Author Ben Olsen

Ben Olsen

Glass Online music editor

Glass experiences a taste of the American West in Scottsdale, Arizona

April 15, 2024

“I REALLY hope you don’t drive like that,” drawls the check-shirted instructor, Lori, as my horse, Beau, picks up speed and veers to the right – the result, apparently, of my errant oversteering. I’m two h...

Glass enjoys Mandarin Oriental Munich’s Oktoberfest celebration

Ben Olsen

September 28, 2023

Culture, Feature, Food & Drink, Germany

IT'S A cloudless, sunny September afternoon in Munich and the rooftop of the Mandarin Oriental is an oasis of calm. Floating in the rippling, slim-line pool, surrounded by lavender and lime trees, I take the o...

Glass tells tales from the bush in South Africa’s Sabi Sabi

Ben Olsen

November 14, 2022

Feature, South Africa, Travel

A PIONEERING APPROACH TO CONSERVATION UNDERPINS A BREATH-TAKING SAFARI EXPERIENCE AT SABI SABI. “Always be scanning the horizon,” advise the team as I check into Sabi Sabi’s luxurious Earth Lodge in eastern ...

Glass finds luxe lodgings at South Lodge, a five-star rural retreat with plenty going for it

Ben Olsen

August 22, 2022

Feature, Travel, United Kingdom

THE sun is rising over Sussex’s South Downs and – revelling in the early-morning stillness – I immerse myself in the steamy outdoor hydrotherapy pool at South Lodge as the rest of the world wakes up. It’s a glo...

Glass escapes to the countryside at Birch

Ben Olsen

February 21, 2022

Feature, Travel

ALTHOUGH just seconds from the M25 motorway in Hertfordshire, which connects Birch’s rural surrounds to the rest of the world, this Grade-II listed country pile feels a world away from city life. Yet Birch – w...

Glass speaks to influential US rapper, songwriter and entrepreneur Wiz Khalifa

Ben Olsen

November 19, 2021

Culture, Feature

A decade on from his breakthrough album, Rolling Papers, influential US rapper, songwriter and entrepreneur Wiz Khalifa opens up on fame, fatherhood and finding balance Wiz Khalifa. Photograph: Angelo D'Agosti...

Glass enjoys an elevated stay at Treehouse London

Ben Olsen

November 4, 2021

Feature, Travel

ADDRESSES don’t get much more attractive than that of Treehouse London – the first UK launch by ritzy US brand 1 Hotels – which opened in late 2019. Just seconds from Oxford Circus and with the my...

Glass visits the Treehouse, London

Ben Olsen

November 30, 2020

Feature, Travel

Glass gets a glimpse of the good life at the Carlton St Moritz

Ben Olsen

January 6, 2020

Europe, Feature, Switzerland, Travel

NIGHT has fallen on the exposed slopes of St Moritz’s Corvatsch mountain and ahead of us a short stretch of piste is illuminated by spotlights before a sharp right turn leads off seemingly into darkness. With s...

Glass discovers two sides to Portugal’s stunning food scene

Ben Olsen

October 28, 2019

Europe, Feature, Portugal, Travel

AS OUR drop-top Volkswagen Beetle careers around the coastline towards Cabo de Roca – the wild and rugged headland that marks Europe’s westernmost point – the driver informs us that we’re pulling in for a pitst...

Glass gets to grips with Abu Dhabi’s Creative Quarter

Ben Olsen

April 15, 2019

Feature, Travel

WELL known for its vertiginous skyline and high-octane attractions, Abu Dhabi has recently emerged as an attractive destination for cultural concerns, too. The launch of the Louvre Abu Dhabi in 2017 – in partne...

Glass Explores Sardinia’s Sunkissed Southern Beaches

Ben Olsen

April 1, 2019

Europe, Feature, Italy, Travel

IT’S A short, steep climb to the Torre di Chia in southern Sardinia but the views from this medieval tower – built to protect the island from invaders – reveal exactly why Chia’s sun-kissed beaches are frequent...

Gran Melia’s Palacio de Los Duques in Madrid

Ben Olsen

November 6, 2018

Europe, Feature, Spain, Travel

This winter marks a major celebration at one of the world’s finest art galleries. Madrid’s Museo del Prado first opened its doors on November 19, 1819, and in the 200 years since has established itself as a tru...

Glass explores the sophisticated side of Mallorca’s Calvia

Ben Olsen

August 29, 2018

Feature, Travel

MALLORCA’S majestic mountains, crystalline waters and sunny Mediterranean climes have made it one of the world’s standout destinations for generations, with nearly 10 million visitors arriving each year. A 1960...

Glass embraces the good life at The Alpina Gstaad

Ben Olsen

June 19, 2018

Europe, Feature, Switzerland, Travel

HOLLYWOOD big-hitters and rock royalty may have holidayed in Gstaad since the 1960s but the Swiss resort’s charms reach far beyond its reputation as a glitzy A-list hangout. Angular snowy peaks in winter and wi...

Glass embraces Puglian cuisine at the stunning Don Totu hotel

Ben Olsen

November 8, 2017

Europe, Feature, Italy, Travel

WEAVING through Puglia’s sunkissed countryside in autumn reveals its rich agricultural heritage, with swathes of crops – from olives and vines to pumpkins – and traditional trullo huts punctuating the landscape...

Glass embraces the Greek mainland at Ikos Oceania

Ben Olsen

July 31, 2017

Europe, Feature, Greece, Travel

ALTHOUGH it’s Greece’s scattering of sunkissed islands across the Aegean Sea that draw the majority of its three million average annual visitors, its understated mainland also has plenty on offer. With scenery ...

Glass visits Secret Yoga Club’s Urban Retreat in London

Ben Olsen

May 10, 2017

Beauty, Feature, Secret Yoga Club, Wellbeing

AS THE importance of wellbeing becomes increasingly recognised, a new wave of health-focused practitioners has evolved to offer interesting takes on yoga, pilates and meditation. Express classes, intensive lunc...

Glass visits the Mandarin Oriental in Barcelona

Ben Olsen

February 22, 2017

Europe, Feature, Spain, Travel

Occupying a commanding space on Barcelona’s elegant Passeig de Gracia, Mandarin Oriental’s Catalonian outpost has established itself as a stately five-star affair that successfully balances the high-end hotel c...

Glass reviews Gunpowder’s gung-ho new brunch menu

Ben Olsen

October 12, 2016

Dining, Feature

HAVING already secured its place in the top 20 of Time Out’s best London restaurant list, relative newcomer Gunpowder has expanded its offering with a brunch menu. Launching in 2015, Gunpowder’s kitchen is head...

Glass takes time out at Sardinia’s Forte Village

Ben Olsen

September 5, 2016

Europe, Feature, Italy, Travel

WITH the sparkling seas of the southern Mediterranean as its backdrop, Sardinia’s Forte Village already has a head start on most other destinations. Just a short journey south-west from Cagliari, the resort – a...