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Karen Krizanovich
“The living need charity more than the dead” so stated the US poet George Arnold. Why am I mentioning charity whilst describing a Welsh hotel in 200 acres? Well, Bodysgallen Hall is one of three hotels that were donated to the National Trust, a charity, to ensure their long-term protection. So a stay at this…
You cannot launch a boat, get married, have a child or celebrate without champagne. Not properly, anyway. And so it seems that you can’t race a car – or win a race – without a good hearty bottle of the proper stuff. And that extends also to Formula E. The auto racing of the future…
Wales isn’t a place I ever wanted to go. Ever. And I even like leeks, rugby and Tom Jones. I’ve been there and I know there are some really nice places but… Wales! Then I found two destinations that showed me what an ass I am. Okay, think an exquisite 17-course tasting menu. Think a…
In the film Showgirls (1995), the heroine says she purchased her dress at “Ver-sayse”, an indication that the lowly stripper was moving up in the world, even if she couldn’t pronounce Versace correctly. Moving up in the world is now literal for anyone staying in Dubai with the opening of the five-star Palazzo Versace Dubai.…
‘It’s whisky without an e,” he says. “Single malt. Never served with ice but with a drop of cool water, preferably from the Highlands.’ This is not some orthorexic neurotic alcoholic who has to have things just so. This is a normal person who happens to really like single malt whisky and who drinks enough…
Yesterday, I found a carrot in my Birkin bag. ‘It’s for the horse’, I said. Actually, it was a leftover from seeing Oscar Madison pull a submarine sandwich from his pocket in The Odd Couple. For weeks afterwards, I’d gone around carrying food on my person, thinking it cool and amusing. I was young and…
Having an affair? Starting an assignation? Then Kona is your destination. Extremely discreetly hidden within one of the Victorian townhouses of the five-star Taj Hotel in Buckingham Place, its setting couldn’t be more spectacular yet peaceful, despite being minutes from Victoria. Taking its name from Sanskrit meaning ‘corner’, Kona is not indian cuisine. Rather, executive…
They say you can’t do justice to Venice in three days. I say you can and I’ve done it more than once. This time, it’s Venice out of season – fewer tourists and more Don’t Look Now. To make life simple, I booked a speedboat from Marco Polo Airport straight to BAUERs Il Palazzo. Central…
Will Rogers was its honorary mayor, Nixon said we didn’t have him to kick around anymore, Jane Fonda went for the burn. Where? Beverly Hills, that city synonymous with luxury, eccentric wealth, palm trees and shopping. Or, as Steve Martin once sang, “The hills are alive… with the sound of money”. Yes, it’s true:…
I volunteer at a Positive Health Programme, aimed at improving the wellbeing of HIV patients. I am not HIV+ myself, but I have friends who are. I didn’t ask to serve in this programme. They needed accredited personal trainers and I am one, so I offered. (In the interests of full disclosure, I also get free gym…