Category: Favourites

Zagreb: Croatia

Zagreb Croatia   As a travel writer I’m usually too busy flying somewhere to enter competitions but every once in a while I throw my business card into the hat, thank goodness I did. I recently won an all expenses paid trip for two to Zagreb, Croatia’s capital, courtesy of Monarch Airlines and the Zagreb

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A Japanese Banquet: Hampton Court Palace

A Japanese Banquet Hampton Court Palace   I had never been to a ‘washoku’ banquet before let alone at Hampton Court Palace. I was intrigued. I was the guest of The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, JA (Japan Agricultural Cooperatives) Group and JA Group Kyoto. Washoku is a Japanese meal consisting of four elements:

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Central America: A New Revolution

Central America A New Revolution   Once the hotbed of revolution and unrest the collection of seven countries that separate the Americas are experiencing something of a renaissance, a revolution in tourism if you will. Visiting three of them gave me a flavour of what’s on offer to the more adventurous visitor. I started my

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The Grill at McQueen: London

McQueen Grill 55 – 61 Tabernacle Street London EC2A 4AA Tel: 020 7036 9229   Can you see the connection between Somebody Up There Likes Me, The Blob or Nevada Smith? OK, I’ll make it a bit easier, can you see what links these, The Great Escape, Bullitt and The Thomas Crown Affair? That’s right

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D – Resorts: Turkey

  D–Resorts Turkey   Quicker than driving down to Devon from London or the immigration queue to enter America, the flight to Dalaman in Southern Turkey is easy and simple with Monarch (extra leg room available). My destination, D-Resort Grand Azur was a short drive from the airport. I checked into my suite on 5th

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The Gotthard Panoramic Express: Switzerland

The Gotthard Panorama Express Switzerland   Armed with a Swiss Travel Pass I was able to go pretty much anywhere on the train network and also gain access to hundreds of museums and gondola rides in 75 towns and cities. But what I really wanted to do was ride the Gotthard Panorama Express south to

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Primavera restaurant, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel: Bahrain

Primavera Ritz-Carlton Hotel Bldg. 112, King Mohammed VI Ave Block 428 Al Seef District, Manama Bahrain Every once in a while I come across a little gem of a place tucked away somewhere. In the case of Primavera Bahrain not so much tucked away just not very well known. It should be. There is Italian

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Moksha Indian restaurant: London

Moksha 216 Kingston Road New Malden KT3 RJ Tel: 020 8949 2211   Hindu philosophy is full of wise words and Moksha seems to be one of them. In Sanskrit it looks like this: मोक्ष, mokṣa, also called vimoksha, vimukti and mukti, is a term in Hinduism and Hindu philosophy which refers to various forms

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The Atlantic Hotel: Jersey

The Atlantic Hotel Le Mont de la Pulente, St Brelade, Jersey JE3 8HE Channel Islands Telephone +44 (0)1534 744101   I like things to be easy, especially travel arrangements. Getting to Jersey from Gatwick Airport took me 35 minutes in the air. That’s easy. And upon landing, collecting my case from one of the two

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Qatar: A Taste of Adventure

Doha Qatar The desert is and always will be a special place for me. Refuge for some, the enemy for others. Most of us westerners find its harsh conditions a challenge but I feel it has been undersold. With the right approach it can be rewarding, exciting and like nowhere else on earth. Welcome to

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Polo Bar, The Westbury Hotel: London

Polo Bar The Westbury Hotel 37 Conduit Street Mayfair London W1S 2YF Tel: 202 7629 7755   The first glimpse of the über cool Polo Bar is just that, a glimpse. Casting my eyes through the glass beads that screen the bar from Conduit Street all I could manage to see were some blurred shadows

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South Sands Boutique Hotel: Devon

South Sands Boutique Hotel Bolt Head Salcombe Devon TQ8 8LL Tel: 01548 845900   Driving South West from London it was the last stage of pillows of green and auburn fringed hedgerows that confirmed I was in Devon. The beauty of modern navigation in a car is that it takes one the most ‘direct’ route not

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Tahiti: Paradise Found

Tahiti Paradise Found   I wouldn’t dream of attempting to improve John Milton’s Paradise Lost, with its 10,000 lines of blank verse, biblical storylines of Satan, Adam and Eve. But what I can do is write with confidence about my recent trip to Tahiti in French Polynesia and how it could very well be paradise

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Porto and North Portugal

Porto and North Portugal Autumn had truly begun when I visited Porto in early November. The crisp clear air was a pleasant change from the cold damp London I had come from. Portugal is lovely this time of year with the leaves turning shades of tan and brown and a bright sun low in the

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Wagyu Beef

Wagyu Beef The King of Meats   Wagyu or Wa Gyu which, translated means Japanese Cattle is a supreme form of beef. There are imitators and cross breads but only the real thing comes from Japan. Strict breeding protocols and high levels of welfare are part of the story that makes Wagyu such a tremendous

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