Critics of the right-wing governor say Ron DeSantis cut more than $32 million in arts and culture funding from Florida’s state budget because of his hatred for a popular fringe festival that he accused of being a “sexual event.” DeSantis’s unprecedented and sweeping veto of grants for nearly 700 groups and organizations follows the allocation… Read More »
Alix Bateman hopes to maintain ties with Porthcawl after selling childhood holiday getaway – Jay Williams One of Alix Bateman’s earliest and most enduring memories was of losing her beloved pink hippo toy on the rocks at Porthcawl. He was probably four years old. He also remembers playing in the sand with his brother, rock… Read More »
When you arrive at Monastero Santa Rosa, a luxury 17th-century monastery-turned-hotel built into the cliffs on one of the most famous stretches of Italy’s famed Amalfi Coast, the staff rings a bell. And that’s one of the loudest moments of your stay at the lavish five-star property; the rest of the time, it’s as if… Read More »
My route is the West Highland Line between Fort William and Glasgow. I live in Fort William and can see the station from home. My normal job would be to take the sleeper from Fort William to Helensburgh [on the north side of the Firth of Clyde] or Helensburgh to Fort William, so I have… Read More »
As the school summer vacation period is rapidly approaching and the long-awaited “annual leave” period is getting closer, the excitement of holidaying on the Greek islands is reaching its peak: the deep blue sea; the whitewashed facades of marina-front buildings that promise ice-cold drinks; Beaches and bays that sound like sirens to all of us… Read More »
Almost 20 years ago, I travelled 5,000 miles to meet my father’s cousin, who had been estranged from our family for 70 years. At the time, Leonora Carrington was welcomed in her adopted country of Mexico, but little known in her native Britain. She was neglected by her country and our family, as well as… Read More »
Sometimes an opera production imprints itself on a work with such sincerity that it becomes a touchstone for a generation of audiences. Jonathan Miller’s 1982 Mafia Rigoletto – New York gangsters and a jukebox-playing duke – wins with creativity and box office success. (Dog-eared or not, he will return to English National Opera in the… Read More »
Nine-course tasting breakfast and Michelin star chefs. Chic low-lit libraries straight out of an interiors catalogue. A guestbook featuring everyone from Walt Disney to Penélope Cruz. These are just some of the highlights of staying at El Fuerte, an iconic 66-year-old beach hotel on Marbella’s waterfront, and the latest in a string of stylish new… Read More »
Mexico City, Latin America’s mega-capital, unsurprisingly offers the full spectrum of hedonistic options come nightfall. A major arts and cultural center, its theaters host world-class opera, ballet, pop and rock, and its club scene ranges from all-night salsa to cutting-edge electronic music often given a Mexican twist by local but well-traveled DJs. Chilangos, as Mexico… Read More »
When I moved to Vienna in my mid-teens, the biggest impression for me was that this was a city for older people. Baroque architecture, reliable and affordable public transport, conservative fashion (with the occasional dirndl), endless classical concerts on offer, plenty of parks – all of this comes together to feel like a slightly optimized,… Read More »