The Faster Lane
from Tyler Brûlé
Monocle’s autumn quiz winners: Some pencils are sharper than others
Good morning, bom dia from sunny, balmy Lisbon, where the parrots have returned for their early morning coffee visit, the banana trees at either end of the terrace are looking a bit sad and…
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From the ground up to the rooftops of Lisbon, here’s what has built Monocle into a family
Are you one of those people who are prone to post-party depression? Or are you more the type who can celebrate a grand event, collapse, recover and get on with whatever’s lined up next?…
Scanning the skies for inspiration? Don’t let Japanese mags fly under your radar
Do you have a geographical fix on your happy place? Is it the end of the jetty at your weekend house in northern Maine? Or a quiet stretch of beach north of Comporta? Or…
Clear your diary, jump into the driver’s seat and buckle up for the months ahead
We start this Sunday with a warning or two or five. First, you’re in for a bit more from Portugal as our Quality of Life Conference approaches. Second, our stage is likely to introduce…
An Italian odyssey of wine-dark detours, fast boats and a stormy eclipse
It has been a bit of an odyssey – partly of the Italian variety, partly on-screen. You might recall that last week I was bound for Forte dei Marmi, and I’m pleased to report…
Road-trip essentials: Alpine villas, a vintage iPod and scenery you can dive into
It’s day three of a semi-planned, somewhat impromptu road trip that came together thanks to a little bit of direct intervention from some hotel managers (I’m of the view that a hotel is never…
Don’t confuse lighting with atmosphere. Meet Thierry, your ‘chef d’ambience’
You’re going to have to help me with this one. Whatever did we do before the arrival of the LED table lamp? How did we read restaurant menus before it was possible for a…
Want to ruin a perfectly good hotel? Give it a makeover
Here we go, crew. Here’s an easy one. You might have even heard this question posed in the Monocle orbit before. What is the worst thing a GM at a favourite hotel can say…
Sometimes the good life is a numbers game – this week’s figures add up nicely
This week I’m going to tell it by numbers, which is curious because I’m not terribly good with maths – but I am very good at remembering all kinds of passcodes, phone numbers of…
Ten reasons to join us in Lisbon for sun, sea and smarter conversations about our cities
As lazy, sultry, summer Saturday afternoons go, today couldn’t be more perfect. The setting is the Villa Arnica in Lana, Südtirol. The temperature is hovering around 30C but there’s plenty of shade and a…
In praise of the routine circuit – and the occasional left turn
Do you have a steady, dependable, perhaps even a bit too predictable circuit? Or are you the type who likes to mix it up? Perhaps you reverse your morning walk or run (supposedly it’s…
