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Sedap
2010-08-08 22:43:00
Lovers of Chinese-Malaysian food have had few places to satisfy their desires in London. For a while, I developed the expensive habit of buying my beef rendang and totally delicious Malaysian chicken curry from the food counter at Selfridges. As good as it tasted, I'd end up paying more there than in a half-decent restaurant. So I can't quite believe my luck that probably the best Chinese-Malaysian restaurants has now opened about en minutes' walk from my front door: Sedap.I passed by Sedap on Old Street a few times before thinking it was worth a visit. It doesn't ...

View from Le Gray over Beirut
2010-08-03 22:51:00
This is the view from the poolside at the fabulous Le Gray Hotel in fabulous Beirut . We spent the Easter holidays there, one of my best-ever weekend breaks. I'll be writing more about that very soon.
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Viajante
2010-08-03 22:41:00
I have something really special to share with the world. Last Sunday, four of us went to dine at Viajante, the new-ish restaurant at the 'Town Hall Hotel' in Bethnal Green. Londoners will know that this part of the East End is rapidly becoming cutting-edge trendy, especially the bit which stretches from Shoreditch House along to Bethnal Green Road. The Town Hall Hotel is a bit further along than that, and is a truly fantastic redevelopment of the old civic centre in Bethnal Green. They have done a much better job than Shoreditch Town Hall, which consists of a ...

German Icon
2010-07-13 00:03:00
We had a marvellous trip to Seoul at the start of the year on Lufthansa. I have just posted a full report and pics on my travel site. Hope you enjoy it.
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Are you talking to me?
2010-07-11 02:45:00
We encountered this owl on our trip to Sossusvlei Desert in Namibia, one of the most stunning locations in the world. I will be posting a full trip report soon.
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Xudum, Okavango, Botswana
2010-02-14 19:28:00
A wonderful KB picture from Botswana holidays last autumn. More pics on my travel site.

Roka
2010-02-09 23:30:00
I'm in danger of becoming an election bore. With less than three months to go before Great Britain and Northern Ireland go to the polls, I am completely absorbed in what is the first real contest since 1992.At the end of last year, it looked to be all over bar the proverbial shouting. After a few drinks at a Christmas Party, I quizzed a refugee from Tory HQ about the mood at party headquarters. He said they expected a pretty decisive victory - and who could blame them as every poll showed an increasing lead against a Prime Minister ...

Budapest Street Art
2010-02-09 23:26:00
From our recent Christmas trip. A full account coming soon.
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The Hoxton Hotel
2010-02-08 23:23:00
There has been a furious argument going on in Shoreditch over the proposed new 'Art'otel' on the corner of Old Street and Great Eastern Street.
More About: Hotel

Korean Gold
2010-02-08 00:24:00
An artefact from the National Palace Museum in Seoul, South Korea. We were there in January and will be posting a report very soon.
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Possibly the most beautiful hotel in the world...
2009-11-17 00:39:00
Midnight at the Huka Lodge in New Zealand. We stayed here in April and will be posting a full report later this week. More amazing pictures to follow!
More About: World , Hotel , Beautiful , The World

Night falls over Bora Bora
2009-11-17 00:34:00
The sun disappears as storm clouds gather over the Intercontinental Resort and Thalasso Spa in Bora Bora . I've posted a full report with lots more pictures here on the Silver Lining Travelogue.
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Night falls over Bora Bora
2009-11-07 12:18:00
The sun disappears as storm clouds gather over the Intercontinental Resort and Thalasso Spa in Bora Bora . Look out for more pictures over the next few days.
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African Journeys
2009-09-19 23:40:00
I mentioned in another post that the ATR is one of my least favourite small planes: too small to offer any kind of high quality flying experience, but too big to provide the same kind of fun you have have in a tiny Otter, for example. Imagine my delight, therefore, to discover that Air Botswana was running these French twin tubs to Maun, gateway to the Okavango Delta. This was a journey of TWO HOURS.

Air New Zealand, Hong Kong
2009-07-26 23:22:00
Our B747-400 is refuelled at Hong Kong International before the second leg of the journey to Auckland. Read the full account of this journey here.
More About: New Zealand , Zealand

Queenstown, New Zealand
2009-05-02 23:41:00
A view from the terrace of our room at the Azur Lodge on the edge of Queenstown . I'll be posting a full report on this incredible location in the next few days.
More About: New Zealand , Zealand

Autumn in Auckland
2009-04-30 00:15:00
A view of Auckland 's famous Sky Tower from Albert Park on a glorious autumn day in March 2009. We will be posting many more pictures from the beautiful parts of North and South Island in the next few days.
More About: Autumn

Beit Al Mamlouka, Damascus, Syria
2009-04-29 00:42:00
Hidden behind a high wall in the Old Town of Damascus , the tranquil courtyard of the exquisite Beit Al-Mamlouka luxury boutique hotel. Read about our stay in Damscus here.
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Palmyra, Syria
2009-04-26 19:05:00
The ruins of the Temple of Bel, the pagan god of the ancient city of Palmrya, Syria . This is one of the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world, and new discoveries are being made all the time. Of particular note is the work being done on excavating the elaborate tombs of the wealthy citizens of Palmyra. Our guide reckons there will be more unveiled in the next two years. For a full report of our visit to Syria, click here.

