Hôtel de Crillon may forever be as quintessentially French as pétanque, café culture and the double kiss, but it was an ageing star. Now though, through some new links to the Middle East, it has been thoroughly renovated and is back among the best hotels in Paris. My arrival in…
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Places
ZHA’s state-of-the-art 576 million USD Al Janoub Stadium has been built especially for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar but even after the fun and games of 2022 are over, it’ll continue to serve as a worthwhile sports space. Qatar is gearing up for one of the most momentous events…
Chaps & Co’s motto of “bringing back the old-school traditions” of the barbershop may be great and all but it’s the approachable staff, stylish décor and affordable prices that’ll have you coming back for more. A trip to the local barber has the power to be rejuvenative. Not just because,…
From design to gastronomy, there are no stones left unturned at The Bodrum Edition. It is a fabulous escape by Marriott’s hippest hotel chain. Great music? Check. Great lighting? Check. Amazing 130 square-metre villa suite replete with fresh orchids, a sleek, standalone tub and a beautiful sea view from a…
Looking to escape electronic screens, urban riff-raff and maybe even (GASP!) Wi-Fi? Then this little bed & breakfast nestled in trees overlooking the Mediterranean Sea may be just the place. It took a few confused U-turns before we finally pinpointed the small road leading to Beit Al Batroun, a quaint…
It’s hard to think of anything as simple in Dubai. You might even call the glitzy city a Babylon for our era: built to wow the world and endowed with the world’s tallest tower, man-made islands shaped like palm trees and marble everything, ideally inlaid with gold. Ferraris and Rolls…
Amsterdam may be small and easy to navigate by bike, but it’s never dull. A prime example of progressive living, bottled inside a charming 17th century city, it offers art, culture and gastronomic delights in spades. For decades, Amsterdam was characterised as a drug-dealing, sex-crazed, freewheeling city of psychedelic misadventure.…
Let’s begin with the 46-suite MERCHANT HOUSE in Manama, which is Bahrain’s first five-star boutique hotel and just the second Middle Eastern property for Campbell Gray Hotels (after Le Gray in Beirut). Highlights include an abundance of art, an impressive library and a delightful rooftop garden and restaurant. Next we…
Discretely built into volcanic rock and surrounded by the curative waters of Iceland’s most popular tourist attraction, The Retreat at Blue Lagoon is the country’s first five-star resort and a perfect way to brave the Arctic Circle. Winter can take its toll on even the hardiest of Canadians, which is…
One of Dubai’s greatest low profile culinary gems dares to modernise traditional Indian cuisine with flavour-bursting food that is creatively prepared and imaginatively executed. 1 We love an insider’s secret and Trèsind has all the halmarks of one, as it’s neither pretentious nor contrived and it’s hidden away in plain sight…