There is a case to be made that nobody should visit Ibiza in July. Not because July is bad, but because the island saves its best self for later. Come in the back half of August and on into September and you find the version the regulars quietly keep to themselves. The sea is at […]

As a series of heatwaves unfurled across the capital, residents ventured out of their warm homes in search of exciting and cooling summer experiences. With the season coinciding with my mother’s first-ever visit to London, I too put on the thinking cap to arrange a series of enticing activities. Tai Chi: Kew Gardens With my […]

Ask most people when they’d book a villa in the Mediterranean and you’ll get the same answer: August. Sometimes July, if they’re trying to be clever about it. Almost nobody says September, which is odd, because September is when the whole thing actually starts to work properly. I say this every year to clients who […]

Most people think of a superyacht and picture the obvious things. A huge boat. Expensive interiors. A crew waiting around. That’s only part of it. Modern superyachts have become surprisingly sophisticated spaces. They are built for entertaining, relaxing, exercising, working and, of course, getting away from everyone else. The yacht itself almost becomes a private […]

Wiltshire doesn’t quite fit anywhere. It leans into the Cotswolds on one side and the West Country on the other, and yet it never reads as either. Chalk downs roll into clipped parkland, parkland gives way to a village so pretty it looks like someone built it for a film set (several have, actually). It’s […]

Sorrento is the almost-unreal clifftop town, standing as the proud gateway to the Amalfi Coast. When God authored beauty, it was surely perfected on this stretch of coastline, where villages cling to the cliffs, yachts criss-cross the azure waters, and the world’s tastiest lemons are plucked.  Among the line of stately palazzi and historic buildings […]

As the second largest Thai island, Koh Samui has something for everyone, from simple guest houses and hostels to luxury resorts and extravagant private villas. The wellness offerings on Koh Samui are most certainly wide-ranging and varied too. From private classes and exclusive retreats, revitalising spa treatments and therapies, through to daily wellness activities and […]

There’s a version of experiencing New Zealand’s Southern Lakes that involves booking a guided walk, staying in huts for a few nights and arriving at the other end with abundant photos of spectacular vistas and some very good stories. This isn’t that. This is about what’s accessible as a day hike from a warm house, […]

There are luxury holidays, and then there are journeys that truly immerse you in the culture, cuisine and character of a destination. A cruise aboard La Belle Epoque, European Waterways’ elegant hotel barge on France’s Burgundy Canal, firmly belongs in the latter category. Carrying a maximum of just 12 guests, this beautifully restored vessel combines […]