Travel

Semana Santa, Seville (March 2018) As Easter celebrations go, Seville’s Semana Santa (Holy Week) is certainly one of the most spectacular. Every year, for one whole week, the centre of Spain’s fourth largest city comes to an almost complete standstill. As thousands of women, children and men in pointy hats march through the streets with giant floats carrying life-sized figurines of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. What is Semana Santa? A week of processions (religious parades), dating back to...

When Spring time comes around, we most often think about nature and nice weather to stay out all day. While all of that is great fun and is exciting, for many of us Spring also means holiday time and the perfect opportunity to take a vacation, also because spring is the best time to go on vacations cheaply and without crowded destinations. Also, you could find your favourite paradise destinations where is almost impossible to go because of the price, and get the best...

As we approached the front door I already had a good feeling about the hotel, some friendly staff appeared to usher us in. Sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference. I was looking forward to our Friday night stay at the Hilton Bankside. The foyer was plush and the staff were briskly checking customers in and we were promptly given our room. It was a large suite and I had a really quick lie down on...

When you think about Iceland, if all you imagine is drinking expensive beer in a Reykjavik bar and visiting the local nature baths for half an hour, think again. Hop to the North side of the country and you’ll find landscapes among the most breathtaking in the world. Stunning fjords, beautiful coastal highways, waterfalls of the gods, epic volcanoes, snowy mountains, hot springs and natural baths a plenty. North Iceland squeezes in more geographical wonders than seems physically possible. It...

With spring in the air, April is an ideal time to dust off the cobwebs of winter and explore the world again. We've picked out some hotspots that come into their own this very month. Got those bags packed? Tamil Nadu, India The south Indian state of Tamil Nadu is famed for its ornate Hindu temples. Brimful of colour, with thousands of statues making up the exterior, these temples are a wonder aesthetically. Go inside, and the spirituality is in...

When it comes to hotel stays, the little things are the big things. You could spend millions of pounds developing a prime property in the middle of Manhattan and guests would walk down to breakfast talking about the chocolate that was left on their pillow. It's not about extravagance or expense, it's about fresh smelling bathroom towels the size of bed sheets, quirky soaps and, in the case of the Bel and the Dragon, the now renowned complimentary digestifs. When...

For those who do a lot of travelling the problem is more than familiar. During lengthy flights or bus trips you sit, blankly staring out of the window and watching the time idly pass by along with the monotonous scenery. Similarly hopeless is the situation when you are stuck in the airport and the time between the flights is short enough not to allow you go seeing the city, but long enough to drive you crazy for doing nothing. But...

Ahead of the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination on 4 April, Neil Davey takes a trip to Alabama, a key US state in the Civil Rights Movement.   Shall we get the obvious out of the way first? Because, yes, Alabama does not have the best reputation of the American states. In fact, it’s almost become shorthand for a particular type of American attitude, with a foot in some of the more disturbing aspects of American history. However,...

by Pat Levy Namibia, rarely featuring in news headlines, is a peaceful, settled country that finally shook off the blinkers of apartheid in 1990, and transitioned into constitutional democracy. 11 hours flight time with one stop, and a two hour time difference with the UK makes it a temping destination for the safari holiday you always promised yourself. For its size, the population is tiny and lives largely in urban areas, leaving vast desert-like tracts for small farmers with a...