Category: Culture & luxury travel

Machu Picchu is a bucket list item for many, and for good reason. Even I, the jaded travel writer, had tears come to my eyes the first time I set…

This is the story of an incredible journey taken by two young women, Danielle and Morgan from the UK, who decided to hitchhike to Serbia for charity and bring awareness…

Food is an integral part of culture. But what happens when cultures change, and change rapidly, as is the case with Macau? The Macau Peninsula has long been influenced by…

Click on above photo to view it in large format: Waterfalls big and small, aquamarine rapids, and tortured rock formations create stunning scenery in Vintgar Gorge, near Lake Bled, Slovenia.…

Most of the time if you ask me what type of room I like to stay in at a hotel I’m really not too fussy. Once I’m in the right…

Our hotel curation gang get about it bit, and for October they’ve discovered three sumptuous stays with supremely sexy bedrooms. Meet G Rough hotel in Rome, Artist Residence London and Insólito Boutique…

I am no novice to Santa Fe. Over the years I’ve visited multiple times, yet I remain impressed at its lists of notable residents. Long ago my attendance at Sunday…

Today I’d like to introduce you to the most delicious cocktail I’ve ever managed to create. It’s sweet, tangy and refreshing and best enjoyed by the poolside while the sun…

The lovely Eccleston Square Hotel in London Located in the sought-after Eccleston Square, in London’s Pimlico neighbourhood, this little gem of a hotel – the Eccleston Square Hotel, was a…

Elizabeth Davey, head women’s designer for clothing label Kit and Ace, frequents art fairs with her artist husband, Andrew Dadson. With the 2015 edition of Art Basel Miami Beach less…

Unless you’re some kind of masochist, there’s absolutely nothing enjoyable about heading beyond the Arctic Circle without dressing for the occasion. The Norwegians have a saying, ‘There’s no such thing…

Visitors once just glanced over Bordeaux‘s stately 18th-century squares and harmonious architecture before heading out of town. The wine cellar at L’Intendant, a wine shop in downtown Bordeaux (Photograph by Gianluca…

It was drizzling by the time I arrived at Vintgar Gorge, but not enough to discourage me from making the hike. Truthfully, the gorge had not even been on my…

I tend not to go to the cinema unless I really want to see the film. This probably happens a handful of times each year and I must say I…

Tamara Kaye-Honey, founder of Los Angeles interior design studio House of Honey, is our kind of traveller: intrepid and in-the-know. It’s why we tapped her as a Smith Hotel Awards judge,…

Australia’s beauty is undeniable. It boasts some of the globe’s best landscapes and unique wildlife paired together with stunning beaches and clear blue waters. For the nature lover, this is…

“Is this whole place ours? The whole thing? Nah, it can’t be.” We’d followed the directions James Villas had sent us perfectly. We’d even put the address into the satnav…

On my recent trip to which began with some days in the Winelands and Cape Town, I got to do something special: for 2 days, I got to help a…

In our General Manager series, we catch up with heads of hotels for personal stories and insider perspective. This week, we get to know Tone Adserø of Hotel Cort in…

Iceland is a minefield of explosive energy, and because of this beautiful shapes and patterns are formed across the landscape. As basaltic lava cools over an extended period of time,…

You’ve gondola-ed Venice, bicycled Tuscany, shopped Milan, art-walked Florence, and climbed the hills of Rome—that’s pretty much it for Italy, right? Not by a long shot. Just look at the map.…

Click on above photo to view it in large format: The Town Tower & Town Theater on Slovene Square in Ptuj, Slovenia. The Orpheus Monument, a carved marble Roman tombstone…

I’ve always loved family run hotels. Somehow I can usually tell when I’m in one within the first five minutes. It’s a range of things that give it away. The…

Still Googling ‘where’s sunny?’ in the hopes of a last-minute break? Crete‘s still coming up with a row of happy little suns, and with a whopping discount at pool-blessed resort Domes of Elounda,…