Set in the ice-capped peaks of the Annapurna range, the upper Manang Valley is one of Nepal’s most “extraordinary” places – and last year it acquired its first-ever “upscale” hotel, said Christopher P. Hill in DestinAsian. Perched on a lonely, “gravelly bluff”, Mountain Lodges of Nepal’s new property is a “thrilling” sight – stone built, as “stout as a medieval stronghold” – and it commands “postcard- shaming” views, too. The 14 rooms are comfortable, with wooden floors and full-height windows; the food is “unfussy yet satisfying”; and guests can choose from “numerous” guided excursions. Among these is a “demanding” climb to the remote glacial lake of Kicho Tal, and a visit to the 15th-century Sangag Samling Monastery, a rich repository of thangka paintings and sacred texts, set into a cliff high above the ancient farming terraces of Bhraka village.
Double rooms cost from £150 b&b (mountainlodgesofnepal.com).
A food-focused cycling trip in Italy
Widely regarded as Italy’s gastronomic heartland, Emilia-Romagna is a great place for an “eating odyssey”. If that sounds a bit heavy, consider doing it by bicycle, said Sean O’Neill in The Times – as I did this spring with a group of friends on a seven-night, self-guided tour with Saddle Skedaddle. From Cremona, we cycled 180 miles south to Bologna, via Parma, Modena and other lovely towns, travelling mostly along quiet country lanes, with hotels and luggage transfers arranged for us, and daily restaurant and bar tips sent via WhatsApp. I chose an e-bike, which made the going delightfully easy. There was plenty of time to “stop and stare” each day – at castles and palaces, and distant mountain views – and we enjoyed “sumptuous” feasts and lots of good wine.
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The trip costs from £1,575pp, excluding bike hire (skedaddle.com).
Lovely Penzance with fresh polish
It doesn’t have the splendid beaches of St Ives, but Penzance is my favourite seaside town, said William Cook in The Telegraph – and after “decades in the doldrums”, it has “become chic”. Artists’ studios, “trendy” cafes and “quirky” independent shops have multiplied, but Penzance still doesn’t feel overcrowded, and nor has it lost its “grungy, vaguely hippy vibe”. If you go, eat at Orto (try the “rich” venison ragù) and, even better, Argoe, a seafood place in nearby Newlyn; and consider staying at the “elegant yet understated” Chapel House hotel. Don’t miss the “fabulous” coffee at The Hoxton Special (a “funky” surf shack on Marazion Beach). And make time for some of the best local sights, including the Jubilee Pool (a huge art deco lido from 1935), and the Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, created by a local GP.
