Tell us about a great early summer trip – you could win a holiday voucher

Posted 2023-03-20 16:55:07 by: bossgate

Share a tip on an excellent place to go in early summer – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakIt’s been a long winter, and if you’re lucky you may be plotting a trip to warmer climes for some early summer sun. Whether you’ve enjoyed a trip to Spanish city before the July heat kicks in, Alpine slopes spangled with wildflowersor the beaches and islands of Greece, we’d like to hear the details. These could include great discoveries you’ve made: a hotel, restaurant or perhaps a walk, train route or a secret beach.If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words that will be judged for the competition. Continue ...

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A local’s guide to Toulouse, France: ‘the sun bounces off the pink brick and everything glows’

Posted 2023-03-20 10:00:06 by: bossgate

Food tour operator Jessica Hammer on where to eat, drink and even where to tango in ‘la Ville Rose’I love taking visitors around all the local producers at the Marché Victor Hugo, where we get to sample a bit of everything, from the cheese, charcuterie and macarons to, of course, the wine. Continue ...

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‘My bank did not stop £6,500 payment to holiday scammers despite my pleas’

Posted 2023-03-20 08:00:04 by: bossgate

A Briton’s nightmare over a Greek villa highlights the dangers of online bookings. We hear her story and look at how to protect yourselfA woman scammed out of £6,500 while trying to book a Greek holiday villa has described begging her bank to halt the money transfer she had made to the fraudsters, only to be told by staff that there was nothing they could do.Londoner Sarah Graham* says that, looking back on it, she cannot believe she fell for a holiday property scam that Guardian Money first highlighted in 2013. She says she feels let down by the holiday accommodation firm Vrbo but even more so by the bank. Continue ...

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An arty weekend in … Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway

Posted 2023-03-20 07:00:03 by: bossgate

A haven for artists since the 19th century, the harbour town of Kirkcudbright offers art walks, trails and a resident RembrandtMake the trip for …This harbour town on the River Dee is known as the artists’ town, thanks to the creative types who lived and worked there from the 1880s – and the artistic community that is still active today. Fiona Lee’s Kirkcudbright Art Tours are a great way to discover the compact town on foot (£12, from April).She takes visitors to Broughton House & Garden, the Edwardian home and studio of the Glasgow Boy EA Hornel; Kirkcudbright Galleries, with work by the Faed family, Charles Oppenheimer and Samuel Peploe; and the Tolbooth Art Centre, which has an exhibition of Jessie M King’s work. Fiona may also introduce them to some of the contemporary artists who have studios and homes in the town, including printmaker Laura Boswell and landscape artist Richard Brinley. Continue ...

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10 of the best hotels in Berlin

Posted 2023-03-19 11:00:38 by: bossgate

A repurposed 19th-century public bathhouse, an old factory housing vintage caravans and a former Stasi spy hub are among the eclectic places to stay in the German capitalSince opening 14 years ago, the Michelberger has built a community of both locals and tourists who flock to this historic factory turned modern boutique hotel. Nestled between Berlin’s most lively districts of Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, its 140 rooms, aimed at catering for all budgets, attract an eclectic, artistic clientele. Transport links can take you across town 24/7, not that you’ll be travelling far. In-house courtyard concerts, yoga classes, ice baths and saunas are on offer; there are plenty of bars and restaurants in every direction, while Berghain – the city’s most famous nightclub – is only a short stroll away, if you fancy your luck getting in.Rooms from £79, michelbergerhotel.com Continue ...

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An arty weekend in … Petworth, West Sussex

Posted 2023-03-19 07:00:33 by: bossgate

Lee Miller, Frank Auerbach and Picasso have all starred recently at this pretty market town’s eyecatching new galleryMake the trip for …This pretty market town is known for its antique shops, but now also has an agenda-setting new art gallery. Newlands House Gallery, which opened in 2020 in a converted Georgian townhouse, focuses on “the great artists of the 20th century”. It has had a run of stellar exhibitions so far, including Lee Miller, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró.Last summer’s Frank Auerbach: Unseen was a superb collection of paintings, etchings and drawings by one of Britain’s greatest living artists. The current exhibition is Two Worlds Entwined: Annie Morris and Idris Khan, showing the artist couple’s work side by side for the first time in the UK (adult £14.50, child £7.25, until 7 May). Continue ...

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Holidaymakers face big rise in car hire costs abroad this summer

Posted 2023-03-18 10:00:07 by: bossgate

Prices for popular destinations could be up almost 60% on 2022, analysis carried out for the Guardian showsPeople planning to hire a car abroad this summer face having to pay almost 60% more than they did before the coronavirus pandemic.New figures for six popular destinations show average car rental prices are continuing to rise, with the average cost coming in at about £565 for a week’s hire. Continue ...

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An arty weekend in … St Davids, Pembrokeshire

Posted 2023-03-18 07:00:06 by: bossgate

In the first of a new series of art-inspired field trips, we explore the tiny city that is home to Wales’s first contemporary art hotel, Graham Sutherland exhibitions, and an epic coastline to sketchMake the trip for …Britain’s smallest city (population 1,350) has history and heritage in spades, and is close to the beaches of the Pembrokeshire Coast national park. It is also home to the country’s first contemporary art hotel. Twr y Felin, a windmill built in 1806, is now a hotel/gallery. The owner commissioned more than 100 artworks representing Pembrokeshire and St Davids when the hotel opened in 2015, and a further 70 for an extension in 2021.Sinister portraits of Welsh stars such as Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey by street artist Pure Evil eyeball diners in the restaurant; spray-painted landscapes by Mr Jago enliven the gallery-like lounge; and depictions of drunken antics, inspired by Dylan Thomas and painted by Cherry Pickles, spur on drinkers in the bar.Now what?Oriel Y Parc, St Davids’ eco-friendly gallery and visitor centre, is a stone’s throw from the hotel and has exhibits about local nature, geology and archaeology. The gallery often shows works by Graham Sutherland, who was inspired by the Pembrokeshire landscape, and holds temporary exhibitions by visiting artists in its tower. The Riverside cultural centre in Haverfordwest, 16 miles from St Davids, also displays works by Sutherland, plus other Welsh artists including Gwen and Augustus John. Continue ...

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‘Like nothing else I’ve found’: readers’ favourite small galleries in the UK

Posted 2023-03-17 11:00:40 by: bossgate

Painting or sculpture, photography or crafts … our tipsters recommend lesser-known galleries and art spaces across the countryThe Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre, actually a gallery, is a wonderful stroll through beautiful madness. Just minutes from Buchanan Street in Glasgow, this storyland is filled with mechanical figures made from wood and metal and all sorts of scrap, arranged in two different “performances” of scenarios and stories. The place is peaceful and frenetic, and like nothing else I’ve found anywhere in the world. You’ll marvel at the skill behind the creations and come out with a big daft grin on your face. Anna Continue ...

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Visitors to the UK’s leading attractions down 25% on pre-Covid numbers

Posted 2023-03-17 00:01:27 by: bossgate

Perfect storm of Covid, Brexit, energy prices and cost of living crisis blamed for disappointing figuresVisitor numbers at the UK’s leading attractions are still almost a quarter lower than before the pandemic, thanks to a perfect storm of Covid, Brexit, energy prices and the wider financial crisis, according to the sector’s trade body.Figures published on Friday by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions show that while the number of visits to its sites rose by 69% in 2022 compared with the year before, this was still 23% lower than in 2019. Continue ...

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