From the Field of Miracles to the Gulf of Paradise
It’s a rare and special act travelling off-season especially somewhere so geared to the summer where sun loungers are arranged in busy blocks to dissuade the casual visitor. Off-season you meet only locals, you don’t queue and in time you start to feel a local. It’s all so much more immersive and rewarding.
The Machrie Hotel & Golf Links on the Isle of Islay occupies one of the most stunningly beautiful locations in the world. Rows of stark white buildings set in an emerald baize golf course threaded with sparkling streams between rolling golden hills, seven miles of sandy beaches and a turquoise sea.
The entrance to The Machrie is mile long private road winding past fluffy white sheep and the links golf course.
We started our journey in Surrey at 9 am and headed north, basking in the explosive snorts of the 710 bhp McLaren 720S engine. My colleague David and I were pretty stoked about a week in the Scottish Highlands. As Lex Luthor so aptly condescended in Superman II "A good time? Is that all you care about? North, Miss Teschmacher. North!".
As I pulled up at The Royal Duchy Hotel in the new Audi E-Tron GT Quattro, I was splendidly greeted by the concierge James who showed me to my free electric charging parking space and immediately made me feel at home. He has worked at The Duchy for just under 40 years and is an expert on the hotel and the area. In fact, Mark, the manager and James are genuinely good company and skilled at predicting a guest’s every wish.
Why go to all the trouble? By which I mean a Mediterranean summer holiday with spiralling temperatures, lengthy traffic jams and overcrowded flights for the holiday that never really stands a chance.
The Relais Henley is a stylish new waterside retreat in Henley-on-Thames. There’s just something about riverside hotels that is gloriously appealing, particularly in England. In the old days, you could always find something wrong about a hotel, but a new breed has emerged that just gets everything right from the get-go and the Relais Henley is just such a place.
The Hotel Montalembert is an incredibly chic hotel set just off the Rue Du Bac, one of the best streets on the Left Bank of the Seine in Paris. You are ideally situated to explore the superb cafes, Michelin-starred restaurants, antique furniture shops, bistros and boutiques and only a stone's throw from the famous bridge of love "Le Pont Des Arts".
The Mitre Hampton Court Hotel is a luxurious boutique hotel overlooking the Thames that has been extensively refurbished. It was the first stop on our Ferrari F8 Spider Tributo tour and delivered exceptional food, decor and service with great panache.
Set like a gem on the north side of Hampton Court Bridge, it boasts a long terrace overlooking the water. Just opposite the Hampton Court Palace. Its origins date back to the reign of Henry VIII, built at the direction of Charles II as a hostel for Palace visitors.
Imagine having an affinity with nature where Europe finishes to face the full force of the Atlantic as she unfurls her fury amassed after 3000 miles. It’s all here to discover for the extremities of the Algarve (that is a stunning coastline of miles of untrammelled white beach) are yet to be known by most travelling Brits.
