I had seen pictures of Carcassonne and read how this French medieval walled citadel was the largest in Europe. It all looked and sounded very impressive. But no amount of research could have prepared me for the jaw-dropping moment I first set eyes on its walls and the realisation that this was going to be home…
Back in the early 1980s there were three things the average English family would do together almost religiously on a Sunday. There was church in the morning, a traditional roast dinner in the afternoon and then in the evening up to 24 million of us would gather round the TV to watch To The Manor…
Where in the world can you laze on a beach enjoying clear views of no fewer than FOUR different countries? Think about it… it’s not easy. Well, to your right would be Saudi Arabia, straight ahead would be Jordan, to your left would be Israel and at your feet would be the golden sands of…
Imagine throwing yourself off a 2,000m high mountain and entrusting your life to a complete stranger. Then imagine soaring with the birds as you and your ‘pilot’ dangle from a flimsy looking silk sheet over one of the world’s most beautiful lagoons. I imagined it… and it scared me half to death. So I…
Talk about a sea view – they don’t come much better than this. The turquoise waters of a crescent cove gently lapping a sweep of fine, golden sand… just perfect. We could have happily stayed on our balcony the entire week, just sipping sangria and soaking up the sun. The resort was Cala Galdana on…
It’s enough to make Mozart turn in his grave! The great Austrian composer’s legacy has been drawing crowds to his home town of Salzburg for two centuries. But these days, its visitors are just as likely to be humming My Favorite Things or Climb Ev’ry Mountain as they are The Magic Flute or The Marriage…
Time is of the essence when you’re on a weekend break in Europe. So how’s this for a quick getaway… My wife and I were checking out the view from our hotel room in central Pisa less than two hours after taking off from the Midlands. Our 17.25 flight from Coventry with Thomsonfly.com lasted just…
The legendary Tom Jones once sang about the green green grass of home. In truth, the South Wales valleys where he was born and raised were not green at all when the song went to No.1 in 1966. They had been scarred by an intensive mining and heavy engineering industry which by then was in…
So, you’ve enjoyed too many burgers and beers around the barbeque and need to shed a few pounds. Perhaps you’re thinking of joining your local gym or picking up the tennis racket that’s been gathering dust in the garage. All seems a little too much like hard work, doesn’t it? Well, I’ve got a much…
London’s highest hotel just got bigger and better with a £25m facelift. Holiday Inn has spent a hefty £22,000 on each of the 910 rooms at its flagship Kensington Forum Hotel, plus £1m on the express lifts alone. And to celebrate, general manager Jonathan Walker invited me to sample its new delights on a tailor-made…
Holidaying Hack 