marygostelow 98 posts 0 comments

I was amazed that the idea of combining retail with lodging is 110 years old. In 1910 the management of Le Bon Marché department store, which had been founded by Aristide and Marguerite Boucicaut in 1852, decided to open a hotel for their most favoured customers, but instead of calling it Le Bon Marché they named it Lutetia, the original Roman name…

The closest luxury beds to The Tower of London are at Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square – it is about 300 metres away from where mediaeval…

Shangri-La Hotel Paris attracts all ages, including the young upwardly-mobile, and already successful – many Australians of course already know the brand, says…

Some might remember the joy of seaside holidays. Others hanker after the kind of experiences portrayed in The Famous Five and other childhood books, and still another group might merely be fascinated by experiencing something that is so undeniably traditional English that it is worth a night away, next time in London. (Allow three hours’ driving…

Chicago is renowned, and justifiably, for some pretty unfriendly winter weather but the rest of the year it is gorgeous. In summer the city moves outside, quite…

Time to see what a boutique-sized luxury hotel at sea is like. I chose Ponant – named for ‘look west’, the opposite of Levant - that is actually more like…

Today, February 1st, 2019, LUX* North Male Atoll opens: a week after some 30 global media and self-styled influencers were hosted for a preview of this luxury resort. I can report that for those who are drawn to the white-blue chiaroscuro of Mykonos or Santorini, or the vibe of Miami Beach, this is just the perfect luxury resort here in the…

Miami Beach has literally hundred of hotels, some as unique as the book-filled The Betsy, or the decidedly-lavish Casa Casuarina, formerly home of Giovanni…

Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana is, alone, a reason to head to Cuba, as quickly as you can. Many of those staying at this 246-room beauty seem to…

Juan-les-Pins is under-the-radar French Riviera: those who want to be seen head for Cannes or St Tropez; those who do not want to be trailed by paparazzi are more likely to head for this part of the Antibes metropolis. It goes back to time immemorial, but its modern history really kicked off when Frank-Jay Gould opened a hotel in May 1927. Two…