From Bizet’s Carmen to Washington Irving’s Tales of the Alhambra, the lure of Spain’s Andalucía region has captivated travelers from around the world for centuries. There is something captivating about the dry, arid region, where grandiose centuries-old cathedrals in Seville are surpassed in beauty only by the even older Islamic palaces. Southern Spain, despite the seemingly relentless heat, has a romance to it, a mysterious exoticism that is difficult to experience anywhere else in …
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Thirteen minutes. That’s all it took from arriving in Barcelona to encounter one of its greatest claims to fame – the slickest pickpockets in Europe.
If you’re going to hit, best get hit by a professional, I always say. And they’re at their slickest and quickest on the underground trains at Barcelona Sants railway station. Barcelona treats its notoriety as a pickpocketer’s playground with a zesty inverted snobbery, with the landlord of the apartment I …
Colintraive is a quiet coastal village on Scotland’s west shoreline; the nearest town being Dunoon is some twenty minutes away. At one time cattle would swim across the narrowest point from the Isle of Bute, on their way to the markets of lowland Scotland. It’s barely more than a couple of hundred yards across but now a Cal Mac ferry departs from Rhubodach on Bute, providing a back door to the mainland.
Nothing much happens …
Located in the Caribbean, Barbados appeals to visitors who simply want to kick back and enjoy the sun, sea, and surf. With its aqua blue sea and powdery beaches, you are never too far away from a place to sit and relax. But when you feel like doing some exploring, Bridgetown (Barbados’ capital city) is the place to head to. It’s easy to get to from just about anywhere, no matter where you are in …
Africa isn’t normally associated with tropical islands where you can wallow in luxury. It’s a continent painted with the brush of poverty, but beneath that false impression lie some wonderful countries waiting to be explored – and you don’t even have to be adventurous or a fan of roughing it to do so.
For an exotic holiday where the taste of Africa is wrapped in style, take a magnifying glass to your map and find …
I took a bite of the delicious, hot quiche I was enjoying in our fabulous Carson Ridge Luxury Cabin in Carson, Oregon and just about swooned with pleasure. Not only was the breakfast delicious in every conceivable way, but it was even packed in a large basket and hand-delivered with an ice cold carafe of orange juice right to our door. I was enjoying breakfast in my pajamas in one of the most luxurious cabins …
Just across the North Wales border in Whitchurch is Willington Lodge – a tranquil boutique B&B that’s been painstakingly restored by its owners, Pamela and Richard Morris, who’ve managed to retain much of its original Georgian features. Bordering Snowdonia National Park, the location is idyllic, especially for weddings, which they specialize in.
The Lodge, which is more like a country mansion, is set back off the road in a landscape garden. The guests sitting- and …
Brrr, it’s getting cold outside! The temperatures are dropping, the days are getting shorter, and keeping warm inside the house has become a top priority. But fortunately for travelers who are seeking a winter vacation, January is the cheapest month to fly away. At that point, the annual big rush to get home for Christmas is over and the must-visit destinations to stay for New Years have already come and gone, so airlines …
In the astonishing mix of ultra-modern and ancient found in Seoul’s Jongno-gu area is the Gyeonghui Palace, which is now the city’s Museum of History. Surrounded by corporate headquarters, government offices and embassies, the museum has a treasure of a different kind – the fine dining restaurant of Cong-du. This is a new-age destination restaurant best described as organic concept-art cuisine focused on Korean produce. It has a modern take on traditional tofu and bean-based …
Five, four, three, two, one…HAPPY NEW YEAR! Cue the traditional song of Auld Lang Syne to usher in the dawning of another New Year. From Times Square in New York to Trafalgar Square in London, voices ring out, accompanied by a spectacular fireworks display on the stroke of midnight. So, where should be heading this year for the most dazzling New Years Eve experiences? Here are some of the best free world-class events around the …
Just 100 miles south of mainland Britain and 45 minutes from London is Jersey, the warmest and most southerly of the British Isles. Jersey also has its fair share of celebrity millionaires: Formula One racing drivers, musicians, artists, writers, movie stars, inventors… however, the famed Jersey residents I came to meet were of the four-legged variety – its prized dairy cows.
Darren Quénault of Classic Herd is the island’s only independent dairy farmer producing award …
If you’re looking for a cheap holiday, Cape Town has probably never topped your travel agenda. This gloriously swanky South African city has won so many travel awards that you naturally assume it’s going to pack a punch in the price department too. It’s been ranked as the top holiday destination for 2014 by the New York Times and the UK’s Guardian, and it’s always in favor with the flush Condé Nast class. It’s also …
Cape Town is South Africa’s holiday city. Few urban centers could match its picturesque setting along the mountainous Cape Peninsula spine, which slips into the Atlantic Ocean. The most striking of its sights is Table Mountain, rearing up from the centre of the city and often draped in white clouds. Standing on the tabletop, beyond the mountainous Twelve Apostles, the drop to the ocean is sheer with Africa’s priciest real estate tacked to the slopes. …
Spaniards may take a relaxed mañana attitude to things like completing half-built cathedrals and scoring World Cup goals.
But when they say that access to a train closes two minutes before the departure time, they actually mean it.
“The train has gone,” a square-shaped security guard told me with an indifferent shrug.
“Not it hasn’t,” I panted, “I can see it.” I pointed it out, large and definitely present, as a loud speaker tauntingly confirmed …