Mary Lussiana, Freelance Journalist Profile

Articles

Collegio alla Querce Auberge Opens in Florence: Hotel Review

1 week ago | airmail.news | Mary Lussiana

If only Miss Lucy Honeychurch, the protagonist of E. M. Forster’s novel A Room with a View, could experience the vistas of Florence’s Centro Storico from Collegio alla Querce, Auberge, a new hotel in the hills above town. Brunelleschi’s imposing Duomo and Giotto’s marble Campanile have been admired from this site overlooking the city center since the 16th century. The hotel was originally the home of a noble Italian family. They covered its walls in frescoes, many of which are still visible today.
Portugal’s 15 greatest beaches

1 week ago | msn.com | Mary Lussiana

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Portugal’s 15 greatest beaches

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Mary Lussiana

Portugal does beaches better than anywhere. Golden coves framed by limestone rocks in the south, endless stretches of white sands fringed by turquoise ocean in Alentejo and breezy, windswept surf-centric swathes on the western Algarve and above Lisbon. Even in the north, there are 75 blue flag coastal beaches and nine inland blue flag beaches, contributing to the country’s total of 444 this year. And goodness, aren’t they loved by the Portuguese? Nothing comes between them and a trip to the praia.
Portugal's 15 greatest beaches

1 week ago | telegraph.co.uk | Mary Lussiana

This sunny country has no shortage of fine beaches - here's our pick of the very best, including how to visit them this summerPortugal does beaches better than anywhere. Golden coves framed by limestone rocks in the south, endless stretches of white sands fringed by turquoise ocean in Alentejo and breezy, windswept surf-centric swathes on the western Algarve and above Lisbon.
13 of the best beaches in the Algarve

1 week ago | thetimes.com | Mary Lussiana

With more than 150 coves and bays, and some 300 sunny days in which to enjoy them, the Algarve is among the loveliest beach destinations in Europe. But it’s not just a numbers game — it’s the variety that makes this part of Portugal particularly attractive. Family-friendly options are available at every turn, but just a short half-hour drive down the road you might find a wind-swept expanse primed for windsurfing, or rolling waves waiting for surfers.
Spend a night at the museum at MACAM Hotel in Lisbon

1 month ago | wallpaper.com | Mary Lussiana

Lisbon’s hospitality scene has evolved enormously over the last decade. Charming boutique palaces such as Palacio Principe Real, Verride Palacio de Santa Catarina, and the six-room gem, Santa Clara, have challenged the status quo of grand dames like the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz, built by dictator Salazar to show the world luxury, Portuguese-style, or even the capital’s first boutique hotel, the Bairro Alto.
the Algarve's most indulgent retreat

2 months ago | thetimes.com | Mary Lussiana
I've lived in Portugal for 23 years: Here are the best places to go for a glorious holiday... and where you DEFINITELY need to avoid

2 months ago | dailymail.co.uk | Mary Lussiana

More than two decades ago when I came to live in Portugal, a surprising number of people asked: ‘Do you speak Spanish already?’Sardines and fado music were known associations to the well-travelled, but many people still thought of Portugal as a region of Spain. Few had heard of the Alentejo, a region of dolmens and vineyards, olive trees and storks that takes up more than a third of the country. Portugal was often called ‘Europe’s best kept secret’.
10 of the best affordable hotels in the Algarve under £200

2 months ago | thetimes.com | Mary Lussiana
The New Madrid Hotel Where Locals and Travelers Mingle in Style

2 months ago | airmail.news | Mary Lussiana

One of the best-known hotel rooms in Madrid isn’t really a room at all. It’s the subject of the Edward Hopper painting Hotel Room, which hangs in the city’s Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum and captures the indelible feeling of urban loneliness. It’s quite a contrast to the scene at the new Brach Madrid, a Philippe Starck–designed hotel in the middle of the city’s Grand Via thoroughfare. The Brach Madrid is as warm, welcoming, and cluttered as Hopper’s painting is stark.