Hotels

A la Colthard/Mahaweli Reach & Kandy House Hotels

Mahaweli Reach It looks good in the phtotos: colonial ranch style house by the pool with flora and palm trees. However it’s by the Mahaweli River, the bedrooms are dark, dank and damp and we are beset by mozzies. The lighting system – part console by the bed, part switch – is [...]

November 19, 2018 // 0 Comments

Into the interior

Today we left Hambantota on the southern coast to go by coach to Nuwara Eliya in the interior just south of Kandy the seat of the old Singhal Kings and the venue for the second Test. It was a long, hairy journey of over four hours much of it in mountainous terrain with many hairpin needs with sheer [...]

November 12, 2018 // 0 Comments

A la Colthard/Marriott and Shangri La Hotels

Marriott This is part of an international chain .Sometimes this can lead to a formulaic hotel. I was initially concerned when I saw a large sixties style block but inside there was some deference to Sri Lankan arts and crafts. The room was large with a balcony over looking the Indian Ocean. We [...]

November 11, 2018 // 0 Comments

A la Colthard / The Westbury and Goring Hotel

Over the years I have been contributing to the Rust I have often reviewed restaurants and sometimes hotels but never their bars so today’s piece is on the latter at two of London’s most underrated hotels. I was meeting an old friend in the property world so the Westbury in Conduit Street [...]

October 18, 2018 // 0 Comments

The George at Rye

It was Nancy who when I told her I had yet to visit Rye and suggested I did so. I heard from a friend of mine who had a good trip ashore in property that rich London townies attracted by the fast communication by rail to Ashford International were now buying up second homes there and for golfers [...]

July 31, 2018 // 0 Comments

A day In Eastbourne

I first started to visit Eastbourne when a friend of mine, now passed on, moved there. He was man of discerning and demanding tastes and if these were satisfied as they were by Eastbourne you would know that the place was worth it. Yesterday I entertained Lottie, our Munich friend, who was over for [...]

June 4, 2018 // 0 Comments

A la Colthard/ Schwarzreiter/ Bayerischer Hof

I prepped up on Munich restaurants and Schwarzreiter came up trumps. I was concerned as it was located in the Four Seasons Hotel and hotel restaurants can lack atmosphere and attract only a business clientele. In fact it had a separate entrance and the number of business people were outnumbered [...]

March 16, 2018 // 0 Comments

a la Colthard

Yesterday Bob and I travelled up to London for the birthday celebration lunch of his godson’s mother, an old friend of mine too. She had booked the Oxo Tower for the event. I am being forced to revise my dictum of not trusting a restaurant with panoramic views. The food and service were stunning [...]

January 14, 2018 // 0 Comments

A la Colthard/Q Hotel

As soon as we arrived and the dishy young concierge greeted us wearing a bowery cap, braces and dungarees looking like an extra from The Sting I realised we were in a seriously cool hotel. This was reinforced by the bold modern art exhibited in the foyer. Bob spent a while contemplating this [...]

December 19, 2017 // 0 Comments

Reflections upon a trip

Yesterday was essentially a ‘travel day’, i.e. my return home from Palma via Gatwick Airport. After a fairly crowded schedule spent shadowing my son Barry for 48 hours, it began with me having a light hotel breakfast, checking out and then strolling down the hill to the main drag opposite the [...]

November 11, 2017 // 0 Comments

« 1 … 4 5 6 7 8 9 »

The Tanner Report : Fulham 2 Brighton 1

January 25, 2026 // 0 Comments

This was a highly enjoyable victory -all the more so as undeserved Foc long periods Fulham were not in the game but ended up winning it When I asked A group of Fulham [...]
Sussex sport

January 20, 2026 // 0 Comments

Last night I watched Brighton HSFC draw 1-1 with south coast rivals Bournemouth in a game sometimes labelled El Coastico. The Seagulls started brightly but it was the [...]
THE ALFRISTON

January 19, 2026 // 0 Comments

In the many years (I know, I don’t look !!!) that I have been reviewing English country hotels I have seen a massive change in them. Twenty years ago they were little [...]
Biographies

January 17, 2026 // 0 Comments

I recently moved from reading fiction to biography. Why do readers like biographies? The obvious explanation is the desire to know more about the subject and the times in [...]
Manchester United 1 Brighton HAFC 2

January 12, 2026 // 0 Comments

Tom Hollingsworth called it right on giantkilling. . I’m old enough to remember Brighton in the old 4th division and buying Spurs double winner centre forward the burly [...]