“Castle Combe is so picture-perfect that it looks like a film set; indeed, quite a few films have used the tiny Cotswold village for location shoots. But annexed to the village is its most impressive asset, the 14th century Manor House Hotel.”
“I’m sat at the window of our room as I write. It’s the one sunny day we’ve had all week in Cornwall, and a gentle breeze wafts in through the broad knee-high sash window that opens to a view of lawns…”
“The Plaza Athénée, the Parisian palace par excellence. Pair it with one of the world’s most prestigious fashion and beauty houses and a girl’s dreams come true. Or at least mine did…”
“Lucknam Park is located just 6 miles from the beautiful city of Bath, nestled in the depths of the Wiltshire countryside and set in 500 acres of stunning parkland and landscaped gardens.”
Cape Town is having its moment. And as locals and international design aficionados collectively hold their breath and count down to 2014, this soon-to-be World Design Capital is emitting megawatts of creative energy…
“The sky was flecked with white lights that twinkled from Como’s western shore, and the bolt of electricity that the clouds would imminently bring provided a certain drama to our recent arrival.”
Portloe, so I read in the Lugger’s brochure, was described by Sir John Betjeman as ”one of the least spoiled and most impressive of Cornish fishing villages.”
“Telling an Olympic boxing champ to ‘work me hard’ in a one-to-one personal training session probably wasn’t the wisest of lines…” Gabrielle visits La Source in Grenada.
“Parma is a city built on its food. It’s as important an association as Pizza Margherita to Naples and ragù alla bolognese to Bologna…” David Constable flies the flag for the city noted for its, err, ham…?
“Boats pottering about the harbour, skirting its curves from Camp Cove to Rose Bay, meeting at Circular Quay where the iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House dominate and command attention.”
An approachable gourmand sensibility is undoubtedly what’s prompting travelling foodies to make the culinary pilgrimage to the beatific Brecon Beacons and its surrounding counties…
‘“There are very few villages that are a time warp like Gittisham,” says Ruth Hunt, co-owner of Combe House in South Devon. She’s right. Only a few minutes inside and I know we’ll want to do this time warp again…’