Travel tips: London's Hotel Café Royal, winter gardens and the week's best deals

Café Royal has been a high-society café and a decadent nightclub, playing host to everyone from Oscar Wilde to David Bowie, but from 3 December the Café Royal will reinvent itself as London's newest five-star hotel.

David Chipperfield Architects is behind the upgrade of the 19th-century Grade I-listed building on Regent Street, which has been closed for five years. The hotel will have 159 rooms with a midcentury-modern flavour, plus several restaurants and a spa. Rooms will cost from £450, but until March 2013 a special introductory rate of £350 is available, including a bottle of champagne and late checkout.

It's a good time to... visit a garden 

It's tempting to go into hibernation, but more gardens than ever will be keeping their gates open this winter. Undeterred by the encroaching nights, Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire will be lighting up its gardens on weekend evenings, with magical walks through the illuminated silver birch grove and statue gardens (1-16 December, adults £10, children £7), while the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire, will celebrate the dark skies with a Stargazing Party (23 November, adults £3, children free).

Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire

Kew Gardens is offering guided tours of its evergreens, plus a vintage carousel, and if it gets cold you can warm up in the tropical palm houses (1 December-6 January, adults £14.50, children free, kew.org). Glasgow's Botanic Gardens have gone one better with the installation of Heliotrope, an immersive "experience" designed to bathe visitors in sunlight and music – a perfect antidote to Seasonal Affective Disorder (24-27 November, free, heliotrope-project.com).

For a truly festive atmosphere, head to Northumberland's Belsay Hall, which is running a wreath-making workshop followed by a tour of the gardens and lunch (6 December, £50).

Give me a break: The week's best deals

Home The Foley, an 18th-century coaching inn in the village of Claygate, Surrey, has been given a makeover, with the addition of 17 smart new bedrooms and a restaurant serving British menu classics. The normal rate for a double room is £149 including full English breakfast, but a special introductory rate of £89 per night is available until the end of January.

Away Snow is already falling in the Alps, and to encourage skiers to get on to the slopes early A&K Chalets is offering a free day's lift pass for every night stayed in one of their chalets in Verbier or Davos Klosters before Christmas. A four-night stay in December at the self-catering Bois Gentil chalet in Verbier costs from £285pp based on eight people sharing.

Alghero, Italy

This medieval Sardinian city was recommended by mignonnette, who praised its “intriguing mix of Sardi and Moorish-Spanish architecture”. Also highlighted was its “exquisite town beaches”. Alghero has been recommended in the past by other readers, who tipped Il Lazzaretto as one of Sardinia’s best beaches, with its crystal-clear waters and views of the city across the bay. We can suggest checking in at Hotel Domomea, if you’re looking for a well-located spot to stay.

Nice, France

Monctonian recommended Nice, pointing to the fountain area, huge prom and great views over the sea as highlights. The city’s got a great culinary scene, too: check out the Michelin-starred Restaurant Aphrodite. Meanwhile, the art galleries and museums, including the fantastic Matisse Museum, are perhaps the highlight of Nice’s rich cultural offerings.

Bologna, Italy

For 25aubrey, Bologna is “a beautiful city that goes under the radar”. His recommendation came for its cafe culture, dining and the fact that being a university town there’s “a healthy supply of bars, to quench those studying thirsts”. A good spot for some intelligent drinking is the bar at the Museum of Modern Art, and a day trip to the gelato museum (which opened just outside the city a couple of years ago) is a must.

Botafogo, the in-betweener neighbourhood, making its mark on Rio

"BotaSoho" is what the baseline in a local magazine called the historic district of Rio de Janeiro Botafogo, a few months ago. "No one is called that," laughs resident Andrea Capella. "It's a long way from being Soho, whether in New York or London. But things are changing."

Andrea bought his apartment here for 14 years, but only in the last two or three years the rent and affordable investments have led to a boom in new and interesting places. The only part of the area of ​​most visitors see is animated by Botafogo Beach Street (with stunning views of the Sugar Loaf), on the road between the city center and the most famous beaches in the south .but new restaurants, delicatessens, bookshops, bars, clubs and cultural centers are helping to transform Botafogo in an area worth exploring.

