Justin Parfitt has sent 47 emails, called more than 30 times, and spent an estimated six hours on the phone with Turkish Airlines in an attempt to change his family's flight home from Indonesia to France, he told Business Insider.
16.05.2024 - 11:49 / forbes.com
“The hotel is one of the most unique properties in the whole of the UK, “ says Gainsborough Bath Spa’s general manager, Marc Mac Closkey. The Dublin-born hotel manager is a natural raconteur, but he’s not putting a PR spin on what are the charms of the hotel, carved out of two Grade II listed buildings in the heart of Bath—it is genuinely one-of-a-kind.
The only hotel in the city of Bath—if not the UK—to harness the power of the city’s natural, thermal spring waters, Gainsborough Bath Spa has revived the ancient practice of social bathing for modern-day guests. The city’s ancient waters were first utilised by the Romans, who created the original bath houses surrounding the city’s springs, a practice which can now be tapped into at the hotel, with guests following a specially-devised one hour water circuit in its spa.
“Under the hotel, sits an ‘engine room’—our nerve centre—from where we drill down for the natural spring water and then purify it and cool it before pumping it into the spa,” says Marc. These waters are then celebrated across a series of pools found at the hotel’s Spa Village Bath–a modern replica of the Roman bath houses of old.
“The water actually comes up from the earth at 120°F,” says Marc. “It’s too hot, so we also have to reduce it to 92°F to be used in the therapeutic pools.”
It’s a seductive place and easy to lose hours in the facilities, which feature two small balneo pools to relax in, and a main floating pool, found under a Victorian-style glass atrium, as well as traditional and infrared saunas, a steam room and ice chamber to while away the time.
New for this year, the hotel has collaborated with cult Hungarian skincare brand, Omorovicza, with five new mineral cure rituals added to its treatment menu.
“It’s the perfect fit,” says Marc. “Omorovicza uses the healing minerals of Budapest’s thermal waters within its products and therapies, and it is a nice link to our own thermal springs found in the city.”
The Omorovicza treatments on offer include a Hungarian Mud Detox, a Mineral Mud Scrub and special facials and body treatments that use the properties of gold to reduce inflammation. All therapies also lock in the healing properties of thermal water, which helps with detoxifying the body and hydrataing the skin. A highlight is the Bespoke Mineral Revitalising Facial, which includes a mask made of Moor Mud, to decongest and refine the skin’s surface, and Omorovicza’s signature facial massage to leave skin firmer and lifted
The hotel, which opened its doors to great acclaim in 2015, is the first in the UK by YTL Hotels, the Malaysian hotel brand, renowned for its hotels, boutique experiences and spa villages found across Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Japan. Paying homage to
Justin Parfitt has sent 47 emails, called more than 30 times, and spent an estimated six hours on the phone with Turkish Airlines in an attempt to change his family's flight home from Indonesia to France, he told Business Insider.
Not too long ago, Malta, an intriguing island found 50 miles south of Sicily, had something of an image problem: it was intrinsically linked as the destination of choice for retirees and perhaps the last place that an adventurous traveler might venture.
A version of this article originally appeared in Condé Nast Traveller UK.
China has extended visa-free travel for 11 European countries and Malaysia until the end of 2025.
Hubby launches eSIM in the UK, On The Beach is its first UK partner.
In the ever-expanding wellness world, one of the latest trends is actually one of the oldest: soaking in, and sometimes drinking, therapeutic waters. In ancient Greece, physicians, including Hippocrates, prescribed mineral-rich baths to treat everything from skin diseases to insomnia. (According to one theory, the word “spa” is an acronym of the Latin phrase “sanus per aqua,” meaning “health by water.”) The practice has also been employed in Asia since at least the sixth century A.D., when nomadic Buddhists are said to have brought the concept of onsen (inns and bathhouses built around natural geothermal pools) to Japan from the Korean Peninsula. Now, with various forms of hydrotherapy, such as cold plunges and steam saunas, making a comeback, wellness entrepreneurs are debuting properties centered on bathing. Here, five places to take a dip.
When traveling between two destinations, flying isn’t always the fastest option. Train stations are often located in city centers, making them easier and quicker to get to/from than an airport. You also don’t have to factor in time spent going through security like you do at an airport.
Along the promenade come the crowds: drag queens spouting one-liners, farmers gossiping in Welsh, a choir out of rehearsal but still singing, and a man who raps to himself and the heavens. There seem to be as many dogs as humans, and twice as many gulls, all eyeing the fish and chips. The funicular railway up the cliff has a queue of Hasidic Jewish families clutching ice-creams, and the pier is packed with good-humoured Brummies enjoying the snooker tables and push-penny machines, waiting for the nightclub, Pier Pressure, to open. By the ruined castle a party of Australian fans of TV crime series Hinterland are gazing around in bemusement: is this really a gritty murder capital? Behind the town rise the mountains of mid-Wales; out front is the sparkling sea. This is Aberystwyth on a sunny afternoon.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I decided to sell my travel business and become a full-time writer.
Hundreds of new flights will serve the European Arctic region this year, collectively offering tens of thousands of additional seats. In recent weeks, major airlines from across the continent have announced a flurry of routes to destinations deep within the Arctic Circle.
Readiness and data insights to deal with climate change effects and its impact in destinations’ perception can make a difference when designing and executing promotional strategies, to ensure travellers’ expectation do not fall far from the actual experience. This is one of the main arguments Mabrian, the global travel intelligence company, brought to the Resilience Council panel, held during the latest edition of Arabian Travel Market.
Mabrian data indicates that France, United Kingdom and United States are the most sensitive key outbound markets for this region to climate perception, showing the importance unveiling insights based on data to align travellers’ expectations with their actual experience and future demand.