Tag: 4****
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Bar 44: A Reminder That Dinner Isn’t Just Dinner
The thing we often forget, and I’m as guilty of this as anyone, is that going out for food isn’t about ‘the food.’ I mean, we all need to eat, but we can do that anywhere. The real joy lies in the ‘going out.’ It’s the atmosphere, the ambiance, the sense of occasion, and—yes—the service.…
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Pintxo, Bath – A Tapas Bar Doing What Tapas Bars Should
I don’t like restaurants where you can’t book. I also don’t like restaurants where you can’t get a booking. If I had to choose, I’d go with the former—provided there’s a nice bar where you can wait, a team who haven’t forgotten about you, and no passive-aggressive clipboard wielder telling you they “might be able…
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Apex Hotel, Bath – A Decent Stay, If the Price is Right
I’ve never got on with local councils. I know they’re strapped for cash, but they seem to exist solely to make parking more expensive and planning applications impossible. And nowhere is this more evident than in Bath, a city of breathtaking Georgian beauty marred by the occasional concrete monstrosity that some council planning department inexplicably…
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From Downton to Downtown: The Andaz Experience
When you’re nipping into London for a quick overnighter, location is everything. Schlepping across the capital like some 18th-century explorer, map in hand, is a waste of valuable time you could be spending doing literally anything else. So, you want a hotel near a major tube station—a station that’s basically a public transport Swiss Army…
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One Aldwych: Quietly Exceptional in the Heart of London
Here’s the hard thing about being a luxury hotel in London: standing out. Honestly, who isn’t spoilt for choice? You’ve got the big-name establishments with their red-carpet entrances, top-hatted doormen, and an air of aristocratic pomp, servicing those who like their luxury served with a side of flash. Then there are the multi-national chains—slick, polished,…
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The Breakfast Club: A Review by Someone Who Knows How to Plan Ahead
Gen Z’s are famous for their desire for instant gratification—except, it seems, when it comes to queuing outside the latest Instagram restaurant. Unlike most of them, I can make a plan and stick to it. So, instead of standing in the rain with the hopeful hordes, I booked a table. Yes, it’s called being an…
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Goram & Vincent: Where the View Outshines the Kitchen
There’s one place everyone brings friends or family who are seeing Bristol for the first time: to marvel at the Clifton Suspension Bridge. It’s an obligatory pilgrimage for visitors, even if the iconic view has been marred by scaffolding for two years now. Most people head to The White Lion, the pub next door at…
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Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi: A Beloved Retreat with Room to Revive
It’s a bit like popping on “The Godfather” for the tenth time—still brilliant, still a masterpiece—but suddenly, you catch sight of the wobbling sets, the lines that don’t quite land, the ageing veneer. That’s how it felt returning to The Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi this time. My wife and I have spent more nights here…
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Paradise Interrupted: When Luxury Falls Short in Bali
Equilibria Hotel in Seminyak, Bali—a name that conjures images of serene luxury and modern indulgence. And indeed, on the face of it, this villa-centric hotel seems to tick all the right boxes. Nestled in a prime location for those who crave the vibrant nightlife of Seminyak, it offers a spa, a main pool, and a…
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