Michael Edwards, Author at A Luxury Travel Blog : A Luxury Travel Blog

Blackheath and Greenwich: 10 reasons to visit

By Michael Edwards on Aug 06, 2020 in Attractions, Europe, Going Out, Regions, United Kingdom, Western Europe

The 211 acres of Blackheath’s common tell the story of England over the last millennium. The Royal Hundred Hides, traditionally, a hide is enough land to house and feed a family, lead south to Greenwich Park and it’s history. Over the centuries, Blackheath has been a gathering point for both celebrations and revolts: Henry V […]

Short stay: Rookery Hall Hotel and Spa, Nantwich, Cheshire, UK

By Michael Edwards on Aug 02, 2020 in Accommodation, Europe, Featured, Going Out, Hotels, Regions, Restaurants, Spas & Pampering, Speciality Travel, United Kingdom, Western Europe

Two centuries on from its naming as Rookery Hall, the rooks still fly over 38 acres of grounds, waddle across the terrace and perch on the handsome Georgian mansion built back in 1816. Yet, there is an air of the Loire valley to this grand sandstone and grey slate property. When Baron Von Schroeder purchased […]

Short stay: Homewood Hotel and Spa, Bath, UK

By Michael Edwards on Jul 25, 2020 in Accommodation, Europe, Featured, Hotels, Regions, Spas & Pampering, Speciality Travel, United Kingdom, Western Europe

Homewood, in ten bucolic acres of lawns and soaring trees, brings relaxed but stylish Mediterranean living to the rural village of Freshford: palms, olive trees in deep terracotta planters, Goddess sculptures and modernist art. It’s a sensuous taste of the Côte d’Azur slotted between the rivers Avon and Frome. The Mediterranean theme is apt, given […]

Short stay: The Swan Hotel, Newby Bridge, Cumbria, UK

By Michael Edwards on Jul 18, 2020 in Accommodation, Europe, Featured, Hotels, Regions, United Kingdom, Western Europe

The Swan Hotel is a former sixteenth-century coaching inn that has been extended to become virtually a Lake District resort. Ivy grows on whitewashed walls that overlook the five arches of the narrow 1651 Newby Bridge. Meanwhile the River Leven that sedately flows towards Lake Windermere. After flooding in December 2015, The Swan Hotel rose […]

Short stay: Country Living Lansdown Grove Hotel, Bath, UK

By Michael Edwards on Mar 20, 2020 in Accommodation, Europe, Hotels, Regions, United Kingdom, Western Europe

Country Living Lansdown Grove Hotel is not just a hotel, it’s a radical new concept, a way of living. Sat high on one of Bath’s seven hills, the hotel looks down on a UNESCO World Heritage City and over Somerset’s green hills and valleys. “An escape from the ordinary” is the hotel’s motto. Decor brings […]

Short stay: Highbullen Hotel, North Devon, UK

By Michael Edwards on Mar 04, 2020 in Accommodation, Europe, Featured, Hotels, Regions, United Kingdom, Western Europe

Highbullen Hotel sits high on a ridge in North Devon with views across 127 acres of beautiful country towards Exmoor. Built in Victorian Gothic style in 1879, the interior of the house with its tiled floors, elegant carved staircase and grandiose fireplaces plays tribute to the skills of the late-Victorian Arts and Craft movement. The […]

Short stay: Ambong Pool Villas, Langkawi, Malaysia

By Michael Edwards on Jan 24, 2020 in Accommodation, Asia, Featured, Food and Drink, Going Out, Hotels, Malaysia, Regions, Resorts, Restaurants, Travel Miscellany

Ambong Pool Villas sits stylishly on one of the 99 (natural) islands that make up the Langkawi archipelago in the Andaman Sea, close to Thailand’s southern border. Open for just two years, this is a family run small rainforest resort set into the contours of a steep hillside where hornbills fly and monkeys clamber. The […]

Langkawi, Malaysia: 10 reasons to visit

By Michael Edwards on Jan 07, 2020 in Accommodation, Adventure Travel, Air Travel, Asia, Attractions, Cruises & Boat Travel, Going Out, Hotels, Malaysia, Regions, Resorts, Speciality Travel

Bathing in the warm aquamarine Andaman Sea, Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 Malaysian islands just shy of the border with Thailand. White sand beaches backed by dense rain forests provide a base for relaxing holidays. But Langkawi is also a base for adrenaline infused adventures too. The Oriental Village The Oriental Village is an […]

