A magical return to Cliveden House

A magical return to Cliveden House

Given the opportunity, I would live at Cliveden every weekend! It’s captivating.   And it is easily understood why Cliveden is repeatedly in the chocolates at luxury award ceremonies… There aren’t many places which have been restored so attentively and can offer guests the chance to stay in such a historical and grand location,…

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The Kitchen at the Chewton Glen

The Kitchen at the Chewton Glen

Visits to the Chewton Glen are always a resounding success.  Being invited to dine at ‘The Kitchen’ on its opening night was definitely that.  The Kitchen is a new adventure for the Chewton Glen.  An exciting and informal one. We loved the hotel as it was – the quintessentially english luxuriousness.  It’s somewhere we love to celebrate…

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Hidden gems and holiday treasures

Hidden gems and holiday treasures

Finding hidden gems is the raison d’être of this blog. And of me.  And my holidays. Luxury and unique hidden gems, with vitamin sea. And fizz. A year wouldn’t be the same without discovering a few of these places.  I can’t think of anything worse than regulation issue surroundings or crowded places. I love finding somewhere…

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47 Jobner Bagh Jaipur – Boutique Hotel Review

47 Jobner Bagh Jaipur – Boutique Hotel Review

I adore a place that is unique and luxurious.  But the real charm is when it doesn’t realise how great it is.  47 Jobner Bagh was delightedly all of these, and perfect.  I would love to have stayed longer, but we were splitting our time in Jaipur between here and the Oberoi Rajvillas.…

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Chewton Glen – a luxury weekend escape

Chewton Glen – a luxury weekend escape

This fabulous hotel is where my love affair with luxury began.  So we return to visit the Chewton Glen like an old friend on special occasions!  In February, in between our birthday’s, we scheduled a staycation as a little treat.  We really couldn’t have planned the timing better around all things work and life…

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Oberoi Rajvillas Jaipur – Luxury Hotel Review

Oberoi Rajvillas Jaipur – Luxury Hotel Review

From the moment we arrived at The Oberoi Rajvillas to the time we dragged ourselves on to Goa (#firstworldproblems) we were spell-bound. I am well aware one gets what is paid for, but sometimes a place and its staff are so special that it is unforgettable and pleasurable in a way that money can’t…

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Alila Diwa Goa – Luxury Hotel Review

Alila Diwa Goa – Luxury Hotel Review

We spent 3 days in Goa and chose to stay at the Alila Diwa hotel near Majorda beach.  It’s located in South Goa – the quiet and sleepy bit of Goa.  There are larger hotels in the area, but this stood out as somewhere a bit more personal and unique. About a 20…

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My Cornwall Directory

My Cornwall Directory

I’ve been visiting west Cornwall a few times a year for longer than I remember.  My Gran lives there and we head down for long weekends with my parents or by ourselves to explore a little more.  Cornwall seems to be growing in popularity and it seemed like a very good time to…

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Inns and cottages for a perfect staycation

Inns and cottages for a perfect staycation

One thing I adore about the UK is the plethora of great little inns and cottages on offer. If you want to get off the beaten track and find something a little different when it comes to luxury you’ll find it.  The luxury of privacy, space and charming hosts.  Here are a few…

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Kota Porthleven – tasty artistry

Kota Porthleven – tasty artistry

When one finds a restaurant that impresses, it is always risky to go back – will it be as good?  Riskier still to take ones parents for a special treat.  So we arrived with crossed fingers whether it would be as good as remembered.  Well – Kota delivered and gets a gold star, it was…

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Tickled tastebuds at The Palomar

Tickled tastebuds at The Palomar

The Palomar really did tickle our tastebuds!  If you have been under a rock or hibernating recently you won’t have noticed that we went to Israel in May and loved it – the place, the culture, the people and the food… For everyone else, you know already!  Imagine our delight when we ate…

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A taste of Israel

A taste of Israel

Israel should be at the top of any foodie’s travel plans – the food is incredible, I am licking my lips remembering!  Flavoursome, fresh, varied and interesting, everything was delicious and actually we ate so much it could have been an official food tour!  Here’s to friends with good taste! As a dairy-free diner,…

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Time for a drink?

Time for a drink?

