Recent Reviews - ALadyofLeisure

by Sarah Bridge
added September 26, 2019

My recent trip to Sherborne to review The Eastbury hotel was an unexpected delight. I had been looking forward to a stay at this luxury hotel as I'd heard great things about it but I knew almost nothing about Sherborne itself. I knew there was a cast...

by Sarah Bridge
added September 25, 2019

Exploring Le Mans in 24 hours: a whistlestop tour of the city The historic city of Le Mans is famous for its Le Mans 24 race and so it seemed appropriate that I was also doing a 24 hour race around Le Mans, the historic city in the heart of French r...

by Sarah Bridge
added September 18, 2019

In terms of location, The Nadler Covent Garden in London is hard to beat. A hotel right on The Strand and possibly the closest hotel to Covent Garden, you’ll find several hundred restaurants and bars less than two minutes walk away. It’s one of those...

by Sarah Bridge
added September 5, 2019

Luxury country house hotels are already being booked up for for Christmas 2019 (even though it's only September!) and with good reason: luxury hotels could be made for Christmas. Think of the best luxury country house hotels for Christmas and instan...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 13, 2019

Driving full-pelt towards a solid-looking wall is both terrifying and exhilarating but that's exactly what you get from a day at the Mercedes driving experience at Brooklands in Surrey. With my pedal to the floor I could see the speedometer sw...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 12, 2019

I've always wanted to stay in a chateau in France and to my good fortune I had the chance to while visiting Pays de la Loire this summer. Hotels in France are as varied as anywhere in the world but a stay in a French chateau promises something specia...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 8, 2019

There are some hotels with spas and there are some hotels which ARE spas. Ragdale Hall health spa in Leicestershire most definitely falls into the latter camp, making a spa break at Ragdale Hall a must for any spa fans. The moment you arrive you are ...

by Sarah Bridge
added July 9, 2019

Fans of Germaine de Capuccini who are wondering where to get Germaine de Capuccini spa treatments in the UK, will be delighted to hear that award-winning hotel Park House hotel and spa in West Sussex is the latest hotel to offer the skin care special...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 29, 2019

Throughout my own stay at Cliveden House luxury hotel, there was one question which I found almost impossible to answer. Would Cliveden still be as fabulous if it wasn't, well, Cliveden? Would it seem as special if it were just a very nice luxury cou...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 25, 2019

Arranging a hotel and parking at Gatwick airport - or indeed Heathrow, Luton or Stansted as well, I travel frequently from all of them - is always a major headache. This could be to do with the fact I usually leave it to the very last minute, pretty...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 21, 2019

It's where James Bond beat Goldfinger in possibly the most famous golf match in cinema history, where Bridget Jones ditched singleton life for a weekend away with boss Daniel Cleaver and where Teri Hatcher and Pierce Brosnan (as another Bond) danced ...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 21, 2019

Guest post from the best-selling Good Hotel Guide - their top 10 luxury hotels with pools for the summer Summer’s here and with any luck we’ve all got summer holidays booked in. Come rain or shine, no holiday would be complete without a little swimm...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 19, 2019

You don't often hear the cast of a West End musical warming up when going for a walk in the grounds of a country house, but that's what you're likely to get during a stay at Kilworth House hotel. The unique outdoor theatre in the grounds of this L...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 4, 2019

The first thing that struck me about the five-star Corinthia Hotel in London when I stayed there was how utterly huge everything is. From the vast central lobby lounge with its soaring dome and chandelier made of 1,001 crystal baubles, to the high-ce...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 29, 2019

Returning to The Swan hotel at Lavenham in Suffolk several years after my original stay, I was relieved to find that it was just as lovely as I remembered it. This time it also had the added attraction of its new (to me) Weavers' House Spa which had ...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 17, 2019

It might possibly be the first hotel room I've stayed in which had a 'disco lighting' option but it was typical of this Point A hotel, which was full of quirky, thoughtful and useful touches. While I usually review hotels at the more luxury en...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 1, 2019

The Suffolk village of Orford might be tiny but it packs in pretty much everything you'd expect from a classic English location. It's got a medieval church - the massive 14th century St Bartholomew's - a handful of shops (including an honesty box new...

by Sarah Bridge
added April 17, 2019

It does great food and excellent cocktails, it's got beautiful bedrooms, friendly staff and even has a brewery and distillery on site (it's owned by 147-year-old Suffolk brewer Adnams). Added to that, it's right in the heart of Southwold, one of Brit...

by Sarah Bridge
added April 11, 2019

In just four hours I ate curry, fish and chips, stilton cheese, salt beef bagels, bread and butter pudding, salted caramel cheesecake and a bacon sandwich. With ketchup. Why? You might well ask. It was because I had decided to be a tourist in London ...

by Sarah Bridge
added March 13, 2019

It shares its name with a famous motor racing circuit but guests at the Brandshatch Place hotel and spa will enjoy a relaxing stay away from the fast lane. As befits a hotel named after a racing circuit, guests to the Brandshatch Pla...

by Sarah Bridge
added March 13, 2019

There is something gloriously untamed about the British seaside on a blustery day and when I arrived at The Brudenell Hotel in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, the hotel building was receiving a severe battering from the elements. Situated just a few steps from t...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 27, 2019

Brockencote Hall, set in several acres of lush green Worcestershire countryside, turned out to be an almost perfect stay, with the comforts and treats of a luxury country house hotel, from immaculate rooms, impeccable service and great food. Brock...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 27, 2019

It isn't often I embrace a hotel gym so wholeheartedly but there was something about the brand spanking new spa Mallory Court luxury hotel Warwickshire which made it irresistible. As we'd just come from feasting at sister hotel Brockencote Hall in...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 8, 2019

There was far more to Kesgrave Hall than I’d expected. Having just come from its sister hotel, Maison Talbooth, a luxurious, refined, relaxed country house with outdoor pool and 12 beautifully designed rooms, I wasn’t sure whether the 23-room Grade I...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 8, 2019

The key to a memorable hotel stay is a great welcome and such was my arrival at the excellent Maison Talbooth hotel on the Essex/Suffolk border was that within ten minutes I felt utterly at home. The signs were good from the star...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 14, 2019

If it's ghouls, ghosts and goblins you're after, then you have to spend Halloween in Derry Northern Ireland and experience its epic Halloween festival for yourself. Derry was voted 'Best Halloween destination in the world' by American newspaper USA T...

by Sarah Bridge
added November 13, 2018

Luxury hotels could be made for Christmas. Think of the best luxury country house hotels for Christmas and instantly you can picture the festive scene: comfy sofas, roaring fires, beautiful decorations and acres of grounds for the Boxing Day walk (o...

