• 
• • Nick Randall
  • Production Controller and Designer
• Nick arrived at Hg2 from a fellow independent publisher, and when not putting the guides together likes to paint. His favourite place to travel is Latin America. He also likes surfing, kickboxing, fishing, and David Hockney. What makes him a hedonist? "My love of food, and my ability to eat more of it than most."

• 
• • Marilyn MacDonald
  • Marketing Manager
• Marilyn was born in Texas before moving to Marbella (somewhere close to Nick C), losing the accent and quickly developing a taste for Euro parties and cocktails. She somehow ended up in London working in the nightclub scene before winding up at Hg2. She loves fancy dress, discovering new places and a good boogie, but loathes airplane food and being tired. What makes her a hedonist? "I never miss an opportunity to go somewhere new, whether shopping, trekking, raving or hitting the spa."

• 
• • Tremayne Carew Pole
  • Founder and Publisher
• Tremayne never quite found his niche and tried everything from estate agency and headhunting to specialising in Richard & Judy and travelling extensively. He loves Africa (there is nowhere else on earth that makes you feel more alive - the red dirt, the expansive skies and the warmth of the sun), difficult places, interesting people, John Varvatos, strong coffee for breakfast and underground parties, but loathes queuing, insomnia and restaurants with photos on the menus. What makes him a hedonist? "A total disregard for my own wellbeing, an inexhaustible approach to nightlife, not knowing when to say no and being the last man standing."

• 
• • Sara Townsend
  • Director
• Sara joined Hg2 in 2004, when it was just a from-the-kitchen-table outfit. Since then, she has worked on pretty much every aspect of the guides, including writing Hg2 Zurich. A tremendous fan of the Middle East, her most memorable travels include Oman, Namibia and several interesting years living in Bahrain. Something approaching a perfect moment includes a dusty pink sun dropping behind palm trees and the glorious decadence of sipping a frosty mojito listening to the call to prayer.

• 
• • Catherine McCormack
  • Art History Lecturer and Writer
  • Rome
• After an extended jeunesse doree spending lots of time working, eating and drinking in Italy, Catherine buckled down and taught history of art for a few years in some rather well to do schools in London and the Midlands. She is now returning to her freelance roots combining writing, a PhD in art history and consultancy in cultural insight and semiotics. She loves boiled eggs, Pontormo, a good negroni, DVD box sets, steak tartare in Paris, Mediterranean summers, her cat Marcel and David Bowie, but loathes not being able to afford more holidays, lamb chops, cold weather, hangovers and overpriced art exhibitions. What makes her a hedonist? "A fondness for drinking Campari at lunch."

• 
• • Amy Zavatto
  • Food, Wine and Cocktail Writer
  • Eat New York
• Amy Zavatto writes about food, wine, spirits and travel for Imbibe, Frommer's, Wynn Magazine, Gotham, Edible Manhattan/Brooklyn/East End, Every Day with Rachael Ray, and others. Her work has also appeared in Martha Stewart Weddings, Food & Wine, Cottage Living and on Gourmet.com, and she is the author of Hg2 Eat New York, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Bartending, and co-author of The Renaissance Guide to Wine & Food Pairing with Anthony Didio. She love sincerity, authenticity and heartfelt culinary effort, but loathes bandwagons and ungraciousness. What makes her a hedonist? "My first thought every day is, "Mmm, what should we have for dinner?"

• 
• • Andrew Ludwig
  • Travel
  • Jo'burg
• Andrew is a resident Jo'burger, and is fortunate to have seen, experienced and lived in many spots around the globe. He loves fishing, but loathes Julius Malema. What makes him a hedonist? "A good education..."

• 
• • Andrew Stone
  • Writer and Editor
  • New York/Los Angeles
• Andrew Stone is a Brooklyn-based writer and editor. Stone was the longtime culture and dining editor for Gotham and Hamptons before serving as editor in chief of Los Angeles Confidential for four years. Having interviewed countless celebrities and hot shots for the various magazines (Pacino, Lohan, Sedaris, etc.), Stone considers everyday New Yorkers to be the most fascinating people of all. He nurtures his love affair with the city as the resident Manhattan reporter for Hg2.com and the popular A Hedonist's Guide to. series of guidebooks. Stone is the author of both Hg2 New York (which The New York Times called "diverse and well thought-out," with neighbourhood summaries that are "right on target") and Hg2 Los Angeles. What makes him a hedonist? "A deep desire to have firsthand knowledge of life's great offerings."

• 
• • Charles Froggatt
  • Director of International Polo Academy
  • Miami
• Charlie has written for some of the world's leading publicaions covering an eclectic mix of economics, international sport and travel. He has spent over three years in Argentina working in and around Buenos Aires as a journalist and working in the polo industry. His experience working in South American cultures primed him to write Hg2 Miami. After a brief spell creating his own extreme sports television series he returned to Argentina to take on the Hg2 Buenos Aires guide. For the past four years Charlie has worked in sports business and was one of the key figures in organising Polo in the Park, a modernised event in central London that saw polo played in the capital for the first time in 70 years. Following this success he set up the International Polo Academy which launched in Argentina in March 2010. He loves triathlons, horses and winter sports. What makes him a hedonist? "I'll have a go at anything."

• 
• • Chris Canty
  • Travel Journalist
  • Buenos Aires
• Chris has been a journalist for over 10 years, writing for over 30 publications worldwide and focusing on a broad range of travel-related topics from business travel to budget guidebooks. He has travelled extensively, and at one time has called Scotland, Estonia, Vietnam, England and Argentina home. He loves Craft beer, Australian rules football and travel, but loathes office jobs and green vegetables. What makes him a hedonist? "I simply like quality, whether it be a five-star meal or a simple bratwurst by a street vendor. Quality shows that the people take pride in what they do."

