NEAR AND FAR Insider travel tips, from Cape Town to Cornwall

From long-haul dreams to British breaks, our people in the know give their suggestions for how to travel in style

CAPE TOWN

Karen Roos, founder of the Babylonstoren hotel in South Africa and The Newt hotel in Somerset, reveals her favourite places in the city

■ The perfect Cape Town day starts with a walk along the Sea Point Promenade that curves along the water’s edge, followed by coffee on a stoep (an open terrace) looking out over Table Mountain. The Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel (above left) is beautiful – almost all properties in Cape Town have mountain views. It is the backdrop to life here (belmond.com).

■ Stay at the Dorp hotel in the Bo-kaap (above, top right). Perched up on the slopes of Signal Hill, the property was designed by hotelier and owner Gail Behr (dorp.co.za).

■ For drinks, head to Publik on Kloof Nek Road (above, centre right). It’s a bar that specialises in independent, artisan-made South African wines (publik.co.za).

■ Twin sisters and self-taught chefs Jamie and Jesse Friedberg’s restaurant Between Us is a must. It has a chic, airy interior and you’ll find it at 176 Bree Street (betweenus.capetown).

■ The minimalist interiors shop Lim (above, bottom right), which stands for ‘less is more’, is a brilliant trove on Kloof Street (lim.co.za).

CORNWALL

Nathan Outlaw, the chef behind Outlaw’s New Road in Port Isaac, shares his top spots

■ The best beach is Trevone, just outside Padstow. Like much of Cornwall’s coastline, it’s quite a steep, narrow drive to get there but well worth it.

■ Make sure to visit the Minack Theatre (above, top), carved into the cliff at Porthcurno. Its acoustics and its backdrop are both spectacular (minack.com).

■ Stay at Coombeshead Farm in Lewannick (above, bottom). It’s a working farm set in 66 acres, but also offers quality accommodation, a restaurant and a bakery (coombesheadfarm.co.uk).

■ Porthminster Café in St Ives is a great place to eat. It’s right on the beach and offers a mix of Asian and Mediterranean dishes (porthminstercafe.co.uk).

■ For local seafood, head to Fresh From The Sea in Port Isaac. It’s small but you can order dishes made with the most amazing crab and lobster caught in the bay. In my opinion, it’s the best crab sandwich in the country (freshfromthesea.co.uk).

LOS ANGELES

The inside guide courtesy of lifestyle brand and interior designer Kelly Wearstler

■ One of my favourite things about LA is the interiors shopping. For curated, eclectic vintage and contemporary art, furniture and accessories go to The Future Perfect (thefutureperfect.com).

■ Stay at Santa Monica Proper (above, top). I’ve recently restored this 1920s building, fitting out the interior with work from local artists. It’s just a few minutes’ walk from the beach (properhotel.com).

■ Coffee is a big deal here. I stop at Urth Caffé (above, bottom) every morning on my way to the studio for a double dry macchiato (urthcaffe.com).

■ The Broad Museum is an incredible gallery founded by philanthropist Eli Broad. The architecture is iconic and the collection inside is amazing, including several giant pieces by Jeff Koons (thebroad.org).

■ Have drinks at The Tower Bar, beloved for the art deco architecture and unparalleled views of the city. And the best Bellini in town (sunsettowerhotel.com). →

EDINBURGH

Tom Kitchin, chef at The Kitchin, gives his pick of places to visit

■ Edinburgh is a foodie city and you must try the smoked salmon from Welch Fishmongers in Newhaven Harbour (welchfishmongers.com).

■ Book a room at The Balmoral, an iconic hotel on Princes Street (roccofortehotels.com).

■ The Little Chartroom on Albert Place is a small restaurant with a big reputation. The owners Roberta and Shaun have created a great wee neighbourhood restaurant (thelittlechartroom.com).

■ Have a dram at The Athletic Arms, although locals call it ‘the Diggers’ because it is nestled between two graveyards! They have an amazing selection of over 250 whiskies (athleticarms.com).

■ Southside Scran (above, top) is the restaurant with the best interiors (southsidescran.com).

■ Both Inverleith Park and the Royal Botanic Garden (above, bottom) are beautiful places to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

THE LAKE DISTRICT

Simon Rogan, chef and founder of L’enclume, on what you shouldn’t miss

■ The best day in the Lakes starts at Coniston (above, top). Park in the village to look around and then hire a motorboat for a trip around the lake before heading back to village and its lovely pubs.

■ Stay at Linthwaite House (above, bottom). The grounds have amazing views of Lake Windermere and the hotel even has its own tarn, where you can try your hand at rowing and fishing (leeucollection.com).

■ Walk to the top of Gummer’s How, one of the smaller hills on the eastern edge of Lake Windermere. The panoramic views are magnificent.

■ The Masons Arms has the most wonderful views of the fells, all the way to Scout Scar. It’s an old, rustic inn, which serves a killer roast on a Sunday (masonsarmsstrawberrybank.co.uk).

■ Pop into Plumgarths farm shop for Cumberland sausage or salt marsh lamb produced by farmers and artisans from the area (plumgarths.co.uk). &