LAURENCE MACKINreviews Organic Places to Stay: UK and Irelandand Time Out's AmsterdamGuide
Organic Places to Stay: UK and Ireland
Linda Moss
Green Books, £12.95
There are organisations that trumpet their green credentials from the rooftops, while others prefer to quietly get on with producing food or providing accommodation in the manner they’ve been doing for decades. Here, Linda Moss salutes both and gives Catherine Mack a run for her green money, with a stylish guide to where to lay your head without leaving a major mark. The book’s listings are divided into self- catering and more typical BB and hotel accommodation, with each listing getting an equal amount of space. The layout is clear and concise. The descriptions have been written by the establishments themselves, but Moss has put together the list, so you can be sure that the quality is of the highest ethical calibre. The Irish listings are not packed with the usual suspects (further evidence that Moss has done her homework), and although not every part of the country is covered, there are almost 50 places to pick from. Farther afield, some of the Scottish listings look particularly wild and wonderful.
Amsterdam 2009
Time Out Shortlist, £6.99
Amsterdam is high on the list of green European cities, and while it is famed as a city of gentle hedonism, it is also a pulsing centre of creativity. Time Out’s succinct guide delivers on all accounts. There are plenty of listings for cutting-edge galleries, as well as the classic mainstays, along with good recommendations for where to get your party buzz on. Good break-out sections on the development of the red-light district and the new generation of squats should bring you as bang up to date as even the hippest Amsterdammer.