A First-Class Journey from London Kings Cross to Doncaster with Grand Central
There’s something undeniably appealing about train travel—especially when you snag a first-class ticket at a reasonable price. My recent trip from London Kings Cross to Doncaster with Grand Central, an independent train operator, was a delightful case in point. With a first-class advance ticket priced at just £54, I was curious to see what this […]
Hotel review: Crowne Plaza – Gerrard’s Cross
When searching for a hotel at the last minute, it may be tempting to overlook major chains due to the assumption that they will be costly for late bookings. However, these chains can often offer competitive rates compared to so-called budget chains, especially if you participate in their loyalty programs. This was evident during a […]
Double Avios from Nectar for June 2023
Nectar is offering UK customers a double conversion rate to Avios for the month of June 2023. As you’d expect there are a few caveats, but if you can earn the requisite number of Nectar points it’s a good offer. The points must be earned with Sainsbury’s, Argos, EBay or Esso. You’ll need to convert […]
Earn Avios with United Airlines
United Airlines is a well-known member of Star Alliance. Serving 356 destinations in 48 countries (238 of those in the United States) it is a major presence in the world’s skies. However, did you know you can earn Avios – the currency of many Oneworld alliance airlines – when flying United? Aer Lingus, although owned […]
Long-haul luxury within Europe
If you’ve travelled business class in Europe, you’ll know that for the most part the on-board experience isn’t so different from travelling economy. The vast majority of European carriers that offer short-haul business class simply block off the centre seat of a standard three-abreast airline seat. If you’re lucky, there might be a drinks table […]
Shepperton Holiday Inn review
Shepperton would be an anonymous, albeit pleasant, suburb to the south-west of London were it not for one thing – Shepperton Studios. Since the 1930s, the studios have produced hundreds of films and television programmes including such well-known works as Dr Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Alien and Bridget Jones Diary. Netflix and […]
InterContinental Barclay Hotel, New York review
As a global city, there is no shortage of hotels in New York. As one of the world’s leading financial, business and diplomatic centres there are an above average number of luxury hotels too. InterContinental Hotels, the luxury division of IHG, has two hotels in the city – the InterContinental Times Square and InterContinental Barclay. […]
Blade helicopter from JFK airport to Manhattan: is it worth the cost?
As one of the world’s “global cities” it has always struck me that New York City is poorly served by its three airports. La Guardia has a new and greatly improved terminal building, but it is still badly located and badly served by public transport to Manhattan. It is also limited to mostly domestic flights […]
British Airways First Class: London to New York – a review
“The best business class in the world…” British Airways’ first class service is often referred to thus by reviewers and forum posters. Is it behind the curve? Is it worth the price differential now that BA has, finally, updated its business class product with the new Club Suites? I flew on BA’s premium route from […]
Hilton Garden Inn Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3 review
“Airport hotel” – hands up if you’ve booked somewhere describing itself as an airport hotel, only to find it’s a long way from the airport itself. The last thing I want after a long flight is an interminable shuttle ride to a queue in a hotel reception. Luckily, some airports have hotels which are linked […]