Advice

Here we go again. After the Easter holidays were marred by staggering airport queues and a raft of flight cancellations, half term has also kicked off with a large dose of stress for holidaymakers.  Last Friday, easyJet cancelled 240 departures up until June 6, while British Airways axed 140 scheduled flights from Heathrow (though many

Everyone knows about York’s Roman and Viking history, but not so many people realise it has a wealth of luxury boutique accommodation and a thriving cultural scene, with cool neighbourhoods full of independent shops, restaurants and cafés, as well as countless museums, theatres and attractions. York is an ideal size for exploring on foot, and

It’s a truth universally acknowledged – most families don’t want to fly before 7am. Waking up in the middle of the night, then travelling with wired toddlers or grumpy teenagers is not the best start to a holiday.  This is why we deliberately booked a Ryanair flight at 1pm on our recent short trip to

Dubai is often described as Las Vegas without the casinos. It certainly likes to do things on a grand scale. Supersized hotels, buffets, malls, amusement parks, aquariums, designer cars and luxury yachts are all commonplace. Expect to crane your neck looking up at the world’s tallest building — the Burj Khalifa — and then score

Flight cancellations and delays continue to affect British holidaymakers, as easyJet warns flights could be disrupted due to IT problems, advising customers both in the UK and Europe to check the status of their trip before travelling to the airport. Passengers on a Wizz Air flight due to depart London Gatwick were also hit by

For a city with so much mythical and cultural baggage, Athens is surprisingly modern. Sure, there are Byzantine churches tucked among the tightly knit apartments and the Parthenon looms into view around nearly every corner. But come expecting a living postcard and you’ll be in for a shock. Three million people are crammed into this

The Queen’s royal tours have always packed a diplomatic punch. Over the course of Her Majesty’s seven decades on the throne, marked this year with the Platinum Jubilee, many of her subjects have not only been enthralled by the exotic locations she has visited and the rare glimpse her travels have provided into her private

Copenhagen always ranks highly in surveys of the world’s best cities, and little wonder. Size certainly helps: it’s big enough to have world-class museums, restaurants and attractions; small enough to make them easily accessible. Then there’s its unerring ability to blend quaint and cool: one minute you’re in Indre By or Christianshavn, strolling along a

‘I don’t wanna talk, about things we’ve gone through.” The opening line of Abba’s forlorn 1980 break-up hit The Winner Takes It All always sounded hopelessly unrealistic. Few musical acts have held the public’s affection or interest quite as firmly as this celebrated (largely) Swedish pop quartet. Even now, half a century on from their

Heading to London for Wimbledon? Thanks to the unique buzz that surrounds the oldest tennis tournament in the world, June/July is always a fantastic time to visit the wider South West corner of the capital and its leafy surrounding areas. At the desirable heart of the action and with an eclectic mix of rustic pubs, chic

It was shaping up to be a textbook take off. The conditions were clear and the AndoluJet plane had taxied onto the runway at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. It was scheduled to fly to Istanbul, a breezy two-hour journey. The pilot conducted the final checks, and then a number of passengers felt a light

Ah, the “mini break”. That must mean a 1950s headscarf and shades. An overpriced and impractical valise. A picnic hamper in the boot. And a drive to a country house retreat, where you shall waft around in floaty fabrics, and bathe in champagne, candlelight, sunsets and smugness.  Or maybe not. It’s been 25 years since

If there was ever a month (and a year) to stay near Buckingham Palace, June 2022 is the one to pick. With so many pockets of celebrations happening for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee it makes perfect sense to bed down and be right in the thick of the events for maximum enjoyment. Spots like Victoria,

The term ‘spa break’ conjures up ideas of grand country house getaways or residential retreats but what if you choose your spa experience to be in the city? Who says you can’t combine the two elements? It’s actually a stroke of genius because when you’ve been pounding the streets and rinsing the city for all it

It’s fair to say that the airport experience has taken a turn for the worse over the past couple of years. From confusing Covid admin at check-in to nightmarish queues and an upswing in last-minute flight cancellations, it seems there’s little glamour in flying these days.  Still, some airports manage to make the experience a

Cornwall is all well and good for humans, but it’s nothing short of paradise for dogs. Bounding along great expanses of sandy beach, splashing about in the surf, going for long walks on the moors or along the Southwest Coast Path. And in turn, the Duchy loves its four-legged visitors. Most pubs and cafés are

Dubrovnik is one of the world’s most magnificent walled cities, overlooking the calm blue Adriatic. Once the capital of the mighty sea-faring Republic of Ragusa (1358-1808), it’s now Croatia’s most upmarket destination. Historically, this diminutive republic was sophisticated, refined and cultured. Today, the pedestrian-only Old Town – packed with aristocratic palazzi and elegant Baroque churches,

You could happily spend all day eating and drinking wherever you are in Spain, and I frequently do. One thing just sort of slides into the next – if you’re doing it right.  Be warned though, this means resetting your eating routine and having your lunch and dinner at least an hour or two later

Known for its steamy-hot summers, mild winters and sultry operatic gypsy heroine Carmen, Seville is a bijou city whose fabulous food, extraordinary Mudejar, Gothic and Renaissance architecture, and exotic flamenco rhythms never fail to charm and seduce. History oozes through its very pores, with ancient Moorish walls, Roman ruins and Baroque churches at every turn.

Founded almost a thousand years ago, Marrakech is one of the great cities of the Maghreb. Somehow this bursting-at-the-seams city exists on the edge of the Sahara Desert, its pink pise (rammed earth) palaces framed by the snow-capped High Atlas. In its seething souks, Europe, Africa and the Middle East mingle and merge, and the