Bora Bora is unique among the Leeward Islands in French Polynesia; a tiny paradise – barely 30km2 – benefiting from a healthy year-round climate. Its topography is unusual; at the centre of the island lies an extinct volcano, which rises above the lush forests and dazzling seawater, overlooking the lagoon and barrier reef which surround the island.

Today, the island has barely 9,000 inhabitants, many of whom make their homes in the city of Vaitape, the island’s only settlement o...

The Maharajas’ Express is a unique, luxury train service inspired by the lifestyles of the Maharajas. It offers sculpted tours around India on predetermined routes, aimed at tourists and travellers looking for luxury rarely found on the railway.

The ‘Royal Sojourn’ is the most elaborate of these journeys – an eight-day round trip beginning and ending in Delhi, taking in all manner of attractions along the way, including national parks, UNESCO World Heritage sites, countless mu...

Hong Kong’s Ritz-Carlton hotel, which opened in spring 2011, is the highest hotel in the world. Not the tallest, but the highest, as it occupies the 102nd-118th floors of the city’s imposing International Commerce Centre, one of the world’s tallest buildings. Perched atop one hundred floors of primarily executive office space (for the likes of Credit Suisse) the Ritz-Carlton is an impressive feat.

The International Commerce Centre occupies an enviable spot in West Kowloon. Visito...

How long have you been holidaying in the Algarve?
Eric Morecambe recommended it to us in the mid-70s when we met up as families and we’ve been addicted to it ever since. I’ve owned a lovely four-bedroom villa here for 13 years, which we share with friends.
It overlooks the lovely, long beach half a mile away at Meia Praia, near the pretty town of Lagos. Nobody overlooks us and when you’re swimming in the pool you feel like you’re in a lovely, private gard...

In the heart of Paradiski, Edenarc1800 is strategically positioned at the crossroads of Europe’s most stunning ski resorts. The renowned Vanoise Express cable car, which links the two striking resorts of Les Arcs and La Plagne, serves its 425km-long slopes effortlessly. Designed by Charlotte Perriand, Edenarc1800 is presently the only place in the Alps that allows ski-in and ski-out in winter and tenders an 18-hole golf course in summer. The leisure area covers 771m² and offers an in and o...

Occupying the eastern area of the Balkan Peninsula in south-eastern Europe, Bulgaria is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, the Black Sea to the east and Greece to the south, with a population of roughly 7.3 million people.

The country spans an area of around 69,000 square miles, with topography varying from large plains and lowlands to mountains, valleys and deep gorges. The Balkan ranges, also called the Stara Planina, (Bulgarian for �...

Made famous in the early 20th century by the Rothschild family, Megève has retained its upscale status and a genuine identity that is marked by beautiful medieval architecture and a strongly upheld agricultural feel.

Megève is a destination of quite some stock. Being one of the very first established ski resorts, its development can be traced back to the 1910s when the Rothschild family discovered the charms of the spot in the French Alps. The prestigious family fell in love with the...

First came the mobile phones, then the banks and discount retailers. Now, property companies are training their sights on frontier Africa, attracted by growing stability and wealth, a huge population and the world’s fastest rates of urbanisation. The poorest continent is still strewn with pitfalls, not least corruption, woeful infrastructure and haphazard laws that can make securing “clean” title deeds on a plot of land an arduous process.

The wide variety of legal codes found in...

In the heart of Finland’s Urho Kekkonen National Park lies Hotel Kakslauttenen, a holiday destination with a truly unique flavour. The national park is in Lapland, and shares many of its beautiful arctic trappings, but the big selling points of Kakslauttenen lie in the strength of its location combined with its unusual accommodation offerings.

Ivalo airport is just 35km away from the complex, with a bus transfer available straight to the hotel front-door. Once there, you will find th...

Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali, is a magnificent ode to the beauty of the Indonesian island, situated on an elevated plateau running along the southern coast. Although its horizon-gazing views may give the impression of seclusion, the complex’s out-of-the-way location is actually only 30 minutes from Ngurah Rai International Airport.

Uluwatu’s 84 villas are spread across a beautiful site overlooking the Indian Ocean. The villas – which vary in size from single-bed properties to priva...

When health goes wrong, it can be a troubling time. But if it goes wrong when you’re in a location you’re not necessarily familiar with, where the attitudes to treatment and care are different, and where cultural acceptances and language are sometimes incomprehensible, those troubles become deeper. I know, because I’ve lived abroad and been there myself.
I recently came back from a trip to China, where I’ve been inspecting hospitals to make sure they’re of a high enough qualit...

Everyone with poor eyesight dreams of being able to see the world’s shapes and colours clearly. No matter if they wear glasses or contact lenses, people with eyesight problems often claim that these forms of correction are both inconvenient and insufficient. Nowadays, people want to live actively, they want to do sports, they want to travel and to pursue their careers. Nobody wants to be limited by poor eyesight, especially when it is possible to eliminate this inconvenience.

The wor...

There is nothing the Italians love better than a good festival. They have a festival for everything; chocolate, olive oil, truffles, tomatoes, pizza – you name it, they have it. Throughout the year, each village or town will spend many months organising and planning its own extravaganza for everyone to enjoy.

The sense of community spirit is amazing, not only because everyone has a fabulous time, but often because these festivals raise a huge amount of revenue to support their local ...

People like Paris. One of the world’s premier tourist destinations, with over 30 million foreign visitors each year, Paris is considered la plus belle ville du monde. With history, museums, ancient mansion houses, an incomparable heritage (recently awarded UNESCO World Heritage status) and famous for its cuisine and wine, the lifestyle benefits are legendary. In addition, Paris is both a national and international hub. Easily the most accessible city in France, the city boasts two internati...

Former BBC reporter, war correspondent and politician Martin Bell has experienced things in his life that most ordinary people could only dream of. His various careers have taken him around the world. He has seen peace and war, experienced foreign cultures, even worked as a Member of Parliament for several years. Currently acting as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, Bell is still travelling the world, though his ideal home remains a small cottage in north London.

You travelled the worl...