I first met Azin Valy, the entreprenurial designer behind Cityzen by Azin, in New York several years ago and the passion for what she does instantly shone through. As a keen traveller I also fell in love with her designs, which showcase city maps in a glamorous way. From scarves to dresses, Azin - who also runs an architecture business (I don't think she ever sleeps!) - crafts aerial shots of cities from around the world into beautiful objects. I've worn several of her pieces, including the Tehran dress and Los Angeles gown, and each time I've felt a million dollars in the colourful silk cr...
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Meat-lovers rejoice, as an exclusive previously members only steak restaurant is set to open its doors to the public this December (the 9th to be exact!). We nipped down to Lutyens Grill inside The Ned on a Thursday evening and got lost in the meaty glamour of it all. The restaurant is discreetly tucked away behind a wall of wood and mirror from the bustling lobby outside. Inside you are transported to a world of old-school lushness, with warm lighting, Persian rugs and tasselled lamps hanging overhead. Lutyens Grill was previously the bank manager's office - The Ned, if you haven't been, ...
Read more →They say sometimes the most obvious things are hard to spot. This is certainly the case with the Royal Lancaster London hotel, which is perched directly above Lancaster Gate tube station. I walked right, then I walked left, before realising the place required just a few paces to get there. I was reassured that this happens a lot and it wasn't just the blonde side of me surfacing. Following an £80 million facelift this 411-room, 1960s haunt - which even featured in the Italian Job - has been brought up-to-date. Not losing any of its swinging sixties character, the 18-storey tower block has...
Read more →The joy of London being such a rambling beast of a city is that there's always something new to discover, as my latest outing in the Big Smoke proved. On a nippy Sunday afternoon, I checked into The Stafford London, which is tucked away in the heart of Mayfair. In much need of some rest and recuperation, my friend Mary Lou and I decided it was time for a girls' night. After a swift check-in at the dark wood panelled reception we were shown to our room by Ned, who told us the majority of the guests at the hotel tend to hail from America and Europe. In total there are 107 rooms spread across...
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 →If you go down to one corner of Soho square today, you could be in for a sweet surprise. I'd heard about Six Storeys on the grapevine after the towering venue re-opened in January. It used to be the site of a raucous gay club but thanks to a whimsical transformation it is unrecognisable from its former guise. The only hint of its toe-tapping past is the light up disco floor which remains on the top floor. It was a Wednesday night and the ground floor was bustling and a little overwhelming. Thankfully we were led away from the throng upstairs to an empty room known as The Parlour. We were...
Read more →I don't usually start a hotel write-up beginning from the bathroom. But this time around I am, after stepping into the charming world of Hazlitt's in London's Soho. On walking into our room's large and lofty bathroom I was left pretty speechless on casting my eyes on the loo. There, next to the grand free-standing tub and shower unit, was one of the quirkiest hotel toilets I'd seen in a while. A carved dark wood bench-cum-church pew stood waiting to be investigated. I went over and lifted the lid to find a toilet bowl hidden there. It was accompanied by a discreetly-placed flush handle on...
Read more →The Ned is becoming increasingly overrun, no surprise given its slick and sexy guise. It was my second time back to the enormous Bank-based venue and there was a team of bouncers on the door checking people in. Armed with a reservation at Malibu Kitchen for 7:30pm, I passed the test and was let through the shiny dark wooden doors. On stepping into the hotel-cum-members club-cum-food hall, a jazz band was playing and post-work chatter bounced around. I slipped to the right, where I found Malibu Kitchen nestled away from the hubbub. The rectangular eatery has a counter-style seating arrange...
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 ...
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