Advice

Expert guide to Whistler Overview Hotels Restaurants Apres ski Snow reports Canada’s leading ski resort Boasting dramatic mountain scenery and a lively après scene, Whistler, on the west coast of Canada in British Columbia, is much more European in flavour than most North American resorts. Twenty years ago, it was more of a locals’ mountain than the top international

A headache has returned to the post-Covid travel checklist: Day 2 PCR tests. This time, however, it comes with a fresh pain – self-isolation until you receive a negative result.  Before today you simply needed to book the cheapest lateral flow test available (prices had fallen to as low as £1) and rest safe in

In a blow to international travel, 10 countries have now been added to the previously empty red list.  As of 4am on November 28, arrivals from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola are subject to a 10-day stay in a quarantine hotel. Those who arrived before this

The UK Government announced the addition of four more countries to the travel red list, as concerns grow over the omicron Covid variant, first detected in South Africa.  Angola, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia have joined the six countries placed on the revived red list on Friday November 26 – South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Lesotho. All flights from the 10 countries

Expert guide to Val Thorens Overview Hotels Restaurants Apres ski Snow reports The concrete edifices of Val Thorens’ early years have largely been re-clad with more favourable materials, and more recent construction is in a more sympathetic Savoyard style. The resort’s increasingly wealthy and discerning clientele demands – and receives – a clutch of some

Expert guide to Val Thorens Overview Hotels Restaurants Apres ski Snow reports Europe’s most superlative ski resort At 2,300m purpose-built Val Thorens is not only the highest resort in the 600km Trois Vallées ski area that also includes Courchevel, Méribel and Les Menuires, but the highest in Europe. Its lofty altitude means that its doorstep slopes have guaranteed snow cover from November

The UK Government has announced the addition of four more countries to the travel red list, as concerns grow over the omicron Covid variant, first detected in South Africa.  Angola, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia will join the six countries placed on the revived red list on Friday November 26 – South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Lesotho. All flights from

In a blow to international travel, six countries have been added to the previously empty red list. From 4am on Sunday November 28, arrivals from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Namibia will be subject to a 10-day stay in a quarantine hotel. Those who arrive before this deadline must quarantine for

The UK Government has announced the addition of six countries to the travel red list, from noon on Friday, as concerns grow over a new Covid-19 variant detected in South Africa.  Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, said the new variant “may be more transmissible” than the delta strain and added “the vaccines that we currently

Birdsong is one of the most beautiful sounds of the African bush, but too often we forget to listen. Or to watch. Instead, we surrender to that all-consuming fever to seek out a lion, a leopard, a rhino. Not this time. That wavering, wobbling, wandering note up ahead was hypnotic, almost like a physical presence. 

Italy is a country of year-long delights, and now that fully vaccinated Britons will be able to travel there without quarantine upon arrival, it’s the perfect time to get planning. Here’s a month-by-month guide to get you started… January Florence  Florence is, of course, the cradle of the Renaissance, and it’s the city’s remarkable architecture

“Happiness, happiness, the greatest gift that I possess”, trilled the late, indefatigable comedian Ken Dodd. We all know that happy feeling but how to quantify it is debatable. This hasn’t stopped Hexham in Northumberland from being voted Britain’s happiest place to live, according to a recent survey. Indeed, the market town, just south of Hadrian’s

Summer is but a distant memory. Days are downright chilly, breath visible as you leave the house and cheeks pinched red. Escaping to warmth or hibernating until spring becomes all the more appealing. Thankfully, Britain excels when it comes to cosy spots that tick all the right boxes: crackling log fires, piping hot hearty food,

Now is the right time to plan your escape from the British winter but with so much of the world to choose from, how do you decide? Maybe sometimes it’s too easy to get fixated by the weather, rather than the destination or the type of holiday. We are so obsessed with getting some guaranteed

In recent years taking the train to the slopes of Europe has become an increasingly popular choice for British skiers and snowboarders looking for a more enjoyable alternative to airport queues or long drives. This year, however, Eurostar’s famous ski train has been chartered solely by a French tour operator, Travelski, and will be marketed

Expert guide to Verbier Overview Hotels Restaurants Apres ski Snow reports Verbier is a resort which has long been heavy on exclusive private chalets, along with a smattering of upmarket hotels and more reasonable lodges. Perhaps surprisingly, for such a well-heeled resort, there also are a couple of hostel-style options but these need booking well

Anyone who has ever spent time in Britain will know that having an alternative plan in mind, should the weather take a turn for the worse, is practically essential.  The good news is that there is always plenty of choice – should we need to venture indoors – that can help keep the whole family

Expert guide to Verbier Overview Hotels Restaurants Apres ski Snow reports The chic centre of the 4Vallées Verbier is the main resort in Switzerland’s largest ski area, the 4Vallées. Thanks to the combination of a sunny, scenic location, exciting terrain and a lively nightlife, it has long attracted a young crowd intent on making the most of both

Don’t tell Tim Martin, but Wetherspoons is more woke than it thinks. It’s all about upcycling these days, didn’t you know? Fast fashion’s reputation is in the bin. Plastic bags are out, tote bags are in. Even our dear princes and princesses are turning up to gala climate change events wearing tatty old outfits. And indeed,

The NHS app is now widely used as a digital vaccine passport for Britons travelling abroad, and is accepted as proof of your vaccinated status – but not yet any booster dose – by a growing number of nations. The app holds the NHS Covid Pass, which is accepted by all EU countries, as well as most nations further afield.