You don't get to be included in the Sunday Times' list of Best Places to Stay 2023 without good reason, and I was intrigued to find out what The Angel Inn Stoke-by-Nayland in Suffolk had to make it stand out from other great British hotels. Following...
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Every review is personally researched and written by me, Sarah Bridge, who, when I'm not writing about leisure for a national newspaper, spends my time seeking out the best leisure experiences, from city centre boutique hotels to country house estates, Michelin-starred dining to the newest openings. Some of the links on my reviews are affiliate marketing links, which means if you click through I get a small commission if you end up buying on these sites. This in no way affects the independence of my reviews, but helps with website running costs and I just wanted to let you know so as to be fully transparent.
The Rectory Manor Hotel near Lavenham is a hotel stay like no other. For a start, it's more like a B&B rather than a hotel, offering bed and breakfast 'in the style of a hotel' (according to its website), but as breakfast is charged separately to...
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With rooftop beehives, a 'Vegan Suite' and classic films playing in the lobby depending on the season, Hilton London Bankside is not your typical chain hotel offering. It's also the closest hotel to Tate Modern, which makes it the ideal location to s...
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Some hotel visits stay in your memory long after the trip itself, and my recent stay at the Northcote luxury hotel Lancashire was a case in point. Not only was it a lovely hotel located just outside the vibrant and friendly town of Clitheroe, with lu...
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I honestly thought my mum was going to join in at one point. We were at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane - normally home of Frozen, the Musical - at Classical Everywhere's one-off performance of Handel's Messiah The Live Experience and during a partic...
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7 of the best Eurocamp sites in France - by someone who's been to them all!
The biggest problem with trying to book a family holiday is that parents and kids usually want different things, writes guest reviewer Rachel Bridge. Kids want to go camping...
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Being new to Paddington Basin and the whole 'Aparthotel' concept meant that I was entering the unknown with my stay at Wilde Aparthotels by Staycity Paddington London right in the heart of Paddington Basin.
While most Londoners know Paddington...
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Planning a significant birthday is always a scary prospect, but a weekend at the five star luxury hotel Bovey Castle in the heart of Dartmoor, meant that I was assured of a stay fit for the occasion.
A birthday weekend at Bovey Castle hotel
...
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Arriving at The Foaling Box at Bethnal&Bec luxury self-catering studios, my partner's first reaction was: 'Wow? Can we stay here for a week?'
Sadly we were there just for the night, but we instantly felt at home in this fun, quirky and welcomi...
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Within minutes of arriving at our resort for our Cape Verde holiday, we had a drink in hand and had hit the dance floor - wearing jeans in 27-degree heat! Our week of fun had finally started.
Cape Verde holiday at the Melia Llana hotel
If you'r...
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When I arrived at Hyatt Place London City East I had no idea what to expect, one of the joys of reviewing hotels in London. Would it be a budget option, handy for the tube but lacking in charm? Or will it be a quirky boutique hotel, full of surprises...
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Master Builders House hotel is a hotel steeped in history, located in a beautiful setting on the banks of the River Beaulieu in the New Forest. It might sound like something out of Lego Masters, but the Master Builders name comes from the hotel’s 18t...
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What is Twixmas? Twixmas is that magical time in between (twixt) Christmas and New Year when there's nothing to do but relax, enjoy your presents, eat leftovers and go for lovely country walks with family and friends. Over recent years, lots of hotel...
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The best hotels for New Year's Eve 2022
Spending New Year's Eve at a luxury hotel is a perfect way to begin the New Year. With many of Britain's best hotels pulling the stops out for New Year's Eve - think fine dining and wine-pairings, cocktails an...
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Hotel Christmas packages - three magical words! Who hasn't dreamt of staying in a hotel for Christmas? If you think of the best luxury country house hotels for Christmas 2022 you can almost picture the festive scene: great food, beautiful decorations...
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If you’re trying to find a family-friendly campsite with wild swimming and no stress, then you’ve come to the right place. Wild Canvas is a pop-up camping experience which runs throughout August every year, and its style of camping is on the more rel...
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A week sailing in Turkey around its Aegean coastline with SCIC Sailing is possibly one of most relaxing holidays you can go on. While some holidays can be so hectic you feel like you need another holiday immediately afterwards, the only risk you ...
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A stay at The Merry Harriers pub
The Merry Harriers pub in the pretty Surrey village of Hambledon is a quintessentially British pub. It's beautiful from the outside, with trailing plants and outdoor seating, while inside has all you need from a ...
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As I arrived at The Grand Hotel Eastbourne to be welcomed by the uniformed door staff and ushered into the hotel's vast entrance hall, I couldn't help but think they made hotels on a larger scale in days gone by. To arrive at The Grand Hotel in Eastb...
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I often wonder if the little unique touches offered by some hotels - a particular theme, a movie quiz hidden in wallpaper, a secret garden or two - are ever really appreciated by guests who are just passing through, but I certainly made the most out ...
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One unexpected bonus of lockdowns was the rise in popularity and quality of restaurant meal kits to finish off at home, and these have continued long after lockdowns have (hopefully) become a thing of the past. I've already reviewed several home rest...
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Staying in a small, boutique hotel rather than one with dozens of rooms turns a hotel into more of a home-from-home experience and so it turned out with my stay at Burleigh Court hotel in Stroud, in the western end of the Cotswolds area of outstandin...
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Exploring the Cotswolds on a sunny day is one of most delightful things you can do but when the rain clouds gather overhead, the best thing to do is to find a cosy pub with an open fire and stay put for the afternoon. That's exactly what I did one co...
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Exploring Europe one city break at a time is a lovely way to introduce children to the delights of foreign travel. Now that travel is possible again, there are many things to do in Bruges in Belgium which makes it a great family-friendly ...
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Checking into the penthouse suite at nhow London hotel reminded me of the film Pretty Woman.
'So how come you rented the penthouse?'
'It's the best!'
(Even though billionaire Edward is scared of heights).
A stay at nhow London hotel
Th...
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The sense of excitement is as tangible as the ever-present smell of frangipani and hibiscus flowers. Mauritius is finally open once again.
From airport staff to taxi drivers, stall holders and restaurant staff, hotel owners, fishermen, massage the...
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Staying at Sopwell House
There's a lot to pack in during a stay at luxury hotel Sopwell House, St Albans in Buckinghamshire. There's the popular afternoon tea in the lounge at this four-star Georgian country house hotel; there's a variety of food ...
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Having lived in London for most of my adult life, a stay in a central London hotel is a real luxury. It becomes even more so when, like The Mayfair Townhouse hotel, it is located just by one of my favourite London locations; the 18th century squa...
