Archive for the 'Places of Interest' Category

New York is packed with fascinating corners but few are more unique and quirkily charming than über-fashionable TriBeCa.

Gaining its name from a description of its location in Lower Manhattan (the Triangle Below Canal Street), this bustling area is bounded by Canal Street, West Street, Courtlandt Alley, Broadway and Chambers Street and was New York’s first residential neighbourhood, with suitable homes being constructed as early as the late 1700s. By the mid 1800s the tone of the area had changed completely and large numbers of store and loft buildings dominated.

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To the uninitiated, the New York Yacht Club might seem just that, a yacht club somewhere in New York. For those in the know, however, the very name is legendary – and synonymous with the very best in yachting tradition.

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The Iberian Peninsula is dotted with magnificent monuments of bygone days, witnesses to some of the most intriguing chapters of European history. The great event that shook this land was the Moorish conquest, initiated in 711 with the arrival of Tariq and his forces, and the subsequent Christian Reconquest that would start shortly afterwards and culminate with the retaking of Granada in 1492.

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To experience the Cirque du Soleil is to embark upon a sensory voyage in which one is transported to another world where gravity seems to have no hold and shapes, colours and sound blend into one. Like Alice in Wonderland come to life, this is a successful melange of circus, theatre, art and acrobatics that transcends age in its appeal. Cirque du Soleil is hard to define because there is nothing to compare it to; this unique experience that draws from other art forms sets the yardstick for modern performing arts because it is, in effect, the greatest live show of the modern era.

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The location of the Hotel Colonna Pevero could hardly be bettered: overlooking the azure waters of the Golfo del Pevero – an intimate indent right in the heart of Sardinia’s celebrated Costa Smeralda.

From its vantage point against a gentle rise the world is a subtle blur of parkland, natural Mediterranean vegetation, beaches, coves and the stylish cluster of local architecture ranged about a particularly privileged corner of one of the most glamorous coastlines in the world.

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From the moment I laid eyes on them, the streets of Havana captivated me. I can’t recall if it was the exuberant friendliness of the people, the fragile beauty of worn façades or the bright colours of American road cruisers from the fifties, but I was immediately fascinated by this singular Caribbean mix. Through my lens I found Havana to be photogenic, intense and multifaceted.

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Though its origins go back to the very birth of civilisation, the enduring popularity of the spa reflects a deep-seated human need for pampering and relaxation.

In the days of the Greek and Roman Empires the spa was valued as a place where citizens could gather to cleanse and socialise. Such public places evolved over time, taking in elements of distant cultures as they gradually became luxuriant havens of sweet pampering indulgence and relaxation. Even in classical times, therefore, visitors could enjoy a range of advanced treatments that not only felt good but rejuvenated body and mind.

The Roman bathhouse, for instance, was a complex structure, with rooms devoted to disrobing, bathing, hot and cold immersion, massage and rest. By the eighteenth century European spas came into their own again as it became fashionable to visit spa towns to drink and bathe in the waters. Jane Austen chose to set her novels Persuasion and Northanger Abbey in the famous British spa town of Bath, one of a growing number of fashionable health spots in Europe.

Let’s face it, there are few experiences that feel more self-indulgent and decadent – in the best sense of the word – than spending a few hours in a five-star spa. Here is our guilt-free guide to some of the world’s best.

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