by Sarah Bridge
added October 9, 2018

It had been a lifetime dream for me: to find out how to hike the Inca trail to Machu Picchu in Peru. Now, for the last four days, I had been hiking through stunning Peruvian mountains to reach my destination, the famous UNESCO World Heritage site of ...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 20, 2018

Take dozens of single people, put them in a Club Mark Warner holiday beach resort for a week, add sun and alcohol, and it’s simply a matter of time before holiday romances start to flourish. It was just a couple of days into my Mark Warner holid...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 17, 2018

'What did you do for your birthday?’ I was asked the other day. ‘Well,’ I said, trying to sound casual, ‘after a champagne breakfast in my luxury Caribbean condo, I went on a catamaran cruise along the coasts, snorkelled among tropical fish, trekked...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 7, 2018

The child in front of me hurled himself off the tree-top platform high off the forest floor and sped through the air. I couldn't back out now. While zip-lining had long been on my wish-list, dreaming about it and actually standing on the edge of a s...

by Sarah Bridge
added July 2, 2018

The timing couldn’t have been better, at least not for the Hippodrome. The moment I walked past the gaming area in the central London casino, one of the slot machines paid out the entire jackpot, handing the person playing on the machine a cool £12,5...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 22, 2018

It is rare that a holiday actually changes your life, but a week on Skyros, the original 'alternative' holiday destination, can do just that. From changing jobs or learning new skills, to getting married, ditching bad relationships and embarking on n...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 21, 2018

It goes without saying that anyone doing battle with the traffic on either the M25, A2 or A20 routes is probably in need of some serious relaxation, but they might be surprised to learn that there is an oasis of calm just moments away. Thankfully due...

by Sarah Bridge
added April 10, 2018

If you were to try and describe a classically British pub, then you’d probably come up with something like The Bull Inn, Sonning, in Berkshire. It’s got roaring fires and low beams, it is more than 600 years old, does great food and drink and is at t...

by Sarah Bridge
added April 9, 2018

'Clutter makes you reach for a biscuit,' says Anna, as she looks around my bedroom. I can think of no better way to convince me to embrace the popular decluttering trend which takes in everything from Marie Kondo to the tradition spring clean via new...

by Sarah Bridge
added March 24, 2018

'We just fell in love with the Isle of Wight,' said owner David Barrett as he showed me around Haven Hall, one of the newest B&Bs on the Isle of Wight. 'It's exactly like England was, 40 or 50 years ago.' Now this could be a positive or a nega...

by Sarah Bridge
added March 23, 2018

It's the car marque of dreams (and Hollywood folklore): Aston Martin cars have been super-cool ever since James Bond fired up an Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger. While Britain's top spy has also driven an Aston Martin DBS, an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish...

by Sarah Bridge
added March 20, 2018

Halfway through our meal at The Vineyard hotel and spa, Newbury, I was beginning to wonder if I knew as much about wine as I thought I did. Not only could I not guess what grape variety I was drinking or what country it came from, I couldn't even wor...

by Sarah Bridge
added March 4, 2018

Lewtrenchard Manor is one of those classic country house hotels which actually feels like someone's home (a rather impressive stately home, that's true) rather than a hotel. Tucked away in the Dartmoor hills between Tavistock and Okehampton, Lewtrenc...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 17, 2018

While I've explored all over the New Forest for ALadyofLeisure.com, visiting hotels such as Chewton Glen, Lime Wood, Montagu Arms, Burley Manor and The Bell Inn, I had yet to make it all the way through the National Park to Lymington, right at the so...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 15, 2018

I'll be honest and confess I wasn't entirely sure about reviewing a B&B for ALadyofLeisure.com - not out of reasons of snobbery but because I usually write about hotels with massive restaurants, spa, acres of land and all the paraphernalia that c...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 12, 2018

The first time I visited Burley Manor Hotel in the New Forest I had absolutely no expectations - not because I thought it was going to be terrible, but because it had never even crossed my radar before. It turned out there was a reason for this: whil...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 9, 2018

If you're going to spend the night in a castle, then it's appropriate to look the part, which is why it felt very fitting arriving at the luxury hotel Bovey Castle in the heart of Dartmoor in a £150,000 Aston Martin DB11. A trio of valets clad...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 6, 2018

I've been lucky to stay in some of the best hotel rooms in the country but for sheer romance it's hard to beat a Beach Suite at the delightful Cary Arms and Spa on Babbacombe Bay, Devon - in the heart of the 'English Riviera'. With a private terrace ...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 29, 2018

It is always nice to be greeted on arriving at a hotel by someone saying enthusiastically: 'You're just in time for lunch!' and even better when you are promptly whisked off to sit in the sun with a large G&T while you dither happily over a mouth...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 19, 2018

‘Kanpai!’ The cry echoed around the hotel dining room. It was the fifth ‘Kanpai!’ of the evening in our trip to Japan and it wouldn’t be the last. At this rallying cry, the Japanese equivalent of ‘Cheers!’, we all had to stand up and down a shot of s...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 18, 2018

The joy of reviewing hotels and restaurants is that with every new visit there is often something which will surprise, delight or even shock you. The Montcalm at the Brewery London City hotel in Chiswell Street in central London and its adjoining gas...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 16, 2018

It isn't often you plan on spending the night at a rather grand country house hotel and find yourself sleeping in a treehouse on stilts in the middle of a forest. But the treehouses at Chewton Glen, the five-star hotel and spa located deep in the hea...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 15, 2018

Just one night at the Spread Eagle Hotel Midhurst felt like a really long stay - but in a good way. I arrived there on Sunday afternoon, and by the time I left 24 hours later I'd had a 90 minute massage, swam, sauna'd, steamed and lounged in the spa,...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 13, 2018

Walking into a really gorgeous hotel room can be such a bittersweet moment. There is the initial reaction of 'Wow! This is really, really nice....!' and delight that this is actually all yours for the next 20 hours or so. Then there is the sudden rea...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 12, 2018

If the holiday season left you feeling in serious need of a relaxing break with country walks, a first-class spa and restaurant and cosy rooms to hide away in, then Bailiffscourt hotel and spa is the place for you. Tucked away down a little countr...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 1, 2018

Skiing is one of the world's most sociable sports - there's the long lunches, the dancing-on-tables après-ski, the cosy chalet dinners and oh yes, the skiing itself (who wants to go on a ski lift on their own?) - which means that the idea of going on...

by Sarah Bridge
added December 15, 2017

To arrive at Langshott Manor hotel is to jump back in time. One moment you are in urban Surrey, passing through towns like Redhill and Horley and driving though a modern housing estate, and then all of a sudden you arrive at a building unlike no othe...

