Which spas are so special even seasoned beauty travelers can’t wait to return? From Cornwall to Antigua, Kelly Gibert picks up the trail 1.    Jessica Hogan on romance at Soneva Fushi by six senses in the Maldives Soneva Fushi resort There are few better places to feel awash with love than on an island in … Read more

Eve Boggenpoel recharges body and spirit at a holistic Austrian retreat I’m standing on the edge of a silver lake and tears are streaming down my face. But it’s not sadness I feel. The setting sun has left a fragile pink glow over the mountains and, as I listen to the slow movement from Mahler’s … Read more

Beijing has more than enough sights to keep the average visitor busy, but after traveling all this way, it would be a shame not to grasp the opportunity to get out of the city. Of course, the Great Wall is an absolute must, but not far from the city are also ancient temples nestled on … Read more

To wander around this part of Madrid is to be constantly reminded of its regal associations. The Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales and the Monasterio de la Encarnación are both royal foundations, dating from the Hapsburg era, while work on the Palacio Real began in the reign of Felipe V. Joseph Bonaparte was king of … Read more

A Day in Royal Madrid Morning Catch the first guided tour of the morning (10:30am) at the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales . On leaving, cross Plaza San Martín to Calle de Hilera, then turn right onto Calle del Arenal. Follow this busy street to Plaza de Isabel II, the best place to admire Madrid’s … Read more

Mkhaya Game Reserve This private, upmarket reserve offers Swaziland’s most exclusive safari experience. Among the big game reintroduced to their former habitat here are elephant, buffalo, giraffe, hippo, white rhino and rare black rhino. Guided game drives offer close-up viewing, and this is one of Africa’s best locations for tracking rhino – including black rhino … Read more

Lobamba: the cultural heart Lobamba is Swaziland’s traditional seat of power and located opposite the royal kraal at Ludzidzini. It is home to today’s parliament, the National Museum and the King Sobhuza Memorial Park – a tribute to the late, revered monarch. Swaziland’s two most impressive cultural spectacles also take place in the surrounding fields: … Read more

Play word association with ‘Swaziland’ and the first two words that spring to mind are probably `tiny’ and `king’. That’s if anything springs to mind at all, given how little we tend to hear about this southern African nation. Mike Unwin, author of the forthcoming Bradt guide to Swaziland, sorts through the cliches to reveal … Read more

Online editor Helen Russell hones her ball skills on a weekend in the West Country Being blessed with neither the stature nor the hand-eye coordination of a natural sportswoman, I’m nervous about learning beach volleyball. Will I be any good? Will it hurt? And how do I get the Baywatch theme tune out of my … Read more

Having sworn off Italy’s Amalfi Coast for being overcrowded, Emily Wright is won over by the glorious old-world charm of the Excelsior Vittoria – and the classical education she gets as she walks the Path of the Gods… At a time when so many hotels are battling to out-cool each other, hiring cutting-edge designers and … Read more

Swahili Shores Pemba, Pangani, Saadani, mafia and Zanzibar – they are not just exotic names that dance off the tongue, they are among the many treasures you’ll find along the Tanzanian coast. Follow Mary Fitzpatrick as she explores the shores of this dynamic region In Zanzibar, the famous group of islands offs the Tanzanian coast. … Read more

Away from Stone Town, traditional life still follows the rhythms of the tides and the winds of the monsoon, seemingly oblivious to (but soon to be overwhelmed by) the mushrooming chain of resorts that line much of the island’s northern and eastern edges. A handful of densely populated towns, small farm plots and areas of … Read more

The Coats … Our first stop on the mainland is Pangani, a sleepy town with an atmospheric waterfront lined with Omani-Era buildings and cut by Narrow Alley hiding carved wooden doors In its 19th-century heyday Pangani was a terminus of the caravan route from Lake Tanganyika, which meant it was a major export point for … Read more

The next stop, about 300km south of Dares Salaam, past the massive and trackless Rufiji River delta, is Kilwa Masoko. This soporific hamlet is seemingly stuck in a permanent stupor. Nothing moves fast here, apart from pick-up trucks careering along the town’s only paved street and South African charter fishing boats speeding offshore. A spectacular … Read more

The Hotel The Goodwood Hotel is set in a glorious estate in the heart of the Sussex Downs. But this is far from just another sumptuous country hotel; Goodwood is, after all, home to the ‘world’s most beautiful racecourse’, an historic airfield, a racing circuit, the Dukes of Richmond and the place to which people … Read more

A river flows across it Above the left bank of Spiti River, in the shadow of Himalaya’s rain, lies a beautiful and peaceful land. Covered with snow within 6 months, with temperature falling under -25 degrees Celsius, this highland becomes alive in such a short summer. The winter’s white blanket has melt to reveal a … Read more

Information How to get there Spiti valley is only approached via road from Shimla (Kinnaur) or Manali (Kullu road). It takes nearly 2 days driving from Shimla to Tabo or Kaza. We did take a taxi from Shimla (try services from Bandbox Height & Valleys; for $23.5-$25.5 per day including fee of petrol and driver). … Read more

Gritty, proletarian and utterly engrossing, Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok provide a heady mix of karaoke bars, dodgy doorways and street markets before terminating in the more upscale apartments of Prince Edward. If Hong Kong has an emotional heartland, then it is these hectic streets, every paving slab the scene of some delicious hustle. … Read more

Down the Peninsula Early Morning Take the MTR to Prince Edward to start at the top of the Kowloon Peninsula, near the old Chinese border at Boundary Street. Take Exit B2 and head to the Bird Garden via the flower shops and stalls on Flower Market Road . Testament to the Chinese love of exotic … Read more

During the Roman Empire the Tiber Bend area was a public training ground for soldiers called the Campo Marzio. With Rome’s fall, the city turned its back on this riverside neighbourhood and, aside from a few foreign settlements, it wasn’t until the 15th century that anything other than a few churches was built here. The … Read more