Getting the flavour of…
Liming on Tobago
Owing to its oil wealth, Trinidad and Tobago is less developed for tourism than other Caribbean island nations. Trinidad is relatively “big and brash”, but Tobago, which is smaller than the Isle of Wight, is very “chilled”, says Mike Atkins in The Times. Stay at the “gorgeous” Castara Retreats, which overlooks a “smashing” beach that’s as popular with locals as tourists. Scarborough, the “utilitarian” capital, is worth visiting for its excellent street food – try the “fluffy” rotis filled with curried chicken, potato and chickpeas. Hiking the forested Gilpin Trace path, you’ll spot “bewitching” wildlife, including birds with names worthy of Roald Dahl (fuscous flycatchers, grey-throated leaftossers, olivaceous woodcreepers). And the rest of the time, if you’re not content with just relaxing (or “liming”, as the locals put it), there are some “celebrated” dive sites offshore.
Le Marche’s authentic charm
The Italian region of Le Marche is far less visited than its showy neighbours, Umbria and Tuscany, says Mia Aimaro Ogden in The Sunday Times. It’s not that it lacks for high culture: the medieval hill towns of Urbino and Recanati are “as charming as anything Tuscany can offer”; nor will you struggle here to find fantastic food, as the region’s restaurants include the three-- Michelin-starred Uliassi in the resort town of Senigallia. There are natural attractions too. The landscape ranges from rolling agricultural land to the wild beauty of the Monti Sibillini National Park, with its high peaks, glacial lakes, and “glimpses of eagles, wolves and wildcats”. Located on the east coast, the region also has beautiful beaches, which are deserted outside July and August. If you want to experience rural Italy without the British, Le Marche is the place to go.
High style on Skye
The Isle of Skye is justly famed for its mountains, which are as “jagged” as any in Scotland – but in common with other Hebridean islands, it now has a “maverick” creative side that is attracting a more diverse range of visitors, says Antonia Quirke in Condé Nast Traveller. A magnificently isolated “sliver of aluminium, turf, wood and glass”, Single Track must be Scotland’s most remote espresso bar and art supplies store, and is wildly popular for its superb coffee, cakes and 9B pencils. Dine at The Three Chimneys or Edinbane Lodge, which has been “the talk of Skye” since its relaunch last year by local chef Calum Montgomery. And there are plenty of stylish places to stay: The Cabin (a sleek modernist holiday let), the recently refurbished but still proudly traditional Kinloch Lodge, and Mint Croft, a “profoundly pretty” b&b.