CD Traveller tells you what’s hot in the travel world

Despite having visited, and lived in, many wonderful cities in Europe, if you were to ask me what my favourite city was, I would always say Chester. It has everything: over 2000 years of history, beautiful architecture representing over a thousand years of building, countryside appeal and (for those who want it!) a world-famous racecourse and ample shopping!

For 2 months, Gloucester cathedral will host the largest exhibition of UK sculpture outside London. There will be 75 different pieces on display in the cathedral and its grounds. So big is the venture that when I was there a few weeks ago, they were erecting scaffolding and preparing for it. It was going to take a whole week to just get the exhibits into position. Called Crucible, the event opens on September 1st and runs until October 30th so there is plenty of time to get down to Gloucester to see it. And it won’t be going to any other towns or cities. Miss this opportunity and you don’t get another.

On the West Sussex coastline, Littlehampton is almost a traditional seaside resort. For decades, Londoners caught the train down for either a day out or for a week’s break in a guesthouse. Those days are long since gone you might think but no, you meet people who have been going to Littlehampton for years and years. It breeds loyalty like a lot of our seaside towns.

To people outside the south east of England, Chichester is one of those places that sounds like many others. If anyone has heard of it then it is probably due to the fact that it is where a theatre festival is held, because it is near Glyndebourne or because it is the county town of West Sussex. For those more local it is a well visited centre for day visits either because of the shops, the cathedral or the nearby Roman ruins at Fishbourne (the largest Roman palace yet discovered in the UK) where one of the finest mosaics is to be found.

CD Traveller reader, Maryann Noronha, takes us on a tour of her five favourite destinations

The boutique hotel experts Mr & Mrs Smith are back, with a brand new guide to the most stylish and seductive places to stay across the Channel. Smith editor Lucy Fennings rounds up a top-10 selection of bijoux boltholes, pied-à-terres and romantic rural retreats from their latest travel tome.
Here, their second extract for CD Traveller [...]

The boutique hotel experts Mr & Mrs Smith are back, with a brand new guide to the most stylish and seductive places to stay across the Channel.

Gloucester is one of those places that nearly everyone has heard of but how many have been there? It is linked with county cricket, rugby and is the burial place of Edward II after his unfortunate incident with a red hot poker. It saw the first coronation of his grandfather Henry III in 1216 and today part of the cathedral is used as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films.
But what to do on a day trip?

Think of Jordan – the country – and the first thing that probably comes to mind is Petra, its greatest tourist attraction. Carved into a rockface more than 2,000 years ago, the city is one of the wonders and must-see places of the world.
But is it only Petra that has caused such an upsurge in tourism in the last 6 months? What is attracting so many people to go there? Many countries have seen only a limited increase in visitors but Jordan has announced that visits by Britons are up over 30% over last year. Admittedly 2009, was a tough year for everyone as we tightened belts during the recession but it was also the year that proved we felt holidays were an important aspect to life. Other things would be cut back first. Nonetheless there were countries we have chosen not go to such as the US and most Caribbean countries yet other long haul countries do well. Jordan is one of those.