Forget “bleak dormitories with creaking iron beds and draughty communal spaces”, said Georgie Duckworth in The Guardian. A new generation of UK hostels offer a comfortable place to stay – without the hefty price tag that often comes with cabins, cottages and lodges.

As staycations boom in the face of uncertainty over the war in the Middle East and soaring airfares, holidaymakers are looking for affordable places to stay closer to home. But in prizing “seclusion” so highly, “have we lost the very essence of travel: the pleasure of meeting new people; sharing stories; hearing word-of-mouth tips; and stepping outside our familiar routines?”

That’s where hostels come in. These reasonably priced accommodations encourage “outdoor pursuits and socialising”, with a range of private rooms for families and communal rooms with bunk beds. One of the best is The Rocks in Pembrokeshire: a “bright and stylish” hostel with a cosy shared lounge, and firepits for “stargazing and marshmallow toasting” in the evenings. Rooms are “snug but smart” with “soft sheets and Welsh woollen blankets”.

The Youth Hostel Association offers rooms in a “beautiful building in a luxury location” for a fraction of the price of other staycations, said Catherine Lofthouse in The Sun. My “favourite” is Chester Trafford Hall: an “old Georgian mansion set in lovely grounds”. In a great “blend of city and countryside”, visitors can enjoy walks from the doorstep or “hop on the bus” to the city centre to “wander through the historic streets”.

There are plenty of completely “off-grid” escapes, too, for “wild adventurers” and “digital detoxers”, said Freya Parr on BBC Countryfile. Consider travelling off the beaten track to Ulva – a small Scottish island off the west coast of Mull. Here you’ll find the community-owned Ulva Hostel which sleeps just 14 people. Home to a comfy living area, shared kitchen, and sauna, with additional camping pitches available outside, it’s the “perfect spot” to explore the remote, car-free island.

At the end of a winding tree-lined driveway, this grand country house appears suddenly, like a dame at a ball. The late Victorian-era mansion, set in 66 acres of prime Hampshire parkland and gardens, certainly makes a statement.

When you step through the entrance archway onto the marble floor, you’re greeted with floor-to-ceiling walnut panelling that sweeps up the staircase, overlooked by gilt-framed portraits of past residents. This Grade II-listed hotel might boast a spa and award-winning restaurant, but it still feels like a grand country house (I imagine).

Why stay here?

Have you ever wanted to step into the pages of a Regency novel and be transported to a world of balls, halls and primogeniture? This is the place to do it. In fact, Tylney Hall is near many important Jane Austen sites. Her cottage, where she wrote “Pride and Prejudice”, is about a half-hour drive away, as is her grave, in the north nave aisle of Winchester Cathedral. The hotel itself feels familiar to fans of her work; you can imagine Mr Darcy brooding in a corner of the Library Room, or Elizabeth Bennet roaming the grounds.

Tylney Hall is the first of three Elite Hotels, an independent group that has carefully taken on some of the UK’s foremost historic homes. Tylney Hall has a fascinating provenance dating back hundreds of years, first as a home, then a First World War hospital, a school and the HQ of a shipping line. It’s worth reading the various information plaques dotted around the mansion and sprawling grounds. The Italian Lounge, for example, has a magnificent blue-and-gold ceiling imported from the Grimation Palace in Florence in the late 19th century.

Some of the 113 rooms are as you’d hope: fit for minor aristocracy. Think massive suites inside the mansion with four-poster beds, marbled bathrooms, and sitting rooms with views across the lawn. All that’s missing is a butler.

But some are located in the courtyard or gardens, and inexplicably furnished like student halls. To get to the spa, you have to walk back via gravelled pathways through the trees in your robe and slippers, braving inclement weather and darkness (there is zero lighting). Sneaking around like a scullery maid feels like a big ask on a spenny weekend break. Perhaps you’d do better to stay in the bathroom with the gorgeous Molton Brown toiletries.

Eating and drinking

The continental breakfast buffet is so comprehensive that I discovered a new type of jam. Dietary requirements are well catered for; every possible intolerance from celery to sesame is marked on the menu, and every milk substitute is available, which surprised me in an English country hotel. But the best items are à la carte – if you haven’t the space for the full English, with hand-linked, butcher-fresh pork sausages, go for the smoked salmon with perfectly poached eggs, or the filled pancakes with banana and crème fraîche.

The afternoon tea in the Grey Lounge is popular: a theatrical affair, with homemade pastries and silver teapots. Dinner is served in the opulent Oak Room Restaurant, and like the curtains, the menu skews towards rich, heavy and conventionally British. Mains like baked pork belly with rose harissa and coriander couscous, salmon poached in browned butter with mussel and cockle risotto, and a sharing Chateaubriand with chips are all presented with a flourish on white tablecloths, accompanied by the tinkling of a grand piano.

The beef fillet with wild mushroom gratin and autumn black truffle is the stand-out – but take care. The prices aren’t on the menu for a reason; lay off the starters and sides unless you want a hefty bill at check-out. I ended my evening with a stiff drink in the Library Bar, curled up in front of the fire like a Bridgerton earl.

Things to do

The outdoor pool, in pride of place within a walled Dutch garden, is a focal point in summer – weather permitting. The high trees shade half the sunbeds, so you’ll need to get up early to grab a good spot.

The indoor swimming pool area is beautiful; light floods in from the arched glass roof and through floor-to-ceiling windows. The problem is the acoustics. If you’re in there alone, the silence is funereal, but as soon as anyone opens their mouth for a chat, the noise is deafening. One hen party group nearly brought the roof down. Some low-fi chill, or generic spa music, would help the ambience. But otherwise, it’s a breathtaking bit of architecture.

