Narrow little streets with the scents of the Mediterranean are a great place to create memories. The Cinque Terre have a fairy-tale geography; they’re a revitalising little world of colourful photogenic houses, and always and forever there is la Dolce Vita. On my trip to the Cinque Terre or “Five Lands”, I explored five villages that are fascinating, or even more than that. They’re geographically close to each other but…
The Turkish coast of the Black Sea, Karadeniz, with its incredible natural environment, its historic sites, its magnificent lakes, its mountains, its wooden houses and its high plateaux, is an infinitely peaceful place, with a refreshing climate and a coastline of rare beauty. It is relatively little known by tourists, but it is splendid! If paradise had a name, once again after this trip I’m convinced it would be “Turkey”….
Located in the village of Bresala, in the middle of an exceptionally fine area of jungle, the Kayon Jungle Resort had everything to make our stay a total “get away from it all” experience. I couldn’t even have dreamed a better environment for relaxing and taking my first flower bath. Or a more magical place to do a yoga course. How could anybody not go overboard about the luxuriant vegetation,…
I’d dreamed for a long time of going to Bali, island of the Gods. It’s so named because it’s a Hindu land in the middle of Muslim Indonesia, and also because the gods must have favoured it specially to make it so beautiful. Here you leave everything behind you, and lose yourself in what is essential. I went there with a girlfriend, and we booked via a travel agency so…
As soon as I entered the Ritz-Carlton Istanbul, on this sunny Monday, I knew at once that this hotel would enchant me just like the other Ritz hotels. Ideally located in the very heart of the city, the hotel offers a magnificent panorama of the Bosphorus. How could anyone resist the magic of the place? When you’re surrounded by its Turkish-themed decor, it’s very easy to drift away amongst the…
Do you know Vienna? I’ve just spent a few days in the Austrian capital. I walked in the footsteps of Empress Sisi and Crown Prince Rudolf, and I admired the fabulous palaces and magnificent gardens. I also had the good luck to see Madame Butterfly at the Vienna State Opera. In Vienna, the grand story of Europe is still ever-present in the 21st century. If you’re planning a romantic/cultural getaway…
Located right next to China, Hong Kong and Macau have led their own lives for nearly two centuries in the one case and four in the other. Hong Kong was a British colony, more or less, for 155 years; and Macau was under Portuguese administration for four hundred years. About twenty years ago, they went back to being – almost – Chinese, as Chinese administrative regions enjoying a special regime,…
Santorini has a reputation for being the romantic destination par excellence. I dreamed for a long time of its villages of white houses and its blue domes, perched high above steep cliffs, and the laid-back lifestyle shown in so many Instagram photos. I wanted it to be my turn to immerse myself in this much-hyped world; I imagined myself tasting cheap and delicious Greek cooking every day, experiencing the authenticity…
A medieval town in the north of the Flanders plain, Bruges is a true open-air museum. With its winding streets, its authentic little squares and its picturesque canals, the town seems to be right out of a fairy story. The Venice of the North is small, and lends itself easily to a day’s excursions on foot, in a boat or in a horse-drawn carriage. After dark, you can appreciate the…
I’m opening my address book to share my choices for fine dining in luxurious surroundings, in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. I don’t know if it’s Istanbul’s palette of colours that inspires me the most, or the secrets of its past, but its atmosphere is unique. The first bit of good news is that Istanbul is a wonderful place for food. The second is that the views are…