Latest news with #Alpine-style
NDTV
23-05-2025
- NDTV
7 Coolest Luxury Destinations To Escape To This Summer 2025
If luxury travel is on your mind, summer 2025 is packed with stylish escapes worth booking now. From designer villas in Puglia to fjord-side fine dining in Norway, the coolest luxury destinations for summer 2025 blend exclusivity, sustainability and serious style. Whether you're after Mediterranean beach clubs with a dress code or peaceful alpine hideaways, these high-end hotspots offer more than just good looks-they're redefining what it means to travel in luxury. Think fewer crowds, more character, and the kind of slow, indulgent stays that actually feel like a holiday. This summer, luxury travel isn't optional — it's built in. Here Are 7 Of The World's Coolest Luxury Destinations For Summer 2025: 1. Italy Italy will never not be a summer hotspot, but for 2025, luxury travellers are heading south to Puglia. With its whitewashed villages, trulli houses and olive groves that stretch forever, Puglia's appeal lies in its understated glamour. Borgo Egnazia (where Justin Timberlake got married, if you needed convincing) continues to lead the pack, with newcomers like Masseria Pistola raising the bar on countryside chic. Skip Capri unless you love crowds — Salento's coastal cliffs and quiet coves offer just as much sparkle with way fewer selfies. 2. Japan Japan is having a luxury moment again — and this time it's less about Tokyo penthouses and more about tranquil ryokans and forested retreats. The Noto Peninsula may still be rebuilding after the January 2024 earthquake, but places like Kyoto and Hakone are thriving. The new Aman Niseko (expected to open late 2024) is set to bring Alpine-style summer escapes to Hokkaido, offering cool weather, fine dining and a very stylish version of solitude. 3. France Sure, Paris is always in style (especially post-Olympics glow-up), but the real French flex this summer? Corsica. It's rugged, romantic and refreshingly crowd-free compared to the Cote d'Azur. Think yachts without the Instagram circus, cliffside villas with infinity pools and impossibly clear water. Bonifacio is the name to know — where old-world charm meets swanky new boutique hotels. Also, with Corsica's commitment to sustainable luxury growing, it's becoming a favourite among eco-conscious travellers with high standards. 4. Greece Mykonos might still have the DJ line-ups, but Milos is where you'll actually want to spend time. Known for its moon-like beaches and slower pace, the island is rapidly becoming a haven for quiet luxury. The new White Pebble Suites are already drawing a stylish crowd, and direct flights from major European cities mean it's finally as easy to reach as it is to fall in love with. Expect boho-chic design, seafood straight off the boat, and beach bars where nobody's filming you for TikTok. 5. Switzerland Photo: Pixabay Swap skis for hiking boots (or don't hike at all — there's plenty of champagne lounging to be done) because Switzerland's alpine towns are booming in summer. St. Moritz is shaking off its winter-only vibe, thanks to luxury lakeside lodges, high-altitude yoga and art fairs drawing an international crowd. With climate change making many summer hotspots unbearably hot, Switzerland's crisp air and cool lakes are becoming more than just a niche retreat — they're a heatwave-proof haven. 6. Portugal Comporta, south of Lisbon, is a sleepy fishing village turned luxury bolthole. But not flashy luxury-Comporta is barefoot elegance at its finest. Celebs like Madonna and Christian Louboutin have homes here, but you'd barely notice. Think thatched-roof villas, private dunes, and dinner parties lit by candlelight, not iPhones. The vibe? If Gwyneth Paltrow designed a beach town, this would be it. Just go soon — it won't stay under the radar much longer. 7. Norway Scandinavia continues its reign among design-obsessed travellers, and Norway is leading the pack. While the fjords are nothing new, the level of luxury now available is. Ships like Havila Voyages offer a slower, greener way to cruise the coast, while land-based options like 29/2 Aurland (a boutique farm-hotel) combine outdoor adventure with Nordic-style indulgence. Add in some of the world's most scenic Michelin-starred restaurants, and you've got one of 2025's most underrated summer escapes.
