The Vintage Magazine wrote about the Hotel du Vin Group and Robin Hutson in a previous article, called ‘The Revolutionary of the British Hotel Industry’, click here, and this article is about his partner, Gérard Basset, OBE and the hotel which he built, called ‘Hotel TerraVina, but first ‘a brief history’.
I have always been a great fan of Beach restaurants all over Europe and the Mediterranean where I have eaten at some of the most basic Tavernas in Greece, to the ultimate beach restaurants on Pampellone Beach at St Tropez and at the zenith of luxurious dining, Eden Roc, Hotel du Cap at Cap D’Antibes. Also having spent a year living between Perth and Freemantle in Western Australia, I know a thing or two about what makes a good beach restaurant, so try this description for a start:-
The Park House Hotel at Bepton is a very well-kept secret, and until recently was only really well-known amongst the elite Polo fraternity, who use it when competing in the major tournaments at Cowdray Park, at nearby Midhurst, a tradition begun by the O’Brien family, who have owned Bepton house for over 60 years.
When we learned that we were going to be able to road test and review this Bentley Continental GT, I had to think of somewhere to photograph it, and I immediately thought of the grounds of the Park House Hotel at Bepton, which with the South Downs rising up above it, made the perfect location.
The approach to Amberley Castle is by way of a long gravel drive, flanked by lakes and stylishly designed gardens with immaculate lawns leading to the impressive twin towered gatehouse with its fully functioning portcullis, closed at night to protect those within the castle walls. Passing beneath the portcullis one discovers the Manor House and the magical gardens that hide behind the 60 feet high castle walls and the sense of history and heritage is evident.
If you say “Uganda” to most people, first Idi Amin and then Gorillas comes to mind.
There is more to the Pearl of Africa than this. Relegate Idi to tragic history. He has left a scar but one that has largely healed beneath the emollient touch of a more benign government.
Over the past 15 years, there has been a revolution in the hotel industry in Britain, especially in the West Country, where many tired-looking coastal hotels have been up-graded, and brought into the 21st century, and in some cases, like the St. Moritz at Trebetherick, completely rebuilt, and many of them occupy fantastic positions with easy access to beaches and coastal walks.
The interiors have undergone different levels of renovation, and in many cases, the obligatory ‘Spa’ has been added, frequently including a heated, indoor swimming pool. Further more the levels of cuisine have improved beyond recognition, inspired initially by the great Rick Stein, and now driven by a veritable ‘tsunami’ of cookery programmes on television, such as ‘Master chef’, so much so, that several hotels now boast dining rooms with one or more Michelin stars (two in the case of the St. Enodoc Hotel at Rock).
To the Ancient Greeks, the Atlantic Ocean was unknown territory, full of mythical people, fantastical creatures, and strange lands. The huge island of Atlantis was said to be one of these strange lands. The island was sacred to Poseidon and got its name from the Greek words meaning “island of Atlas.”
The Zulu War of 1879 is quite well known and the two battlefields that witnessed a disastrous massacre at Isandlwana and a heroic defence at Rorke’s Drift marked the beginning of the British Campaign. They both occurred on 22 January and involved 25,000 warriors in mortal combat, in which some 5,000 died. Their detail continues to generate a book a year and a regular stream of visitors to the battlefields.
Most people, when you mention Peru, say “Ah, yes, Machu Picchu”. If Machu Picchu was all there was to see in Peru, it would still be worth going all that way. But it isn’t; not by a long shot.
