Arriving at Naturhotel Forsthofgut feels like stepping into a perfectly balanced world - one where the warmth of a family-run retreat meets the refined elegance of a five-star hotel. Nestled at the foot of the Asitz Mountain in Leogang, it’s the kind of place where the air carries the scent of pine and wood, mingling with the aroma of freshly baked bread in the morning, and where hospitality is more than just a service; it’s second nature.
“Welcome to the City of Dreams Mediterranean” was the greeting from the hotel doorman as he opened the gold-rimmed glass entrance ushering us into a grandiose, marbled and voluminous lobby; this type of glamour, style and pizazz is usually associated with cities like Dubai, Hong Kong or Miami, yet here we were on the eastern periphery of Limassol on the beautiful island of Cyprus.
I mention the Maldives and already you are conjuring up a far away paradise, powder white sandy beaches, crystal clear turquoise sea and the bluest of blue skies you have ever set your eyes on. Yes certainly it is paradise but what sets the Sun Siyam resort group apart from the others is the staff. The minute you arrive the staff greet you with the words “welcome home”, well if your home is heaven you have returned.
An island perfectly suited to a geologist, a poet or indeed an artist! For Lanzarote has such an awe-inspiring setting: dramatic, expansive, picturesque and welcoming. This island of cacti and volcanoes, though highly individual, summoned to me the glories of other lands. The long sweeping landscape, punctuated with the occasional finca, evoked the beautiful expanse of Andalusia. The straight, low and narrow back streets of habitation with those of Colombia. The aridity and jagged landscape of the Sahara with which it is globally parallel.
Kris Griffiths reports on an extraordinary hotel in northern Michigan and its symbiotic relationship with a 1980 cult film, and how he’s waited over 30 years to visit – the same weekend hundreds of other fans of the film annually do too…
What fun sometimes merely to fly and flop. To be just 20 minutes from a small airport like Olbia. To see out over a wide expanse and lie under the great globe of unblemished sky that’s simply serene. To witness the mesmerically azure blue sea along miles upon miles of untrammelled coastline.
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.
At last, people are now recognizing that Slovenia exists, not only that, the high quality of the experience which is complemented by stunning scenery is also recognized. The catalyst was surely the introduction of a Slovenian Michelin Guide in 2020 that included a 3* restaurant from the start. There are now nine-starred Michelin restaurants with a total of twelve stars and a total of 59 restaurants recommended. Monaco has seven star restaurants with a total of eleven stars.
Are you having trouble sleeping? According to the University of Bristol, 20% of Brits sleep poorly. Even more concerning, a recent 2022 survey by HNI revealed that 74% of adults reported a decline in sleep quality over the past year.
The Maslina Resort on the lavender-strewn island of Hvar in Croatia might be able to help.
There are many reasons to visit the Caribbean - the sea, sand, sun, and seafood along with a cosmopolitan culture influenced by France, Africa, England and East India. However, I visited Saint Lucia this time, for its infamous Jazz Festival, where the likes of pop rock legends Air Supply, Davido, Samara Joy, Jon Secada and Chloe Bailey performed.
