A view of Auckland's famous Sky Tower from Albert Park on a glorious autumn day in March 2009. We will be posting many more pictures from the beautiful parts of North and South Island in the next few days.
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Wednesday, April 29
Tuesday, April 28
Sunday, April 26
Palmyra, Syria
by
GB
on Sun 26 Apr 2009 18:05 BST
 The ruins of the Temple of Bel, the pagan god of the ancient city of Palmrya, Syria. This is one of the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world, and new discoveries are being made all the time. Of particular note is the work being done on excavating the elaborate tombs of the wealthy citizens of Palmyra. Our guide reckons there will be more unveiled in the next two years. For a full report of our visit to Syria, click here. more »
Tuesday, December 30
Pic of the week - inside the Emirates A380 First Class
by
GB
on Tue 30 Dec 2008 20:04 GMT
 Read here for an account of the fabulous flying experience in the First Class cabin of the Emirates A380.
Review of Emirates A380 First Class, EK001, Dubai – London Heathrow
by
GB
on Tue 30 Dec 2008 19:57 GMT
I know it’s becoming a little bit of a cliché to talk about how quiet the plane is. There is so little ‘roar’ from the engines on take off that you wonder how this giant hulk of an aircraft is going to build up enough speed to get off the ground. Not sure if it was the quietness of the aircraft or the noise reduction headsets, but I was particularly impressed by the sound quality of the ICE entertainment system on this flight. The large TV screens (23 inches?) in the First Suites help too. more »
Saturday, September 27
Review of Sofitel Luxembourg Le Grand Ducal, Mosconi Restaurant
by
GB
on Sat 27 Sep 2008 22:43 BST
 FOR most Europeans, I would guess, Luxembourg features very little in our thoughts. It sits oddly, permanently in the background of our lives, a minor detail on the map of Europe as we scan for more glamorous locations in Italy, Switzerland or France. For some reason, we had a rising curiosity about the Grand Duchy in 2008, partly inspired by the search for well-regarded Michelin-starred restaurants on the continent. It turned out that Luxembourg was home to Mosconi, a two-star Italian restaurant - the only one with such status outside of Italy itself. So we packed a party of six ... more »
Friday, August 8
Review of Beijing Olympics - Opening Ceremony
by
GB
on Fri 08 Aug 2008 20:20 BST
 THERE are very few occasions when the eyes of the world turn, almost as one, to a single location. That’s what makes attending any Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games one of the world’s great travel experiences. To be there when billions are tuning in to watch; when you are standing in an astonishing new structure that has stretched the limits of architectural and engineering possibilities; when you can look across and see the President of Russia sitting a few feet away from the Presidents of the USA, China, France and almost every world leader you can think of; when ... more »
Thursday, July 10
Review of The Capital, Knightsbridge, London
by
GB
on Thu 10 Jul 2008 23:58 BST
With the economy collapsing all around us, the obvious response is to splash out at one of London's top restaurants. The Capital is tucked away discreetly inside a small hotel just around the corner from Harrods, and has two Michelin stars. I first went there for a birthday dinner two years ago, and have been dying to go back ever since. Recovering from a horrendous overnight flight from JFK, I wasn't in the best of moods when we set off on the Piccadilly Line, but The Capital soon worked its magic and restored my spirits.
The dining hall is very ... more » Tuesday, July 8
Review of Savoy restaurant, Prince Street, New York
by
GB
on Tue 08 Jul 2008 22:46 BST
I always struggle to know where to eat in New York, so it was great to discover the Savoy restaurant, tucked away on a little corner of Prince Street, Soho, this intimate, warm venue is an excellent place for dinner a deux, or with a small group of friends. As it happens, I found myself here on business when it was my birthday, so six colleagues took me out to the Savoy for a slap-up dinner. The downstairs dining room at the Savoy is all honeyed wood and gentle lighting. It is tiny, and I was a little worried they ... more »
Sunday, June 1
Review of Air New Zealand, Business Class, London to Los Angeles
by
GB
on Sun 01 Jun 2008 23:00 BST
How much is a national airline brand tied up with our perceptions of the country it represents? Think Finnair - generous quantities of booze on board, straightforward but efficient service, and the grit and indefatigability to take off and land in conditions which would utterly defeat the big softies at Heathrow. How more Finnish could it be?
