Author Archive for Michael Edwards

Short stay: Hood's, Salwayash, Dorset, UK

Short stay: Hood's, Salwayash, Dorset, UK

By on Mar 20, 2023 in Accommodation, Europe, Featured, Regions, United Kingdom, Vacation Rentals, Western Europe
Hood’s offers some of the best self-catering accommodation in Dorset. To turn off the road to Bridport, grass growing on a lane made for horse carts, is to step out of frenetic modern life into a blissful rural retreat.
8 reasons to visit Key West, Florida, USA

8 reasons to visit Key West, Florida, USA

By on Mar 11, 2023 in Attractions, Featured, Florida, Going Out, North America, Regions, USA
“Cayos”, was the word exploring Spanish navigators used to name the archipelago of little islands that drifted south west towards the Caribbean. Over time, cayos has become adapted and Americanised to the Keys.
Celebrity Apex Cruise: Days 4 to 7 - Belize, Cozumel, Grand Cayman and a day at sea

Celebrity Apex Cruise: Days 4 to 7 - Belize, Cozumel, Grand Cayman and a day at sea

By on Feb 27, 2023 in Belize, Caribbean, Cayman Islands, Central America, Cruises & Boat Travel, Featured, Mexico, North America, Regions, Speciality Travel
For most guests it seemed only hours since Celebrity Apex had sailed from Fort Lauderdale. First we had docked at Key West for an introduction to one of the USA’s wackiest cities. Then, we had cruised west across the Caribbean.
Celebrity Apex Cruise: Days 1 to 3, Fort Lauderdale, Key West and a day at sea

Celebrity Apex Cruise: Days 1 to 3, Fort Lauderdale, Key West and a day at sea

By on Feb 16, 2023 in Cruises & Boat Travel, Florida, North America, Regions, Speciality Travel, USA
Making its maiden voyage in 2021, the Celebrity Apex still looks gleamingly new with state-of-the art high-tech. This is a ship that makes the most of technology to provide its 2,910 guests, served by over 1,300 crew, with a luxurious cruising experience.
Short stay: Cotswold House Hotel & Spa, Chipping Campden, The Cotswolds, UK

Short stay: Cotswold House Hotel & Spa, Chipping Campden, The Cotswolds, UK

By on Jan 23, 2023 in Accommodation, Europe, Featured, Hotels, Regions, Spas & Pampering, Speciality Travel, United Kingdom, Western Europe
Looking down on Chipping Campden’s slanting yesteryear high street, this elegant hotel is within yards of the town’s covered market. It was the tradition of the market, or the chipping as it was known in medieval times, that gave the town its name.
Short stay: Billesley Manor Hotel and Spa, Billesley, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK

Short stay: Billesley Manor Hotel and Spa, Billesley, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK

By on Jan 16, 2023 in Accommodation, Europe, Hotels, Leisure Travel, Regions, Spas & Pampering, Speciality Travel, United Kingdom, Western Europe
Set in Shakespeare Country, Billesley Manor Hotelis just five miles rural north-west of Stratford-upon-Avon. On the short drive in to Stratford, you will pass Mary Arden’s farm where Shakespeare’s father grew-up and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage.
Short stay: The Treehouses, Dittisham Hideaway, Devon, UK

Short stay: The Treehouses, Dittisham Hideaway, Devon, UK

By on Nov 30, 2022 in Accommodation, Europe, Regions, United Kingdom, Vacation Rentals, Western Europe
In the famous 19th century children’s book, when the shipwrecked Swiss Family Robinson have the opportunity to leave their treehouse on their isolated island, many of the family choose to remain.
Short stay: Le Jardin des Douars, Essaouira, Morocco

Short stay: Le Jardin des Douars, Essaouira, Morocco

By on Nov 22, 2022 in Accommodation, Africa, Featured, Hotels, Morocco, Regions
Le Jardin des Douars is the traditional Moroccan kasbah stylishly reimagined, sitting high above Essaouira on Morocco’s Atlantic coast.
CroisiEurope's Andalusia: Tradition, gastronomy and flamenco

CroisiEurope's Andalusia: Tradition, gastronomy and flamenco

By on Nov 02, 2022 in Cruises & Boat Travel, Europe, Regions, Spain, Speciality Travel, Western Europe
For seven nights and eight days CroisiEurope’s 176-berth La Belle de Cadiz is the base for an exploration of Andalusia.
Short stay: The Green Cumbria, Ravenstonedale, Cumbria, UK

Short stay: The Green Cumbria, Ravenstonedale, Cumbria, UK

By on Oct 14, 2022 in Accommodation, Europe, Regions, United Kingdom, Vacation Rentals, Western Europe
Drive through fells, past drystone walls, and over stone bridges to reach The Green Cumbria, a trio of Visit England 5* Gold self-catering cottages.
Short stay: Bodysgallen Hall and Spa, LLandudno, North Wales, UK

Short stay: Bodysgallen Hall and Spa, LLandudno, North Wales, UK

By on Oct 02, 2022 in Accommodation, Europe, Hotels, Regions, United Kingdom, Western Europe
If ever there is a Welsh version of Downton Abbey, then spectacular Bodysgallen Hall and Spa would be a perfect venue.
Short stay: Hotel Indigo Chester, Chester, UK

Short stay: Hotel Indigo Chester, Chester, UK

By on Sep 30, 2022 in Accommodation, Europe, Hotels, Regions, United Kingdom, Western Europe
Opened in 2019, the new build Hotel Indigo Chester, celebrates the city’s long history. Artwork displayed on the walls, connects a contemporary hotel to Chester’s long history dating back nearly two millennia to the Roman occupation. The hotel also focuses on the city’s heritage as a racing venue too. For the Romans, Chester was a
Short stay: Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge, Sabie Game Reserve, Sabi Sand Wiltuin, South Africa

Short stay: Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge, Sabie Game Reserve, Sabi Sand Wiltuin, South Africa

By on Sep 22, 2022 in Accommodation, Africa, Featured, Regions, Resorts, South Africa
Earth Lodge, as organic as it sounds, is Sabi Sabi’s vision of the future of the safari lodge.
Short stay: Mantis No 5, Boutique Art Hotel, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Short stay: Mantis No 5, Boutique Art Hotel, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

By on Sep 13, 2022 in Accommodation, Africa, Featured, Hotels, Regions, South Africa
Is it an art gallery? A stylish tribute to Art Deco architecture and sophisticated interiors? An elegant paean to the Jazz Age? Or a warmly welcoming seven suite boutique hotel?
Short stay: Sabi Sabi Selati Lodge, Sabie Game Reserve, Sabi Sand Wiltuin, South Africa

Short stay: Sabi Sabi Selati Lodge, Sabie Game Reserve, Sabi Sand Wiltuin, South Africa

By on Sep 08, 2022 in Accommodation, Africa, Featured, Regions, Resorts, South Africa
Thatched with savannah grass, lantern-lit Sabi Sabi Selati Camp provides old-school luxury. Decanters of sherry, hot-water bottles and impeccable service pay nostalgic homage to yesteryear’s safaris.
Short stay: Mantis Founders Lodge, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Short stay: Mantis Founders Lodge, Eastern Cape, South Africa

By on Sep 02, 2022 in Accommodation, Africa, Featured, Hotels, Regions, Resorts, South Africa
Two rhinos, sculpted from waste oil drums, stand by the entrance to Mantis Founders Lodge. The pair are symbols of both the progress made saving rhino and future ambitions for the species at the birthplace of Eastern Cape conservation. Those sculptures are also a symbol of Mantis properties’ eco-commitments. After all, the acronym stands for