3 Islands to Consider for Luxury Travel

The best way to relax and have fun is to take a luxury vacation to one of the Bahamas Islands or Bora Bora or one of the Greek Islands, especially if you are in a romantic mood and want to spend some quality time with your significant other. These exciting islands are veritable paradises for those who love all types of water sports, marine life and nature.

The Bahamas - The Bahamas are a collection of 700 exotic islands with beaches of pure white sand and you will find the locals to be just as welcoming as the warm turquoise waters of the seas. When you want a break from swimming and diving, you can head over to the straw markets of the Bahamas to purchase beautiful works of local art, ceramics and handicrafts. The Bahamas are a great vacation destination if you love snorkelling, sailing, swimming, golfing, outdoor activities, nightlife and shopping.

Bora Bora - The tropic island of Bora Bora lies in the Pacific Ocean and located at a distance of 2,600 miles from Hawaii, it forms part of the French Polynesia. Featuring dazzling blue water and a couple of towering peaks of black rock, Bora Bora is the most popular island in the world. The fact that the island is associated with mystery, romance and legend adds to its charm. You can windsurf, scuba dive, jet ski, laze on the sands, swim and shop in Bora Bora.

Santorini - If you are dreaming of lazing on warm sun-kissed sands, you should consider a visit to one of the Greek Islands, such as the Island of Santorini, which features warm turquoise waters. This romantic place features unique landscapes, colourful scenery and interesting architecture and offers a rich nightlife and plenty of shopping centres. The Island of Santorini is a great place to get married in or to have your honeymoon.

5 Best places to go for a Yoga Holiday

If you are looking to go on a healing holiday where you can practice yoga while enjoying the beauty of nature, there are many places that you can visit. Here is guide to five of the best places for a relaxing Yoga holiday.

1. The French Alps - The French Alps are home to some of the best eco-lodges in Europe. Most of these lodges offer 7-day holiday packages which include healthy meals, Yoga instructors, and hot baths. This destination has the added advantages of being located in one of the most scenic regions of France.

2. Le Marche, Italy - There are a number of excellent holistic centres located in Le Marche, Italy. These centres offer healthy meals, eco-friendly accommodations, and Yoga classes supervised by some of the best Tai Chi and Yoga masters in the world. They also offer salt water pools built within Le Marche’s relaxing woodlands.

3. Essauire, Morocco - Located in the heart of Bearbear, Morocco, is one of the best Yoga destinations in North Africa. There are a number of establishments that offer Yoga workshops that deal with a wide variety of meditative practices.

4. Malta - The Mediterranean Island of Malta is home to a renowned underground Yoga studio. The underground Yoga studio allows Yoga practitioners a unique escape from stress.

5. Alicante, Spain - The Mountains in Alicante boast some of the best views in Spain and a good number of hotels located in the protected national park offer Yoga sessions to weary guests.

Read more best Yoga Holidays ideas

Favourite Restaurants – Emyr Thomas, Bon Vivant

St Bart’s is well known in the US as a chic holiday destination, but it doesn’t have the same reputation in the UK, with Brits favouring larger islands such as Barbados. St Bart’s is my favourite place in the Caribbean as it’s just idyllic – the turquoise sea, the white sand and the glorious weather. The island is so intimate and it’s the perfect blend of barefoot luxury with a splash of glamour! My favourite restaurant is On The Rocks at the Eden Rock hotel, which offers French cuisine with a Caribbean twist in the most romantic and serene setting with panoramic sea views and crashing waves all around you. There is also the more casual Sand Bar, which is an ideal setting for a long lunch on the beach, inches from the sea.

One of my most memorable dining experiences was in The White Caves restaurant at the Kirini hotel in Santorini. The restaurant is built into the caves with gorgeous views of the caldera, which is truly spectacular, offering refined Greek food using produce from Santorini. Dinner can be paired with a selection of Santorini wines, which makes the experience even more memorable.

Despite its location on the Moyenne Corniche between Monte Carlo and Nice, the quaint, medieval village of Eze, perched on a narrow rocky peak with sublime views of the Mediterranean Sea, feels so far removed from the buzz of the rest of the Cote d’Azur. There are two great restaurants in Eze, both of which are contained in luxurious hotels, including the highly acclaimed Chateau de la Chevre d’Or. However, for me, its unassuming neighbour, Chateau Eza, is the true gem, with its cavernous feel, its traditional French haute cuisine with contemporary influences and its perfectly positioned terrace for watching the sun set with a cocktail before dinner.