You can fill your boots with genteel country pursuits: a game of golf or tennis, croquet, clay pigeon shooting and walking trails. Don’t miss the water gardens, designed by renowned horticulturalist Gertrude Jekyll, as well as lakes of Monet-style water lilies and a pond of fancy koi carp.

The verdict

Tylney Hall is conveniently located near Junction 5 of the M3, and a short taxi hop from the village station of Hook if you’re coming by train. But it feels like a world away from modern life.

It would be a shame to treat it as a spa-break destination, however – treatments are extortionately priced, and the facilities are limited. Consider it instead as a luxurious visit to a bygone era.

The jewel in its crown is the grounds: ancient trees, rolling hills, manicured formal lawns, rose and azalea flowerbeds, and an Italian garden complete with statues and a fountain. Follow the trails that wind through the gardens and orchard, then sit by the Boathouse Lake, taking in views of the house, and imagining the lives of those who once called it home.

Harriet Marsden was a guest of Tylney Hall Hotel and Gardens, part of the Elite Hotels Group

Wending its way through the jungles of northern Colombia to the Caribbean Sea, the Magdalena river is “preposterously beautiful”, says Laura Jackson in The Times – and among the most relaxing ways to discover it is on a cruise.

AmaWaterways launched two river boats last year, and they are the first big passenger vessels to ply the Magdalena since 1961, when the David Arango paddle steamer was accidentally destroyed by fire.

From 1964 to 2016, Colombia's “narcotic-fuelled” armed conflict made tourism here “unfeasible”. Since then, the region has been much safer but preparing the river for the cruises required years of work, including dredging a canal and building new docks.

I spent two days exploring the historic port of Cartagena before boarding the AmaMelodia for a seven-night, 360-mile cruise. It’s a “soothing” ship, with a good restaurant and 32 spacious cabins across three decks, all decorated in “neutral” greens and browns. Our route took us southeast along canals to join the river, and then north to the city of Barranquilla, where the Magdalena reaches the sea.

Along the way, we visited villages and colonial towns reminiscent of those evoked by the Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez, who was influenced by a childhood journey on the David Arango. They included San Basilio de Palenque, a village founded by runaway slaves in the 18th century – the first of its kind in the Americas – and Mompox. Its historic centre is a Unesco World Heritage Site, with a “stopped-clock feel”.

The cruise included “excellent” lecture and wellness programmes, and activities including a class in cumbia – a local dance – and a jewellery-making workshop. We also went on speedboat trips to areas the ship couldn’t reach, including the Ciénaga del Pijiño wetlands, where we saw howler monkeys, alligators, and a great array of birds, from russet-throated puffbirds to savanna hawks and snail kites.

A nine-night trip with AmaWaterwayscosts from £5,699pp, including flights.

The benefits of bird-watching are plenty — it’s relaxing, can offer a mental-health boost, gets you outside in the fresh air, teaches you about new types of species and helps you focus. Start in your backyard or local park, then consider these eight global hot spots, where opportunities to zero in on avian splendor are plentiful.

Cape Town, South Africa

The Cape sugarbird, Cape rockjumper, orange-breasted sunbird and bank cormorant are some of the endemic birds that draw nature lovers to Cape Town. The best place to do serious birding is Strandfontein Sewage Works, where visitors “may count more than 50 species on any given morning,” said Afar. Flamingos, African marsh harriers and Cape longclaws all gather in and around the ponds, and in the summer grey and purple herons arrive in droves.

Colombia

Nearly 2,000 avian species call Colombia’s mountains, forests and beaches home, making the country a “veritable paradise” for birders, said Forbes. Don’t overlook the cities, either; Cartagena is an “underrated gem for avitourism” and a great “jumping-off point” for birding adventures.

Ekoparque Luna Forest is “prime territory” for the chestnut-winged chachalaca, a species endemic to the Colombian Caribbean, and the tropical dry forest at Santuario de Flora y Fauna Los Colorados is home base for the scarlet macaw, Amazon kingfisher and rose-breasted grosbeak.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s rainforests offer varied bird-watching experiences. Quetzals dwell in the “ethereal cloud forests,” said Travel and Leisure, while red-capped manakins live in the lowland tropical rainforest.

A “great” destination for bird-watching is Carara National Park on the central Pacific coast, where tropical dry forests and humid rainforests meet. Birds from both environments, like scarlet macaws, toucans and herons, live here. On the Caribbean coast, discover “abundant wildlife” in Cahuita National Park. Visitors can walk a five-mile forest hiking trail and experience the chance to see kingfishers, hawks and green ibis.

Daintree Rainforest, Australia

More than half of Australia’s bird species live in Daintree Rainforest, and bird-watchers from “all over the world” come here for a “day, or even a week, of bird-spotting,” said Time Out. This is the oldest continually surviving rainforest on Earth — it’s estimated to be more than 180 million years old — and “wing-watchers” flock here to search for the “elusive” flightless Southern cassowary. There are more than a dozen endemics to keep an eye out for, including the pied monarch, Macleay’s honeyeater and Victoria’s riflebird.

Everglades National Park, Florida

Wading birds are “essential” residents of the Everglades, playing a vital role in Florida’s wetlands ecosystem, said Lonely Planet. Birders glide down the coastline in kayaks and canoes to watch “egrets, ibis and roseate spoonbills pick through the shallows for food,” and there are trails throughout the park offering views of birds like cormorants, warblers and nesting anhingas. One of the best times to visit is in mid-February, when swallow-tiled kites return from their winters in Central and South America.

