A night at the museum: The amazing Palazzo Previtera, Sicily December 9, 2024 Palazzo Previtera is a Sicilian guesthouse like no other. Steve Dinneen checks in for a stay at this “living museum” in the foothills of Mt Etna ••• I was sitting on my private terrace, glass of local Mt Etna Mascalese red in hand, when the air raid siren went off, its terrible drone bouncing off [...]
Plane weird: How the airport broke my spirit December 9, 2024 I’m not a nervous flyer in the usual sense. Being in a tin can at an altitude of 35,000 feet (that’s half the height of Gary Barlow’s son, for reference) doesn’t really get me rattled. The rational side of me kicks in. You’re more likely to be hit by a car, or die from a [...]
To find the soul of another country, head to the supermarket December 3, 2024 My favourite thing about travelling abroad isn’t the sun, the sand, nor the sea – it’s going to the local supermarket. Walking through the doors of a foreign grocery store is like passing through the looking glass into a place where everything is both familiar and alien, a fairground mirror that reflects a strange, distorted [...]
Pearl Mackie: The Doctor Who star on her dream last supper December 3, 2024 Pearl Mackie, star of Netflix thriller The Diplomat and the upcoming production of Noel Streatfeild’s Ballet Shoes at the National Theatre, tells us what she would eat for her last meal on earth My mum was vegetarian so I was veggie when I was growing up, until I was about 12. Back then it wasn’t great [...]
The weird and wonderful world of Japanese model food December 2, 2024 Japan is famous for the way its cultural artefacts seem to evolve separately from the rest of the world. Travel to Tokyo and you can find fax machines that have continued to develop new bells and whistles long after their use in the west began its terminal decline in the 1990s. Shokuhin sanpuru (literally: food [...]
Bad Gastein: Skiing with a touch of belle époque glamour December 2, 2024 They say first impressions matter, and my goodness, Bad Gastein certainly makes a great first impression. When approaching the resort, visitors are met with what at first glance, looks like a Wes Anderson film set. A spectacular cliff amphitheatre is crowned by elegant and imposing turn of the century palaces and hotels. As our taxi [...]
Domaine des Etangs is a weekend escape in the South of France like no other November 29, 2024 Domaine des Etangs is that rare and wonderful thing: a retreat in the most incredible, secluded location that you will never want to leave. THE WEEKEND “This is the land of chestnut eaters,” Jean-François, grounds keeper of the Domaine des Etangs, tells me as we roam the 1,000-hector woods collecting fistfuls of fallen chestnuts. It’s [...]
Loss widens at Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard November 28, 2024 The five-star Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard is eyeing an improvement in its financial performance in 2024 despite its pre-tax loss widening during its latest year. The hotel has reported a pre-tax loss of £7.3m for 2023, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies House. The figure compares to the £6m pre-tax loss it posted in [...]
Ski Club of Great Britain reps return to France after 8-year absence November 27, 2024 Ski Club reps were suddenly withdrawn from French resorts in 2016 after a rep was arrested for allegedly “guiding” without a ski guide qualification, and subsequently fined €10,000 by a French court in January 2015. But after dialogue with French authorities in five resorts, Tignes, Meribel, Flaine, Les Arcs and Val Thorens, the Ski Club [...]
Aston Martin raises £210m following profit warnings November 27, 2024 Falling demand in China, delivery delays and the wider push into electric vehicles (EVs) have hit Aston Martin shares over the last year.