Journal
ESSAYS | TRAVEL | HOME & INTERIORS | PEOPLE | CURIO | FOOD & DRINK | FAMILY, WOMEN & WELLNESS | EDUCATION
Essays, features and dispatches from the last twenty years – some written for The Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian and Condé Nast Traveller, some about the work I do for brands, and some just because. Start with the most-read: the one about having a baby with my gay best friend.
Barefoot paradise
Welcome to Gili Lankanfushi, where luxury, privacy, and exclusivity truly take on new meaning.
Boat trip
THE ROUTE: island-hopping in the Philippines. THE VESSEL: a native bangka boat.
Inverting the female form
Meet Polly. She’s the artist who bends herself into weird shapes in abandoned houses in a quest to invert traditional perceptions of the female form.
Picturing the end of the world
Lying face-down in penguin poo during a blizzard, surrounded by the overwhelming sight, smell and sound of 80,000 pairs of king penguins and their chicks
Antarctica: The women breaking barriers on Earth’s last frontier
Until the late 1970s and early 1980s, the American and British Antarctic surveys barred women from working on the white continent.
Peace, privacy, and prestige
Enjoy quintessential English charm in Virginia Water, Surrey.
Jan de Villeneuve
From being a model in the ‘60s to being a model in one’s 70s, Jan de Villeneuve knows a thing or two about fashion.
Shutterspeed
Think life moves too fast? Ellie Fazan meets the Londoner who’s developed a technique to slow down time
Egg heads
In suburban Brentford, Ellie Fazan discovers Hen Corner – the back garden that Sara Ward has turned into a mini organic paradise
Ananda in the Himalayas
Visitors will need to forget the idea that yoga should be hot or fast or dynamic to get the most from Ananda.
No ordinary Joe
We’re being dripped on by rain in a studio hidden away on a north London industrial estate. The Hawaiian shirts belie the miserable, and frankly quite British, weather outside.
Gaze on Istanbul
So wrote 19th-century French author Alphonse de Lamartine, in his brilliant and bold account, Voyage En Orient.
Grand central
Freelance travel writer Ellie Fazan visits Uzbekistan. Set at the heart of the ancient Silk Road in central Asia, the country is full of surprises
A realm of one’s own
Ever dreamed of waking up in your very own castle? Located on the banks of the River Shannon, this Irish estate has belonged to the Knights of Glin for seven centuries, and could make your dream more than just a romantic notion
Extraordinary women
Step out of your routine, and you’re bound to discover a few hidden talents.
7 reasons to go to Albania
Does a new festival in Albania herald a boom in tourism for this undiscovered Balkan beauty? With a glittering coastline, a mountainous interior, and a Mediterranean climate – and food – to enjoy
Ten out of ten
With stunning views, irresistible amenities, and a central London location all part of the package, the penthouse at Ten Trinity Square is the ultimate collectible treasure for those wishing to own a living piece of art and history.
Life on the water
Meet the water rat who’s swapped life on solid ground for a more buoyant existence on the Thames
I’m a volcano
Graça Paz is an artist who likes to break rules. Her husband Fransisco da Costa designed their concrete house in northern Portugal with huge windows that frame the landscape
Old School
A former school, and one-time home of the esteemed Coote family, Ballyfin in Ireland’s County Laois is now a luxury country house retreat. Ellie Fazan meets the schoolboys turned butlers to find out how life has changed here…