In some cases, those airlines help to define what we think about a nation. How much goodwill has Singapore Airlines generated for the city state over the years? A fair amount, I would imagine. more »
Friday, May 30
Review of La Reserve, Lake Geneva
by
GB
on Fri 30 May 2008 11:17 BST
Getting to La Reserve is super easy from London, as long as you use the Swiss service from City Airport to Geneva. Thank Heavens for London City Airport on a Bank Holiday weekend - no Heathrow, no desperate lines at security, no long queue to get on the plane. Once you land and get through passport control (with typical Swiss efficiency), it’s only a ten minute taxi ride before you are pulling into the gates of La Reserve. As you can see from the picture above, the building isn’t going to win any architectural awards, but once you get inside, this is one luxurious resort. more »
Friday, February 22
Review of Balconies Restaurant (Searcys), Royal Opera House, London
by
GB
on Fri 22 Feb 2008 13:46 GMT
There are few experiences finer in this world than spending an evening at London's Royal Opera House. For last month's production of 'Die Zauberflote', we decided to go the whole hog and have dinner at Searcy, the restaurant inside the ROH. more »
Friday, February 15
Tuesday, February 12
Review of Sanctuary Lodge, Machu Picchu
by
GB
on Tue 12 Feb 2008 23:43 GMT
The defining feature of Machu Picchu is mystery. Even though the buildings are bare and decaying, there is still the sense that the place has just been abandoned with great haste. You half-expect to come across a dinner plate with half-eaten Alpaca bones in one of the tiny houses below. But who was here and why did they leave? more »
Saturday, February 9
Review of Monasterio, Cusco and Sol y Luna, Peru
by
GB
on Sat 09 Feb 2008 22:14 GMT
After serving as a monastery for hundreds of years, the palace is now Monasterio, without question the finest hotel in Cusco. And the ‘Best Hotel in South America’, as voted by Conde Naste Traveller in 2007. Monasterio, part of the Orient Express group, is certainly a fine place to stay, in a unique setting. The staff are first class, and there are two excellent restaurants which serve Peruvian cuisine (think Alpaca, think Guinea Pig) with a contemporary twist. more »
Sunday, February 3
Review of Explora en Atacama, Chile
by
GB
on Sun 03 Feb 2008 23:49 GMT
Trekking through the Atacama desert is the closest that I will ever come to being on another world. The resemblance to satellite pictures of the the surface of Mars is not so far-fetched. In 2003, a team of scientists from NASA found ‘Mars-like soils’ in the Atacama. In other words, the samples they analysed produced very similar results to those of NASA’s Viking mission to Mars in the 1970s: no sign of life and virtually undetectable organic material. This strange result gave the researchers hope that life on Mars may be found one day.
more »
Saturday, January 26
Review of La Tremoille & Le Pre Catelan, Paris
by
GB
on Sat 26 Jan 2008 23:55 GMT
There are five of us here for a special occasion - KB’s birthday - and I can’t imagine a better place to stay than Hotel Tremoille. It has been undergoing an extensive renovation itself, 16 months of upgrading which has turned Tremoille into a very fine mid-sized hotel in the heart of Paris’ ‘Golden Triangle’, just a few minutes’ walk from George V Avenue and the Champs-Elysees. more »
Monday, December 10
Saturday, December 8
Sunday, November 4
Review of Thai Airways Royal First Class, London to Bangkok
by
KB
on Sun 04 Nov 2007 18:35 GMT
The Royal First Lounge at Bangkok is very impressive - better even than Qatar Airways Premium Terminal at Doha in my opinion. There are nice private rooms to relax in (photo shown), sleeping areas, shower suites and a full service menu. The lounge staff were extremely attentive and were constantly offering to bring me food and drink. They also made me an appointment to visit the Royal Orchid Spa where I had a nice complimentary neck and shoulder massage. When the time came for me to board my connecting flight, I was personally escorted all the way to the aircraft. more »
Friday, November 2
Review of EOS airlines, London to New York
by
GB
on Fri 02 Nov 2007 13:01 GMT
The pitch seems too good to be true: an all-business airline, less than 50 passengers on a 757, flying from Stansted, fast track all the way, and considerably less expensive than BA or Virgin. Could EOS possibly live up to the hype?
