Tara Iti Golf Club: the most beautiful links on earth?
Since its grand reveal, Tara Iti Golf Club has occupied a place in the hearts and minds of golfers across the world. To most it feels a world away: isolated geographically, almost heavenly in its beauty, and, given its famed privacy and exclusivity, almost impossible to access. In a country dominated by public golf courses, Tara Iti is an outlier and one which, at first glance, appears to fly in the face of Kiwi beliefs and values. Why? Well, it is a club with only 50 local members, has no public access unless you stay on site (at a VERY premium price)…
St Andrews Golf: adventure of a lifetime to secure Old Course tee time
It was 3 in the morning and I was running towards the 1st tee of the Old Course, St Andrews. My alarm had gone off 15 minutes earlier, which seemed reasonable – not too early, but early enough. I boiled a kettle, made some tea, stuffed a snack into my pocket and set off walking. St Andrews at that time of day is, as you would expect, eerily still. I was anything but. Before I knew it my walk had become a jog. And then a run. Soon the iconic Royal & Ancient building came into view, then the pavilion…
The Machrie Hotel: unique links experience will capture your heart
A day or two at The Machrie Hotel is all it takes to understand why so many who visit Islay leave a piece of their heart behind. The idyllic isolation from the everyday would, on its own, be the perfect tonic to the bustle of modern life. But when you combine that with the natural wonder, beauty and kindness you find here, it adds up to something unique. It’s a place where you can both lose yourself and also find the time and space to remember what’s most important. Science will tell you it isn’t possible for 24hrs here to…
Cliff Hotel Cardigan: wonderful Wales and the perfect family break
It’s an hour before sunset at The Cliff Hotel, Cardigan and we’re watching a pod of dolphins play in the water below us. This stunning corner of Wales has unquestionably taken a piece of all our hearts during our time here – our two-year-old will spend the much of the journey home screaming the words ‘I don’t want to go home; I want to go back to the hotel!’ The local wildlife doing tricks on our last night as we sit on the clifftops in front of this beautiful property is just the icing on the cake after a fabulous…