The gentleman waits patiently at the looming metal gates with a clipboard. No ordinary clipboard; gold embossed, with Dromoland Castle emblazoned across the front. Meet the gateman. Dressed in red, hat tilted to perfection, he welcomes you to the Narnia that is Dromoland Castle. Past the gate, the journey begins. Driving along landscaped paths, past […]
Captivating Luxury, The Culloden Estate & Spa
The WIFI code is love1066. For those of us not au fait with history, 1066 was the year of the Battle of Hastings, between the Norman French Army of William, Duke of Normandy and English Army under the command of Anglo Saxon King, Harold Goodwinson. Bear with me, there is a point. The Culloden Estate […]
Glorious Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort, St Lucia
For centuries, the British and French squabbled and waged diplomatic war to secure the mighty resourceful island of St Lucia. Sugar was its most precious commodity. The plantation is now a Unesco world heritage site, 100 acres of lush rainforest spread as far as the eye can see. During the colonial period the plantations grew dramatically […]
Windjammer, St Lucia. Caribbean Treasure.
One of the superb advantages of visiting an island is the ability to arrive in style, in almost any guise. I chose a boat, silently slipping alongside the jetty, like a pirate in the night, ready to plunder the amazing wares that lay onshore. Solomon brought me. He has a fishing fleet. Well, not quite […]
Swedish Lapland. Bright Lights, Big Delight.
‘Obsession’ – The Oxford English Dictionary describes this as ‘the state in which a person’s mind is completely filled with thoughts of one particular thing or person in a way that is not normal’. They should change it to ‘Aurora’. Everyone that visits Swedish Lapland in the autumn, through to winter, is obsessed. Obsessed with […]
Luscious Ladera, St Lucia. Exhilaration and adventure.
Exhilaration and adventure, that’s Plantation Ridge at Ladera; a masterclass of villas designed with the most scenic spine-tingling view. Waking up from your four-poster bed to the green-framed ocean, mountains shrouded in mist and birds daring to venture where no man can, is not only a luxury, it’s a privilege. The pool is right at […]
Virtuous Venice – Aman Venice, Luxury on the Grand Canal
The click clacking of heels on the cobbled streets tingles your senses. The background rumble of water taxis sets the stage for your Venetian experience, a melange of excitement and and a whirl of confusion – it’s almost impolite not to get lost in Venice. To the naked eye, Venice is Italian. The Venetians speak […]
Athenaeum, London. Blissfully British.
Throw a Coutts card over your shoulder in London and you won’t have any trouble securing a five-star boudoir, complete with brass door knobs and chocolates on your pillow, especially in Mayfair. The affluent beating heart of the city. But is that what you want? What distinguishes the garish from the graceful? The ostentatious from […]
Coco Collection, Mesmerising Maldives
Even for a seasoned flyer, approaching the primary Maldivian island of Male instils a sense of foreboding, a rustling in the gut that sends the brain into frenzy. Will he make the runway or hurtle off the end? Slamming into what arguably could be one of the most beautiful green seas I’ve ever seen. The […]
Craving The Crane Resort, Barbados
Albert has been coming to the Crane for over 30 years. He is almost 80 years of age and he doesn’t look a day over 60 by the way, must be the great banana bread and rum. He journeys to the Crane every day, and stays for hours, pottering along the world famous Crane beach, […]