by Sarah Bridge
added December 13, 2017

There's a warm glow which comes when reading a newspaper article called 'Cosiest pubs to stay in this winter' and realising you are heading off to stay in one of those featured that very day. This happened to me recently when about to head off to Th...

by Sarah Bridge
added November 28, 2017

Feeling my car's clutch cable snap while driving to the airport was not the greatest of starts to our Cape Verde holiday, but after a several hours on the hard shoulder of the M1, a succession of train journeys and an impromptu overnight hotel stay, ...

by Sarah Bridge
added November 28, 2017

With every cloud there comes a silver lining and the missing of our flight to Cape Verde meant an unexpected overnight stay in Bristol and my first experience of Hotel du Vin. I'd long been aware of the hotel chain founded by Gerard Basset and...

by Sarah Bridge
added October 17, 2017

It's been receiving guests for more than 60 years but Park House hotel and spa is only now making the transition from well-kept local secret to firm fixture on the British country house hotel scene. With a new general manager - Mark Yates, formerly o...

by Sarah Bridge
added September 27, 2017

There is always a worry when it comes to revisiting a hotel which you totally adored on the first visit - what if it's not going to be as good as you remembered it? I know people who won't go to the same place twice for that very reason, and others w...

by Sarah Bridge
added September 25, 2017

If you like visiting beautiful English stately homes but hate the queues, the drive, the parking and the general hassle which usually goes with such visits, then Bowood hotel, spa and golf in Wiltshire has the perfect solution: its own fleet of golf ...

by Sarah Bridge
added September 1, 2017

Some holidays are so jam-packed with things to do, places to visit and sights to tick off that you end up needing a holiday afterwards to recover. A island-hopping voyage around the Aegean with SCIC Sailing (it stands for Sailing Cruises in Comfort a...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 23, 2017

Being in the Land of the Midnight Sun can do strange things to you. A few days into my cruise along the Norwegian coast, I’d been chatting on deck after dinner with my fellow passengers. I went to bed thinking that it wasn’t a particularly late night...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 21, 2017

I hadn't meant to embark on an impromptu Champagne cocktail-tasting session just after breakfast, but in keeping with the overall spirit of relaxation and pampering at The Greenway hotel and spa Cheltenham it seemed the right thing to do. It was m...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 26, 2017

Exactly 600 years ago, the Bel and The Dragon coaching inn was built in the pretty Berkshire town of Cookham and six centuries later, I took a friend with me to stay at the pub and see what it was actually like. Well, you don't want to rush these thi...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 27, 2017

If your idea of a perfect summer's day is afternoon tea (or a gin and tonic) on a beautiful lawn in the sunshine, The Manor House luxury hotel in the pretty Cotswolds village of Castle Combe, Wiltshire, is the place to be. There you can immers...

by Sarah Bridge
added April 4, 2017

If the England rugby team need somewhere to recharge their batteries after this year's bruising contest in which they finished a lowly fifth, then they needn't travel very far: their training ground at Pennyhill Park luxury hotel in Surrey is just a ...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 4, 2017

Back in January 2015 I wrote a blog post in defence of little yellow photobombing cars, as the car owned by Peter Maddox, 82-year old resident of Bibury village in the Cotswolds, had attracted the ire of tourists come to photograph Arlington Row, sup...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 31, 2017

There is something rather special about a rooftop bar in London. The views might not be spectacular - we're not taking Rio or Hong Kong harbour here - but to rise above the traffic and gaze down at the crowds from on high feels incredibly luxurious. ...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 17, 2017

It's been quite a year! It started with an amazing culinary tour of Japan - a week full of sushi, puffer fish and bullet trains - and ended with a trip to Antarctica (which felt at times like a trip to another planet). During the rest of the year I ...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 3, 2017

A trip to the Cotswolds is always a treat and if you're in need of some bracing countryside walks, a hearty pub meal and then a nightcap in front of a roaring fire, then The Old Swan and Minster Mill in the pretty Cotswolds village of Minster Lovell ...

by Sarah Bridge
added December 3, 2016

As skiing is such a sociable sport - there's the long lunches, the dancing-on-tables après-ski, the cosy chalet dinners and oh yes, the skiing itself (who wants to go on a ski lift on their own?) - going on a ski holiday by yourself with a tour opera...

by Sarah Bridge
added December 2, 2016

I was feeling rather Christmassy anyway after ambling through Covent Garden with a glass of mulled wine and admiring the Christmas lights, but even the most Bah Humbug of Scrooges would have felt full of festive cheer arriving at the five-star The Ro...

by Sarah Bridge
added November 11, 2016

Being named The Sunday Times' Hotel of the Year, which The Painswick was just last year, can be a double-edged sword. On the upside, the phone didn't stop ringing once the news came out, bookings went through the roof and for a newly-opened hotel, i...

by Sarah Bridge
added November 2, 2016

You have to be deeply relaxed to nod off during a massage, so falling completely asleep, not once, but twice, during my treatment at the Lime Wood hotel spa shows how totally unstressed I was. This was quite an achievement considering that on the...

by Sarah Bridge
added October 26, 2016

The brochure for The Montagu Arms in the New Forest encourages guests to 'take your cue from the ponies: graze, wander and enjoy the quiet.' I did all three during my stay at this 200-year old hotel and emerged feeling as relaxed and content as the b...

by Sarah Bridge
added October 17, 2016

A definite perk of reviewing luxury hotels is that 'wow!' feeling when you walk into a hotel bedroom for the first time and find something completely unexpected. Unlocking the door to my suite at The Marylebone in central London was one of those mome...

by Sarah Bridge
added September 23, 2016

After being trapped in for hours in Bank Holiday roadworks hell, the five-star hotel Rockliffe Hall Darlington in in County Durham was a more than welcome sight. Set in 375 acres of parkland, the original building dates from the 1800s, but over the y...

by Sarah Bridge
added September 20, 2016

When it's hot in the city, your first instinct might be to run for the hills (or the coast) but just steps from the sweltering heat of Tottenham Court Road tube station, The Bloomsbury hotel is a great spot in which to cool down. Its hidden se...

by Sarah Bridge
added September 7, 2016

My bedroom at The Gore hotel in Kensington was definitely one with the 'wow' factor. There were oil-paintings and gilt-edged mirrors and the bed itself was so vast and so high it felt as if I needed a footstool to climb aboard. The epic theme ...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 17, 2016

Calling a hotel 'family-friendly' often means that those travelling without children run a mile in the opposite direction, but the luxury Foxhills spa and golf hotel is so vast that all ages and groups can thoroughly enjoy themselves without crashing...

by Sarah Bridge
added July 27, 2016

It's where Donald Trump and his family are staying during the Presidential visit to London and fittingly, the first thing that struck me about the five-star Corinthia Hotel in London when I stayed there was how utterly huge everything is. From the va...

