Category: City Break
The OMNIA: Swiss Alpine Hotel with Spy Appeal
The Matterhorn, Zermatt, Switzerland. Copyright Amy Laughinghouse.
Check into The OMNIA in Zermatt, Switzerland for a 007-worthy view to a thrill. Cinematically situated in a cleft valley beneath the nipple-peaked Matterhorn and accessed through a secret(ish) subterranean tunnel, this Alpine aerie has the sleek, sexy appeal of a Bond baddie’s lair. Read more about my five-star stay in Go World Travel Magazine.
The OMNIA hotel in Zermatt, Switzerland. Copyright Amy Laughinghouse.
Chelsea, London: Live Like a King–or Rock Royalty
Few countries possess a flair for pomp and pageantry quite like Great Britain. While gilded carriages and ermine-trimmed robes are only trotted out for the most magnificent occasions, like the coronation of King Charles III or the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, Chelsea–one of the poshest post codes in London–boasts spectacular styles, sleek supercars, and famous personalities in perpetuity.
Musical legends, including The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix, reigned supreme here in the Swinging Sixties, and Chelsea-based designers like the late greats Mary Quant and Vivienne Westwood altered the fashion landscape forever.
Read more about how to roll like the Stones–or blue-blooded royalty–in my story in GoWorldTravel.
Vivienne Westwood is memorialized in a mural on Chelsea’s King’s Road. She gained renown for her punk and “New Romantic” fashions of the 70s and 80s. © Amy Laughinghouse
Lexington, Kentucky’s Coolest Street Art
Lexington, Kentucky may be best known for bourbon and betting on the horses, but it has also gained a reputation as a magnate for some of the world’s most talented street artists. PRHBTN, an organisation focused on connecting artists with commissions, has helped to transform this hip Southern city into one super-sized, graffiti-covered canvas. You’ll find a map of their locations here. Or, just kick back in your armchair and scroll through a gallery of some of my favourites.
Make tracks to see Gaia’s mural on the side of West Sixth Brewing, featuring horses…of course.
Eduardo Kobra’s larger-than-life Abe Lincoln is depicted in all his psychedelic glory on the back wall of the Kentucky Theater.