Being totally honest, in my thirties my favourite place for a drink would be at home or in my own back garden, or perhaps on a picnic in the New Forest, or on a yacht. The novelty of finding a cava that is named ‘Anna’ is yet to wear off – and I…

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11 favourite dinners out

11 favourite dinners out

We eat out when we can – at weekends, on holiday, with work – and have enjoyed some splendid meals, whether they be gourmet, gastro or just good quality fast food.  So rather than give you a summary of my favourite place for a burger (Chalk Valley or Brewhouse & Kitchen in Southampton) or…

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Je t’adore – l’hotel parfait

Je t’adore – l’hotel parfait

No sooner has Christmas disappeared from the shops than Easter appears, but look carefully and spot the hearts and suchlike for Valentines day!  We are low-key about it, as the other 364 days (365 this year) are the ones that matter.  However, as part of the love-ly travel link up with Emma, Angie, Jessi and guest host Kaelene this…

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Hotels I can’t get out of my head

Hotels I can’t get out of my head

I’m a bit of a repeater when it comes to visiting places – Cornwall, Norfolk and me have had a long love affair, even the Fastnet Rock got a revisit this summer much to both our surprises! There are a number of places further afield that had me “at Hello” that I would…

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Foodie delights in Maine

Foodie delights in Maine

Lobster is plentiful in Maine, but look beyond the lobster and there is an incredible choice of dining for visiting foodies.  We found a few treasures that I would recommend whole-heartedly.  But first to the lobster… Surprisingly enough, I had never had lobster, and so our first night staying at The Inn at…

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Staying in Maine – room at the inn

Staying in Maine – room at the inn

Maine is a gorgeous US state – the little corner of it we’ve seen so far certainly is.  Something of it that reminds me of Cornwall which is one of my favourite places.  Not necessarily the sights and sounds (or the enormous scale of it), but more its pace of life and the…

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A dining treat at Kota Porthleven

A dining treat at Kota Porthleven

We had a delicious early evening meal at Kota in Porthleven during our Easter trip to Cornwall (well known to be one of my favourite places).  Over the past few years new restaurants have been springing up all over Cornwall that are well worth investigating.  I have a strong preference for supporting a small…

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Cliveden House – a stately home staycation

Cliveden House – a stately home staycation

Cliveden House is quite possibly one of the most beautiful places we have stayed in.  It is very hard to know where to start when reviewing a hotel so wonderful!  Is it enough to say that I would happily have moved in and needed encouragement to actually leave? Hopefully the general message and seal…

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The Chedi Muscat

The Chedi Muscat

The Chedi Muscat had sat on my bucket list for a long time, well before this little blog and we treated ourselves to a visit a few years back!  Happily the whole experience was as good, if not better, than the reviews said!  It is an iconic hotel – not least this view.  It is…

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Fantastic foodie night in Winchester – The Black Rat and The Black Bottle

Fantastic foodie night in Winchester – The Black Rat and The Black Bottle

So – last year for Mr P’s birthday we were lording it in 5* luxury in the middle of a desert. This year I had it all to do to try and match that treat – I needed to find a perfect birthday dinner as we didn’t have holiday planned this year to…

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Country weekend at The Crown Inn

Country weekend at The Crown Inn

#Take12Trips got off to a splendid start this weekend! We enjoyed a thoroughly relaxing time at The Crown Inn, in Elton, on the Cambridgeshire / Northamptonshire border. I hadn’t been able to arrange the Parker diary to visit in December as hoped so we had been looking forward to a wintery mini-break for a…

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American Airlines Business Class – LHR to MIA

American Airlines Business Class – LHR to MIA

I’m very loyal to British Airways, but for a recent business trip the flight time on a BA code share with American Airline’s to Miami was much more amenable and so I took the brave step.  This step was buoyed along by the fact that the flight was on one of AA’s brand new…

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UPDATED Washington Dulles BA Lounge & the BA216 A380 home

UPDATED Washington Dulles BA Lounge & the BA216 A380 home

Just a couple of weeks ago, British Airways opened its new Galleries lounge at Washington Dulles Airport, coinciding with the new BA A380 route between IAD and London Heathrow. As chance would have it last week I was flying British Airways business class to and from Washington and so was able to visit!  Not…

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