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The more people we have on the planet and the more impersonal things become (think watching television at home for hours, communication via the internet, for instance), the more we yearn for warm human contact. I travel frequently and far and am lucky in that I am able to choose where and how I rest my travel-weary head. I, too, am part of a growing number of people who prefer the inviting warmth of the smaller hostelry (as per extension, B&Bs, privately owned guest houses and the like). My favourite group of hotels worldwide is the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, where I have stayed often and with enormous satisfaction, given that I, as a travel journalist, am prone to dissection, analysis and criticism of whichever abode I find myself in. If I find a place that offers a cozy stay with personal attention that also couples good food with decent accommodation (read a deeply divine bed and bed linen, and a shower that isn’t the size of a London telephone booth) you’ve got me salivating.

I had visited Rome once before, when a trip afforded me a day-long stopover. My memory of it was not terribly clear since the trip took place a long time ago and also because I almost became a victim of the gypsy pickpockets everyone warned me about. I found myself alone on a deserted street – or so I thought until suddenly I was surrounded by at least eight urchins, all touching me and trying to get their little hands into every zip and pocket on my person. I have the ability to look and sound very, very fierce when need be and that, combined with the fact that I was very light of financial pocket back then, had them disappear as quickly as they arrived.

But I continued to dream of Rome, its history and of course, food, glorious food. It seems to me that every paving stone and plate is filled with memories of spicy lives and wondrous adventures.

My first port of call when I’m about to travel is to go to the website of the aforementioned group (www.slh.com). And then, there we were, booked in at the Hotel Splendide Royale that nudges the Borghese park in the city’s historic centre. Five minutes from the hotel is the Villa Borghese Park – which is to Rome what Central Park is to Manhattan. Steeped in fascinating history, it started as a vineyard in the 16th century and is now a truly exquisite haven with fountains, paths for joggers, museums and of course the famous buildings, for those who want to get away from the hustle and crowds.

After a busy day wandering down the famous Via Veneto and salivating for the menus and fashions displayed tastefully in shop and restaurant windows down the fashionable avenue we returned to the hotel. On the balcony of the hotel’s Mirabelle restaurant on the seventh floor we congratulated ourselves with a glass of bubbly at sunset. It overlooks what seemed like the entire ancient Rome, the black moonless sky a perfect counterpoint to the trillions of stories the lights across the city could tell. The entire experience had a frisson of thrill, for the incognito movie stars we thought we spotted, the charming, classy service (the staff all look like Vogue models) and mostly, the award winning dining by Executive Chef Giuseppe Sestito (who has created what many say is the best dining in Rome, a city redolent with the flavours of the region, and beyond).

No-one knew us in this city of legend and fable. We were anonymous, but felt cosseted. Both here or in our splendid country – or just about anywhere on earth, and whether humble or fabulous - I find if I do my research properly, the stay is often as blissful as the rest of the holiday. Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ is an unsurpassed collection of over 500 hotels spanning more than 70 countries. For further information or to book, go to www.slh.com

When Luke Dale-Roberts took over as Executive Chef at La Colombe at the Constantia Uitsig estate in the Cape in November 2006, I couldn’t imagine that the quality that restaurant had had could be topped. I dined there shortly after Luke started and predicted a top culinary spot for him. Since then he’s added to this award winning restaurant by adding Asian influences to the contemporary classic French cuisine – and has not only won top prizes locally, but is also listed among The Restaurant magazine’s ‘The S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants’.

Taste, texture and presentation are Luke’s guiding principles. Add to that stratospheric levels of service, and you’ve got the place.

Another of the Mother City’s success stories is the Cape Quarter, with its newest Extension. This is where the new Cru Café yet again shows its Johannesburg counterparts that good wine by the glass is possible and moreover, logical in a country that grows some of the best. I like practical owner Jacques Castelein’s attitude: offer contemporary cuisine and an interesting wine list. Also invite diners to choose a varietal and taste three wines from it, accompanied by a snack to complement the wine. Good stuff.