Travel

Nights Under The Stars (Part 4) – UK, Morocco, Tenerife, France

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UK Founded in 1988 to campaign against light pollution, the International Dark-Sky Association has given two areas in the UK an International Dark Sky (IDS) status as a park or reserve. One is Exmoor National Park, which was designated a Silver Tier reserve last year. The other is Galloway Forest Park in south-west Scotland, an … Read more

San Francisco – Around Town : The North Shoreline (part 1)

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As its name suggests, the Bayshore area spreads out along the Bay at the northern edge of the city, faces the islands, and enjoys unforgettable views of both the Bay and Golden Gate Bridges. Historically, the city began its life here, when the Spanish set up a military outpost at the Presidio in 1776. More … Read more

Nights Under The Stars (Part 3) – Chile

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Chile The Atacama Desert in Chile is not just the driest place on Earth, but one of the very best places from which to observe the night sky. And it is a very promising location to watch the Southern Delta Aquarids meteor shower, expected in late July/early August this year. Negligible rainfall tends to correlate … Read more

Nights Under The Stars (Part 2) – USA

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USA Utah is the location of the world’s first official Gold Tier International Dark Sky Park, an honour bestowed on the Natural Bridges National Monument in 2007. It is also home to Amangiri, not merely one of the most beautifully designed hotels in the Amanresorts portfolio, but one with a resident astronomy guide and a … Read more

Beach Life (Part 3) – Marbella beach, Puerto Banús Beach, Laguna Beach

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Marbella beach Or more specifically, that part of it bordering the Marbella marina. Urban legend has it that followers of British TV programme TOWIE felt inspired to visit ‘Marbs’ after the recently aired episode filmed in Marbella, only to confuse Puerto Banús with Marbella Port. Well, it’s not quite the same thing. Marbella’s marina and … Read more

Washington, D.C – Around Town : Penn Quarter (part 1)

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Like other urban downtown areas, Washington’s city center is filled with shops, hotels, restaurants, and theaters for every taste. Yet downtown Washington borders Pennsylvania Avenue – often called “America’s main street.” This is the direct route between the White House and the Capitol, and is therefore rich in historic associations. Presidential inauguration parades sweep down … Read more

Nights Under The Stars (Part 1)

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The stellar mysteries of the skies have inspired earthbound fascination for millennia. As the rare sight of the transit of Venus approaches this summer, Claire Wrathall picks the best places to stay and gaze at the beauty of the heavens Stars form arcs around the North Star above the Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii Captain cook … Read more

Beach Life (Part 2) – Playa De Zaragoza, Funny Beach

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Playa De Zaragoza No need to fly off to the big city in the north of Spain, for Playa Real de Zaragoza is a stretch of beach just east of Los Monteros and Bahía de Marbella – an area known to have some of the finest sand on the Costa del Sol. Heading eastwards from … Read more

Mythological Sorrento

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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 Towns like Positano look much as they did when writers like John Steinbeck came to hang out in … Read more

Beach Life (Part 1) – Cabopino

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A carpet of white sand looking out over infinite azure waters framed by the swaying fronds of palm trees… Okay, that’s more likely to be somewhere in the Caribbean of Pacific, and no, Marbella is not exactly renowned for its pearlesque beaches, but that doesn’t mean to say that we don’t have some fine stretches … Read more

I Fell In Love With A Shaman In The Peruvian Jungle

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Burned out from her urban lifestyle, ANNA HUNT went to South America in search of healing. She could never have imagined how she would find it I am sitting in a small, filthy restaurant 24 hours into a two-week trek around the north of Peru. The trek marks the start of a three-month sabbatical from … Read more

Madrid – Around Town : Royal Madrid (part 1)

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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

Exit To Eden

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There’s town where faiths and tribes intermingle, where birth rates are below average, and culture and art flourish – but it also stands on top of lucrative mining profits. How long can it hold out? It is 5 A.M. the roosters have paused, waiting for the next sliver of light. It is so quiet, one … Read more

Beijing – Around Town : Trips Out of Town

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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

Before The Rains

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The safari – the Swahili word for “long journey” – was born in Kenya, the former British colony where barons and plutocrats, maharajas and royalty once paraded across the plains to play out an expensive, outlawed fantasy. One blistering summer in this land before time, Paolo R. Reyes was given a rara opportunity to experience … Read more

Holistic Austrian Retreat

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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