Hokkaido, Japan

During winter, the bird-watching in Hokkaido is “spectacular,” said National Geographic Traveler. The “remarkable” red-crowned cranes can be found performing “elaborate mating dances against snowy landscapes,” while the Steller’s sea eagles dive into the chilly water for fish. The Blakiston’s fish owl is the rarest owl in Japan but often visits the Yoroushi onsen in the evening.

Manu National Park, Peru

What birds you see at Manu National Park depends on your elevation. When in the cloud forest, be on the lookout for the vibrant Andean cock-of-the-rock, quetzals, tanagers, horneros and parakeets.

Down in the lower parts of the park, you might spy the Amazon umbrellabird, or nesting nightjars and yellow-billed terns on the beaches along the Manu River. Go off the beaten path to “remote areas like the Huacarpay wetlands, home to nearly 60 resident species” like yellow-winged blackbirds and violetear hummingbirds, said Condé Nast Traveler.

Scottish Highlands

The “majestic” golden eagle, “elusive” capercaillie and “tiny” crested tit are some of the reasons why bird-watchers love the Scottish Highlands, said National Geographic Traveler. Spot ptarmigan, dotterel and snow bunting, “three high mountain specialists,” in Cairngorms National Park and Spey Valley, but prepare to put in some work — you will have to “trudge up mountains” and “search through pine forests to find them.” It’s worth it to spend time in the “spectacular” landscape, amid the “dense foliage,” and listen to the birdsong.

Nobody knows how the phrase “Vedi Napoli e mori” (See Naples and die) came into being. The sentiment that once you have seen the beauties of Naples there is no need to go on is most commonly ascribed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe on his grand tour of Italy in the 1780s. Goethe and I have little in common – just ask my GCSE German teacher – but it is a feeling that is easy to share. Indeed my first time in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius was much like the volcano itself: beguiling and beautiful but filled with noise, theatre and barely contained energy.

It is all the more surprising, then, that the most impressive hotel on the Naples waterfront achieves its effect not through a crescendo of Neapolitan drama and excess but through piano, or restraint. ROMEO Napoli is a hotel that exudes class, almost effortlessly, and in a city that is so turned up to 11, that quality alone is something of a luxury.

Why stay here?

The building has a history worthy of its surroundings. Once the headquarters of Achille Lauro’s legendary shipping fleet, the palazzo was entrusted to the late Pritzker prize-winning Japanese architect Kenzō Tange for a transformation that is stark and yet incorporates so much of what has gone before.

The result is a double skin of glass and steel rendered in an aquamarine shimmer, its gently undulating curves calling to mind the prow of a great vessel preparing to cast off. It is striking in the way that all great Italian suits are striking, in that you can’t quite take your eyes off it, but you’d struggle to explain why. Against the backdrop of Naples’ Unesco-listed historic centre, it somehow manages to stand entirely apart while remaining very much of its place.

Inside, the philosophy is one of “essentiality”, something I took to mean that while some of the art and decor could feel over the top, it instead feels perfectly appointed. Black marble floors and Macassar ebony flow through communal spaces and into the 77 rooms and suites, each a tightly composed study in materiality. All the mod-cons of the highest end hotels are here, while the bed has a comfort level that is usually reserved only for your own one at home.

The mostly monochromatic palette, punctuated with flashes of blood red and cobalt, lends the whole place a cinematic quality, like something from a Paolo Sorrentino film, rather than your standard five-star interior. The Gulf of Naples, visible from most rooms, remains the star attraction and the “essentiality” of the interior decor means that there is nothing too in-your-face to compete for your attention.

The art collection deserves a mention, too, as it is not art for the sake of art. The founder, Alfredo Romeo, is himself a serious collector, and the works here – ranging from 17th-century paintings to Samurai armour, from Mario Schifano’s pop-inflected take on Vesuvius to Andy Warhol’s typically flat, iconic treatment of the same volcano – feel genuinely chosen rather than acquired.

Mark Kostabi, the American artist whose stylised, mannequin-like figures explore themes of isolation and alienation in the age of technology, is another recurring presence. His pieces appearing in the rooms as well as the public spaces give an unsettling elegance. Marc Chagall’s dreamlike figurative work brings a note of European modernism to the mix, while a lenticular piece by Neapolitan artist Francesco Clemente shifts and transforms as you move past it. Lemons, sheep, Vesuvius – the iconography of the area flickers in and out of focus like a half-remembered memory. It is a fitting tribute to a city that always shows you something different.

Eating and drinking

That Alain Ducasse chose Naples for his first Italian restaurant is testament to the history, quality and excitement that eating in the city can bring. The food offering at the ROMEO is the perfect example of all three. Il Ristorante Alain Ducasse Napoli, on the ninth floor with panoramic views across the Gulf, has already been awarded its first Michelin star. It would be no surprise if more were on the way.

On Sundays and Mondays, when the main restaurant rests, the kitchen migrates up to La Terrazza, where lunch and dinner are served against a view that, well, it is a cliché, but it took my breath away. As we were there on a Monday we were treated to a smorgasbord of delights from the menu, once we’d caught our breath of course. It’s rare that a salad steals the show, but the caprese was quite simply perfect – the tomatoes in this part of the world are worth travelling for.

While the two pastas were divine, a pomodoro sauce and a white wine and clam number, it was in fact the ceviche and octopus courses that have lived long in the memory.

