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Off the rails in Bermuda

Tue, 29 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Agreed, the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Bermuda Railway are unidentical in scale. One traverses 6,000 miles of the least hospitable terrain in the world; the other tootles for 22 miles through a gently beautiful mid-Atlantic archipelago. Yet when it opened in 1931, Bermuda's line fulfilled the same purpose as Russia's: stretching across much of a nation and binding together communities unconnected by car.

Spa star: Bush Bath, Half Moon Resort, Rose Hall, Jamaica

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Enjoy the benefits of locally grown herbs in Jamaica ... strictly above board – in the bath, in fact.

Siren sisters: The fishy tale of America's strangest theme park

Sat, 19 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Clean the tank, go through the safety procedure, put on your make-up and your tail, and dive into a spring: it's all in a day's work for Kylee Troche. She's 20 years old, she lives in Florida, and she's a full-time mermaid.

Canada: The land that the restaurant awards list forgot

Sat, 12 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

The judges of this year's San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants steered clear of the world's second-largest country: not one Canadian establishment even made the top 100. The absence is partly explained by the strange lumping together of Canada with the great restaurant city of Chicago and the rest of America's Midwest for the purposes of judging.

On The Road: Cuba

Fri, 04 May 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Had Rafael and Carmen Jiménez Fuentes lived 500 years ago right on the sands at Baracoa in eastern Cuba, Christopher Columbus may well have moved right in. When the "Great Admiral of the Ocean" sailed along the north-east coast of this Caribbean island in 1492 and Baracoa came into view, he wrote in his diary that Cuba was the most "enchantingly beautiful" land he had ever seen.

The wilder side of California

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:00:01 GMT

You're in San Francisco on a fly-drive holiday. You drive north over the Golden Gate Bridge – a Californian rite of passage – park up, take a few pictures, then head back south following the equally iconic Highway 1 coast road to Los Angeles along Big Sur. Big mistake.

Halifax: The nautical heart of Nova Scotia

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Piled up defiantly against the ocean, Halifax is a city defined by its location. Canada's gateway to the Atlantic is a windblown but welcoming place that wears its maritime heritage with pride.

Hawaii: Celebrate a century since the birth of surf

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 23:00:01 GMT

On Honolulu's Waikiki beach, a man in shorts greets visitors with open arms. He is not an over-enthusiastic beach boy, or a friendly tourist-board official, but the bronze statue of Duke Kahanamoku, the father of modern surfing. This summer it will be 100 years since the man known to Hawaiians simply as "The Duke" took home an Olympic gold medal in swimming, and decided to show the world how to surf.

Disney Fantasy: Happily ever after on the high seas

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 23:00:01 GMT

It took the House of Mouse to remind me, but big can still be beautiful, at least when it comes to cruise ships. In an era when most cruise lines conform to the "bigger is better" mantra, churning out vessels with all the aesthetic appeal of a 1960s block of flats, it needed someone to swim against the tide and introduce some elegance.

B&B and Beyond: Tuakaza, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 23:00:01 GMT

This small, wooden guesthouse sits in Sao Conrado, on the edge of Rio de Janeiro's main Zona Sul tourist area (Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Vidigal), high in the jungle-covered hills near Tijuca National Park, the world's largest urban forest. Although only a 25-minute drive from the crowds of Copacabana beach, it feels further – in a good way. With only six rooms for a maximum of 10 guests, the emphasis at Tuakaza, which opened in December, is on personalised service, space and peace, up in the mountains.

Traveller's Guide: Florida's Gulf Coast

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:00:01 GMT

Given that Florida's first "tourist" arrived in 1513, it took a long time for the state's Gulf Coast to draw any serious attention – almost 400 years, in fact. But then the 16th-century Spanish adventurer Juan Ponce de León was in search of the Fountain of Youth, not great beaches. As a result, it wasn't until the early 20th century and the spread of Florida's railroads that the west coast really caught on.

New Orleans: Where every building tells a story

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 23:00:01 GMT

New Orleans is famed for its Mardi Gras but Bourbon Street is pretty wild most nights of the year in a bead-flinging, butt-wiggling "Show us what ya got!" kind of way. It's pretty wild during the day too, with live jazz and mass alcohol consumption in the streets. It can make it difficult to squeeze down the streets of the French Quarter in search of Reverend Zombie's Voodoo Shop or Panda Bear Bondage, when a guy dressed as a giant green hand grenade is handing out free samples of the city's most powerful signature beverage, the "Tropical Isle Hand Grenade".

