GREEN, GREEN GRASS OF HOME: Melbourne, Australia The four hosts behind this bucolic Airbnb describe themselves as a Sanctuary Artist, a Data Magician, a Maker of Worlds and a Fairy Godmother. Together they have conjured up a Midsummer Night’s Dream of a place: lawn-like flooring, woodland walls, forest drapes – […]
Travel
New York on a budget
The words budget and New York are contradictory surely? In one of the world’s most expensive cities, the spending money doesn’t go very far. But on a recent trip (pre-Covid) we found plenty of low-budget and freebie activities among the must dos. Here’s our top ten tips…
Cornwall: in the know
Cornwall is so rammed with visitors these days they are squeezing into every nook and cranny. But there are still relatively undiscovered places that don’t draw the crowds. My round-up of ‘secrets’ is quite heavy on tin mining, Cornish moorland, scenic railways and social distancing. The only beaches on the list require walking boots and stamina. And I’ve chucked in three random food options.
Sunset Limited: railroad USA
In celebration of Amtrak’s 50th anniversary, we revisit a vintage, coast-to-coast railroad adventure across the United States’ Deep South… Back in 2003 (can it really be that long ago?) we embarked on our first railroad journey across America. Amtrak was undergoing a bit of a resurgence – thanks to 9/11 […]
Algarve’s beach besties
The best beaches in Europe? The award goes to…the Algarve, on the sunny south coast of Portugal. This is the seventh time (six years in a row) that the World Travel Awards has recognised the quality and variety of the region’s beautiful beaches. If you are thinking Albufeira, you might […]
Spain: Super Jucar
The Jucar Canyon is a spectacular limestone gorge running roughly 40 kilometres through the province of Albecete. Follow the Rio Jucar, through rural Castilla-La Mancha with its string of historic villages, troglodyte dwellings and, now, a boutique cave hotel
Paraiso Escondido, Alentejo
Our resident pillow tester, reviews this ‘hidden paradise’: a hilltop retreat in the green heart of rural Alentejo.
Cornwall: Get inn
Our go-to Cornish pubs tend to be old school: the salty veterans of fishing and mining, lots of knotty oak and on the dark side (we mean the lighting). On the ales front, we tend to go for ‘real’ rather than ‘craft’. Most of our top ten are by the sea (or on the water) – and one of them is in Devon.
The Night Riviera
GWR asked Dave to shoot a promo about the ‘Night Riviera’ – their revamped sleeper service from Paddington to Penzance – so he did the eight-hour journey. The service was temporarily suspended earlier this year, thanks to Covid restrictions, but overnight cabins are now available from 24 August 2020.
Roll into the rock
The rocky landscape of the Altiplano de Granada, is riddled with man-made cave houses. They owe their existence to the region’s curious geology and they cover a huge area; from Granada to Huescar (100 miles or more). They began as the humble homes of 19th century peasants and thousands are still in use – some of them offering unusual places to stay.