Common features the spirit of some of these young companies: bar, restaurant, showroom and editor in one place without frills. "I think people are tired of expensive lifestyle and elite neighborhoods map of Ipanema, Copacabana and Leblon," says co-founder Dudu Quarry.

Andrea agrees. "From the Commune, other initiatives have it open Temple, a space of co-work and Olabi works, programming workshops for children bicycle repair classes, all free."

All is not so disinterested: many bars and cafes charge the kind of prices you can afford in the tourist areas of the city. Imported wines, beers, cocktails and international cuisine are all welcome - but expensive - changing the patterns of cold beer and the rate of fried snacks.

Cave serves burgers and cocktails a rock in the study of a former mechanic. Crazy Cats Bistro is decorated with antiques and trinkets, while French restaurant La Villa has a more elegant look, in a colonial house with two floors. The three have opened in the last 12 months and help Botafogo last gourmand hotspot in town.

Local chief Rafael Costa e Silva chose to open Lasai Botafogo last year after leaving a restaurant with a Michelin star Mugaritz near San Sebastian in the Basque Country. "In the final analysis, Botafogo has chosen us, thank you and God opened here," he said, showing me around the space with high ceilings with its vertical garden and brick cheap rental -. The third Leblon rates - meaning that you can not afford the best place for most organic products for their tasting menus.

Lasai added another half a dozen restaurants in a green road restored colonial mansions avoided the bullet demolition was with many historic buildings in some other areas of Rio de Janeiro. The pioneer was Yes, in 2010, the latest risk owners are looking for!, An elegant restaurant in the basement of Casa Daros-end Guanabara Bay Botafogo, a neoclassical building that was once an orphanage, and reopening last year £ 14,000 .000 after a restore to house the art collection of the Swiss Ruth Schmidheiny millionaire.

Soho could never be, but after decades Botafogo is aimed at people of betweener to stay a while

Nicosia, Cyprus, plus this week’s deals

Take a city break to the Mediterranean; plus spend Easter chez Peppa Pig, and cycle through the Baltic states

Take me there: Nicosia, Cyprus
Why go?
A visit to the island capital ranks low on the priority list for most travellers to Cyprus, but those who do tear themselves away from the beach will find a city undergoing a renaissance. Ambitious regeneration projects, the opening of a world-class art gallery and a flurry of new cultural venues, restaurants and shops are transforming Nicosia into one of the Med’s most intriguing city-break destinations.

What to do?
Most of the city’s attractions are enclosed within the 16th-century walls of the old town. It’s here you’ll find the Cyprus Museum – home to an impressive archaeological collection – and the new AG Leventis gallery with works by Chagall, Monet and Renoir (leventisgallery.org). The Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre is the Cypriot answer to London’s Tate Modern, a contemporary art gallery in a former power station (nimac.org). Wander through the atmospheric Laiki Geitonia neighbourhood, whose narrow streets are lined with cafés and artists’ studios, then ascend Shacolas Tower for views across the “Green Line”, which has divided Cyprus since 1974, into Turkish North Nicosia.

Where to stay?
Nicosia’s hotel scene is lacklustre. Better to stay in a guesthouse: the Sandstone is a new arrival in the heart of the old town with two bright, stylish guest rooms, delicious breakfasts and friendly, knowledgeable hosts (€75, sandstonecyprus.com).

Where to eat?
The short menu of seasonal Greek and Cypriot classics at new souvlaki restaurant Valtou Rigani has already attracted a loyal local following (valtourigani.com). Don’t miss the feta cheese wrapped in filo pastry, baked with honey and sesame seeds.

Insider tip?
“Start with a coffee at one of the sun-drenched cafés around Phaneromeni church and walk through the town to Ermou Street where the Venetian facades of the buildings are being restored to their former glory,” suggests Max Marulli de Barletta of The Sandstone guesthouse.

