July 18th, 2008
Now for those of us who like a little light nightclub action on our holidays, maybe some designer shopping, take in a show, dinner at Cipriani and hang the expense, the idea of a trip on a boat might be number seven, make it number eight, on the list of what we fancy vacation-wise.
We thought we were those people. Until about half an hour into our maiden Tussock cruise around the rugged shoreline of Turkey (you can do Greece) when we’re sitting round a table, the night breeze coming off the sea flickering the candles, champagne flowing (right down our throats) and nine perfect strangers giggling and (in some cases) semi-fancying each other while the captain made sure no glasses ever went below half-way empty… Continues…
June 25th, 2008
Let’s look at the clues (said in a Lloyd Grossman Through the Keyhole accent).
- It’s called Costa D’Este, which is almost Spanish (that would be Costa de Este, ’cause they don’t do the apostrophe thing).
- It’s not exactly in Miami but it’s just up the coast, before you get to Orlando. In Florida.
- It’s the second hotel from this Latina lovely, who already has one in Miami and speaks Spanish.
Did you get it? Yes, it’s… Continues…
June 17th, 2008
Vegas. Funny old town. You’d think it would be the gayest place on Santa’s green earth what with the sparkles and the showgirls and boys dancing around in tight-fitting costumes and Seigfried and Roy. But nup. Strangely straight with the shonkiest gay scene this side of Doncaster (prove us wrong, Vegas!)
But at least one casino/hotel (same difference in Vegas) has noticed that the pink pound and dollars out there could very easily be exchanged for chips of varying colours. Paris (the one with the ‘Eiffel Tower’) has decided that in the face of Caesar’s Palace putting on a long line of gay icons - Celine, Elton, Bette, Cher, Tina T - it will put out an ad with two jacks fondling each other.
Pack those bags, Leonard, we’re off!
April 9th, 2008
OK, so Rome may be The Eternal City etc blah, but you don’t necessarily need that reflected in your living quarters.
In fact, Rome can be so zzzzzzzzzzz-inducingly antique, you do actually need something contemporary to rest your eyes on every once in a while. And now - hooray! - the brand new Pulitzer Roma (we’re big fans of their Barcelona outlet) gives us said respite and allows us to be the fabulous jet setters we really truly are.
See the inside over the jump… Continues…
February 28th, 2008
If you have a cool £200,000 to spend on your hols, you can join the likes of Princess Beatrice at zero gravity, travelling at speeds of Mach 3 (and you thought it was a razor) into the fringes of space on a Virgin Gallactic flight (if you can hold off a bit, it gets cheaper).
You have to go on a training course-type thing in the desert and go through medical checks before they’ll let you anywhere near that spacecraft, but once you’re on you get dragged up there at ridiculous speed and then get to gaze back the 65 miles to planet earth through the special observation windows.
Or you could always go back to that nice hotel in Corfu.
February 13th, 2008
Welcome to Schipol Amsterdam airport. Very beautifully designed anyway - those mini tiles! those curved corners! - it just got a major upgrade in the VIP department with a lounge fit for - and in parts, reserved for - royalty (well, it was opened by Queen Beatrix herself, so she’s going to get first bags, isn’t she?)
Designed to cater to the needs of Ministers, very important business-type people and them royals, this is probably about as close as you are going to get to the Concrete-designed loveliness of it all.
Oh, look, some more pictures… Continues…
February 12th, 2008
Side-by-side classic roll-top baths on their own mezzanine might pique your interest, while the idea of 10-foot windows, crystal chandeliers and a snooky breakfast nook will all make you sit up and take notice.
But just wait till we tell you that from certain rooms in Manchester’s Great John Street Hotel you can actually see the houses in Coronation Street… Continues…
February 6th, 2008
Having got rid of Concorde (OK, it was noisy and smelly but so is Lulu and no one’s getting rid of her!), very clever people in overalls have come up with this futuristic old thing.
It’s called the A2 (yes, like a very large piece of paper), is part of a project called Lapcat (Long-Term Advanced Propulsion Concepts and Technologies) and it can go at five times the speed of sound - or Mach 5, if that doesn’t make you think of a razor blade. And that’s twice as fast as your average Concorde.
Other things you may be interested to learn about this amazing bit of techno wizardry are… Continues…
January 11th, 2008
Look at these two gays going on their holidays in matching Hawaiian shirts! And while there are families on board and everything!
