No need to remember the days when luxurious yachts sailed into Puerto Banús marina and an international jet-set gathered at this famous resort’s stylish venues to party in style in one of Europe’s most exclusive locations. No need to remember because those days are back!

They say the world is your oyster, and for those who can afford it the southern coast of Spain is a particularly attractive one. If you have the means to enjoy it, Puerto Banús alone offers an experience to rival the best in the Mediterranean, the Aegean or the Caribbean. (more…)

Marbella is best known for its luxurious seaside resorts, but travel just a little inland, into the foothills of the mighty mountain ranges that run parallel to the coast, and you will find some truly gorgeous boutique hotels set amid the beauty of Andalusian nature.

One of the finest of these is Hotel Hermitage, a gem of a rural hotel surrounded by lush green countryside just a short distance from the pretty white village of Casares. From this vantage point the land sweeps gently towards the sea in a carpet of undulating green that turns to hues of ever-changing blue at the coastline. You feel like you’re surveying the world, and indeed on clear days Gibraltar and North Africa come into broad view, yet in reality this peaceful spot is no more than a quarter of an hour from the coastal resort town of Estepona, itself just a short distance from Marbella.
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Those who know me well can testify to my obsession with the fact that our railways are ridiculously under-used.

However, one of the best things about being a journalist is that, while others might fume and fulminate at their local bar against the various aspects of modern life that they find infuriating, we are granted a platform to express our views! (more…)

On one of the 115 islands that make up the archipelago nation of the Seychelles lays a resort that is quite different from your usual luxury retreat.

These days, there is no shortage of luxury destinations catering to every whim and desire of a well-heeled clientele. Some have cultural interest, some history or design, while most are simply luxurious, but how many of these places really have heart?

North Island, a tropical island resort within the Indian Ocean nation of Seychelles, is in many ways a typical luxury getaway of the kind one would find in the Maldives or Polynesia, and yet this sumptuously styled mini resort is different. The eleven guest villas and health spa are elegant, opulent and leave nothing to be desired in terms of comfort, luxury and service, and yet they are merely the by-product of a conservation process that has seen the indigenous fauna and flora of this little tropical island regenerated. (more…)

Marbella has many luxurious five-star hotels, but for a very exacting – and often famous – clientele there is something even more exclusive.

Already a five-star icon of Marbella, and one of its original luxury hotels, the Gran Melía Don Pepe also offers a trio of penthouse Presidential Suites that are the pinnacle of comfort and elegance.

Inaugurated by Prince Albert of Monaco, they represent the finest accommodation short of owning your own multi-million penthouse or villa overlooking the sea. Décor and trimmings are refined and opulent, as you may expect, with the suites consisting of a living area in the style of a luxurious apartment, and one or two bedroom suites, depending upon your preference. (more…)