Alice Dunn

Thursday

2 Jun 2022

Royal tours in glorious destinations might look like fun but they are technically classed as work. So where do the Royal Family choose to go to get their fix of sunshine and rest? Balmoral and Sandringham have always been favoured by the Queen but there are also several overseas spots that have become firm royal favourites.MaltaValletta, Malta (iStock) Between 1949 and 1951 Princess Elizabeth, as she was then, and Philip lived in Malta in a small town called Pieta very near the Maltese capital of Valletta. Their home was the Villa Guardamangia, an eighteenth-century ‘garden palace’ loaned to Philip by his uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten while Philip was stationed in Malta for naval duties with HMS Magpie. Villa Guardamangia has since fallen into disrepair but the eighteen-bedroom limestone building is set to be turned into a museum according to recent reports.

Wednesday

30 Mar 2022

The joy of car-free islands

No traffic, no pollution, no sound of engines revving at midnight; car-free destinations may be few and far between these days but there's no better way to escape the clamour of modern life. Perhaps the most delightful car-free retreats are the ones situated most closely to cities: the contrast only adds to their allure. Sail away from Athens for a couple of hours and you will reach Hydra, a car-less island popular with artists and writers keen to fuel their creativity under an azure sky. Henry Miller visited Greece at the invitation of Lawrence Durrell in 1939 and wrote ‘The Colossus of Maroussi’, an ‘impressionist travelogue’ partly based on his experiences of Hydra, inspired by Greek writer George Katsimbalis.

Sunday

25 Apr 2021

Five British hotels that have featured in films

The thought of staying in a hotel remains a distant memory for many. To remember how it’s done, and for inspiration of where stay, look no further than your favourite films, and the real-life hotels they feature.The Headland Hotel in Cornwall The Headland Hotel in Newquay was renamed ‘Hotel Excelsior’ for the film ‘The Witches’, the adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic book. Luke and his aunt Helga stay at the beachside hotel for the summer on doctor’s orders for Helga’s fluctuating diabetes. Here they encounter a convention of witches who are staying under the guise of the ‘Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.’ In fact, they plot the opposite. Anjelica Huston plays the Grand High Witch who leads the other witches in their plans to turn every child in the country into a mouse.

Tuesday

23 Feb 2021

Books that take you abroad

With foreign holidays off the cards for some time to come, armchair travel has never been more tempting. Here are some of the best books to take you beyond your living room.The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim Four women answer an advertisement in The Times, ‘To those who appreciate wisteria and sunshine. Small medieval Italian Castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be let furnished for the month of April.’ What follows is a delightful holiday in picturesque scenery as the women escape the monotony of everyday life. Don’t deny yourself the opportunity to share their views of ‘the Judas tree and an umbrella pine […] the freesias and the lilies,’ and vistas ‘across the tranquil clear green water of the little harbour.

Wednesday

13 Jan 2021

10 forgotten classics to read during lockdown

There's nothing like the feeling of stumbling upon a book that you love. And that satisfaction is somehow multiplied tenfold if it's a writer others are yet to discover. Lockdown is the perfect time to acquaint yourself with these underrated novels, some of which were celebrated during their own time but have largely been forgotten by today's readers:The Rector’s Daughter by F. M. Mayor The Rector’s Daughter by F. M. Mayor, first published in 1924, explores the life of Mary Jocelyn, a 35-year-old unmarried woman who lives with her father and invalid sister, who sadly dies. Shy and alone, with ‘the weight of the family’ on her, Mary finds brief happiness when she falls in love, but it is not to be. Her desperate need to take control of her life is obvious.