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There are few more delightful ways to spend a night away than in a historic coaching inn with bedrooms and good food, and Bel & The Dragon Odiham was the perfect choice for a relaxing overnight stay.
Not only was it located in the lovely villa...
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The stunning Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius is definitely a place to put at the top of your wish list now we can start exploring the world again. Thanks to its location, an early lockdown and strict quarantine measures, Mauritius had extreme...
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Before I visited Hoar Cross Hall hotel in Staffordshire I was fond of declaring that there are hotels with spas and there are hotels which are spas, but after my stay at Hoar Cross Hall hotel I might have to add a third option.
A stay at Hoar Cr...
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Staying in a luxury hotel with a Michelin star restaurant turns a great trip into a truly memorable one. While most four and five star hotels will have their own fine-dining restaurants, many of them highly-rated by the AA, Sawdays, Tripadvisor and t...
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Hotels with swimming pools are much more than just a lovely place to stay for a night or two; it turns a short break into a real holiday. Staying in a hotel is a treat at any time, but sometimes a hotel stay comes with the feeling you should be visit...
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Proof that you don't have to travel far to enter a whole new world came with my recent stay at the Bel and the Dragon Churt in Surrey. A quick drive around the M25 and along some pretty country lanes and before long I was sitting in a vast beer garde...
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Visiting the historic town of Winchester and staying at the closest hotel to Winchester Cathedral, the Old Vine Winchester, seemed like a great idea when tyre company Bridgestone offered me the chance to try out their new high performance Potenza Spo...
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Choosing to spend my first week of freedom away from my full-time writing job by booking a week-long writing course might seem a strange idea, but a week at the Arvon Foundation's writers' retreat in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire seemed just the thin...
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Guest post from author and journalist Rachel Bridge
It’s a been a truly horrible year for everyone but a few precious things have just about kept me on the right side of cheerfulness - here are my top seven lockdown treats.
My pool
I normall...
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Enjoying the perfect Sunday roast at your favourite pub must surely be one of the weekend pleasures most missed during lockdown and here's where restaurant kits can come into their own. While I'm counting down the days until the pubs re-open (and I'm...
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By ALadyofLeisure.com guest writer, food and drink journalist Stuart Peskett
To say that the UK restaurant industry is in trouble is putting it mildly. Lockdowns due to the pandemic have seen bars and restaurants shutting up shop – many for good. ...
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A Mauritius holiday is probably what many of us are dreaming of right now - winter sun, sandy beaches, rum cocktails and luxury hotels.
What to do on a Mauritius holiday
I was lucky to spend a fortnight in Mauritius including a weekend trip to ...
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A stay at the Stafford hotel in central London is like discovering a secret gem just yards away from the bustling heart of the capital. With its American Bar, vast wine cellar, secret passages, World War 2 tributes and Game Bird restaurant, not to me...
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You never forget your first Pig, as the old saying doesn't go, and with such fond memories of my stay at The Pig near Bath (check out my review 'The Pig near Bath - A heavenly, foodie, country retreat') I was very excited to discover on a recent trip...
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Lainston House hotel is the perfect place to stay if you're visiting Winchester, but it would be easy to just stay put and make the most of everything the hotel has to offer.
Not only are there luxury bedrooms in which to relax, there's also a coo...
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Travelling to the USA – how to apply for an ESTA
Planning on going on holiday to the USA soon? If your trip is for less than 90 days then instead of applying for a full US visa you can, under the Visa Waiver Programme, travel with an Electronic Sy...
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Exploring the Cotswolds near Stroud with a stay at The Bear of Rodborough hotel near Stroud, Gloucestershire is just the thing to blow away the cobwebs.
A stay at The Bear of Rodborough
This 17th-century Cotswolds coaching inn, part of the exce...
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Hotels in the Cotswolds are always a pleasure to discover and having stayed in a few places owned by Cotswold Inns pubs and hotels before - the Bay Tree and Lamb in Burford, the Manor House at Moreton-in-Marsh and most recently the Bear of Rodborough...
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It is impossible to walk around the grounds at Middlethorpe Hall and not take dozens of photos. While the front of the hotel is on a quiet country lane just next to York racecourse, the rear of the hotel looks out over a beautiful lawn containing a s...
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I had been told that the Sunday roast at Feversham Arms hotel and spa in Helmsley, North Yorkshire was not to be missed and my informant had been bang on the money. It was pronounced: 'A ten out of ten, the best I've ever eaten' by my dining companio...
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After months of lockdown my first hotel was, reassuringly, at Hand Picked Hotel's flagship hotel Fawsley Hall hotel and spa in Northamptonshire near Daventry. This grand country house hotel and spa - we're talking at least 600 years old here - has wi...
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UK hotels after lockdown will look rather different to before the pandemic so what can you expect from your stay?
After the first four months of lockdown in 2020, to say that I was excited about getting back to hotel reviewing for ALadyofLeisu...
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When I first arrived at Gravetye Manor, the Michelin-starred country house hotel with award-winning gardens, I soon decided that this was one of the best hotels in West Sussex and when I was fortunate to revisit recently, there was nothing to make me...
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The Headland hotel Newquay is the perfect place to blow away the cobwebs. Perched right at the end of the glorious Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall and surrounded by nothing but coast and countryside all around, it's ideal for bracing walks in the ...
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Some of us can't wait to stay in a luxury hotel after lockdown, while others are more cautious - and like me, you're probably a bit of both (check out my article on what to expect from a hotel stay during Covid here). However as UK luxury hotels - es...
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South Lodge hotel and spa in West Sussex near Horsham is a great destination hotel. With a huge, modern spa, two restaurants, a bar, acres of lush grounds to explore, a terrace for cocktails or afternoon tea, vast luxury bedrooms and even its own win...
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There are probably many historic hotels with a spa and swimming pool but I don't think many of them can say they have their own moat, which makes New Hall hotel and spa in Sutton Coldfield, just a few miles from the centre of Birmingham, a rare hotel...
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Who doesn't want to stay in a romantic hotel for Valentines Day? Just picture the scene: a luxury bedroom with a four-poster bed, thick carpet and possibly a fireplace, a bottle of something chilling next to the bed and a massive bathroom with an ext...
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There are many reasons to spend Christmas at a luxury hotel rather than at home, but you still want it to be special, personal and memorable. Thankfully for us (my mother and me), our festive stay at Ockenden Manor hotel in the village of Cuckfield, ...
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If you're looking for luxury hotels in the Cotswolds The Lygon Arms Broadway will be high on your wish-list. This historic hotel has been a main fixture in the beautiful Cotswolds village of Broadway since its days as a coaching inn back in the 17t...
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Moving to Montenegro and exploring Herceg Novi
Living in Herceg Novi and indeed moving to Montenegro for five weeks was done on a whim. By chance I saw a Facebook post from travel bloggers and friends Kach and Jon Howe, aka Two Monkeys Travel (w...
