Q Magazine - Summer 2019

EXPERIENCES Recent travel memoirs from the ladies at Quality Travel Diana Diana decided to avoid the bleak January days in the UK and headed off to Thailand and then on to the sun drenched island of Koh Samui in Thailand where there are a number of top end hotels. She visited the iconic Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bangkok on the banks of the Chao Phraya river, before flying north to stay at the lovely Anantara Chiang Mai Resort and then onwards to Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort (featured on page 12), which has to be on everyone’s ‘bucket list’. Then it was on to Koh Samui, staying at the peaceful Six Senses Samui Hotel , which is located on the northern tip of Samui with stunning views of the Gulf of Thailand and the elegant Belmond Napasai with its beautiful location and excellent facilities. Diana also had the opportunity to visit Turkey in May and was able to experience the Bodrum Peninsular region where Mandarin Oriental have a stunning luxury resort set in an idyllic location overlooking the Aegean Sea. Having spent a few days at Mandarin Oriental, she travelled by boat to Six Senses Kaplankaya which is also set on a hillside overlooking the Aegean Sea and is contemporary in style with all guestrooms and suites overlooking the sea. Bodrum can be accessed with a relatively short flight and could certainly be considered as a long weekend destination as well as for a longer stay. BelmondNapasai,KohSamui MandarinOrientalBodrum Sally Sally spent a couple of nights at Temple Guiting Manor . Set amid 14.5 acres of beautiful landscaped grounds in the quintessentially English countryside of the Cotswolds, this 15th Century Manor House comes with a host of medieval features, including exposed beams, leaded windows and secret staircases. It really makes you feel as though you are a character in a romantic novel! Despite all this, the house is equipped with modern amenities. There’s a contemporary kitchen, plus an indoor hot tub in a former dovecote and a brilliant Secret Cinema Room. The manor sleeps up to 10 people, but for larger parties there is a luxuriously converted five-bedroom barn, a newly launched three-bedroom Granary and two idyllic one-bedroom hideaways perfect for party overspills; the self-contained Cow Byre and the Grade I listed Peacock Shed. It really is the perfect location for a big family celebration. She has also just come back from Mauritius, where she stayed at the very wonderful St Regis Mauritius . From the moment you arrive at the resort, you immediately feel ‘at home’. The delightful hotel staff couldn’t do more to make you feel relaxed. The food was delicious, the beach is brilliant, the Spa is sublime and for those who want to be more active, there are loads of activities on offer – from climbing Mount La Morne to Rum Tasting or watersports and boat trips to swim with dolphins that just happen to be passing by! There is also a large villa which is perfect for multi-generational family groups. This resort really has something for everyone and Sally was very sad to leave! TempleGuitingManor StRegisMauritius