The Lofoten Islands are a Norwegian archipelago north of the Arctic Circle. Here, dramatic mountain peaks rise directly out of the sea. Colorful fishermen's huts stand on stilts in idyllic harbors, and the light is so changeable that you can sometimes experience all four seasons in the space of an hour.
Browsing: Country House
Justine Tyerman finds thunderstorms addictive at the Alpina Mountain Resort & Spa in Tschiertschen.
The occasion was our annual get-together, a time when our daughters fly in from far-away places to reconnect as a family. We chose Auckland’s West Coast beaches because the region is close to the city and none of us had ever been there before. Just 50-60 minutes’ drive from the airport, it was easy for us to collect our far-flung family and run away for a long weekend.
I joined Love Home Swap in 2013 and Dave and Emma’s house is one of many fabulous private homes we’ve stayed at around the world. We stayed five nights and paid precisely nothing . . . unless you take into account the beer and nibbles we shared with owners, Dave and Emma, who joined us for a chat one evening.
The concept of home swapping has always appealed to me so I took the opportunity to meet UK-based Ben Wosskow, Chief Commercial Officer of Love Home Swap, when I was last in London.
Ibiza, the “white island”. Now, how on earth did it get that name? Not likely that it came from the new-age white beach clubs. We pondered the question in proper style at the white design hotel Ca Na Xica.
Justine Tyerman spends a long weekend at a stunning beachfront home on the Bouddi Peninsula New South Wales Central Coast, highly recommended by Luxe Houses, an ultra-luxury villa rental agency based in Sydney.
Located at the edge of the captain’s village of Keitum on Sylt, the Kontorhaus represents a special sort of venue indeed: for in what tea trading post (“Kontorhaus”) can you not only sip from a seemingly infinite variety of teas, but also select your home furnishings or, if you choose, even try living in them before you make up your mind? And in a designer’s heaven at that?
Just a few kilometers from the village of Sant Llorenc in northeast Mallorca we discovered a small jewel of a boutique hotel! The stylish finca hotel Son Penya sits amid olive, almond, lemon and carob trees and seekers of serenity and lovers of nature could not ask for a better place to stay!
The romantic boutique apartment accommodation “Masseria Alchimia” is located in Fasano approximately 50 km South of Bari (the capital of Puglia in the heel of the Italian boot). In the 17th century, the Masseria had been a small hermitage. Owner and landlady Caroline Groszer bought it in 2006 and transformed it to a charming, small resort with 10 apartments, surrounded by natural landscape of old olive trees.
Eolo is a luxurious ranch-style lodge nestled in a remote valley — on route to the Perito Moreno glacier, near El Calafate. It is a stunning establishment where unspoiled nature can be explored or a relaxing holiday can be spent. Savor the delectable cuisine whilst enjoying the breathtaking landscape views.
During our two-week Puglia roundtrip we stayed at wonderful country houses (Masseria Cimino, Masseria Le Fabriche, Masseria Fumarola) and stylish hotels (La Sommità Relais, Acaya Golf Resort, Histó Relais). On our way in-between we also visited Borgo Egnazia Resort and Masseria Bagnara but we didn’t stay there overnight. Therefore they make it only to some of our unstructured list of rankings. (You do have to discuss something at lunch time, don’t you? We like to compile our little ratings as a holiday review during the lengthy yet tasty Italian luncheons…)