by Sarah Bridge
added July 22, 2016

With the wildly inconsistent British summer, I was extremely fortunate to have timed my stay at the Alexandra hotel Lyme Regis for one of the hottest days of the year so far. While the hotel would be a perfectly nice place to stay in during all sorts...

by Sarah Bridge
added July 19, 2016

Last week, at home, I had some of the best bread I'd ever eaten. It was a soft, brown loaf and tasted marvellous. Was it the ingredients, I wondered - organic wholemeal stoneground flour. Or was it the fact that I'd made the whole thing myself, under...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 29, 2016

This is probably one of those things that Americans are much better at than the Brits (they certainly have more practice at it), but valet parking always sends me into a panic. On the face of it, arriving at a hotel and having someone offe...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 29, 2016

The man who described Bibury as 'the most beautiful village in England' surely never went to Lower Slaughter. I've often driven past the road signposted to The Slaughters on my way through the Cotswolds but had never taken the turning. It was only...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 29, 2016

One massive advantage that non-London hotels have over their capital city rivals is space, and our suite at Brooklands Hotel in Weybridge, Surrey, was certainly one of the largest I've stayed in. The vast central lounge in our 'super suite...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 18, 2016

It was the most British of days. The Patron's Lunch last Sunday had the Royal Family, it had cucumber sandwiches, it had queues and Pimms and cups of tea. And an awful lot of rain. It was as if someone had tried to work out what would make the day as...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 3, 2016

ALadyofLeisure.com is the hotel, restaurant and spa reviews website from national newspaper journalist Sarah Bridge, read by thousands of industry professionals and travel enthusiasts every month. [Note: this round-up of luxury hotels reviewed by ALa...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 3, 2016

Are baths in hotel bedrooms a great hotel treat or just a ghastly design nonsense? I only ask because almost every hotel I've stayed in recently has at least one room where the bath is in the bedroom - at the foot of the bed, sometimes, or in prid...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 3, 2016

Spas in luxury hotels are big business and over the last few years owners have been making multi-million pound investments in providing the latest in pampering experiences. But like hotel bedrooms, hotel spas come in all shapes and sizes and if yo...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 3, 2016

If your idea of a perfect country break is to have breakfast in the sun on a terrace overlooking a spectacular view, followed by a day lounging in a luxury spa, then Danesfield House hotel and spa in Buckinghamshire is just the place for you. ...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 3, 2016

My heart often sinks when I discover my room is in a separate building to the main hotel - this usually implies some modern, soulless extension - but at Sopwell House luxury hotel near St Albans, our room's outside location was really quite special. ...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 18, 2016

by Sarah Bridge
added May 18, 2016

Searching for luxury hotels among the beautiful rolling hills of the Cotswolds may sound like an easy task - there seems to be one round every corner. However with so many to chose from, it's easy to be overwhelmed. With most insisting on a two-night...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 18, 2016

So we're all agreed that free, fast wi-fi and power points in handy locations are a essential in a luxury hotel room - and we all like soft, fluffy bathrobes (even if we don't always use them). But what are the little extras you hope for when you che...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 18, 2016

It is hard not to start off a review of Noble Rot restaurant - as practically every other reviewer has done - with a nostalgic look back at days gone by, spent in the various pubs and wine bars of Lamb's Conduit Street. It seems that every journal...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 18, 2016

Just when you think you've stayed in the best hotels in the Cotswolds, along comes Whatley Manor luxury hotel and tops the lot. From the moment the gates opened to reveal a beautiful cobbled courtyard, the entrance garlanded by wisteria and lavender,...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 10, 2016

A night in Kensington luxury hotel in South Kensington Just a few weeks earlier I'd been at the Kensington luxury hotel in central London to drink cocktails at the launch of its new bar, the K Bar. Now I was back at the luxury hotel close to many of...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 4, 2016

Things to do in Las Vegas come rain or shine... It was my fourth visit to Las Vegas, but the first time I'd seen it raining on the famous Las Vegas Strip. Unsurprisingly, Vegas, being in the Mojave desert, isn't used to rain. Neither were the holida...

by Sarah Bridge
added April 20, 2016

Is it a right or a privilege to be able to make tea in your hotel bedroom with your very own hotel kettle? I once spent the night at luxury country house hotel Cliveden and had a meeting with the chief executive of Travelodge the following day. The ...

by Sarah Bridge
added April 14, 2016

The view from the top of the five star luxury hotel ME London is a tourist's delight, taking in the essential sights of London, from the London Eye to Big Ben, St Paul's, Tower Bridge, The Shard and everything in between. Having evening cocktails on ...

by Sarah Bridge
added April 6, 2016

It might be just a few miles from the M42 and Birmingham Airport but Hampton Manor hotel in the Midlands feels a hundred years from the hustle and bustle of modern life. Within a couple of hours of arriving at the 19th century gothic building - bu...

by Sarah Bridge
added April 6, 2016

Turning up to lunch at Dinner restaurant in Knightsbridge - the restaurant from top chef Heston Blumenthal - with a copy of the menu from The Fat Duck at Bray (also by Heston Blumenthal, where my dining companion Simon had eaten just the week before)...

by Sarah Bridge
added March 25, 2016

Some hotels just get it completely right - and luxury country house hotel Hambleton Hall hotel Rutland is one of them. From the traditional and immaculate bedroom, to the excellent food, lovely gardens, cosy bar and superb attention to detail, I can'...

by Sarah Bridge
added March 4, 2016

If you are one of those people who love nothing more than to sit in a country pub in front of a roaring fire, working your way through the weekend papers while you also work your way through the selection of well-kept ales at the bar, then a stay at ...

by Sarah Bridge
added March 4, 2016

It is just seconds from the shopping and traffic maelstrom which is Knightsbridge, but The Levin hotel Knightsbridge boutique hotel in central London is the very essence of calm and tranquility. If you are looking for a place where the party continue...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 29, 2016

Last year was a hectic one for ALadyofLeisure.com with 50 fabulous places reviewed, and with so many to choose from, it's hard to pick out the best. However some were so memorable that I wanted to single them out for special praise - and hopefully en...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 25, 2016

Returning to Balans Soho Society restaurant Kensington High Street was like visiting an old friend who had had a complete image change in the intervening years. My colleagues and I used to come here for a post-work glass of wine of two, sitting squas...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 12, 2016

For horse-racing fans, the location of Ellenborough Park hotel and spa is hard to beat, being the closest hotel to Cheltenham Racecourse. Just a few hundred metres from the front door of the grand 15th century Cotswolds building is the racecourse its...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 29, 2016

