Lower Slaughter Manor, Cotswolds
“Some places are cursed with bad names, so it was with an open mind and visions of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre that I approached the rather dubiously titled Lower Slaughter Manor…”
Browsing: The Explorer
To the Manor Lawn: Glamping at Hidcote
“We made use of a wheelbarrow to transport our luggage across the muddy field; it certainly made a change from pulling up outside a plush hotel and having the luggage magically transferred to our room.”
Hotel Monte Mulini, Croatia
“Croatia’s five-star boutique Hotel Monte Mulini was quite an understated first sight for this shamefully quick to judge traveller. A momentary opinion, thankfully, swiftly dispelled by the view that filled my eyes…”
The Francis Hotel, Bath
“Two men carry a bathtub into Bath. Not a joke, but my first sight on entering the city famous for its sulphurous waters…” Douglas Blyde revisits a haunting childhood haunt…
The Kinabalu Challenge
If you’ve ever stood on a London Underground platform and looked wistfully at those adverts…
Spa Le Bristol by La Prairie, Paris
“Loafing needs no explanation and is its own excuse,” the American writer Christopher Morley once said. Wise words Mr Morley, words I kept in mind when I booked a signature massage at the Spa Le Bristol…
Four Seasons Beverly Hills
Broken down, beer-bloated, beatnik writer Charles Bukowski described LA as being ‘like a crucifix in a death hand’. “I can see it here from my balcony at the Beverly Wilshire, high above Rodeo Drive; I can see the land he speaks of…”
Hope House: A Churchill Inspired Weekend
“A boutique gem in the charming and historic town of Woodstock, Oxfordshire, Hope House is just a hop, skip and a jump from Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.”
Call Me Ischgl
People do not travel to the Alps for a ‘holiday’. They never have. Ischgl’s tourism board know this, it’s why they use the slogan: “Relax. If you can.”
Four Seasons Santa Barbara
“Driving down Route 1, the coastal road that links San Francisco with Los Angeles in one beautiful, meandering whip of tar, is something I will never forget. Do it. If you ever get the chance, rent a Chevvy and drive… “
Home Is Two Houses
Many miles from the antique charms of a traditional English country house hotel, Douglas Blyde checks-in at two couth city house hotels – in the mighty Zhongguo…
The Cadogan Hotel, London
“Celebrating its 125th birthday this year, The Cadogan Hotel is famous for having hosted two Victorian stage legends; the flamboyant playwright Oscar Wilde and music hall singer and stage actress Lillie Langtry…”