Montpelier Plantation witnessed the marriage of Horatio Nelson to Frances "Fanny" Nisbet. In 1960 James Milnes-Gaskell bought this estate with the dream of converting the historic ruin into a hotel. In 2002, Montpelier was sold to the Hoffman family.
If you are going to visit Bordeaux, home to some of the world's finest wines, you may as well stay in the city's finest accommodation. The five-star Grand Hôtel de Bordeaux & Spa delivers on all fronts - an ideal central location, stunning 18th Century architecture and enough luxury facilities to make you dizzy.
The "Ile de Re" is a holiday island with beautiful beaches and a microclimate, which provides warmth but not excessive heat, in the summer. Despite this it is largely a French secret, enjoyed by Parisians during July and August.
The dress code was simple: wear what you like. No ties, jacket not essential. You choose. And we all did.
Fortunately, a blend of position, reputation and tariff meant that those who did brave one of the coldest Friday nights of the year didn't let the side down.
In 1994, Hugh Grant found fame alongside Andie MacDowell in the ever so slightly posh film Four Weddings and a Funeral. The setting for the couple's first night together was this 17th-century coaching inn.
It’s always fascinated me how one’s horizon’s change when you have kids.
Ask me four years ago to define paradise and I would not have come up with the idea of a hotel in the Cotswolds, let alone one that caters primarily for families. Ask me now, and I’ll give you two words: Calcot Manor.
It took a six-hour train ride from London to Perth and a half-hour drive to Crieff for my first sight of Knock Castle, but it was worth it. With its enchanting turrets and fairytale character, the castle has a magic that glows through the drizzle.
After a day skiing on Val d’Isère’s slopes. I admit to imbibing more than a soupçon of apres-ski sustenance, yet I was still cold. As activities levels and temperatures dropped well below freezing, by the time I got back to Le Chardon chalet (one of five that comprise the Chardon Mountain Lodges) I just wanted to thaw quickly.
If we are being honest, it is a boutique hotel. It’s just that my room was actually very big. Maybe the hotel should be renamed Le Petit Hotel Avec Grand Chambre?
