CHARMING COTSWOLDS STAY AT THE LYGON ARMS
We’ve been lucky enough to stay at the Chewton Glen and Cliveden House a number of times. There are few teams and hotels that know hospitality better. I have for a long time been wary of what’s on offer hotel-wise in the Cotswolds as much of it looks a bit like Little London.…
View PostP&P RECOMMENDED: LONDON HOTEL DIRECTORY
If we stay in London then it’s normally got something to do with work. Or to break up the commuting week. As stays are mainly for work they err on the practical and functional side of things. Sometimes though, we make a London date night of it and have been working our way around…
View PostAN INTIMATE SUPPER AT EVELYN’S TABLE
When you find a food style you enjoy… Stick to it. We were taken to Machneyuda when we were in Jerusalem. And to our delight, there’s a growing list of restaurants in London run by the same group. I’m pleased to say we have now enjoyed them all. Each slightly different, but all…
View PostRELAXED WEEKENDING AT TIMBRELL’S YARD
We booked our stay at Timbrell’s Yard after I made a shock discovery… Mr P was away for over half of February with work and he also had a ski holiday and weekend in Cape Town squeezed in. In a very first world way, with no trips planned, I was feeling hard done…
View PostA QUIET WEEKEND IN CORNWALL TO REMEMBER
Sometimes all anyone needs is a weekend away, in Cornwall. Away from the chores, the need to do a food shop, catch up on work or (heaven forbid) do anything strenuous. A weekend away in a nice place that isn’t home. No 3G, no TV, just some fresh air and sea views. Time…
View PostTHE MAGICAL NORTH COAST OF CORNWALL
The north coast of Cornwall is magical. Especially the bits that few visitors find! Ask many where to go on the north coast of Cornwall and you’d oft hear Padstow, Rock, ‘The Scarlet’, Bude top of the list… Charming yes, But there is so much more. And it’s truly Cornish… Let me share…
View PostWinchester Dining: Club Epicure
The concept of a supper club is entirely new to me. As (let’s be honest these days) is going out on a work night! So it was quite the occasion last week when we trundled off to a private home in Winchester for our very first supper club. Let me introduce Club Epicure,…
View PostCornish walks: Porthgwarra to Nanjizal
The coastline of Cornwall is a complete set of footpaths. So there is no shortage of stunning walks. Each time we visit Cornwall we find a new one – normally one that has been mentioned years ago by my Grandpa or parents. This time, with a windy north-easterly wind forecast, we headed for the south…
View PostA treehouse retreat: elegance and luxury at the Chewton Glen
“It’s definitely a treehouse” Mr P squeaked at me last Friday! Since the opening in 2012, I have been lusting after a stay. The Chewton Glen has long been our favourite place to squirrel away near home for some quality RnR. But we have never stayed in the trees. Until now! I didn’t…
View PostLife’s little luxuries: taking a simple timeout
In the search for the perfect hotel, winter sunshine and glamorous flights it is easy to forget about life’s little luxuries. The things that actually matter. How lucky are we to have what we have? And to already live a life we love. We don’t need to scour the globe for a paradise, there’s…
View Post10 things: to eat in London
My travel style is discreet and homely. It follows that my food taste would be similar. Working in London, on and off for ten years and more solidly over the last theee, has been a fun foodie discovery. There is such a choice and something for all tastes. Hidden amongst the big brand…
View PostSpring walk: the Purbeck coast
It had been far too long since my last visit to the Purbeck coast in Dorset! Perhaps 1996-ish for my Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s award… Which was also the time I route-planned us along an electricity pylon rather than a bridleway! The Easter weekend gave us the chance to go and explore and we…
View PostSpring walk: South Downs lambs and bluebells
A little spring walk in the South Downs turned into the sort of walk that would leave a bluebell-hunter or cute animal lover very fulfilled! I am neither, but I was ‘full of the joys’… We stumbled across this walk thanks to two things. Firstly we had lunch booked with friends at The Bluebell…
View PostA 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,…
View PostThe 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…
View PostChewton 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…
View PostA weekend in the Cotswolds
Last year between May in Tel Aviv and India in December, we didn’t really take much time off work. We did manage to balance the work mania with the odd long weekend in France, Stockholm and Italy. In November we fitted in another of these. This time a weekend staycation in the Cotswolds…
View PostMy 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…
View PostMy top 10 travel highlights of 2016
What a year 2016 has been globally. My top 10 highlights may well sound frivolous and privileged in a year when the world has been full of sadness, unrest and nasty surprises. But they made us smile, laugh and relax after some challenging years. Its been good for the soul. I’m amazed we fitted in 6…
View PostInns 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…
View PostKota 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…
View PostTickled 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…
View PostFeels like home
Home is where my heart is – I love my home (although I’m desperately seeking a double-fronted like below), I love my friends and tribe, I love life and the privileges it affords me and I love my little piece of England, I even love my job. Home is all of that to…
View PostGormley at Winchester Cathedral
Over Easter we took in a bit of culture. Years back the Gormley human sculptures were lurking on rooftops across London and I loved them (after the initial panic when they first arrived that there were ‘jumpers’ all over London), in fact there is still one right outside our office! When I heard…
View PostMottisfont National Trust
As they say, every day is a learning day and that was certainly the case at Mottisfont on Good Friday. The first learning was that this was ‘the’ place to be on Good Friday, who knew!… It was queueing for entry at 10am opening time, this being the first warm and sunny day…
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