African edge Dakar

Senegal’s lightning-paced capital Dakar perches on the tip of West Africa and thrums to the beat of the sabar drum. It’s a place where no day is complete without fresh seafood and family history is learnt through song. Local specialities are myriad and everyone has their own recipe for thiof, the ‘playboy’ fish. Philip Sweeney meets the people behind the traditions

Palate of the Caribbean British Virgin Islands

The little string of British Virgin Islands have witnessed many waves of invasions, influences and natural disasters, but the territory’s spirit and cuisine remains strong, discovers Clarissa Hyman

Feel the Bern Switzerland

In the de facto Swiss capital, a morning commute could entail a refreshing glide downstream followed by a European breakfast of dreams. Rosemary Barron reports, wedge of Emmental in hand

Thimpu

Framed by the majestic Himalayas and cloaked in myth, Bhutan’s colourful capital is as much a feast for the senses as it is for the stomach, discovers Imogen Lepere

Haifa

The revered holy sites are the foreword to Israel’s third city, backed by an array of beachfront boutiques cafés that rival its better-known destinations, says Harry McKinley

Austin

The capital of the Lone Star State has non-stop music, a vibrant arts scene and more food trucks than a Wild West wagon train. James Williams dons his Stetson

Eat your greens

When it comes to choosing a golf destination, it’s not just about the courses you play, but also the ones you eat. Alex Mead takes to the world’s fairways to seek out the places that can successfully appease both the Ramsay and Rose in all of us

The very hungry cyclist

Get your knees in the breeze with Andrew Eames’s selection of Europe’s best leisurely, luxury cycling itineraries, each one with its own distinctive cuisine and plenty of pit stops en route

Isles of fun

Wave goodbye to the mainland and discover unspoilt treasures, good food and kids’ activities galore on one of these European islands, says Imogen Lepere

Cool cities to visit this winter

Steer clear of trad tourist-packed towns and head to these lesser-known locales for Christmas markets, affordable alpine adventures and festive food. Fleur Rollet-Manus slips on her snow boots

Grand Designs

Modern art in the lobby and a luxury bath robe no longer cut it when it comes to the world of groundbreaking international hotel styling and architecture, as Fleur Rollet-Manus discovers

Harvest Festival

Whether you have a thing for the humble onion or go crazy over roasting chestnuts, now is the time to celebrate the abundance of produce in some of Europe's most beautiful destinations. Andrew Eames shucks, plucks and picks his way around the continent

The Village Pub

Barnsley

The Calcot Collection runs a cool little string of boutique hotels in the Cotswolds, offering innovative, open-necked luxury aimed at recharging urban creatives. Of them, The Village Pub feels like the group’s pied-à-terre: it’s conceptually simple and unfussy, and all the better for it. The six reasonably priced rooms are...read more

Grand Hotel Continental

Siena

Siena’s colourful contrade, or neighbourhoods, still inspire loyalty as deep as when the town’s Palio – the infamous bare-backed horse race – was inaugurated in medieval times. For a slice of Tuscan life, rest your head at Grand Hotel Continental. Originally a Renaissance palazzo, the restored building boasts 51 individually...read more

Stoke Park

Berkshire

When Auric Goldfinger’s Korean manservant Oddjob whipped off a statue’s head with a toss of his steel-rimmed Sandringham hat, Stoke Park became immortalised in movie legend for eternity. Connery’s Bond’s round of golf here is arguably the most famous representation of the sport on the silver screen and it couldn’t...read more

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