The spa at the Corinthia doesn't mess about. Many 5* hotel spas in London seem like an after thought. A piddly little room with a couple of massage tables and a plunge pool masquerading as a spa. Not so the ESPA Life. It's a behemoth of a thing. Set over four floors, it's a holistic haven of pure escapism from the breakneck pace of the city just metres away. Famous for: Name it and you can get it at the Corinthia. There's a Daniel Galvin salon to tame your tresses, a Margaret Dabbs nail studio for a pumice and pedi, as well a BodySPace fitness studio for the more active types. The offering at ESPA Life is a holistic one. They've used a team of acupuncturists, Chinese medicine experts, osteopaths, naturopaths, as well as highly trained masseuse and personal trainers, so the spa treatment list makes for extensive reading. For fans of a more hands-off approach, the cavernous spa has more than … [Read more...] about Escape from the city chaos at London’s largest urban spa
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The spy traitors Burgess and Maclean and their last day in London
With only a few minutes to spare on the night of Friday 25 May 1951 Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean managed to board the mid-night cross-channel ferry to St Malo. In their haste they almost hit a lorry driven by Sid Hampton, a Southampton Docks employee who later told the press: ‘I was about to tell them off for speeding in the docks when one of them threw a couple of bob on the ground and shouted, “Buy yourself a drink”.’ Hampton asked them what they wanted to do with the car they had just left on the quayside. As they ran up the gangway, almost as it was being raised, Burgess yelled back, ‘I’m back on Monday...’ About 15 hours earlier that day Burgess had woken up in his untidy, musty-smelling bedroom at Clifford Chambers at 10 New Bond Street - a small three-roomed flat opposite Asprey, the famous jewellers. He had been waking later and later since he had returned from Washington DC three weeks previously. … [Read more...] about The spy traitors Burgess and Maclean and their last day in London
The Legacy De Gaulle Left in London
Sections SEARCH Skip to content Skip to site index Travel Subscribe Log In Subscribe Log In Today's Paper Advertisement Supported by Footsteps In exile during the Nazi occupation of France, the great general spent three years in the British capital, a period that defined his sense of destiny. ByAnn Mah Aug. 17, 2018 With its bland architecture and gray concrete pavement, little distinguishes Curzon Square from its surroundings in the heart of London’s Mayfair district. But it was here that Charles de Gaulle wrote a speech that would change his country’s fate and, he believed, fulfill his destiny. On June 17, 1940, still reeling from France’s fall to Nazi Germany three days earlier, de Gaulle fled to London, where he borrowed a friend’s apartment at 3 Curzon Square (then called Seamore Grove) and drafted a passionate call to arms. The next day he broadcast a message on BBC radio — a direct, clarion … [Read more...] about The Legacy De Gaulle Left in London
Win afternoon tea for two at The Ritz London
We’re giving away a Champagne Afternoon Tea for two at The Ritz London.The prize-winner and their guest will experience the archetypally English tradition of Champagne Afternoon Tea in The Ritz’s famous Palm Court salon. This is arguably the most elegant setting for tea in London: the high-ceilings, swooping chandeliers and sparkling mirrors are set above the hotel’s ground floor, where suited-and-booted waiters serve 16 types of tea alongside traditional finger sandwiches: roast beef with Horseradish on malt bread, Scottish smoked salmon with lemon butter on sourdough, cucumber with cream cheese and dill. Scones come warm with clotted cream and jam, while sweet treats take the form of macaroons, chocolate cake and fruit tarts.Read our full review of afternoon tea at The Ritz London. To be in with a chance of winning, answer the question below:Which Duchess started the tradition of afternoon tea in 1840?See our British Afternoon Tea Guide for a clue. If you feel like … [Read more...] about Win afternoon tea for two at The Ritz London
Beyond Porridge and Boiled Mutton: A Taste of London
Sections SEARCH Skip to content Skip to site index Travel Subscribe Log In Subscribe Log In Today's Paper Advertisement Supported by Choice Tables A newcomer to the city’s recent flowering as a culinary destination samples restaurants from Shoreditch to the West End, and finds flavors from India, Basque Country, the Mediterranean and more. ByRobert Draper Aug. 15, 2018 As Britain — like its younger sibling across the pond — gruffly proclaims its distance from the outside world (at least for the political moment), we can all be thankful that Brexit came too late to halt the culinary globalization of London. Put ideology aside. This otherwise noble capital inclining its palate to devotees of porridge and boiled mutton was never a thing to celebrate. Of course, a visitor could always find scattered exceptions. But it was work. The drab baseline held longer than it should have — even through the roaring … [Read more...] about Beyond Porridge and Boiled Mutton: A Taste of London