The Guardian
03-05-2025
- The Guardian
A legendary romantic retreat: explore Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's Osborne
When you're a queen – especially one with many children – finding time for romance is virtually impossible. With this end in mind, Queen Victoria, and her husband Prince Albert, started to build Osborne on the Isle of Wight in 1846, to be, in Victoria's words, a 'place of one's own – quiet and retired'. The house, its gardens and private beach were used by the family to escape, and to celebrate special occasions, particularly the royal couple's summer birthdays. Today, this royal retreat is managed by English Heritage, and it is every bit the romantic escape for thousands of visitors as it was for the queen and her consort. Filled with opulent furnishings and surrounded by splendid gardens – and even a private beach – it's a dreamy summer visit for couples and families alike. And the house's history as a private getaway for the two royals is every bit as charming as the place itself. After falling for the Isle of Wight and its mild climate, Victoria and Albert bought the Osborne estate in 1845. The existing house was too small for the entourage that comes with being a monarch, not to mention their growing family, so they knocked it down and built a new one. Working with master builder Thomas Cubitt, Albert designed an Italianate-style mansion with private rooms for him and Victoria, royal nurseries for their many children, a household wing for the queen's advisers, stables for their 50 horses and carriages, and even a landing house for the coastguard. If that wasn't enough, in 1854, Albert added the Swiss Cottage, an Alpine-style chalet, designed as a private world for the royal children. Here was a place that the young princes and princesses could play at being adults, away from the raised eyebrows of judgmental courtiers, and learn important life skills, such as housekeeping, cookery, and gardening. There was a kitchen with a real stove, a dairy to make cheese, a fruit and vegetable garden complete with monogrammed wheelbarrows and miniature tools, and a museum where they could house and display their natural history specimens, fossils and antiquities. And, very astutely, Albert designed everything at three-quarter scale, making them children-sized. With the children happily entertained, Osborne gave Victoria and Albert the opportunity to put their own spin on date night. One of their favourite activities was to sit out on the terrace on a summer's evening and listen to the nightingales, but they were also known to enjoy a walk in the colourful, Italian-style gardens, ride in the royal park and spend time at their own private beach – there was even a bathing hut for privacy. Birthdays were an important feature at Osborne, and Victoria and Albert, who celebrated theirs on 24 May and 26 August respectively, were usually there for them. As you'd expect, these were over-the-top, lavish affairs. Since childhood, Victoria had had a 'birthday table', covered in gifts and flowers. Often, these tables were an art form all of their own, with the queen even commissioning artists to paint them in watercolour and, later on, photograph them. At Osborne, birthday tables were initially placed in the 'horn room', named for its stag horn furniture, but, by the 1850s, the presents had become so large and numerous, that a spare bedroom was established as 'the present room'. The couple gave each other artwork, furniture and jewellery, much of which remains at Osborne today, providing a glimpse into Victoria and Albert's personal tastes and styles. The family's birthday traditions weren't limited to gift-giving though; forget a lie-in, Victoria's birthday always started loudly, with the Royal Marines band playing a hymn, or choral piece, sometimes composed by Albert, below her window. The children then brought in flowers and, after a family breakfast, performed music and recited poetry they'd composed themselves. The afternoon saw everyone go for a drive and perhaps take a photograph on the terrace, before settling down for a family dinner and more entertaining, whether dancing or a concert. The days of children reciting their own poetry may be in the past, but Osborne still offers a great family day out. A highlight, if the weather's playing ball, is the sandy and shingle beach, where the royal children learned to swim from a pontoon moored off the shore, as well as the Swiss Cottage with its outdoor play area and museum full of curiosities. Be sure to check out the five-legged deer! In the main house, take some time to browse the opulent state rooms, which entertained 19th-century heads of states, monarchs and inventors, and have all the pomp and ceremony you'd expect of the Victorian era. But Osborne was where the family enjoyed a life away from being royals. Here, you can see what Victoria's bathtub looked like, how the children were cared for in the nursery and Prince Albert's private suite, which the queen left untouched after he died, an indication of how much she loved and missed him. Visit Osborne to find out why Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had such happy times there – you can even rent a holiday cottage there. On an Isle of Wight stay, you can also visit Carisbrooke and Yarmouth castles
