eclectictraveller.com

Pampers and powder do mix - especially in Avoriaz

A GP in Avoriaz, has the following tips for keeping your baby happy and healthy in the resort:· Keep babies well hydrated at altitude. They will breathe faster because there is less oxygen in the air, so they will need more fluid intake.

· Don’t overheat your flat. Parents tend to do so in the mountains, but a baby’s bedroom should be 14-18C. Alpine air is dry even without heating. The dry air will irritate the sinuses and could lead to a blocked nose and cough. A bowl of water on the heater acts as a humidifier.

· Go outside with your baby every day. As long as they are dressed properly, they are better off outdoors than indoors.

· Keep the baby’s head and hands well covered when out. Sunglasses and suncream are essential.

· Until babies are six months old, the Eustachian tube is very large, so they are unlikely to experience pressure in the ear from the change in altitude.

· It’s inadvisable to take babies to the mountains if they have an untreated heart or pulmonary problem.

Essentials

· For more details, see avoriaz.com. For help organising a ski holiday with an infant, contact Esprit Ski (01252 618300; esprit-holidays.co.uk) or Ski Famille (0845 644 3764; skifamille.co.uk).

The hotels featured provide :

• Room types that fit various family configurations.
• Cribs and rollaway beds.
• Babysitting services.
• Children’s meals
• Amenities for kids

Parkes Hotel

The Draycott

The Stafford

Conde Nast have more experience than anyone when it comes to luxury hotels. Here’s their list of the best luxury hotels in London.

For our money the best luxury hotel in Knightsbridge is still Parkes Hotel

Rumour has it that a new luxury boutique hotel in Knightsbridge will open in 2008. It’s a competitive market with the title of best luxury boutique hotel in Knightsbridge currently being contested between Parkes Hotel and The Draycott. Watch this space.

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 options, among them the Hoxton Hotel (020 7550 1000, www.hoxtonhotels.com), on trendy Great Eastern Street, where we found doubles for a bargain £99. Its highest rate year-round is just £145.

For a more central location, check out the award-winning Parkes Hotel, www.parkeshotel.com), near Harrods. 33 rooms luxurious rooms including 14 One Bedroom Suites - it’s the only townhouse in London to feature suites. For more information see  Luxury Boutique Hotel  in Knightsbridge.

Another hotel bucking the trend for spiralling room rates is Base2Stay (020 7244 2255, www.base2stay.com), in Kensington. It has doubles for £99, room-only, and is a personal favourite of Tom Bell, editor of Alastair Sawday’s guide to London hotels.

So, while we’re fans of the Firmdale group of hotels, we’re in no hurry to pay £317 for a night at the Charlotte Street Hotel, in Fitzrovia, or £223 for the Pelham, in South Kensington. Even the normally good-value Malmaison in fashionable Clerkenwell looks top-heavy at £235.

There are exceptions. Montagu Place (020 7467 2777, www.montagu-place.co.uk), in a Marylebone town house, is fairly priced at £149, though breakfast is not included, and The Sumner (020 7723 2244, www.thesumner.com), near Marble Arch, has attractive rooms from £147.

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 bowl of potatoes to accompany their miniscule main course. Staff are very friendly and polite - just a shame that the ‘hip hotelier’ Marcella has given more priority to the uber chicness of the look of her hotel than to the actual comforts and experiences of her guests. The continental breakfast comprises of 1 piece of toast per person, 1 mini croissant and 1 mini pain-au-chocolat. No yoghurt, no juice, no cereal, no cheeses, no hams. We’ve travelled the world and stayed in some of its finest hotels and frankly this is not one of them. We checked out a day early, feeling disappointed and ripped off. Marcella’s uber-chic hotel did not provide us with the experience of a romantic weekend that we had hoped for.

Pretty strong stuff and as it sounds authentic I’m going to investigate further.

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 bedrooms offer every modern amenity necessary for the discerning traveller. The Leopold sits on a square within Sheffield’s city centre.

Special prices with Laterooms

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 Campden Cookery School in nearby Chipping Campden

I know someone who was part of the management team that re-vitalised Travelodge - the short version of their business plan was: do for hotels what Easyjet did for flights.

When you next need a well-run, conveniently located budget hotel go to www.travelodge.co.uk. You’ll find such low-cost bargains you’ll hardly believe your eyes. For an average of £40-60 a night you get a room with a comfortable bed, a well designed shower room, flat screen tv and wireless internet.

For the price of a B&B you get a perfect night’s sleep. Way to go Travelodge.

The Glasshouse

The boutique hotel Glasshouse on Greenside Place just won a Sexiest Hotel Award. It’s been described as stylish, sultry, sexy and decadent and should be top of your list if you’re planning a dirty weekend in Edinburgh. Possibly the best luxury hotel in Scotland?