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Stapleford Park hotel in central England was a real treat; a combination of traditional stately home and modern spa, with all the trimmings of a luxury hotel: staff happy to drive you to the spa at the other end of the hotel grounds in little buggies...
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Not having had the luxury of a clifftop spa hotel on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall before, I didn't have much to compare Mullion Cove hotel with, but judging on my first visit I think it will be hard to beat.
A stay at Mullion Cove hotel
...
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Getting to Thurlestone hotel Devon is like going down Alice in Wonderland's rabbit hole. You follow one of those high-hedged, single-track south Devon lanes, praying not to meet any oncoming tractors, until, half an hour later, you pop up into the op...
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My recent trip to Sherborne to review The Eastbury hotel was an unexpected delight. I had been looking forward to a stay at this luxury hotel as I'd heard great things about it, but I knew almost nothing about Sherborne itself.
I knew there wa...
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Exploring Le Mans in 24 hours: a whistlestop tour of the city
The historic city of Le Mans is famous for its Le Mans 24 race and so it seemed appropriate that I was also doing a 24 hour race around Le Mans, the historic city in the heart of French r...
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In terms of location, The Resident Covent Garden in London is hard to beat. A hotel right on The Strand and possibly the closest hotel to Covent Garden, you’ll find several hundred restaurants and bars less than two minutes walk away. It’s one of tho...
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Luxury country house hotels get booked up early for Christmas and with good reason: luxury hotels could be made for Christmas. Think of the best luxury country house hotels for Christmas and instantly you can picture the festive scene: comfy sofas, ...
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Driving full-pelt towards a solid-looking wall is both terrifying and exhilarating but that's exactly what you get from a day at the Mercedes driving experience at Brooklands in Surrey.
A day at the Mercedes driving experience in Brooklands,...
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I've always wanted to stay in a chateau in France and to my good fortune I had the chance to while visiting Pays de la Loire this summer. Hotels in France are as varied as anywhere in the world but a stay in a French chateau promises something specia...
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There are some hotels with spas and there are some hotels which ARE spas. Ragdale Hall spa in Leicestershire most definitely falls into the latter camp, making a spa break at Ragdale Hall a must for any spa fans. The moment you arrive you are greeted...
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Fans of Germaine de Capuccini who are wondering where to get Germaine de Capuccini spa treatments in the UK, will be delighted to hear that award-winning hotel Park House hotel and spa in West Sussex offers the skin care specialist products.
...
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Throughout my own stay at Cliveden House hotel, there was one question which I found almost impossible to answer. Would Cliveden still be as fabulous if it wasn't, well, Cliveden?
Cliveden house history
The thing about Cliveden, which i...
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When asked to review APH Parking Gatwick I didn't think twice. Arranging a hotel and parking at Gatwick airport - or indeed any London airport - is always a major headache.
The APH Parking Gatwick service
This could be to do with the fact I usu...
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A stay at Stoke Park hotel and country club comes with high expectations. It's where James Bond played golf with Goldfinger, where Bridget Jones spent the night with Daniel Cleaver and where Teri Hatcher and Pierce Brosnan (as James Bond) danced the ...
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Guest post from the best-selling Good Hotel Guide - their top 10 luxury hotels with pools for the summer
Summer’s here and with any luck we’ve all got summer holidays booked in. Come rain or shine, no holiday would be complete without a little swimm...
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You don't often hear the cast of a West End musical warming up when going for a walk in the grounds of a country house, but that's what you're likely to get during a stay at Kilworth House hotel.
The unique outdoor theatre in the grounds of Ki...
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The first thing that struck me about the five-star Corinthia Hotel London when I stayed there was how utterly huge everything is. From the vast central lobby lounge with its soaring dome and chandelier made of 1,001 crystal baubles, to the high-ceili...
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Returning to The Swan, Lavenham in Suffolk several years after my original stay, I was relieved to find that it was just as lovely as I remembered it. This time it also had the added attraction of its Weavers' House Spa which had been seamlessly adde...
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It 's the first hotel room I've stayed in which had a 'disco lighting' option but it was typical of this Point A hotel Kings Cross, which was full of quirky, thoughtful and useful touches.
While I usually review hotels at the more luxury end of th...
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The Crown and Castle Orford is tucked away in the pretty Suffolk village of Orford but the food served at its acclaimed restaurant would stand up to competition from any city venue. Orford itself is tiny but it packs in pretty much everything you'd e...
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It does great food and excellent cocktails, it's got beautiful bedrooms, friendly staff and even has a brewery and distillery on site (it's owned by 147-year-old Suffolk brewer Adnams). Added to that, it's right in the heart of Southwold, one of Brit...
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In just four hours I ate curry, fish and chips, stilton cheese, salt beef bagels, bread and butter pudding, salted caramel cheesecake and a bacon sandwich. With ketchup. Why? You might well ask. It was because I had decided to be a tourist in London ...
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It shares its name with a famous motor racing circuit but guests at the Brandshatch Place hotel and spa will enjoy a relaxing stay away from the fast lane.
As befits a hotel named after a racing circuit, guests to the Brandshatch Place hotel a...
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There is something gloriously untamed about the British seaside on a blustery day and when I arrived at The Brudenell Hotel Aldeburgh in Suffolk, the hotel building was receiving a severe battering from the elements.
Arriving at The Brudenell
S...
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Brockencote Hall, set in 70 acres of lush green Worcestershire countryside, turned out to be an almost perfect stay, with the comforts and treats of a luxury country house hotel, from immaculate rooms, impeccable service and great food.
Brocke...
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It isn't often I embrace a hotel gym so wholeheartedly but there was something about the spa at Mallory Court hotel in Warwickshire which made it irresistible.
The spa at at Mallory Court hotel
As we'd just come from enjoying a great stay with ...
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There was far more to Milsoms Kesgrave Hall than I’d expected. Having just come from its sister hotel, Talbooth House, a luxurious, refined, relaxed country house with outdoor pool and 12 beautifully designed rooms, I wasn’t sure whether the 23-room ...
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The key to a memorable hotel stay is a great welcome and such was my arrival at the excellent Talbooth House and spa on the Essex/Suffolk border was that within ten minutes I felt utterly at home.
Arriving at Talbooth House and spa
The sign...
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If it's ghouls, ghosts and goblins you're after, then you have to spend Halloween in Derry Northern Ireland and experience its epic Halloween festival for yourself. Derry was voted 'Best Halloween destination in the world' by American newspaper USA T...
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Luxury hotels could be made for Christmas. Think of the best luxury country house hotels for Christmas and instantly you can picture the festive scene: comfy sofas, roaring fires, beautiful decorations and acres of grounds for the Boxing Day walk (o...
