Our hearty congratulations to the following Best Loved Winners at the South West Tourism Awards announced on 6 February at Torquay:
Bed & Breakfast and Guest Accommdation of the Year:
Gold Award – Pentillie Castle, St Mellion, Cornwall
Small Hotel of the Year Winners:
Gold Award – The Bath Priory Hotel, Restaurant & Spa, Bath
Silver Award – The Manor House Hotel, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire
Large Hotel of the Year Winners:
Gold Award – Bovey Castle, North Bovey, Devon
Bronze Award – Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort, Calne, Wiltshire
Large Hotel of the Year Highly Commended:
Headland Hotel, Newquay, Cornwall
St Michael’s …

As part of our series of guest bloggers, Janice Waugh of Solo Traveler stops in Edinburgh to investigate Hotel Missoni.
Last November at The World Travel Market in London I had the chance to meet in the acclaimed travel blogger and social-media advocate, Janice Waugh. Up to then Janice and I had what could be called a casual electronic acquaintanceship on Twitter.
Yes, @bestlovedhotels and Janice, affectionately known as @solotraveller, had exchanged tweets from time to time admiring each other’s work.  Since 2009, Janice has carved out an interesting niche writing …

Amie O’Shaughnessy is the Founder and Managing Editor of Ciao Bambino, an award-winning global family travel resource featuring trusted hotel recommendations, extensive destination-related insight, and tips for traveling with kids all ages from babies to teens.
 I asked Jeffrey Epstein for his advice on a family-friendly weekend getaway from the Best Loved Hotels portfolio that would be appropriate and fun for a multi-generational group including our 8-year-old son. Given our limited time for this holiday — just 72 hours — we also needed something that was no more than a 2–hour …

By Olive Roberts
Best Loved Hotel; Knockranny House Hotel in Westport, County Mayo has just launched a new training weekend programme designed specifically for beginners to triathlons. If you enjoy the outdoors and like a challenge, or have never tried a triathlon, this is a perfect way to get started! This is also one of the most wonderful locations in Ireland, overlooking Clew Bay and Croagh Patrick to begin your triathlon journey.
 
Knockranny House Hotel; awarded Best Four Star Hotel in Ireland by Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards 2010, has …

By Olive Roberts
Well I think most folk in Ireland will agree that Christmas 2010 will not be forgotten for a while to come. Temperatures got as low as -16 & -19 in some parts! A White Christmas indeed! This Arctic weather spell was in the lead up to Christmas and bookings were made and events planned. Some went ahead and others just had to be postponed or cancelled altogether. Spending Christmas at a Country House or Hotel is a big deal for people, many guests return to the same property …

Every Friday people from across the globe gather on Twitter to share their favorite images that match the Forum’s weekly category. #FriFotos is a day-long event, and people can participate and Tweet images throughout the day.

 
We will announce the weekly subject or category on Twitter usually on Monday or Tueday. Recent themes have been Autumn, Where I would rather be…, and Childhood Categories vary from personal travel experiences to everyday life to fun and off-the-wall subject matter. Just search for #FriFotos  to find the week’s topic.
When the forum begins, by …

Mary Ryan, an accomplished chef from Knockranny House Hotel, working under the mentorship of multi award-winning Head Chef Seamus Commons, has just been announced as the overall winner of the Euro-toques Young Chef of the Year Competition.
 
The prestigious Euro-toques Young Chef of the Year Competition seeks out excellent cooks who think about what is happening beyond the kitchen, such as where their ingredients come from and how they are sourced and produced.
As the overall winner, Mary receives a €1000 cash prize along with mentoring and training from Head Chefs in …

Author: Stuart Honey (Twitter)
It’s not every day that I get to be a tourist attraction – in fact, let’s be real, never.
Well, this afternoon an out-of-town visitor to London took a photo of me as I was passing by Regent’s Park. Actually, I rather suspect he was snapping at the bike I was riding and my being there was purely incidental.  I was on one of 6000 hire bikes that have been seen on the streets of London over the last three months.
Distinctive sturdy and blue, they are available from …

This winter let three fantastically talented chefs delight your taste buds on three differing dates in three different venues.
Who are they: Well Paul Flynn from the Tannery in Dungarvan, Martijn Kajuiter from the Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore and Eddie Baguio from O’Brien’s Chophouse in Lismore – all West Waterford properties which have come together and each one will cook one of the courses for each of the 3 feasts!
Tannery – Thursday November 18th 2010
Tannery Chef and Owner Paul Flynn will cook the main course, Martijn from the Cliff House …

The AA Hospitality Awards are one of the major events in the travel industry’s calendar. The AA selects winners “in recognition of excellence and success within their chosen category, having shown a significant improvement in the preceding 12 to 18 months and proving their dedication to raising industry standards and enhancing both their guest and diner experiences.”
The awards were announced on 27 September, and we are very pleased, though by no means surprised, to find several Best Loved hotels represented among this year’s elect. And the winners are…
AA Hotel of …