Despite to this day being a thriving port city and with so many people so close to the sea, Naples has plenty of substandard fish restaurants. But at ROMEO the simplicity of cooking is a key reason behind its excellence. Executive chef Alessandro Lucassino’s kitchen operates on the principle of letting the exceptional Mediterranean produce speak for itself. This is shown in the delectable nature of their fish and seafood dishes.

Lemons are the other food staple that are just better in Naples than pretty much anywhere else on the planet and we ended our meal with a lemon tart that was truly out of this world. There’s an ease and warmth in which the food is served that also speaks to the quality of the dining experience. Too often high-end places with this sort of menu can feel stuffy, but the ROMEO has a quality offering that comes with an air of relaxed confidence, with is both instantly appealing and relaxing in equal measure.

Breakfast, served in the same space, is another Ducasse production and considerably above what most hotels consider sufficient. For something more casual, Il Bar, a sleek all-day space with an interesting past life as Naples’ first fusion restaurant, offers seasonal plates at any hour.

Things to do

Few hotel spas manage to be impressive in scale and genuinely immersive in atmosphere at the same time. LA SPA by Sisley Paris, occupying more than 1,000 square metres within what was historically the city’s salt customs office, manages both with considerable style.

Descending into it feels like entering an entirely different world. In fact, if you’ve ever wondered what it might feel like to be a very well-pampered astronaut, the spa has the answer. There is a salt cave, an infrared sauna and a snow room that delivers exactly the kind of bracing shock to the system that you didn’t know you needed. Three plunge pools are backed by futuristic projections of water scenes, while most remarkable of all are the circular “phyto-aromatic” cabins. They are neon-lit pods in which you lie back, breathe in essential oils and watch scenes from the natural world play out above you.

The treatments themselves are everything you would expect from a brand such as Sisley. I felt rejuvenated, revitalised and really could have spent my whole week down there. But there were more delights above ground with the two pools, and the Krug Champagne terrace on the rooftop, offering a different but no less necessary kind of therapy. On a clear day, the 120-square-metre infinity pool appears to dissolve into the Gulf itself, with the islands of Ischia and Capri floating on the horizon.

The verdict

Naples, as Goethe well knew, is one of those cities that stays with you long after you leave. ROMEO Napoli, rather than fighting that feeling, channels it into something altogether more considered.

A special mention too must go to the staff who all went above and beyond to ensure our stay was such a delight. It’s rare to see staff members engaged in such convivial conversations with so many of the guests but that seems to be the ROMEO way.

From the architecture and the art to the dining and the view, no trip to the ROMEO is wasted, while the spa, the pools and that terrace ensure that “see Naples and die” feels, for the duration of your stay at least, like a very long way off indeed.

Rooms from approximately €700 per night. Il Ristorante Alain Ducasse Napoli is open Tuesday to Saturday for dinner; reservations are essential. Daily spa access is included for hotel guests. theromeocollection.com

Set on the Thu Bon River, just inland from Vietnam’s central coast, Hoi An was a thriving port between the 16th and 18th centuries, trading silk, spices and ceramics with China and Japan. With its well-preserved historic centre, it’s the most beautiful city in the country, said Daniel Stables in National Geographic Traveller – a lovely place to while away a few days.

Its cobbled streets are lined with Chinese shophouses “garlanded” with bougainvillea and painted a “lemon-curd yellow” that turns to “burnished gold” at sunset. When night comes, the “velvet darkness” is “pricked by a million orbs of light, like fireflies in a forest”: paper lanterns, which have been the city’s “signature” for 400 years, and are still handcrafted by artisans in “atmospheric” workshops in the old town.

The city is a lively place today, with a “thriving” modern art scene, stylish bars and great street food, including bánh mì – baguettes filled with pâté, grilled pork and pickled vegetables. But its charm lies centrally in its historic sites – most famously the Japanese Bridge, a covered foot-crossing over a small riverine canal. Dating back to the 16th century, it was built by Japanese merchants and has an “ornate” temple at its midpoint.

Also worth visiting is the Tan Ky Old House, one of several historic merchants’ mansions open to visitors. Built by a wealthy Vietnamese family in 1741, it has interiors of “rich, dark” ironwood, furnished with “priceless” antiques.

Hoi An has long been famed for its tailors, and today you can get “high-end” custom suits, coats and dresses from the likes of A Dong Silk, in the old town. There’s much to do outside the city, too, including snorkelling at An Bang, a “splendid” beach with “soft, pale sand”, and river trips through the surrounding coconut groves in traditional, round-bottomed basket boats.

A nine-night trip with Inside Asia costs from £1,265pp, excluding flights.

Mother Nature shines at these seven protected areas, thanks to communities and coalitions that monitor and govern each spot so they remain pristine for generations. Travelers are asked to visit with this intent in mind and explore using official guides, treading lightly and leaving not a trace behind.

Banff National Park, Canada

Canada’s first national park is “brimming with natural beauty,” and its Rocky Mountain peaks and glacial lakes are only some of the “treasures” found in this “alpine wonderland,” said Condé Nast Traveler. The varied landscapes offer “geological drama,” filled with “spectacular” wildlife like moose, black bears and elk. There’s “no bad season to visit,” with canoeing popular in the summer, hiking and biking perfect for spring and fall, and skiing and snowshoeing made for winter.

Fiordland, New Zealand

Stretching across 5,000 square miles of southwestern New Zealand is Fiordland, the country’s largest national park. In a “land renowned for rugged beauty and heavenly wilderness,” Fiordland stands out with its “almost otherworldly splendor,” said Thrillist.

