As I pulled up in my taxi at the entrance to my hotel for the week, I knew instantly I was in for a treat. I love finding hotels like this – small, overshadowed by famous neighbours (La Mamounia), but utterly, utterly stunning. Easily sailing in to my top 10 hotels of all time – enter The Oberoi.

Location

My husband was in Casablanca, but was coming to Marrakech for his next set of meetings (one of which as it happens, ended up happening in Paris last minute so he had to dial in – I lose track of the man). I decided Marrakech was the place for me, and I boarded a flight direct from London.

I had initially planned to stay in a hotel central to Marrakech, but then I found The Oberoi. Situated around a 25 minute car journey from the Old Town (Medina) of Marrakech, it looked like something out of a fairytale. I couldn’t resist and in I booked.

Getting in to central Marrakech from the hotel is easy, with the hotel running a free daily shuttle and offering cars if the shuttle times don’t suit. It’s also close enough for day trips to the Atlas Mountains and forays in to the desert.

The hotel also offers airport transfers included within the price for accommodation so arrival and departure is also simple.

Accommodation

There are only 60 villas at The Oberoi, built in traditional Moroccan style with the famous red clay and having no windows to the outside. They are situated around a courtyard housing 4 villas each, full of flowers and greenery, plus a water feature.

The villa itself was spacious, comprising a large bedroom/living area, a beautifully ornate hallway, dressing area and walk in wardrobe, leading through to a large bathroom with separate toilet, soaking tub and the biggest show you ever did see. The accommodation was kept pristine, with daily room cleans and a nightly turn down service. The service was really attentive. As an example, on the first day, we both had our laptops in the safe but mouses (mice?) out on the desks. The staff left us 2 mouse mats and a note saying they hoped we weren’t working too hard!

I also absolutely loved the details everywhere, the sink being my favourite (not a sentence I often write). There was also patterned wood, carpet and fabrics in the room which were really beautiful. Another nice touch was that you can access the villa’s pool from both the main living area and via the shower, perfect for getting clean after a day on the sun loungers!

Speaking of the pool, the outdoor patio area to the back of the villa stole the show. It was incredible to sit and have breakfast at the table, and enjoy the loungers with our books before a dip to cool off in the pool. It was also completely private, in the traditional Moroccan style, in a closed off garden – a bit like our own private Riyad courtyard area.

Food & Drink

The food and drink at The Oberoi is amazing. There are three restaurants on site – Rivayat (Indian), Tamimt (Mediterranean) and Azur (lunch time by the pool area). There is also a cocktail bar, Vue.

We found Rivayat to be our favourite and were absolutely blown away by the menu in there – the Aloo Tikki and Black Olive Chicken were so tasty we had them twice. We also had such incredible service from our waiter, Imad, who was so kind and helpful.

Tamimt provided the most beautiful views out over the hotel garden, and the pool bar Azur served such a tasty burger – so you couldn’t go wrong with any choice.

In general we found the service at The Oberoi a level above, even for a luxury hotel. We both agreed it’s the best service we have ever had, highlighted by the fact that Mamdouh (who was in charge of the hotel while we stayed), was at pretty much every meal, talking to every single guest and knowing all by name. He was constantly asking for feedback which he actioned, and I was so impressed at the personal nature of it. I’ve never seen that same attention to guest satisfaction at every level of management before – it must take a lot of effort and is a testament to everyone who works at the hotel.

We also had a special food experience whilst staying at The Oberoi, as we visited during Ramadan. We participated in a day of fasting and then sharing Iftar in the evening to break the fast. This was held in the hotel’s central courtyard.

Amenities & Experiences

I’m going to start with architecture as an experience. I can’t tell you how breathtakingly beautiful this hotel is. Everywhere I turned, I felt like I was in a royal palace. Architecturally, it’s set up as a traditional Moroccan building – unassuming from the outside, opening up in to numerous courtyards (Riads) with rooms off them. I loved it. The main courtyard (pictured above by night) takes inspiration from the historic Ben Youssef Madrasa, built in the 14th century; one of Marrakech’s most famous historic monuments.

The truly special part was off the main Riad, with sweeping views down the garden, reminding me of a cross between Moroccan Royal Palaces and the Alhambra in Spain. The first time I saw the view it literally made me stop and exclaim.

The Oberoi’s gardens are also something to behold. Set up with beautiful symmetry, the views up and down the central part were ‘pinch myself’ moments every time I saw them.

As if that wasn’t enough, the hotel is full of intricate and beautiful little details in corners and colours everywhere. It also offers a large outdoor pool, which has day beds, hammocks and a bar that you can enjoy.

There is also an indoor pool and spa, with a nice sun deck next to it, overlooking a natural pond full of fish and turtles. We had a massage in the spa, and I have to admit mine wasn’t that great. They didn’t ask if I had allergies and I came up in a big reaction to the oil, nor did they ask where I wanted the massage to focus or what pressure I liked so I didn’t get as good an experience as I have in other hotels (but please don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining!)

Finally, as if that wasn’t enough, the hotel also offers a number of experiences outside of the hotel. These include tours around Marrakech, as well as further afield such as in to The Atlas Mountains or the famous Ouzod Waterfalls. We didn’t take any trips with the hotel, but I can only imagine they would be absolutely amazing.

So what do you think of The Oberoi? We absolutely fell in love with it and I plan to bring one of my best friends back here with me at some point in the next couple of years as I know she’ll love it. She saved my life back in 2021 and I promised her when her children were old enough I’d repay her with a special girls’ holiday – she wanted that to be ‘somewhere hot without a long flight’, so I think I’ve found just the place.

Stay safe and happy travelling everyone!

You can read my full post on Dubai HERE.

Location of The Shangri-La

The Shangri-La is located in the Financial District (felt appropriate), a slightly quieter area of town. Wherever you stay in Dubai, you’re never close to everything – it’s not even slightly a walkable city. Attractions are widely spread out and even a 2km walk isn’t actually walk because it’s along a 6 way highway.

The Shangri-La is around a 15 minute taxi ride from the modern centre – Dubai Mall, the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Fountain.

