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J Sheekey has long been part of London’s eating scene - it dates back as far as 1896. However, it's only since its relaunch by the people behind the Ivy that it's really been worth a visit. The freshness and availability of all Sheekey’s ingredients mean they have no restaurant set menu; instead, a wonderful selection of dishes of the day served by some of the friendliest, most knowledgeable staff you could wish for. It's definitely worth booking as far in advance as you possibly can.
Good food can be quite hard to come by in London (particularly when comparing to Asia), however, one gem famed for both celebrity spotting and for its delightful high tea and breakfast is the Wolseley at Green Park. Located next to the Ritz, this restaurant is the premier destination for anyone who wants to enjoy good quality food as reasonable (around £50 a head) food.
One great tip is to start your business day off here with a meeting. Breakfast is sublime with excellent bakery from the kitchen. Its central location makes it great for anyone staying in the city. High tea is also a great treat. Speciality teas, fine finger sandwiches, moist scones and the most delicate pastries found this side of Paris.
Green Park, London
www.thewolseley.com
CitizenM offers affordable luxury hotels near or in European metropolitan locations. The hotel has a lobby with a check-in kiosk and offers “canteenM”, a bar/lounge for light food and drinks. The rooms are 13x10 and integrate cutting-edge technology represented by LED lights, black out remote curtain, and a Phillips mood pad and flat screen TV. The hotel is modular in that each room is built in a warehouse and is brought in by truck and dropped into the building infrastructure.
Poeme is one of Bucharest's best restaurants, actually located in the Carol Parc Hotel.
International cuisine, excellent service, but moreover an excellent 'de luxe' atmosphere.
www.carolparchotel.ro
+40-21-3363377
A couple of fields overlooking the sea with tents already erected and complete with very comfy bedding, tea and coffee making facilities and wonderful breakfast brought to your tent each morning. Washing facilities are very civilised and the whole experience is an ideal introduction to camping for beginners. The best campsite I have ever been to!
Broad Meadow House, Quay Road, Charlestown, St. Austell PL25 3NX
broadmeadowhouse.com/
It is the place to stay in Edinburgh, it looks absolutely stunning on the outside and from the polite doormen to the Michelin-starred restaurant this is the height of luxury. Well worth a look around, even for a coffee if you cant afford to splash out for a room!
www.thebalmoralhotel.com/
www.roomsinscotland.com/Hotel_info.asp?ID=87
www.roomsinscotland.com/Edinburgh.asp
As far as I know, this is a new York hotel (at least I've not seen it previously). It's rather small with around 10 rooms, but is extremely comfortable and luxurious. It has the feel of a guest house, rather than a hotel, and also benefits from being right in the centre of town.
2-4 High Petergate
York
North Yorkshire
Y01 7EH
08454602020
www.fourhighpetergate.co.uk
La Sella is a really upmarket golf resort on the Costa Blanca. It's at a small place called Jesus Pobre, which is about half-way between Valencia and Alicante. If you're looking for a really luxurious resort that genuinely specialises in golf, then you wouldn't go far wrong with this place.
It's not cheap and it's full of Brits, but the standard of service you receive is second to none. It's got a five-star hotel, holiday apartments, lots of restaurants, and a course that was apparently designed by Olazabal.
c/Alqueria de Ferrando,
03749 Jesus Pobre,
Espana
+34 96 645 4054
www.lasellaresort.co.uk
The ultimate day spa in the centre of Liverpool, the beauty secret of babes like Abi Clancey, Jennifer Ellison and the cast of Hollyoaks.
I love to visit APt when I am feeling in the need for a little pick-me-up, it's like a weekend break in a spa!
Hanover Street, Liverpool
www.ageperfectingtreatments.co.uk
0845 8693244
This is a short-term luxury accommodation service in Prague. The apartment I stayed in was really luxurious and the service was top notch. They never said no to any of my requests, and catered to my every need. I found the website was very easy to use and I was able to book my apartment with my credit card on the site.
The greatest spa in Berlin in one of the most luxurious hotels the city has to offer. The swimming pool is magical.
The George restaurant at the top of the Pompidou centre is perfect for a cocktail as the sun is setting or a gourmet, trendy dinner if the wallet allows. It isn't cheap.
This restaurant was part of the excellent hotel we stayed in, Die Swaene. We decided to try it out for supper, not expecting the gastronomic feast we had in store.
The food was simply delicious, the service was excellent, and the surroundings beautiful. I highly recommend this restaurant. Our selection was the five-course Menu Romeo & Juliette.
This was also one of the most expensive meals we've ever had, close to €300 for two adults and a child. This price, however, included two decent bottles of wine from the Margaux region, early 90s. We felt that the quality of the food, wine, surroundings and service made this meal well worth the price.
Die Swaene Hotel, Steenhouwersdijk, 8000 Brugge, Belgium,
+32 50/34.27.98
www.dieswaene.be
info@dieswaene.com
From Burg Square, exit on the south and cross the river, take an immediate left (north-east) and the hotel will be a block up on your right. It's a five-minute walk.
For a very special (and expensive) treat have the champagne breakfast at the Hotel de Tuilerien.
Many of the travel companies booking the resorts south of Mombasa will offer you a couple of nights in a 'Treehouse'.
Mostly tiny, with two or three individual cabins scattered on a hillside, butler service, river-water jacuzzis heated by sustainable wood fires, roving elephants nearby, and four-poster-beds that can be wheeled out to sleep under the stars (with mosquito nets, of course), these are worth looking at if you're going on honeymoon, or celebrating a birthday or anniversary. Or just feeling a bit decadent.
The Sable Treehouses in the Shimba Range of Hills were particularly lovely.
I would like to mention a great holiday we had just outside Chatel in March 2007.
We stayed at Chalet Rustique. It snowed all week and we had the best skiing ever. Plus the food was out of this world and the great hosts made us feel right at home. We booked again straight away.
If you are planning trip to Prague or Czech republic I believe that Athos Travel could really help you. Their website with many usefull information (guide, map) also offer online booking for hotels, apartments, transfers or tours. The best of all is their really personal attitude to clients. They are able to help with almost any request, suggest the best place to stay or to eat. I suggest to go through their Special offers section, where you could find really good deals.
Newbury St is Boston's Bond St, a run of luxe boutiques in refined brownstones. Sonsies is where the ladies that shop refuel and meet their well-groomed other halves. There's a restaurant at the back serving pasta dishes, but park yourself at the front, where the tables face the street and watch the chic shop.
327 Newbury St
Tel: 617 351 2500
www.sonsieboston.com/
This place is just amazing. Went there recently and had a magical time. Food was outsanding but the scenery is out of this world. Highly recommend taking a boat trip. This is for the more extravagent traveller.
You can view it here:
www.visionsofafrica.co.uk/holidaysbydestinationandtype.asp?DestinationID=1&HolidayTypeID=2
And it booked it with these guys:
www.visionsofafrica.co.uk/destination.asp?DestinationID=1
This vacation rental perched on the edge of the wild Pacific states it is 'luxury at the edge of the earth' - and it is! We spent a week here in July 2006 and didn't want to leave. Our days were spent surfing, kayaking, and hiking and evenings spent relaxing our tired bodies in the hot tub watching the whales go by - it was truly an unbelievable once in a lifetime experience. The house is located on a private beach, so beachcombing with coffee became our morning ritual. The area is one of unspoiled rugged wilderness, and one of our best meals was the salmon we caught that morning, barbequed on the beachfront porch and served on the 12 foot handmade cedar dining table - we created some wonderful family memories here. This is the wild west coast of Canada at its very best!
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