Luxury Travel

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

It’s becoming more and more popular to travel with purpose, to explore somewhere for its history, culture or even professional training activities such as offered by The Campus in the luxury resort of Quinta Do Lago, Portugal. An ideal place to get supremely fit and share a fantastic holiday with friends, and rub shoulders with famous football, tennis and golfing heroes.

The paradise of providence. That’s how I felt about Puglia in Spring. So fertile for its dry, hot climate. So uplifting with its masseria, the whitewashed farmhouses with their singular but solid shapes and spacious courtyards.