Everything about the Thirty Six restaurant at Dukes hotel feels a little bit hidden. From the encased courtyard that lies off of St James’s Street where you’ll find the entrance to the hotel, to the restaurant’s location downstairs, it is only with intent that one might end up here.
“You’d miss the five-star Blythswood Square hotel if you didn’t know where it was. Barely any signs make note of its existence on the pristine green of the same name in the centre of Glasgow.”
I arrive at the Guerlain Spa located in Edinburgh’s Waldorf Astoria Caledonian Hotel on a grey, grizzly weekday afternoon. Even the nearby castle looks sad…
“When arriving at a five star resort, it is best to avoid doing so in a tuk-tuk…” Alwynne Gwillt arrives at the final stop of her India tour in traditional style…
“We began our experience with Vaamika by way of a SunRay speedboat – a sexy, cream and tan leather beast that motored us out to the island from the mainland just as the sun was waning…”
There are times in life when one finds oneself in the oddest of situations, unable to entirely process the experience and not knowing if it is a good thing or not…
“We had been travelling on India’s train network for nearly 20 hours, finally landing at New Jalpaiguri – the last major train station before the ascent into the West Bengal mountains…”
“As the boy and I drift quietly up the Massif de Beauregard in our swinging gondola, all I can focus on is my pounding heart.” Alwynne faces her fear of the skis on a trip to La Clusaz.
“Edinburgh was freezing the night I headed to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society on Queen Street. I’d spent 15 minutes slipping and scuffing my way down tall hills in too-tall heels, wishing we had opted for a cab instead.”
“As you enter the Brasserie you will be greeted by a perfectly polished staff member, who leads you through the spacious dining room, filled with railway-era accents: polished steel railings, cobalt blue booths, mahogany chairs and slate floors.”
“Fresh from a £24 million renovation, The Caledonian now boasts two restaurants by the Galvin Brothers and a Guerlain Spa…” Alwynne tries Edinburgh’s plushest new arrival on for size…
‘Casa Loma’s grandeur casts an opulent shadow over this city, but it is only one of a few features that make Toronto a luxury getaway.’ One-time Torontonian Alwynne Gwilt returns for a taste of the tourist high life…