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It had been a lifetime dream for me: to find out how to hike the Inca trail to Machu Picchu in Peru. Now, for the last four days, I had been hiking through stunning Peruvian mountains to reach my destination, the famous UNESCO World Heritage site of ...
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Take dozens of single people, put them in a Club Mark Warner holiday beach resort for a week, add sun and alcohol, and it’s simply a matter of time before holiday romances start to flourish.
It was just a couple of days into my Mark Warner holid...
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'What did you do for your birthday?’ I was asked the other day.
‘Well,’ I said, trying to sound casual, ‘after a champagne breakfast in my luxury Caribbean condo, I went on a catamaran cruise along the coasts, snorkelled among tropical fish, trekked...
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My idea of a perfect Jamaica holiday was sunbathing on a beach drinking rum cocktails. Instead, I'd somehow agreed to a trying out zip-lining for the very first time. I took a deep breath and ran, like a cartoon character, right off the edge. It was ...
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The timing couldn’t have been better, at least not for the Hippodrome casino, London. The moment I walked past the gaming area in the central London casino, one of the slot machines paid out the entire jackpot, handing the person playing on the machi...
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It is rare that a holiday actually changes your life, but a week with Skyros holidays, in Greece, the original 'alternative' holiday destination, can do just that. From changing jobs or learning new skills, to getting married, ditching bad relationsh...
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It goes without saying that anyone doing battle with the traffic on either the M25, A2 or A20 routes is probably in need of some serious relaxation, but they might be surprised to learn that there is an oasis of calm just moments away in the form of ...
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If you were to try and describe a classically British pub, then you’d probably come up with something like Fuller's pub The Bull Inn, Sonning, in Berkshire. It’s got roaring fires and low beams, it is more than 600 years old, does great food and drin...
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'Clutter makes you reach for a biscuit,' says professional house manager and decluttering expert Anna Rodic, as she looks around my bedroom. I can think of no better way to convince me to embrace the popular decluttering trend which takes in everythi...
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'We just fell in love with the island,' said hotel owner David Barrett during my recent holiday on the Isle of Wight, as he showed me around Haven Hall, one of the newest B&Bs on the island. 'It's exactly like England was, 40 or 50 years ago.'
...
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It's the car marque of dreams (and Hollywood folklore): Aston Martin cars have been super-cool ever since James Bond first fired up an Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger. While Britain's top spy has also driven an Aston Martin DBS, an Aston Martin V12 Va...
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The Vineyard hotel Newbury is a hotel serious about wine and its Judgement of Paris is the perfect meal for wine-lovers and food-lovers alike. With 14 wines and some first-class cooking, dinner at The Vineyard was one of the most memorable meals I've...
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Lewtrenchard Manor is one of those classic country house hotels which actually feels like someone's home rather than a hotel: a rather grand home, admittedly, but one where you instantly feel as if you don't need to lock your bedroom door and where y...
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While I've explored all over the New Forest, my visit to Stanwell House hotel was my first trip to Lymington, which is located right at the south-easterly corner of the New Forest where the Lymington River meets the Solent.
A stay at Stanwel...
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I'll be honest and confess I wasn't entirely sure about reviewing a New Forest B&B for ALadyofLeisure.com - not out of reasons of snobbery but because I usually write about hotels with massive restaurants, spa, acres of land and all the paraphern...
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The first time I visited Burley Manor Hotel in the New Forest I had absolutely no expectations - not because I thought it was going to be terrible, but because it had never even crossed my radar before. It turned out there was a reason for this: whil...
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If a hotel is called a castle, then you want it to look seriously impressive, and Bovey Castle hotel Devon did not disappoint. Once we'd handed the car to the friendly and efficient team of valets who welcomed us on arrival, we walked through the hot...
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I've been lucky to stay in some of the best hotel rooms in the country but for sheer romance it's hard to beat a Beach Suite at Cary Arms and Spa on Babbacombe Bay, Devon - in the heart of the 'English Riviera'.
Beach Suites at Cary Arms and spa...
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My arrival at The Pig near Bath was one of the most welcoming I've had in any hotel. The moment I arrived I was greeted by someone saying enthusiastically: 'You're just in time for lunch!' and was promptly whisked off to sit in the sun with a large G...
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Japanese food can be some of the most intricate food in the world but can also be some of the most simple. I was lucky enough to go on a food tour of Japan to learn all about Japanese food from top chefs and restaurants, from Tokyo to Osaka and the f...
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The joy of reviewing hotels and restaurants is that with every new visit there is often something which will surprise, delight or even shock you. The Montcalm at the Brewery hotel in Chiswell Street in central London and its adjoining gastro-pub, the...
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It isn't often you spend the night at a five-star country house hotel and find yourself sleeping in a treehouse on stilts in the middle of a forest. But a Chewton Glen treehouse, located in the famous Chewton Glen hotel and spa located deep in the he...
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Just one night at the Spread Eagle Hotel Midhurst felt like a really long stay, which I mean in the most positive way.
A stay at the Spread Eagle Hotel Midhurst
I arrived there on Sunday afternoon, and by the time I left 24 hours later I'd had ...
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Walking into a really gorgeous hotel room like my spa suite at Ockenden Manor hotel and spa in West Sussex can be such a bittersweet moment. There is the initial reaction of 'Wow! This is really, really nice....!' and delight that this is actually al...
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If lockdown has left you feeling in serious need of a relaxing break with country walks, a first-class spa and restaurant and cosy rooms to hide away in, then, once we are allowed to stay in hotels once more, Bailiffscourt hotel and spa is the place ...
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To arrive at Langshott Manor is to jump back in time. One moment you are in urban Surrey, passing through towns like Redhill and Horley and driving though a modern housing estate, and then all of a sudden you arrive at a building unlike no other - wi...
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There's a warm glow which comes when reading a newspaper article called 'Cosiest pubs to stay in this winter' and realising you are heading off to stay in one of those featured that very day. This happened to me recently when about to head off to Th...
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With every cloud there comes a silver lining and the missing of a flight meant an unexpected overnight stay at Hotel du Vin Bristol.
History of Hotel du Vin
I'd long been aware of the Hotel du Vin group founded by Gerard Basset and Robin Hutson...
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It's been receiving guests for more than 60 years but Park House hotel is still making the transition from well-kept local secret to firm fixture on the British country house hotel scene.
A stay at Park House hotel
With its spa PH2O being short...
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Just when you think you’ve stayed in the best hotels in the Cotswolds, along comes Whatley Manor hotel and spa luxury hotel and tops the lot. From the moment the gates opened to reveal a beautiful cobbled courtyard, the entrance garlanded by wisteria...
