Category Archives: Stays

The name Kheirredine is a variant of the Arabic Kheir or Khair, meaning best, benevolent and giving. So it’s fitting that its namesake, Riad Kheirredine in Marrakech’s medina, provides guests a level of service that is quite simply among the best – perhaps the best – we’ve ever experienced. Hidden away down one of theContinue reading “Riad Kheirredine, Marrakech”

Step off the chaotic alleyways of Marrakech’s medina and close the door behind you; Riad Kniza is a safe haven of quiet and calm just a stone’s throw from the hawkers and snake charmers of Jemaa el-Fnaa square. If you listen carefully you might catch a faint Call to Prayer from its central courtyard, butContinue reading “Riad Kniza, Marrakech”

This Valentine’s weekend we’re saying no to heart-shaped chocolates and instead indulging in true romance at The Verhaegen – a former royal residence and secret patch of idyll in the bustling centre of Ghent, Belgium. Just steps from St Michael’s bridge and the historical centre, the house blends deceptively well into the surrounding area. ButContinue reading “The Verhaegen, Ghent”

We’ll never turn down the chance to spend a night in an opulent 5* hotel bed, but occasionally a property comes along that offers so much more than just standard creature comforts. AquaViva Collection in San Juan del Sur – a surfing town on Nicaragua’s Pacific coast, some 2.5h south of Managua – is aContinue reading “AquaViva Collection, San Juan del Sur”

Switch off Bridgerton. It’s time to immerse yourself in a real-life 19th century love affair, courtesy of Saltmarshe Hall in Howden, East Yorkshire. Set in a sprawling country estate in existence since 1067, the Hall provides a low-key luxury experience fit for high society, discerning diners and everything in between. Located near the banks ofContinue reading “Saltmarshe Hall, East Yorkshire”

Don Corleone turns to Michael and says: “there wasn’t enough time, Michael. There just wasn’t enough time”, which we assume was about not wanting to leave Sicily and, more specifically, this special villa in the north of the island. Lazy Godfather references aside, Villa Vittoria is worth every second of the hair-raising journey on aContinue reading “Massimo Villas, Sicily”

With its crowds of camera-wielding tourists and booming screens, Leicester Square isn’t the first place you’d associate with luxury in London. Imagine my surprise, then, when a glass door off the main square leads to one of the most luxurious hotels in London – the incontrovertibly named The Londoner, which describes itself as “the world’sContinue reading “The Londoner, London”

Forget Bruges, forget Mont Saint-Michel; Carcassonne is the real-life Disneyland you didn’t know you needed to visit. Bastioned within medieval ramparts is a host of fine restaurants, great wine bars, and just a couple of very special hotels – one being the 5* Hotel de la Cité. The adventure begins before you’ve even reached theContinue reading “Hotel de la Cité, Carcassonne”