First-time visitors to Havana can feel they are in a dream, coasting through a fantastic cityscape of colonial fortifications, Art Deco towers and Fifties hotels, uncluttered by advertising but punctuated by the bold colours and lines of painted propaganda. Part of their character comes from their decay, from the peeling layers of lemon-yellow and sea-green paint, chipped tiles and…
From ornate Victorian water towers to wave-battered houses in the sea, Britain in bursting with unusual places to stay. Try one from this list below, and you’ll refuse to stay in a Travelodge ever again. La Rosa, Whitby, North Yorkshire Way before the “glamping” revolution, a campsite near Whitby started putting people up in vintage…
You might be impressed by the stately location of the Hotel Gellert, just over the “Liberty Bridge” on the western bank of the Danube, anchoring the old section of Buda. You might enjoy this picturesque scene especially after dark (and you’ll certainly feel compelled to take pictures) on your way back across the bridge from…
Feeling flush? Or perhaps just in need of a treat? Why not try one of these luxurious and extravagant establishments… Babington House, Somerset Babington House, near Frome, pioneered the modern brand of country-house chic back in 1998, when its seductive mix of heritage, pampering and cool design, set against a backdrop of rolling Somerset hills,…
People have looked to the mountains for spiritual consolation for millennia. “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,” say the Psalms, “from whence cometh my help.” For Nepalis, the link is especially powerful. The Himalayas are where the Hindu gods go to meditate and replenish their tapas, or spiritual “heat”, and the Buddhist…
Escaping tourists can be difficult in some of the world’s more popular destinations, but it’s still possible if you know where to look. Travelling the extra few miles can really pay off. These destinations are in or near very popular places but are just far enough removed to offer true isolation and respite from your…
As dawn breaks in India’s largest and noisiest city, there’s a hubbub on Chowpatty beach that sounds altogether stranger than the car horns, bus engines and tinny radios that provide the usual rush-hour soundtrack. Standing in a circle on the pale yellow sands of the beach, a group of men and women are twirling their…
You’ve got a free week at the start of spring, and you want a dose of fun in the sun… but what’s that, you say? You don’t want it to involve body shots and wet T-shirt contests? American high school and college students may descend on beaches en masse in March and April, but that…
Marrakesh is bewitching, but boy can it wear you out: the sun is unforgiving, it’s noisy and dusty, you’ll get lost in the medina more times than you can count, and everyone seems to have something to sell you. Stepping out from the tranquillity of your riad into the heat of the street can feel…
Most people visit Iceland in summer, when once or twice a week it actually stops raining and the sun shines in a way that makes you think, briefly, about taking off your sweater. The hills show off their green, yellow and red gravel faces to best effect, and you can even get around easily without…