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If you like visiting beautiful English stately homes but hate the queues, the drive, the parking and the general hassle which usually goes with such visits, then Bowood hotel, spa and golf in Wiltshire has the perfect solution: its own fleet of golf ...
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Some holidays are so jam-packed with things to do, places to visit and sights to tick off that you end up needing a holiday afterwards to recover. A island-hopping voyage around the Aegean with SCIC Sailing (it stands for Sailing Cruises in Comfort a...
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Being in the Land of the Midnight Sun can do strange things to you. A few days into my cruise along the Norwegian coast, I’d been chatting on deck after dinner with my fellow passengers. I went to bed thinking that it wasn’t a particularly late night...
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I hadn't meant to embark on an impromptu Champagne cocktail-tasting session just after breakfast, but in keeping with the overall spirit of relaxation and pampering at The Greenway hotel and spa Cheltenham it seemed the right thing to do.
It w...
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Exactly 600 years ago, the Bel and The Dragon coaching inn was built in the pretty Berkshire town of Cookham and six centuries later, I took a friend with me to stay at the pub and see what it was actually like. Well, you don't want to rush these thi...
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If your idea of a perfect summer's day is afternoon tea (or a gin and tonic) on a beautiful lawn in the sunshine, The Manor House luxury hotel in the pretty Cotswolds village of Castle Combe, Wiltshire, is the place to be.
The Manor House ...
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If the England rugby team need somewhere to recharge their batteries after a tough game then they needn't travel very far: their training ground at Pennyhill Park luxury hotel in Surrey is just a drop kick away from one of the finest spas in the coun...
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Back in January 2015 I wrote a blog post in defence of little yellow photobombing cars, as the car owned by Peter Maddox, 82-year old resident of Bibury village in the Cotswolds, had attracted the ire of tourists come to photograph Arlington Row, sup...
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Good rooftop bars in the capital are few and far between, so the discovery of another one is cause for celebration. Enter the Aviary, the rooftop bar and restaurant on top of Montcalm luxury hotels group's newest hotel, Montcalm Royal London House.
...
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It's been quite a year! It started with an amazing culinary tour of Japan - a week full of sushi, puffer fish and bullet trains - and ended with a trip to Antarctica (which felt at times like a trip to another planet). During the rest of the year I ...
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A trip to the Cotswolds is always a treat and if you're in need of some bracing countryside walks, a hearty pub meal and then a nightcap in front of a roaring fire, then The Old Swan and Minster Mill in the pretty Cotswolds village of Minster Lovell ...
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As skiing is such a sociable sport - there's the long lunches, the dancing-on-tables après-ski, the cosy chalet dinners and oh yes, the skiing itself, going on a ski holiday by yourself with a tour operator such as Mark Warner holidays might be an al...
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Even the most Bah Humbug of Scrooges would have felt full of festive cheer arriving at the five-star The Royal Horseguards Hotel London at Christmas. This central London hotel really embraces the Christmas spirit.
Christmas at The Royal Horsegua...
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Being named The Sunday Times' Hotel of the Year, which The Painswick hotel was a few years ago, can be a double-edged sword. On the upside, the phone didn't stop ringing once the news came out, bookings went through the roof and for a newly-opened ho...
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You have to be deeply relaxed to nod off during a massage, so falling completely asleep, not once, but twice, during my treatment at the Lime Wood hotel spa shows what an incredibly relaxing spa treatment it was.
This was quite an achievement...
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The brochure for The Montagu Arms in the New Forest encourages guests to 'take your cue from the ponies: graze, wander and enjoy the quiet.' I did all three during my stay at this 200-year old hotel and emerged feeling as relaxed and content as the b...
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A definite perk of reviewing luxury hotels is that 'wow!' feeling when you walk into a hotel bedroom for the first time and find something completely unexpected. Unlocking the door to my Terrace Suite at The Marylebone in central London was one of th...
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After being trapped in Bank Holiday roadworks, the five-star hotel Rockliffe Hall hotel in Darlington, County Durham was a more than welcome sight. Set in 375 acres of parkland, the original building dates from the 1800s, but over the years the 61-ro...
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When it's hot in the city, your first instinct might be to head for the coast but just a short walk from Tottenham Court Road tube station, The Bloomsbury hotel London is a great spot in which to cool down.
Outdoor terrace at The Bloomsbury ...
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While some hotels try and emulate the look and feel of a historic country house, The Gore hotel London, which opened in Kensington in 1892, can't help but feel seeped in history. Many of its paintings and furniture date back to the 19th or early 20th...
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Calling a hotel 'family-friendly' often means that those travelling without children run a mile in the opposite direction, but the luxury Foxhills spa and golf hotel is so vast that all ages and groups can thoroughly enjoy themselves without crashing...
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With the wildly inconsistent British summer, I was extremely fortunate to have timed my stay at the Alexandra hotel Lyme Regis for one of the hottest days of the year. While the hotel would be a perfectly nice place to stay in during all sorts of wea...
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Last week, at home, I had some of the best bread I'd ever eaten. It was a soft, brown loaf and tasted marvellous. Was it the ingredients, I wondered - organic wholemeal stoneground flour. Or was it the fact that I'd made the whole thing myself, under...
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This is probably one of those things that Americans are much better at than the Brits (they certainly have more practice at it), but valet parking always sends me into a panic.
On the face of it, arriving at a hotel and having someone offe...
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The man who described Bibury as 'the most beautiful village in England' surely never went to Lower Slaughter. It might have a slightly alarming name but Lower Slaughter, all lush green fields, yellow Cotswold stone houses and a babbling brook running...
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One massive advantage that non-London hotels have over their capital city rivals is space, and our suite at Brooklands Hotel Surrey near Weybridge, was certainly one of the largest I've stayed in.
Bedrooms at Brooklands Hotel
The vast c...
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It was the most British of days. The Patron's Lunch last Sunday had the Royal Family, it had cucumber sandwiches, it had queues and Pimms and cups of tea. And an awful lot of rain. It was as if someone had tried to work out what would make the day as...
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ALadyofLeisure.com is the hotel, restaurant and spa reviews website from national newspaper journalist Sarah Bridge, read by thousands of industry professionals and travel enthusiasts every month. [Note: this round-up of luxury hotels reviewed by ALa...
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Are baths in hotel bedrooms a great hotel treat or just a ghastly design nonsense?
I only ask because almost every hotel I've stayed in recently has at least one room where the bath is in the bedroom - at the foot of the bed, sometimes, or in prid...
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If your idea of a perfect country break is to have breakfast in the sun on a terrace overlooking a spectacular view, followed by a day lounging in a luxury spa, then Danesfield House hotel and spa in Buckinghamshire is just the place for you.
