By Emma Dance
With a new television series getting rave reviews, and a second film bringing in the dollars at the box office Sherlock Holmes is very much the hero of the hour. And if you feel like taking a trip to the Baker Street home of the famous detective there’s a wonderful little boutique hotel just around the corner which makes an ideal base from which to explore the world of Sherlock Homes.
10 Manchester Street has the rarest of qualities for a London location, a genuine feeling of peace and quiet …

By Judy Darley
Stepping into Vondelpark just as the shadows began to lengthen, we immediately noticed the atmosphere pervading this city-centre green space. Barbecues sent fragrant clouds into the sky, and as the violinist packed up for the night, his spot was claimed by men and women holding cardboard placards offering ‘Free Hugs!’ in a variety of languages. We strolled the paths holding hands and smiling, feeling we’d somehow found a corner of the 1960s right here in current day Amsterdam.
But the thing with Amsterdam, as we soon realised, is that …

By Nick Pagan
The first thing that struck me onboard was the sheer variety of types of people; excited kids revelling in the freedom as their parents strolled behind them, couples of all ages holding hands in anticipation of a romantic break and groups of hedonistic twenty-somethings hitting the bar ready to take advantage of Amsterdam’s legendary reputation as the go-to city for non-stop partying.
The ship itself was classed a cruise-ferry and it felt like a smaller, less formal cruise liner. There was a casino, 3 bars, shops filled with rows …

By Jo Caird
Three nights into my stay in Wroclaw and I find myself passionately defending the south-western Polish city against the taunts of a friend – we’ll call him Patrick – who has arrived to play a gig here and has quite unfairly taken against the place. He arrived this afternoon, travelled from the airport directly to a rehearsal room, and then onto this small bar near our hotel where we are having this argument. He has seen barely anything of the city or its people, yet apparently has no …