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By Sophie Ibbotson I have found the perfect place to escape the damp, gray days of an English winter. The skies are a brilliant blue, the bright sunshine makes the snow sparkle like Swarovski crystals, and I am sat looking out at a panoramic view of the Swiss Alps with the warmth of a wood-burning […]
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bukhara has a fine selection of boutique hotels, but what it lacked until now was a luxury property for the most discerning travelers. The opening of the 4* Mercure Bukhara Old Town in January 2023 has not only filled a gap in the market, but has done so with […]
For a long time I have had in the back of my mind what the perfect ski hotel would be like. It goes without saying that it should be ski-in, ski-out and in a picturesque location, a design which complements the surrounding landscape and vernacular architecture, and where after a long, energizing, but ultimately exhausting […]
A quintessential Southern California surf town, Oceanside enjoys fabulous weather year-round and pristine coasts with culinary adventures, boutique shopping and artistic treasures. Once a hangout for soldiers from the nearby military base, Oceanside has leveled up drastically in the last couple of years. This is thanks in no small part to the arrival of two […]
Ornithophobic? If you are afraid of birds you had probably better stay away from this brilliantly bonkers bird-themed hotel in the popular British tourism destination of Bath. Though the city typically sells itself on its Roman baths, Regency architecture, and connections with Jane Austen, The Bird shows off Bath’s more youthful, creative side. It’s the […]
Right across Ocean Avenue from the Santa Monica Pier and beach, the Shore Hotel couldn’t have a better location. The boutique property is both chic and sustainable, with strong eco-certification standards and a sleek, contemporary design. The Shore is shaped like a horseshoe and each of the rooms features its own balcony with views of […]
From the moment you arrive at the Surfrider Hotel, there is no question that you are in California. The effortlessly cool boutique hotel stands along the iconic Pacific Coast Highway overlooking the ocean and Malibu Pier, across to First Point, where the legendary Malibu break draws a lineup of world-class surfers. The Surfrider was formerly […]
By Sophie Ibbotson How is it that a city has so much energy, so much creativity, that it can reinvent itself over and over again for more than 2,700 years? I was pondering this over breakfast this morning in Samarkand. Alexander the Great conquered this Central Asian city at the heart of the ancient Silk […]
By Sophie Ibbotson Salutamu! If there is ever a day when the sun doesn’t shine in Palermo, I haven’t seen it. Sicily is an autonomous region of Italy, and Palermo is its capital. It is famed for its architecture, culture, and gastronomy, so I am doing my very best to immerse myself in all three. […]
It’s funny to think that hotels weren’t always a thing. Travelers stayed in inns or boarding houses, rented a house, or stayed with family and friends. Queens Hotel in the fashionable English spa town of Cheltenham opened its doors to the public on 21st July 1838 and was one of the very first purpose-built hotels […]