Writing features, reviews and articles for major publications for 20 years. A travel specialist, she also covers lifestyle, the arts, education and global issues and presents videos and podcasts.
How cycling is a symbol of hope in a country scarred by genocide
In Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills, the bike is empowering all who ride.
In a country where just two in every thousand own a motorised vehicle, the bicycle is a coveted object for the denizens of Rwanda. If people haven’t got enough money to buy one, they’ll pay to take a ride on someone else’s or set about constructing their own out of bits of old wood and found wheels.
Known as the land of a thousand hills, Rwanda isn’t kind to the cyclist. But take a ride across Rwanda’s verdant, fert...
The five best spa hotels in the New Forest
All hotels have been independently reviewed and selected. We will earn a commission if you book via the links below, but this never affects our rating.
Our expert writers are usually hosted on a complimentary basis in order to gain the first-hand experience necessary for their review.
Just two hours from London, on whichever road you approach, the sudden rumble as you cross over a cattle grid announces your arrival in the New Forest: 145 square miles of ancient heath and woodland where ponie...
8 Caribbean destinations where couples can find romance
What couple can resist the Caribbean, with its promise of screensaver-worthy beaches and romantic resorts that go above and beyond to make every holiday feel like a honeymoon?
Whether you want to lounge in a private cabana, swing in a hammock, dine at a moonlit table for two, hike through lush rainforest or snorkel among primary-colored fish, you can do what pleases both of you on any of the islands that make up this coveted destination. All of which makes it even harder to narrow down the be...
7 unmissable beaches across Antigua & Barbuda
The famous boast of the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda is that it has 365 beaches, one for every day of the year.
I have yet to meet a local who can verify this fact because everyone has their own favourites; the beaches they return to time and again at weekends and public holidays, beaches so lovely they have little motivation to seek out another, let alone 364 others.
Antigua* is the largest of...
Out of the world
From space travel to James Bond-inspired trips, demand for one-of-a-kind travel experiences is at an all-time high. Mayfair Times explores the luxury companies curating dream trips
Words: Antonia Windsor
It used to be that an overwater bungalow in the Maldives or a suite in the Seychelles would be enough to satisfy the affluent traveller. But those were the days of fly and flop, when a holiday was just about finding a picture-postcard beach then lying on it for a week. However, these days the...
The 8 best places to visit in the Caribbean
The ultimate tropical getaway, the Caribbean conjures images of palm-fringed beaches, rum-fueled dancing and lush jungle excursions. Pick any of the 700-odd islands that form an arc between Florida and Venezuela and you’ll get all these things and more.
Rich in African culture brought to the region by the trade of enslaved people, the islands are also steeped variously in British, Spanish, French and Dutch heritage, making the Caribbean one of the most culturally diverse places on the planet ...
Mocktails and a swimming pool swordfight: five ways to make your hotel a child’s holiday highlight
When sightseeing plans are ruined by the weather, travel writer Antonia Windsor and her family decide to make the most of what their hotel has to offer instead – and they aren’t disappointed
“Oh look! A crocodile!” my six-year-old daughter Zenya squeals. We’d planned an action-packed itinerary in the Midlands, but spotting safari animals isn’t part of it. She jumps on the bed and puts her arms around it, because this crocodile isn’t deadly – it’s made out of rolled-up towels.
“Come and look a...
‘We need a concerted response to avert catastrophe’: the humanitarian crisis engulfing parts of Africa
The combined effects of drought, flooding, conflict and global unrest have left millions facing starvation in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, with the head of the British Red Cross calling for urgent action
Communities across Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and beyond are facing their worst food crisis in decades, with 146 million people going hungry every single day. Some families are surviving on just one meal a day, and parents are making the difficult decision of whether to feed their...
Best hotels in the New Forest 2022: Where to stay for woodland roaming and rural adventure
Spend a night or two in the New Forest and you’ll begin to get used to waking to the sight of deer grazing outside your window, having to put your foot on the brakes as free-roaming ponies trot carefree across the road and stopping every few minutes while on a walk to take photographs of donkeys grazing under ancient oak trees.
But where are the best places to stay? Whether you’re looking for a boutique room above a pub, a smart townhouse with top-notch food or a grand country pile with roari...
Best hotels in Hampshire 2022: Where to stay for family-friendly trips and city breaks
Hampshire is such a varied county to holiday in. For city breaks you’ve got the ancient capital of Winchester and the lively harbour city of Southampton, among others; for country pursuits you’ve got some of the best fly fishing in the UK on the pure chalk streams of the River Test (the birthplace of modern-day fly fishing) and the South Downs National Park.
If you’re looking for a “beaker full of the warm South”, there are nine vineyards to explore and local gins and beers jostle with the wi...
An adventure-filled (and accessible) family holiday in north Wales
I’ve given my ten-year-old my phone and she’s taking the job of photographing her parents very seriously. She doesn’t often see us standing together — as with many couples our lives tend only to intersect at the kitchen table — and she’s certainly never seen us with such a tremendous backdrop of mountain scenery.
A week ago, had I asked any of my three children — aged 6, 9 and 10 — to suggest the least likely location for a photo of their father, at least two would have said “up a mountain”. ...
Bodrum: the chic Med resort drawing a smart summer crowd
The road to Yalikavak marina is lined with ancient olive and almond trees rising from dusty scrubland. It feels as though you might turn off any minute into a primitive smallholding with a few scraggy goats and free-roaming hens. Instead, you arrive into a different world entirely, a place where gleaming superyachts jostle for space beside a pristine promenade lined with designer shops in which haute couture is “curated” and hung sparsely on rails.
The Bodrum peninsula, a thumb of land that j...
Rosewood Villa Magna, Madrid hotel review
Hotel address: Paseo de la Castellana, 22, 28046 Madrid, Spain
Website: rosewoodhotels.com/villa-magna
Price from: €700
Why book?
To hobnob with well-heeled Madrileños in a residential-style smart hotel in the smartest part of Spain’s capital city.
Set the scene
On a tree-lined boulevard in the ritzy Salamanca district, the dull grey facade of this modernist building has had a makeover by Spanish architect Ramón de Arana. Now, you walk up white stone steps to a building that epitomises mid-ce...
Best budget hotels in Mallorca under £150
Mallorca has a proliferation of budget hotels. Put a search into Expedia or Booking.com for any day of the year and you’ll be met with an overwhelming list of affordable places to stay, from mega coastal resorts with multiple pools and activities, to characterful B&Bs in rural settings. Short of trawling through the reviews of each and every one, it can be difficult to make a decision on which is the best budget place to stay. That’s where we come in. We’ve done the hard work for you and pick...
5 of the very best beaches in St Lucia
Check the latest travel advice and current Covid-19 rules and restrictions by country.
If you're heading to St Lucia and have picked a coastal resort in which to base yourself for a visit to this dreamy eastern Caribbean island, then chances are you'll already have a powder-soft beach to lounge on that will become an instant favourite.
However, the beaches on this island vary considerably from secluded, sheltered bays on the west coast, where the shores are lapped by the warm Caribbean Sea, t...