• 
• • Patricia Gajo
  • Freelance Writer
  • Montreal
• Patricia has lived in four cities across Canada (Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal), but calls the latter her home - until she retire in the Caribbean, that is. She loves fois gras and Champagne (together or separately), but loathes waiting in line. What makes her a hedonist? "I quit my office job to travel, eat, drink, shop, and pamper myself for a living."

• 
• • Collette Lyons
  • Freelance Journalist
  • Dubai
• A pathological hatred of 'staycations' (her family did it before it was cool - or fun) meant that as soon as it was possible to get on a plane unaccompanied - without an escort and a special badge - Collette was disappearing off to wherever would have her. A pre-university stint at Junior magazine, attempting to prevent babies pissing on the Hermés cashmere at cover shoots, was followed by a degree in art history and theology at Cambridge, which proved great value at dinner parties but essentially useless. A career in magazines beckoned and Collette has since lived in London, Sydney and Dubai and worked for the likes of Grazia, Happy, The Guardian, Sunday Times Style and the Telegraph Magazine. She loves turning left on a plane, but loathes getting the seat that won't recline, right at the back near the loos, next to the bloke with swine flu (far more usual). What makes her a hedonist? "A dogged determination to ignore hangovers at all costs."

• 
• • Danielle Demetriou
  • Writer
  • Tokyo
• Danielle spent nine years writing for national newspapers in London before dreams of cherry blossom and sushi lured her to Tokyo in 2007. Now living in a pink apartment building along a cherry tree-lined river in Nakameguro and eating as much sushi as is humanly possible (when not working for publications including Monocle, Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Metro International, Japan Times and Condé Nast Traveller). She loves raw fish, tiny bars, yuzu fruits, Okinawa, ginger tea, winter sunshine, mochi sweets and sento sessions at the local bathouse with Sunday night grannies, but loathes packed salarymen trains, tax returns and cod testes (quite a delicacy in Japan). What makes her a hedonist? "Living on the opposite side of the world from my editors works wonders for those who, like me, are allergic to conventional office life."

• 
• • Fleur Britten
  • Editor at Sunday Times Style
  • London/Milan/Life
• Fleur Britten is a journalist and the author of five books. She is currently Senior Commissioning Editor at Sunday Times Style, and writes seasonally for the fashion pages of the International Herald Tribune. She loves absurdity, tea and looking up above street level in London, but loathes offal. What makes her a hedonist? "A dangerous taste for speed. Of life, that is, not methamphetamine."

• 
• • Hallie Campbell
  • Freelance Travel and Lifestyle Writer
  • Dubai
• Hallie has been an award-winning copywriter and creative director with Saatchi & Saatchi, the youngest and only female VP for McCann Erickson Asia, a copy editor at Cond&%23233; Nast Traveller, author of Dubai Chic and Hg2 Dubai, and editor of The Chelsea Anchor. She was born in USA and has lived in LA, New York, Tokyo and London. She loves her family, India, beaches, breakfast, getting on a plane bound for a new destination, Champagne on ice, her dog Chippy, room service, ghazals, old movies, new assignments, feeling free, swimming at night and rooms with a view, but loathes mediocrity, rules, convention, negative people, hotels that charge for WiFi and badly-mixed martinis. What makes her a hedonist? "The call of the wild."

• 
• • Kathryn Tomasetti
  • Travel Journalist & Photographer
  • Milan
• Kathryn made a permanent move to Nice in 2005 after an upbringing in Milan, an anthropology degree at the University of Manchester and a career as a modern art curator across the Far East. Kathryn provides features and photographs for several travel, food and yoga magazines where she can indulge her love for alternative travel. Her writing regularly appears in The Guardian and Time Out. She loves artichokes, sushi, yoga, snorkelling, reading crime novels and Columbo, but loathes traffic, elevators, chain stores and grumpy airport staff. What makes her a hedonist? A moving story somebody once told me about life being too short.

• 
• • Lucy Kelaart
  • Editor of Steppe Magazine
  • Almaty & Astana
• Lucy set up Steppe Magazine in 2005 and is now editor, publisher, subscriptions manager... you name it, she does it. Before that Lucy lived in Central Asia working in the health reform sector, and before that rode 5,000 miles along the Silk Road for nine months with friends - the most exciting year of her life. She loves her exquisite baby daughter, but loathe being away from her. What makes her a hedonist? "I can't think of a single qualification - but am more than happy to dip into the lifestyle for Hg2."

• 
• • Paul Sullivan
  • Freelance journalist, author, photographer an
  • Berlin/Prague
• Devoted globetrotter Paul Sullivan has been covering music, travel and culture for over a decade. His clients include The Guardian, The Independent, Intelligent Life, Time Out, National Geographic Music and The Quietus. He is also author of Hg2's guides to Marrakech, Prague and Berlin. He loves penguins, but loathes beetroot. What makes him a hedonist? "To quote Oscar Wilde: I can resist everything - except temptation."

• 
• • Pippa de Bruyn
  • Writer
  • Cape Town
• Durban-born and Jo'burg-bred Pippa de Bruyn knew she had to move to Cape Town from the first time she sat watching the waves break over the Clifton boulders aged eight. A decade later she did, and has now lived there for 25 years. She travels extensively in Africa, Europe and the East on writing assignments, but no matter how exotic the destination is always grateful to return to her home on the slopes of Table Mountain. She loves the freshness of the water - unrecycled, from the mountains - that spills from Cape Town's taps, being pummeled by big waves on the False Bay coast, drinking gin and tonic with loads of fresh mint followed a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from the Elim or Durbanville region on a hot day, but loathes the threat of running out of fresh water by 2014, waiting, inconsiderate drivers, editors who change my copy, and death. What makes her a hedonist? "The only reason I am not a full-blown alcoholic is to avoid having to stop."