Just outside Berlin, the Vivaldi restaurant offers refined dining in the palatial and glamorous setting of the Schlosshotel, which is surrounded by small lakes and wooded trails, which all adds to the enchanting atmosphere. The restaurant focuses on using locally sourced ingredients to showcase its modern European menu with Mediterranean influences. It’s a 30-minute trip from central Berlin, but it is worth the effort.

Bon Vivant - Bon Vivant is the bespoke, highly personalised concierge service that advises on and arranges every travel, lifestyle and leisure need. Members have access to exclusive treatment, complimentary benefits and discounts at top hotels, restaurants, members’ clubs, exclusive nightclubs and a range of lifestyle services as well as access to VIP and sold out events.
For affordable luxury with the personal touch for £100 per month, visit their website at http://www.bonvivant.co.uk/ or their blog at http://bonvivantliving.wordpress.com/.

Best new luxury travel items

Those of you, who love travelling but still miss the comforts of home (such as closets), may find it difficult to club the two and enjoy the comforts of home in an exotic place such as Rome or Paris. However, smart travellers can create a home-like atmosphere even in their hotel rooms or rental apartments by simply carrying a wise choice of luxury travel items. Expensive though they are, these luxury travel items are definitely worth it.

No woman can survive without her make up and jewellery far away from home, which is why a Louis Vuitton case with mirror is an essential luxury item for women travellers. This charming item has an S-lock with a key ensuring the safety of your jewels and ample space for 14 bottles. If you are a man, who wants to bring a smile on the face of your woman just before whisking her off to Barcelona or Rome, get her a Zazendi’s luxury jewellery roll, which is a zippered travel bag in which she can carry all her jewels and accessories in real style.

It is no fun to waste precious time hunting for a shoe polisher when you would rather view the Eiffel Tower when in Paris. Montlanc has launched an amazing Travel Shoe Polish Kit containing neutral and black shoe polish, a polish cloth, a brush and a shoehorn. If you want your man to look well-groomed on the move, get him Charles Tyrwhitt’s Grooming Gift Set containing shaving cream, shaving brush and razor and an after-shave balm. More luxury travel ideas.

Cancelled flights and the Luxury travel Dilemna

Even with luxury travel, cancelled flights mean that no matter how much we have paid for our flight, even if we have paid for 1st class tickets, we still do not get to fly. With British Airways strikes and volcanic ash, it has been harder for us all and the problems have been regardless of the class of service paid for. It does help I have to admit though to have the 1st class lounge and also the ability to access the Internet in the lounge for booking an alternative flight - hence even in times of delayed and cancelled flights, 1st class travel can mean one is still better off.

The dilemma in many ways comes in whether or not to keep faith with an airline such as British Airways. I love their 1st Class service when travelling long distances. I love the food and the overall experience. But with the prospect of continued strikes it is a danger to put too much faith and money into booking British Airways flights. So do I keep faith in BA or change to another airline? I am still deciding.

Luxury Shopping in London

If you are spending some time in London and looking for places to do some luxury shopping, there are many great options. Some options:

Knightsbridge - The area as a whole has some classy stores and boutiques and as one of the most expensive areas of London, this is reflected in the large number of boutique style shops.

Harrods - One of the most exclusive stores in the world and sat between 87 - 135 Brompton Road in Knightbridge, Harrods has the very best in luxury products. This is without question one of the most exclusive stores in the world and there is no limit to how much you can spend and what you can buy in Harrods.

Savile Row - Famous worldwide as a place for being able to buy some of the quality custom made suits in the world, this is situated in the exclusive Mayfair area - another very expensive and classy area in London. If you have the money and need a suit then Savile Row is the place to head to.

Family accommodation in Berlin

One of the questions I get asked often is about where to stay in Berlin, Germany on holiday or vacation if you are travelling with children. There is always the choice between hotel, B&B, camping or vacation rentals.

It is of course up to you to make the final decision but my thoughts and preference whilst the kids are still young is to go for a vacation rental (holiday apartment).
This is a fast increasing popular form of holiday accommodation and there are many benefits and it is easy to see why this holiday accommodation type has gained such popularity in recent years. Benefits from my experience are:

• Increased space (very handy with young kids)


• Reduced costs (when you work out the overall rates especially if you are 4 or more people, this can work out cheaper)
  Self-catering facilities - This has two benefits because you have the easy ability to feed the kids what they actually want to eat and also it means big cost savings. If you eat a big breakfast in the apartment, to keep you and the family going until late afternoon, you will save a whole lot of money.

There are some excellent companies who deal with Berlin independent apartments. Holiday-Velvet.com are who I usually stay with and I know them to be a genuine and good company, having also used them for Barcelona, Rome and Phuket. There are some other companies also which are also good. More also about Berlin accommodation online via Berlin Culture.