It’s about a 20 minute taxi ride from the Old Centre of Dubai, 12 minutes from the Emirati Museum, 15 minutes from Jumeirah Beach and 30 minutes from Dubai Miracle Garden. Getting to and from the airport is also simple, being only around a 15 minute taxi journey.

Accommodation at The Shangri-La

The accommodation at the Shangri-La is beautiful. There are a range of rooms on offer and we chose a Deluxe King room with Burj Khalifa views. You can also splash out on a ‘picture perfect’ room which has some of the best views out over the city through panoramic windows perfect for Instagram. We didn’t think it was needed as the view from our room was picture perfect as it was.

The room itself was spacious, with a huge bed, desk area, 2 chairs, a huge minibar and lots of wardrobe space.

The bathroom also came complete with a nice sized walk in shower, and huge soaking tub, plus separate toilet. The room was kept spotlessly clean with daily room cleaning service, plus evening turn down (slippers for the win) and a re-stocked complimentary bottle of water daily.

Food & Drink at The Shangri-La

One of the hotel’s highlights is its incredible offering of food. There are multiple restaurants on site and we actually ate at them all.

Hoi An offers Vietnamese cuisine, and we thoroughly enjoyed a 3 hour brunch with an array of courses on the first day of our stay. We also returned for an evening meal which was actually the best meal of our entire trip, with the chef cooking us some special traditional Vietnamese Lunar New Year dishes.

Shang Palace is a Chinese restaurant with dim sum the dish of choice. It also serves the most incredible looking whole crispy ducks which we salivated at from afar. Similarly, the room service menu was absolutely delicious and probably the best room service we’ve ever had.

The casual restaurant, Dunes, has themed nights. I recommend going for the buffet on certain evenings as the food on offer is of great variety and you can get a 25% discount via the Shangri-La circle app (no need to sign up, just log on for the QR code). When we were there it was a Chinese NY theme one night so off we went of course – there was even a giant dragon!

The hotel also offers a number of unique dining experiences. The first of which, a floating breakfast in the hotel pool, the husband treated me to as a birthday gift. I thought it might just be a gimmick but the food was delicious, consisting of an omelette, pancakes, waffles, fruit and yoghurt.

You can also book for a private breakfast, lunch or dinner, on the 42nd floor balcony (see below), however prices start from c£1,000 so we heavy passed on that one (!). One evening it was set up with a red carpet, rose petals, candles and the most insane table wear. It would be an incredible experience.

Amenities & Experiences at The Shangri-La

Aside from the dining experiences, the Shangri-La offers lots of great amenities on site. The hotel pool is without a doubt the star of the show – not only hosting floating breakfasts, but also providing a stunning view over to the Burj Khalifa.

At the pool is also a nice bar area called iKandy serving drinks and bar food, plus is home to a relaxing hot tub and a pool table. It’s a really nice spot to chill for the day and we happily spent a full day relaxing on the rooftop during our week long stay.

The hotel also has a second pool, though it’s for Horizon Club members only. Situated on the 42nd floor, it’s indoors and also looks out at the Dubai skyline.

Even if you’re not a Horizon Club member, head to floor 42 anyway. The View at 42 is the best viewing spot in all of Dubai, in my humble opinion. You can visit the platform through the external doors from the indoor pool area – and even better, any guest can do so.

We went morning, noon and night and it was absolutely beautiful. I also did a little birthday shoot with some balloons. Speaking of which, the hotel left me the balloons and a card, along with a heart shaped platter of fruit, on my birthday which was a lovely touch.

Finally, within the hotel is a gorgeous spa, Chi, which offers a real variety of treatments. I of course indulged in a massage on my birthday which was really good quality and cracked me back in to place. Afterwards you can also relax in the indoor hot tubs and loungers – though all areas are separate for men and women (it was nice to have an afternoon to myself!)

Away from the hotel, the Shangri-La offers a number of day trip ideas. It offers a day tour of Dubai to see the main highlights, a day trip to Abu Dhabi, an excursion in to the Dubai desert and boat trips down Dubai Creek. We didn’t do any of these day trips as I wanted to do things a bit more in depth, but they’re great options if you’re limited on time and/or don’t have time to plan.

So what did you think of the Shangri-La? We had a great stay for my birthday and I’d recommend it for anyone visiting Dubai wanting something a bit special, but good value when compared to a lot of the other 5* hotels in Dubai. I hope you enjoyed the review – stay safe and happy travelling!

Now, I am going to preface this review with moan. We stayed in a lovely room, BUT it was the room type below the one I had booked and paid for in advance. They provided no compensation or refund, and when I emailed to follow up with the central reservations team after my weekend stay, they replied trying to convince me that I had in fact been upgraded (and offering a free breakfast on my next stay by way of apology).

I know that is really not a big problem, but it’s still not great behaviour/service from a 5* hotel. OK moan over, the rest was wonderful.

Location

Nobu is located in the heart of Shoreditch, one of London’s coolest areas. The hotel is in walking distance of a whole host of incredible restaurants, including Dishoom and Gloria. It’s also close to the famous Brick Lane and Spitalfields Market, as well as Colombia Road Flower Market which runs on Sundays.

It’s also easy to reach from central London, being around a 30 minute walk from The City, and on lots of tube/train/bus routes from across town.

Accommodation

The room was large and spacious with a nice big comfy bed, table and 2 chairs and a small sofa area, as well as a huge TV unit at the end of the bed. It was very clean and nicely finished with nice Japanese touches such as a tea set provided in the room.

As a small point, one of our water bottles had a broken seal and was half empty on arrival which meant we didn’t drink it just in case, though of course not the end of the world.

The bathroom was modern and clean, with a nice powerful shower over a bathtub. The bath was so hard to get out of though as the side was so wide and the bath so deep I had to straddle it like a sumo wrestler and risk it all to a painful slip!

The room was also quite dark. The room looked out on to a street and had 2 layers of sliding wooden shutters. The first against the window was a blackout wooden blind that slid across acting as the curtains. However, the second (in front of the first) was immovable slats covering 2/3rds of the window. The slats block the natural light at all times as you can see in the picture below, and on a dark wintry day it probably felt even worse.

The room was absolutely lovely, please don’t get me wrong. It’s a beautiful hotel. However for the price paid, compared to other 5* hotels I’ve stayed in, it didn’t make it to the top of my list of accommodation recommendations.

