers such as Moussaieff.  However, there is another side of the resort where guests are not so challenged in price terms whilst they can enjoy the best facilities with endless skiing opportunities on a family skiing

Following a £20m complete top to toe refurbishment, The Bellhouse Hotel in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire has opened her doors as the Crown Plaza Gerrards Cross Hotel, with a lavish launch party.
The newly designed event space was put to good use, with guests enjoying some incredible canapés, non stop champagne, a cocktail bar, mini spa tasters, some great games and surprises, while dancing the night away to the wonderful live band. In short the party was a great showcase of all the hotel has to offer.

Perceptions need to be constantly up-dated in a rapidly changing world where new technology and people’s demands are pushing boundaries to ever higher levels.   Before the word ‘Superyacht’ was coined to describe the most impressive yachts, one around 42m. was deemed a ‘big’ yacht.  Now a true Superyacht surely has to be 75m. and even longer.