Ask most people when they’d book a villa in the Mediterranean and you’ll get the same answer: August. Sometimes July, if they’re trying to be clever about it. Almost nobody says September, which is odd, because September is when the whole thing actually starts to work properly. I say this every year to clients who […]

Most people think of a superyacht and picture the obvious things. A huge boat. Expensive interiors. A crew waiting around. That’s only part of it. Modern superyachts have become surprisingly sophisticated spaces. They are built for entertaining, relaxing, exercising, working and, of course, getting away from everyone else. The yacht itself almost becomes a private […]

New Zealand’s food story is worth travelling for. People often ask me what New Zealand food actually is, and I never have a tidy answer. France has a cuisine. So does Italy, so does Japan. Say the name and a whole tradition arrives with it, based on centuries of tradition and culture, and instantly recognisable. […]

The South Island of New Zealand is not a fly-and-flop destination, and Wānaka least of all. If you’re planning a significant trip together, a honeymoon or a milestone anniversary or simply the kind of holiday you’ve been putting off long enough that now’s the time, then the default templates of a beach resort, city break, […]

There are luxury holidays, and then there are journeys that truly immerse you in the culture, cuisine and character of a destination. A cruise aboard La Belle Epoque, European Waterways’ elegant hotel barge on France’s Burgundy Canal, firmly belongs in the latter category. Carrying a maximum of just 12 guests, this beautifully restored vessel combines […]

Wiltshire doesn’t quite fit anywhere. It leans into the Cotswolds on one side and the West Country on the other, and yet it never reads as either. Chalk downs roll into clipped parkland, parkland gives way to a village so pretty it looks like someone built it for a film set (several have, actually). It’s […]

As the second largest Thai island, Koh Samui has something for everyone, from simple guest houses and hostels to luxury resorts and extravagant private villas. The wellness offerings on Koh Samui are most certainly wide-ranging and varied too. From private classes and exclusive retreats, revitalising spa treatments and therapies, through to daily wellness activities and […]

Sorrento is the almost-unreal clifftop town, standing as the proud gateway to the Amalfi Coast. When God authored beauty, it was surely perfected on this stretch of coastline, where villages cling to the cliffs, yachts criss-cross the azure waters, and the world’s tastiest lemons are plucked.  Among the line of stately palazzi and historic buildings […]

There’s a version of experiencing New Zealand’s Southern Lakes that involves booking a guided walk, staying in huts for a few nights and arriving at the other end with abundant photos of spectacular vistas and some very good stories. This isn’t that. This is about what’s accessible as a day hike from a warm house, […]

The Salento area of Puglia, in Southern Italy, is getting increasingly well known for the warm hospitality of its people, a slow relaxed pace of life and a cuisine based on the freshest produce and seafood, bursting with flavour and accompanied by excellent olive oil and seriously good wine, particularly the reds. A long coastline […]