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ANGELINA VILLA-CLARKE

Freelance Journalist

TRAVEL

The Standard •

Midulting in the Middle East: An indulgent solo trip was the perfect de-stresser

I’m in the middle of the desert. It’s night-time – pitch-black – and from within the car, I can’t see a thing around me. Around an hour ago, the bumper-to-bumper traffic in Doha had fallen away, to leave the 4x4 I am travelling in the only vehicle on the road. Its headlights pick out strange shadows in the dense darkness. It is eerily quiet. Suddenly my phone rings, nearly making me jump out of my skin. It feels so remote, that I’m shocked I have service.I am en route to stay in the new Our Habi...
Wanderlust •

9 incredible experiences to soak up Barbados slowly - Wanderlust

Touch down in Barbados and you are instantly greeted by tropical trade winds that welcome you like a warm hug.
The Caribbean island is well known for its friendly face of tourism, with many visitors attracted primarily to the west coast, where luxury hotels hold court on icing-sugar sands and top-tier restaurants offer stellar dining experiences. Delve a little deeper, however, and you’ll find that this sun-drenched island boasts more than just pristine beaches and delicious rum...
The Standard •

Think all-inclusive is a dirty word? The Turkish resort leading the change

Welcome to Rixos Premium Belek, found close to Antalya on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast, and one of the new breed of all-inclusive resorts that is redefining the ‘pre-paid’ hotel experience. Gone are cheap buffets and, instead, guests are able to dine in sophisticated restaurants offering authentic cuisine and locally-sourced ingredients. Out is bland, cookie-cutter design to be replaced by a polished aesthetic and sumptuous décor. While you might still find the odd water aerobics class, you’re...
Wanderlust •

A world of Wonder Awaits - Wanderlust

Arrive in style by flying with Emirates. The award-winning airline flies to more than 140 destinations and connects to over 1,700 cities through its airline partners. So, wherever you want to go in 2025 and beyond, Emirates can get you there. Flying via Dubai? Be sure to make the most of your stopover too, as Emirates has made it easier than ever to explore Dubai either on the way to or back from your final destination.
Onboard, you can expect comfortable cabins and hospitable cr...
CN Traveller •

The best hotels in the Seychelles

The otherworldly beauty of the Seychelles has long attracted curious travellers and fanned its reputation for both exoticism and elitism. Thanks to the islands' remoteness – 1,600km off the east coast of Africa – they have never been cheap to visit, or, for that matter, on any cruise-ship itineraries. A great number of the islands have never been sullied by human habitation and remain splendid reminders of how things were a million years ago, like miniature versions of the Galápagos or Madagasca...
The Independent •

People are unthinking – a guest at my son’s christening asked if he was the milkman’s

Amid the ongoing fallout from Omid Scobie’s new book, here’s an interesting aside. Endgame elaborates on an incident mentioned by Harry and Meghan during their interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, in which senior members of the household were reputed to have wondered aloud how dark their son Archie might be.The story has been routinely described in reports as “explosive” and ”shocking”. As a mother of two mixed-heritage boys, I’m neither shocked nor surprised.As soon as I began dating my husban...
Mail Online •

Inside the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express with glossy, vintage cabins

07:25, 10 Nov 2023, updated

07:33, 10 Nov 2023



By

ANGELINA VILLA-CLARKE

Amid the irritable commuters and day-trippers at Florence’s Campo di Marte railway station, our heels and polished brogues click-clack conspicuously along the concourse. Overdressed?

Yes, we most certainly are.

Most trains are a means of getting from A to B, but the fabled Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is different. We are about to embark on a 24-hour trip paying homa...
Mail Online •

Can pancakes REALLY plump up your skin?

By ANGELINA VILLA-CLARKE Published: 00:00, 5 June 2023 | Updated: 00:01, 5 June 2023 A chocolate pancake that promises to give you a glowing complexion? Don’t be absurd!Yet that’s the claim of one of the new generation of ‘food items’ that apparently come with health or beauty benefits baked in.In the case of the pancake, it’s skin-boosting collagen. But other edibles contain herbs, vitamins or protein specifically added to give you bouncy hair or better nails, combat insomnia or boost y...
CN Traveller •

The best spas in Scotland

Best for: wholesome wellnessOpened as a railway resort hotel in the 1920s, Gleneagles remains one of the country’s most loved and iconic grand dames. Its secret for success? It has continuously evolved over the years, with snazzy renovations, innovative activities on tap and superlative culinary offerings keeping the hotel in the spotlight. One of the hotel’s main attractions is The Spa at Gleneagles, which has put the remote property on the map as a destination in its own right.From its heather...
CN Traveller •

14 best wellness retreats in the UK for 2025

Think of a wellness retreat, and your mind may almost immediately conjure images of a clinical and scheduled space, as remote as it is austere – with an end goal of greater wellbeing but little enjoyment along the way. perhaps all in a rather clinical environment. But the wellness landscape has evolved irrevocably, and the UK is now peppered with a raft of dedicated spas catering for weary, burnt-out guests yearning for something a little more than just a few laps of swimming pool and a leisurel...

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