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
This week, we’re lusting after all things green, fresh and springy. We want to eat butter-dipped asparagus, plump peas, tender lamb and citrus puddings. We also want the sun to shine. Though today’s hotel of the week can’t guarantee the latter, it can provide all of the former, thanks to its tempting new spring menu. [...]
Looking for relaxation, refined dining and perhaps even some springtime sunshine? Escape to L’Andana Hotel in Tuscany, where the spa staff stand ready to soothe and the menu’s overseen by world-renowned chef Alain Ducasse (we can’t guarantee endless days of Tuscan sun, but we’re pretty sure it’ll be warmer than rainy old England). Style Tuscan [...]
At twice Michelin-starred Ria restaurant at the Waldorf Astoria Chicago, chef Danny Grant serves elegant French fare, presenting a symphony of flavour and texture from only a few carefully chosen ingredients. We’re not the only ones in Grant’s fan club: the chef has just been named one of Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs. [...]
We’re stretched out on a sunlounger, soaking up some rays. We’ve got ice-cold cocktails to our right and the whispering sea to our left. We’re happy, we’re relaxed, we’re dreaming about Cypriot feasts and big round beds, and we wake up… in Smith HQ, at our computers. Never mind eh? Our hotel of the week, [...]
There’s nothing cookie-cutter about travel in Australia, with city breaks, coastal escapes and outback adventures all jostling for a place on your holiday itinerary. To help separate the wheat from the chaff, the Gourmet Traveller Awards seeks out and celebrates the best hotels and destinations down under, from soothing spa retreats to life-changing Outback adventures – such as [...]
Spring’s a superb time to head for the hills. The changeable British weather won’t be a problem at Cowley Manor hotel in the Cotswolds: if the sun shines, there are acres of undulating English countryside in which to frolic… and if it rains, this boutique bolthole’s billiard room is the perfect place to hide out. [...]
How far are you willing to travel for a good feed? The Smith team has planned holidays to Shanghai in search of xiao long bao soup dumplings and lost countless hours in Ho Chi Minh alleyways hunting bánh xèo pancakes. We also think nothing of making a six-hour round-trip for dinner, recently setting out for [...]
We’ve sprung into action this spring, with a host of April additions to our handpicked hotel collection. First, we enjoyed the Andaman Sea views from the glamorous Paresa Hotel in Phuket, whose name means ‘heaven of the heavens’ in Sanskrit. Then we admired the modern design at the sleekly stylish Chedi Chiang Mai, dressed up to [...]
Less hotel of the week, more ‘Bush & Breakfast’ of the week – if struggling with a tent holds no appeal but you still fancy the idea of communing with nature, pitch up at Luxury Swag Camp, an open-air boutique hotel in the Blue Mountains, just two hours’ drive west of Sydney. Style Intimate upscale bush [...]
Provide us with a pub and a pint and we’re happy. Add to the mix bedrooms with sleigh beds and freestanding roll-top bath tubs and we’re delighted. With that in mind, here’s our hotel of the week: The Kings Arms in Bath. Style Hospitable historic hideaway Setting Stony hillside hamlet Our favourite bits A stone-walled wisteria-clad country [...]
