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A London Underground (subway) station that closed sixteen years ago was re-opened for a few days to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Tube stations across London became impromptu shelters during the war, providing refuge for thousands of people from the waves of air attacks (‘the Blitz’). For the anniversary, Aldwych station, one of the first to be used in this way, was recreated to look as it would have done in 1940.

An original 1938 train stood in the station and a vintage bus was parked outside to enhance the wartime atmosphere. Guided tours of the station proved to be a sell-out.

Blitz survivors were invited to the station to relive their experiences. Margaret Clark, aged 78, said: “At first we just went down for an hour or two, then we’d go home after getting the all-clear. After that it started lasting all night – we weren’t exactly sleeping, we had no bedding, we just sat, sat on the floor, sat on a bench … My mother had a corner at the bottom of one escalator and my Auntie the corner of the other escalator.”

Aldwych tube station, originally and briefly called Strand station, was first opened in 1907 on the site of the Royal Strand Theatre and is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of an actress trying to return for a final curtain call.

Since its closure in 1994, the station has often been used as a film set and featured in the Lara Croft computer game Tomb Raider.

by Andy Moreton

London is steeped in hundreds of years of history and is a great city to explore at any time of the year, so take a look at Luxique’s comprehensive selection of luxury hotels in London.

One of the most popular hotel review websites, TripAdvisor, could face a legal challenge from hoteliers who say adverse comments are damaging their businesses.

TripAdvisor encourages its users to give honest feedback and ratings for hotels, flights, restaurants and rentals. But a growing group of hotel owners claim many of the posts are either exaggerated or completely fabricated (either by users or competing hoteliers).

The mass action is being put together by KwikChex, a company which monitors online reputations. Chris Emmins, from the company, said more and more businesses from around the world were contacting him about the situation. Many were smaller concerns that couldn’t afford to fight back.

Mr Emmins said he was keen to avoid legal action if possible, and his aim was for TripAdvisor to take down reviews that were proven to be false, defamatory or malicious. “We hope common sense will prevail,” he said.
TripAdvisor said it couldn’t comment on threatened or pending litigation, but added that every review was screened, and those deemed suspicious were investigated.

by Andy Moreton

The organisers of the 2012 Olympics in London are hoping that one of the Games’ lasting legacies will be the regeneration of the somewhat deprived East End of the capital.

According to the magazine, Estates Gazette, the latest phase in that plan could be a luxury hotel in London with unrivalled views of the Olympic stadium in Stratford.

The development is by the Manhattan Loft Corporation, which is credited with importing New York-style loft living to the UK.

MLC proposes 253 high-rise apartments, with penthouse suites which would become the East End’s first £1 million ($1.57 million) flats. These would be above a seven-storey, 150-bed luxury hotel to be completed in time for the Games. The development is awaiting planning permission.

by Andy Moreton

If you’re coming to the UK capital for the Olympics, or at any other time, Luxique has an unrivalled choice of luxury hotels in London.

I recently spent a very pleasant few days in Florence. The Tuscan capital is, of course, famous for its history, art, architecture and music, but there’s much more to the city.

It’s cleverly introduced the trappings of modern life – designer shops, night clubs and fast food outlets, for example – without compromising its status as the cradle of the Italian Renaissance.

The world-famous Uffizi gallery draws people from all over the world, and if there’s one tip I’d offer it’s to book an organised tour. In this way, you’ll avoid the long lines of visitors paying on the day, while also being given some context to the paintings you see. Also, it seems that the later the tour in the day, the less crowded it is and the easier to move around the displays.

Also impressive was the Basilica of Santa Croce, which is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians in history, including Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. It’s vast, so allow plenty of time.

And when your feet can stand no more walking, head for the sprawling Boboli Gardens, an oasis of calm from the constant traffic of vehicles and tour parties. As well as the formal 16th century gardens, there are sculptures, Roman antiquities and, if you’re up for a climb, great views of the city.

by Andy Moreton

The capital of Tuscany is a delight all year round, and Luxique offers a selection of 14 of the finest luxury hotels in Florence.

A luxury hotel in London is offering the chance to sample some (but certainly not all!) of the pleasures enjoyed by the controversial writer, Oscar Wilde.

It was at the Cadogan Hotel in fashionable Knightsbridge that Wilde was arrested in 1895 and charged with gross indecency. After a notorious trial, he ended up doing two years’ hard labour in jail.

The hotel has created the ‘Green Carnation’ package, named after the dyed buttonhole Wilde was fond of wearing. Guests can stay in Room 118 (where the half-drunken writer awaited his arrest), sample a bottle of his favourite pink Perrier-Jouet champagne and choose from a menu containing some of his favourite food, which includes, oddly, Victoria sponge cake.

As a complement to the luxury hotel’s package, London Walks (www.walks.com) have organised a stroll round some of the haunts favoured by Wilde, including the sites of shops, restaurants, clubs and theatres.

by Andy Moreton

Book the Cadogan and other luxury hotels in London through Luxique.

One of the last remaining unspoiled quarters of ‘old’ Beijing, which had been earmarked for demolition, has won a reprieve after an outcry from Chinese heritage groups.

