David Ellams has recently been promoted to the role of head chef at Stapleford Park, where he serves a modern British menu in its fine-dining restaurant, the Grinling Gibbons room. Olivia Greenway reports
The biggest nuisance with flying is getting to and from the airport, especially for an early flight. I therefore tend to try to stay at airport hotels to avoid the dreaded shuttle bus nightmare. It probably isn’t a nightmare at all, but in my head and at some ungodly hour in the morning, my brain
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A visit to Grasse, the home of perfume, would not be complete without a trip to one of the town’s most famous perfume factories. Molinard, set in a handsome building in its own right – pinky-cream rendering with pie crust tiling and iron fretwork – was established in 1849 and much of the perfume making
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If you feel like a break from Cannes, take a ferry to the island of Saint Honorat, owned by a Cistercian order of monks, who have lived here since the sixth century. No cars are allowed and the monks are from a silent order, so noise is discouraged. Over time, they have enlarged their monastery,
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If there is a hotel room with a better view, I’d like to see it. And you really can’t beat turning up to a hotel in a boat, in our case a dinghy, which we moored just in front of the hotel reception. The location helps, slap bang in the middle of the British
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You’d be a real dunce not to consider this former school, now a boutique hotel, if you want somewhere comfortable and different in which to stay in central Manchester. Fashioned from a Victorian school building, it has only 30 rooms, the temptation to cram in as many as possible being resisted. Artfully retaining some of
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Rough Guides – Make the Most of Your Time in Britain – 500 Great British Experiences Put in your thumb and pull out a plum UK Price: £16.99 . Pros: Fresh, interesting, imaginative Cons: Some of the entries are a bit text heavy and could do with sub-headings Verdict: Ideal for
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Beautiful but unforgiving: Dramatic Utah is the secret star of the film 127 hours
An old ferry boat with 678 portholes makes for an oddly restful place to be pampered, finds Olivia Greenway
Sofitel is linked to the north terminal at Gatwick airport by a covered walkway; two minutes on foot will get you to the terminal. There isn’t a more convenient place to stay. Arranged around a central atrium, many of the 500-odd rooms look over the runway. It’s an airport hotel, so a slightly corporate
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As well as visiting the wine lodge, walking along the levades and taking tea at Reid’s, why not spend half a day learning to scuba dive? The Divepoint PADI diving school is located at the Pescana Carlton Hotel. Go through the lobby to the lift, take it down and follow the steps to the lower
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Any visitor to Funchal should take a ride in the cable car up to Monte to appreciate the wonderful views of the port and harbour of this pretty sub-tropical island. It’s suitable for young and old alike; you just need to have a bit of a head for heights. The ride takes 15 minutes and
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