• 
• • Ramsay Short
  • Cultural/Travel Journalist & DJ
  • Beirut
• Ramsay started his journalistic career at London's Guardian newspaper and The Independent on Sunday before moving to Beirut in 2001. He became the Features Editor for Beirut's Daily Star broadsheet before joining The Daily Telegraph for three years as its Beirut correspondent in 2004. In 2005 he wrote Hg2 Beirut and in 2006 became the founding editor in chief of Time Out Beirut. In 2008 he returned to London to launch and edit the award-winning travel magazine for Ryanair, Ryanair Magazine, and spends most of his life travelling and DJing disco music for his many fans. He loves any music by Madlib and Jay Dee and a nice dram or two of Ardbeg 30 Years Single Malt, but loathes pigs' trotters. What makes him a hedonist? "Isn't life all about pursuing pleasure? For me it's all about rampant sex, drugs and drinking, and, of course, great food. That, as well as travelling across the world. This for me is the path to spiritual enlightenment."

• 
• • Scarlett Stapleton
  • Assistant Gallery Manager at Sladmore Gallery
  • Stockholm
• Brought up in Hong Kong and India, Scarlett escaped a desk job for most of her twenties in favour of travelling - running a hotel in Rajasthan, writing Hg2 Stockholm and a second guide on Berlin. She finally relented and specialised in India and the Far East at Cazenove + Loyd, spending way more time in luxury hotels than was healthy. Bored of sending other people on holiday, she is now seeking new adventures in the art world and re-discovering the joys of backpacking. With most of Asia, Africa and Europe well covered, Brazil and Russia are next on the list. She is in training for her private pilot's licence to help her get there. She loves dogs, upgrades and Indian trains, but loathes spiders and faceless hotels. What makes her a hedonist? "My new mantra: 'e' is for enjoyment and not for effort."

• 
• • Simon Hunter
  • Deputy Editor of El Pais English Edition & Fr
  • Madrid
• Simon has spent 10 years living in Madrid after going there on a whim after graduating from university. After teaching English for a few years, he began to write for local magazine InMadrid before going on to edit the publication for two years. After that he started working at El Pais English Edition, which is the English version of Spain's best-selling newspaper. His spare time is devoted to yoga, his two cats, his Spanish girlfriend and snowboarding - not necessarily in that order. He loves anything made by Apple, jamón Iberico and HBO shows, but loathes rude people, mushrooms and Spanish TV. What makes him a hedonist? "My total and utter dedication to exploring every bar, nightclub and restaurant that Madrid has to offer."

• 
• • Sophie Dening
  • Freelance Journalist
  • Paris
• Sophie is a freelance writer and editor specialising in European travel and restaurants. She has written about books for Vogue, restaurants for Harper's Bazaar and electric cars for GQ Style. She also contributes to Country Living, The Times and Square Meal, and has previously written about Paris for Bazaar and High Life. Sophie was born in London and has lived in Hackney for 12 years. Her favourite restaurants in Paris are all the ones she hasn't been to yet. She loves oysters, Bach and furriness, but loathes breakfast in bed. What makes her a hedonist? "My ID - it's Freudian. It's the part of your psyche that makes you seek pleasure and gratification."

• 
• • Tristan Rutherford
  • Travel Journalist
  • Milan
• Tristan has been a freelance travel writer since 2002. Originally from northern England, his first travel assignment took him to Nice and he's been based there ever since. He has visited over 60 countries and written about 20 of them for the likes of The Independent and the Sunday Times Travel Magazine. Tristan also lectures in travel journalism at Central Saint Martins and Kingston University. He loves sleeper trains, reading the paper, FT Weekend, swimming in salt water, crisps and really nice food, but loathes tinny music creeping out from headphones and Gatwick. What makes him a hedonist? "I'll only regret it if I'm not one."

• 
• • Laura K Jones
  • Freelance Journalist
  • Art
• Laura K Jones is a freelance journalist and writer who specialises in writing about the arts. She has written for The Guardian, The Observer, the Times, The Sunday Telegraph, Artnet and Art Forum. She currently lives in London where she is mostly engaged in writing her book, Strange Encounters with Old Men. She loves boiled egg and soldiers, doing the splits, Cloud Atlas, swimming in the Serpentine, Bruno S., bulldogs, 30 Cannon Street (the building) and old men (mostly platonically), but loathes pigeons, pundits and Parma Violets (the alliteration there being entirely accidental). What makes her a hedonist? "In all probability, my obsession with maps and lists," she says.  What makes her a hedonist? "My obsession with maps and lists."

• 
• • Sarah Marshall
  • Lisbon
  • Lisbon
• Sarah is a freelance travel and music journalist based in south London. During the past five years she has worked for a variety of national titles, including DJ, Jockey Slut, iD, Undercover and Metro Life. She has edited a children's title and has enjoyed full time stints at Top of the Pops and Mixmag, where she mastered the art of hedonism. Despite her reluctance to travel north of the river, Sarah will frequently take flight at the drop of a hat and has worked on projects throughout Europe. She has recently ghost-written autobiographies for Peter Andre and Lindsay Lohan.

• 
• • Fabienne Dupuis
  • Travel Writer
  • Damascus & Aleppo
• Having travelled the world extensive in search of the finer things in life, Fabienne Dupuis likes to consider herself as something of a 'lifestyle - as in life meets style - sleuth.' Always on the run, Fabienne nothing more than a last-minute call for a flight to some far-flung corner of the globe, and thrives on the idea of long dusty roads and unreliable transport connections. Born in France, she's spent the last ten years in London and has recently moved to Paris. What makes her a hedonist? "My instatiable curiosity, I suppose!"

• 
• • Todd Obolsky
  • Freelance Writer
  • Miami
• Todd Obolsky harbours vast and voracious appetites, both gastronomic and geographic. He's sampled puffin in Iceland (not recommended), sought out the elusive yellow kiwi (the fruit, that is) at Kiwi360 in New Zealand, crawled for pa amb tomaquet and cola de toro tapas (washed down with Jerez sherry) in Barcelona, and braved vicious crowds for the perfect Montreal smoked meat sandwich. When not in Miami, in-flight or on the road, New York is Todd's home turf; its international micro-neighbourhoods impart the illusion of travelling while standing still. What makes him a hedonist? "A pressing need to discover what's new and kick-ass ahead of the masses. And an obsession with food - especially sweets and anything pork-related - that belies my weight class."
  
