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Home / luxury hotel

Hotel review: Amari Watergate, Bangkok, Thailand

September 8, 2018 by Gretta Schifano 6 Comments

Swimming pool, Amari Watergate Bangkok. Copyright Gretta Schifano

We were hosted at the Amari Watergate for two nights.* We start our summer family trip to Thailand with two nights in Bangkok. We fly there from London overnight, and take a taxi from the airport to our hotel, the five-star Amari Watergate. It’s 30 degrees and I’m feeling somewhat jaded from the 12-hour flight […]

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Categories: City, Room reports, Thailand
Tags: luxury hotel, luxury travel

Vidamar Resort Hotel review

April 11, 2018 by Gretta Schifano Leave a Comment

Main outdoor pool, Vidamar Resort Hotel, Algarve, Portugal. Copyright Gretta Schifano

So, two very unexpected and exciting things happened in March. First, my husband discovered that he had a few days of holiday to use up before the end of the month. Then our 19 year-old kindly volunteered to look after her brother and our dog so that my husband and I could go on a […]

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Categories: Coast, Luxury, Portugal, Room reports, Trips without kids
Tags: Algarve, luxury hotel

Luxury at the Culloden, Belfast

July 22, 2016 by Gretta Schifano 4 Comments

Steps, Culloden Estate & Spa, Northern Ireland. Copyright Gretta Schifano

We begin our first ever trip to Northern Ireland in style, with a night at the luxurious Culloden Estate and Spa, a five-star hotel near Belfast. My seventeen year old daughter and I are spending a few days away while my son is on school summer camp. I’m feeling pretty stressed before we leave home, and am delighted to accept […]

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Categories: City, Luxury, Northern Ireland, Room reports
Tags: Belfast, five star hotel, luxury hotel

Star Castle Hotel, Isles of Scilly

June 6, 2016 by Gretta Schifano 14 Comments

Watching the sunset from Star Castle Hotel, Isles of Scilly. Copyright Gretta Schifano

The Star Castle Hotel must be in one of the most captivating locations in the Isles of Scilly. The hotel is in a star-shaped former fortress, the centre of a garrison which was built on a hill above Hugh Town on the island of St. Mary’s in 1593. The site must have been chosen for […]

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Categories: Coast, Elsewhere, Luxury, Room reports
Tags: Isles of Scilly, luxury hotel

Cardiff Marriott hotel review

April 12, 2016 by Gretta Schifano 4 Comments

Breakfast, Cardiff Marriott Executive Lounge. Copyright Gretta Schifano

I turned in to the car park of the Marriott hotel feeling tired, confused and a little stressed. I was late. My journey from Surrey to central Cardiff had taken much longer than I’d expected (Severn Bridge – can I introduce you to Dartford Crossing, a river crossing which doesn’t make cars queue for flipping […]

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Categories: City, Room reports, Wales
Tags: Cardiff, family-friendly hotel, luxury hotel

Park Hotel San Jorge, Platja D’Aro

December 11, 2015 by Gretta Schifano 4 Comments

Beach at Hotel Silken Park San Jorge. Copyright Gretta Schifano

I spent a few days on the Costa Brava in Spain in October with my husband and kids (17 and 12 years old at the time). I’ve already written about our zip wire adventure, the cooking workshop, and the astonishing human towers which we saw in Girona. This post is about the hotel which we […]

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Categories: Luxury, Room reports, Spain
Tags: costa brava, luxury hotel

Four Seasons Canary Wharf review

November 11, 2015 by Gretta Schifano 22 Comments

Breakfast buffet, Four Seasons Canary Wharf. Copyright Gretta Schifano

2018 update: This hotel is now the Canary Riverside Plaza, and I haven’t stayed there since this change. When you’re staying at a hotel do you like the staff to be friendly and chatty or do you prefer them to be more reserved? I much prefer the former because, to me, it feels welcoming. Four […]

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Categories: City, London, Luxury, Room reports
Tags: Canary Wharf, family-friendly hotel, luxury hotel

Xandari Resort and Spa, Costa Rica

November 9, 2015 by Lorenza Bacino 1 Comment

Lorenza at Xandari Resort. Copyright Max Bacino

This is a guest post by Anglo-Italian journalist Lorenza Bacino. In August Lorenza, her husband and their two children travelled around Costa Rica in Central America with Hands Up Holidays. This is the last in a series of articles which Lorenza has written for Mums do travel about their experiences there. This post covers the final part of their trip. Xandari Resort ‘Xandari Resort […]

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Categories: Costa Rica, Luxury, Room reports
Tags: luxury hotel, luxury resort

Croatia: James Villas luxury apartment

April 18, 2015 by Gretta Schifano 19 Comments

Twin room at Dubrovnik Sun Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano

It’s 6.30am. Even on holiday my body clock seems to think that we need to get up for school. The rest of my family is still asleep in bed. I’m sitting at a glass-topped table in my pyjamas, my daughter’s favourite scarf around my shoulders. In front of me is a large window through which I […]

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Categories: Coast, Croatia, Luxury, Room reports
Tags: Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik Sun Gardens, luxury hotel, luxury resort

Room Report: Great John Street Hotel

February 27, 2015 by Gretta Schifano 26 Comments

Great John Street Hotel 'Playground'. Copyright Gretta Schifano

I stayed at the luxurious Great John Street Hotel in Manchester for one night last week. The hotel is part of the Eclectic Hotels group which has two other hotels in the area. I was with my sixteen year-old daughter and nephew and we were reviewing the hotel while on a tour of some of […]

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Categories: Elsewhere, Luxury, Room reports
Tags: Coronation Street, Great John Street Hotel, Lancashire, luxury hotel, Manchester

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Disclosure

This is a personal blog written and edited by me, Gretta Schifano. Sometimes I’m given products or sent on trips to review, but I always make this clear and give my honest opinion. See my About page for full details.

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