Luxury Travel

The service received on the largest of yachts is unequalled; your every need and wish is anticipated but many yacht owners now demand a flunky service that does not allow for individuals to show any character.  Combining attentive service with personality without intrusion is very rare ashore; two examples are the Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath and the Tulchan Estate.  We have just enjoyed a stay on the estate which is on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park a picturesque hour’s drive south of Inverness.
 

• Sara, what is your show LadsLadsLads about? Why is it described as a ‘thinking person’s stag-do?
It’s sometimes hard to summarise what a show is about- but I wanted to give people the sense that it is fun and celebratory- but rather than about being about to get married- the exact opposite. Having fun, trying new things in a way of being braver and more self-reliant. Some of my shows in the past have had serious aspects, theories and research and this one is lighter. It’s like a party, except only I get to talk and you have to sit there watching me.
 

A selection of fine whiskies from around the world. The common theme here is they are not peaty whiskies (apart from the Lagavulin), but more akin to a fine cognac,  easy on the nose and palate, with a soft mellow flavour.
The Irish Midleton whiskey Dair Ghaelach Bluebell Forest is magnificent, smooth caramel and soft vanilla with a hint of coffee and nutmeg. This is one of the finest whiskies in the world and well worth the hefty price tag. This is the one to impress any connoisseurs amongst your friends.

Like Rowan Atkinson on his moped I drove the Subaru WRX STI “damn hard”, testing this much loved, iconic rally car on the Hill Track at Millbrook Proving Ground, around country lanes and cobbled streets in old English towns. At first I confess I was not a fan. It was a saloon with a spoiler you could see from space, dressed in electric pearl blue and it’s brutal. More importantly it made me feel like a ham fisted and footed fool on my first drive. The clutch bites down in a millimetre, whilst the accelerator in race mode goes straight to 4000 revs at the slightest encouragement.

Bentley Motors, founded 10th July 1919, is entering its 100th year of creating the world’s most iconic Grand Tourers, and the British luxury brand is honouring decades of innovation, achievement and craftsmanship by releasing a short film ‘Together we are Extraordinary: The Story of Bentley Motors.’
From W.O. Bentley himself, right up to the new Continental GT, the film touches upon the extraordinary characters, sporting achievements and successful models through the decades.

SAP Extreme sailing Team made history today in Cascais, Portugal, as they smashed the record for the fastest speed ever recorded in the 12 year history of the Extreme sailing Series™.
Shooting straight off the startline, the Danes set a new speed record of 36.4 knots in the first race of the day, only to sail even faster in the race that followed. They clocked a top speed of 37.9 knots in the day's second race, an insight provided by SAP.
Previously, the record was held by Red Bull sailing Team when they hit 36 knots in Sydney Harbour, Australia, in 2016.

My eyeballs shook so violently the natural reaction was to close them, but nothing was going to stop me seeing this extraordinary experience.  At the same time I just thought thank goodness they are my own teeth otherwise I would have swallowed them.  Mind you it took a couple of hours before they stopped making their presence felt.  Not far off the mark is the experience of being in a rear end accident that just goes on and on.

It’s true that other regions in Italy are lusher, have taller mountains, more fertile valleys and a more temperate climate. But in Tuscany and Umbria the serenity and joy of their rolling landscapes, their winding lanes and their cypresses pointing in silhouette to the heavens are harder to challenge.

It is always a pleasant surprise and refreshing to find an hotel that exceeds your expectations.  The opening photograph on the Congham Hall website is, even if I am being a bit mean, rather reminiscent of a prep school.  However, as we happily discovered, it hides the many charms and friendly experiences both within the hotel and around the gardens.   

Majestic Rolls Royce Black Badge Dawn Drophead Review