Luxury Hotels|Restaurants|Resorts
Hampton Manor can be described as an exceptionally rare gem nestled perfectly in the heart of the Midlands, where independent British heritage intertwines with a modern flair that feels effortlessly cool. It’s the kind of hotel that captivates with an understated elegance, drawing you in without the need for ostentation.
Flock to this Eternal City, this ‘urbs sacra’ for the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, the first ordinary jubilee since the Great Jubilee of 2000. Celebrate a special year of grace as the jubilee begins just before Christmas to end on the Epiphany next year. For the papacy gives the Jubilee a spiritual meaning in granting the remission of the temporal punishment of sins for all pilgrims who visit Rome during this specific year. The most exciting and well-known rite is the opening of the Holy Door (open only during the jubilee year): a symbolic re-enactment of the opening of the gates of Heaven.
From Nxamaseri Island Lodge, we took a boat, a 4x4, and then a light 8-seater plane flying southeast (with me as co-pilot), before finally hopping back into a 4x4 to reach Leroo La Tau in southern Botswana. This lodge sits on the Boteti River, which forms the natural western border of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park.
Botswana is one of the most remarkable countries in the world. This landlocked gem in Southern Africa, home to just 2.5 million people, is celebrated for its breathtaking landscapes, thriving wildlife, and strong commitment to conservation. Botswana artfully blends natural beauty with forward-thinking progress. It's also home to over 130,000 Elephants, 11,000 Giraffes, 15,000 Hippos, 1,200 Lions and 10,000 Zebras. I have been on safaris where you were lucky to spot one or two elephants at a time. In Botswana, it's more like Elephant Piccadilly at rush hour.
Lexus recently launched the new Lexus UX 300e. However, the brand doesn’t do things by halves. They pulled out all the stops and hosted the event at the newly refurbished Cameron House Hotel, which is located on the bonny shores of Loch Lomond in Scotland.
Cameron House offers a blend of historical charm and contemporary luxury that is hard to match. The grandeur of this five-star resort, combined with its breathtaking location, created a perfect haven for me as I was seeking relaxation, adventure, and a taste of the finer things in life.
The Hotel Meudon, near Falmouth, is a whimsical retreat set amidst gardens that could be straight out of Alice in Wonderland. Overlooking the pristine Cornish coast, the tropical flora transports you into a storybook realm where leaves unfurl as wide as sails and trees shrink to the size of your imagination. Here, scale is a playful trickster: one moment you tower, the next, you’re as small as Alice after a sip from a mysterious bottle, always a wanderer in a fantastical, far-flung world.
As a lifelong night owl, one of my all-time hotel pet peeves is the often relatively early time that breakfast finishes, which can have you dragging yourself out of bed after a late night out and hot-stepping it to the last slot unkempt and bleary-eyed, sometimes missing out by a matter of minutes or even seconds if the staff member at the lectern is particularly officious.
People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel."- Maya Angelou.
To get a proper sense of what Florence has to offer four days is what I’d suggest. To get away in a successful manner I need to change climate, language, culture and, perhaps most vitally, to change centuries. The secret, I find, is to surrender, to be transported in time, to sharpen my eyes and train myself to look, look and look again at all the detail and refinery. It’s so edifying and so reviving of my spirits. How life-affirming to appreciate the artistic skill of Florence’s forebears.
Located in the heart of Surrey’s rolling hills, Wotton House Hotel offers a serene retreat wrapped in the elegance of an old English estate. As soon as you approach the grand facade of the hotel, it’s clear that this place is steeped in history.