Food & Drink

Now, this is where Nobu is special. The food was AMAZING. Nobu as a chain was created by a Japanese chef based in America, and as a result its menu is largely Japanese, with a bit of a South American twist.

Whilst it does serve variety at breakfast, the highlight of staying at Nobu is the weekend Japanese Brunch on offer. All you can eat absolute deliciousness of sushi, curries, salads, rice, tacos, and lots of other treats including a huge dessert buffet with banoffee pie, cheesecake, brownies and pavlovas – heaven.

Even though I didn’t *love* the accommodation (for a 5* hotel), the brunch alone means I would still consider coming back and it was so worth experiencing.

Amenities & Experiences

Aside from the incredible bar and restaurant mentioned above, Nobu also offers a really nice café area to sit and relax just by reception with a tea, coffee or drink. Try a miso brownie to go with it and you’ve got yourself a great start to the day!

Nobu also offers a highly rated spa with a range of treatments, making it the perfect destination for a pamper weekend in the capital if you want to splash out. For once I didn’t actually use the spa, as the prices weren’t justifiable. For hubs and I to have a massage would have cost us £300 for the shorter version and over £400 for the longer option which seemed totally extortionate!!

Nobu doesn’t offer a concierge, or any experiences outside of the hotel. The hotel is uniquely designed and I really liked how modern it looked, but it definitely lacks outdoor space (though I suppose to be expected from a city centre hotel). I found there wasn’t a lot to do in the hotel other than to sit and eat/drink, which isn’t all bad of course!

So what did you think of Nobu? It was a beautiful hotel, but I don’t think it provided value for money. I’ve been disappointed recently with hotels in London – I know they charge a premium for location, but I’ve still been underwhelmed. Undoubtedly Sea Containers remains my ‘go to’ in the capital that I’d return to time and time again. Stay safe and happy travelling!

Location

The hotel is in one of the most beautiful locations I’ve ever stayed. The closest major airports are either Phuket or Krabi, and the hotel is situated on Koh Yao Noi island, around a 45 minute speed boat ride off the coast of each, making it a perfect half way point on an island hopping tour of the Andaman Ocean.

Koh Yao Noi is a quiet island in Phang Nga Bay, characterised by its beautiful beaches, mangroves, rubber plantations and fishing villages. The hotel itself lies nestled in to the hills of the island, with its own private beach and is made up of 50 villas, each with private pools.

The hotel can arrange pick up for you from anywhere in Phuket or Krabi, and transfer you by land and then speedboat direct to the hotel in around 45 minutes. We loved our speedboat transfers – they were actually a highlight of the holiday!

Accommodation

We stayed in a deluxe sea view villa. Set through huge double doors down a path, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Walking through the entrance doors to our villa, there was a huge decking area, with a large seating area to the left – complete with sweeping views out over the ocean – and steps down in front of us to the main deck.

The short flight of steps lead down to the private deck. The deck is equipped with two sun loungers, a table and parasol, a sofa and a huge private pool with utterly stunning views. It’s particularly gorgeous at sunrise and sunset. Incredible.

From the deck is the entrance to the villa itself. To the left is a large and spacious bedroom with a full glass window providing views to the pool and ocean. Waking up to this in the morning was a true pinch myself moment each and every day.

On the right as you enter the villa is a dressing area with wardrobes, dressing table, coffee and tea facilities and a desk, flowing through to the double sink, with toilet and shower on the left, plus an outdoor shower straight ahead. Then comes another stunner – a huge sunken bath with views out over that picture perfect ocean again. Just writing about it makes me want to be back in it, reading my book with a glass of wine. Heaven.

The room was spotlessly clean, utterly stunning and cleaning service was provided once per day, with an additional nightly turn down. Robes and slippers were provided, as well as laundry service (meaning we even went home with no washing – win!). Our ‘villa host’ was Khun Larn and he did an incredible job of looking after our accommodation.

This villa was one of a kind. I’d go back in a heart beat.

Food & Drink

Again there are not enough superlatives to explain the food. On site there are 3 restaurants.

First is a laid back restaurant called The Living Room for Western and Thai cuisine, and this is next to a bar called The Den which serves drinks in sunken lounge beds amongst lotus ponds. The Living Room is where breakfast is served. No normal hotel buffet here that’s for sure. There’s a noodle station, a Thai station, a Crepe/Waffle/Pancake station, an egg station, a doughnut station, a full deli serving everything form quiches to salami, a bakery preparing home made croissants and breads, and an entire fruit bar with shelves of different granolas and whole trays of different fruit, juices and yoghurts. Madness.

Second is The Dining Room, serving authentic Thai food only. The third and final restaurant is The Hilltop with honestly the most epic views out over Phang Nga Bay from the bar and beyond (this is also home to the resort’s epic infinity pool which you can visit to suit you).

In villa food is also available via an extensive menu, and all the food we ate for lunch and dinner was absolutely delicious – our favourites were the green curry and the Khao Pad. We gorged ourselves on Thai food and didn’t regret it for a second! Just thinking about it again is making me drool.

But now to the insanely special part. Not only can you eat in the hotel, you can eat on your own island (Nok Island), within Phang Nga Bay. My husband surprised me with a longtail boat to pick us up and take us for an island BBQ where our own chef cooked us chicken, lamb and prawn skewers, plus barbequed lobster, as we watched the sunset. A truly treasured memory. You can read my post on Nok Island HERE.

Amenities & Experiences

Aside from the already mentioned Infinity Pool, the hotel offers so much by way of amenities so I’ll start with my favourite – the spa. Offering a ridiculously huge menu with every treatment imaginable, it’s a total sanctuary. I had a deep tissue massage and felt like a new woman after it. It’s also set in the rainforest so we combined it with a rainforest walk where we spotted a beautiful hornbill and multiple water lizards.

The hotel also has its own private beach, as well as access to a deserted public beach. Both were stunning and we happily spent a day lounging on the sand enjoying the sunshine.

In addition, the hotel offers kayaks to paddle out to the mangroves, tennis courts, and a farm to pick your own fruit, vegetables and herbs and bring to the chef to cook. There is also daily yoga on offer, plus classes for cooking, soap making, insect repellant formulating, Muay Thai classes, sound relaxation and body scrubs. I’m exhausted thinking about it all.