As one of the world's biggest cynics, I have to say that it's almost all true! This flight to JFK was one of the smoothest I have ever had, and probably the best business class service. The EOS staff whisk you through the check-in and security process as fast as possible to the smart lounge where attentive staff ... more » Wednesday, October 31
Review of Hollmann Beletage, Vienna
by
GB
on Wed 31 Oct 2007 08:20 GMT
Looking for the Hollman Beletage Hotel? Do we have the right address? you may ask yourself as you head down Köllnerhofgasse, a short street about five minutes walk from St Stephen’s Cathedral. You stop at the entrance to a grand old apartment building and enter a secret code which opens the heavy door. Once inside, your eyes wander around the cavernous hallway, which looks little changed from the late Imperial era. more »
Sunday, October 21
Restaurant Review : Zuma
by
GB
on Sun 21 Oct 2007 19:34 BST
I have a strange addiction to Japanese restaurants. It's strange, because I have a severe allergy to most fish and seafood. Therefore, seventy or eight per cent of the menu is off limits to me. However, I persist for two reasons: KB is with me and he loves sushi; and I can content myself with a superb bottle of Sake and a real treat: Wagyu beef.
Where better to sample these delights than Zuma? Tucked away in a Knightsbridge side street across the road from Harrods and Harvey Nichols, this place is one of the best Asian restaurants in London, ... more » Monday, October 1
Review of The Astoria, St Petersburg
by
GB
on Mon 01 Oct 2007 12:49 BST
There are a small number of world class hotels in St Petersburg, and this is one of them. The Astoria has been around since 1912, when the unfortunate Nicholas II was still living in style down the road at the Winter Palace. Just about every world leader who has visited the city since has stayed at the Astoria. more »
Saturday, September 15
Restaurant Review : Smiths of Smithfield, Top Floor
by
GB
on Sat 15 Sep 2007 17:33 BST
It's been a tough week, and I'm feeling as old as Sir Menzies Campbell. The embattled, geriatric Liberal leader looks like he needs cheering up, and so do I. We head for Smiths of Smithfield, very much a local for KB as he lives round the corner, and one of our old favourites. This is about familiarity and comfort food. more »
Sunday, August 26
City Hotels : Kurhaus Hotel, Den Haag, Netherlands
by
GB
on Sun 26 Aug 2007 17:26 BST
I could write a novel set in the Kurhaus. Having much work to do in the Dutch capital last year, I must have stayed there at least a dozen times. Last week I found myself back there for the day, and had to take the tram down to Scheveningen for a quick visit to the grand old lady of the Dutch hotel trade.
For those unfamiliar with the Netherlands, Scheveningen is the small outpost which sits right on the North Sea, about three miles from Den Haag city centre. There is a very long, straight drive down to the coast, ... more » Sunday, July 29
Restaurant Review : The Rivington Grill Shoreditch, London
by
KB
on Sun 29 Jul 2007 19:08 BST
Returned to the Rivington with a friend for Sunday lunch today. The Rivington had been an old favourite for Sunday lunch in Shoreditch until it became annoyingly busy. The good news is that the Roast Goosnargh Chicken for two is back! more »
Wednesday, July 25
Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, London to NY
by
GB
on Wed 25 Jul 2007 03:18 BST
I really want to love Virgin Atlantic. If every flight were as good as our trip to Shanghai on that awful day, I would always use them whenever possible. But Sir Richard and the gang, in my opinion, need to ask themselves a key question: are we making Upper Class as good as it could be? more »
Sunday, July 22
Review of the Pestana Palace, Lisbon
by
GB
on Sun 22 Jul 2007 14:29 BST
Elaborate doesn’t begin to describe the interior of the Pestana Palace. Although this is a recreation of ‘haute’ 19th century European living, I’d describe it as more Rococo than Empire - the kind of place where Louis XV would have felt right at home (or Sir Elton John, in today’s terms). more »
Sunday, July 8
Sunday, June 24
Review of Tanzania Under Canvas
by
GB
on Sun 24 Jun 2007 17:23 BST
We are staying in one of half a dozen tents in a mobile camp which moves round the Serengeti with the wildebeest. There is nothing to separate you from the life of the great plains stretching for hundreds of miles in front of us. Hyenas howl outside the tent most nights. The odd giraffe stumbles by. Leopards are chased away now and again by the staff. We are given a small whistle to use in case of ‘real emergencies’. I wonder what that might be like. more »
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