| Back To The Future - The Best Retro Places To Stay And Play (Part 1) |
| When the Turner Contemporary gallery opened in Margate last year, it didn’t just entice a run of art-loving hipsters to Tracey Emin’s childhood stomping ground. It also encouraged a clutch of specialist vintage stores to spring up in this formerly neglected corner of Kent. |
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| Rome - Around Town : Around the Pantheon (part 1) |
| During the Roman Empire the Tiber Bend area was a public training ground for soldiers called the Campo Marzio. With Rome’s fall, the city turned its back on this riverside neighbourhood and, aside from a few foreign settlements, it wasn’t until the 15th century that anything other than a few churches was built here. |
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| A Trip To Spiti's Left Bank (Part 2) - Information |
| Spiti valley is only approached via road from Shimla (Kinnaur) or Manali (Kullu road). It takes nearly 2 days driving from Shimla to Tabo or Kaza. We did take a taxi from Shimla (try services from Bandbox Height & Valleys; for $23.5-$25.5 per day including fee of petrol and driver). |
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| A Trip To Spiti's Left Bank (Part 1) |
| Above the left bank of Spiti River, in the shadow of Himalaya’s rain, lies a beautiful and peaceful land. Covered with snow within 6 months, with temperature falling under -25 degrees Celsius, this highland becomes alive in such a short summer. |
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| UK getaway : Goodwood Hotel, West Sussex |
| Head to The Waterbeach Spa for reflexology, volcanic pebble therapy, Indian head massages or for the very special ‘Nurturing Nights package; it costs $480 for two people, with all meals included for the day and night, and guests can choose between a facial, a luxury manicure and pedicure or a shoulder and neck massage to enjoy. |
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| Tanzania - Not Just Exotic Names (Part 4) |
| The next stop, about 300km south of Dares Salaam, past the massive and trackless Rufiji River delta, is Kilwa Masoko. This soporific hamlet is seemingly stuck in a permanent stupor. Nothing moves fast here, apart from pick-up trucks careering along the town's only paved street and South African charter fishing boats speeding offshore. |
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| Tanzania - Not Just Exotic Names (Part 3) |
| Our first stop on the mainland is Pangani, a sleepy town with an atmospheric waterfront lined with Omani-Era buildings and cut by Narrow Alley hiding carved wooden doors |
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| Tanzania - Not Just Exotic Names (Part 2) |
| Away from Stone Town, traditional life still follows the rhythms of the tides and the winds of the monsoon, seemingly oblivious to (but soon to be overwhelmed by) the mushrooming chain of resorts that line much of the island's northern and eastern edges. |
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| Tanzania - Not Just Exotic Names (Part 1) |
| The East African coast is timeless. You can see it in the gnarled bark of baobabs, feel it in the Indian Ocean sunrise, and absorb it when watching the centuries-old rhythms of local life. |
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| City of Gods |
| Having sworn off Italy’s Amalfi Coast for being overcrowded, Emily Wright is won over by the glorious old-world charm of the Excelsior Vittoria – and the classical education she gets as she walks the Path of the Gods… |
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| Beach Volleyball In Devon |
| Being blessed with neither the stature nor the hand-eye coordination of a natural sportswoman, I'm nervous about learning beach volleyball. Will I be any good? Will it hurt? And how do I get the Baywatch theme tune out of my head when I'm playing? |
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| Essential Africa … Swaziland (Part 1) |
| Play word association with ‘Swaziland’ and the first two words that spring to mind are probably `tiny' and `king'. That's if anything springs to mind at all, given how little we tend to hear about this southern African nation. |
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| Essential Africa … Swaziland (Part 2) |
| Lobamba is Swaziland's traditional seat of power and located opposite the royal kraal at Ludzidzini. It is home to today's parliament, the National Museum and the King Sobhuza Memorial Park - a tribute to the late, revered monarch. |
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| Essential Africa … Swaziland (Part 3) |
| This private, upmarket reserve offers Swaziland's most exclusive safari experience. Among the big game reintroduced to their former habitat here are elephant, buffalo, giraffe, hippo, white rhino and rare black rhino. |
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| Madrid - Around Town : Royal Madrid (part 1) |