Plans to redevelop the crooked courtyard houses and narrow alleyways (known as hutongs) around the ancient Drum and Bell Towers were announced in March. A themed shopping plaza was on the drawing-board, but conservationists warned that this would mean the destruction of one of the last living architectural jewels in the city.

The Daily Telegraph’s correspondent in Beijing, Peter Foster, said such protests had frequently been ignored during China’s headlong rush for development. Mile after mile of traditional hutongs had been destroyed, but on this occasion the authorities appeared to have listened.

The area under discussion has been a vibrant part of Beijing since the days of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) when the two towers were used to mark time in the city.

Wu Lili, the Managing Director of Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Centre, which led opposition to the plans, said: “It is great news! The cancellation gives time for everyone involved to reconsider the development plan … and think how to integrate the historical value with the need to improve residents’ living standards.”

by Andy Moreton

Let Luxique help you book a luxury hotel in Beijing – one of the most fascinating capital cities on earth.

For travellers tired of traditional sightseeing tours, one Berlin guide is offering something altogether different: a jolly jaunt round the city’s public lavatories.

Anna Haase wanted to take visitors to Berlin off the beaten track, and came up with the novel idea of showing them some of the German capital’s most famous toilets. She also wanted to draw attention to the lack of conveniences for tour groups in Berlin.

As she takes groups around, she tells them about the history of the toilet’s development from Biblical times to the present day and shows them WCs ranging from the oldest and most primitive to the newest and most technical.

Highlights include a visit to a toilet block dating from the late 19th century and a trip to the Kaiser’s fully restored bathroom at the Potsdamer Platz square.

Ms Haase says the toilet tours are in demand, especially from clubs and societies, as well as from people with a specialist or professional interest in the topic. “At first people tend to turn their nose up [!], but then they are generally surprised at the interesting facts that they learn about on the tour,” she said.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique will be flushed with success when it finds you the perfect luxury hotel in Berlin.

A luxury hotel in the Maldives is offering a honeymoon suite to beat all others – it’s set sixteen feet below the surface of the Indian Ocean.

Usually, the Ithaa room at the Rangali Island resort (part of the Conrad Group) is used as a restaurant; about a dozen diners sit in the dome-shaped ‘aquarium’ and enjoy cordon bleu food while marvelling at the beauty of the underwater world around them.

But now, to celebrate the resort’s fifth birthday, the room has been converted into a honeymoon suite complete with every luxury imaginable.

It’s safe to say that this experience is not for newlyweds on a budget – the luxury hotel says the price is available ‘on application’. Until now, the top-of-the-range accommodation at the Rangali had been a King Deluxe Water Villa. That costs around £1,156 ($1,785) a night … and it’s above water.

by Andy Moreton

If you’re dreaming of a visit to paradise, keep your head above water and get the best rates at any of Luxique’s five carefully-selected luxury hotels in the Maldives.

I wrote recently about the renovation of the Sistine Chapel frescoes. Across Rome, another world famous landmark is due for the mother of all clean-ups: the Colosseum.

As well as a thorough refurbishment, the Italian government wants to add additional facilities and make the Colosseum a much more satisfying visitor experience.

“The one problem with all these ambitions is money,” says the BBC’s Rome correspondent, Duncan Kennedy. “In these austere times, the government does not have enough of it to do the job. So it’s turning to private business to come up with some of the cash to help. Yes, the Colosseum is to be sponsored.”

Mario Resca, the head of Italy’s museums and heritage, used to run McDonald’s operations across Europe, so he’s familiar with the world of commercialism. “There’s no problem in bringing in private money, as long as it’s done responsibly,” he says.

But sponsoring the Colosseum has raised concerns about how it can be done tastefully. “We already see that much of central Rome is beginning to look like Times Square,” says Darius Arya, from the American Institute for Roman Culture. “It can be overwhelming to see some of the advertising hoardings on existing classical buildings.”

The Colosseum is one of the most widely known buildings in the world,” says Mr Arya. “They have to get it right.”

• The Colosseum is currently running tours at night – between 9pm and midnight. They’re on Saturdays until October 2nd.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique offers a selection of luxury hotels in Rome and a handy city guide.

You’re probably interested only in luxury hotels (and I wouldn’t blame you for that) but I’d like to share with you a new phenomenon that’s just arrived in London – the no-frills hotel.

Tune Hotels are an Asian chain with properties in Malaysia and Indonesia and they’ve just opened their first UK version near Waterloo station.

So how no-frills is this hotel? Well, if you want the room cleaned more than every third night, it’ll cost you £7.50 ($11.50); towel and toiletries? £1.50 ($2.30); TV? £3 ($4.60) a day; hairdryer? £1 ($1.50). You get the picture.

Tune Hotels readily admit that their business model is based on that of the low-cost airlines. And room prices can be very low if you book well ahead – from £35 in London: a bargain for accommodation in the capital.

“Our limited service, pay-as-you-use concept is fast gaining worldwide acceptance,” said Tune Hotels’ boss Mark Lankester. “For non-essential items such as TV, wi-fi, tea and coffee and hairdryers, guests pay only if they need them. Guests not using the extra facilities won’t be charged for them as part of the room price.” Or, as Tune Hotels’ slogan goes: ‘5-star beds at 1-star prices.’

by Andy Moreton

Sometimes, though, only the best will do – and Luxique has the finest selection of luxury hotels in London.