Europe and Middle East

Exclusive guide to the best holiday destinations in Europe and Middle East. independent reviews from award-winning travel writers

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Bedford Lodge Hotel and Spa

Newmarket. The ancestral home of British horseracing is a perfect backdrop to the Bedford Lodge Hotel and Spa. As if on cue, expertly-groomed thoroughbred racehorses canter past my bedroom window exercising around the adjacent paddocks and training stables.

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Casa do Lago

Casa do Lago

Late November and the lunchtime crowd at Casa do Lago are looking a little bit thin. Admittedly it is out of season, yet the unusually warm sunny weather has brought the few of us out onto the lakeside terrace to eat.

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Pizzeria CasaVostra 

The Algarvian town of Almancil might not be high on your list of dining destinations seeing as the famed Quinta do Lago is almost next door, but take it from me, you won’t want to miss this one.

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Mountain

The Trail of the Walser in Vorarlberg

Ancestors of the Walser, as these people are called, had left the Valais region in Switzerland centuries earlier and headed east over the high passes.

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Court

De Vere Tortworth Court

As English as the afternoon tea the hotel serves, Tortworth Court in South Gloucestershire, with white beehives dotted along the lengthy drive, Union Jack fluttering above, epitomises the quintessential country retreat. 

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Mannlichen Cable Car

Hiking in the Jungfrau region

One way to escape the crowds in Interlaken, the Jungfrau gateway is to set out on foot, following in the footsteps of those celebrated Victorian alpinists.

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