Category: Travel
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A LAP OF LUXURY IN THE HEART OF LISBON – PALACIO PRÍNCIPE REAL
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The recently opened Palácio Príncipe Real hotel is described by owners Miles and Gail Curley as an “oasis” in the heart of Lisbon, and no other word could more accurately define this very special place created by the talented couple. Situated close to the buzzing Bairro Alto area, the hotel…
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TRAVELS AROUND THE NORTH-WEST OF THE PENINSULA
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Portugal has been gaining in popularity with tourists in recent years thanks to its stunning landscape and beaches, superb gastronomy and wealth of history. We visited the north of this once underrated member of the Iberian Peninsula to stay in the exquisite M Maison Particulière hotel situated in the…
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SIX SENSES DOURO VALLEY
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SUMPTUOUS CUISINE, CUTTING-EDGE DÉCOR AND EXCEPTIONAL SPA Six Senses could hardly have chosen a more stunning setting when establishing their first resort in Europe. Located in the Douro Valley UNESCO World Heritage site in northern Portugal, at the foot of a valley, the magnificent hotel complex offers picturesque…
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Design Showcase – BOHO CLUB
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And Now for Something Different… Bohemian-Chic Boutique Hotel in the Heart of Marbella When Swedish developer Quartiers Properties bought a rundown recreational complex in Marbella, the plan was to resurrect it as an upscale and stylish retreat. But not just any hotel matching the classic whitewashed Mediterranean style so common…
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MEMORABLE SAILING EXPERIENCE at Puente Romano Beach Resort
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Guests staying at Puente Romano Beach Resort are now able enjoy a new eco-friendly way to view the Mediterranean. This summer, the Andalucian villagestyle resort on the beachfront between Marbella and Puerto Banús launched a new service for clients (available throughout the year), enabling them to sail around the Mediterranean…
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“STAY SAFE” Measures in Place at Flagship Costa de la Luz Hotel
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Major hotel chains around Spain cautiously re-opened for this year’s main tourist season, adding strict coronavirus safeguards to their customary offerings of luxurious leisure and relaxation. Cádiz was one of the least-affected Spanish provinces when the pandemic hit Spain, prompting an unprecedented nation-wide lockdown, but top hotels in the area…
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PETUNIA IBIZA MAGICAL PANORAMA and Exquisite Mediterranean Cuisine
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One of Ibiza’s most tranquil and picturesque hotel settings now has an added attraction for booking a summer stay. Just before the coronavirus pandemic halted the tourism industry throughout Spain, the owners of the Petunia Ibiza hotel purchased a popular family-owned restaurant on the island. La Mesa Escondida was their…
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Bohemian Spirit…
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BIKINI ISLAND & MOUNTAIN HOTEL PORT DE SÓLLER Bohemian Spirit, in Blissful Mallorca Setting For even inveterate travellers, this is a part of Mallorca many have not discovered yet. With picturesque orange groves, a backdrop of the spectacular Tramuntana mountain range and next to the Mediterranean Sea, Bikini Island &…
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Sunborn Gibraltar
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AN IN-DEPTH INSIGHT INTO THE LUXURY FLOATING HOTEL ON OUR DOORSTEP Since the Sunborn opened in 2014, many of us living on the Costa del Sol and Gibraltar have visited this venue, whether it was to try our luck in the casino or simply enjoy a drink in one of…
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SHOREDITCH HOTEL Innovative Urban resort in London
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When designing the mixed-use Shoreditch Hotel building in East London, the architects’ objective was to explore an “alternative contemporary language” as a formal response to the site conditions. The intersection of Old Street and Great Eastern Street is an iconic landmark in the area, with the ancient Roman street widening…
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BARCELÓ MÁLAGA – Award-Winning Décor… and Rooftop Hotspot
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Barceló Málaga’s innovative “lobby art” has been honoured with a new award. Veredictas, organisers of the 18th edition of the Premios Letra – annual awards that recognise excellence in visual and graphic communication within decorative surroundings – presented the hotel with a best sign-writing silver award for its B-Lounge lobby design project. The project was created and…
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FINCA LA DONAIRA
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A Way of Life… You would be forgiven for thinking that this sleepy neighbourhood nestled in the hills near Ronda, and situated near the whitewashed Andalucian village of El Gastor, is like any other traditional town we come across in southern Spain, but be prepared to be blown away… Cars…
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Dehesa de Alcuzcuz
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A CAPTIVATING HIDDEN SECRET OVERLOOKING THE MEDITERRANEAN By Johnny Gates Add a good dash of classic English country house charm to individual creative flair and the result is just the ambience architect-interior designer Jaime Parladé was seeking when he transformed his home above San Pedro de Alcántara in…
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Cutting-Edge “New Spain” Design Concept
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FOR MADRID HOTEL It has been described as the most unconventional hotel in Madrid and has received several glowing media testimonials for its conceptual art and design. The Daily Telegraph newspaper, for example, included Barceló Torre de Madrid in its “The Coolest Design Hotel in Madrid” list, while other…
