Northern Cyprus.

Kaya Artemis, Bafra, Northern Cyprus.

A brand new 5* hotel on the north-east coast of Cyprus, it is built to the finest details of scale and grandeur of the Temple of the goddess Artemis, at Ephesus. It boasts the largest swimming pool in Cyprus, one of the nicest sandy beaches, a water sports centre, a spa of course, and masses of things to keep the kids happy. Artemis is an all-inclusive hotel which means catering on a massive scale – 726 rooms = a lot of people – canteen style, ok if you like that sort of thing.

Tip; make sure, when booking, that your room is in the hotel and not in one of the adjacent ‘bungalows’.

The Malibu Hotel, Yeni Erenkoy, Northern Cyprus.

Recently refurbished (all rooms now have air con.) this 40 room hotel sits on the beach in a small and pretty harbour, ideal for snorkelling. It's family run, laid-back and friendly and only around £30 per room for B & B. A good spot for scuba diving and Mephisto Diving is the in-house dive company (very recommended for the area.)  www.mephisto-diving.com 

Tip; don't bank on having a 'full-on' breakfast. 

Turkey.

Ritz-Carlton, Besiktas, Istanbul.

A few minutes away from Taksim square and the shopping and sightseeing districts, the hotel exudes Ritz-Carlton quality and service. From the lobby, to your bedroom, the spa to Cintemani restaurant, everything is superbly decorated and enhanced with gracious, smiling staff. The city and Bosporus views are stunning, the beds comfortable and the bathrooms spacious.

The staff and service on the club/executive floor (newly renovated lounge pictured above) are so acommodating and efficient its amazing, nothing is too much trouble. Hotels like this set a precedent for the other top 'brands'; I overheard a very well travelled gentleman, who was checking out, say that the R.C. Istanbul was the best hotel he had ever stayed in, we would tend to agree with him.   

Tip; the extra cost of the club floor is well worth it. 

Ciragan Palace, Ortakoy, Istanbul.

Luxury and splendour in a restored Ottoman palace on the banks of the Bosporus, the Ciragan has the honour of being the first of the ‘leading hotels of the world’ group, in Turkey. In fact, the Ciragan is 2 buildings, the palace being one, the second, a replica 5* hotel in an adjacent building. With nearly 600 rooms over the 2 buildings it’s a good job this is a spacious hotel, it never seems too busy. Breakfast is a sumptuous spread of just about everything you could wish for and the Tugra restaurant in the palace building is a very grand – if expensive - affair. Staff are, as you would expect, extremely courteous and efficient.

Tip; take loads of money, its not cheap. Afternoon high-tea is a bit of a let-down.

Italy.

Hilton Cavalieri, Rome.

Perched atop one of Rome’s 7 hills, Monte Mario, the Hilton affords a spectacular view of the city and well beyond. A rather bland exterior belies the cool, spacious interior, and if the city buzz becomes too much, then the calm of the 15 acre gardens should ease relaxation, if they don’t, the spa will. The rooms and beds are excellent, the cool, crisp linen sheets are beautiful, and the bathrooms are spacious. The Hilton does have the 3 Michelin starred La Pergola, which if you don’t book months in advance, you have got no chance of getting in! The other main restaurant, Giardino Dell-Uliveto, near the pool, has excellent staff, slightly let down by over-priced, average food. The treatments in the La Prairie Spa are undertaken by excellent therapists and the facial was the best I have ever had.

Tip; avoid the Sunday brunch buffet, its manic. Unless you can get in La Pergola, and can afford it, go out to eat. Avoid the club lounge, it's cramped and grubby, the food choice isn't that good.

Capo D’Africa, Via Capo D’Africa, Rome.

A modern ‘you could be anywhere’ hotel, but don’t let that put you off. The excellent staff attitude and location make-up for lack of Roman identity. The Coliseum, and all that follow it, are at the bottom of the road, and there are a handful of small, but excellent, value for money restaurants between 2-5 minutes stroll away, reception will recommend according to your taste.

