San Francisco's Latino Mission District has been described as being 'Brooklyn on steroids' with its bustling hipster scene. On a brief stop in the Golden City recently I was steered towards the hip neighbourhood to delve into its restaurant and bar scene. It was a Tuesday night and I walked from San Francisco's more manicured city centre with its high rises and sharp looking store fronts to the ramshackle warmth of the Mission District. Think electric shops, twinkling lights and a motley bunch of characters from all walks of life. LASZLO Reaching 2526 Mission St I came across Laszlo, a ...
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A flight layover is never fun but I always try to make the most of it. And if you're looking to make the most of it during a brief stopover in San Francisco, then I present YOTEL as a top option. I had just over 24 hours to burn in the Golden City on the way back to Europe from Fiji and I was recommended the hotel for its central location. On landing into San Francisco I found the BART train, which is an affordable and quick way of getting into the city straight from the terminal. It was just $10 for a ride to the Civic Centre BART stop, which is where the YOTEL San Francisco is located....
Read more →Head to Oslo, Norway for the perfect balance of the two! I’ve been going to Norway for years now and not once did I ever consider it a viable skiing option. That was until a Norwegian friend mentioned it over the festive period on her visit to London. I had casually mentioned I might struggle to get a trip in this year when she dropped the bombshell ‘why don’t you come to Norway for it?’, my response ‘You can ski in Norway?’.
Read more →On walking into the Philippe Starck-designed Faena hotel in Buenos Aires you’re immediately transported into another world. Thick Alice and Wonderland meets a sexy dragon’s lair and you’ve got it in one. Triple-height ceilings give way to dramatic draped curtains and the place is dripping in blood-red swathes of fabric, from the carpet to the scatter cushions. Outdoors, the rouge theme continues and there is even an over-sized gold crown erected defiantly at one end of the swimming pool. I taxied over to the 105-room Faena hotel on a Friday night, to catch on of the best tango shows in the A...
Read more →I found two return tickets to Bordeaux with Ryanair for £40 and that was that. On a Wednesday, after a 1 hour 40 minute flight, I'd landed in the French capital of wine. My travel buddy had found a beautiful Airbnb in the heart of the city. So after taking a fairly swift and cheap bus ride into the centre from the airport, we went to check into our homestay. A friendly local lady met us and showed us around the apartment, which oozed of old-school opulence with high ceilings, polished wooden floors and elegant fittings. With not much time to spare, we had a quick freshen up and bounced ou...
Read more →Recently we found ourselves in the bustling Burmese city of Yangon, which is home to more than 7 million people. With 48 hours to spare, here's a lowdown of some of the things we got up to: ROOM WITH A VIEW We checked into enormous Sule Shangri-La, which is one of the oldest hotels in Yangon. Located in the centre of the bustling metropolis, it is a stone's throw from the gleaming Sule Pagoda and the colourful Bogyoke Aung San market. We found ourselves on the 21st floor in a spacious room with views over the jam-packed city. A tip is to get a room at the Sule Shangri-La above ...
Read more →I felt pretty rock 'n roll carrying Cava up to my room at the Sir Adam hotel in Amsterdam. It had just hit midday, I'd checked in and found a bottle of bubbly at reception, so I poured myself a glass of vino and headed off to explore. My headed started to spin a little as I got in the lift to my room on the 4th floor. There was a giant disco ball and the floor was flashing in different colours. Some funky music was playing too. The doors opened and it was very dark. I felt like I'd entered a secret bunker as I tried to crack the code for the key card-activated door with my Cava wobbling aw...
Read more →'Not Times Square!' Was the first thing that all my friends said when I told them I'd checked into a hotel in the heart of Manhattan, where it never gets dark due to the neon glow and the streets are interspersed with men dressed in Muppets costumes - not to mention a Naked Cowboy strumming his guitar. However, The Time Hotel in New York isn't your average Times Square tourist / business haunt, with hard beds and greying carpet tiles. I was suprised to find this place is refreshingly hip, with a sense of character that's playfully slick. After battling my way past Muppets - unfortunately no...
Read more →Seville is a city of lavish and grandeur. On almost every street and corner you’ll find awe-inspiring buildings, which leave you gazing sky-wards, jaw wide-open in wonder at how man managed to construct so many beacons of glory in one city.
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