  

• 
• • Kristina Pérez
  • Travel Writer
  • Beijing
• Kristina Pérez is a travel writer covering China and Asia. Her work is regularly featured in Condé Nast Traveller, The Wall Street Journal Asia, L'Officiel India, CNNGo.com and the South China Morning Post, among others. Previously she worked for many China-based publications including The Beijinger, That's Shanghai, That's Beijing Home, Urbane China, That's Pearl River Delta and Urbanatomy Shanghai. She is frequently cited as a local travel expert by CityWeekend Beijing magazine and The Global Times. She is the author of forthcoming titles A Hedonist's Guide to Beijing and A Hedonist's Guide to Hong Kong. Kristina received her BA, MPhil and PhD from the University of Cambridge. What makes her a hedonist? "I think I was a hedonist from age four. We spent a month at the Alvear Palace in BA so I could be a flower girl in my godfather's wedding. At the time you would ring a bell for room service and a well-dressed butler would arrive to take your order. This delighted me to no end and I d

• 
• • Keith Bain
  • Travel Writer
  • Cape Town
• Born and bred in the sultry east coast city of Durban, Keith Bain moved around a lot as a youngster, so his compulsion to travel and his itch to explore are virtually genetic. "The offbeat and unusual always fascinate and intrigue, but this week's pleasures will be next week's clichés, so I'm all for being seduced by the next potential addiction." He's travelled extensively, both to satisfy his curiosity and for the various guidebooks that he writes-India is always close to his heart, but then so are Slovenia, Romania, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Italy, Ireland, Kenya, Tanzania, and sublime South Africa, of course. "One addiction I'll never give up is Cape Town-it's like living in a dream with all the surreal paradoxes that implies." And a hedonist has no choice but to get out there and try it all, which is exactly what he did whilst researching Hg2's Cape Town guide. What makes him a hedonist? "Sucking the marrow out of the bones of life. That's hedonism in a nutshell."

• 
• • Michelle Wranik
  • Editor and writer
  • Sydney
• Michelle is a Sydney-based writer and editor who ditched a career as a news journalist to write about the finer things in life; namely travel, food and booze. Her love of exploration has taken her across the globe, with stints living in Japan, London and most recently Dubai, where she edited Time Out's stable of travel magazines. Michelle returned home to Sydney in 2009 where freelance work for publications like the Sydney Morning Herald, the Boston Globe, CNN Traveller, the Daily Telegraph, GQ and Cosmopolitan, along with a regular newspaper column about her urban escapades helps to fund her travel and cocktail habit. Michelle loves gin & tonics and expertly made Negronis, the Omani desert, palm trees, bossa nova, and summer days absorbing sun, salt and sand at Sydney beaches. She doesn't loathe much, but egg white omelettes really get her goat. ("What have you people got against yolk?"). What makes her a hedonist? "My mantra. One negroni, two negroni, three negroni, floor."
  

• 
• • Anna Whitehouse
  • Journalist
  • Amsterdam
• Anna has hopped from London to Dubai to Amsterdam in the last four years, living opposite a book shop, next to a mosque and above a sex shop, respectively. She loves riding around on her bike and walking her beagle, Douglas - she occasionally combines the two to catastrophic effect. What makes her a hedonist? "An insatiable thirst for anything with bubbles."

• 
• • Matt Farquharson
  • Journalist & copywriter
  • Amsterdam
• Matt has been a magazine editor, copywriter and journalist for eight years, and a danger to Amsterdam's cycle lanes for two. He writes for UK newspapers, edits travel magazines and guides, and creates copy for everyone from PlayStation to PwC. He mistakenly believes that having facial hair makes him look like a hedonist.
  
  
   
  
  

• 
• • Rosanne Kropman
  • Editor
  • Amsterdam
• As the Dutch contributor to Hg2 Amsterdam, Rosanne Kropman has spent at least nine years closely researching the city's bars and restaurants. She works as an editor for a Dutch newspaper, balancing the daily news with escapades in the city's nightlife.
  
  

• 
• • Olivia Goldhill
  • Writer
  • Bogota
• Olivia grew up in London but left to spend four years at university in Boston. Here she has learnt to walk through snow and ice without falling over (too much) and has sampled the world's best lobsters, but takes every opportunity to travel to sunnier pastures. Olivia particularly enjoys exploring South America, and managed to persuade Hg2 to let her write the guide to Bogotá. She loves amaretto and Johnny Cash, but loathes slow walkers-especially on narrow pavements. What makes her a hedonist? "I was vegetarian for two years until I went to Buenos Aires and couldn't resist their steaks. I think that says a lot."

• 
• • Marta Falconi
  • Writer
  • Rome
• A Roman native, Marta worked as a journalist for The Associated Press for almost six years, mixing a good dose of fast-paced field reporting across Italy and feature writing. After covering her wide range of earthquakes, murder trials and papal elections - all of which appeared everywhere from The Washington Post to FOX News and The Guardian - she decided to opt for a lower-adrenaline and more creative lifestyle and moved to Zurich to start her career as a writer. Currently contributing to a large number of international magazines and websites, as well as working as TV producer and occasional copywriter, she happily focuses on travel, lifestyle, culture and even a bit of entertainment, all of this while keeping tabs on her hometown's slow but steady change. When not writing, she travels to visit her many friends scattered around the world and never leaves without an insider's tip on the most exciting and hedonistic new places in town.