Away from the hotel, a number of excursions are also offered. As the hotel is located in Phang Nga Bay, there are numerous boat trips to the other islands including the local ones around the hotel, the Phi Phi islands and James Bond island. You can read about my trip to James Bond Island HERE.

There are also excursions around Koh Yao Noi to visit rubber farms, local markets and cycling around the islands. Bikes are free to rent, and a guide to go with you (if you want) costs a small fee, otherwise they provide you with a map to go. There are also opportunities to give back to the local community by working on beach clean ups, working with the hotel on the conservation for the local hornbill birds and lots more.

Finally, one of my favourite small features of the hotel was its app enabling you to order room service, buggy transport, towels, suncream, basically anything you need 24/7, and a direct line to your own GEM (Guest Experience Manager). Our wonderful GEM, Khun Q, was always on hand for whatever we needed!

Our 6 nights weren’t enough – you’ll need at least a month to get it all in!

So what do you think of Six Senses Yao Noi? For me this was the best hotel room we’ve ever had, and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in going. I still dream about sitting on my sun terrace in the private pool today – the happiest of memories.

In Phuket itself, we stayed at the beautiful Como Point Yamu in the north of the island. A sleek hotel with open plan and sweeping design features it felt super modern and made for the perfect base from which to explore all the area has to offer.

Location

Como Point Yamu is situated in the north of Phuket, on the east coast of the island and around a 30 minute drive from the airport, making it the perfect place as a first stop on a tour of the area.

The north of Phuket offers many attractions, including the incredible Phuket Elephant Sanctuary, Khao Phra Thaeo National Park and Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre.

It’s also easy to access other famous Phuket sites from the hotel, such as the Big Buddha, Phuket Old Town, Phuket’s many beaches and to island hop out to Phang Nga Bay (post coming soon).

Accommodation

The hotel offers many different room types, as well as stand alone villas. We stayed in a Phang Nga Pool Suite with views out across the Andaman Ocean.

The room offered a small kitchen area, large dining area, large living room with a big sofa and a desk, a huge bathroom with a freestanding tub, a nice modern bedroom and a second toilet!

The star of the room though was its beautiful and big private pool overlooking Phang Nga Bay – it was the perfect place to rest and relax after long days out exploring.

The room was spotlessly clean and beautifully appointed, with tea, coffee, chocolates and water provided daily. Rooms are made up once per day with an additional turndown service in the evening, and there was a smart TV in the room, enabling you to cast from your devices, watch Netflix etc.

Food & DRink

The food and drink at the hotel was, honestly, mixed. The breakfast was poor for a 5* hotel in my opinion. Every time we ordered eggs they were completely uncooked in the middle, and the breakfast buffet didn’t offer much variety.

However the main meals for lunch and dinner were delicious. There are two restaurants on site, one a relaxed dining hall serving Western and Thai food, and the other an authentic Thai restaurant. The food in the Thai restaurant was absolutely delicious.

Amenities & Experiences

The hotel offers an absolutely massive swimming pool, split in to three sections – one for families (which you have to have children to use; I know it’s only language and I’m sensitive to it but it always irks me that you have to have children to be considered a family), one for kids only, and one for adults only. The views out are really beautiful and we loved sitting by the pool with cocktails.

Also on site are a number of stunning walkways around the property to enjoy the views out to sea. There’s a large garden, lots of water pools and just large open spaces. Reception also sits out in the open with water features all around. I loved the elegant design.

There is also a spa on site offering a wide range of treatments, and private dinners can be arranged in villa or in a private dining room.

Away from the hotel itself, Como Point Yamu offers a number of excursions, including to Phuket Old Town and out to the islands of Phang Nga Bay. Phang Nga Bay is truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to, and whilst I explored it from the next hotel on our trip (not Como Point Yamu), if you don’t have another opportunity to see it, please don’t miss it.

So, what do you think of Como Point Yamu? Do you think it’s a good choice for a stay in Phuket?

I hope you enjoyed the visit – stay safe and happy travelling!

I’ve never stayed anywhere *quite* like this hotel. It offers something truly special and unique – after hours access to the Palace of Versailles – whilst staying in the epitome of sumptuous luxury in a hotel attached to said Palace. Pair that with 10/10 service and facilities and you have the making of one of the most special places at which I’ve ever had the privilege of staying.

Location of Airelles

Located directly next to (attached) to The Palace of Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle is the former home of the King’s Financial Controller – appropriate given my job!

Versailles is a former royal residence of the French Kings commissioned by King Louis XIV (he of the large hair), located about 10 miles from Paris. It is truly opulent, like an enhanced Buckingham Palace, and lies in acres of parkland and gardens to enjoy.

Getting to Le Grand Contrôle is simple – this is a luxury hotel, so there is a limousine service to pick you up and drop you off from wherever you may be, as long as you’re in the vicinity of Paris. This covers airports, train stations, or city centre hotels.

Accommodation at Airelles

Pauline, our butler, checked my Mum and I in and showed us to our room. We were upgraded to a suite, and found ourselves in the Loménie de Brienne Suite.

The suite was absolutely beautifully done in 18th Century style (though probably not what I’d choose for my living room!). Through the suite door we walked to a corridor, which led to a sumptuous living area decorated in pinks and reds, leading through to a shower room, and separate toilet – all in beautiful neutral stone and well appointed.

Back out to the corridor and it was through to the gigantic bedroom with 18th century furniture, a fireplace and the comfiest bed you’ve ever slept in with luxury sheets.

After that it was through between the wardrobes to yet another corridor leading to another toilet, a desk area overlooking Versailles and through to a second bathroom housing a roll top bath.

The excellence was in the details. No normal rubbish hairdryer – it was a Dyson. No charged minibar – it was free and stocked with jelly babies, macarons, home made chocolate, alcohol and soft drinks. No basic slippers – there was a whole pressed night gown, with padded slippers and a silk eye mask. You get the picture, it was BEAUTIFUL.

WOW Mum and I said – we couldn’t believe we were able to stay somewhere like this. We truly felt like royal Queens.

