Winston Churchill travel tips

We’ve gathered a list of the top sights and activities in this beautiful, historic country.

It’s inevitable: Every spring when we pull together the Hot List, our annual collection of the world’s best new hotels, restaurants, and cruise ships, a staffer remarks that this latest iteration has got to be the best one ever. After a year’s worth of traveling the globe—to stay the night at a converted farmhouse in the middle of an olive grove outside Marrakech, or sail aboard a beloved cruise line’s inaugural Antarctic voyage—it’s easy to see why we get attached. But this year’s Hot List, our 28th edition, might really be the best one ever. It’s certainly our most diverse, featuring not only a hotel suite that was once Winston Churchill’s office, but also the world’s largest cruise ship and restaurants from Cape Town to Bali. We were surprised and inspired by this year’s honorees, and we know you will be too. These are the Hot List's restaurant winners for 2024.

It’s inevitable: Every spring when we pull together the Hot List, our annual collection of the world’s best new hotels, restaurants, and cruise ships, a staffer remarks that this latest iteration has got to be the best one ever. After a year’s worth of traveling the globe—to stay the night at a converted farmhouse in the middle of an olive grove outside Marrakech, or sail aboard a beloved cruise line’s inaugural Antarctic voyage—it’s easy to see why we get attached. But this year’s Hot List, our 28th edition, might really be the best one ever. It’s certainly our most diverse, featuring not only a hotel suite that was once Winston Churchill’s office, but also the world’s largest cruise ship and restaurants from Cape Town to Bali. We were surprised and inspired by this year’s honorees, and we know you will be too. These are the Hot List hotel winners for 2024.

Home to the Dukes of Marlborough since 1705, Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Set in over 2,000 acres of Lancelot “Capability” Brown landscaped parkland and designed by Sir John Vanbrugh, who also designed Castle Howard, Yorkshire, this imposing palace is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. The Baroque style palace is a fittingly grand location for an exhibition celebrating figures from fashion, one of the UK’s most successful industries. The just opened Icons of British Fashion features a line-up of world-class designers and labels, with each fashion house taking over a significant room.

Tucked away on Birmingham's Colmore Row, overlooking the grounds of St. Phillips Cathedral, sits The Grand Hotel Birmingham, an elegant Grade II-listed hotel dating back to 1879 that has hosted a myriad of notable figures, from Winston Churchill to Charlie Chaplin.

For a truly memorable visit to London, you can stay in the former office of Winston Churchill, Lawrence of Arabia and the infamous John Profumo. The Old War Office was where Richard Haldane, Britain’s first secretary of war, was a key player in the founding of MI5 and MI6 in 1909. Tread the same hallways as Ian Fleming when he worked in intelligence during WWII and the spies (both men and women) who inspired his famous character James “007” Bond. The building has been used in various Bond films, as the MI6 headquarters in Octopussy (1983), A View to a Kill (1985), Licence to Kill (1989), Skyfall (2002) and Spectre (2015).

For travelers with a love of history, there’s something truly special about staying in historic neighborhoods and preserved town centers surrounded by iconic monuments and story-filled city streets. A hotel redolent with the whispers of centuries past can be the ideal addition to an immersive journey, offering not just a place to rest, but a living testament to the captivating historic narratives of the region. From restored convents and department stores, to festival hot spots and hideaways for the elite, check out 6 incredible heritage hotels from around the world that are ideal for a March break getaway.

According to professional travel organisation, European Best Destinations, the Portuguese island of Madeira is the best place to see the annual New Year’s Eve fireworks display. The travel experts polled a panel of 11,963 travellers from 112 countries, mainly from the United Kingdom (22,42%) and the United States (18,91%) and found the top destination to count down the 2024 New Year is Madeira, followed by Marbella (Spain) with London ranking number three. Here are the top ten.

It’s been a busy year for the capital’s luxury hotel scene. A string of high-profile, and often high-priced, openings was crowned this autumn when the long-anticipated Raffles London at the OWO flung open its doors, taking over the building that once housed the Old War Office. Beyond such headline-grabbing launches, the accommodation offering in the city remains in rude health, with plenty of character available for travellers looking beyond the very top end of the market. There are boutique hotels squirrelled away in Georgian townhouses, budget pads in the midst of Piccadilly and huge complexes offering a world of bars, restaurants and entertainment across multiple floors. 

An iconic cornerstone of London’s landscape, the city’s Old War Office building is set to settle into a brand-new identity this month. Sold to the Hinduja group in 2016, the building is opening its doors to the public once again, this time revamped into the Raffles London at The OWO. This will be Raffles Hotels & Resorts’ first location in the United Kingdom. Rаffles’ hotels are known for bringing together impeccable hospitality, design, and exclusive environments, and The OWO is no exception. Storytelling and preservation are the focus here, and Raffles properties allow guests to spend their trip basking in history.

In the distance, the verdant North Downs stretch out for miles, the chalk hills gently undulating until their ridges merge with the horizon. Closer, still, are fields of white lacey Cowslip and wild yellow Woodsorrel which dot the landscape with pops of colour. It’s hard to believe that we’re a short drive away from central London.

It’s been hidden from public eyes for more than a hundred years. But in a few weeks time, the former Old War Office in London, Whitehall will finally open its doors after a multi-million-dollar transformation.

It turns out that luxury London hotels are like buses. You wait ages for one to open, and then two, or in this case several, come at once.

Overlooking the English Channel is a small resort town bedecked with freestone facades and half-timbered houses. English is heard everywhere, from the Art Deco Westminster hotel to the lighthouse, which, on the occasion of the late Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, was lit up with Her Majesty's favourite colours. The bells of city hall chime in an echo of Big Ben, and it was just announced that the town's airport will soon be rechristened after Queen Elizabeth II.

There are many historical properties turned into luxury hotels.

As autumn collections go, it’s looking pretty spectacular. On September 12, the Peninsula opens its doors in London for the first time. The position is superb - overlooking Hyde Park corner, close to Buckingham Palace. Architect Peter Marino has opted for a calm and considered approach in the 190 rooms and suites; they are as large and well-designed as you'd hope from their price tag, from £1,300 a night.

Standing on a strip-lit London Underground platform, I’m staring at the billboards across the tracks. Primary colours jump out above grimy rails. To the left is a placard for cheap holidays in the sun, to the right a poster for new West End play Diana’s Fortune. But the adverts are strangely vague when it comes to details. Holidays where, exactly? And why no mention of which theatre is staging the play? 

It's not often that I'm treated with a stay at a five-star hotel. It's even less often that I can stay at a hotel that's been ranked even higher than five stars — in fact, it's only happened once, earlier this month.

Subtropical heat, golden beaches, craft distilleries and spicy curries: Durban is an intriguing mix of urban South Africa and the Indian subcontinent, with a generous sprinkling of hipster culture thrown in. From surf to spirits, we reveal six reasons you should make time for this sunny city.

This bespoke travel itinerary was curated in partnership with Xbox One X and is part of Visit Xbox 2019. Put your self in the game and visit some of the incredible destinations that inspired the open world to Forza 4. Book this trip

“For magnificence, for variety of form and colour, for profusion of brilliant life… Uganda is truly the pearl of Africa.” – My African Journey, Winston Churchill, 1908