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“Fresh & Wild” Summer Launched
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AT ESTRELLA DEL MAR IN MARBELLA Vincci Hotels invited guests to a lavish opening party in June to mark the beginning of a new summer season at the Beach Club Estrella del Mar. The hotel club’s “Fresh & Wild” theme is inspired by the area’s water-based and natural attractions. It…
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Chic Style at the DoubleTree by Hilton Resort
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After an earlier collaboration in Paris, Home & Lifestyle Magazine once again joined the modelling agency Scouting Division for a glamorous fashion photo shoot – this time closer to home at the DoubleTree by Hilton Resort & Spa Reserva del Higuerón. The hotel is one of the Costa del Sol’s…
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Travel Getaways
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Funky Sounds in the City of Light Located in a venerable music-orientated Paris neighbourhood, the Idol Hotel offers guests a sensorial experience aimed at awakening all senses – sight as much as touch and hearing. It provides the emotion of a design hotel with the added attraction of sound and…
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Travel: tranquil luxury havens around Spain
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Botanical Haven on Madrid’s Skyline Located in the heart of Madrid’s chic Gran Via, Hotel Indigo has drawn a strong design influence from the area’s close links with Spanish culture, fashion and architecture. The boutique-style rooms provide a “spa-inspired bathroom experience”, the gastrobar and restaurant offer locally-created Mediterranean cuisine,…
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Stellar Space in Barcelona
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Travel & Getaways Stellar Space in Barcelona Travel takes on a new dimension at the recently refurbished Barceló Sants hotel in Barcelona. Transformed with a more avant-garde image, the hotel offers “an imaginary trip into outer space” in tranquil, original surroundings. The “Orbital” rooms and suites feature large windows with…
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Palatial Splendour on Rails
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Combining timeless sophistication and contemporary comforts, luxury train journeys are for many inveterate travellers the only way to enjoy a truly tranquil, stress-free holiday break. With airport security measures becoming increasingly onerous, traffic congestion on the roads causing extreme exasperation during peak seasons and most cruise ships packed with enough…
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Urban Archaeology in Palma
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Travel & Getaways Urban Archaeology in Palma Located in a part of Palma that is swathed in venerable charm, the Hotel Cort is an intriguing link between the city’s chic cosmopolitanism and traditional allure. It is the ideal base for visitors seeking a haven away from the island’s…
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Belle Époque Opulence in San Sebastian
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Hotel María Cristina Since the inauguration of the San Sebastian International Film Festival in 1953, global stars including Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, Woody Allen, Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Brad Pitt and Susan Sarandon have enjoyed the stylish grandeur of the Hotel María Cristina. The hotel was opened in 1912 and…
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Mandarin Oriental: Caring About the Little Things
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Travel & Getaways Grand hotels are generally survivors of an era when world travellers moved stylishly from the Savoy in London to the Norfolk in Nairobi, to Raffles in Singapore and the Alvear Palace in Buenos Aires. They were places offering the most comfort, the best food and concierges who…
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El Gecko Hotel
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El Gecko Hotel – Charming Riverside and Mountain Retreat Located in Cortes de la Frontera, the hotel is a wonderful getaway for residents and visitors seeking peace, tranquillity, fine wines and gourmet dining in the heart of the Andalucian countryside. By Annabel Milnes-Smith Many living on the coast think that Marbella…
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A world on our doorstep
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Just on the edge of the Costa del Sol is a pioneering railway line that once opened new frontiers and recently drew the makers of Michael Portillo’s BBC series “Great Continental Railway Journeys” to our part of the world. Living on the Costa del Sol you could be in a…
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Gibraltar Floating Hotel
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Five-star floating luxury… in Gibraltar Gibraltar has remained relatively immune from the crisis afflicting Spain, maintaining a flourishing economy. But it’s not all plain sailing. As Brian Stevendale, CEO for Sunborn Gibraltar, notes, “There is a gap in Gibraltar’s hotel offering for a genuine international-standard five-star establishment. The highest rating currently…
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Underwater Spa in the Maldives
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Natural wonderland… with an underwater spa Travellers seeking a paradisiacal setting for their holiday or getaway have no difficulty finding a vast and varied range of options around the world, from island havens to über-luxury nature resorts. Coming across something that breaks the clichéd mould, or offers a radically distinctive…
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Le Meridien
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Le Méridien: Artistic refinement in the heart of Barcelona When guests arrive at the Le Méridien on Barcelona’s iconic Las Ramblas boulevard, one of the elements they come across is “Arrival Art Work”, created exclusively for the hotel by Joan Fontcuberta. This sets the scene of a culturally refined…