Europe and Middle East

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

Sandy Balls New Forest Camping

Sandy Balls New Forest Camping. Discover Rustic Charm under the stars.

Sandy Balls New Forest Camping has been owned by the Westlake family for more 95 years and welcomes thousands of guests annually to its luxurious log cabins, static caravan holiday homes, tents and the new addition for 2014, camping wooden pods.

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Maastricht. Discover The Ancient Centre of Europe

This ancient city close to the Netherlands borders with Belgium and Germany was an important settlement and trading post even prior to Roman times. For two thousand years Maastricht has been a European melting pot where the major German and Latin cultures rubbed shoulders.

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Renting a villa in Pietrasanta

We were renting a villa in Pietrasanta, courtesy of Bridgewater Travel, a family-run Tuscan luxury rentals specialist and we were taking a cab in for a wander around Piatrasanta, the beautiful city of marble, the legendary coastal retreat of artists and sculptors and the Florentine well-to-do.

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Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort and Spa

It wasn’t the pristine limo that was waiting for me at the airport, or the already opened door beckoning me in. Nor was it the effortless way my bags disappeared from my grasp, or the cool water and towels that were instantly offered. It wasn’t the sound of my name in greeting when I arrived, the welcoming smile, the magnificent le Royal Meridien Beach Resort and Spa lobby, or the speed in which I suddenly found myself in my beautifully appointed Tower room seventeen storeys further up. It wasn’t any one of those things. It was all of them.

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Grosvenor House Dubai

The view from the 44th floor of the Grosvenor House Dubai was pretty special. To the right was the famous Palm, to the left was the marina, and straight ahead was the Arabian Gulf, miles of it. On the other hand, the cocktail and the piece of sushi that was in front of me didn’t look to shabby either. It’s early evening and happy hour in the hotel’s club lounge, and I’m therefore a very happy person indeed.

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Andy Mossack reviews the Blue Door Bistro at the Montague on the Gardens

Blue Door Bistro at the Montague on the Gardens. Discover delicious dining on Russell Square.

The Montague Hotel tucked away a stone’s throw from the leafy environs of Russell Square, may be not enjoy the celebrity status of some of Red Carnation’s top tier of properties, such as The Milestone for example, but has enough of owner Beatrice Tollman’s trademark artworks and fancy knick knacks about it to leave no doubt of its provenance. It is a stylish boutique hotel with all the hallmarks of Red Carnation’s service and its snug Blue Door Bistro is certainly an eatery worthy of a mention.

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