Tip; a good base to explore from away from the major bustle.

Hotel Farnese, Via Alessandro Farnese, Rome.

In the leafy Prati district, on the left bank of the river, converted from a grand aristocratic residence is the Farnese. There are differing room qualities but they can be musty, very small or/and noisy. Avoid rooms near the lift shaft. Breakfast is in a small, quiet room (so quiet if you don’t want to be heard, you need to whisper) and is good but standard fare. The Lepanto metro stop is at the bottom of the road and the excellent shopping streets around, and including, Via Cola di Rienzo (10 minutes away at most) make this a very pleasant location.

Tip; avoid Room 25 like the plague, its right next to the lift shaft and the bathroom is soooo tiny!

Hotel Rafaello, Via Urbana, Rome.

Certainly not the best district in Rome, especially at night, but a good location. Close to the train station and only a couple of minutes away from Via Nazionale, for excellent clothes and shoe shopping. The hotel only has a small breakfast room, which can be noisy and overly busy with people having to wait for a spare table; breakfast itself is good though. The ‘attic’ rooms have their own large terrace, but uncomfortable chairs and our bed was the metal ‘camp’ variety with a very thin mattress, so beware.

Tip; there are plenty more hotels to choose from!

Lungarno Hotel, Oltrarno, Florence.

A lovely boutique hotel, on the banks of the river Arno, over-looking the Ponte Vecchio. Small, but smart rooms have small terraces (on the river side) to sit and watch Florentine life rush by. You are well provided for at breakfast with a very good spread of fresh produce and juices, however, you feel you have to whisper, as the tables are quite close. The service is very efficient and the staff pleasant.

Tip; worth paying the extra for the river view and terrace.

Spain.

The City Park Hotel, Barcelona.

Not the best neighbourhood in Barcelona by any means - the breakfast room looks out onto a concreted, graffeti-covered park - but close to the station, and a metro stop, to reach Barcelonas fabulous sights and sounds. The hotel is clean and modern, but un-inspiring rooms with a 'could-be-anywhere' feel to them. One night we made the mistake of having dinner in the hotel restaurant, whilst the food and service were poor, in the afore-mentioned park, youths gathered to take drugs and dog-walkers stopped to let their dogs relieve themselves; not a pleasent experience! Beakfast was poor, and we preferred to eat at one of the many coffee and cake shops, for fresher food.

Tip; find somewhere else.

U.K.      NEW!!

The Mayfair Hotel, Piccadilly, London

The Mayfair hotel is in quite a strategic position, just off Piccadilly - near the Ritz - and very close to Green Park tube station. When I landed at Heathrow, I got straight on the 'heathrow express' - which runs on the Piccadilly line - and straight off at Green Park. Perfect. The room and bathroom were a decent size with all amenities provided; tea and coffee making facilities, beautiful bath robes, and bathroom toiletries. There should have been an ironing board in the room, we had to ask for ours. Room service was very prompt and our meal was generous, tasty and hot. The spa is small, but serene and tranquil and our 2 treatments were carried out very professionally. Every member of staff was polite and courteous.

Tip; we booked through last minute.com and  got a really good rate.

Garden House, Westbury, Wilts.

Converted and restored, from an old post office building, into a ‘country house’ style, boutique hotel in the small village of Westbury. There are only 8 rooms in the main building with another 4 recently added in a separate annex. All rooms are individually, comfortably, furnished with tea & coffee making facilities and plasma TVs; softened water and power showers in the bathrooms. The owner, Rachel, has a loyal following helped by her wonderful chef. The restaurant menu is inventive, seasonal and very professional, the food excellent; it stops you straying to other venues for dinner.

Tip; Westbury itself doesn’t have a lot going for it, but it is a good base from which to explore the surrounding countryside and attractions.