Anassa, Cyprus
April 2016
No discussion about really great family hotels in Europe is concluded without a mention of Anassa. The five-hour flight may push tolerance levels of parents with really small children to their limit, but it’s significantly less painful than a long-haul search for sun in the shoulder seasons. Cyprus’s balmy climes and warm waters are especially rewarding when leaving a blustery [...]

Anassa Spa, Cyprus
October 2015
The spa here is HUGE, with all the trimmings (like a jet pool with saltwater pumped up from Med), plus spoiling Ila treatments using natural oils from local flora: thyme, olive, orange blossom - even wild-rose stem cells in a signature facial. And the grub? It's much the same, with ingredients plucked from the gardens: fruit compotes, lavender-infused honey [...]

Anassa, Neo Chorio, Cyprus
October 2015
Cyprus has Europe’s longest summer. We’ll just let that sink in for a second. EUROPE’S LONGEST SUMMERS. Which means no sand-gritty sandwiches, no windbreakers, no jumpers on the beach. It means no long0haul schlep for a blast of late-season or early-spring sun. It means the balmy benefits of a Mediterranean high season, but with none of the madness. [...]

The smartest time to visit Europe’s hotspots? The off-season
Winter 2014
Europe’s busiest tourist destinations? We prefer the off-season.
January: Venice. Before Carnevale, Italy’s waterside city has fewer crowds jostling on its streets and bridges. It also has a melancholy beauty in this misty month and, on January 5, hosts hosts the traditional Regata delle Befane, a boat race for over-fifties [...]