Travel

Travel

Amilla Resort Maldives

Luxury, conservation and sustainability in paradise

Amilla Maldives is a luxury resort developed on a natural island, nestled within the Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Maldives.

On arrival, I was welcomed by General Manager, Narelle McDougal, for whom conservation, sustainability and accessibility are top priorities. “I’ve been in hospitality all my professional life and it always annoyed me that disabled guests had a bit of a ‘second-class citizen’ treatment,” I asked her for an example. “Normally, access ramps are ugly; rooms adapted to wheelchairs don’t have the same standards as those for able-bodied visitors, and they are in the least attractive part of the resort…that kind of thing. I wanted to change all that here.”

She has indeed done that. Some of the access ramps are now works of art, like one shaped like a tropical fish, made from colourful tiles. Wheelchair-friendly rooms are in prime locations and boast thoughtful features – including extra space under sinks and desks for ease of use. Even details like the positioning of sockets haven’t escaped Narelle’s attention. She was also keen to cater for guests with mental health issues,…

Travel

Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa

World class golfing in the Indian Ocean

William Cowper’s well-known proverb, “Variety is the very spice of life”, was actually preceded by Aphra Behn. In her play, The Rover (1651), she coined the phrase: “Variety is the soul of pleasure”. Prior to Behn, Euripides argued that “a change is always nice” in Orestes. These pedigrees of linguistic talent were unified with the […]

Travel

Diriyah

The City of Earth

A year after the ancient site of Diriyah was announced as a Giga project in Saudi Arabia, our Editor-in-Chief, Julia Pasarón, speaks to Group CEO, Jerry Inzerillo, about the significance of this unparalleled project for the future of the Kingdom. The birthplace of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the ancestral home to the Al […]

Travel

Montenegro, Pearl Of The Adriatic

A beautiful encounter between land and sea

I was thrilled to be invited to explore the Port of Montenegro, just outside of Tivat; it has been on my bucket list for quite some time now. Like other countries in this part of Eastern Europe, Montenegro would have been unknown as a luxury tourist destination until a few years ago. Now, with the […]

Travel

Escape The Heat

Summer holidays in the French Alps

With the weather in Britain going from wet and cold to suffocating hot and humid in just a question of days, a sweltering beach holiday destination may be far less attractive than it used to be; why fly to another country, in high season, just to experience the same baking temperatures you could find in […]

Travel

Villa René Lalique

Total luxury in the Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park

The quaint town of Wingen-sur-Moder in France’s Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park has a history of glassmaking dating back to the 15th century. It is also the home of the Lalique factory, opened in 1921 by jewellery and master glassmaker René Lalique. Before his death in 1945, Lalique had stamped his creativity and personality on […]

Travel

Take your time (II)

The heart of Switzerland – Bern and Lausanne

After Zürich, Lucerne and the Bürgenstock resort (read the story HERE), our next stop was the city of Bern, the capital and political centre of Switzerland. We travelled there by train, which, as you’d probably imagine, run as efficiently as Swiss watches on an easy-to-navigate network. Bear in mind they don’t offer wi-fi, though, depending […]

Culture, Travel

Beyond Picasso

The alternative art scene of Barcelona

Considered the most international of the Spanish cities, Barcelona developed a significant arts community in the late 1800s, with artists like Santiago Rusiñol – one of the leaders of the Catalan modernism movement – Ramón Casas and, of course, Antonio Gaudí. Pablo Picasso himself spent nine formative years here, from 1895 to 1904, training as […]

Travel

Take your time (I)

The heart of Switzerland - Zurich and Lucerne

Our Editor Julia Pasarón makes her way through the heart of Switzerland, discovering a historic country rich in art and crafts, brimming with breathtaking landscapes and boasting the coolest places to hang out on a weekend night. I flew to Zürich, the financial centre of the country – a city that many people associate with […]

Travel

Hotel AMANO Covent Garden

Best five-star deal in London

As a rule, when the words “London hotel” and “prices” are found in the same sentence, the gut response is shock. Throwing in the terms “luxury” and “amazing location” is like adding a zero to the fee. This time, however, the shock is in the other direction, because Hotel Amano Covent Garden elicits another, unexpected […]

Travel

When The Sun Kisses The Night

Beautiful sunset destinations to treat mum

Last week we celebrated International Woman’s Day, and this Sunday we’ll be paying homage to the most significant woman in our life: our mother. Hallmark cards and flowers are always appreciated, “it’s the thought that counts”, but I know from personal experience that time spent together means so much more. Few things are more magical […]

Lifestyle, Travel

Journeys of Self-Discovery

A holistic approach to spa treatments

Holistic therapy has proved to be effective in addressing countless physical and psychological concerns. No surprise then that the best hotels in the world are bringing to their spas treatments that invite guests to go beyond the usual hour massage and explore rituals that encourage overall health and inner balance. Our Editor Julia Pasarón shares […]