Tripadvisor just published their list of top city destinations in the world, and it was gratifying to see a lot of Little Hotels' destinations featuring highly. This is what they said about our favourite cities.
It was over 30 years ago that we first came across the Molino del Santo, when we stayed there with our (then) young family. We were enchanted by the location, the gardens, the people and the whole concept of staying in a hotel so small that the staff knew our names and our favourite tipples in next to no time.
Little Hotels doesn't do 'bland'. Big chain hotels are not for us, so every hotel we list has its own individuality and character. Some have more character than others though!
Anyone who has watched the TV programme Saving Lives at Sea will have heard the phrase "We are an island nation" (and probably be quite fed up with it!). It's true of course, Great Britain is an island, and perhaps there's something in our blood that draws us to the coast.
We thought the recent volcanic eruption on La Palma would kill tourism there stone dead. Instead, it's put La Palma on the map and more and more people want to go there. Although the eruption was a disaster for the people and businesses that were in the direct line of the lava flows, it actually affected quite a small part of the island.
Five new hotels that have recently caught our eye and been added to Little Hotels. Choose England, Wales, Scotland or Italy. Portmeirion is possibly the most famous village in Wales. You may know it as the Italianate village created by by architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. Or you may know it as the location for the 1960s cult TV series The Prisoner starring Patrick McGoohan.
There are sixteen National Parks in Spain, protecting and showcasing the immense geographical and biological variety of the country. They include everything from vast mountainous areas such as the Picos de Europa or Ordesa and Monte Perdido to over 200 lakes in Aigüestores i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park
With it's sparse population and extensive mountains, lochs and islands, it comes as a slight surprise that there are only two national parks in Scotland. However perhaps it's those very factors that mean that the wilds of Scotland don't really need the protection of national park status.
A recent trip across the centre of England gave us an interesting comparison of two regions of the country, one very well-known and one less so. As we travelled through the Cotswolds we saw pretty towns and villages built of honey-coloured stone and tree-covered hills. In Cambridgeshire, sandwiched between the Midlands and East Anglia, we saw more pretty towns and villages built of honey-coloured stone.
The Welsh national parks – Snowdonia, Pembrokeshire Coast and Brecon Beacons – cover an impressive 20% of Wales. They are perfect for active holidays, walking, cycling, mountain-biking, horse-riding, wild-swimming, but also ideal if you simply want to drive around on quiet country roads and soak up the outstanding views.
