Debbie Ward

I’m woken by a tractor uprooting Jersey royals in the potato field next door. In my simple hexagonal room, dawn illuminates five high slit windows marked with military coordinates and a compass etched into the ceiling. But heading downstairs, I timeslip into a 19th-century lounge where gothic-style windows frame sea views.

The princely follies, Hobbiton-style wine cellars and subterranean labyrinths of South Moravia offer the key to a region whose appeal lies both above and below the surface, discovers Debbie Ward

Something feels familiar about the uneven features of the smiling face painted on a tile above the kitchen range. Then my guide confirms: it is a Picasso. This historically fat-splashed artwork, at Farleys Farmhouse in East Sussex, speaks of frivolity, hospitality and famous friendships. All are relevant to the life lived here by Vogue-model-turned-war-photographer Lee Miller and her Surrealist artist husband Roland Penrose. Yet there is a deeper story... (pic Sky UK ltd).

“These were Lee’s knuckledusters,” explained our guide, pointing to a shelf: “bronze for daywear, silver for eveningwear.”

It’s the kind of subversive humour typical of the female Vogue model-turned-war-photographer whose home, now Farleys House & Gallery, I was visiting...

Every year, tour operators dust off their figurative crystal balls and predict the number of holidays they think they'll sell. If they don’t reserve enough flight and hotel capacity to meet demand, they’ll be kicking themselves. Meanwhile, would-be holidaymakers might miss out...

The mass cancelation of the well-loved Christmas pantomime is a heavy financial blow to British theaters, but what exactly is “panto?” Article for Fodor's American-slanted audience

There’s a couple I spot wherever I go in the northern Thailand province of Nan. He is bare chested with intricately tattooed legs; she is demurely dressed but smiles as he cups his hand and whispers in her ear. They pop up on tote bags and T-shirts and as fibreglass sculptures...

A cocktail strainer, butter dish lid, broken glass, charred bolts and serving spoons. I spend some minutes identifying the components of a striking artwork curving along the wall outside the spa at Southern Ocean Lodge.
The spa is new, but then, so is everything...

It’s Friday night and a DJ is playing Ibiza tracks at Coast Cafe. Beyond the open doors, drinkers sip Aperol Spritz at tables on the pebble Sussex beach and fire jugglers ready themselves for sunset. It could be Brighton, but it isn’t.

Forget labels about disinfection measures, the pandemic has changed what we want from hotel rooms in more profound ways, says top designer Francesca Muzio. It’s all about a shift in what we value and how we work....

“See that?” Paul gestures with a nod towards a pair of men at the exit to a 1960s-built shopping precinct. There are few tour leaders who would draw their clients’ attention to public displays of drug use, but Paul Stewart is no ordinary guide...

Over the summer peak, being savvy about where in the UK to holiday can mean fewer crowds and better value. Even following weeks of disappointing weather, hotel prices in hot spots such as Cornwall will reach an average of £205 a night in August, according to hospitality data intelligence service Lighthouse...

These historic structures, worthy of Rapunzel, hide beautiful self-catering boltholes restored by The Landmark Trust.

I hadn’t expected ladybirds. They stand out bright against the black and grey rock of Mount Etna. Drawn here on migration winds, they and clumps of pink wildflowers are surprising points of colour on the inhospitable slopes...

You can buy a private island for a fraction of the price of a Mayfair pad – and it may be a sounder investment than a superyacht. [Article for Mayfair Times on the pandemic-fuelled rise of island shopping].