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 […]
Monastero Santa Rosa, Bay of Salerno. Discreet Indiscretion.
As indiscretions go, my visit to the confessional in Monastero Santa Rosa was, shall we say, not quite a full disclosure. Latent guilt weighed heavily on my mind, though rich cake and sweet prossecco are repeatable offenders. It’s difficult to resist temptation in such angelic surroundings. My penance you ask? 50 laps of the azure […]
Palazzo Avino, Amalfi Coast. Mythical, Magical.
Palazzo Avino (formerly Palazzo Sasso) is a restored 12th century architectural marvel. Once built to be a palace it still serves its name well, the darling of the romantic village of Ravello, I’d call it the Narnia of the Amalfi Coast. Just as the Chronicles of Narnia are set in a fictional realm, a fantasy […]
The Merrion Hotel, Dublin. Hidden Treasure, Elegant Delight.
Merrion Square is the epitome of Georgian Dublin. Wandering around, it is hard to believe that around 250 years ago the area was farmland on the edge of Dublin city. A far cry from the plush, leafy suburbia that it is today. As a child, Oscar Wilde lived at No 1 where rumour has it […]
Selman, Marrakech – Intimate Arabian Chic
The stage is set. The lights are dimmed. From within the night’s silence, the soft sound of ruffled blades of grass can barely be heard. Suddenly, the flare of what appears to be white feathers flutters through the air. Their distinctive prance recognisable whether you are a horse connoisseur or not. They have arrived. The […]
Palais Namaskar, Marrakech Saharan Splendour
The heat of the Atlas desert blasts anyway any dreary thoughts that might linger from the flight as the plane doors open to reveal the bustle that is Menara Airport in Marrakech. Then, you are whisked to the air conditioned comfort of the Palais Namaskar top-of-the range BMW. Of course, if you prefer to arrive by […]
Locatel Launches Hotel Mobile Innovations
Complementing its fixed-mobile convergent solutions which enable hotel guests to switch from viewing content from their hotel TV screen to their own mobile device and back – Locatel has released a new suite of mobile solutions and applications for hotels. The new mobility suite from Locatel includes mobile apps that hotels can brand and build […]
Q&A With Aline Fitzgerald, Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin
European Business Express sat down for a Q&A with Aline Fitzgerald, Sales & Marketing Director, Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin, Ireland. “Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the result.” Oscar Wilde, Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900 EBX: What motivates you most – in practical terms, and in emotional terms? AF: In practical terms it’s really knowing […]
Castle Leslie Estate and Spa, A Great Giddy-Up!
It had been a while since I’d donned my equestrian refinery. Rummaging for my riding boots I began to feel a little apprehensive about the journey that lay ahead, but tailored in tip-top gear and I’m looking more accomplished than ever I’ll be, writes Sarah-Jayne Smith. Tally-ho! Castle Leslie Estate beckoned. The seat of the Leslie […]