Corsica is in a sense France at its finest, although that phrase would no doubt make any self-respecting Corsican pull out his vendetta knife and stick you like a wild mountain pig. The Corsicans view themselves as an entirely different (and superior) people from the French, and are famously and fiercely independent. It’s more or […]
Sometimes when I’m hungry and wondering what restaurant will suit for the evening, I don’t go to a restaurant. I go to a Cave. A favourite blog tells me that everything cool in Paris was made popular by Americans and is mostly manufactured by the Chinese. That really made me laugh. But while it may hold true […]
‘The Pic du Canigou is my Eiffel Tower’, a winemaker in Roussillon told me; it overlooks the whole scene like the beacon of French Catalunia. The slopes and valleys around this famous Pyrenean peak make up one of my favourite areas in France to explore. And that’s saying something. The best time to pop down […]
Forget the crumbling ruins of Ancient Greece. Modern Greece is alive and kicking at the all-night-long bouzoukia. A night out at a Greek bouzoukia is like a high-decibel mixture of ‘Zorba the Greek’, ‘Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat’ and a gun-fight at a carnation farm. Sound horrible? Just try not to enjoy yourself… A bouzouki is the name of […]
What qualities are hardest to find in Parisian restaurants? Reasonable prices. Service with a smile. Flexible opening hours. Chez Casimir has them all—and they serve brunch! You’ll think you’re in America. Until you taste the food, that is. Vive la France! In fact I’m talking about two places: the side-by-side Chez Michel and Chez Casimir, […]
You’d have to be a real stick in the mud not to enjoy a weekend in one of Un Lit Au Pré’s safari-style tents, pitched uniquely in selected organic farms around the UK, France and Holland. Known as Feather Down Farms in the UK, this is a company that has the art of roughing it […]
Christian Constant is to bistro cooking what James Brown is to soul. Trace the lineage of his sous-chefs and their sous-chefs from his time as chef at the Hotel Crillon, and you’ll find all the best 40 EUR meals in Paris, scattered around in some of the most unlikely places. If things go well, I’m […]
Deyrolle is Paris’ famous taxidermy shop, where luminescent green Polynesian butterflies line the walls and stare down on stuffed jaguars and polar bears (all of which are for sale). And it famously burned down in February 2008. Thanks to a public auction and a very wealthy owner, but mostly due to the fact that the shop is as dear […]
It turns out billionaires haven’t changed that much. I’m 24 years old, I’m richer than God and I want a massive house. François 1er’s Chateau de Chambord in the Loire Valley is as Californian as architectural folly gets. The guide books will tell you otherwise, but if you really want to understand the chateaux of […]
It is easy to suffer from temple fatigue in India, regardless of how amazing they are, (and they are incredible, whether they are Jain or Hindu Temples, mosques or Brahma Temples). However, the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar (Punjab) restores the faith. It is a glorious gold edifice sitting in sparkling water in a fabulous […]
Of all the hotels, lodges, inns, B&B’s, home stays, hostels, villas, ships and couches I’ve experienced over the years, nothing makes me feel more at home than the company of a furry friend. I’m talking about dogs (to quickly clear up any confusion). New Zealand seems to incorporate man’s best friend into the environment better than […]
Special offers, particularly where travel is concerned, are imperfect for the most part. They’re either too restrictive, not really what you want, or more of a compromise than you would like. But then there are the rare gems you need to take a closer look at. For the second year in a row Wilderness Safaris is offering […]
Tswalu was born two decades ago when and English businessman named Stephen Boler began acquiring cattle farms in a far-flung corner of the southern Kalahari. His ultimate goal was to restore a huge swath of the desert back into a pristine wilderness. When Boler passed away in 1998, the reserve was taken over by the Oppenheimer family who continued […]
Brazil is hotting up for 2014. Already an intoxicating proposition due to its world-famous parties at New Year’s Eve and its epic celebrations at Carnival, the country is besotted with football (aka soccer) and can play the beautiful game almost as well as the Brits (see footy footnote below). In 2014 they are hosting the […]
Some of the best themes for trips come from our clients. Case in point, one of our favourite expeditions we worked on recently was set in the teeming streets of the UK capital for some history buff clients of ours. These particular clients are seriously interested in the great Henry VIII and we wanted to […]
It has a landscape harsher than Canada’s, geological wonders to rival New Zealand, and an altitude that will quite literally take your breath away. You may already have seen the ubiquitous optical illusion photos on the Uyuni salt flats, but there is so much more to Bolivia’s southwest. The surroundings seem to change with every […]