• 
• • KZ Blog
• Written by an American expat living in Astana, KZ Blog provides insight into the issues and news relevant to Kazakhstan's awe-inspiring capital.
  www.kzblog.net

• 
• • From Barcelona
• Written by the man behind the book of the same name, From Barcelona offers wonderfully random thoughts and observations on Spain's coolest city. www.frombarcelona.com

• 
• • Barcelona Food Girl
• Written by a Canadian girl living in the beating heart of the city, Barcelona Food Girl blogs about food, drink and hedonistic pleasure as and when she finds it. barcelonafoodgirl.blogspot.com

• 
• • Beirut Nightlife
• Beirut Nightlife was initially founded as a nightlife information destination and photo database; it has since expanded to become the biggest travel and tourism website in the region.
  www.beirutnightlife.com

• 
• • The Berlin Blog
• Put together by writer and translator Susan Bernofsky, The Berlin Blog covers the cultural aspects of the the German capital.
  berlinfromwithin.blogspot.com

• 
• • Berlin Reified
• A photo-lead blog covering food, design and life in the Germany capital. www.berlinreified.com

• 
• • i heart berlin
• A host of cool young Berliners contribute to i heart berlin, keeping you abreast of everything you need to know about where to eat, drink and party in this fast-moving city.
  www.iheartberlin.de

• 
• • beyond empanadas... / New Stockholm
• Written by self-confessed foodie Diego, beyond empanadas... and new stockholm talk about the restaurants and cafés he loves most in Buenos Aires and Stockholm respectively - all personally tried and tested.
  newbuenosaires.blogspot.com
  newstockholm.blogspot.com

• 
• • An Englishman in Dubai
• Published by a thirty-something expat, An Englishman in Dubai provides readers with an insider's perspective on life in one of the world's most fascinating cities. englishmanindubai.com

• 
• • Flickster's Dubai Blog
• Melbourne-born writer Flickster airs her views on life in Dubai at Flickster's Dubai Blog; with a background in journalism, the writing is intelligent, insightful and honest.
  flickster1.wordpress.com

• 
• • The Dubai Life
• Founded in 2005, The Dubai Life delivers news, views and opinions about Dubai through a frequently updated magazine/blog format.
  www.thedubailife.com

• 
• • The Confined Nomad
• The Confined Nomad does exactly what it says on the tin; wanders New York in search of cuisines from every corner of the globe without leaving the city limits.
  www.theconfinednomad.com
  

• 
• • Wined & Dined
• New York-based newlyweds Andy and Jill are passionate about food, and share it with us in their mouthwatering blog Wined & Dined.
  www.winedanddined.com

• 
• • Best Blog For Istanbul Travellers & Expats
• Local couple Petek and Cenk offer insider knowledge into Turkey's capital at Best Blog For Istanbul Travellers & Expats, with tips on what to see, where to eat and where to drink.
  blog.best4istanbul.com

• 
• • Go Lisbon
• Go Lisbon provides a comprehensive guide to Portugal's capital, complete with picks for sights and attractions, accommodation and activities.
  www.golisbon.com/blog

• 
• • A Girl Has To Eat
• With an insatiable appetite for food, the Hong Kong-born writer of A Girl Has To Eat delivers honest reviews of the best restaurants in London Town.
  www.agirlhastoeat.com

• 
• • Urban Junkies
• Urban Junkies is London's go-to site for the arts, fashion, design, shopping and other bite-sized tidbits.
  www.urbanjunkies.com

• 
• • Experience LA
• Helping to plan any trip stateside, Experience LA publishes a calendar of LA's top cultural events all in one place.
  www.experiencela.com

• 
• • MAP Magazine
• As Madrid's number-one guide for tourists and locals, Map Magazine covers events and activities, restaurants and cafés, sports and health, shopping and reviews. www.mapmagazine.com

• 
• • The Good Life In Morocco
• Written by expat Emma, who moved to Marrakech with her family to set up a guesthouse, The Good Life in Morocco is an essential read for expats and visitors. marrakechemma.blogspot.com

• 
• • I Heart Miami
• I Heart Miami keeps tabs on the cultural goings-on in South Beach and beyond. eyeheartmiami.blogspot.com

• 
• • La Bella Citta
• La Bella Citta is for anyone visiting or living in the fashion capital of Italy; uncovering all that Milan has to offer, the blog is written by an American expat.
  www.labellacitta.com

• 
• • Blog From Italy
• Helping outsiders to understand Italy - specifically, Milan - Blog From Italy covers facts, news, opinions, events, business, food and expat life.
   www.blogfromitaly.com

• 
• • The Beet Goes On
• Heralding from Ohio, the writer of The Beet Goes On writes about family life in Moscow in. We love the tagline; 'Life in Moscow is one part pity party, one part hey! Look at me!' www.thebeetgoeson.net

• 
• • I Prefer Paris
• I Prefer Paris is a true insider's guide to Paris. Written by ex-New Yorker Richard Nahem (from the comfort of his 18th-century apartment, no less), the blog covers everything from fashion to food.
  www.ipreferparis.typepad.com

• 
• • Beth Arnold; Letter From Paris
• Writer, journalist, columnist and blogger; American-in-Paris Beth Arnold certainly has a way with words. Which is why her blog, Letter from Paris, is something of a rare find in cyberspace.
  www.betharnold.com

• 
• • Stuff Parisians Like
• Stuff Parisians Like doesn't stray far from its brief; the blog counts does everything from spotting errors in the French language to spotting stars in the night sky (a rare occurrence in the city of light). 
  www.o-chateau.com/blog

• 
• • Czech Off The Beaten Path
• Czech Off The Beaten Path follows an expat in Prague as she explores her new city and beyond.
  sheroffthebeatenpath.blogspot.com

• 
• • Moscerina
• A blogger makes sense of Rome by drawing together her interest in people and places at Moscerina. 
  moscerina.blogspot.com

• 
• • Lost In Stockholm
• Penned by an American expat girl known only as 'Sapphire', Lost in Stockholm blogs about her experiences living, working and dating in the Swedish capital. www.lostinstockholm.com

