Get the low-down from the original style-seekers' latest good-time hunting expeditions, find destination inspiration and insider tips from around the world. Welcome to the official Smith blog: we hope you enjoy your stay
Bloggers are a curious species – especially the ones with culinary concerns. Their relationship with food seems to be as follows: kidnap a stranger’s plate, take their food hostage, then photograph it. I was given ample opportunity to observe their eccentricities recently, when I attended a glitzy dinner party held in honour of all things [...]
LEEDS CASTLE FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR
When? 6–7 November
Where? Maidstone, Kent (Not Leeds. Obviously.)
What? Fireworks light up the sky (and reflect beautifully in the lake) on this proper olde English night (and day) out, amid the mediaeval splendour of Leeds Castle and its grounds – all to the strains of famous film scores. There isn’t another bonfire night [...]
Luxury Travel Bible’s formidable founder and Editor in Chief Hilary Doling is a woman after our own hearts. Well-travelled, well-read and well-versed in the high-threadcount trappings of luxury travel, she kindly pressed pause on her champagne-tasting, helicopter-flying, wildlife-spotting, Charleston-soundtracked life (sheesh, somebody get me her job!) to give Mr & Mrs Smith a whirlwind tour [...]
Despite being about as green-fingered as a camel, I managed to wangle a ticket to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London last Thursday. Along with rainbow-coloured buds and blossoms, wacky water features and gorgeous garden paraphernalia, there was plenty to please the horticulturally challenged. Personal highlights included clotted-cream-slathered scones, sherbet-y Pimm’s and Michael Michaud’s [...]
Who’s says you need to be Immodesty Blaize or Dita von Teese to have a go at burlesque? Head to Gers Saturday 26 June and party like it’s 1949 with a couple hundred French and English hedonists at super-sexy stay, Château de Lartigolle.
The fun at this Smith & Friends property in South of France actually [...]
Election fever is gripping the capital. Well, by ‘election fever’ we mean ‘a faint awareness of political events’, and by ‘gripping’, we mean ‘inspiring at least two special hotel events in’. Anyway, we’re excited.
First up, the historic, Olga Polizzi-styled Brown’s Hotel in London’s Mayfair is giving us all an alternative to sitting at home shouting [...]
How to make the perfect martini? Book yourself a martini-making masterclass. Shimpulsh, as the famously compared meerkat would say (or Mr Smith, after a few extra dry martinis). Since we at Smith pride ourselves on being tastemakers, able to spot the best cocktails in London at 100 paces, we thought a refresher course was in [...]
The 2010 La Dolce Vita show is set to honour all things Italian this week. We’ll be there of course – look out for our Graham and Green-styled stall, G1. In greedy anticipation, we’re playing foodie Top Trumps with six of Italy’s regions, highlighting their signature plate-toppers and suggesting where to sleep off the calories…
UMBRIA
Countryside [...]
To the untrained eye, truffles may resemble nothing so closely as potatoes and lumps of volcanic rock. But this doesn’t deter some of the world’s most refined palates from shaving them into risottos and whipping them up with scrambled eggs. The white Piedmont truffle, with its mild, earthy flavour and wonderful aroma, is the pinnacle [...]
So, you think you’ve conquered the Italian capital? Been there, done that, slew the lion, end of. Rome – like Paris or London – can bring out the blasé in seasoned long-weekenders. So here are five ways to freshen things up…
Go underground
See the layers of history stripped bare at San Clemente basilica. If you tire [...]
