Well, would you refuse an invitation to attend the VIP opening of a W Hotel? In Istanbul of all places! Along with the added bonus of the opening of Jean Georges’ new Spice Market restaurant? Well, that’s our excuse for interrupting our coverage of stylish Cyprus and being silent last week, so we hope you’ll forgive us. In between dining at Spice Market with the W’s gorgeous management team, Starwood’s lovely global public relations team and a select group of travel journalists from around the...

Limassol has a tiny old town centre with a low-key feel and a few lovely streets that are worth exploring. When we last visited a few years ago the old town was dilapidated and the shops in the main street drab. These days the city boasts a whole street of chic shops and the old town itself boasts a few engaging sites. While still a tad ramshackle in parts, the old town is full of character. Many of the old stone buildings feature pretty iron lace-work balconies and blue wooden shutters and...

Once again we need to beg your forgiveness for not staying in touch. While Charles and Marie have been living it up in Milan, we’ve been doing the hard slog on the road in Cyprus searching out stylish hotels, sublime spas, divine restaurants and funky shops for you. Well, okay then, we admit it wasn’t that hard after all. Cyprus was in fact a pleasant surprise. It had been a few years since we’d been there and we were relieved to see that it’s shedding its image as a package tour destination...

An Indian spruiker approaches us to see if we want a suit made, a young Thai woman calls us over to have a massage, another invites us to get some dreadlocks or a tattoo or a piercing… tailor shops, massage parlours, Reggae bars… no, we weren’t negotiating a bustling back street of Bangkok, we were strolling Chaweng Beach on Thailand’s Samui island. Most travellers either love it or hate it. We love it and hate it. The beach itself is undeniably beautiful – postcard pretty – with its soft sand...

The eerily beautiful abandoned towns of Serjilla, Al Bara, Jerada, and Ruwiha, known as the Dead Cities, make for another wonderful day trip from Aleppo. Gorgeous crumbling grey stone churches, monasteries, residences, wine presses, bathhouses, and tombs lie in ruins, scattered across undulating limestone hills shaded with olive groves and cherry trees, and in spring and summer, blanketed with wildflowers. Some of the buildings are so remarkably well preserved it's as if they were only recently...

The splendid ruins of the Basilica of Saint Simeon, also known as Qala’at Samaan, makes for a fabulous day trip from Aleppo. While the architecture is impressive and the ruins are an atmospheric place for a wander – or even for a picnic under the olive trees – it’s worth learning about the amazing story of Simeon to get the most out of your visit. The eccentric character, born in AD 392, moved into an isolated cave at a young age to lead a monastic life. Unfortunately people were so impressed...

Aleppo’s National Museum is a must – a visit here is truly compelling, from the colossal wide-eyed granite figures out front to the wonderful finds on display inside from some of the Middle East’s most important archaeological sites. From digs such as Tell Brak, excavated by Agatha Christie’s husband Sir Max, to the ancient port of Ugarit, highlights include a gorgeous bronzed lion from the Euphrates River site of Mari (his twin brother is in the Louvre!) to beautiful ivory carvings...

We had this gorgeous Aleppan courtyard building all to ourselves the day we visited. The only other person around was an old guard who unlocked each of the doors to the exhibitions rooms then followed us around. Unfortunately Aleppo’s Museum of Popular Tradition is not so popular after all. It’s a pity, because this building in the Al Jdeida quarter, is simply stunning. While the kooky mannequins in traditional dress are deliciously kitsch, there are some wonderful antique costumes and textiles...

The marvelous Grand Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo, also known as the Great Mosque, is one of those must-do sights. The beautiful mosque has benefited from the Old City rehabilitation project and has been splendidly restored, it's stones cleaned and tiles polished, and the freestanding minaret (pictured), dating back to 1090AD, is looking especially fabulous after its makeover. While there's enough exquisite architectural detail and intricate decoration to fill an hour, the verandahs in the courtyard...

The aging beauty that is Old Aleppo may be in rehab, according to ‘The Project for the Rehabilitation of the Old City of Aleppo’, a fascinating exhibition at the beautifully restored Al Shibani School building in the Old City. But we like to think of her as having some badly needed nips and tucks. Even if you’re not an architectural buff and have no interest in restoration or urban planning, this little exhibition is worth a look just to admire the lovely stone building with elegant arches,...