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'In 20 years as a hotel critic, these are the places that have shaped my life'

lime wood, hampshire
lime wood, hampshire

After 20 years and hundreds of reviews, Telegraph Travel's long-standing hotel expert, Fiona Duncan, reveals the 10 stays that have made the deepest impression on her. From stylish stalwarts in London and New York to cosy hideaways in Hampshire and the Caribbean, here are the hotels that, in some way or other, have shaped her life...

The Connaught, London

My father was a great connoisseur of hotels and restaurants. His favourites in London were the revolving restaurant at the top of the Post Office Tower, Mirabelle in Curzon Street and The Connaught Grill, where he would treat me to lunch when I wasn’t being expelled from school or some other adolescent aberration. I would always behave myself at the Grill: though stuffy, it made me feel frightfully grown up and I still remember the low murmur of fellow diners and genteel clink of silver on polished cutlery as waiters in tails glided about, adjusting the cutlery. My father loved it; I loved my father and I still love The Connaught today.

Doubles from £480

Read the full review: The Connaught

the connaught - RAY MAIN
the connaught - RAY MAIN

An insider guide to London

The Algonquin, New York

When I arrived in New York in my early 20s I knew no one. That changed, but for the first few days I had nowhere to go and no one to talk to so I did what came most naturally: I went to the only hotel I’d heard of: The Algonquin, famed as the home of writer and wit Dorothy Parker and her Round Table in the early 20th century, and still then a magnet for literary types. If I just sit here, I thought, surely something will happen. It didn’t, but I did get to see the resident cabaret star Steve Ross performing in the famous Oak Room and even though I was alone, I felt part of the New York scene.

Doubles from £180

Read the full review: The Algonquin

the algonquin, new york
the algonquin, new york

An insider guide to New York

The Admiral’s Inn, Antigua

Let’s face it, hotels are for love. The only nights I spent ashore in my two years as a cook on charter yachts in the Caribbean were the ones I spent in the Admiral’s Inn. A dishy Californian had sailed to Antigua on his beautiful yacht and swept me off my feet. We spent two weeks staying in the Inn and then it was time for me to leave for a job in the States and him to carry on around the world. We never met again, but it was heaven while it lasted and heaven not to be in a bunk.

Doubles from £146

admirals inn, antigua - TED MARTIN
admirals inn, antigua - TED MARTIN

The best hotels in Antigua and Barbuda

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas

My boyfriend and I drove across America in a VW camper van. We had some McDonald’s vouchers that someone had given us and not much else, but what we did have we blew in Las Vegas. We parked the van in the car park at Caesars Palace, spent all day on the slot machines and in the bars, and in the evening splashed out on dining at a candlelit table, watching Liberace of all people doing his flamboyant thing at the piano. Then we snuck back to the van, tucked up for the night and in the morning drove away.

Doubles from £85

Read the full review: Caesars Palace

caesars palace, las vegas
caesars palace, las vegas

An insider guide to Las Vegas

Lime Wood, Hampshire

My home from home, my treat to myself, my secret pleasure. Lime Wood is just five miles from my home and while people come from far and wide to stay there, it’s also what all good hotels should be: a magnet for local people too. I had a lunch party on my 60th birthday there and as well as dining in Hartnett Holder & Co whenever I can, I love being a member of its Herb House spa, the most comfortable, friendly and enveloping spa I know. Lime Wood is a hotel that knows how to make its guests feel good and I always feel better when I go there.

Doubles from £349

Read the full review: Lime Wood

lime wood, hampshire
lime wood, hampshire

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Locanda Cipriani, Torcello

I adore Venice. In the Eighties and Nineties my great friend and colleague Leonie Glass and I researched and wrote many guides in the Charming Small Hotels series. For our guide to Venice we each stayed in 29 hotels on 29 consecutive nights, meeting every evening for dinner. I have many Venice favourites, including the Gritti Palace, but top of my list comes Locanda Cipriani. Waking there, and realising one has the lagoon island of Torcello, cradle of the Venetian civilisation with its two beautiful churches and its lagoon view from the campanile, to oneself before the day-trippers arrive has been one of the great pleasures of my life. And there is nothing more romantic than arriving in Venice, as I did with my husband Andrew, on the Orient Express at sunset and taking a private water taxi across to Torcello for dinner and the night.

Doubles from £167

locanda cipriani, venice - MIRCO TOFFOLO
locanda cipriani, venice - MIRCO TOFFOLO

An insider guide to Venice

The Ahwahnee, Yosemite National Park

Another camper van, another hotel treat. When our boys were about 13 and 10 we hired a Winnebago in California. It was a fantastic trip and the highlight was Yosemite and the treat of a couple of nights in The Ahwahnee hotel on the valley floor. It was a thrill to be there: we loved its imposing yet rustic architecture, designated a National Historic Landmark. Some hotels are simply the right ones to stay in, and the Ahwahnee was one of them.

Doubles from £265

the ahwahnee, yosemite
the ahwahnee, yosemite

The best hotels in Yosemite National Park

The Upper House, Hong Kong

It’s true that my heart lies in traditional hotels and in Hong Kong I love the Mandarin Oriental and The Peninsula, but when I stayed at The Upper House I was bowled over by its sensory elegance and the pleasure of leaving the bustle of the city via Thomas Heatherwick’s Stone Curtain, then gliding up the escalator to a hushed Asian world of wood, glass and limestone. I adore hotels that transport you in some way and The Upper House is up there. I didn’t want to leave.

Doubles from £539

Read the full review: The Upper House

the upper house, hong kong - MICHAEL WEBER
the upper house, hong kong - MICHAEL WEBER

An insider guide to Hong Kong

The Master Builder’s, Hampshire

Talking of hotels being more than just places for travellers to stay, but part of their community, the Master Builder’s has been at the centre of my life for 30 years, ever since my husband persuaded me to make our home in the village he loved. I’m glad he did. I take visitors to see its beautiful Beaulieu River setting at Buckler’s Hard, I go to early Sunday morning services in the tiny chapel next to it and breakfast there afterwards, I sail to it in my little boat and I love it like a dear old friend.

Doubles from £99

Read the full review: The Master Builder's

The Master Builder’s, Hampshire
The Master Builder’s, Hampshire

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The Beckford Arms, Wiltshire

I fell for The Beckford Arms when I first stayed there to review it for The Telegraph in 2011. Little did I know the role it would play in the ensuing years, not least when we took it over last August for my son’s wedding in the garden of Hatch House and reception at Pythouse Kitchen Garden, both close by. And soon we will go there again to celebrate the life of a dear friend. I couldn’t think of a better place for a convivial and heart-warming gathering, and whenever its pretty creeper-clad facade comes into view, I perk up because I know that fun and friendship is in store.

Doubles from £95

Read the full review: The Beckford Arms

the beckford arms, wiltshire - JAKE EASTHAM
the beckford arms, wiltshire - JAKE EASTHAM