It isn't easy to stand out among such a competitive field - I'm talking about the 'best hotels in the Cotswolds' category, of which there are many - but the award-winning boutique hotel Dormy House more than meets the challenge. From the moment I wal...

by Sarah Bridge
added December 31, 2015

From Michelin-starred dining to London's most decadent pancake, grand country house hotels, brand new cruise ships, boutique hotels and celebrity hangouts (not to mention cocktail classes, private cinemas and hot tubs in the Cotswolds), it's been a l...

by Sarah Bridge
added December 31, 2015

For those who love the idea of staying in a luxury spa hotel in the Cotswolds (and who doesn't?) and are travelling with children in tow, its sister hotel Calcot Manor luxury hotel, just the other side of Circencester, is a great choice - a Cotwold...

by Sarah Bridge
added December 19, 2015

Within two minutes of arriving at Barnsley House hotel and spa in the Cotswolds I had completely fallen in love with it - and that's before I'd even tried out the private cinema, outdoor hot tub or delicious food. All these things were yet to come, b...

by Sarah Bridge
added December 8, 2015

Sexy Fish, the newly-opened £15 million restaurant from Richard Caring (The Ivy, Le Caprice, J Sheekey) doesn't actually look very sexy from the outside. It's rather plain and square and dull and looks not dissimilar from the NatWest bank it used to...

by Sarah Bridge
added November 18, 2015

The Arch hotel is not a flashy hotel. For a luxury hotel near to Oxford Street and just across the road from Madonna's London home, the Arch is neat, calm, and quiet. It doesn't have the grand entrance or huge lobby of its immediate neighbours, th...

by Sarah Bridge
added October 27, 2015

Just as you think that you have pretty much tried all the cocktails there are at One Sixty City and you're just going to stick to an old favourite from now on, along comes a new one which makes you vow to never think such a ridiculous thing in future...

by Sarah Bridge
added October 27, 2015

[no major spoilers but it is a Spectre film review all the same] If this is Daniel Craig's final film as 007 then it's a great way to go. Better than Quantum of Solace with its unfathomable plot; better even than Skyfall with its dodgy sexual polit...

by Sarah Bridge
added October 15, 2015

Its claim to fame is that it is the closest hotel to Harrods, and it's true that less than 30 seconds walk will take you right into the iconic department store. But thankfully The Capital hotel, just next to Harrods on a quiet Knightsbridge street, i...

by Sarah Bridge
added October 14, 2015

Bodysgallen Hall hotel North Wales was the starting point for my week exploring Wales and it was a great place to begin. One of the top luxury hotels in Wales, its location just outside Llandudno on the north coast is right at the top of Wales and ye...

by Sarah Bridge
added October 14, 2015

The wonderful thing about writing the ALadyofLeisure.com blog is that I've discovered so many new places which I would never in a million years have come across otherwise, and the award-winning restaurant Ynyshir in Wales - which now bills itself as ...

by Sarah Bridge
added September 28, 2015

The part of London between Portland Place and Goodge Street near Goodge Street tube station has historically been a bit of a culinary no-man's land, with little to tempt you to eat in the estate-agent-christened 'Noho' unless you actually worked in ...

by Sarah Bridge
added September 3, 2015

One thing I've learnt from writing my ALadyofLeisure.com blog is that you never really know all about luxury hotels - and especially the one you're staying in - until you get someone to give you the Grand Tour. A typical hotel guest will see little m...

by Sarah Bridge
added September 1, 2015

There are some places that are so lovely you can't stop thinking about them after you leave, and Gravetye Manor in West Sussex is most definitely one of those. [Note: this review of Gravetye Manor in West Sussex was first published in 2015 and som...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 24, 2015

They've both received glowing reviews and are two of the hottest places on London's restaurant scene at the moment, but Kitty Fisher's and Ham Yard restaurant are rather different culinary experiences. [Note: this review of top London restaurants ...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 12, 2015

St James's Hotel in London might be five-star luxury but thankfully it has none of the formal starchiness you might expect from a super-posh hotel. The staff are so cheerful and relaxed that I found myself having all sorts of random conversations wit...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 7, 2015

It is a bittersweet moment when you go to a new restaurant and discover that it has replaced an old favourite. However in the case of The Secret Garden, located just opposite Clapham North tube, London, where the highly-rated Four O Nine restaurant u...

by Sarah Bridge
added July 28, 2015

From basket case to billion pound business, Travelodge has undergone a remarkable turnaround in just three short years. The chain was on the brink of collapse with a debt mountain of £635 million in 2012. But last week its owners – led by Goldman Sac...

by Sarah Bridge
added July 24, 2015

'Don't worry, you won't get a hangover,' insisted Pleurat Shabani, the maker of Konik's Tail vodka and the host of our martini marathon. 'I've never had a hangover drinking martinis.' [Note: this review of drinking martinis at the best hotel bars ...

by Sarah Bridge
added July 23, 2015

There was something about P&O Britannia cruise ship which reminded me of Las Vegas, and it wasn't just the casino. It was partly the vast amount of food on offer on board at its 13 restaurants onboard P&O Britannia - the stories about gaining...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 27, 2015

It might not be located in the most beautiful part of London, but Qbic Hotel London City in Aldgate, East London, scores highly on all the essentials for a budget hotel in London: price, location and cleanliness, not to mention a friendly and relaxed...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 16, 2015

Note: my review of Ashdown Park hotel East Sussex was first published in 2015 so some of the details might now be out of date As beautiful settings go, Ashdown Park hotel East Sussex certainly has the 'wow' factor. It's easily one of the best hote...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 13, 2015

Note: this review of Luton Hoo luxury hotel in Bedfordshire was first published in 2015 so some of the details might now need updating It isn't often you get to share a sink with Hugh Grant but the sign in our bedroom at the five-star Luton Hoo hote...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 9, 2015

You would have to start pretty early and finish late to be able to squeeze in the maximum amount of relaxation possible at my Nirvana Spa day near Reading, the award-winning spa near London and one of the top day spas in the country. I spent the w...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 13, 2015

Note: my review of luxury Buckinghamshire hotel Hartwell House was first published in 2015 so some of the details might now be out of date You know you're in good hands when you arrive at a hotel spa and find Downton Abbey's head butler Carson (ak...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 13, 2015

Note: this article about Mark Warner holiday Rhodes was first published in 2015 and some of the information might now be out of date It might surprise those people who associate Mark Warner holidays solely with families that around 40 per cent of ...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 7, 2015

Note: my exclusive interview with Sir Rocco Forte in Browns Hotel London was first published in 2015 Sir Rocco Forte is not shy about revealing his political opinions. As the nation approaches its most closely fought General Election in living memo...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 5, 2015

