loveexploring.com • 13th July 2021

The best London lidos to cool off in

Feeling the city heat? London’s historic lidos are the perfect place for a cooling swim this summer

Lidos have been cooling down Londoners since the 1930s, a time when outdoor swimming was gaining popularity and holidays abroad were too expensive for most households.

Citizen Femme • 30th June 2020

Queen Of The Binge Watch? Villas To Book From Our Favourite Shows

Lockdown has caused a seismic shift in how we’re spending our time. Cancelled holidays, grounded flights and zero social plans have left a gigantic void in our lives.

We’ve been planning future trips, exercising at home, and reading more than ever, but sometimes a lazy day spent binge-watching our favourite TV series is just what we need.

Killing Eve is our latest obsession. The third season has just concluded in the UK, and it was as gripping as ever. We were also thoroughly envious of Villan

Citizen Femme • 14th June 2020

Before I was A Hotel: The Story Behind These Buildings

Hotels located within historic buildings are truly one of a kind. Former factories, breweries, and banks are amazing spaces for hotels thanks to their imposing architecture and intriguing history – they offer an old-world charm which new-build hotels just can’t replicate.

Original features like stained glass windows, frescoed ceilings, and parquet flooring give us a peek into a building’s past and with a bit of careful restoration, they can play an integral part in a hotel’s interior design.

Citizen Femme • 30th March 2020

Upgrade Isolation The 12 Most Secluded Remote Islands And Private Hotels

Soft powdery sand between our toes. The damp, mossy smell of a rainforest teeming with life. Sunset cocktails next to the shimmering ocean. Snow-covered mountains and wild, untamed landscapes. We’re yearning for all of it right now.

Staying indoors for the foreseeable has got us reminiscing about past trips, and meticulously planning future travels. If we’ve got to stay indoors and self-isolate then we’d much rather be doing it on a far-flung tropical island, a luxury farm in Northern Iceland, or even a rainforest lodge in Ecuador.

Citizen Femme • 12th May 2020

Hot Hotels: Learning From Your Living Room

If there’s one thing that staying at home has given us, it’s time. Time to read, time to watch, time to listen and time to learn.

The doors of our favourite hotels might be temporarily closed, but many have found creative ways to stay connected with their communities. They’ve flung open their virtual doors and are giving us a taste of travel, hospitality and self-care online. Learning from our sofa never felt so adventurous!

Citizen Femme • 28th April 2020

Hot Hotels: The Coolest Hotel Gift Shops

Hotel shops have a bad rap. If, when imagining a hotel gift shop, your mind drifts to naff swimsuits gathering dust, gaudy jewellery and a random assortment of nick-knacks that even Great Aunt Jean would turn her nose up at, you wouldn’t be alone.

A few hotels, however, are doing the hotel gift shop exceptionally well, including collaborations with big-name fashion brands, working with local artists (to create souvenirs you actually want), and selling homemade produce.

Citizen Femme • 25th March 2020

Forest Bathing In Your Own Home

Spring is in full bloom here in London. The sun is shining, and the trees have started to blossom, their baby pink and white hues brightening up even the dreariest of London streets.

In normal circumstances, it would be the perfect time to get outside, immerse ourselves in nature, or perhaps try a spot of Forest Bathing (a mindful amble through the woods). But with current government guidelines keeping us housebound, Spring 2020 will likely be spent indoors. It’s time to bring the plants inside.

Citizen Femme • 6th February 2020

The Romance Of Baroque Architecture Where To Find It

Some cities are achingly beautiful. They’re the cities whose architecture is so magnificent, we gape in awe. The cities whose landmarks are steeped in so much history we feel star struck. They’re the cities we never want to leave.

Luxury Lifestyle Magazine • 15th May 2020

A taste of Greece: Discovering Santorini’s volcanic vineyards

‘The vineyards are over there,’ says Gregory Georgiadou, the enthusiastic co-owner of Santorini Getaways and our winery tour guide.

He’s pointing to a large field marked with white stones; patches of shrubs sprout from the dry soil. Puzzled, we follow him towards the shrubby field and realise we’re actually looking at twisted vines woven into basket shapes.

Citizen Femme • 11th December 2019

The Beauty Haul Diaries Irene Forte

Irene Forte knows a thing or two about luxury beauty. She’s the Wellness Director at British hotel group Rocco Forte Hotels (founded by her father, Sir Rocco Forte), and last year she launched her sustainable skincare line – Irene Forte Skincare – inspired by her Italian heritage and travels across Sicily.

“Sustainability is part of our DNA and is not simply an afterthought” Irene tells us.

Citizen Femme • 21st October 2019

CF’S Favourite Sustainable Weekend Trips

Escaping London and enjoying a cosy couple of days in the countryside, or popping across to one of Europe’s beautifully romantic cities – Bonjour Paris! – are excellent ways to spend a weekend.

But driving long distances or taking the plane, even for a short-haul journey, both have an environmental impact thanks to their C02 emissions.

Citizen Femme • 11th October 2019

Hot Hotels: Londons Best Eco Hotels

When picturing an eco hotel, visions of treehouses nestled in Costa Rica’s jungle or bamboo lodges blending effortlessly into Indonesia’s forests might spring to mind, but eco hotels are no longer reserved for far-flung tropical locations. From boutique city hotels to all-inclusive resorts, hoteliers are slowly waking up to the huge impact they’re having on the environment and its natural resources.