...
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At Sopwell House hotel near St Albans, Hertfordshire, our bedroom's location was really quite special.
Arriving at Sopwell House hotel
Just across from the hotel reception, a quick tap of our room card opened up a gate beyond which was a to...
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ALadyofLeisure.com is the hotel, restaurant and spa reviews website from national newspaper journalist Sarah Bridge, read by thousands of industry professionals and travel enthusiasts every month.
The Good Hotel Guide is the travel industry bi...
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Searching for the best hotels in the Cotswolds may sound like an easy task - luxury hotels in the Cotswolds seems to be everywhere! But with so many great hotels to chose from, it's easy to be overwhelmed. The best hotels in the Cotswolds don't come ...
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So we're all agreed that free, fast wi-fi and power points in handy locations are a essential in a luxury hotel room - and we all like soft, fluffy bathrobes (even if we don't always use them). But what are the little extras you hope for when you che...
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It is hard not to start off a review of Noble Rot restaurant - as practically every other reviewer has done - with a nostalgic look back at days gone by, spent in the various pubs and wine bars of Lamb's Conduit Street.
It seems that every journal...
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The Kensington hotel in South Kensington is one of the closest hotels to the National History museum, V&A and Science Museum, but is far removed from the school trips of my past.
The hotel, part of the family-owned Doyle Collection, has 12...
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Things to do in Las Vegas come rain or shine...
It was my fourth visit to Las Vegas, but the first time I'd seen it raining on the famous Las Vegas Strip. Unsurprisingly, Vegas, being in the Mojave desert, isn't used to rain. Neither were the holida...
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Is it a right or a privilege to be able to make tea in your hotel bedroom with your very own hotel kettle?
I once spent the night at luxury country house hotel Cliveden and had a meeting with the chief executive of Travelodge the following day. The ...
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The view from the top of the five star luxury hotel ME London is a tourist's delight, taking in the essential sights of London, from the London Eye to Big Ben, St Paul's, Tower Bridge, The Shard and everything in between. Having evening cocktails on ...
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It might be just a few miles from the M42 and Birmingham Airport but Hampton Manor hotel in the Midlands feels a hundred years from the hustle and bustle of modern life.
Arriving at Hampton Manor
Within a couple of hours of arriving at the 19th...
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Turning up to lunch at Dinner restaurant in Knightsbridge - the restaurant from top chef Heston Blumenthal - with a copy of the menu from The Fat Duck at Bray (also by Heston Blumenthal, where my dining companion Simon had eaten just the week before)...
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Some hotels just get it completely right - and luxury country house hotel Hambleton Hall Rutland is one of them.
From the traditional and immaculate bedroom, to the excellent food, lovely gardens, cosy bar and superb attention to detail, I can...
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If you love nothing more than to sit in a country pub in front of a roaring fire, reading the weekend papers while you work your way through the selection of well-kept ales at the bar, then a stay at the Crab and Boar in Berkshire is the place for yo...
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It is just seconds from the shopping and traffic maelstrom which is Knightsbridge, but The Capital Townhouse hotel Knightsbridge boutique hotel in central London is the very essence of calm and tranquility. If you are looking for a place where the pa...
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Last year was a hectic one for ALadyofLeisure.com with 50 fabulous places reviewed, and with so many to choose from, it's hard to pick out the best. However some were so memorable that I wanted to single them out for special praise - and hopefully en...
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Returning to Balans Soho Society restaurant Kensington High Street was like visiting an old friend who had had a complete image change in the intervening years. My colleagues and I used to come here for a post-work glass of wine of two, sitting squas...
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For horse-racing fans, the location of Ellenborough Park hotel and spa is hard to beat, being the closest hotel to Cheltenham Racecourse.
Just a few hundred metres from the front door of the grand 15th century Cotswolds building is the racecou...
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It isn't easy to stand out among the best hotels in the Cotswolds, but the award-winning boutique hotel Dormy House more than meets the challenge.
From the moment I walked in the door and saw the cosy sofas and roaring fireplaces, to the frien...
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From Michelin-starred dining to London's most decadent pancake, grand country house hotels, brand new cruise ships, boutique hotels and celebrity hangouts (not to mention cocktail classes, private cinemas and hot tubs in the Cotswolds), it's been a l...
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For those who love the idea of staying in a luxury spa hotel in the Cotswolds (and who doesn't?) and are travelling with children in tow, Calcot Manor luxury hotel, just the other side of Circencester, is a great choice - a Cotwolds hotel and spa f...
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Within two minutes of arriving at Barnsley House hotel and spa in the Cotswolds I had completely fallen in love with it - and that's before I'd even tried out the private cinema, outdoor hot tub or delicious food. All these things were yet to come, b...
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Sexy Fish, the £15 million restaurant from Richard Caring (The Ivy, Le Caprice, J Sheekey) doesn't actually look very sexy from the outside. It's rather plain and square and dull and looks not dissimilar from the NatWest bank it used to be, plonked o...
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The Arch hotel is not a flashy hotel. For a luxury hotel near to Oxford Street and just across the road from Madonna's London home, the Arch is neat, calm, and quiet.
It doesn't have the grand entrance or huge lobby of its immediate neighbours, th...
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Spectre - a pure adrenaline rush
Better than Quantum of Solace with its unfathomable plot; better even than Skyfall with its dodgy sexual politics, Home Alone exploding lightbulbs ending and its Tube line silliness: 'Wait, the bad guy's on the Distr...
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Its claim to fame is that it is the closest hotel to Harrods, and it's true that less than 30 seconds walk will take you right into the iconic department store. But thankfully The Capital hotel London, just next to the world famous department store H...
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Bodysgallen Hall hotel in North Wales was the starting point for my week exploring Wales and it was a great place to begin. One of the top luxury hotels in Wales, its location just outside Llandudno on the north coast is right at the top of Wales and...
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The wonderful thing about reviewing hotels for ALadyofLeisure.com is that I've discovered so many new places which I would never in a million years have come across otherwise, and the award-winning restaurant Ynyshir restaurant in Wales - which bills...
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The part of London between Portland Place and Goodge Street near Goodge Street tube station has historically been a bit of a culinary no-man's land, with little to tempt you to eat in the estate-agent-christened 'Noho' unless you actually worked in ...
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If you're planning a stay at The Stafford hotel London then you have to ask for a tour of this luxury five-star hotel. All sorts of treasures will suddenly be revealed, from an epic wine cellar and a World War 2 exhibit to the penthouse suite, conver...
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There are some places that are so lovely you can't stop thinking about them after you leave, and Gravetye Manor West Sussex is most definitely one of those.
[Note: this review of Gravetye Manor West Sussex was first published in 2015 and some of t...