Traveller's guide: Active family holidays

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:00:01 GMT

The landscape for active family holidays is a truly adventurous and wild place, a far cry from the fly-and-flop options that once characterised the average family fortnight abroad. Exploring the countryside, learning a new skill, bonding over an exciting new activity: whatever your goal, today's family trips are all about engaging your tribe.

Around the Hebrides on the crest of a wave

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:00:01 GMT

One of the first rules of surfing (after "Don't learn, because it will take over your life") is "Never surf alone". So if you're planning on surfing in the Hebrides, it's a good idea to take a friend. Not that I was alone, exactly. As I paddled out into the clear, green water, I noticed an old man bobbing around, no more than 20 yards away, staring at me with undisguised curiosity.

St Lucia's jagged peaks and Ayurvedic treats

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:00:01 GMT

"There are two types of snake down there," crackled the helicopter pilot's voice over the intercom as we flew high over the jagged jungle of Saint Lucia's mountainous interior. "The boa constrictor: he is big and lazy. The fer-de-lance: he is small and he moves very fast."

Travel Challenge: Bank holiday in Boston

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:00:01 GMT

Each week we invite three companies to offer us their best deal for a specific holiday. Today: a city break in Boston over the May bank holiday. Prices are per person, based on two people travelling together. Each includes non-stop flights from Heathrow on Friday 4 May and three nights' room-only accommodation.

B&B and beyond: La Maison Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT

This elegant little guesthouse is so successfully tucked away in Rio's affluent Gavea neighbourhood that taxi drivers might struggle to find it. Once there, though, that seclusion will be welcome. The hillside La Maison is around 10 minutes' drive west from the beaches and shops of Leblon and Ipanema and further still from the hectic whirl of Copacabana. Its balconies and terraces look out across Gavea, the greenery of Tijuca (the largest urban forest in the world) and, off in the distance, the statue of Christ the Redeemer.

Business plus: Is this the next best thing to a private jet?

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT

However much you pay for your plane ticket to New York, it's hard to avoid congestion at the airport. You can understand why some celebrities and top executives opt for a private jet. But what if there's a way to mimic that private feeling while still paying the same as flying commercial? Avoiding super-busy airports such as Heathrow could be a good first step.

Five days in Bermuda

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 00:00:34 GMT

Day one: Arrive in beautiful Bermuda

The Big Six: Stylish stays in New Orleans

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:00:01 GMT

Race & Religious, Garden Quarter

A wintry, ice-draped Grand Canyon? Cool!

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT

Rarely can the colour white have seemed such an interloper. It has slithered and slathered itself over every available flat surface, clinging to cracks and lying on ledges. True, the darker hues usually associated with this scene – hazy pink, warm red, solid brown, sunset orange – are all visible. But their ruddy demeanour is partially hidden by this pale shroud.

A luxury lodge with a mission in deepest Peru

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT

The Amazon jungle may be the land of superlatives – the largest area of remaining pristine forest on the planet, threaded by one of the mightiest rivers in the world – but there's something dysfunctional about it. On the one hand, it's under greater pressure than ever; on the other, it has never been so well protected.

Lima: A new street spirit

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT

Back in 1988, I scurried through what was regarded by guidebooks as the most dangerous capital city in South America. Lima was fearful, seemingly under siege from the Shining Path, a Maoist-inspired terrorist group. Widespread poverty and rampant inflation reinforced the anxiety. The begging was the most persistent I'd ever encountered. I dutifully followed Lonely Planet's security tips, put chicken wire in my backpack, marched at a furious pace everywhere and trusted no one.

Win a four-night stay in beautiful Bermuda

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:00:58 GMT

All the best things come in small packages and Bermuda is no exception. With miles of breathtaking coastline, more golf courses per square mile than any other nation in the world and a mid-subtropical climate – there is something for everyone.

Celebrate the best of Bermuda

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:00:46 GMT

All the best things come in small packages and Bermuda is no exception. With miles of breathtaking coastline, more golf courses per square mile than any other nation in the world, and only seven hours on a direct British Airways flight from London Gatwick – Bermuda offers a perfect blend of heritage and culture all within just 21 square miles.