• 
• • Babel Tallinn
• As part of the CafeBabel.com group of sites - which cover cuture, politics and travel throughout Europe - you'd expect BabelTallinn to be a cut above the rest when it comes to giving a voice to Estonia's capital.
  www.tallinn.cafebabel.com

• 
• • Vello Vikerkaar
• A career in the army followed by a stint in a band - there is seemingly nothing Tallinn resident Vello Vikerkaar can't do. His blog is witty and intelligent, and muses about life in the Estonian city.
  www.vellobikerkaar.blogspot.com

• 
• • American In Russia
• In the Belly of the Bear is a blog about an American ex-pat's life in Moscow; the blog is about his life, work and the new discoveries he make in the city every day. www.americaninrussia.com

• 
• • Fabulosity - Cape Town
• Seth is a man who shares our sense of style; his blog, Fabulosity - Cape Town, is testament to that, as he updates it daily with snippets of  current affairs, media and fashion, all from the heart of Cape Town.
  fabulosity-capetown.blogspot.com
  

• 
• • Local South Africa
• Direct from mouths of South Africans, Local South Africa does exactly what it says on the tin with snippets about restaurants, bars, spas and wine farms, all put together by locals.
  www.localsouthafrica.com
  

• 
• • e*star LA
• e*star LA covers food, events and nightlife right from the heart of LA; thankfully, celebrity nonsense is left out, and what you're left with is good, honest writing that affords a real insider perspective on the city.
  www.estarla.com
  

• 
• • Spotted By Locals
  • Rome
• Spotted By Locals Rome is a blog that provides always up-to-date local tips by handpicked Rome locals. It's part of a network of (currently) 26 European cities.
  www.spottedbylocals.com/rome/
  

• 
• • Today.az
• Today.az is Azerbaijan's main news portal, covering business, politics, entertainment, society and sports, and aimed predominantly at English-speaking readers.
  www.today.az
  

• 
• • Biting the Big Apple
• Taking a rather large bite out of the Big Apple, this blog documents the experiences of a French girl following her move to New York.
  bitingthebigapple.blogspot.com
  

• 
• • Eternally Cool
• From Cesar to Prada, EternallyCool.net is Rome's self-proclaimed 'hip hub', and keeps tabs on the world's oldest (and quite possibly coolest) city.
  www.eternallycool.net
  

• 
• • Cape Town Wine Blog
• Wine is one of life's greatest pleasures, and that's certainly the case over at Cape Town Wine Blog. Written by Glenda - who's something of a wine buff - the blog covers everything from restaurant reviews to wine tasting notes.
  
  www.capetownwineblog.com
  

• 
• • Zimaleto
  • DJs
  • Almaty & Astana
• Kazakhstan isn't known as a hub of musical creativity, but as the city develops as a tourist destination so does the talent that springs from its streets; enter Zimaleto, a two-piece DJ duo hailing from the city.
  www.zimaleto.ru
  

• 
• • Carosel
  • Musicians
  • Barcelona
• When you think of a soundtrack to suit Barcelona you think of sunny, uplifting music that reflects its vibrancy - which is exactly what French-Irish band Carosel brought to the table when we asked them to compile a playlist inspired by the Catalonian capital.
  www.carosel.ie
  

• 
• • Thomas Gold
  • DJ
  • Berlin
• 2009 was a huge year for Berlin-based DJ Thomas Gold; last year brought relentless chart-topping success with countless remixes and the Ibiza summer anthem, Shake It. His Berlin-inspired playlist for Hg2 is to-dance-for. 
  www.thomasgold.com
  

• 
• • Martin Garcia
  • DJ
  • Buenos Aires
• Adapting British dance music to his home city of Buenos Aires, DJ Martin Garcia is a pinnacle figure in the Latin American progressive house scene. His DJ style depends on a smooth mixing technique, and his Buenos Aires-inspired playlist for Hg2 reflects that.  www.myspace.com/martingarcia

• 
• • IvanV
  • DJ
  • Cape Town
• Despite being inspired to play electronic music after playing 80s video games, IvanV is anything but a nerd; in fact, his sets are effortlessly cool, with his signature uplifting melodies rocking the Cape Town-inspired playlist he compiled for Hg2.
  www.djivanv.com
  

• 
• • Paul Hamilton
  • DJ
  • Dubai
• Dubai knows how to party, and it was its raucous reputation that lured club king Paul Hamilton to its golden shores. It was a move that would see the Maltese DJ make a deep impression on its heady nightlife scene and compile a playlist inspired by the city for Hg2.
  www.djpaulhamilton.com

• 
• • Judge Jules
  • DJ
  • London
• Even if music isn't your thing, you'll undoubtedly have heard of Judge Jules. Famed for his witty one-liners, flamboyant dress sense and expertly selected tunes, the dance floor don has kindly put together a playlist for us inspired by our Eat London book.
  www.judgejules.net

• 
• • DJ Justice
  • DJ
  • New York
• 13 is unlucky for most people, but not for New York-based DJ Justice; having spun tracks for 13 years, the Boston native has climbed the decks to become one of the city's most-loved music maestros. We asked him to compile a playlist inspired by our Eat New York book.
  www.myspace.com/djjustice
  

• 
• • DJ Tarkan
  • DJ
  • Istanbul
• DJ Tarkan reigns surpreme in the Turkish dance music scene, and has been voted number one DJ in Turkey three years in a row. After a childhood spent in Frankfurt, Tarkan moved to Istanbul in 1985; his playlist for Hg2 is truly reflective of the city.
  www.djtarkan.com

• 
• • Jodie Harsh
  • DJ
  • London
• Jodie Harsh is London's most famous drag queen, with a famously sharp tongue and piled-high hair. But Harsh isn't just a pretty face; she's a superstar DJ and has put together a playlist for Hg2 inspired by our Life book - to which she is also a contributor.
  www.jodieharsh.com
  