Short stay: Paschoe House, Devon, UK

By Michael Edwards on Dec 21, 2019 in Accommodation, Europe, Featured, Hotels, Regions, United Kingdom, Western Europe

Michelin inspectors are keeping a close eye on Paschoe House’s stratospheric rise into foodie heaven. Since its opening in August 2017, Paschoe House has been on a soaring trajectory, awarded 5 stars by the AA for its discrete luxury and on the verge of a third AA rosette for its imaginative cuisine. It’s a phoenix […]

Short stay: Hartwell House Hotel and Spa, Aylesbury, UK

By Michael Edwards on Dec 14, 2019 in Accommodation, Europe, Food and Drink, Going Out, Hotels, Regions, Restaurants, Spas & Pampering, Speciality Travel, Travel Miscellany, United Kingdom, Western Europe

Hartwell House Hotel and Spa has some history. When Louis XVlll was exiled from France after the French Revolution, he rented this stately home, in 90 acres of Buckinghamshire parkland, at £500 a year, for his family and courtiers. Eventually, in the Hartwell House library, Louis signed the document for his restoration to the French […]

Langkawi, Malaysia: adventure, luxury and relaxation

By Michael Edwards on Dec 13, 2019 in Accommodation, Air Travel, Asia, Attractions, Food and Drink, Going Out, Hotels, Malaysia, Regions, Resorts, Restaurants, Spas & Pampering, Speciality Travel, Travel Miscellany

Langkawi, on the west coast of Malaysia, is an idyllic archipelago of 101 islands sun-bathing in the warmth of the Andaman Sea. It can be an action-packed, high adrenaline destination with jet-skis and zip wires. For nature lovers, it is one of the most bio-diverse environments on the planet. And for those who just wish […]

Danube highlights: an A-ROSA DONNA river cruise

By Michael Edwards on Oct 26, 2019 in Austria, Cruises & Boat Travel, Eastern Europe, Europe, Food and Drink, Hungary, Regions, Slovakia, Speciality Travel, Travel Miscellany, Western Europe

A long horizontal crimson-red rose, decorating the A-ROSA DONNA’s white hull, informs us that we have found our 100 cabin river cruiser at Engelshartzell, Austria. The 118-metre ship will be our home for the next five nights for a cruise that takes us on a dramatic section of the Danube through Vienna and out to […]

Short stay: Palais Amani, Fez, Morocco

By Michael Edwards on Oct 03, 2019 in Accommodation, Africa, Hotels, Morocco, Regions, Spas & Pampering, Speciality Travel

Amani means desire or wish in Arabic. The Palais Amani gives guests the chance to fulfil their dreams of living at the heart of Fez’s ancient and authentic Medina. For guests the Palais Amani, with its opulent Arabian-Andalusian style, is their home for a few precious days, as they savour an imperial city of colours […]

7 reasons to visit Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK

By Michael Edwards on Sep 30, 2019 in Accommodation, Attractions, Europe, Food and Drink, Going Out, Hotels, Regions, Restaurants, Spas & Pampering, Speciality Travel, Travel Miscellany, United Kingdom, Western Europe

Often called “The Jewel of the North”, Harrogate attracts visitors for its urban charms, stunning gardens and its position as a Gateway to the Dales. It is close to Nidderdale, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, as well as the UNESCO world heritage site of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden. Within easy travelling […]

Short stay: Fairmont St Andrews, Scotland, UK

By Michael Edwards on Aug 19, 2019 in Accommodation, Europe, Featured, Food and Drink, Going Out, Hotels, Leisure Travel, Regions, Resorts, Restaurants, Spas & Pampering, Speciality Travel, Travel Miscellany, United Kingdom, Western Europe

St Andrews is the spiritual home of golf pulling in players from afar. Hosting a final qualifier for the British Open, the Sam Torrance and Kittocks Course provide a challenging course for serious golfers. Scottish hospitality blends with top notch American-style service at Fairmont St Andrews to provide far more than just golf. The welcome […]

Short stay: Country Living St. George Hotel, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK

By Michael Edwards on Aug 15, 2019 in Accommodation, Europe, Hotels, Regions, United Kingdom, Western Europe

Every room looks as if it’s been tastefully curated for a magazine shoot – which is no surprise as Country Living Magazine is bringing country chic to urban stays in what was orginally a grand Edwardian mansion. A rambling Grade 2 listed building was the perfect candidate for a classy makeover that name-checks Regency taste […]

Author Archive for Michael Edwards