It’s part of American Airlines’ very laudable campaign to break it to the world that gays actually fly on planes too. Sometimes together. In pairs! Though not necessarily in such dolly blouses.
We applaud them and their flawless record on equality (they have the top score of 100 on the Human Rights Corporate Equality Index) and for putting out such cute adverts. Keep your eyes peeled for the lady version, due out soon.
November 7th, 2007
You’ve done Barcelona to death. And Madrid. And Spain in general. But you still love that Iberian, you know, thing.
Try Portugal. Poor country’s having its worst ever year PR-wise what with Maddie and those people who drowned saving their children so it could do with some cash dollars. And they’re going about getting them in all the right ways with this brand new, not-quite-open-yet hotel in Lisbon.
It’s called the Fontana Park Hotel and it’s an early 20th century building totally gutted and refitted. Located in full-on downtown Lisbon - a truly fun place to go out of an evening, by the way, and with some totally not-bad beaches - it opens on 1st December and is offering a big old 10% discount to get the ball rolling.
See more pictures and find out about that deal after the jump… Continues…
October 30th, 2007
If you’re heading to the capital of hallowe’en - New York City! - this week, you may very well be looking for something chic - naturally! - but with a bit of a dark twist. Welcome to Night, a new concept in chic with a bit of a dark twist.
Perched right by Times Square - 45th between 6th and 7th Avenues, to be precise - it’s a black-on-black (with a splash of white hither and yon) fantasy that somehow throws together stark, erm, darks with a surprising level of sheer comfort.
Splash out on the penthouse with its own roof terrace, or take one of just 70-odd rooms (none of that mega-hotel scrum for the lift here) and be sure to make use of the restaurant, called Nightlife, where you’ll find an already famous Kobe beef hot dog (what that? you ask. Don’t know, we reply).
It’s a dark dark thing and no less lovely for that. See some more pictures after the jump… Continues…
October 19th, 2007
When it comes to swishy-as-flip hotels with all the right contemporary twists, the Hospes group has pretty much got Spain sewn up. Valencia, Granada, Seville, you name it.
Well, now they’ve taken on the capital with this jewelbox of a joint on the fringes of the famous Retiro Park overlooking the Alcala Gate (that’ll mean something if you know Madrid, not if not).
With full drama from the lobby, up the stairs, into your room, or into the restaurant or out onto the covered terrace, we’re looking at white-on-white with some nice 70s browns, rococco wiggles on otherwise modern suites and just general loveliness right at the centre of one of Europe’s (the world’s!) hot homo hangouts. If you can stay up till 6 in the morning that is.
Have a look at some more lovely, erm, pictures… Continues…
August 14th, 2007
Air travel withinside the Americas (North) has never been the nicest of things - unless you like dirty old trouts serving luke-warm beverages with a scowl and the faint whiff of urine-soaked loft insulation during your eight-hour coast-to-coaster (who shouted American Airlines at the back?). But now all that has changed, thanks to our most j’adored purveyors of air travel, Virgin.
Virgin America is the just-launched America-only outpost of, well Virgin, offering non-stop flights between San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas on the west coast and New York and Washington DC on t’other side.
Onboard is a revolution in domestic US air travel - in that it’s actually nice. Beyond nice. In that it’s wet-wee makingly lovely. Continues…
August 7th, 2007
All the best bits of Amsterdam’s hotter sister in one handy-size guidery.
Where is it? What is it? Why is it?
It had the bollocks bombed out of it during the war, which is bad for anyone who lived there then, but at least it leaves a nice blank canvas for crazy modern architects to get all creative over. Not pretty like Amsterdam but smack-in-the-mouth audacious when it comes to putting up a big building - maybe in blue! - with a big bit overhanging at the top so it looks like it’s going to fall over. And then let’s allow people to abseil down it. Yep, it’s an out-there kind of place, architecturally at least. Continues…
August 6th, 2007
One of the best bits of England’s green and pleasant land - the Cotswolds - just got a 21st century makeover.
You see this room with its funny Leigh Bowery wallpaper and space age headboard, where do you suppose it is? Berlin maybe? London perchance? Maybe New York when it was still fun? Nup, nup and nup. It’s in the most English bit of all of England. Namely the Cotswolds. Continues…