• 
• • DJ Vibe
  • DJ
  • Lisbon
• DJ Vibe started mixing when he was just 15, and has played pretty much every legendary club in his hometown of Lisbon - including Bataclan, Plateau and Kremlin. His Lisbon-inspired playlist for Hg2 blew us away.
  www.djvibe.net

• 
• • Dan Williams
  • DJ
  • London
• While he is usually splashed across the tabloids for his high-profile marriage to Jade Jagger, Dan Williams is first and foremost a DJ. And a super-talented one at that, as his London-inspired playlist for Hg2 proves.
  www.myspace.com/drwdanwilliams

• 
• • DJ Mansur
  • DJ
  • Baku
• Chinar is Baku's biggest club right now, which is why it made sense to recruit resident DJ Mansur to put together a playlist inspired by the city. If he doesn't know what tunes are hot there right now, nobody does.
  www.mansur.all.dj
  

• 
• • Edward Sharpe
  • Musicians
  • Los Angeles
• According to Rolling Stone magazine, LA-based Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are ones to watch in 2010. Quite an accolade, as Rolling Stone rarely - if ever - gets it wrong. Singer/songwriter Edward Sharpe kindly put together an LA-inspired playlist for Hg2.
  www.myspace.com/edwardsharpe

• 
• • Wally Lopez
  • DJ
  • Madrid
• Widely considered as the most successful Spanish DJ, Wally Lopez is wholly deserving of his status. In between working the decks and running his own record label, Wally found time to compile a Madrid-inspired playlist for Hg2.
  www.wallylopez.com
  

• 
• • The Postmarks
  • Musicians
  • Miami
• Pop is often given a bad rap and nobody knows this better than The Postmarks, an emerging pop group from Pompano Beach, Florida. Making pop sound effortlessly cool, their Miami-inspired playlist for Hg2 really packs a punch.
  www.thepostmarks.com
  

• 
• • Eric Torsen
  • DJ
  • Milan
• You associate Milan with fashion and food, but you don't offer think of it as a mecca to music; but Milanese DJ Eric Torsen thinks differently, having grown up there and honed his turntable skills in the Italian city. His Milan-inspired playlist for Hg2 is testament to the city's musical prowess.
  www.myspace.com/erictorsen
  

• 
• • Bobina
  • DJ
  • Moscow
• Bobina - real name Dmitry Almazov, which sounds distinctly more Russian - is Moscow's undisputed supertsar. Clubbing in the capital is a notoriously upscale affair, and his Moscow-inspired playlist for Hg2 is every bit as cool as you'd expect.
  www.bobina.info

• 
• • Senadee
  • Singer
  • New York
• Senadee is a pop sensation waiting to happen, with Mixmag and DJmag having already tipped this singer/songwriter for big things. He's already had a taste of fame with the dance smash hit Say the Words, and now he's compiled a New York-inspired playlist for Hg2.
  www.senadee.com

• 
• • DJ Cleo
  • DJ
  • Paris
• We all know the French have great taste when it comes to food and fashion, but we hadn't quite appreciated just how good their taste in music is; their love of native DJ Cleo is testament to this, and her Paris-inspired playlist for Hg2 is spot-on.
  www.myspace.com/djcleoparis

• 
• • Michael Burian
  • DJ
  • Prague
• Having won awards in his hometown of Prague not once, but several times, Michael Burian's reputation for spinning super tracks on the dance floor has spread far and wide. Which is why we asked him to compile a Prague-inspired playlist. www.michaelburian.com

• 
• • DJ Lange
  • DJ
  • Rome
• 31 is a good number - when it comes to age, and when it comes to your ranking in DJ Mag's 2009 poll of the world's top 100 DJs. And that's exactly the number Lange comes in at, the latest in a long list of impressive achievements. The DJ's Rome-inspired playlist for Hg2 adds to his cachet.
  www.lange-music.com
  

• 
• • StoneBridge
  • DJ
  • Stockholm
• The pseudonym of superstar Swedish DJ Sten Hallstrom, StoneBridge certainly knows how to spin a track or two. Which is why we asked him to put together a Stockholm-inspired playlist for Hg2.
  www.stoneyboy.com
  

• 
• • Samy Burton
  • DJ
• Known for pumping out excellent electronic music, Montreal-based Samy Burton is the man with the midas touch when it comes to getting crowds on the floor. His Montreal-inspired playlist for Hg2 would get a sack of coal up on the floor. 
  www.myspace.com/samyburton

• 
• • Paul Fryer
  • Artist
  • London
• Paul Fryer may be an artist, but he knows quite a bit about music, too - with record producer, electropop singer and transvestite DJ all appearing on his CV. Which is why we asked him to compile a playlist inspired by Hg2's guide to Art.
  www.paulfryer.net
  

• 
• • Weng Weng
  • DJ
  • Beijing
• As 'the godfather of China's electronic music scene', Weng Weng knows a thing or two about what's hot and what's not on Beijing's dance floors. Which is why we asked the superstar DJ to compile a Bejing-inspired playlist for Hg2.
  www.acupuncture-records.com
  

• 
• • Ziad Nawfal
  • DJ
  • Beirut
• Having worked at Beirut's government-run station Radio Liban, DJ Ziad Nawfal knows a thing or two about getting bums off seats. His Beirut-inspired playlist is every bit as informed as you'd expect it to be.
  www.ruptured.wordpress.com
  

• 
• • Bassel Oubari
  • DJ
  • Aleppo
• Syrian nightlife is on the up, and helping it along is Basel Oubari - aka, Bxtreme - arguably the country's best electronic dance DJ. Hailing from Aleppo, there was nobody better suited to compiling a Damascus & Aleppo-inspired playlist for Hg2.
  www.djbxtreme.com
  

• 
• • Faruk Sabanci
  • DJ
  • Istanbul
• Borin in Istanbul, 17-year-old Faruk Sabanci knows more than most about what tunes work (and similarly, what ones don't) on Turkey's dance floors. Which is why Hg2 asked him to put together an Instanbul-inspired playlist.
  www.myspace.com/faruksabanci
  

