Réunion round-up
In Réunion you’ll tend to go either round, or up! Whether you spend a day, or a week on the island you’ll still want to come back for more. In doing so you’ll experience the best of this beautiful Indian Ocean island; with its little harbours, restaurants and water activities around the coastline, or the cloak of inner tropical forest ruptured by the caldera of several volcanoes and home to one of the world’s most active,...
Champagne in the snow; tea in bed? It must be Purple Piste!
Thinking of skiing in style – well Purple Piste will do everything for you except, err…. If you love skiing, as we do, then you’ll be only too familiar with the huge variety and standard of chalets available throughout the ski resorts of the world. What a truly successful skiing holiday distills down to, in our opinion, (leaving aside perfect snow conditions for the moment) is the location of your chalet and the personal...
Dining in Dinan with Durand
The excuse – strictly research of course; the justification – a birthday lunch; the result – simply, superbly replete ‘My we bring our dog inside?’ says our niece, on the threshold of l’Atelier Gourmand. ‘Non!’ ‘I believe we’ve a table booked for ten people?’ Non!’ Fabrice Durand’s stern and guileless face creases into a wide smile accompanied by a shrug...
Dinan à deux – pleasure on two levels
Combine a birthday, sunny French skies, superb cuisine and more than few glasses of champagne with close friends and family and you’ve got the perfect long-weekend break We’re always up for an invitation to a birthday party – even more so when its in France at a lovely villa close by to a delightful French town that offers so many distractions. Boarding the Portsmouth – St.Malo Brittany Ferries ship on a grey...
Paris à pied – anything but pedestrian
Discover the true flavour of this magnificent city in a really fun day out, on a walking circuit that covers all aspects of Paris. We walked our socks off for a whole day around Paris to really feel the pulse and vibrant rhythm of life that permeates the city (or was it our aching feet), simply by ‘joining up the dots’ of some famous landmarks. We’d been to Paris many times, either to meet French friends (who have little enthusiasm...
Just off the beaten shack
One of the prettiest places we’ve visited in Europe, with all the attraction of any beautiful seaside area but with a French shabby-chic style to it is Cap Ferret on the Atlantic coast of the Bay of Arcachon in Aquitaine. Cap Ferret lies south of Bordeaux and is in easy reach by car. The crescent of dunes that stretch almost full circle from the one hundred and four metre high Dune du Pilat at its south-eastern end to the sea-level...
