Luxury Travel

How do howler monkeys generate so much noise? They are actually the second loudest animal in the world after the blue whale and release their voluminous, plangent magic by using the wind?
The tropical exuberance of animal life was utterly enchanting with new species offering up a daily surprise. From the fishy, to the furry and the feathered. I felt immersed in the natural wonder of the many birds and animals.

As a little girl, with an imagination larger than my wildly untamed hair (my hairbrush refusal was my mother’s morning battle), I often wondered what it would be like to skip right into a kaleidoscope. An imagined sugar-rush, spinning-tea-cup-ride surge of delight as every kind of colour and shape danced their flamboyant, unrehearsed, flamenco routine.

I’ve been to enough weddings to know that rain on your wedding day doesn’t necessarily a happy bride make. But ask a superstitious Italian, and instead of cursing the rain clouds, you’ll embrace the special day downpour – your soaking instead believed to be a symbol of fertility and cleansing, luck and love drenching you from the skies.

Great Scent From Lalique-Encre Noire À L’Extrême-Eau De Parfum For Men
Excellence demands a fragrance that meets and surpasses expectations. You must walk the walk, talk the talk, all whilst exuding a subtle appealing fragrance. The new Eau de Parfum for men from Lalique hits all the right notes. It neither overpowers nor fades too quickly over the day.
Lalique Encre Noir is aiming to reinvent masculine sensuality with its powerful cypress and vetiver accord. A woody new intensity with a unique and unforgettable sillage.

When it comes to madeleines, I must admit, I never really got France’s obsession with the humble, plainly inoffensive little cake. A walnut-sized golden sponge synonymous with writer Marcel Proust. Indeed, for Proust, the powers of the madeleine go far beyond satiating the sweet tooth. In his novel he recalls how, as a child, his aunt gave him small madeleines dipped in tea - decades later, this crumbly delight resurrecting long-forgotten memories. One bite, a sensory trigger, containing the most powerful of ingredients – nostalgia.

The new Luminor 8 Days Power Reserve Acciaio from Panerai is one to get for any watch collector, or if you only want one watch that you know you can rely on, then this will keep even the top watch snobs happy. The simple design with the black face, beige tinted hands and numerals balances beautifully with the 316L stainless case and the distinctive Panerai crown.
A long power reserve of eight days, with an indicator of power remaining on the dial or the back, enhances three new creations of the Panerai Manufacture in Neuchâtel.

The McLaren 570S Spider stands out like every McLaren for its intricate and elaborate design ethos. Or to put it another way, it just looks incredible both from afar and close up. The styling and detail that goes into the body work is innovative and daring employing the latest technology in modern materials and computer aided design software. The head of design at McLaren is Robert Melville who has a passion for cars and believes in pushing boundaries and testing new ideas as a matter of principle.

One of our favourite yachts is the Baltic Pink Gin, this superb silver hulled sloop was launched in 2017, and won sailing yacht of the year at the World Superyacht Awards in 2018.
Pink Gin is not only the largest carbon fibre sloop in the world, but also displays some of the most innovative features seen in a sailing yacht, including two opening balconies set into the topsides, Baltic Yachts’ revolutionary Force Feedback Steering System and an 18-ton carbon composite hull and deck shell built to the highest degree of accuracy.

We drove the McLaren 570S Spider to the Vineyard Hotel, a 5 star Relais & Chateaux hotel in Berkshire, an ideal stopover on any luxury tour, particularly designed to appeal to wine lovers everywhere.

Sitting down to write this, I’m ashamed to admit, I feel slightly torn. Because La Mirande is like nowhere else I’ve ever had the good fortune to stay. And a big part of me wants to keep it as my little secret, my little escape, a place almost too good to share. Like an enormous warm chocolate fondant, lathered in fresh cream, ‘one spoon only, please’. But despite such selfish temptations, I can’t deprive you of what I have absolute conviction will be one of your favourite stays anywhere, ever.