A Detox and Retox at the Cotswold House and Spa: Many tourists visiting England complete our version of the Golden Triangle; London, Oxford, and Stratford Upon Avon. Whilst each of these has a huge variety of stunning locations, hotels, restaurants, and sights, it’s rather a shame to hurtle through Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire without taking some […]
Living the Dream with The Royalton St Lucia
A Diamond Affair at The Royalton St Lucia: The concept of an all-inclusive resort like the recently opened Royalton on St Lucia is both amazing and terrifying for me. As an independent traveller for most of my life, I’m used to planning my itinerary, finding the best restaurants to visit, working out the tours and […]
Ye Olde Bell Hotel, Restaurant and Spa
A Nottingham Spa Hotel and Restaurant – a little bit of luxury: It’s amazing where you can get on the train in less than 90 minutes from London. Sitting midway between London and Edinburgh in the village of Barnby Moor, Ye Olde Bell Spa Hotel and Restaurant is just a short cab ride from Retford […]
Careys Manor and SenSpa, New Forest – Review
Recharging the Batteries at Careys Manor and SenSpa: What a fine idea, to take a short break just before Christmas at a Spa Hotel. I’ve been intrigued by SenSpa for some time – a Thai spa in the New Forest seems unlikely on paper so I was not entirely sure what to expect. But when […]
A Little Luxury On My Doorstep – The Runnymede Hotel and Spa
Staycation at The Runnymede Hotel and Spa: I remember The Runnymede Hotel from the days when I had a 9-5 job and worked in Newbury. Somewhere just off the A3, in what was the English equivalent of Silicon Valley, we used to have meetings there. There’s a massive lounge area and some rather good conference […]
Discovering Catalonia – Part 1
A short break to Catalonia, Spain: Catalonia is a region of Spain that, other than from a couple of short city breaks to its capital Barcelona, has never been on my radar. Little did I know what I had been missing – read on and discover more of Catalonia with me! I have recently returned […]
A Hideaway at Highbullen Hotel
Highbullen Hotel, Golf and Country Club: So far, we are having an almost perfect English summer this year. Of course, there have been a few days which are just a little too hot in the City, and on those days what better than to escape to the Country – somewhere like Highbullen Hotel. A couple […]
The St Pancras Renaissance – Belvedere Spritz and Spa
An Introduction to the St Pancras Renaissance and Belvedere Vodka. Although I work from home and enjoy a flexible lifestyle, I seldom take a full day out from work. But, right now my house is full of builders who have been refurbishing the living room – the space directly above my study. So, an invitation […]
Down Hall Country House Hotel – the perfect country getaway.
Down Hall – A Country House Retreat: We arrived at Down Hall after sunset and swept up the long avenue that led to the beautifully illuminated hotel. A grand house, dating back to the 14th century, in the heart of the Essex countryside awaited us. We were shown to our room which was comfortably cosy, decorated […]
SPAshell comes to Fishmore Hall in Ludlow
A Shropshire Sojourn with SPAshell: Fishmore Hall is a rather lovely boutique country house hotel in beautiful Shropshire. Like many fine English houses, it served its time as a school, then fell derelict and unloved until rescued by its current owner, Laura Penman. Laura has a wonderful eye, and although this is a country house […]