SARB: Where Nature’s Beauty Unfolds – Discovering Alila Hinu Bay in Salalah, Oman

SARB: Where Nature’s Beauty Unfolds – Discovering Alila Hinu Bay in Salalah, Oman

Alila Hinu Bay, Salalah, Oman As the sweltering heat of summer makes its gradual retreat, and the first whispers of autumn touch the air, a mesmerising transformation begins to unfold in the coastal paradise of Salalah. From September to December, this enchanting season, affectionately known as SARB (Salalah Autumn Rateb), weaves its magic, inviting travelers…

An adventure in the wilds of the Amazon – without roughing it

An adventure in the wilds of the Amazon – without roughing it

‘Tsk tsk.” How our guide, Neycer Pizango, heard the teeth-­sucking call above our skiff’s outboards, I’ll never know – for even with engines cut, I struggled to identify anything beyond birdsong and clicking cicadas. Then a shadow moved, and a tiny, maned primate leapt, tutting, into a spondias tree’s boughs. “It’s a pygmy marmoset: the…

London’s most famous streets as they used to look

London’s most famous streets as they used to look

Piccadilly A main thoroughfare since at least medieval times, when it was known as “the road to Reading” or “the way from Colnbrook”, Piccadilly takes its from from the piccadill, a wide, decorated collar that was sufficiently popular to make the fortune of a tailor called Robert Baker. When he built himself an impressive residence hereabouts it was…

Amanpulo: A Tropical Dreamscape in The Heart of The Philippines

Amanpulo: A Tropical Dreamscape in The Heart of The Philippines

Photo: Lucas Raven Six years have passed since my last visit to my mother’s hometown in the Philippines. Radiating an aura of utmost exclusiveness, the Amanpulo resort stands as a secluded oasis accessible only via private aircraft. Within its confines, the noise of the external world becomes powerless, ensuring an uninterrupted cocoon of tranquil solitude….

Best spa hotels in Kent

Best spa hotels in Kent

All too often regarded as an extension of London or a throughway to the Continent, Kent rarely benefits from recognition as a destination like Devon or Cornwall. However, the Garden of England offers bucolic countryside dotted with medieval pubs, distinctive seaside towns like Whitstable and Margate, and the historic cities of Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells….

Best hotels in North Devon

Best hotels in North Devon

Wilder and less trammelled than the rest of Devon, the north of the county has a comfortingly old-fashioned, low-tech feel. Prices are, on the whole, cheaper than the more chi-chi resorts of south Devon, so it’s a great option for extended families, large groups and those on a tight budget. Hotels generally focus on honest…