The Jacobite Rising of 1745 is a turbulent period of British history. Charles Edward Stuart, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, grandson of the deposed King James II of England and VII of Scotland, led a failed attempt to try to restore his family, the Stuarts, to power.
England has no shortage of impressive, historic country houses. But few of them make such a striking first impression as Swinton Park Hotel in North Yorkshire.
A grand stag sculpture stands at the entrance to Mar Hall, while golf buggies zip around the roundabout and roads, ferrying players to and from the course.
Walk into any church or cathedral across the UK or Europe and you’re likely to find stained glass windows. The colourful windows, often depicting Biblical scenes or figures, have been used in religious buildings in Britain and on the continent for over 1000 years.
Few sounds are more relaxing than the crackle of burning wood on a log fire.
“We’re in a very dark spot,” says Palé Hall’s concierge, who greets us at the hotel’s entrance and lead us down the hotel’s driveway. “In the Dee Valley, there’s no light pollution here, and it’s very quiet. All you’ll hear at night is owls.”
There’s nothing like having the number ‘1’ in an address to let people know a city hotel has a prime location. In the case of The Balmoral, the hotel takes up the number one position on Princes Street, the main street that cuts through the heart of Edinburgh.
For a relatively small country, about the same size as the state of Mississippi, England has a remarkable number of ‘secret’ or ‘hidden’ corners.
Even in a thick neoprene wetsuit, the water is bracing. There’s a jarring, icy jolt as a dive beneath the surface of Ullswater, the second largest natural lake in England (after Windermere).
‘Deconstructed’ is a dreaded word in hospitality. It’s a word often found on menus in modern restaurants or pubs where a chef has broken down a classic dish into its separate elements.
A new Chablé comes with expectations. The original Chablé Resort & Spa, which opened in 2017, has been receiving awards left, right and center not only as one of the best hotels in Mexico or Latin America, but one of the world’s best.
Times have changed in Bangkok. When the original Oriental hotel opened, back in 1876, it was the first hotel in Thailand, meaning it’s now one of the oldest hotels in South-east Asia.
Sometimes, a trailer can ruin a film, not just by giving too much away but by raising expectations that the full-length film doesn’t meet.
The Hindu god Vishnu is a dominant presence on the southern tip of Bali. A striking ‘Garuda Wisnu’ statue stands 75 metres tall, 121 metres if you include the massive concrete pedestal he’s positioned on, within Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park, the god riding on the mythical bird Garuda.
Hospitals aren’t generally places where people want to spend time. Unless you’re a doctor or a nurse, a hospital visit usually means that you or someone you know is seriously ill or injured.