Note: my article about the Las Vegas food festival Vegas Uncork'd was first published in 2015 so some of the details might now be out of date Mention Las Vegas and most people would immediately think gambling, casinos, showgirls, Mariah Carey, the...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 2, 2015

Note: my review of The Grove hotel near Watford was first published in 2015 so some of the details might now be out of date There was nothing around to disturb the peace of my morning stroll around the 300 acres of Hertfordshire countryside which ...

by Sarah Bridge
added April 14, 2015

Note: my review of Amba Hotel Charing Cross was first published in 2015 and so some of the details might now be out of date One of the closest hotels to Charing Cross station in London, the Amba Hotel Charing Cross is surprisingly quiet, particula...

by Sarah Bridge
added April 14, 2015

Note: my review of London Peruvian restaurant Senor Ceviche was first published in April 2015 and so of the information might now be out of date As a late arrival to the cult of the Pisco sour cocktail I certainly plan to make up for lost time. I ...

by Sarah Bridge
added April 10, 2015

Note: this review of Olivo restaurant Victoria London was first published in 2015 so some of the details might now be out of date Olivo, the Italian restaurant in Victoria London, used to be a lunchtime favourite of mine but for some reason I hav...

by Sarah Bridge
added April 10, 2015

Note: this review of El Pirata Mayfair was first published in 2015 so some of the details might now be out of date Tucked away behind the grey anonymity of Park Lane's high-rise hotel district which includes the Dorchester, the Intercontinental an...

by Sarah Bridge
added March 28, 2015

Note: this review of Saatchi Gallery restaurant Gallery Mess was first published in 2015 so some of the information might now be out of date For a restaurant attached to an art gallery, the Saatchi Gallery restaurant Gallery Mess doesn't seem to h...

by Sarah Bridge
added March 19, 2015

Note: this article about the launch of P&O Britannia was written in 2015 so some information might be out of date The day was bright and sunny for Her Majesty and Prince Philip as the Royal party arrived to launch P&O Cruises new ship P&am...

by Sarah Bridge
added March 18, 2015

Note: this review of Cheval Residences serviced apartments London was first published in 2015 and so some information might be out of date For frequent travellers to the capital who find hotels increasingly soulless - or just miss being able to co...

by Sarah Bridge
added March 17, 2015

Note: this review of Rabbit Restaurant Kings Road Chelsea was first published in 2005 so some of the details might be out of date] It promises to deliver 'British wild food' and while London's Sloane Square isn't known for being especially wild (e...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 25, 2015

Note: this article about cruise ship P&O Britannia was first published in 2015 and so some details might be out of date It cost more than £520 million to build, weighs 141,000 tons and will carry more than 3,600 passengers. And this Friday the...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 19, 2015

First, the good points about Fifty Shades of Grey, the film which has been greeted with massive under-enthusiasm by the critics (but which hasn't stopped it breaking box-office records, unsurprisingly given the books' massive fanbase). Dakota John...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 12, 2015

Note: this review of The Botanist Sloane Square was first posted in 2015 so some details might be out of date The Botanist, Sloane Square was packed at 7pm last Thursday as the pre-theatre crowd were getting a few swift ones in before heading acro...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 10, 2015

Note: this reivew of my stay at Compleat Angler Marlow hotel was published in 2015 and some details might be out of date The Compleat Angler, Marlow, is proof that some hotels don't need to have swimming pools, hot tubs and the very latest in beau...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 7, 2015

[Note: this review of Huntsham Court Devon was first written in 2015 and some details might be out of date] Staying at Huntsham Court, an exclusive use manor house in Devon, provokes a mixture of emotions in me. Two recurring regrets of mine ar...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 30, 2015

What's wrong with having a photobombing yellow car, you might ask? Poor Peter Maddox. The 82-year old has been accused of allowing his little yellow Vauxhall Corsa to 'photobomb' otherwise picturesque shots of Arlington Row in Bibury, acknowledged as...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 29, 2015

[Note: this review of Four to Eight in Covent Garden was published in 2015 and the restaurant is now closed. I've let it up here though as my blog is like my diary!] The ever-changing nature of London's restaurant and bar scene means that not infr...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 21, 2015

[Note: this review was first published in 2015 so some details might be out of date] It is located in the no-man's land of offices and parkland between Exmouth Market and Clerkenwell Green, but Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings is well worth th...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 10, 2015

Note: this review of lunch at Gillray's steakhouse and bar restaurant in Waterloo was first published in 2015 Long-time London dwellers still remember County Hall, across the river Thames from the Houses of Parliament, as the Greater London Counci...

by Sarah Bridge
added December 31, 2014

[Editor's note: I stayed at this boutique hotel in Piccadilly London a couple of years ago and since then the hotel has undergone a two-year revamp of its 135 bedrooms and 11 suites as well as opening Galvin at The Athenaeum restaurant led by Micheli...

by Sarah Bridge
added November 19, 2014

There was a lion right outside my hotel room which is unusual for one of the most central hotels in London. Well, to be more accurate, a Lion King. The Lyceum theatre in Covent Garden, which has been home to the hugely successful Lion King musical fo...

by Sarah Bridge
added November 11, 2014

Swimming near a school of dolphins, walking on a recently-erupted volcano and diving to a wreck of a World War 2 Japanese fighter plane might seem like once-in-a-lifetime holiday but if you are exploring Papua New Guinea, it is just an average mornin...

by Sarah Bridge
added November 3, 2014

[This article was originally published in 2014 and since then NuBeginnings has ceased running its weight loss boot camps in North Devon. Details of its current activities can be found here] It was when I was hiking along the North Devon coast on my ...

by Sarah Bridge
added October 25, 2014

[Note: this article on exploring Mallorca for the first time was first published in 2014 but has since been updated. However some details might have changed.] To get my bearings on my first ever trip to this beautiful island in the Balearics, a he...

by Sarah Bridge
added October 25, 2014

[Editors’ note – this review was first published in 2014 and some information might need updating] It was an interesting introduction to my holiday of a lifetime in the Cayman Islands: ‘The thing about the Cayman Islands is that the best sights ar...

by Sarah Bridge
added September 12, 2014

[Editors’ note – this review was first published in 2014 and some information might need updating] It's just as well that an overnight stay at St Martin's Lane central London hotel comes with complimentary membership of the gym next door. By the t...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 28, 2014

It isn't every day I stay in a 17th century Palladian mansion but after just a few hours at the Luckham Park luxury hotel near Bath I was walking around as if I had lived there for years. I would grandly descend the staircase from my room - no, ma...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 27, 2014

