Salzburg, Austria (review published 2005)

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…

Pisa & Florence, Italy (review published 2005)

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…

Rhondda Valley, Wales (review published 2004)

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…

Paris, France (review published 2004)

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 (review published 2003)

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…

Disneyland Paris (review published 2003)

Once upon a time there was a land where children of many different languages could come together to live their dreams. They loved its thrilling rides and tales of good overcoming evil. But sadly,  too few families fell under the spell of this Magic Kingdom. For starters, it rained… a lot. And secondly, an optimistic…

Pollenca, Mallorca (review published 2002)

Lazing on a beach until sundown, then home for a siesta and a shower before hitting the bright lights ‘til dawn. That’s how I usually choose to spend my holidays. So it was with fond memories of a fun-filled fortnight in Magaluf that I returned to the Spanish island of Majorca. Hitting the beach, it…