Opposite the electronic sliding glass door, which forms the main entrance of ‘Hotel Riviera Collection’ in Nice, is the most beautiful art-deco style wrought-iron elevator, around which spirals a staircase illuminated by striking ‘Klein Blue’ walls and abstract black & white carpets, both a constant palette, theme and narrative to be found across the hotel.
For that dream winter sun holiday, one place stands out from the rest, the Maldives. It is the quintessential holiday desert island poster that dreams are made of. As Sinead sang so aptly, “nothing compares”. But how to choose the right resort in a country famed for over a thousand islands?
We decided to fly over in business class with Srilankan Airways and discover the very best the Maldives has to offer, from outright luxury to fabulous beaches taking in the finest residences, outstanding cuisine and adventure sports along the way.
The Audi e-tron GT is a razor-sharp katana on 20-inch wheels, with a hint of Iron Man's mask. Interesting as we first saw this car driven by Tony Stark in Avengers: End Game. The first electric car that achieves supercar beauty. The Vorsprung Durch Technik designers have smashed this out of the park and straight into the future.
As I rolled into the car park at Caffeine and Machine, I was positively glowing. The drive there in the racing yellow Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS was superb, the sun was shining and all was well in the world. This is a fantastic driver's car with incredible performance but unlike RS Audis and the like, there’s a connection that has been honed and nurtured over generations. The visceral nature of the 911 driving experience is something truly special in these days of overly electronically muted cars.
A flotilla of boats trailed in the wake of a fleet of traditional long-keeled yachts and their skippers, competitors of the Golden Globe Race 2022 (GGR); all were heading through the now iconic ‘Channel’ connecting Port Olona’s race village to the open sea, leaving the ‘capital’ of ocean racing ‘Les Sables-d’Olonne’ to melt away into the landscape.
Ducati’s Diavel has been with us for over 10 years now.
In those 10 years I'venever ridden one, it's a bike that hasn't particularly caught my eye much, but I recently had the chance to have the new 1260 S on test so I thought I’d give it a go and see what all the fuss was about. All of the reviews I read have praised the Diavel so I must be missing out, let's see what it's all about.
We prefer to test cars in actual situations so that we get more than just an idea of their technical capabilities, but also what they are like to live with. So we took the latest Tesla Y Performance for a 3000-mile round trip from Surrey to just south of Valencia, Spain in less than a week. The preparations were left to the last minute as usual and we were a little stressed as to how the whole recharging process would go over such a long distance. However, we were more than pleasantly surprised at how well the Tesla Y performed. Spoiler, there was absolutely no range anxiety at all.
At last its summer, time to get out there and enjoy everything the great British social season has to offer.
Isle of Man TT
28 May - 11 Jun
The Isle of Man TT is the ultimate 'must see it' event for motorsport fans across the globe. Every May and June the Isle of Man, a tiny country between England and Ireland, turns into motorcycle nirvana as the world’s greatest road racers gather to test themselves against the incredible ‘Mountain Course’ - a 37.73 mile beast of a course carved out of the island’s public roads.
There is nothing quite like Paris in the spring/early summer and particularly the 6th and 7th arrondissements. These two marvellous “Quartiers" lie on the Left Bank and are famous for the numerous painters, writers, photographers, sculptors and philosophers who called them home. The perfect spot for a romantic weekend “a Deux”.
To get to know a car, you really need to live with it on tour. So where better to take the McLaren 720S than to northern France along the amazing coastal roads, smooth as silk autoroutes and picturesque country lanes?
It came delivered in a box to the door, in a fetching but discreet Sarthe Grey, almost as if it did not want to be noticed. Paradoxically it showed off the lines magnificently, reflecting every hue and dapple of the morning light in the sublime bodywork. Unboxing such beauty as the McLaren 720S is like all your Christmases at once.