| The Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales and the Monasterio de la Encarnación are both royal foundations, dating from the Hapsburg era, while work on the Palacio Real began in the reign of Felipe V. Joseph Bonaparte was king of Spain for only four years (1808–12), but he laid the plans for the Plaza de Oriente. |
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| Beijing - Around Town : Trips Out of Town |
| Beijing has more than enough sights to keep the average visitor busy, but after traveling all this way, it would be a shame not to grasp the opportunity to get out of the city. |
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| Holistic Austrian Retreat |
| I’m standing on the edge of a silver lake and tears are streaming down my face. But it’s not sadness I feel. The setting sun has left a fragile pink glow over the mountains and, as I listen to the slow movement from Mahler’s Fifth on my iPod, I’m surrounded by such beauty that all I feel is joy, and I realise the work of Viva Mayr Spa is done. |
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| My Sweet Escape |
| Squirrelled away on a lofty floor of Claridge’s is a spa gem. It is intimate, with just three treatment rooms, and has such charm. It uses Sisley products, which are a delight (the Sisleya Body Therapy is absurdly effective), and there’s a men’s range, so if you are away with a lover you can both book in to maximum effect. |
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| Landmarks of The World (Part 2) - Stonehenge, Ayers rock, Wall of China,The Eiffel Tower |
| A survey conducted at the end of last year has revealed that more Brits have visited the Eiffel Tower than they have Buckingham Place. While the purpose of the research is to suggest that Brits are neglecting their heritage in favour of foreign landmarks, it needs to be pointed out that the Eiffel Tower is, in fact, the most visited of all the world’s landmarks. |
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| Chicago - Around Town - South Loop (part 1) |
| Just south of the business-centric Loop, this sprawling area mixes ethnic enclaves such as Chinatown (founded in the 1870s by migrant transcontinental railroad workers) with uppercrust addresses, built after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. |
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| Munich - Around Town : Along the Isar River (part 1) |
| Four distinct neighbourhoods flank the east bank of the Isar: Bogenhausen, Haidhausen, Au, and Giesing. Bogenhausen is an exclusive district studded with villas and inhabited by many prominent citizens; lively Haidhausen has the best and most extensive bar scene; parts of Au and Giesing, on the other hand, still have a special working-class charm. |
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| Seattle - Around Town - Ballard (part 1) |
| In the late 19th century, Scandinavian loggers and fishermen established a working waterfront which is still functioning a full century later. Seattle annexed Ballard in 1907, taking advantage of the huge economic growth the mill town fostered; by then Ballard was the state’s third largest city. |
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| Barcelona - Around Town - Montjuïc (part 1) |
| Named the “Jewish Mountain”, after an important Jewish cemetery that existed here in the Middle Ages, this sizeable and mountainous park rises 213 m (700 ft) above the port. |
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| Exit To Eden |
| There’s town where faiths and tribes intermingle, where birth rates are below average, and culture and art flourish – but it also stands on top of lucrative mining profits. How long can it hold out? |
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| Before The Rains |
| High up in the air, however, Kenya transforms into a different kind of creature – primal, prehistoric, and capable of inspiring wonder. As we hovered over game reserves where the grass seemed to roll on forever, the jangled din of the city dissolved into the gentle lull of the jungle. |
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| Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Founded in 1925, the beautiful Virunga is Africa's oldest national park. One of the most bio-diverse protected areas on the continent, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, it is reputed to have more endemic species than other any park in Africa. |
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| The Poseidon Adventure |
| This is a wild island surrounded by bushy jungles which are filled with trees, streams and fountains. There are approximately 100,000 goats on the island. There are not too many tourists and they go in a small group. |
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| Passage Of Time |
| Most of the Korean history was under the dominance of empires. The isolation of Korea in 19th century brings it a name called “Hermit Kingdom”, and in those sad periods, Korea was still dependent on external forces. |
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