offbeat upscale travel: luxury boutique hotels, fabulous ski chalets, life less ordinary
Posted in Must sees on Oct 13th, 2007
Rail travel becomes more attractive daily as air travel becomes increasingly tiresome. The obstacle has always been cost, is it really possible to travel as cheaply by train or ferry as by budget airline? Thanks to the man in seat61.com the answer seems to be yes.
First it pays to be realistic about the cost [...]
Posted in Paris on Oct 12th, 2007
Remember the good old days backpacking across Europe? As the need for increased security makes flying less pleasant and lines grow longer train travel is making a come back. Eurails’s flexible passes allow grown up travellers to travel Europe the civilised way. www.eurail.com
Yes it’s one of the world’s most expensive cities, with hotel rates to match. But the past few years have seen the emergence of a dual economy in London. Yes, there are plenty of swanky hotels charging £400 a night, but it’s now also possible to find stylish, comfortable cheaper [...]
Posted in Paris on Oct 10th, 2007
Rungis is the largest fresh products market in the world: vegetables, seafood, all types of meat and cheese. Long ago it was located in the centre of Paris, in the famous Les Halles. However at the end of the 1960’s thanks to traffic, pollution and old fashioned design it was transferred out to the southern [...]
Almost as soon as I’d posted about Cotswolds88 a negative ( but well-written ) review arrived.
It will only be filled with weekending Londoners if they don’t mind not having a steam shower, not having tea or coffee making facilities in their 300+ per night room and being charged 5 pounds for a small [...]
Posted in Paris on Oct 9th, 2007
Sunday morning in Paris often means a visit to the flea market - sorry to bring up bloodsucking parasites in a luxury hotel blog but the Parisian flea markets are a real attraction for visitors seeking authenticity and real bargains to boot. For the French going to the “marchés” is a real institution and it’s [...]
The Leopold Hotel, Sheffield’s newest boutique hotel, is a member of Small Luxury Hotels.
Built on the former site of a grade II listed Boys Grammar Scholl this luxury hotel offers a sophisticated setting, excellent food and exceptional service. The hotel has been sympathetically restored to retain its charming architectural character.
90 en-suite [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Oct 5th, 2007
Not just for Michael Palin or Phileas Fogg, passenger-carrying freighters are still a great way to travel the world’s oceans. Automation and computer technology have reduced the size of crews, opening up more cabins for use by passengers. And the additional revenue is highly valued by the freighter companies. They offer numerous sailings each monthincluding [...]
Posted in London on Oct 4th, 2007
According to Fodor’s Bloomsbury’s Acorn House might be the greenest restaurant in London! All ingredients are seasonal, sustainable, organic, fair-trade, or locally sourced. The water is purified on site, the staff uses biodiesel, the packaging is biodegradable, and all waste is recycled. Wonderfully creative dishes range from yellow beetroot with potatoes to pheasant salad with [...]
Another boutique hotel worth a weekend visit is Cotswold House, a luxury hotel in the Cotswolds introducing big city style into the rolling hills of the West country. A rising Michelin star shines over its restaurant Juliana’s. If you’re inspired to improve upon your own culinary skills you could enrol for a day’s course at [...]