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They've both received glowing reviews and are two of the hottest places on London's restaurant scene at the moment, but Kitty Fisher's and Ham Yard restaurant are rather different culinary experiences.
[Note: this review of top London restaurants ...
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St James's Hotel in London is a true five-star luxury hotel but thankfully it has none of the formal starchiness you might expect from one of a five-star hotel in central London.
A stay at St James's hotel London
The staff are so cheerful and r...
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It is a bittersweet moment when you go to a new restaurant and discover that it has replaced an old favourite. However in the case of The Secret Garden, located just opposite Clapham North tube, London, where the highly-rated Four O Nine restaurant u...
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From basket case to billion pound business, Travelodge has undergone a remarkable turnaround in just three short years. The chain was on the brink of collapse with a debt mountain of £635 million in 2012. But last week its owners – led by Goldman Sac...
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'Don't worry, you won't get a hangover,' insisted Pleurat Shabani, the maker of Konik's Tail vodka and the host of our martini marathon. 'I've never had a hangover drinking martinis.'
[Note: this review of drinking martinis at the best hotel bars ...
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There was something about P&O Britannia cruise ship which reminded me of Las Vegas, and it wasn't just the casino. It was partly the vast amount of food on offer on board at its 13 restaurants onboard P&O Britannia - the stories about gaining...
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It might not be located in the most beautiful part of London, but Qbic Hotel London City in Aldgate, East London, scores highly on all the essentials for a budget hotel in London: price, location and cleanliness, not to mention a friendly and relaxed...
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As beautiful settings go, Ashdown Park hotel in East Sussex certainly has the 'wow' factor.
A stay at Ashdown Park hotel
Ashdown Park hotel is easily one of the best hotels in Sussex and is a hotel with stunning views. Walking through a stone a...
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It isn't often you get to share a sink with Hugh Grant but the sign in our bedroom at the five-star Luton Hoo hotel and spa proclaimed it to be true: the rather quirky sink-in-a-cupboard in the corner was indeed the very same cupboard from Four Weddi...
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You would have to start early and finish late to squeeze in the maximum amount of relaxation possible at Nirvana Spa day spa near Reading, the award-winning spa near London and one of the top day spas in the country.
A day at Nirvana Spa
I spen...
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You know you're in good hands when you arrive at a hotel spa and find Downton Abbey's head butler Carson (aka the terrific actor Jim Carter) lounging in the hot tub.
Arriving at Hartwell House, Aylesbury
While Hartwell House in Aylesbury is a l...
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It might surprise those people who associate Mark Warner holidays solely with families that around 40 per cent of the company's business comes from singles, groups of friends, and couples.
Mark Warner Greece holiday
And now the firm has expande...
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Note: my exclusive interview with Sir Rocco Forte in Browns Hotel London was first published in 2015
Sir Rocco Forte is not shy about revealing his political opinions. As the nation approaches its most closely fought General Election in living memo...
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Note: my article about the Las Vegas food festival Vegas Uncork'd was first published in 2015 so some of the details might now be out of date
Mention Las Vegas and most people would immediately think gambling, casinos, showgirls, Mariah Carey, the...
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There was nothing to disturb the peace of my morning stroll around the 300 acres of Hertfordshire countryside which surround luxury hotel The Grove Watford; nothing, that is, until a helicopter suddenly swooped down and landed on the immaculate lawn ...
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One of the closest hotels to Charing Cross station in London, the Clermont Charing Cross is surprisingly quiet, particularly for a luxury hotel in central London. In fact it turned out to be generally much nicer than I'd expected when I turned up...
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As a late arrival to the cult of the Pisco sour cocktail I certainly plan to make up for lost time. I started and finished my evening at London Peruvian restaurant Senor Ceviche with a perfect Pisco Sour, the drink which has become one of my favourit...
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Olivo, the Italian restaurant in Victoria London, used to be a lunchtime favourite of mine but for some reason I haven't been back there for about ten years. However when I finally returned I was delighted to find it hadn't changed a bit, which isn'...
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Tucked away behind the grey anonymity of Park Lane's hotel district which includes the Dorchester, the Intercontinental and the Athenaeum, El Pirata's tapas bar is a welcome sight.
Visiting El Pirata Mayfair
You might not think of tapas in Mayfair,...
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Note: this article about the launch of P&O Britannia was written in 2015 - how time flies! If you want to read about what it's like to stay on P&O Britannia then click here
The day was bright and sunny for Her Majesty and Prince Philip as ...
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For frequent travellers to the capital who find hotels increasingly soulless - or just miss being able to cook dinner - there is another option: staying in a serviced apartment in London.
Rather than having to inhabit just one room and go out for ...
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It promises to deliver 'British wild food' and while London's Sloane Square isn't known for being especially wild (except maybe in the sales), Rabbit Restaurant Kings Road Chelsea in London fulfils its mission admirably.
Visiting Rabbit Restaura...
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It cost more than £520 million to build, weighs 141,000 tons and will carry more than 3,600 passengers. And this Friday the brand new cruise ship P&O Britannia will be making her way from the Fincantieri shipyard in Trieste, Italy, to her new hom...
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First, the good points about Fifty Shades of Grey, the film which has been greeted with massive under-enthusiasm by the critics (but which hasn't stopped it breaking box-office records, unsurprisingly given the books' massive fanbase).
Dakota John...
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The Botanist, Sloane Square was packed as the pre-theatre crowd were getting a few swift ones in before heading across the road to the King's Head Theatre.
Thankfully the restaurant itself was rather quieter as we were here on a very serious quest...
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The Compleat Angler, Marlow is proof that some hotels don't need to have swimming pools, hot tubs and the very latest in beauty treatments - they just need to be in a great spot.
Location of Compleat Angler, Marlow
You could say that hotels in ...
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Hidden deep in the heart of the Devon countryside and just 12 minutes away from the M5, Huntsham Court is a massive Victorian Gothic 34-bedroom mansion house set in five acres of land, which is in turn located within the 5,000 acre Huntsham estate.
...
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What's wrong with having a photobombing yellow car, you might ask? Poor Peter Maddox. The 82-year old has been accused of allowing his little yellow Vauxhall Corsa to 'photobomb' otherwise picturesque shots of Arlington Row in Bibury, acknowledged as...
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[Note: this review of Four to Eight in Covent Garden was published in 2015 and the restaurant is now closed. I've let it up here though as my blog is like my diary!]
The ever-changing nature of London's restaurant and bar scene means that not infr...
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It is located in the no-man's land of offices and parkland between Exmouth Market and Clerkenwell Green, but Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings is well worth the detour.
Opened by the team which owned the subterranean Goodge Street drinking den ...
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London's South Bank is known for many things but a good steak was not historically one of them. However my visit to Gillray's Steakhouse and Bar was to change all that - for me at least.
