25-01-2024
From full moon retreats in the South Downs National Park to cold water dipping on the east Coast of Scotland, Natalie French shares some of the best wellness retreats for 2024.
23-11-2023
England’s West Country has earned a solid reputation for its dramatic windswept moors, windy country roads and endless sandy beaches. It’s no wonder there’s an annual invasion; the lure of the wild Atlantic coast is strong. B...
28-06-2023
When the sun shines over the rolling fields of Hampshire, there’s nowhere better. Blessed with the perfect blend of countryside, coast and city, it’s also home to two beautiful National Parks – the New Forest and the South Do...
30-11-2022
As we hurtle at breakneck speed towards the end of the year – with the (official) arrival of the festive season and all its to-do lists – lots of people are tinkering close to the edge. So, instead of pressing the pedal to th...
20-07-2022
From the world-famous Savoy to regency-inspired Afternoon Tea at The Lanesborough, Natalie French shares the best places to enjoy this much-loved British pastime in the capital.
25-08-2021
Dreaming of escaping to a spa? Then you’re probably imagining hot footing it to a countryside retreat or a spa with far-reaching views of the Cornish Coast.
21-12-2020
We all deserve a little rest and relaxation - and where better to unravel than at a spa? Natalie French shares some of the best spas to retreat to here in the UK
25-11-2020
From twinkling tunnels of lights and giant luminescent sculptures; to gently flickering fire gardens - get your much-needed festive fix at some of the UK's best Christmas garden light trails.
26-02-2020
Being green is now a priority for tourists, so more sustainable and eco-friendly places are becoming available throughout Britain.
26-07-2018
We lead busy lives, with no escape from the trill of the mobile, the tyranny of the work email arriving on a Sunday and the commuting chaos every Monday. We all deserve a break from this, right? Course we do. So here are my t...
28-04-2017
Winter be gone! Spring is now fully fledged and in blossom, so get out there and see nature's glorious floral offerings in ten of our favourite UK gardens…
10-04-2017
My home is in Oxford which can sometimes feel like living in a film set. It's a familiar experience to find the road you want to walk down closed off by a lighting van and location caterers. But the whole of Britain is a gift...
02-01-2017
Soon it will be New Year and all over the country Drinkcember will give way to the hairshirt self-denial of Dry January. Anything that seemed celebratory over the Christmas period is out, and we will become a nation of herbal...
25-05-2016
In the opening to his novel The Portrait of a Lady, American author Henry James declared, “under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea”...
21-12-2015
After the toxic delights of Drinkcember and our Christmas bacchanalia, comes Dry January and everyone telling us ‘Tis the Season to Detoxify. For many years January was as joyless as a 31-day hangover with nothing pleasurable...
17-02-2015
Not all countries have great country hotels. I've travelled in parts of Eastern Europe and the Balkans where you always aim to get to a city by nightfall because rural accommodation is very basic. But in Britain we're very fo...
31-07-2014
We are a nation of dog lovers so it makes sense that we would want to take our faithful Fidos on holiday with us. This is something the hotel industry is more than aware of and enlightened managers now positively welcome pooc...
08-05-2014
Let's face it, life is about compromise and no more so than when choosing a family weekend getaway. Mum and dad want a bit of peace and quiet, swanky hotel bedrooms with fluffy white towels, attentive staff, great food and dr...
18-11-2013
The return of the rain and gloomy skies can make you feel tired and sad - add that to dehydrating temperature changes from radiator-hot rooms to chilly winds outside and you definitely have no need to find excuses to pamper y...
23-08-2013
One of the world's most ancient organisms, seaweed is really rather amazing; this mineral and vitamin-packed 'superfood' doesn't have roots and instead grows by clinging tenaciously to rocks which allows them to grow upwards...
31-05-2013
We rush around so much these days I feel we have lost the sense of glamour that used to attach to road journeys. Recreate the days when touring Britain by car was an adventure rather than a way to get from A to B.
30-05-2013
I can't be the only person out there who failed to keep up a strict winter skin routine of regular exfoliation combined with dedicated sessions of slathering my dehydrated skin with ultra-hydrating lotions and potions.
21-05-2013
Your poor feet. Wrapped up in boots and socks for months on end and then expected to look instantly catwalk-ready just because we get a day of sunshine and you want to wear flip flops. Make it easy on your tired winter-worn t...
15-05-2013
I'm 33 but I don't feel like it, so I sure as heck don't want to look like it. Spas that relax and rejuvenate are all well and good but if I'm worn down by work and stress, it shows all over my face. Prevention is better than...
02-04-2013
I'll come clean: spas which have plenty of water features are my favourite kind; swan pipes, experience showers, those amazing under-water loungers with billions of bubbles zipping away underneath - give me a couple of hours...
04-03-2013
No, not spas where you can have a relaxing time with a teenage heart-throb Vampire, but spas which have special deals so you can drop by for a few hours after work and enjoy an evening indulging in your favourite spa activiti...
15-10-2012
It seems impossible to imagine but sometimes, even the most avid spa-bunny gets jaded. Bored of the same massage, facial or wrap routine, they long for a change of pace.
02-10-2012
You and your gal pals just want to have fun, or you're new to the world of spa-ing, then maybe a trip to a hushed temple of wellbeing might not be the day you had planned. So, don't forget the spa motto - there's a perfect s...
30-07-2012
Once upon a time, going to a spa was a one-way meal ticket to carrot juice and cottage cheese. You were expected to have a rumbling tummy and suffer to be beautiful. Thankfully, those days are gone. Nowadays, a trip to a spa...
29-06-2012
Gone are the days of the archetypal hen night when girls staggered around town in pink tutus and L plates. Today's brides are looking for something different and choosing sophisticated breaks that will give them quality time...
22-05-2012
Newsflash ladies, diamonds really are a girl's best friend. Well, diamonds, chocolate, crystals and caviar that is. You see, all these sweet treats are bursting goodness... Honey is a saviour for spot prone skin and as for ch...
16-04-2012
Hampshire is hot right now. Its handful of uber-sexy boutique hotels, with sumptuous spas to match, are coaxing discerning folk away from the big smoke and into the ‘green county'.
05-04-2012
Remember the Calgon ‘Take me Away' ads from many years ago? That is what you will experience at any one of these seriously wonderful rural retreats. Soak up amazing countryside views and then spoil yourself with a sumptuous...
03-03-2012
Britain has hundreds of spa hotels; from chic city crash pads perfect for pre-dinner pampering to rural country retreats promising to relax and revive. But with so many hotels to decide on and endless lists of treatments to c...
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