Time of India
21-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Odia IAF officer gets Macgregor medal
Bhubaneswar: Wing Commander Devidutta Panda , an Odisha native, was among five defence personnel presented with the prestigious MacGregor Memorial Medal by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Anil Chauhan, during a ceremony at the United Service Institution of India in New Delhi on Wednesday. The medal, established in 1887, recognises outstanding achievements in reconnaissance, exploration, survey and adventure. Wing Cdr Panda's remarkable contributions to adventure sports, including participation in 22 mountaineering expeditions to peaks like Mt Everest, Mt Dhaulagiri and Mt Lhotse, earned him the honour. "I am glad and humbled to be considered for the prestigious medal, which has been awarded to top-notch explorers and adventurers such as Col Narendra 'Bull' Kumar in the past," said Panda after receiving the medal. His achievements include completing several Alpine-style expeditions without support staff, scaling virgin peaks, and exploring hidden valleys. He has successfully completed the challenging 72-km Khardungla run in both 2023 and 2024, alongside achievements in ice climbing and long-distance cycling. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Neurologist: 97% of People With Neuropathy Don't Know This Crucial Thing Nerve Relief Read More Undo As vice-principal of Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling (2017-2020), he initiated the search and rescue course. His contributions to the Indian Air Force , included establishing the first responder course, training air warriors in aircrew rescue operations from crashed aircraft.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MELTING POT CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF 'THE PERFECT NIGHT OUT'
Brand debuts its exclusive Grand Reserve Cheese Fondue in honor of its golden anniversary TAMPA, Fla., April 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Melting Pot, the world's premier fondue restaurant, is celebrating 50 years of perfect nights out with the introduction of its exclusive, limited-time Grand Reserve Cheese Fondue, available April 2-30. Since opening its first location in 1975, Melting Pot has been the go-to destination for memorable dining experiences. Now, as the restaurant marks its golden anniversary, guests are invited to join the celebration with special menu offerings to honor this milestone. "For 50 years, we've been bringing people together around the fondue pot for conversation, laughter and a truly unique, interactive dining experience," said Melting Pot CEO Bob Johnston. "As we welcome new generations to Melting Pot, whether for special occasions, date nights or casual nights out with friends, we will continue serving up delicious fondue, shared moments and lasting memories." Created exclusively for Melting Pot's golden anniversary celebration, the indulgent new Grand Reserve Cheese Fondue is made with Emmi Roth's award-winning, Alpine-style Grand Cru® melted with sweet fontina, Swiss cheese, sherry and shallots and topped with aged cheddar cheese, candied bacon and golden chives. It is available as part of any four-course meal experience for a minimal added cost or as an a la carte option. "We wanted to commemorate this golden brand moment with a one-of-a-kind cheese fondue that represents our dedication to culinary craftsmanship," said Melting Pot Executive Chef Jason Miller. "This exclusive recipe was created in partnership with award-winning cheesemaker Emmi Roth, who we've worked with for decades, and showcases our 50 years as the premier innovator and destination for all lovers of melted cheese." Melting Pot is also introducing the limited-time Golden Hour Cocktail with golden reposado tequila, amber honey, pineapple and sparkling ginger beer, available throughout April to give guests another way to toast to 50 years of fondue. The celebration continues throughout the month with $50 gift card giveaways on Melting Pot social channels. Guests can post about their favorite Melting Pot memories, tagging the people they would like to join them for a Perfect Night Out, for a chance to win. For more information about the 50th anniversary offerings or to book your Perfect Night Out, visit About Melting PotFounded in Maitland, Florida, in 1975, Melting Pot is the world's premier fondue restaurant. The 50-year-old legacy brand serves over 3 million customers annually as they celebrate the Perfect Night Out — whether for a birthday, anniversary, date night or any special occasion. Famed for its variety of fondue cooking styles and unique entrees, Melting Pot's menu features cheese fondues, salads, fine wines and chocolate fondue desserts, offering a premium dining experience in a polished casual setting that invites new and repeat customers to turn moments into memories. Melting Pot has nearly 90 restaurants in 30 states, with four new locations expected to open over the next year. For more information, go to Media Contact:Caroline Robinsoncaroline@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Melting Pot Sign in to access your portfolio