Pic of the week - inside the Emirates A380 First Class
2008-12-30 21:04:00
Read below for an account of the fabulous flying experience in the First Class cabin of the Emirates A380.
More About: Week , Inside

Review of Emirates A380 First Class, EK001, Dubai – London Heathrow
2008-12-30 20:57:00
I know it’s becoming a little bit of a cliché to talk about how quiet the plane is. There is so little ‘roar’ from the engines on take off that you wonder how this giant hulk of an aircraft is going to build up enough speed to get off the ground. Not sure if it was the quietness of the aircraft or the noise reduction headsets, but I was particularly impressed by the sound quality of the ICE entertainment system on this flight. The large TV screens (23 inches?) in the First Suites help too.
More About: London , First Class , Review , Dubai , Emirates

Review of Sofitel Luxembourg Le Grand Ducal, Mosconi Restaurant
2008-09-27 23:43:00
FOR most Europeans, I would guess, Luxembourg features very little in our thoughts. It sits oddly, permanently in the background of our lives, a minor detail on the map of Europe as we scan for more glamorous locations in Italy, Switzerland or France. For some reason, we had a rising curiosity about the Grand Duchy in 2008, partly inspired by the search for well-regarded Michelin-starred restaurants on the continent. It turned out that Luxembourg was home to Mosconi, a two-star Italian restaurant - the only one with such status outside of Italy itself. So we packed a party of six ...
More About: Restaurant , Review

Review of Beijing Olympics - Opening Ceremony
2008-08-08 21:20:00
THERE are very few occasions when the eyes of the world turn, almost as one, to a single location. That’s what makes attending any Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games one of the world’s great travel experiences. To be there when billions are tuning in to watch; when you are standing in an astonishing new structure that has stretched the limits of architectural and engineering possibilities; when you can look across and see the President of Russia sitting a few feet away from the Presidents of the USA, China, France and almost every world leader you can think of; when ...
More About: Olympics , Beijing , Review , Beijing Olympics

Can luxury travel be 'responsible'? asks CC Africa
2008-07-21 23:21:00
CC Africa , or the Conservation Corporation Africa, my favourite travel company, has just launched a blog called 'Responsible Luxury '. CCA has a well-deserved reputation as one of the most sustainable and ethically aware travel companies in the world (they just handed ownership of a big portion of their famous Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa back to the local community). Now they want to open a dialogue about whether luxury travel of the kind CCA offers can be 'responsible', by which they mean
More About: Travel

Photo of the Week, Llamas at Machu Picchu
2008-07-15 22:43:00
Curious llamas confront early morning visitors to Machu Picchu, the legendary citadel of the Incas in the Sacred Valley, Peru. For a full review, visit our main site, www.luxurytravelblog.net
More About: Photo , Week

Savoy restaurant, Prince Street, New York
2008-07-08 23:46:00
I always struggle to know where to eat in New York , so it was great to discover the Savoy restaurant, tucked away on a little corner of Prince Street , Soho, this intimate, warm venue is an excellent place for dinner a deux, or with a small group of friends. As it happens, I found myself here on business when it was my birthday, so six colleagues took me out to the Savoy for a slap-up dinner. The downstairs dining room at the Savoy is all honeyed wood and gentle lighting. It is tiny, and I was a little worried they ...
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The Capital, Knightsbridge, London
2008-07-08 22:58:00
With the economy collapsing all around us, the obvious response is to splash out at one of London 's top restaurants. The Capital is tucked away discreetly inside a small hotel just around the corner from Harrods, and has two Michelin stars. I first went there for a birthday dinner two years ago, and have been dying to go back ever since. Recovering from a horrendous overnight flight from JFK, I wasn't in the best of moods when we set off on the Piccadilly Line, but The Capital soon worked its magic and restored my spirits.The dining hall is very ...

Photo of the Week: Sol y Luna, Peru
2008-07-02 22:59:00
Close-up in the beautiful gardens at the Sol y Luna Lodge in the Sacred Valley, Peru . Read below for a review and more pictures.
More About: Photo , Week

Air New Zealand, Business Class, London to Los Angeles
2008-06-01 22:00:00
How much is a national airline brand tied up with our perceptions of the country it represents? Think Finnair - generous quantities of booze on board, straightforward but efficient service, and the grit and indefatigability to take off and land in conditions which would utterly defeat the big softies at Heathrow. How more Finnish could it be? In some cases, those airlines help to define what we think about a nation. How much goodwill has Singapore Airlines generated for the city state over the years? A fair amount, I would imagine.
More About: Business , London , New Zealand , Los Angeles , Class

La Reserve, Lake Geneva
2008-05-30 05:17:00
Getting to La Reserve is super easy from London, as long as you use the Swiss service from City Airport to Geneva . Thank Heavens for London City Airport on a Bank Holiday weekend - no Heathrow, no desperate lines at security, no long queue to get on the plane. Once you land and get through passport control (with typical Swiss efficiency), it’s only a ten minute taxi ride before you are pulling into the gates of La Reserve. As you can see from the picture above, the building isn’t going to win any architectural awards, but once you get inside, this is one luxurious resort.
More About: Lake