After the amazing kaiseki dinner we had at Ryokan Kansako I was looking forward to dining at Ryokan Shiraume, our splurge choice in Kyoto for two nights (after which we switched to a hotel in Kyoto station for 3 nights). Shiraume is a stunning ryokan situated in the heart of Kyoto’s well-preserved Gion ... Read more »
One of the (many) pleasures of staying in a Japanese ryokan is the wonderful traditional food served for both breakfast and dinner. Kaiseki ryori is a traditional multi-course meal consisting of a succession of seasonal, local and beautifully presented little dishes. Although its origins are in the simple dishes served as part of a ... Read more »
Often described as a temple to Californian wine, The Vineyard at Stockcross certainly has an impressive wine list but it’s not limited to Californian ones. Indeed, it has one of the largest international wine cellars in the UK. The hotel belongs to the Michael family, and is very much a showcase for Sir Peter Michael’s ... Read more »
As you might expect from a modern hotel sited in such an expansive historical estate, the Waldorf Astoria London Syon Park is subtly themed to bring the outdoors inside and to help guests enjoy the peace and quiet of its serene, natural setting. On a recent late autumn visit, we found it the perfect venue ... Read more »
We had a marvellous fortnight in Lebanon, as will already be clear from my recent posts about the overall trip and our day with Abu Kassem. After our Taste Lebanon tour was over, Pete and I stayed on in Beirut for 3 extra days, basing ourselves at The Phoenicia hotel, part of the InterContintental group. ... Read more »
If you see a faded sign by the side of the road that says ’15 miles to the love shack’, love shack, yeah, yeah I’m headin’ down the Atlantic* highway Lookin’ for the love getaway, heading for the love getaway I got me a car, it’s as big as a whale And we’re headin’ ... Read more »
This time last year I had a disappointing experience at a Hotel du Vin. I’d been wanting to stay at one of the chain’s modern, funky hotels for some time and finally made a booking at the Bristol property, known as The Sugar House. Our stay was let down firstly by a particularly poorly planned ... Read more »
The Place of Onions, in old Lille. After last night’s rainstorm the intense sticky heat has broken and today is cool, breezy, fresh… I love it! A drop of… [more]
We went to Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire at The Void this morning, an amazing VR experience where we got to be Rebel Alliance members going undercover as… [more]