Mary Gostelow

San Francisco always reminds this traveller of the Grand Old Duke of York – the old one, note, not the current one. This is a city of marching up the hill, Nob Hill, and marching back down again, although this time helped by Uber.

It was time for an update on Vancouver, and the best place to start was its iconic hotel, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. What a trophy it must have been when the…

Mandarin Oriental Jumeira is a Dubai hotel that does things differently – and it is not only spelling Jumeira like that (everyone else seems to use Jumeirah).…

Australia Day 2020 was duly celebrated last Sunday at a Thai-themed resort in Dubai. Does that make sense? Honestly, the 293-key Anantara Dubai Palm Jumeirah Resort & Spa is indeed a property that makes you think you are in Chiang Mai rather than the stress-overload creation that is Dubai. It is little wonder that an increasing number of…

Before starting on a tour of two remarkable hotels, let us look at sachertorte, universally the world’s best-known cake. Ever since Viennese pastry cook Franz…

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…

First-time visitors to Rio de Janeiro should probably take an organised tour all day, to see Corcovado Mountain with its Christ The Redeemer statue, and Sugarloaf Mountain, Selarón Steps, Maracana Stadium, and the Sambadrome. Others might head straight to the four-kilometre-long Copacabana Beach, justifiably rated one of the world’s best, with…

Of course everyone imagines themselves on the red carpet in May at the annual Cannes Festival, formerly called the International Film Festival. Any time of…

Let’s have an update on the ‘town and country’ pairing.  Here is the ultimate suggestion that is absolutely right for the 2020s. What do they have in common?…

Sanya, on Hainan Island, is China’s answer to Hawaii, and foreigners should take note - for a start, 59 nations do not need a typical China visa: get one on arrival. And the weather is extremely pleasant, year round. Girlahead stayed at two of the many really top resorts in the Sanya area.