My first thought upon arrival at The Arch London was ‘What a Lovely Hotel’. It has a simple elegance that says, we have no need to be pretentious. Located in a residential area only blocks from the iconic Marble Arch,…
When I decided to go to Australia, I looked into a few airlines and decided to fly Air China. It was about $600 cheaper than Emirates and Singapore Airlines. Also, it was with the Star Alliance group and, being a member,…
The Aloft London Excel was my home for two nights in June 2015. I chose the hotel mainly because I was looking for a stay that would utilize my Starwood points. It was the only hotel in London for the…
Not only is Oxford home to the renowned university, it has been the home of well-known authors such as JR Tolkein, C.S. Lewis and Lewis Caroll. And while walking amongst the beautiful buildings and gardens that make up central Oxford, it’s…
Blenheim Palace is one of England’s largest houses and was built between 1705 and 1722. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Both the palace itself and the extensive grounds are worth seeing. The birth place of…
I began my walk to Hidcote Manor from the small town of Mickleton. The walk begins on a footpath beside the churchyard in Mickleton and continues up Kiftsgate Hill behind the church through three sheep fields. The last sheep field…
I was not in a great mood the first time I went to Richmond Park. It was a monotonously grey Saturday, and I had a boatload of tedious errands to run when all I really wanted was stay in bed.…
The walk to Batsford Park is not your typical hike along public paths through turnstiles and sheep fields. However, if you travel by bus to the location like I did, when you add in the walk up the driveway and…
The walk between Lower and Upper Slaughter in the Cotswolds sometimes referred to as ‘the slaughters’ makes for a moderately easy full day when combined with a walk from Lower or Upper Slaughter to the bucolic village of Bourton-on-the-Water. This…
Chipping Campden is an ideal base for walking in the Cotswolds. Chipping is from an olde English word meaning market or market place. Chipping Campden is known for its honey-colored limestone buildings. The limestone, known as Cotswold Stone, is quarried…