Food & Drink at Airelles

Food and drink at the hotel is posh, to say the least. At breakfast we were seated in a glorious dining room complete with chandeliers and all the tableware overlooking the gardens. Choices were served from a menu (you could order everything if you wanted for no extra charge), so we tucked in to poached eggs, porridge, avocado toast and some crepes with a cup of tea. Champagne is also on offer if you so wish, as are multiple juice choices served from an old globe (of course!).

For dinner, you can order off the a la carte menu, or elect to stay at the hotel on a Royal Stay – meaning you are served a 5 course meal inspired by 18th Century French dishes. The Feast was designed in partnership with Alain Ducasse (he of 21 Michelin star fame).

We tucked in to everything from sole, to venison, to Fois Gras and caviar, as well as some lovely wine. In total the meal took us 3 hours to get through, and we slept very soundly afterwards!

Amenities & Experiences at Airellles

The hotel offers a number of sumptuous communal rooms to enjoy, including a gorgeous sitting room and an upstairs library perfect for curling up and reading a book on a cold day.

There is also a beautiful Valmont spa with luxury loungers to sit and enjoy the pool, or indulge in a massage/treatment from the extensive spa menu.

But let’s talk about the main star of the show. The hotel offers after/pre hours tours of the Palace of Versailles so there’s no need to see it with all the crowds. We took an after hours tour of the King’s Apartments, including the Hall of Mirrors. Can you even believe how utterly amazing it is?!

We also took a pre hours tour of Le Petit Trianon, Marie Antoinette’s house. The guides were absolutely amazing, and we learned so much about history, art and French culture of the time. It was so special to see these amazing places without the crowds and we absolutely loved both tours.

Finally, the hotel also offers golf buggies to self drive around the estate – again you could do this pre or post opening hours to enjoy the Palace’s grounds without other tourists. This was so much fun to do and we had a blast exploring.

Underpinning all these experience the service at Airelles is second to none. Our butler Pauline was there for everything we needed – from getting us blankets for the golf buggies as it was cold out, to changing our departure time twice so we could have longer in the hotel, to insisting we have a photo in front of the tree, to meticulous service at breakfast and dinner, we really did feel like we had the royal treatment.

My Granny would have loved this experience, and Mum and I toasted to her while we had our dinner. It was such a special thing to do with my Mum and I am so grateful to Airelles for having us. I hope you enjoyed the post – stay safe and happy travelling!

Qatar Airways business class product is called the Q suite, and a suite it is, with a closing door, high walls and loads of space. It is the best business class product I’ve ever experienced and I’m going to review it today based on return flights between London Heathrow and Phuket Thailand.

Contents

1. Contents
2. At the Airport
3. Cabin & Seat
4. Food & Drink
5. Service
6. Price

At the Airport

Flying from London, Qatar Airways has a brilliant lounge at Terminal 4, the use of which is included as part of the business class ticket. The lounge is spotless, offers a wide selection of drinks and the most delicious buffet food. Before my flight I had stuffed my face on totally delicious curry, rice, roti, daal, salads, cakes, biscuits….yum. Also included in London is priority check in and fast track via a private security line not accessible to other airlines/non business class passengers.

All Qatar Airways flights in to Asia transit via Doha (a 7hr flight from London). Doha offers one of the most amazing airports in the world, and gorgeous lounges for business class passengers whichever terminal you fly in to. The lounges have lovely showers, multiple restaurant options, huge areas to relax in and free WIFI. Again the food was amazing and included in the price of the business class ticket. We now have a go to ‘spot’ in the lounge that we love, freshen up with a shower, eat some food, and get ready to board for the next half of the journey.

Returning home from other Asian countries back through to Doha and onwards to London, there are partner lounges all over the continent. In Phuket we had access to a lounge which, whilst not on the scale of London or Doha’s, offered a decent food selection, comfy chairs and nice toilets. You’ll be directed to the correct partner lounge at the business class check-in.

Airport Score: 9/10

Cabin & Seat

This is where Qatar stands apart from the likes of British Airways. The business class Q Suite Cabin is truly outstanding.

Entering the seat, there is a sliding door. Inside the cabin you have a large seat which extends to a 6ft2 bed, a large touch screen TV, a side seat which opens up as storage for shoes and belongings, a table, and loads of space to move around.

If you’re in a window seat you are in a singular suite, and if you’re in a middle seat you can either be in a singular seat, or move the barrier between you and the person next to you to convert to a double suite with a double bed in the middle (with 2 separate TV screens so you can still be together but separate).

My husband and I don’t actually like doing this as we like our own plane time and tend to just annoy each other as inevitably one wants the light on to read whilst the other sleeps etc, so we tend to book separate seats!!

Toiletries are also provided, including compression socks, eye mask, lip balm, moisturisers etc. Toothbrush and toothpaste sets are provided in the much larger than normal plane bathrooms.

Cabin Score: 9/10

Food & Drink

Delicious. And I don’t like airplane food. Qatar Airways serves a three course meal, depending on time of day, on each flight. As an example, on the way our I had a Middle Eastern mezze with hot roti and hummus, followed by a chicken Biryani and fresh fruit for a dessert. It was sooo tasty!

The food on the other flights was just as incredible – in fact so good I ate it before I thought to take any photos which is the best review it could get really.

An in flight wine menu is also offered, including everything from champagne to reds, as well as an extensive cocktail menu. I had a Cuba Libre and some bubbly rose and both were great quality. There are also lots of soft drinks on offer too, as well as snacks such as popcorn, biscuits and even an afternoon tea with scones.

Food & Drink Score: 8/10

Service

Flight attendants are lovely on Qatar Airways. Firstly, they always refer to me as ‘Miss Hannah’ which I quite like, and they are always there but never pushy. The lovely Maggie on board the Doha to London route even went so far as to tuck me in and leave me some water and a cold flannel for when I woke up, as I’d fallen asleep with my blanket off. I initially thought it must have been my husband, but shouldn’t have been so foolish!

Overall I’d describe the service as attentive but respectful of space which is exactly how I like it. You also have a service button in your control panel of the suite so you can just ring a bell whenever you need anything.