'Location is everything' so the saying goes - but when it comes to the afternoon drinks and Italian nibbles at the Baglioni hotel in Kensington, it seems location can be a double-edged sword. I was invited to come along and spend the evening in th...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 13, 2014

In some meals there is one element that is so odd - or quirky, or novel, depending on your viewpoint - that afterwards the meal is known as 'the one with....' My lunch at Caxton Grill, St James's, home of Masterchef: The Professionals finalist Ada...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 4, 2014

I've been fortunate enough to stay in some lovely country house hotels recently - sadly, Tylney Hall was not one of them. [Note: this review of Tylney Hall was first published in 2014 and so some of the details might now be out of date] To clar...

by Sarah Bridge
added August 2, 2014

[Editors’ note – this review was first published in 2014 and some information might need updating] There are worse things to do on a Monday morning spending the day at Centurion Club St Albans out in the glorious sunshine being taught how to play ...

by Sarah Bridge
added July 28, 2014

It is always a good sign of a hotel restaurant if you could imagine going back there without being an overnight guest and Apero definitely fits that description. Tucked beneath the Ampersand hotel and the South Kensington pavement - though designe...

by Sarah Bridge
added July 28, 2014

[Editors' note - this review was first published in 2014 and some information might need updating] Hotels in Kensington London are plentiful but it might be hard to pick the right hotel for you during your stay in London. They all have great locat...

by Sarah Bridge
added July 28, 2014

[Editor's note: this review of Barts Speakeasy South Kensington was first published in 2014] In spite of living and working just a mile away from South Kensington and passing through it most days, I never felt as if I really knew the area. To m...

by Sarah Bridge
added July 8, 2014

[Editor's note: This review of the Swan at Lavenham was first published in 2014. For a more up to date review of this hotel click here or go to https://aladyofleisure.com/the-swan-at-lavenham-review/ ] The Swan at Lavenham is located in one of tho...

by Sarah Bridge
added July 8, 2014

[Note: this review of the Beefeater gin distillery visitors centre was first published in 2014] Vauxhall in London is known for many things - the Oval cricket ground, a permanently traffic-snarled gyratory system, a disused gas works - but a pleas...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 14, 2014

[Note: My review of Mark Warner Tignes was first published in June 2014] You could never accuse Mark Warner of skimping on the apres-ski hospitality - or, for that matter, the pre-ski and the in-ski. A three-day trip to French Alpine ski resort Ti...

by Sarah Bridge
added June 3, 2014

[Note: this review of Center Parcs Woburn Forest was written in 2014 when the park was first opened] Center Parcs is practically immune from criticism. With occupancy running at a staggering 97.2 per cent all year round, the private-equity owned l...

by Sarah Bridge
added May 8, 2014

Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire is usually a beautiful, serene, quintessentially British sort of place, where visitors happily amble around admiring the stately grandeur of the birthplace of Winston Churchill before enjoying afternoon tea and ditherin...

by Sarah Bridge
added April 10, 2014

It was halfway through dinner at my first two-Michelin-starred restaurant experience at the Fischers Fritz in Berlin when I realised I was far more a 'drinkie' than a 'foodie' (assuming 'drinkie is even a word.) I was dining at the Fischers Fritz ...

by Sarah Bridge
added April 9, 2014

Berlin is the kind of city where even a seemingly mundane walk to the local supermarket can turn out to be an emotional experience. It had been 27 years since I was last in Berlin and was here to attend the travel industry trade show ITB. I was st...

by Sarah Bridge
added April 9, 2014

It's amazing how quickly you can feel like a 'local' while staying somewhere completely new to you. For me it was when I came back from a trip to the supermarket with some eggs and milk and let myself in at my own front door with my own key. I...

by Sarah Bridge
added March 19, 2014

The traffic-and-commuter-saturated High Holborn usually has little to recommend it, being full of gridlocked buses and office workers doing the twice-daily rat run to and from the tube. But an grand oasis of opulent charm and fine dining has just ...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 28, 2014

Note: This review is from Feb 2014. Cannizaro House is now owned by Hotel Du Vin so will have changed since my visit. If you're interested in a recent Hotel Du Vin review then check out https://aladyofleisure.com/hotel-du-vin-bristol-review/ T...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 20, 2014

It isn't often that you see a man wearing a hessian sack telling a room of beer-drinking women they would make better brewers than men. But Monday's 'Give Boys the Chop - beer dinner for girls only' event organised by Rupert Ponsonby and his g...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 16, 2014

Equinox gym London could possibly be one of the most expensive gyms in Kensington or even one of the priciest gyms in London. And as it's one of the most luxurious gyms in London, it is possibly one of the more expensive gyms in the country. And it d...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 3, 2014

[Note: This review of Gordon Ramsay London House Battersea Square is from its opening in Feb 2014] ny business owner will tell you that it's vital to get the local residents on side right from the very beginning to ensure success. And Gordo...

by Sarah Bridge
added February 1, 2014

Well - I did it. An entire January's-worth of alcoholic abstinence. And yes, it was a VERY long month. But the surprising discovery for me is not only that I have far greater reserves of willpower than anyone, including myself, suspected, ...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 29, 2014

My taxi driver was very excited when I said there would be loads of celebrities at the Costa Book Awards 2014. 'Like who?' he asked, as he turned off Piccadilly to head towards the event venue, Quaglino's restaurant. 'Like, erm, Ian Hislop,...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 27, 2014

The TGI Friday’s restaurant chain turned itself around, thanks to a fire that gutted one of its flagship sites, I'm told in my interview with Karen Forrester from TGI Fridays. While most bosses would consider this an unmitigated disaster, Forr...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 24, 2014

It was off to the rather fabulous private members' club The Arts Club on Wednesday evening and the launch party for its new hotel. Sadly the hotel itself, with its 16 rooms and suites, will not be open for guests until 2015, but pictures and an expl...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 22, 2014

You're never too old to visit Las Vegas - and here's the proof! Just a few days in Sin City brought about a miraculous transformation in my 72-year old mother. For several weeks before our Las Vegas holiday, her main activity had been fretting...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 20, 2014

Being escorted off the mountain-side by a French hunk on a snowmobile was not the way I had imagined the end of my first ever day of skiing, but it was certainly exhilarating. I clung to him for dear life as we plunged and soared across the sl...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 17, 2014

Visitors to Redemption, tucked away in the unfashionable corner of London between Westbourne Park and Ladbroke Grove, first have to walk past an array of Notting Hill's pubs and wine bars, packed with Bright Young Things knocking back the very la...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 16, 2014

Having just a few months ago seen the jaw-dropping, mind-boggling spectacle which is Cirque du Soleil's 'O' at the Bellagio, Las Vegas, the Cirque's Quidam show at the Royal Albert Hall certainly had a lot to live up to. But while the London s...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 9, 2014

There's nothing more than the fitness industry loves than the newest fad, the latest trend, the 'next big thing'. It guarantees column inches in newspaper supplements and magazines as the new idea is relentlessly promoted in books and articles...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 9, 2014

Take dozens of single people, put them in a beach resort for a week, add sun and alcohol, and it’s simply a matter of time before holiday romances start to flourish. Romance on a single holiday It was just a couple of days into my Mark Warner h...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 2, 2014

My friends in the drinks industry won't thank me, but I've joined the growing ranks of those who have sworn off booze for January - hello Dry January! Swearing seems to be the appropriate word too, as it's what I've felt like doing every one of t...

by Sarah Bridge
added January 2, 2014

Welcome to my leisure blog A Lady of Leisure! As a journalist covering the leisure sector for a national newspaper, I am lucky enough to spend a lot of my time having amazing experiences and meeting fascinating people. From visiting new restauran...

