Europe and Middle East

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

Hiking In Gran Canaria

Majestic Hiking in Gran Canaria. Discover history beneath your feet.

Far more than just sun and sand, Gran Canaria boasts mountains, colonial villages and archaeological remains, Rupert Parker dons his boots to hiking in Gran Canaria.

Read the full story here
Anthea Gerrie reviews the new Hotel Shangri-La Paris. 

Hotel Shangri-La Paris. Stunning Eiffel Tower Views.

In a city awash with five-star hotels, a new entry with a slightly off-centre location needs an irresistible proposition to draw the well-heeled. Napoleon is not a bad name to throw around, nor is having the Eiffel Tower on your doorstep. Chinese owners of the Hotel Shangri-La Paris have done a good, if difficult job, of combining French grande luxe with Asian antiquities in this hotel built in 1896 as the private residence of Napoleon III’s great-nephew, Prince Roland.

Read the full story here
Andy Mossack reviews AlmaLusa Boutique Hotel, Lisbon's latest urban luxury retreat. AlmaLusa Baixa Chiado Quarto1

AlmaLusa Boutique Hotel. Experience an urban luxury retreat

I’m in the haven-like Praca do Municipio, just next door to Al fama in the Baixa-Chiado neighbourhood, the home of the AlmaLusa boutique hotel, Lisbon’s latest luxury urban hideaway, a perfect sanctuary for those of us who have had our fill of sardines for one night.

Read the full story here
Island Grill

Island Grill. Experience a New York grill on an island.

Having one of the finest locations in London is a pretty big feather to have in your cap when you’re a restaurant, after all it’s ridiculously exciting when you can boast you are literally opposite London’s Hyde Park on the famous Bayswater Road. The Island Grill has another pretty big feather to play too, it’s the main dining outlet within the Lancaster London, formerly the Royal Lancaster, one of the capital’s iconic clutch of famous hotels dating back to the sixties.

Read the full story here
Andy Mossack eats at Hunter 486 at The Arch Hotel

Hunter 486 Restaurant

As I walk in, Gary Durrant, Head Chef of Hunter 486 restaurant, is standing in front of the stone oven of his open plan kitchen, tucked away at one end of the small but perfectly formed restaurant. This is clearly an eatery where “tucked away” is an art form, as it is itself tucked away in the boutique Arch London Hotel, which in turn is tucked away in a quiet corner of Great Cumberland Place behind London’s Marble Arch.

Read the full story here
L'Abeille Restaurant Paris

L’Abeille Restaurant Paris: Experience Magnificent Michelin Fare in Paris

What does it take to get the ultimate accolade from Michelin inspectors, and is that third star worth the extra cost of the meal to the diner? Not so long as you can eat at the two-star L’Abeille Restaurant in Paris, which offers a far more joyful and satisfying experience than two three-star hotel restaurants recently experienced by this particular Trip Reporter in the City of Light.

Read the full story here