It’s twilight in Essaouira. There’s a stippled afterglow smudging the Atlantic horizon, and the last kitesurfers are padding, barefoot, back to their digs. Behind the beach, snail-sellers are serving steaming cups of soup from their little carts. As the swirl and cry of lesser black-backed gulls begins to fade, the city’s other signature sound rings … Read more
What led you to work with artisans in rural Morocco? When Richard Branson’s parents persuaded him to buy Kasbah Tamadot — an amazing mansion 55km [34 miles] south of Marrakech — and turn it into a hotel, he also wanted them to join him in supporting the local community. One of the first things they … Read more
If Sapelo and Little St Simons were quiet pieces of history and wonder; Jekyll is holiday fun: I sip margaritas while watching waves crash on the shore, and fall asleep on the beach as fishermen cast nets out to sea. Cumberland Island, my last stop, is different and perhaps the most glittering of all the … Read more
As a stranger in the city, I find it hard to imagine any form of bohemia could flourish in a polished world of stiff high-rises. Marwan Shakarchi, a street artist who goes by the moniker Myneandyours, disagrees. He grew up in London and moved to Dubai eight years ago, believing “there was an opportunity over … Read more
It’s a frigid -11C morning in the Estonian capital and the city has frosted over. Fat, fluffy snowflakes are cascading from the sky, blanketing the streets in inches of soft, sugary powder. It’s the perfect weather for curling up by the fire, but instead I’m out and about on an Estonian food trail. I’m spending … Read more
What brought you to Switzerland and what does the country mean to you? I grew up in Paris, but my mother came from Neuchâtel in Switzerland, so the town had a pull on me from an early age when we used to come here on holiday. It’s the place of happy childhood memories. Back then … Read more
7. Hotel Ottilia Best for beer buffs Carlsberg has been quenching Danish thirsts since 1847, and southwest of the centre, its original red-brick brewery is undergoing a transformation to become a new neighborhood of shops and restaurants. Spread across two industrial buildings, Hotel Ottilia is the first hotel to open on site, themed around its … Read more
8. The Salt of the Earth Wine, brandy and olives are prime examples of Zadar’s agriculture and viticulture, but they’re far from the only ones. At the Nin Saltworks, north of Zadar’s Old Town, biodynamic salt has been produced since Roman times, and the pre-industrial method hasn’t changed since. The unrefined, hand-harvested sea salt is … Read more
A culinary guide to the Azores, Portugal’s elemental archipelagoNational Geographic UK .
It’s the history that draws most visitors to Bath, be it the city’s Roman origins or the gold-hued neoclassical buildings that emerged in the Georgian era. But if you’ve seen the Roman Baths, Bath Abbey and the Jane Austen Center and immersed yourself in the Thermae Bath Spa, or if you’re looking for a different … Read more
The global spread of the coronavirus is disrupting travel. Stay up to date on the science behind the outbreak>> From Helsinki to the Highlands and from Brussels to Berlin, Europe is home to a growing number of restaurants serving high-quality plant-based cuisine. Fresh products used in Gron, Helsinki. photography by Toni Kostian Published January 19, … Read more
For animal lovers: Our Jungle Camp Situated on the mainland, about a three-hour drive north of Phuket, is one of the oldest rainforests in the world. Few tourists stray that far from the beach, but Khao Sok National Park is a brilliant side trip that offers a completely different take on southern Thailand. The bamboo … Read more
Leaving Beba behind, I follow a fenced strip of the Berlin Wall past the site of the former Gestapo headquarters, today a monument and museum. After turning around a large group of tourists, I finally head out onto Oranienplatz, a wide, scruffy square that is home to Ora, a restaurant and wine bar housed in … Read more
Clumsy, soggy, and uncomfortably abrasive – there’s nothing remotely romantic about being kissed by a giraffe. Flapping her femme fatale lashes, my suitor sticks out her purple tongue, eagerly searching for food. I stand behind, while other guests place edible pellets between their lips, inviting the hungry animals to retrieve them with a wet, slimy … Read more