A special guest post by Lezaan Roos. Don’t ask me to compare Babylonstoren with other Cape Dutch farms. That would be tricky. For starters, it produces wine – a feature typical of estates. It offers a variety of unique food experiences, which could put it firmly in the restaurant category. It has a hotel, it’s [...]
A royal stay in Johannesburg
I’d just arrived in Johannesburg after an amazing trip to the four-country region – Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia – where I stayed on the gorgeous Zambezi Queen, went on safaris in the Chobe National Park and experienced the mighty Victoria Falls. It was an action-packed trip and I needed to chill. I stepped out [...]
Luxury is in the details
I recently had a conversation with several fellow bloggers about what distinguishes a luxury hotel from its peers. We exchanged notes about our stays in hotels and resorts around the world and we quickly concluded that it’s the small touches and the attentiveness of the staff that make the difference. There was a time when [...]
The fortress town of Civitella del Tronto
Civitella del Tronto is a historic fortress town in the northeastern corner of Abruzzo, the Italian region that stretches from the slopes of the Appenine mountains (east of Rome) to the Adriatic Sea. The last fortress The 500 meter long fortress, the second largest of its kind in Europe after the fortress in Salzburg, is [...]
A Shangri-La in downtown Toronto
Definition Shangri-La: 1. An imaginary remote paradise on earth; utopia. 2. any place of complete bliss, delight and peace (source: online dictionary) The Shangri-La Hotel Toronto is nether imaginary nor remote. On the contrary, housed in a stunning skyscraper, it enjoys a grand location on University Avenue in downtown Toronto within a stone’s throw of [...]
The castle of dreams
As a child, Albert Diks spent many summers camping with his family in Catalonia. Each time they went on a drive around the Catalan countryside, Albert would stare out the window, his eyes glued to every castle they passed. “At night, in my little tent on the camping, I dreamed of having my own castle.” [...]
A funky boutique hotel in the City
The City is London’s financial and historic district. Packed with stately buildings that house all sorts of financial services and law firms, the City was often considered staid. During my banking days, I was a frequent visitor to the City. So, yes, there’s some truth in that. Aside from London’s two iconic landmarks, the Tower [...]
Finding serenity, bliss and peace in Bali
A guest post by Candace Rose Rardon. It seems an unfair choice to have to make – deciding between serenity, bliss or peace. Can’t I have them all? But here in the Beach Spa of Orient Express’ Jimbaran Puri Bali resort, tucked away on the narrow isthmus connecting mainland Bali with the island’s southern Bukit [...]
Mövenpick Amsterdam – a delightful city hotel
The Mövenpick Hotel Amsterdam is one of the newer luxury hotels in the city. Part of the Swiss luxury hotel chain of the same name, the hotel is located next to the Cruise Terminal and is a mere ten-minute walk from the Central Station, making it an attractive place to stay for both tourists and [...]
A circus act in Vienna
“Where am I staying?”, I asked again, with a hint of disbelief. I just wanted to make sure I heard it right the first time. “The 25Hours Hotel“, she replied. “It’s a brand new design hotel in Vienna, with a circus theme”. That’s it! That’s the phrase that made me doubt my ears the first [...]
About Keith Jenkins
I'm Keith Jenkins. In July 2008, I left my ten-year banking career to travel around the world. I've not looked back since.
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