Give me a break:

Home Peppa Pig weekend: Paultons Park is offering a Peppa Pig-themed package for families this Easter. The Hampshire-based theme park, which is home to Peppa Pig World, has teamed up with the Macdonald Botley Park Hotel in Southampton to offer one night’s B&B accommodation, plus a two-day family pass, with prices from £246 for a family of four. The offer is available from 27 March-19 April

Away Biking by the Baltic: Adventure tour operator Explore is offering up to £100 off selected cycling tours. The cost of a nine-day trip to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia has been reduced from £1,277 to £1,179, a saving of £98. The Baltic tour departs on 2 May and includes return flights and transfers, eight nights’ accommodation on a B&B basis, bike hire, transport and tour guide 

BRITISH GLASS BIENNALE

The finalists for the 2015 Biennale have been announced

Sixty-six artists were selected by more than 200 applications from British Glass Biennale. The list includes manufacturers like Katherine Colman, Sally Fawkes and Richard Jackson, Angela Jarman, Max and Emma Woofenden Jacquard many established a remarkable piece of student work will also appear. The Biennale, part of the International Festival of Glass, welcomed its first guest conductor of this year as trustee Matt Durran Crafts Council. Biennial panel was composed by Conservative Janice Blackburn, writer Graham Fisher, Mark Holford collector, artist David Reekie and Jonathan Watkins Ikon Gallery.

‘The quality of submissions was remarkable and the jury had a really tough time creating the shortlist,’ said Elisabeth Johnson, directors of the International festival of Glass, ‘We were impressed with the variety of styles and range of techniques on offer and were particularly pleased to see so many student submissions, showing that the appetite for studio glass continues to grow. I can’t wait to see the final exhibition and am on tenterhooks for the awards evening on 27 May.”

Award winners will be announced when the Biennale closes on 28 June.

British Glass Biennale is at Ruskin Glass Centre, Stourbridge from 28 May to 28 June

12 HEALTHY FOODS AND DRINKS THAT CAN MAKE YOU FAT

While they’re packed with antioxidants, protein, and healthy fat, these nutrition powerhouses can pile on serious calories if you’re not careful.

1. Avocados



2. Nuts

3. Protein Bars



4. Granola and Trail Mix


5. Dried Fruit

6. Chocolate

7. Glunten-Free Foods



8. Nutrition Waters

9. Smoothies


10. Tuna


11. Coffee Drinks


12. Flavored Greek Yogurt

5 Best Foods and Drinks for Exercising

You know that exercise is the key if you want to be fit. But did you know that what you eat and drink can help you achieve your fitness goals faster? By feeding your body the right nutrients, you can be sure of making the raw materials they need to be able to help you through training and building muscle repair after. Start your exercise program with these 10 essential food and drinks.

Oatmeal:

When it comes to choosing your muscles for a workout, carbohydrates are your best friend. Provide glucose, the fuel that your muscles are executed. But as the various grades of gasoline, not all carbohydrates are created equal. Digested slowly, complex carbohydrates from whole grains provide a controlled blood sugar that provides energy through the release of workout. E Oatmeal is a winning choice. It is rich in beta-glucan, a fiber slows digestion and keeps blood sugar balance. For best results, choose whole oats. Are digested more slowly than quick cooking or instant oatmeal.








Coffee

If you are a java junkie happy we have news for you. Downing 12 ounces of coffee one hour before going to the dance gym or exercise can help more and increase your endurance. It can also relieve the aches and pains associated with exercise. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2009 study found that men who received caffeine shake an hour before cycling reported less intense muscle pain during your workout with a similar group of cyclists passed without caffeine. Fearing that cup of Joe dehydrated? Do not do it. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests that caffeine is not a problem when it comes to hydration.








Oysters

These molluscs are loaded with iron, necessary to hemoglobin of construction, supplying oxygen through the body. Skimp on this essential mineral and can not have the energy to crawl to the gym. Or, when you do, you feel it. When working muscles do not get the oxygen they need, causing lactic acid pumps you get tired quickly. Means only six oysters supply 20 percent of women need iron and requires half a man in a day.
Oysters with Mignonette pink pepper oysters are at their best pure.





Almonds

This may seem counter-intuitive, but with greater intensity than the exercise of more harmful free radicals from your body. Enter almonds. They are a superior source of antioxidants, such as phenolic acids and flavonoids and vitamin E, which protects against damage by free radicals. In fact, cyclists who ate 60 almonds a day before meals for four weeks increased the antioxidant capacity by 43 percent, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine 2009. They also increased their against -Clock distance also 5 percent.

more than best food for health in here