Restaurants near Waterloo station
Long-time London dwellers s...
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All hotel visits linger in the memory afterwards but some leave a physical presence too - and in the case of the Athenaeum Hotel, a boutique hotel in Piccadilly London, it was Arthur. The teddy bear guarding my room was so sweet he just had to be lib...
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Hotels in London don't get more central than One Aldwych, the imposing luxury hotel on The Strand, one of London's main roads which flows from Trafalgar Square to Aldwych.
A stay at One Aldwych
It's also the closest hotel to the highly-succ...
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Swimming near a school of dolphins, walking on a recently-erupted volcano and diving to a wreck of a World War 2 Japanese fighter plane might seem like once-in-a-lifetime holiday but if you are exploring Papua New Guinea, it is just an average mornin...
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It was when I was hiking along the North Devon coast in the rain that I started to question whether my plan to go on a boot camp to lose weight was worth its hefty price tag. Would I actually lose weight on a boot camp?
A week on a weight-loss boo...
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To get my bearings on my first ever trip to this beautiful island in the Balearics, a helicopter ride seemed like the perfect way to exploring Majorca for the first time (Majorca is also known as Mallorca in Catalan).
An aerial view of Majorca
...
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It was an interesting introduction to my holiday of a lifetime learning to dive in the Cayman Islands: ‘The thing about the Cayman Islands is that the best sights are underwater,’ said my taxi driver as he drove along the dusty road from the airport....
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It isn't every day I stay in a 17th century Palladian mansion but after just a few hours at Luckham Park hotel near Bath I was walking around as if I had lived there for years.
Staying at Lucknam Park hotel
I would grandly descend the staircase...
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'Location is everything' so the saying goes - but when it comes to the afternoon drinks and Italian nibbles at the Baglioni hotel Kensington, it seems location can be a double-edged sword.
I was invited to come along and spend the evening in t...
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I've been fortunate enough to stay in some lovely country house hotels recently - sadly, Tylney Hall was not one of them.
[Note: this review of Tylney Hall was first published in 2014 and so some of the details might now be out of date]
To clar...
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There are worse things to do on a Monday morning spending the day at Centurion Club St Albans in the glorious sunshine being taught how to play golf by a charming golf pro.
Playing golf at the Centurion Club St Albans
Thankfully, said pro - Nic...
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It is always a good sign of a hotel restaurant if you could imagine going back there without being an overnight guest and Apero restaurant in South Kensington, London, definitely fits that description.
Apero restaurant in South Kensington
Tucked be...
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In spite of living and working just a mile away from South Kensington and passing through it most days, I never felt as if I really knew the area - and had never even heard of Barts Speakeasy South Kensington.
A trip to Barts Speakeasy
To me it...
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[Editor's note: This review of the Swan at Lavenham was first published in 2014. For a more up to date review of this hotel click here or go to https://www.aladyofleisure.com/the-swan-at-lavenham-review/ ]
The Swan at Lavenham is located in one of...
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Vauxhall in London is known for many things - the Oval cricket ground, a permanently traffic-snarled gyratory system, a disused gas works - but a pleasant afternoon drinking gin and tonics is not usually the first thing that springs to mind.
Howev...
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You could never accuse Mark Warner ski of skimping on the apres-ski - or, for that matter, the pre-ski and the actual skiing.
A ski weekend in Tignes with Mark Warner Ski Holidays
A three-day trip to French Alpine ski resort Tignes to check out its...
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Center Parcs is practically immune from criticism. With occupancy (in normal times) running at a staggering 97.1 per cent all year round, the private-equity owned leisure company is the envy of its peers.
In spite of the complaints about high ...
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The traffic-and-commuter-saturated High Holborn usually has little to recommend it, being full of gridlocked buses and office workers doing the twice-daily rat run to and from the tube. But an grand oasis of opulent charm and fine dining has just arr...
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A stay at Cannizaro House Wimbledon
There is something rather delightful about packing to spend the weekend in a hotel just four miles from your home. It yields all the excitement and anticipation of a trip away without any of the angst and despai...
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Equinox gym London could possibly be one of the most expensive gyms in Kensington or even one of the priciest gyms in whole of London. And as it's one of the most luxurious gyms in London, it is possibly one of the more expensive gyms in the country....
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Any business owner will tell you that it's vital to get the local residents on side right from the very beginning to ensure success.
And Gordon Ramsay did just that with the newest restaurant in his empire, London House in Battersea Square.
Lon...
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After Dry January - what happened?
Well - I did it. After Dry January I could look back on an entire January's-worth of alcoholic abstinence.
And yes, it was a VERY long month.
But the surprising discovery for me is not only that I have far...
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My taxi driver was very excited when I said there would be loads of celebrities at the Costa Book Awards 2014.
'Like who?' he asked, as he turned off Piccadilly to head towards the event venue, Quaglino's restaurant.
'Like, erm, Ian Hislop,...
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The TGI Friday’s restaurant chain turned itself around, thanks to a fire that gutted one of its flagship sites, I'm told in my interview with Karen Forrester from TGI Fridays.
While most bosses would consider this an unmitigated disaster, Forr...
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You're never too old to visit Las Vegas - and here's the proof!
Just a few days in Sin City brought about a miraculous transformation in my 72-year old mother. For several weeks before our Las Vegas holiday, her main activity had been fretting...
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Being escorted off the mountain-side by a French hunk on a snowmobile was not the way I had imagined the end of my first ever day of skiing, but it was certainly exhilarating.
Learning to ski in France
I clung to him for dear life as we plunged...
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Visitors to Redemption, tucked away in the unfashionable corner of London between Westbourne Park and Ladbroke Grove, first have to walk past an array of Notting Hill's pubs and wine bars, packed with Bright Young Things knocking back the very la...
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Having just a few months ago seen the jaw-dropping, mind-boggling spectacle which is Cirque du Soleil's 'O' at the Bellagio, Las Vegas, Cirque du Soleil's Quidam show at the Royal Albert Hall certainly had a lot to live up to.
Cirque du Soleil Q...
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There's nothing more than the fitness industry loves than the newest fad, the latest trend, the 'next big thing'.
It guarantees column inches in newspaper supplements and magazines as the new idea is relentlessly promoted in books and articles...
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My friends in the drinks industry won't thank me, but I've joined the growing ranks of those who have sworn off booze for January - hello Dry January!
Swearing seems to be the appropriate word too, as it's what I've felt like doing every one of t...
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Welcome to my leisure blog ALadyofLeisure.com! As a journalist covering the leisure sector for a national newspaper, I am lucky enough to spend a lot of my time having amazing experiences and meeting fascinating people. From visiting new restaura...
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