Category: Hotels

1. The Mysterious Affair at Harrogate - Agatha Christie's Disappearance

   Posted on 11:00am Sunday 22nd Mar 2015

   Old Swan Hotel - Harrogate

   Earlier this month I fulfilled my long standing wish to stay at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate which has  connections with the  mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime.

   On the evening of 3^rd December 1926 Agatha left her home in Sunningdale and her 4 seater Morris Cowley car was later found abandoned at Newlands Corner in Surrey. By this time Agatha was aged 36 years old and was already a successful crime writer and her 6th novel, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd had just been published. Her sudden disappearance attracted both national and worldwide interest. The search for Agatha was the largest manhunt of the time, involving over 1,000 police officers and civilians, and reputedly the first search in England to use airplanes. Arthur Conan Doyle (author of Sherlock Holmes) gave a medium one of her gloves in the hope of locating her, however Agatha's whereabouts remained a mystery for several days. 

2. How cool is this bespoke ice cream sundaes at The Colony served with art deco glamour?

   Posted on 12:00pm Tuesday 24th Feb 2015

   When I heard that The Colony Grill Room at The Beaumont was serving bespoke ice cream sundaes we just had to investigate. So on Sunday (very appropriately) Davide and I went along to sample its delights.

3. Scones of the Month - January 2015 - Part II Scones on the Town

   Posted on 2:00pm Tuesday 3rd Feb 2015

    Ampersand Hotel

   Welcome to Scones on the Town, the second instalment of Scones of the Month for January (title courtesy of friend and artist Lozzy Bones). This section covers eating out with three afternoon teas and a cream tea. Part I Scones at Home reviews some delicious mail order/ take away scone options. This month I had the pleasure of introducing Dr Immy Smith to the Ampersand Hotel, which is a favourite of mine.

4. King Cross - Its Transformation from Just a Railway Station to a Must See Destination

   Posted on 9:30am Tuesday 27th Jan 2015

    

   The transformation of King’s Cross is well underway and there’s a lot to discover. So whether you are looking for somewhere nice to eat in a fascinating heritage building or wanting to enjoy a family day out, King’s Cross is well worth checking out. Last week I was delighted to be taken on a private tour of the area and hear more about some of the projects which are opening soon

5. Scones of the Year 2014

   Posted on 10:00am Thursday 1st Jan 2015

   Cocomaya

   Happy New Year everyone and welcome to Scones of the Year. It's now 12 months since I started Scones of the Month and today I'm announcing my top 10 favourite places to have scones in London in 2014. It's been a difficult dilemma as there are really so many wonderful places to chose from however these are some of my personal favourites, in no particular order, although I have saved my overall favourite to the last. Enjoy...

6. Scones of the Month - December 2014

   Posted on 11:00am Monday 29th Dec 2014

    

   Bond and Brook

   In this final edition of Scones of the Month for 2014 I have included four reviews, including one I enjoyed on a day trip to Cambridge. I was lucky that December started with two consecutive days of afternoon tea #bliss. The first one was a visit to Bond and Brook, the second floor restaurant in Fenwick, the department store on New Bond Street.

7. Guesting on Randomly London's website with Q&A in the Marylebone Hotel & Local Area Guide

   Posted on 9:30pm Wednesday 10th Dec 2014

   Great honour to be featured in Randomly London's Marylebone Hotel and Local Area Guide in their Q&A section, to see my suggestions for must see sights, secret places, restaurants, pubs and cafes click here.

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8. Scones of the Month - October 2014

   Posted on 4:30pm Wednesday 29th Oct 2014

    Ham Yard Hotel

   One of the pleasures of writing this blog, apart from eating the scones of course, is discovering new, quirky places, so Yannick and I decided to visit Ham Yard Hotel in Soho, which only opened a couple of months ago. Despite being a Westminster Guide, I have to say to my shame, even I had a bit of difficulty finding it as it's tucked away behind Piccadilly Circus but for me that just added to it's charm. I ordered the scones which arrived warm and beautifully presented wrapped in a napkin in a wire basket.  They were accompanied with a generous portion of clotted cream and two bowls of jam, one strawberry and the other cherry.

9. Crime and Cream Teas at the Agatha Christie Festival Part 2

   Posted on 8:00am Tuesday 14th Oct 2014

    

   Agatha Christie Mile Plaque - Torquay

   Crime and Cream Teas Part II features more about my recent trip to the Agatha Christie Festival in her home town of Torquay. In Part I I wrote about my visit to Greenway, Agatha's holiday home but in this blog I am focusing on some of the other things I did.

10. Archibald Leach aka Cary Grant Comes Home

    Posted on 8:45am Sunday 12th Oct 2014

     

    This weekend Archibald Leach aka Cary Grant Comes Home to his home town of Bristol (11 – 12 October 2014) where there lots of fab and fun events taking place. Yesterday I enjoyed afternoon tea at Avon Gorge Hotel and attended fascinating talks at the Watershed which gave great insight into his personal life and acting career.