A trip to Sherborne: an ancient castle and The Eastbury hotel

Exploring Le Mans in 24 hours: a whistlestop tour of the city

Finding sleep with Sleeptember: a stay at The Nadler Covent Garden hotel

The best luxury hotels for Christmas 2019 – my epic festive round-up

Speed and saunas in a day at the Mercedes driving experience at Brooklands

My stay in a chateau in France: relaxing in Le Mans at La Groirie chateau

A most relaxing spa break at Ragdale Hall in Leicestershire

Trying out Park House hotel’s new Germaine de Capuccini spa treatments

My stay at Cliveden House luxury hotel (favourite of poets, players and princesses)

Arranging a hotel and parking at Gatwick airport: testing the APH offer

Bond, Bridget and me: my stay at Stoke Park luxury hotel

The Good Hotel Guide’s ten luxury hotels with swimming pools

Drama and country house charm during a stay at Kilworth House hotel

A relaxing spa break at Corinthia London luxury hotel

Medieval magic with a modern twist at The Swan hotel and spa in Lavenham, Suffolk

Disco lights, friendly staff and great location at Point A hotel, Kings Cross, London

The Crown and Castle Orford – it’s a Suffolk spot of food heaven

Good taste in every sense at Adnams excellent Swan hotel in Southwold

Curry, bagels, fish and chips and bacon butties on a food tour of London’s East End

Relaxing in the slow lane at Brandshatch Place hotel and spa

A seaside stay right on the Suffolk coast at The Brudenell hotel Aldeburgh

A charming luxury stay in Brockencote Hall hotel Worcestershire

A relaxing stay at Mallory Court luxury hotel Warwickshire

Kesgrave Hall hotel Suffolk: a friendly, lively, fun, quirky hotel stay

Maison Talbooth: an almost perfect stay at a lovely Essex country house hotel

A spookily moving Halloween in Derry Northern Ireland

A festive round-up of the best luxury country house hotels for Christmas 2018

How to hike the Inca trail to Machu Picchu – and enjoy the journey!

Travelling alone but not on your own: making friends (and more) on a Club Mark Warner holiday

The perfect Caribbean holiday on the island of Nevis

River-rafting and zip-lining, boat trips and beach cocktails, my perfect Jamaica holiday

A timely jackpot at the Hippodrome casino, Leicester Square, London

Skyros – the Greek island holiday which could change your life

Rowhill Grange luxury hotel and spa: a relaxing stay in the Kent countryside

The Bull at Sonning: a perfect example of a great British pub

How to declutter your wardrobe and give yourself (and your stuff) a chance to breathe

A memorable 48 hours on the Isle of Wight including blue cheese, garlic beer, beautiful beaches and charming B&Bs

What’s it like to drive a £150,000 Aston Martin DB11?

14 wines at dinner and a spa to recover in: a memorable stay at The Vineyard, Newbury

Make yourself at home at the grand but friendly Lewtrenchard Manor, Devon

Stanwell House hotel, Lymington: a New Forest welcome

Charming, boutique luxury at Daisybank Cottage bed and breakfast New Forest

Burley Manor hotel New Forest: relaxing country charm

Bovey Castle: a friendly, historic, luxury Dartmoor hotel stay

A romantic seaside stay in a beach suite at Cary Arms and Spa hotel, Devon

The Pig near Bath: a heavenly, foodie, country retreat

My epic food tour of Japan: sushi, sake, puffer fish and bullet trains

Montcalm London City and The Jugged Hare: brewing history and the wow factor

Chewton Glen hotel, New Forest – luxury from spa to treehouse

A relaxing stay at the historic Spread Eagle hotel, Midhurst

Time for some serious pampering at Ockenden Manor hotel and spa

A luxurious country escape at Bailiffscourt hotel and spa, West Sussex

How to go on a ski holiday on your own without feeling alone

Langshott Manor, Surrey: regal luxury in an Elizabethan manor house

The Bell Inn: a cosy New Forest coaching inn perfect for country walks

A Cape Verde holiday – winter sun on the island of Sal

An unscheduled stay at former 18th century sugar house, Hotel du Vin Bristol

Park House hotel and spa: a West Sussex secret (but not for much longer)

Whatley Manor review: a Cotswolds gem revisited (with added oxygen)

A classically English estate at Bowood hotel, spa and golf

Island-hopping (and relaxing) in the Aegean with SCIC Sailing

Setting sail in the Arctic on ‘the world’s most beautiful sea voyage’ (with eagles and dolphins for company)

Greenway hotel and spa, Cheltenham: a luxury hotel with the fizz factor

Fine dining and summer cocktails at the 600-year old coaching inn Bel and The Dragon, Cookham

A picture-perfect Cotswolds stay at The Manor House, Castle Combe

Pennyhill Park – a luxury hotel fit for the England rugby team

In defence (and memory) of little yellow photobombing cars

Rooftop cocktails and a spa make Montcalm Royal London House a top to toe destination

A review of 2016 – a year of excitement and adventure for ALadyofLeisure

A stay at The Old Swan and Minster Mill, a classic Cotswolds country pub

Skiing on a Mark Warner ski holiday – on your own but never alone

A very Christmassy stay at The Royal Horseguards Hotel, London

Cosy Cotswolds charm at The Painswick award-winning hotel

A deeply relaxing day at Lime Wood hotel spa in the New Forest

The Montagu Arms, Beaulieu: a New Forest feast

My stay at The Marylebone: a room with a view and a seriously nice roof terrace

Rockliffe Hall Darlington, County Durham – a relaxing spa escape

A cooling terrace (and a cocktail or two) at The Bloomsbury, London

The Gore Hotel: history, luxury and some rock and roll cocktails

Something for everyone come rain or shine at Foxhills hotel Surrey