Travel Secrets by Tanya Rose

Well, January has been pretty, well, January-like, so far, with one regretful face looking back at the past year, and one hopeful face looking forwards. And hopefully an omen of things to come, a delicious slice of luxury arrived in the post today, hinting at wonderfully louche and / or exciting travels around the world: Travel Secrets by Tanya Rose, who brings a veritable dragon's hoard of golden travel tips out into the open. The book looks beautiful, a serious, solid hardback, interspersed with carefully chosen, enticing photographs; it's also an excellent reference book, giving travel tips for hotel and tour companies across the globe, with addresses and contact details. Whilst being lovely and tangible (which, in this world of e-readers and so forth, is increasingly become a rare and hence delightful thing), it is small enough to carry with you as you jet from Belgium to Brazil. There are guest spots from people as diverse as Tim Rice, Anya Hindmarch, Ed Victor and Tamara Mellon, revealing their favourite travel tips - you can find out about Tim Rice's cricketing experiences in St Petersburg, for example. It's an elegant, sophisticated book that is both functional and aesthetically stylish: a rare thing indeed these days. And now, with it on my desk, I look out of my window at the grey skies of Whitechapel, and in them I see New York, Nassau, Nairobi, and much, much more...