• 
• • Dean Fuel
  • DJ
  • Johannesburg
• Hailing from Cape Town, Dean Fuel is one of South Africa's most prolific DJs and he boasts a signature style that fuses genres. Indeed, his Johannesburg-inspired playlist for Hg2 would fuel any night out on the town.
  www.deanfuel.com
  

• 
• • DJ Peli
  • DJ
  • Tokyo
• With a fondness for rock and punk - infused with a distinct 80s influence, thanks to her music-loving parents - DJ Peli ensures that her playlists always set Tokyo's clubs alight. Her Tokyo-inspired playlist for Hg2 is no exception.
  www.myspace.com/peli.peli.peli
  

• 
• • The Independent
• The Independent is one of the most influential newspapers on the stands today, which is why Hg2 has partnered up with its Traveller supplement and site to write a fortnightly travel column called 'The Hedonist'.
  www.independent.co.uk

• 
• • AddLib Magazine
• With more than 2,000 executive cars whizzing about our fair capital, Addison Lee is one of our favourite ways to get from A to B. Which is why we contribute travel features to AddLib, its quarterly magazine.
  www.addisonlee.com/addlib/
  

• 
• • MSN
• Needing little introduction, MSN provides news and features on pretty much every topic imaginable. Hg2 is working with the UK site to produce monthly features for its popular travel channel.
  www.msn.co.uk

• 
• • NowFly.co.uk
• Jet-setting is NowFly's thing, which is why Hg2 wasted no time in teaming up with the fabulous flight comparison site. Providing it with weekly travel recommendations, the site is brimming with far-away inspiration.
  www.nowfly.co.uk

• 
• • Cosmopolitan
• Fashion, beauty, sex and relationships; only Cosmopolitan covers them so well. Hg2 has hooked up with the magazine's site to produce sexy travel features every month.
  www.cosmopolitan.co.uk

• 
• • FHM
• FHM is almost as hedonistic as us, with a penchant for living life in the fast lane. We wasted no time in partnering up with its site to offer readers weekly extracts from Hg2 Life, a compilation of 75 essays by a collection cult writers.
  www.fhm.com
  

• 
• • easyJet Traveller
• Having developed a dedicated following of frequent fliers thanks its cheap flight offerings, it made sense for easyJet to launch its own in-flight magazine. Hg2 is pleased to be part of it, offering a monthly destination guide to Marrakech.
  traveller.easyjet.com

• 
• • Luxos
• Dubbing itself 'the online guide to global luxury', Luxos covers hotels, travel, fashion and lifestyle. Hg2 wholeheartedly approves, which is why we're working with the site to deliver our own city-based recommendations.
  www.luxos.com

• 
• • The Local
• The Local provides the latest news, reviews and lifestyle features in Berlin and Stockholm across two separate sites. Hg2 has collaborated with both on scaled-down city guides. www.thelocal.de
  www.thelocal.se

• 
• • mydeco.com
• mydeco.com is the go-to site for design inspiration and anything interiors-related; Hg2 has teamed up with the shopping site on competitions and provide it with design-related travel features.
  www.mydeco.com
  

• 
• • Glass
• Glass is a magazine for the sophisticated consumer who wants to remain informed, inspired and in-touch with the latest developments in fashion, art, design and current affairs. Hg2 has teamed up with glassmagazine.co.uk to produce scaled-down city guides.
  www.glassmagazine.co.uk
  

• 
• • iVillage
• iVillage is one of the most successful start-ups to launch in the 90s, which is why it makes sense for Hg2 to team up with the lifestyle Website to produce monthly features for its travel channel.
  www.ivillage.co.uk
  

• 
• • ELLEuk.com
• ELLEuk.com is the online home of British Elle magazine, a byword for fashion, beauty, shopping and celebrity style. Hg2 partnered up with the site on a competition to coincide with the launch of our new Milan guide.
  www.elleuk.com
  

• 
• • Dwell
• Dwell is an American magazine dedicated to modern architecture and design. Hg2 has teamed up with its online counterpart, dwell.com, to produce monthly travel features on design cities.
  www.dwell.com
  

• 
• • A Luxury Travel Blog
• A Luxury Travel Blog is run by Paul Johnson, and has been voted one of 'the world's best travel blogs' by The Daily Telegraph. We're thrilled to guest-blog for him.
  www.aluxurytravelblog.com
  

• 
• • Business Review Europe
• With Hg2's coveted guides appealing to business travellers, it made sense to team up with Business Europe Review - a website and online magazine dedicated to delivering the very latest business and financial news.
  www.businessrevieweurope.eu
  

• 
• • Finance Monthly Magazine
• Finance Monthly Magazine offers unrivalled coverage of finance and global affairs. With Hg2 being a favourite of business travellers, it made sense for us to team up with the magazine on regular travel features. 
  www.finance-monthly.com
  

• 
• • CN Traveller
• Needing little introduction, CN Traveller is the world's leading travel magazine. Glossy and gorgeous, it made sense for Hg2 to team up with the prestigious publication on promotions.
  www.cntraveller.com
  

• 
• • Lufthansa Italia
• Lufthansa Italia is a Milan-based airline that has kindly contributed flights to offer in a number of Hg2 competitions.
  www.lufthansa.com
  

• 
• • Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Air Maroc is the flagship airline carrier in Morocco and has kindly contributed flights for a number of Hg2 competitions.
  www.royalairmaroc.com
  

• 
• • BMI
• Short for British Midland International, BMI (British Midland Airways) flies to Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. The airline has kindly contributed flights for Hg2 competitions.
  www.bmi.com
  

• 
• • Linde Werdelin
• Linde Werdelin designs and produces high-end mechanical watches, cleverly designed with a unique clip-on system for both diving and skiing. Hg2 has teamed up with the company on a range of super-stylish ski guides.
  www.lindewerdelin.com