Telegraph
30-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
In praise of Cheshire, Britain's most misunderstood county
I'm in cheese heaven. Should I try a chunk of Crabtree, an Alpine-style creation from Larkton Hall Cheese in Malpas, or a taste of ripe Burt's Blue, from Claire Burt near Holmes Chapel? 'Cheese runs through the veins of people in Nantwich,' says farmer's son Nick Birchall of The Cheese Shop in the Cheshire town. 'The Romans produced cheese here in the first century, making Cheshire cheese the oldest in recorded history.' I've come to Nantwich to stock up for Cheshire Day, celebrated annually on March 30. It's a historical reference to the date the county was given its own Charter of Liberties by King Edward I in 1300 – in effect its own Magna Carta. It's also a somewhat manufactured construct because Cheshire suffers from an identity crisis. Visitors may know Cheshire cheese, or the Cheshire Cat, from the pen of the Rev. Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, born in the Cheshire village of Daresbury in 1832. Most people, however, think of football WAGs and the reality TV series The Real Housewives of Cheshire, which has kept Cheshire's Golden Triangle of Prestbury, Alderley Edge and Wilmslow in fake tan and prosecco for nearly 200 episodes. 'Cheshire is done a disservice by the outside view of the county,' says Joanne Goodwin, Editor of Cheshire Life magazine. 'Beyond the stereotypes, it's an agricultural county by heritage, now a high-tech home for industry and a place with a strong sense of community pride.' I live in Cheshire and my own experience is a far cry from the bolly and botox of popular perception. For me, it's the ideal weekend-break escape with a swathe of lush, dairy-farming greenery, a host of attractive villages and a pint-sized transport hub at Chester. The city packs 2,000 years of history into its four main streets and has welcomed visitors since the coming of the railways in Victorian times. Indeed, my home city recently topped a poll as the most welcoming city in the UK, according to The east Cheshire village of Holmes Chapel, meanwhile, was one of the winners at the recent Marketing Cheshire Tourism Awards for Harry's Home Village Tour in the footsteps of the former One Direction singer, Harry Styles. The walking tour finishes at the Twemlow Viaduct, built in 1841 to carry the Manchester-Crewe railway line, where the teenage Harry is said to have stolen his first kiss. Even the Golden Triangle has moved on since the hedonistic Nineties when the Beckhams arrived, giving rise to the claim that Alderley Edge has higher sales of champagne per head than anywhere else in the UK. The Aston Martin showroom still does a brisk trade but a stroll around Wilmslow reveals a tight-knit community that had prospered from medieval times and boomed as a rural escape for the new-money industrialists of cotton-mill Manchester when the railways arrived. Cheshire Day celebrations this year are themed around local produce. Heading to the south of the county, I find the market town of Nantwich has a high street of independent culinary favourites, an annual food festival to rival Ludlow and a market hall recently voted amongst the top ten in Britain. It looks like a smaller version of Chester with a jumble of cobbled streets and half-timbered houses. The musket marks on the exterior of St Mary's Church hint at the town's crucial role in the English Civil War. Father and daughter, Paul and Holly Challinor, are amongst the new generation of local-produce champions with Nantwich Gin developed on the family smallholding after foraging in nearby fields for a bountiful supply of botanicals. 'We gather the rosehip and dry it on the Aga,' smiles Holly. 'The kitchen smells like chocolate the next day.' There are three signature gins, the distinctive labels featuring the town's black-and-white architectural aesthetic. 'The flavours and labels reflect stories local to Nantwich as a rural heartland of old Cheshire,' adds Paul. One story relates to the 16th-century Cheshire herbalist John Gerard, who became the royal botanist to King James I. Gerard's enthusiasm for collecting samples of rosehip and lemon thyme inspired ingredient-blending sessions when the family started its new craft-spirits venture in 2020. Back at the Cheese Shop, I finally settle for a classic Cheshire, a traditional, cloth-bound cheese from Bourne's Cheshire Cheese of Malpas. It's best enjoyed, advises Nick, with crisp apple slices and a glass of chilled beer. So, forget the bolly and botox, I'll celebrate Cheshire Day this week with a classic taste of real Cheshire. After all, Cheshire Blue was served as the status cheese at Georgian gentlemen's clubs and regular cheese trains used to run to London, laden with Cheshire produce, during Victorian times. As Nick says: 'The story of Cheshire and cheese are inextricably linked.' How to do it Stay at Combermere Abbey, with doubles from £210 per night B&B in the North Wing, or £450 for a two-night stay in a two-bedroom cottage. There's no restaurant for dinner but an evening grazing board is available (£45 for two people). Read The Telegraph's full review.