There is a lot to take in. The landscape includes forests, lakes, fjords, massive peaks and “craggy” coastlines, all home to “endangered wildlife found nowhere else on Earth,” said Thrillist. There are a few activities that every visitor should try to do, like take a cruise around Milford Sound. The sound is the park’s “most famous” fjord, and getting there involves a four-hour journey one of the “most scenic routes on the planet.”

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

The Andes’ Salar de Uyuni, at 4,000 square miles, is the world’s largest salt flat, formed by dried prehistoric lakes. Your experience depends on the time of year you visit.

It’s dry from May to November, and the flats are hard and can handle the weight of 4x4 vehicles. But when it rains December through March, the flats “transform into a gargantuan reflective mirror,” said Vogue. Stargazers should head to Salar de Uyuni between June and August, when the skies are at their clearest.

Tainui Atea, French Polynesia

On arrival, visitors to the Tahitian islands immediately notice the clear, clean waters of Tainui Atea. It’s the world’s largest marine protected area, spanning nearly 2 million square miles.

Seabed exploitation and fish-aggregating devices are prohibited, and as a result, the area has healthier reefs and lagoons, and stronger marine ecosystems. Travelers are encouraged to respectfully dive right in and go swimming, or hire local guides for outrigger canoeing and surfing lessons, kayaking trips, and diving and snorkeling excursions.

Trang An Landscape Complex, Vietnam

This “sublime” area is dominated by “hulking” limestone karst peaks and sweeping valleys dotted with pagodas and temples, said Afar. It is situated on the Red River Delta, and no visit is complete without climbing into a boat or kayak and meandering past the steep cliffs.

There are also dozens of ancient caves to explore, with many accessible only from the water. Trang An was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014 as a mixed cultural and natural property.

Vatnajokull National Park, Iceland

The “stunning” Vatnajokull ice cap may be the main draw of Vatnajokull National Park, but there’s “plenty else for visitors to see and delight in,” said Travel and Leisure. Jokulsarlon, a lagoon with “very photogenic” blue waters, is a popular spot, as is Diamond Beach, where “chunks of ice wash up on its black sand shores.”

Visit during the winter to see the Skaftafellsjokull glacier when it “extends to lower elevations,” said Travel and Leisure. Iceland is known for its dramatic landscapes, and Vatnajokull National Park offers the finest examples of “millennia of interplay between fire and ice.”

Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park is on countless bucket lists — for solid reason. The park is “one of the best places” to spot mountain gorillas, with expert rangers leading groups into the forests, said Travel and Leisure.

Once the animals are found, you can watch at “close range” as they “feed, interact with each other and appraise their human visitors,” said Travel and Leisure. There are “luxurious” accommodations inside the park, where you can unwind after the high of seeing gorillas in the wild.

A vicious war of words has broken out in Windsor over a cafe giving a “Lycra discount” to cyclists. The 10% concession on food and drink has led, say some angry residents, to the royal Berkshire town being swarmed by middle-aged men on bikes.

‘Overrun’ by Mamils

Cinnamon Cafe’s cyclist-friendly discount has made it “something of a place of pilgrimage for two-wheeled travellers”, said Metro. “Cyclists are arriving from near and far” and “packing out the shop”, said The Telegraph. There are now rows of special racks where customers can store their bicycles.

The “Lycra discount” has been such a success that the Berkshire town has become “the centre of a wildly popular endurance test” called the “Bun Run”: a 62-mile ride from London to Windsor and back, stopping off at the cafe midway for a restorative cinnamon bun.

But the town’s new-found status as a cyclists’ Mecca has “divided opinion” among locals. Some say the roads around Windsor have “become overrun with pelotons of middle-aged men in Lycra – known as Mamils – at weekends”.

“When there’s a whole bunch of them, you can’t get past in the car,” said 84-year-old resident Hugh Nixon. “It’s like trying to pass a caravan.” Another local, 79-year-old June Adnitt, said, “Why have they got 10% off just because they are cyclists?”

The cafe’s owner, Ian Jones, is baffled by the backlash. “We’ve been offering the discount for 15 years,” he told Cycling Weekly. “Fifteen years and it’s still controversial!”

‘Crying little babies’

The story is the “latest chapter in the bizarre culture war between cyclists and drivers”, said Cycling Weekly. And the online fans of two-wheeled travel haven’t held back. One called those who complained to The Telegraph “crying little babies”, while another commented on the Metro’s write-up that Windsor’s locals should “ditch the car, get on your bike and enjoy life a bit more”.

Best known for its association with the Royal Family, Windsor “has had a difficult relationship with cyclists in recent years”, said Road.cc. Windsor & Maidenhead Borough Council near-unanimously voted to ban cyclists from the town’s high street during the pandemic, and a Public Space Protection Order was imposed with a fine of £100 for cyclists who breached it. A move to partially ease the order last year drew criticism from the Windsor and Eton Business Partnership Board, which called it “a short-term tactical move by the council to appease cyclists who already have the whole of Windsor and all its roads to cycle on”.

Food markets are a gift for travelers. Many of the tastes and flavors of a region are conveniently in one spot, the produce is often as fresh as it gets and you can meet the farmers, butchers, cheesemakers, fishmongers and chefs. These 10 markets offer visitors a crash course in their region’s local cuisine, one delicious stall at a time.

