Advice

Vail is a cosmopolitan, upmarket place and its range of restaurants reflects this. Pretty much every type of cuisine is available and the standards are high, but most places are pricey, especially by UK standards. Each of the base areas has its fair share of good places to eat and drink.  The mountain restaurants are

Madonna di Campiglio is one of Italy’s most fashionable ski resorts, with Italian style noticeable on both the pistes and the streets. Quintessentially Italian and vibrantly attractive, it is second only to the craggy charisma of Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites.  The core of the ski area is four small linked sectors around the villages, and intermediates

Thanks to the relatively recent construction of a tunnel bypass, Madonna di Campiglio’s village is virtually car‑free and has considerable traditional charm, with elegant buildings dating back to the 19th century.  There are none of the hyper-chalets that draw wealthy visitors to the likes of Val d’Isère and Courchevel in France; instead there is a

‘Tis the season for flat-packed wooden chalets, saccharine mulled wine and the magical opportunity to purchase your name, bent into shape using salvaged coat-hanger wire. In the last decade or so, the number of Christmas markets in the UK rose from an estimated 30 to over 100, generating at least £500 million a year to the

Why not let someone else take the strain this year and enjoy turkey and all the trimmings in the comfort of a spoiling hotel? Christmas in London is a magical affair, with uplifting carol singing in its beautiful cathedrals and churches, streets decorated with Christmas trees and fairy lights and shop windows full of goodies,

There’s a reason why Alexander McCall Smith novels set in Edinburgh feature characters losing their cars. Finding parking can be fraught for residents, never mind visitors, which is why you’ll be advised to either leave your car at home or use one of the long-stay park and ride facilities on the city outskirts. But for

Winnie the Pooh once said, “You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.” With this in mind, we’ve rounded up some of the best hotels with woodland walks so you can explore windswept woods and enchanting ancient forests, including the

Aparthotels are the best of both worlds for a stay in the capital giving you the hotel experience with the added freedom that comes with your own private London bolthole. Plus, the chance to live like a local in some pretty swanky postcodes. Whether you’re looking for a posh pad to call home for three

Ischgl has a wide choice of smart hotels – more than is usual in an Austrian resort. However, prices tend to be higher than in the Tirolean heartland of the Kitzbüheler Alps with which Britons are more familiar. The most convenient places to stay are near, but not on, the main street, away from late-night

Few resorts in the Alps match Alpe d’Huez for its suitability for skiers and snowboarders at both ends of the skills graph, as well as in the middle. The terrain here is as well suited to experts as it is to beginners, while confident intermediates will have a ball. Alpe d’Huez has grown spectacularly in stature since Polish engineer Jean

Expert guide to Alpe d’Huez Overview Hotels Restaurants Après ski Snow reports Most people visiting Alpe d’Huez stay in self-catering apartments, though there are some chalets and luxurious hotels available, as well as a Club Med resort. The resort village is split into eight small districts, or quartiers, with the Cognet quartier close to both

There are plenty of lively and good-value bars at and around the bottom of Passo Tonale’s slopes. But don’t expect anything too sophisticated or indeed as wild as in some other resorts. For further Passo Tonale inspiration, see our guides to the resort’s best accommodation and restaurants. La Baracca At the foot of the Vittoria chairlift,

Three-star hotels that vary greatly in degree of comfort make up the bulk of the accommodation in Passo Tonale, and there are a few four-stars. Most hotels are located on the main road through the resort, and quite convenient for the lifts, however some are quite a way from most of the shops and bars.

There aren’t many mountain restaurants on the slopes of Passo Tonale and its linked resort of Ponte di Legno. This means people who spend most of their time on the local Passo Tonale slopes in particular go back to the village for lunch, where there are plenty of bars that serve food and a few

Passo Tonale is set on a high pass, which separates the region of Trentino from neighbouring Lombardy. It developed as a ski resort because of its high, snow-sure setting. It is also in the Val di Sole (Sun Valley), which lives up to its name with lots of sunny days. The resort’s high local slopes

Oxford Street – two words that bring instant joy or instant dismay depending, most likely, on your tolerance levels for shopping. However, this Mecca to retail that takes you from Marble Arch (and with it access to Hyde Park) right down to Tottenham Court Road (via Bond Street and Oxford Circus), is like a central vein

Green space is a precious commodity on the London housing market and the same is true in hotel land. So, if you can find somewhere to stay that also has a garden then prepare to feel very smug indeed. What could be more civilised than sitting with a G&T in your own little urban oasis

For decades Ischgl has been the premier Austrian destination for German visitors, but in recent years it has also acquired a strong following among Britons. This has largely come about not just because of the quality of its pistes, but also because of the music. Ischgl’s famous start- and end-of-season Top of the Mountain concerts have attracted

Who’d have thought that Essex would have so many desirable foodie hotspots that also serve up great accommodation? In fact, the county has been something of a pioneer in this respect – home to everything from a couple of trail-blazing gastropubs to a terrific local hotel group whose food offering is as classy as its

Wengen is a charming village set on a shelf overlooking the Lauterbrunnen valley. For a resort that is so famous for the annual Lauberhorn World Cup downhill race, which takes place every January, it is remarkably small. The focus is a short main street lined by shops and several large Victorian-style hotels.  There are surprisingly