Undergo a cava conversion in rural Catalunya September 8, 2013 Are you a snob about Spanish bubbly? Penedès will change your mind I ALWAYS thought of cava as Champagne’s poorer cousin – something one takes to parties when the French stuff seems a little dear. You turn up, sheepishly handing the sparkling Spaniard to your host, with the caveat that you would have bought France’s [...]
Whisky wonderland September 1, 2013 Scotland’s Jura may be remote, but it sure knows its drink THE Edinburgh Festival may finish today, but there’s still reason to head north of the border. Richard Paterson, Master Blender for the past 40 years at Glasgow-based whisky producer Whyte & Mackay (makers of Jura whisky), is a third generation whisky man who has [...]
Review: Bulgari Hotel September 1, 2013 Zoe Strimpel checks in for a slice of the high-life THE name Bulgari conjures images of diamonds and decadence – it’s appropriate that its first UK hotel is in that home of international wealth, Knightsbridge. Its probably only a matter of time until the Gucci Hotel opens up on Sloane Street, or Fendi launches a [...]
Sun, sea and history in Sardinia August 22, 2013 The small town of Santa Teresa di Gallura on the northern tip of Sardinia held significant strategic importance for various Italian and Sardinian rulers over the ages. Traces of its history can still be spotted in the surrounding towns and villages, although today the economy is supported almost entirely by tourism. Santa Teresa’s population explodes [...]
Travel review: The Four Season’s Hotel George V in Paris August 22, 2013 I have a confession to make. I don’t like Paris and I don’t find Paris romantic. On the contrary I find it dirty, crowded and unsympathetic in every way. But I have family in Paris, so I often find myself there. On this particular occasion, it was my father’s 70th birthday. He’d summoned three generations [...]
Alternative Orlando is blooming August 18, 2013 There is more to the Sunshine State’s theme-park capital than Disney Land I WAS in Orlando for the Florida Film Festival. A film I had produced called The North London Book of the Dead was in the British Shorts Now! programme. Great, right? Except… Orlando? Seriously? It’s hardly renowned for its thriving arts scene. But [...]
A tropical triathlon paradise August 11, 2013 Tempted to give it a tri? Laura Williams discovers you could do a whole lot worse than St Lucia I USUALLY associate triathlons with unflattering wetsuits and cold, murky water, so it was welcome news that the Caribbean island of St Lucia will be hosting its first ever triathlon in November. Forget shivering changeovers – [...]
All smiles on the Teardrop isle August 4, 2013 British Airways’ new Colombo route will help open Sri Lanka up to a new generation of tourists, says Lisa Young EARLIER this year British Airways’ only Sri Lankan Boeing 777 pilot landed one of the company’s jets in his home country for the first time in 15 years. Touching down in Colombo, the capital of [...]
South America’s capital of glamour July 21, 2013 With its sprawling sandy beaches, iconic landmarks and buzzing atmosphere, Rio de Janeiro is in a league of its own, says Gabriel O’Rorke WITH the World Cup and the Olympics on the horizon, Brazil is preparing to become the focus of the world’s attention. One city that is used to the limelight is Rio de [...]
Paradise found at Canyon Ranch February 24, 2013 Newsreader Emma Crosby finds Canyon Ranch is the perfect antidote to the punishing daily newsbeat IT’S 7AM and the thermometer is already pushing 80 degrees centigrade. I’m cycling in what must be one of the most stark but beautiful places on Earth, the Sonora desert in the foothills of the Rincon Mountains in Arizona. My [...]