Borough Market, London

The “sprawling” Borough Market was established in 1756, making it the “mother of all artisan foodie markets in London,” said Time Out. Slowly stroll by the stalls — there are more than 100, and you won’t want to miss bites of soft cheese, flaky pastries and fresh fruit. After perusing the goods, pick up more grab-and-go items, like a “hulking” sandwich from The Black Pig or crème brûlée donut from Bread Ahead, or “knock back freshly shucked oysters” and an “impromptu glass of wine.”

Chatuchak Market, Bangkok

Adventure awaits at the gigantic Chatuchak Market. There’s no way to see it all — there are a “whopping” 15,000 stalls across 35 acres — but what you do experience will be memorable, said Food & Wine. The weekend market sells just about everything, and is split into 26 sections.

In the food area, visitors can try well-known local delicacies, like mango sticky rice, boat noodles, fried crickets and bamboo worms. The best way to “wash it all down” is with a big glass of fresh watermelon juice or Thai iced tea. If you go with a group, try to stay together — the market is so big that “even locals get lost.”

Ferry Building Marketplace, San Francisco

Come to the Ferry Building Marketplace hungry. You can pull together an “amazing meal” by “grazing” through the dozens of gourmet restaurants and vendors, said National Geographic. Notable names include The Acme Bread Company, which uses organic flour for its artisan loaves; Gott’s Roadside, a local favorite for cheeseburgers and onion rings; and Hog Island Oyster Co., where fresh oysters are served with a side of water views. Three days a week, the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market takes place outside the building.

Granville Island Public Market, Vancouver

Once an industrial area, Granville Island has transformed over the years into a “paradise” of “incredible” food with the Public Market the “star of the show,” said Vancouver Magazine. Its display cases are “bursting” with cheeses, pasta, pastries and “beautifully briny” olives, and you’ll find yourself reaching for the “crunchy, tangy-sweet” honey mustard pickles from Hobbs Pickles and “infinitely snackable” elk juniper salami at Oyama Sausage Co. For a more substantial meal, sit down at Sen Pad Thai, where chef Angus An takes Thailand’s most famous dishes and “absolutely knocks each familiar favorite out of the park.”

La Boqueria, Barcelona

This is the spot for traditional Catalan and Spanish cuisine, where visitors line up for samples of “hand-cut jamón Ibérico” and watch “fishmongers gut a sea bream,” said Food & Wine. Stock up on souvenirs to bring home, like tinned fish and bottles of extra-virgin olive oil, and carve out enough time to “brave the lines” at El Quim de la Boqueria for tapas. For a taste of fresh seafood “plucked from the Mediterranean,” swing by Ramblero and try the grilled prawns, calamari and clams.

Mercado Medellin, Mexico City

This market is small but mighty. It covers one square block in Colonia Roma but is known throughout Mexico City for its “quality” fruits, vegetables, spices and seeds, said Condé Nast Traveler. Vendors also offer “rare” veggies from other Latin American countries — just look for the “Colombian and Honduran flags flying from various stalls.”

Every visit to the market should include stopping at the Cuban heladería for its “incredible” ice cream. You can’t go wrong with cinnamon, chocolate or nata, “made from the cream that rises to the top of clabbered milk.”

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

Nishiki Market started in the early 1300s as a fish market and over time grew into Kyoto’s “best spot for seafood, produce and local street food,” said Atlas Obscura. More than 150 stalls offer “traditional delicacies” like “freshly pounded” mochi and Kyoto’s “famous” tofu, alongside more “adventurous” dishes like tako tamago, a candied baby octopus stuffed with a boiled quail egg. One of Japan’s “finest” knife-makers, Aritsugu, is here and has had a presence in the market since 1510.

Queens Night Market, New York City

You can get your fill at Queens Night Market without breaking the bank. No item costs more than $6, an affordable spot to try foods that “highlight the diverse cultures found around Queens,” said Mashed.

There are about 100 vendors and walking among them feels like taking a global journey, with “Pakistani paratha rolls, Taiwanese popcorn chicken, banh mis, pierogis and Peruvian ceviche” all found along the route. The outdoor market is open on Saturdays in Flushing Meadow Corona Park, from April through the end of October.

Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia

Philadelphia’s “butchers, bakers and local makers” have been showcasing their goods at Reading Terminal Market since 1893, said USA Today. It’s a given that cheesesteaks are available, but you’ll want to branch out and enjoy the “sushi, crepes and Pennsylvania Dutch pretzels.”

Bassetts Ice Cream, established in 1861, is the oldest ice cream company in the United States, and was the first tenant to sign a lease with the market. They are still “going strong,” with visitors lining up for scoops of peanut butter swirl, matcha green tea and good old-fashioned vanilla.

Viktualienmarkt, Munich

Viktualienmarkt is one of Europe’s “best outdoor food markets,” its stalls and shops a great mix of fresh and prepared foods, said The New York Times. For a “heavenly” sandwich, head to Luiginos Bio Feinkost and order a pastrami and cheddar melt (or eggplant, chevre and spinach for vegetarians).

If you’re in the mood for comfort food, Caspar Plautz is known for its creative take on potato dishes, and the stuffed spuds are a favorite. Every visit should include stopping by Lea Zapf for a “decadent” cake and Kaffeerosterei Viktualienmarkt for a cup of house-roasted coffee, which “might be the best in town.”

Marrakech is “warm and golden” in early October, its medina fragrant with cumin and charcoal even before the day has “properly begun”. It’s lovely to wander here, said Finn Beales in the Financial Times, letting the sights and sounds of the city “wash over” you – the souks, the hammams, the “rooftop mint teas”.

