A luxury boutique Tuscan wine resort and hotel – Conti di San Bonifacio. Ever since reading Lampedusa’s The Leopard in my twenties I have wanted to be an Italian aristocrat of noble lineage. However, the Count of San Bonifacio got there first and his family line can be traced back for over 1000 years whereas […]
Five top places to visit in Basilicata, southern Italy
Exploring the beautiful region of Basilicata, southern Italy Basilicata, a beautiful region in southern Italy, is one of the lesser known parts of the country but, as I discovered recently, certainly somewhere worth exploring. The stunning hilltop towns and villages rise above verdant green valleys. This region is very mountainous with the Dolomiti Lucane mountain […]
Hotel Leone, Montelparo – Compact Boutique Hotel With Much More
A Wine Lover’s Break to Hotel Leone, Montelparo, Marche. What happens when you follow your dreams? For Tim and Madeline Jones you end up with a stunning boutique hotel in a picturesque and unspoilt hilltop village in Marche. It just so happens that the hotel was once a Palazzo, part of the village of Montelparo. […]
Spotlight on Southwest Iceland
A two-centre holiday offers an Icelandic immersion! Iceland, violently created through the fusion of fire and ice, is a country worth building a relationship with. Its vast landscape can test the nerves of an experienced thrill-seeker whilst its eco-system is a nature-lovers paradise. With dramatic waterfalls, crystal-blue rivers, hidden valleys and wide, wide horizons it’s […]
St Quentin, France – A Phoenix From The Ashes of War
Three reasons to visit St Quentin, Aisne, France. Why visit St Quentin? The largest City in the Aisne, at the beginning of the 13th Century it was a thriving city thanks to the wool textile industry and its proximity to the Champagne region and to the cities of Flanders. Saint-Quentin Town Hall with its flamboyant […]
Hotel Antica Torre di Via Tornabuoni n.1 in Florence
A Room With A View – Florence. E.M. Forster’s A Room With A View opens with a very proper English young lady, Miss Lucy Honeychurch, and her priggish cousin and chaperone, Miss Charlotte Bartlett making a trip to Florence. On arrival at their pensione they discover that their room doesn’t have a view of the […]
Paris Food Tour with Eating Europe
Hip Eats and Backstreets – a Paris Food Tour. One of the best ways to get under the skin of a city like Paris is by taking a walking tour. For my money, the best walking tours always involve food – not just because I love to eat but because with a food tour there’s […]
The Bower House Shipston – Hotel review
Boutique Hotel and Dining Experience at The Bower House, Shipston. The Bower House Restaurant with Rooms is located in the heart of Shipston-On-Stour, a charming market town just 11 miles north of Stratford-Upon-Avon and 10 miles south of Chipping Norton. A great base for exploring the beautiful rolling hills of the Cotswolds, there are many […]
Chamonix Mont Blanc – Ski Season:
Winter Skiing Trip, Chamonix Mont Blanc. There is no better way to raise the spirits than being high up in the mountains surrounded by beautiful scenery and fresh air. Last year I visited Chamonix Mont Blanc in the summer so was thrilled to have the opportunity to visit again during the ski season this time. […]
Le Pavillon des Lettres – a Literary Hotel in Paris:
Boutique Hotel in the 8ième Arrondissement Paris – Le Pavillon des Lettres. Any regular visitor to Paris will have their favourite Arrondissement. Mine has always been the 6ième – Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Latin Quarter and the Luxembourg Gardens- an area full of cafés with history, old churches and heritage. I seldom stray – this time, tempted […]