Europe and Middle East

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

Grand Apartment Lounge

Chester Residence named Small Hotel of the Year

An exclusive collection of 23 5-star Georgian townhouse apartments in the heart of Edinburgh’s elegant West End has won top spot in a well respected awards competition. The Chester Residence named small hotel of the year in the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice® Awards 2015 claimed the ‘No1 Luxury Hotel in the UK’ and the ‘7th Best Luxury Hotel […]

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La Manga Club Resort

I was sitting in Luigi’s, a really excellent Italian restaurant on the La Manga Club Resort, minding my own business and just concentrating on enjoying the rather fabulous Insalata di Rucoloa Pomodorini which for the uninitiated, is rocket salad with sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, parmesan and roasted pancetta bacon with basalmic.

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Karlovy Vary Czech

Karlovy Vary. Film and facials.

These days it may be better known as a spa destination, or for its famous annual film festival, and considering it was once one of the most sought after destinations in Europe and a veritable magnet for the rich, famous and downright aristocratic, Karlovy Vary (or Carlsbad as it’s otherwise known) owes its very existence to sheer fluke.

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whisky cruise SHP Saga Pearl II EXT 4624c

Whisky cruise sets sail in Scotland. Great news for whisky lovers.

The National Trust for Scotland is offering what could be the perfect cruise for whisky fans this “whisky month” of May,  as a whisky cruise sets sail in Scotland as part of Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink. 

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Guide to the carnivals of Frankfurt Rhein-Main

Brilliant Guide to the carnivals of Frankfurt Rhein-Main

it is carnival season again, and this year TripReporter offers up a guide to the carnivals of Frankfurt Rhine-Main a German region comprising one of the biggest collections of carnivals in Europe.

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Andy Mossack travels to Emilia-Romagna to discover Italy's Jewish heart and soul. Ferrara and Bologna 085

Emilia-Romagna. Discover the beautiful Jewish heart of Italy.

A lone bell tolls from somewhere close by, not an unfamiliar sound when you’re in Italy, but at this moment it’s rather more poignant. I’m inside Ferrara’s ancient synagogue, still going strong in the heart of the former medieval ghetto, nearly 600 years after it was built. Tonight though it’s completely rammed, standing room only for the Friday night service and Rabbi Luciano Caro is beaming from ear to ear. Is Emilia-Romagna Italy’s Jewish heart? This region is a veritable treasure trove of Jewish history, and the cities of Bologna, Cento and Ferrara in particular, owe their very existence to their Jewish communities.

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