But it’s also very touristy these days, and anyone looking for a “less-rehearsed” version of Morocco will want to get out into the mountains nearby. That’s what I did last autumn with five friends and the help of Unicorn Trails, a British operator that offers some of the world’s finest riding holidays. We spent six days in the saddle, heading into the High Atlas from Terres D’Amanar, and crossing passes above 3,000 metres to discover the valleys on the other side.

Some of my friends had “minimal” riding experience – just four lessons before we arrived. But with riders carefully matched to horses to suit their skill level, everyone was fine. My own Arab-Berber stallion was “sure-footed” and “unhurried”, allowing me to take photographs from the saddle, and our two guides were superb local horsemen, always “watchful, measured” and“unfazed” by unexpected events.

We stayed in lodges on some nights, and camped (roll mats, sleeping bags) on others. Sometimes we carried picnic lunches in our saddlebags, but when the road allowed, our support vehicle was waiting for us at midday with hot tagines and “generous” salads laid out in the shade of thuya trees.

There were moments of sadness, such as when we passed through villages destroyed by the earthquake of September 2023. But there was a great deal that was heart-lifting too, such as the view across the High Atlas from the Tizi n’Addi pass, “ridge after ridge dissolving into haze”; and moments of deep peace, such as during our long lunches, and after setting up camp at dusk, when herds of goats spilled through the foothills below us, and the stars above burned brighter and brighter, until they made the surrounding peaks “glow”.

The trip costs from £1,025pp, excluding flights.

“Britain’s islands are among the most geologically varied in the world”, and our National Nature Reserves play a “crucial role” in preserving this “remarkable biodiversity”, said Richard Madden in The Telegraph.

There are currently 390s NNRs in the UK and King Charles has an initiative to establish 25 new ones in England by 2027. Here are some of the best of them, including one that’s just weeks old.

Seven Sisters National Nature Reserve, East Sussex, England

Seven Sisters has “long been a day-trip favourite” from London, but was only officially declared a National Nature Reserve in March, said Anna Mahtani in Time Out. With “stunning white chalk cliffs and waving green hills”, the reserve spans around 1,500 hectares.

In its landscape of chalk grasslands and “thriving wildlife”, bird lovers can catch glimpses of skylarks and yellowhammers “flitting between the skyline”, while “those with a keen eye might catch a chalkhill blue butterfly”. Film buffs may recognise the scenery from films such as "Atonement”, “Wicked” and “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”.

Northumberland National Park, Northumberland, England

The Simonside Hills in this park “come alive” in spring, said Emily Sargent in The Times. It’s a treat for the senses – from the sound of birds overhead to the sight of red squirrels that “scamper after each other” through the pine, larch and spruce trees. These “heather-clad hills” are also home to some of the “northeast’s rarest wildlife”, including the curlew, the red grouse and the mountain bumblebee.

You can see signs here of “our ancient ancestors”: prehistoric cup and ring marks, carved into the rocks, dating from the Neolithic and early Bronze Ages. The park is a “fabulous” starting point for a long hike, with “well-established trails across the hills”, including the 97-mile St Oswald’s Way from Lindisfarne to Heavenfield.

Gilfach Nature Reserve, Rhayader, Wales

Nestled in the Cambrian mountains, Gilfach Nature Reserve is “spectacular” and “as rich in history as it is in wildlife”, said BBC Countryfile. Walkers can follow the winding path that “threads through oak woodland and over moorland”, which turn “blushing pink with heather” towards the end of summer.

On the riverbanks, keep your eyes peeled for the “gleaming” white throat of the dipper songbirds, “bobbing energetically” before “plunging into the torrent to feed”. The rocks are also “worthy of closer inspection”, teeming with “miniature forests of lichen”. You can climb a wooden platform to get a bird’s-eye view of the wonderful waterfalls, and “if you’re lucky, the acrobatic finale of one of nature’s greatest migrations: Atlantic salmon”.

St Abb’s Head National Nature Reserve, Berwickshire, Scotland

Just north of the border with England, Scotland’s St Abb’s is a great spot for twitchers, said Madden in The Telegraph. Guillemots and razorbills “crowd together on the offshore stacks”, while puffins use crevices in the cliff face to lay their single egg. You can also see “large numbers of kittiwakes, fulmars, shags and herring gulls”, as well as an abundance of pretty wild flowers.

The cliff-top path is a “walker’s paradise”, and beneath the waves below is the “swimmer and scuba diver’s equivalent, with clear waters, kelp forests, soft corals, tunnels, gullies and diverse marine life”. Out at sea, there have been sightings of dolphins, minke whales and seals.

Bradford Pennine Gateway National Nature Reserve, West Yorkshire, England

There is something “stoic and un-showy about this 1,272-hectare region”, said Rob Crossan in Condé Nast Traveller, naming it one of his Seven Wonders of the World for 2026. The reserve has many well-known historical routes, having been lived in – and “beloved by” – the Brontë sisters, and encompassing Ilkley Moor, Penistone Hill Country Park, Harden Moor and Bingley North Bog.

The scenery provides “heathery oblivion”, with “undulating moors, wind-polished gritstone tors and views that collapse into long, moody distances broken only by the slow, stately flap of a marsh harrier”. New trails that connect the picturesque villages of Haworth, Stanbury and Thornton knit together a “tapestry of slow travel”. “If Britain ever needed proof that the everyday could still surprise, the Bradford Pennines Gateway delivers with quiet aplomb.”

Avoiding crowds while still experiencing the best of a culturally dynamic city is a win-win. At these seven spots, you will have more elbow room to see the sights and more chances to connect with locals and dive into their way of life.