Service Score: 8/10

Price

Qatar Airways isn’t the cheapest business class option. That said, it’s part of the One World Alliance with British Airways meaning I use my Avios points to fly with them. I collect Avios during the year- via spend on Amex credit cards, on short haul BA flights, the weekly shop and as much other shopping as possible via the BA shopping portal, all hotel bookings via Booking.com, plus my husband’s work travel adds a chunk. Every year we earn an average of 400,000 Avios from the above.

For the London Heathrow return to Phuket business class flights, I paid £480 plus 192,500 Avios per person. Cash equivalent would have been £4,330 per person.

This is much more expensive in points and cash value than booking using Avios on British Airways flights (E.g. I flew return to Costa Rica from London for £300 and 75,000 Avios per person). In my opinion though, if you have the points (or the cash!), Qatar is a truly brilliant airline well worth the additional cost.

Price score: 6/10

What do you think? Would you like to fly Qatar Airways Business Class? If you’re interested, you can also compare it to my review of British Airways Business Class Review. Stay safe and happy travelling!

In my opinion the old product is one of the worst products in the market, and the new product is one of the best so it’s really pot luck as to what you get. More planes have Club World than the new Club Suites so statistically speaking you’re more likely to get the worse experience.

I’ve reviewed both below so you can see the difference. I have flown multiple routes in BA business class, but this review uses photos from London Heathrow to/from San Jose, Costa Rica and London Heathrow to/from Hong Kong.

Overall Rating

• Club World – 5/10
• Club Suites – 8/10

At the Airport

Whichever option you’ve got, your airport experience will be the same. All BA flights route via London and BA has hubs in both Gatwick and Heathrow airports. I always fly out of Heathrow, and flying business means you get access to the Club World lounge. The lounges are always pretty busy but the food and drink available for free is really great quality. They normally have a choice of hot meals, an extensive salad bar and alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks. They also have biscuit jars so that’s me sorted. Also on offer are showers and toilet facilities which are clean and well appointed.

Returning to London from other airports, BA has lounges in Geneva, Milan Linate, Rome Fiumicino (Europe), Boston, Chicago O’Hare, Newark, New York JFK, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington Dulles (USA), Cape Town, Johannesburg (Africa), Dubai and Singapore (Asia).

BA is also part of the One World Alliance, alongside Alaska Airlines, Fiji Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Royal Jordanian, American Airlines, Finnair, Oman Air, Royal Air Maroc, Iberia, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways and SriLankan. This means if there’s no BA lounge in the country you’re departing from, you will be able to use these lounges instead.

On the way home from Hong Kong for example, I was able to use the Cathay Pacific business class lounge which was very similar with what it offered to the BA lounges.

BA lounge score: 7/10

Cabin & Seat

This is where the two business class options are miles apart. Let’s start with Club World, the older product. There are 7 seats in a row in Club World – set up 2, 3, 2 – with the seats alternating backwards and forwards facing. It’s the weirdest layout ever because if you’re by the window you literally have to climb over the person in the aisle on the row behind you to get out, and if you’re in the aisle you have the other person’s food passed over you all flight. I hate it when that person is asleep and you’re trying to step over them, very awkward.

The Club World seats are also old and worn, they’re quite short. I’m 5’6 and can only just lie fully down so my 6’3 husband has no chance. The TV screens are also poor as they are just pull out ones, not touch screen and quite glitchy. The footrest is also stand alone and you have to pull it down.

The Club Suites on the other hand are wonderful. The layout is much better with only 4 seats in a row, simply 1-2-1, meaning loads more space, privacy and no awkward climbing as all open directly on to an aisle. All suites are forward facing. The suites are also contained with privacy screens (rather than just a plastic roll up screen as per the old product). The TV is built in so is much more seamless, and is all touch screen. There are lots of compartments for storage and the bed is longer. I honestly felt like I was in true luxury.

All products are The White Company. You are provided with a blanket and sheet for the seat, plus a toiletry bag including an eye mask, flannel, toothbrush & toothpaste, moisturiser, hand cream and lip balm.

You can tell what you’re going to get when you pick your seat based on the plane layout – just hope you see that lovely 1-2-1 layout.

Club World Cabin Score: 3/10

Club Suites Cabin Score: 9/10

Food & Drink

I don’t love any airplane food really, but BA’s is decent. On arrival, it’s a drink (orange juice or champagne) and a snack. There’s then a menu offering one or two meals depending on flight time.

Three main course dishes usually include beef, lamb, fish or poultry, and pasta. Dessert features a sweet option or a fine fruit and cheese plate. Classic afternoon tea is available on select long-haul flights, and destination-inspired dishes will reflect the flavours of the regions, such as herb-grilled mahi-mahi fish on Caribbean routes, and noodles on my Hong Kong route.

But what I love about BA business is its Club Kitchen concept which provides sweet and savoury snack options which guests can just go and get themselves. A refrigerator features cans of drink, sandwiches, fresh fruit, and sometimes even ice cream in a separate freezer section that passengers can help themselves to midflight, and those biscuit jars are back – the dream!

Food & Drink Score: 6/10

Service

Flight attendants are formal yet friendly. It is the typical British-reserved service delivery you might find in a hotel or restaurant in England. I definitely noticed flight attendants switching their style depending on who they were talking to. Where a passenger was chatty, they were chatty back, and where they weren’t, they just got on with serving. I prefer not to chat so they didn’t really talk to me which was totally fine.

A new uniform has also been introduced, which I really liked. And a new inflight safety video has also been recorded which I thought was a massive upgrade on the previous version.

Talking of videos, the entertainment selection on flights is amazing. There are new releases of films, loads of TV boxsets and lots of games. I love a good mid air game of Boggle – ha!

Service Score: 7/10

Price

Whichever business class option you get on your flight, prices are the same. Whenever I fly business, I am usually using my Avios points, which I collect during the year. I collect Avios pretty easily – via spend on Amex credit cards, on short haul BA flights, the weekly shop and as much other shopping as possible via the BA shopping portal, all hotel bookings via Booking.com, plus my husband’s work travel adds a chunk. Every year we earn an average of 400,000 Avios from the above.

Here are the points cost vs outright £ value of the two BA business class flights I’ve flown in the last 12 months and reviewed above.

• London Heathrow return to Costa Rica – I got an amazing deal here and paid £300 plus 75,000 Avios per person. Cash price would have been £3,700 per person. I’ve never seen such a good deal before or since this.
• London Heathrow return to Hong Kong – I paid £450 plus 140,000 Avios for myself. Cash price would have been £3,300.

