The World’s Driest Desert
Sleek hotels, an embarrassment of natural riches, and the promise of adventure make Chile’s Atacama Desert a thoroughly alluring destination. So, asks Mina Holland, why is it so little known?
Browsing: The Explorer
The Spa at Dolphin Square
London’s Dolphin Square is where the bold, the beautiful and indeed the clever, flock to. And now there’s one more very good reason to follow suit, opened just a few weeks ago: the Moroccan-themed Spa.
Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris
“We’ll always have Paris.” But which Paris? There’s always been the awe that comes from the tower, pleasures of the Louvre and the gentle cushioning of crepes, but it’s never been anything like this…
Aromatherapy Associates, Knightsbridge
“I’m proud to say that I’ve recently discovered a trio of holistic treatments to keep me looking forward positively. They are (drum roll): Bikram yoga, colonic cleansing and aromatherapy massage…”
Hamming it Up in Seville
“I’ve fallen…again. It’s my last evening in Seville and I have spent the past four days falling off curbs, walking into lamp posts and narrowly avoiding getting run over by mad Spaniards on mopeds…”
Israel: The Ancient Land
Its heart is religion but its veins are in the earth. It has one foot in its archaeological history and the other firmly marching ahead through the fireworks of the twenty-first century. David J. Constable visits Israel.
Grayshott Spa, Surrey
Grayshott Spa, a gorgeous historic country house in Surrey. 59 bedrooms, 36 treatment rooms, a truly tranquil setting with 47 acres of gardens, woods and sweeping lawns, adjoining 700 acres of National Trust land. And, relax…
Blakes Hotel, London
The frantic knocks rattle on the door of our hotel room at precisely 5.45am. I stumble out of bed nakedly and reach for a gown. A voice comes through the door, urgent and shrill, with a thick, nicotine-stained sexiness.
Paradise Found: Es Saadi
Belinda Carlisle once sang, “Heaven is a place on earth…” Well I think she may have been singing about the Es Saadi Resort and Gardens, a five-star luxury hotel and palace, just outside the rose-pink walls of Marrakech.
The Four Seasons Spa Park Lane
I could feel myself hunched up and I made a conscious effort to stand and walk taller as I strode along Park Lane, on my way to the Four Seasons spa. As stressed as I was, I was also incredibly excited…
The Chesterfield Mayfair
As I passed down Charles Street, The Chesterfield Mayfair seemed to cough gently to grab my attention; if it could, I’m sure it would have taken me by the elbow and led me into its cool interior with a reassuring, “This way, Sir.”
Town Hall Hotel & Apartments
From the old safe of lit-up images to the old vending machine sporting vintage logos for Fry’s Turkish delight and Mulford Violets on the lower ground floor, there are plenty of quirky artefacts to feed a greedy visual appetite…