Posts Tagged “hotel”
We travel and we spend time in hotels. Yes, but how often have we had extended time away from home and wished that we had a place to rest our heads that was a bit more like, well, home? A few more amenities would do the trick. Cheval have the answer! Cheval Three Quays is…
Isn’t it a perennial problem? What to do for Valentine’s Day! When one has had the same partner for several decades one starts to run out of romantic options. You might possibly get away with socks for Christmas, but they just don’t cut the mustard for Valentines. Jewellery is predictable, and restaurants are always full…
Pousadas de Portugal in Alentejo is a network of quality and characterful hotels that give the guest a chance to experience unique charm. The group was started in the 1940s and now has forty-three properties. The network is mostly owned by the Portuguese government but managed by a private group, Grupo Pestana Pousadas. The first Pousada…
One muses on holidays in Europe next year: perhaps France, as the south does have amazing weather and there is always the food. Perhaps a winter break to enjoy some bearable temperatures and maybe even some patches of blue sky. Spain has the ever-popular tapas as well as those vibrant cities of Barcelona and Madrid….
Kuala Lumpur is a sometimes overlooked gem. It’s overshadowed by its glitzy cousin, Singapore, but this city has its own vibrancy and a unique character that deserves to be promoted. It’s not just a stop-over en route to some rather nice beaches, it can be an exciting and exotic destination in its own right. It’s…
“The hotel bar which some say concocts one of the world’s best Martinis” – New York Times talks about Dukes! There are many great hotels in London. There is a host of memorable boutique hotels in London. There are several with stylish bars in London. There is only one Dukes Bar in the whole world….
St James’s Hotel is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful hotels in London, a city that has some of the most beautiful hotels in the world. It’s a boutique hotel set in a Victorian townhouse but its red brick and ornate stonework make this a jewel in an already glittering city crown. St…
Singapore is blessed with hotels of every comfort hue. There are a few cheap and cheerful (if you are lucky) small hotels and a wealth of high-end spots to lay one’s travel-weary head. But as with property of any kind, it’s location, location, location that adds the word ‘memorable’ to ‘comfort’. Park Regis Singapore is…
with Executive Chef Massimo Pasquarelli and Executive Pastry Chef Terence Pang The Ritz-Carlton Singapore is one of my favourite comfort destinations. It’s a delight to stay there but also to visit and enjoy on Sundays when work is over, or when one needs a civilised sit-down garnished with stunningly delicious food. They are famed for…
Singapore is special in so many ways. It’s many-faceted and presents the food lover with temptations at every turn. Opportunities for vibrant casual eating abound but there are also those restaurants that present the visitor with delicious memories along with unadulterated gastronomic pampering. The Vintage Champagne Sunday Brunch at Greenhouse in The Ritz-Carlton is iconic…
There seems to be no waning of the popularity of afternoon tea. It was, quite a while back, regarded as chintzy and stuffy but now it is considered a real meal, rather than an event of boring obligation for your Great Aunt Betty’s 80th birthday. Andaz offers a warming version of afternoon tea. I personally…
Think about Old London and what scene comes to mind? Fog, intertwined alleys and hidden courtyards, probably. Iron railings, warm brick, brass plaques. And hotels: yes, every Edwardian writer seemed to talk about hotels. They were the acceptable places in which to meet friends and to dine, when restaurants were less numerous than they are…
He is a Michelin-starred chef and a Roux Scholarship winner but Chef Matthew Tomkinson seems untouched by his celebrity. He is a nice bloke who loves his work, and the rest is just the proverbial icing on the well-presented cake. I asked Matthew if he came from a cheffy background. Did his family have anything…
Sonning! It sounds ancient and smart and indeed it is just that. It’s a chocolate-box pretty spot that is so quintessentially English and timeless. That same quality is found at The French Horn. St Andrew’s Church, in the centre of the village, was founded in Saxon times – probably by Birinus, first bishop of Dorchester-on-Thames….
The French Horn is iconic, quintessentially English and has a celebrated restaurant. The chef has an equally enviable reputation but she isn’t English. This is, after all the ‘French’ Horn. The owner is Michael Emmanuel and he knows what makes a good chef. “We’ve always been about good food cooked well and delivered properly. I’ve…
The neighbourhood belongs to the Worshipful Company of Mercers. A mercer was a dealer in textiles and The Mercers’ Company is one of the 108 Livery Companies of the City of London, established around 700 years ago. These days the organisation is known for its charities and schools but Mercer Street still bears the name…
It was a hot evening, a rare one in England this summer, when we walked into The French Horn. This is perhaps one of the most beautiful of country inns on the banks of the Thames. There was blazing sunshine outside and a roaring log fire inside. In fact the hotel (it’s described as a…
Andrew Wilson has returned to Ashdown Park Hotel in Sussex for the third time and he is now executive chef. It’s not difficult to understand the appeal: it’s the quintessential English country house hotel – Gothic Victorian architecture and more than 180 acres of grounds. Andrew heads a team of 25 in the kitchen at…
Singapore is perhaps my favourite spot on the planet. At least I can say it’s the most wonderful place I have visited to date. Its climate, cuisine (that should be plural), its architecture, history and also its people make this an unmissable city vacation. It’s a shame that Singapore is so often viewed as just…
It’s appropriate that I have a review of this restaurant just now. We have just watched the Cricket World Cup semi-final and are about to settle in front of the TV to watch the final (the equivalent of the American Super-Bowl or the Football World Cup), when India will face Sri Lanka. But the food…