It’s worth noting you can also book partner airline flights using Avios, my favourite of which is Qatar Airways. This is more expensive and always needs a change in Doha. I’ll be reviewing QA soon.

• London Heathrow to Male, Maldives – I paid £650 plus 212,000 Avios per person back in 2019. Cash equivalent would have been £6,800 per person.
• London Heathrow return to Phuket (upcoming this year) – I paid £500 plus 192,500 Avios per person. Cash equivalent is currently £4,330 per person.

As you can see BA is a cheaper business class option, both in cash value and points. I’ve seen other people talk about crazy Avios deals getting business/first class flights for 25,000 points but I’ve never seen such a deal!

Price score: 8/10

What do you think? Would you like to fly BA Business Class? If you’re interested, you can also compare it to my review of Qatar Airways Business Class Review. Stay safe and happy travelling!

Location

Lausanne is one of the most picturesque cities in Switzerland, with a gorgeous old town and beautiful waterfront lying right on the shores of Lake Geneva. The Royal Savoy is close to the water’s edge, a short 5 minute walk down to the front.

To get to the main part of town is a quick 10 minute metro ride, and there’s a stop right by the hotel (which you will be able to use for free as they give you a travel card).

You can also walk to the train station in about 20 minutes for easy access everywhere in Switzerland, or again take the metro a short 5 minute journey.

Accommodation

We had a lovely room, the only one of the whole holiday with a bath – and it was a huge one at that – the dream! The bed was super comfy, there was a desk to sit at, and a nice sofa area to chill out in. There was daily cleaning and nightly turn down (I always love the little slippers ready for me to cosy down in the evening).

The best feature of the room though was the balcony, overlooking Ouchy park and perfect to relax and read in the sunshine on our visit as it was 26 degrees and beautifully sunny!

Food & Drink

The food and drink was delicious. We had breakfast in the hotel each day, either in the restaurant or on the terrace and there’s a great selection from the buffet or off the menu at no extra cost. I tried the poached eggs, Shakshuka, pancakes and crepes off the main menu, and ate my way round most of the buffet. The fresh fruit was really good quality, and the croissants served warm – delicious!

The hotel also has a rooftop bar, called the Sky Lounge, which serves evening meals. It’s not open every day, but again the food was delicious. We shared fondue and wine as the sunset was setting so that was pretty magical.

Amenities & Experiences

The hotel’s main asset is its spa. We’d planned to have a spa day, but unfortunately our luggage was lost meaning we had no swimwear and neither of us wanted to rock up naked. Instead we settled for relaxing alongside the pool and reading our books, which was really lovely regardless and a good recharge for the mid-section of our holiday.

The hotel also has beautiful gardens to enjoy with lots of nice little corners of tables surrounded by trees for privacy – we sat in the garden with cocktails one evening which was fun.

There is also a lounge bar, cigar bar and of course the rooftop bar I mentioned previously. In addition to that is a 24hr concierge who is able to help organise boat trips, recommend restaurants and help however you need.

So that’s it for The Royal Savoy. We loved our stay here, and whilst not on the level of an elite 5* hotel, it really was beautiful. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in the middle of our 10 day trip around Switzerland, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a little piece of luxury in Lausanne. What did you think? Stay safe and happy travelling everyone!

Location

The hotel is one of the most beautifully situated I’ve ever stayed in. Nestled right on the shores of Lake Bled, it’s the perfect point from which to access the lake. There aren’t many hotels right on the shore, so it’s a real treat to be this close to such a beautiful place.

From the hotel you can easily access the route to walk around the lake, which is 6km long. It’s also a 2 minute walk to the nearest boat station which you can use to get to the central island or around the various points on the lake.

It’s also only a 15 minute walk to the centre of Bled, which is home to a number of restaurants and bars as well as a Casino and about 30 minutes walk to Bled Castle, one of the most interesting sites to see in the area.

For more to do in Lake Bled, please see my detailed post HERE.

Accommodation

We stayed in a suite which offered two bathrooms, a large living area and a cosy little bedroom which had one of the comfiest beds I’ve ever slept in.

The room was spotlessly clean and beautifully appointed, with tea, coffee, chocolates and water provided daily. Rooms are made up once per day and there was a smart TV in the room, enabling you to cast from your devices, watch Netflix etc.

The defining feature of the room was it’s views out across Lake Bled. From the living room we could see Bled church on the island in the lake, and from the bedroom we could see Bled castle way up on the hill. It was absolutely stunning to wake up to that view!

Food & Drink

This is probably the area where the hotel is the weakest, especially if you’re visiting in off season like we were. There is one small restaurant which serves breakfast every morning between 8-10am, and can do lunch and dinner on request but isn’t always open. That said, the breakfast we had was absolutely delicious and the food really good quality.

There is a small bar downstairs as well, but it wasn’t open when we stayed. I suspect in the summer it’s open all the time, but during our visit we had to rely on food and drink from nearby restaurants in Bled town. There is also no room service offered in the hotel.

Amenities & Experiences

Aside from the restaurant, Adora’s main amenity is its beautiful garden which is perfect to sit in and look out across the lake. We spent an evening sitting in the sunshine with a bottle of wine playing games and it was truly beautiful.

The hotel also offers in room massages with 24hrs notice, and I thoroughly recommend them as they were incredibly relaxing. It can also help organise other activities (none of which we did), including horse drawn carriage rides around the lake, taxis and boat hire.

What do you think of Adora? For me, it was all about the room and the location – our room was pristine, and the location second to none. I liked that the hotel is only small, but that does mean a compromise on services available such as the restaurant; but it’s a small price to pay to be this close to one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.

Absolutely no-one who reads this blog will be surprised to hear I’d checked in to a nice hotel. Brenners Park greeted me like a plush stately home. I love hotels like this, where they are beautiful of course, but the service is personal and the atmosphere cosy and warm rather than clinical. I spent my entire long weekend feeling that cosy warm feeling, relaxing and de-stressing for my birthday. Brenners Park is a truly wonderful hotel, and I left feeling a sense I’ve only ever had with one other hotel before (Nimb, Copenhagen) – that I’d come back, just for the hotel.

