Advice

Vail is much livelier for après ski and nightlife than most US resorts. It has a good variety of places to go that are usually packed when the lifts close, and a few late-night clubs.  What’s more, it also offers great family entertainment at Adventure Ridge at the top of the Eagle Bahn gondola from

Vail is a cosmopolitan, upmarket place and its range of restaurants reflects this. Pretty much every type of cuisine is available and the standards are high, but most places are pricey, especially by UK standards. Each of the base areas has its fair share of good places to eat and drink.  The mountain restaurants are

Vail is unashamedly upmarket and expensive with a huge number of luxury hotels and a vast array of restaurants serving virtually every type of cuisine. So be aware, prices for lift passes, equipment rental and lessons are all sky high. Lift passes cost substantially less than the in-resort price if bought in advance online or

Madonna di Campiglio is one of Italy’s most fashionable ski resorts, with Italian style noticeable on both the pistes and the streets. Quintessentially Italian and vibrantly attractive, it is second only to the craggy charisma of Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites.  The core of the ski area is four small linked sectors around the villages, and intermediates

Thanks to the relatively recent construction of a tunnel bypass, Madonna di Campiglio’s village is virtually car‑free and has considerable traditional charm, with elegant buildings dating back to the 19th century.  There are none of the hyper-chalets that draw wealthy visitors to the likes of Val d’Isère and Courchevel in France; instead there is a

There’s a reason why Alexander McCall Smith novels set in Edinburgh feature characters losing their cars. Finding parking can be fraught for residents, never mind visitors, which is why you’ll be advised to either leave your car at home or use one of the long-stay park and ride facilities on the city outskirts. But for

Why not let someone else take the strain this year and enjoy turkey and all the trimmings in the comfort of a spoiling hotel? Christmas in London is a magical affair, with uplifting carol singing in its beautiful cathedrals and churches, streets decorated with Christmas trees and fairy lights and shop windows full of goodies,

Winnie the Pooh once said, “You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.” With this in mind, we’ve rounded up some of the best hotels with woodland walks so you can explore windswept woods and enchanting ancient forests, including the

Oxford Street – two words that bring instant joy or instant dismay depending, most likely, on your tolerance levels for shopping. However, this Mecca to retail that takes you from Marble Arch (and with it access to Hyde Park) right down to Tottenham Court Road (via Bond Street and Oxford Circus), is like a central vein

There are plenty of lively and good-value bars at and around the bottom of Passo Tonale’s slopes. But don’t expect anything too sophisticated or indeed as wild as in some other resorts. For further Passo Tonale inspiration, see our guides to the resort’s best accommodation and restaurants. La Baracca At the foot of the Vittoria chairlift,

There aren’t many mountain restaurants on the slopes of Passo Tonale and its linked resort of Ponte di Legno. This means people who spend most of their time on the local Passo Tonale slopes in particular go back to the village for lunch, where there are plenty of bars that serve food and a few

For decades Ischgl has been the premier Austrian destination for German visitors, but in recent years it has also acquired a strong following among Britons. This has largely come about not just because of the quality of its pistes, but also because of the music. Ischgl’s famous start- and end-of-season Top of the Mountain concerts have attracted

Green space is a precious commodity on the London housing market and the same is true in hotel land. So, if you can find somewhere to stay that also has a garden then prepare to feel very smug indeed. What could be more civilised than sitting with a G&T in your own little urban oasis

Wengen is a charming village set on a shelf overlooking the Lauterbrunnen valley. For a resort that is so famous for the annual Lauberhorn World Cup downhill race, which takes place every January, it is remarkably small. The focus is a short main street lined by shops and several large Victorian-style hotels.  There are surprisingly

Who’d have thought that Essex would have so many desirable foodie hotspots that also serve up great accommodation? In fact, the county has been something of a pioneer in this respect – home to everything from a couple of trail-blazing gastropubs to a terrific local hotel group whose food offering is as classy as its

A visit to London with the kids can be an exhausting affair but get the hotel right for quality downtime between sightseeing and you’re winning. First up, think where you plan to visit and try to choose a child-friendly hotel in the vicinity – your feet will thank you for it. Other essentials to consider include

The area of Euston is most well known for the mainline rail station (it first opened in 1837 and now connects the capital to other major UK cities including Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen) and its associated mad dashes to catch a train at the end of a well-lived trip to the capital

What could be better than a room with a river view? The River Thames is one of the most famous rivers in the world and still very much the life-blood of the city. It winds through London, providing the backdrop for iconic landmarks like The London Eye, Big Ben and Tower Bridge. Meanwhile The South

Although some claim that seats over the wing of an aircraft are best (because the plane is “strongest” there), popular opinion has it that, in the event of a plane crash, the rear of an aircraft is the safest place to be. This theory is supported by several studies, including those looking at the data

As the world capital of winter glitz, St Moritz has a vibrant restaurant scene, and the annual gourmet festival taking place every January is one indication of how seriously St Moritz takes its culinary reputation.  Grand hotel restaurants rub shoulders with contemporary lounges and traditional taverns in the different village sectors of Dorf, Bad and