LUTE Loves: ‘the world’s most exclusive flight’ aboard the penguin plane
By John O’Ceallaigh The windows are scratched and dirty, the tray tables broken and there’s a problem with the lavatory, but everyone is grateful to be on board. We’re just…
With guides such as Don McCullin, The Luminaire’s tours shed new light on world wonders
By John O’Ceallaigh I know it’s becoming boring to bleat on about what we’ve learned from the pandemic (and I’m glad about that), so I’ll just briefly mention that my…
Inside Burj Al Arab: the bold new tour bringing the world to Dubai’s most exclusive hotel
By John O’Ceallaigh Dubai’s hotels deserve their reputation for innovation, but still it seemed strange to hear Jumeirah Burj Al Arab, self-styled as ‘the world’s most exclusive hotel’ and labelled…
LUTE Loves: Virgin Limited Edition’s Necker Island
By John O’Ceallaigh I’m sure it wasn’t a coincidence that the speakers on our speedboat pumped out Kool & The Gang’s Celebration as we made our final approach to Richard…
The Safari Station Sleepover: Mantis reveals the Founders Railway Carriage train hotel
By John O’Ceallaigh I’m all for the romance of long-distance train travel, but one of the drawbacks people rarely mention is that a good night’s sleep doesn’t come easy. I…
LUTE Loves: Work Well at Vakkaru Maldives
By John O’Ceallaigh Back at the height of the pandemic, resorts the world over introduced remote-working packages to entice long-term guests who had suddenly found they needn’t be physically present…
The Orient Express La Dolce Vita train: the luxury rail service arrives in Italy
By John O’Ceallaigh At this year’s luxury-travel conference ILTM, the most exciting news announced by the French hotels group Accor was about a train: the conglomerate will revive the Orient…
A Sharjah Safari: Introducing the Lux Collective’s influencer-ready UAE properties
By John O’Ceallaigh If you want to feed the giraffes that greet guests during breakfast and in the afternoon at Nairobi’s Giraffe Manor, you’ll need to spend from about $800…
Joali Being: inside the Maldives’ pioneering wellness resort
By John O’Ceallaigh When I visited Joali resort in Raa Atoll in the Maldives shortly before its opening in 2018, I was told about its founders’ plans to build another…
Introducing Lanserhof Sylt: the new German medispa that will be Europe’s most expensive resort
By John O’Ceallaigh Germany isn’t known for its beaches, which suits Sylt’s wealthy residents and discerning holidaymakers well. Fringed by a 40km-long beach, the North Sea island is referred to…