Location

Situated in the heart of Baden Baden, the hotel is ideally located for exploring the town. You can read my post on things to do HERE, but highlights not to be missed include strolling Lichtentaler Allee, the Old Town, Stiftskirche and the town’s many baths and spas.

Accommodation

Heaven. We stayed in a beautiful suite with a balcony overlooking the park, with a glorious soaking tub and spotless room which was attentively tended to every day. As always with hotels like this, it’s the small details that matter – on my birthday (which I hadn’t mentioned) they bought me flowers, a bottle of champagne, a photo frame (to capture a beautiful memory of the day), a card, some chocolates and a cake! I’ve never known a hotel go to such effort before.

Every day the room was made up perfectly- noticing I’d been using the bubble bath they left me an entire bottle instead of one of the small bottles. Noticing my husband had drunk every bottle of water available they left 3 each night instead of 1. We didn’t touch the nuts so they left fruit. It was just really attentive service which I can’t fault.

Food & Drink

There are a number of eating options in the hotel. Breakfast is served daily in the Fritz and Felix restaurant, and is an amazing array of buffet and hot plates. Fritz and Felix also serves dinner, where we had incredible steaks one evening.

There is also a formal Winter Garden restaurant serving multi course taster menus. We didn’t actually eat in it as it was crazy expensive, but I’m sure the food would have been lovely. Instead we chose to sit in the more relaxed bar area, full of huge comfy sofas with a lit fire. We sat drinking my birthday champagne and playing a board game, alongside a tasty bar meal instead!

Finally, there are multiple other areas in the hotel to have a drink – there are side bars everywhere, including snugs and lounges, a cigar room and even a billiards room. Take your pick!

Amenities & Experiences

The hotel is so well equipped that you don’t really need to leave it if you do visit. In addition to the beautiful bedrooms and bars/snug corners all over the place, there’s an incredible swimming pool with views out over the park. We had it to ourselves on a couple of days and sat on the loungers reading and swimming.

There is also a world class spa, offering a huge treatment menu. We chose to do a couples massage and spa bath, which was completely heavenly.

The hotel also offers medical care, with packages for holistic medicine, aesthetic dentistry and cosmetic procedures! You really can come here and get everything fixed – I can’t vouch for whether it’s good or bad though because I didn’t have anything done.

Other things offered by the hotel include a Paris themed afternoon tea, Deluxe Picnic in the Black Forest or horse drawn carriage rides through the town. Unfortunately as we were visiting in winter, the picnic and horse rides weren’t available, but the afternoon tea was delicious.

What do you think of Brenners Park? I found it to be a complete and utter slice of luxury and loved every minute of being pampered here for my birthday. Thanks so much for reading, stay safe and happy travelling!

Anyone who follows this blog knows I’m quite partial to a nice hotel. The Grand Hotel Kempinski in Vilnius was no exception – in fact it was one of the highlights of my Baltic road trip. It was the perfect base from which to explore, and I’d absolutely recommend it to anyone visiting the city.

Location

Oh Kempinski, how perfect you are. Situated in central Vilnius, right on the main square, it couldn’t be more ideally located.

You can walk to all the attractions, including the Old Town, Gediminas Hill and Cathedral without so much as breaking a sweat. Wonderful.

Accommodation

We opted to stay in a suite and wow was it beautiful. There was a large living area, topped up with fresh fruit every day and cakes on arrival. There were two bathrooms – one with a large shower in it, and the other with a glorious soaking tub. There was also a huge bed which was the most comfy I’ve ever had in a hotel, and it was finished off with post card perfect views from the room out across the square. 5 nights went by far too quickly.

Food & Drink

This is where the hotel starts to set itself apart. Firstly, breakfast was delicious and served in a big, airy and light room overlooking the square. I really loved the daily ‘breakfast shot’, like carrot and ginger or another healthy little start to the day. The food was super tasty, and I really enjoyed the Crepes Suzette which were delicious.

Now to the super special part. The hotel has its own wine bar, Atelier, where even if you’re not staying you could visit for wine tastings. They can tailor the tastings for everyone individually but it’s a great opportunity to sample wine from all across the world – local and far afield. The sommelier, Martynas, was AMAZING and so knowledgeable. We had the absolute BEST time tasting the Explorer’s Menu. Martynas was so committed to his work, and it was clear that being a sommelier was way more than a job to him, it was a part of him. He’s travelled the world learning and despite being a master sommelier who could work anywhere, he’s chosen to bring that knowledge back to his home country which I really admired.

What I also really liked is that there was a cocktail to start – and the hotel encourage the junior members of staff to try new ideas and combinations for this part of the menu. A very nervous young man came to present his cocktail to us and it was DELICIOUS. I love that the hotel encouraged him to try because the end result was tasty for us and probably confidence building for him. I liked that.

Finally, we also had a tasting menu in the restaurant Telegrafas, which again was just a bit mind bogglingly good. Everything from the beef to the fish was cooked perfectly, and we couldn’t have asked for more.

Amenities & Experiences

Aside from the wine tasting and tasting menus, the hotel also offers a number of other amenities. It has a Gastrobar for laid back dining, a summer terrace for cocktails with an Old Town view, and a coffee station in reception – so there is plenty of choice.

There is also a wonderful spa, which we chose to use one evening for a swim and then some traditional massages. They really don’t muck about with massages in Eastern Europe, I could barely feel my muscles (in a good way) by the end!

The hotel also offers a private car, which was perfect for our airport arrival in the middle of the night, and has a good concierge service which provides maps, recommendations and can make bookings for guests.

I know sometimes people wonder if you ever get an authentic travel experience staying in luxury hotels. Of course I think that depends on your definition of authentic – but would a Holiday Inn equivalent have made my experience more authentic? No, of course not. But I do think you can easily fail to connect with people or a place if you hole up in a nice hotel.

That’s why I loved this one so much – to see Martynas’ talent and the investment in people being made by the team was just amazing. We loved talking to the people that worked there and hearing their stories, views of the Ukraine war and about their families. Of course, the hotel was amazing, but its people were what set it apart.

What do you think of the Grand Kempinski? Would you like to stay? Thanks so much for reading – stay safe and happy travelling as always!