Bisbee, Arizona

This former mining town changed its fortune, reinventing itself to become an artists’ haven. During the early 1900s, when copper, gold, zinc and silver production was booming, Bisbee prospered. By the 1970s, the mines dried up and shuttered.

Artists soon started to arrive and turned Bisbee into a creative community. Its downtown looks “straight out of a storybook,” and is a “wonderfully walkable” area, said Travel and Leisure. There are “alfresco art galleries” throughout Bisbee, and the sounds of “near-constant live music” fill the air.

Chachapoyas, Peru

In the mountains of northern Peru sits Chachapoyas, a city named in honor of the civilization that lived here from 800 to 1470. The Chachapoyas, or “Warriors of the Clouds,” built several important sites in the area, including Kuélap.

This ancient fortress, built around 500 AD, comprises “towering defensive walls, over 420 circular dwellings and panoramic views,” said Time Out. A cable car sweeps visitors to Kuélap in about 20 minutes. After exploring the ruins, head back to Chachapoyas for a relaxing stroll through the historic city center, dating back to the 1500s.

Hue, Vietnam

Ornate palaces, pavilions, statues and royal tombs are waiting to be explored in Hue. This is where Vietnam’s last imperial dynasty lived in “extravagant regal splendor” and built a “citadel, gilded in bronze, enamel and lacquer,” said The Times of London.

Visitors can also receive the royal treatment once it’s dinner time. Restaurants in Hue serve the “1,000-plus dishes of the imperial household,” like banh beo (steamed rice cakes), com hen (clam rice), bun bo Hue (spicy beef noodle soup) and nem lui (lemongrass pork skewers).

Matera, Italy

Known as the City of Stone, Matera offers visitors a glimpse of what life was like in this region 10,000 years ago. Sassi di Matera, a network of cave dwellings carved into limestone, is its centerpiece.

The extraordinary settlement is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and features more than 100 rupestrian churches. The Crypt of Original Sin underwent “painstaking” restoration work and is “sure to take your breath away,” said National Geographic Traveler. Considered the “Sistine Chapel of cave art,” its frescoes are the “best in the region.” Artifacts dating to the Paleolithic era fill the Domenico Ridola Archeological Museum, while the Museum-Workshop of the Peasant Culture reconstructs a cave house, public wine cellar, and blacksmith, cobbler and cabinetmaker studios.

Meknes, Morocco

For a “relaxed slice of authentic Moroccan life,” head to Meknes, said Lonely Planet. It may be calmer here, but there’s plenty to do, starting with a trek to the “buzzy” Place El Hedim to see the Bab Mansour gate and wander the Dar Jamai Museum housed in a 19th century palace.

The Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, Morocco’s longest-ruling sultan, is a “dazzling” display of mosaic tiles and “ornate” cedarwood, and though non-Muslims can’t enter the tomb, they can “peer through the doorway” and observe two clocks given to the sultan by King Louis XIV. Inside the medina are several souks dedicated to specific wares, like leather goods, carpets and spices.

Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

More than 800 years ago, when Polonnaruwa was Sri Lanka’s capital, it was a “thriving” religious and commercial center, said Lonely Planet. After a series of invasions and natural disasters, the capital was abandoned, but the “glories of that age” remain.

Polonnaruwa’s archeological “treasures” include hundreds of temples, statues, tombs and stupas in a “compact core.” The sacred Quadrangle, home to many important Buddhist structures, is alone “worth the trip” to Polonnaruwa.

Wroclaw, Poland

The historic city of Wroclaw, spread across 12 islands connected by over 100 bridges, shows off its “cultural credentials” through beautiful design and ample opportunities to attend live performances, said The Times of London. “Gorgeous” Market Square offers examples of colorful gothic, baroque, art nouveau and contemporary architecture, and sharp-eyed visitors will have fun spotting hundreds of small bronze gnomes scattered around the city. Music lovers will appreciate spending an evening at the National Forum of Music, with its renowned acoustics, or attending free, open-air JazzOVO concerts in the courtyard of OVO Wroclaw during summer Fridays.

Brazil is our “destination of the year”, said Jacqui Gifford in Travel + Leisure. With a restaurant scene that’s “on fire”, beautiful “untamed” landscapes, “spectacular” beaches and, of course, unbeatable carnivals, this is the hottest place to visit in 2026.

Brazil has seen a 37% year-on-year rise in visitors, thanks in part to the launch of its International Tourism Acceleration Program, said The Telegraph. The “goal was simple: to improve the country’s international air connectivity”. It’s now easier to reach Brazil than ever, with new flights from Europe to cities such as Manaus and Recife. And, this year, flights are due to begin between Lisbon and São Luís – “the gateway to the swirling dunes of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park”.

December to March is “peak season” in Brazil, bringing the “heat, summer rains and parties to the streets of Rio de Janeiro for Carnaval” in February or early March, said National Geographic.

If you decide to visit during the southern hemisphere’s spring (September to December), consider a wildlife-focused trip with a visit to the Pantanal – the world’s biggest tropical wetland that’s home to an array of creatures including capybaras, giant river otters and hyacinth macaws. August and September is “peak wild jaguar sighting season” when the big cats gather along the river banks to hunt for caimans.

And if you plan your trip for June (winter in Brazil), the seasonal rainwater lagoons at Lençóis Maranhenses reach their highest levels, ideal for swimming, and the weather is dry and sunny. This is also when humpback whales begin migrating from icy Antarctica to breed in the warmer waters off the coast of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro. It’s well worth booking a tour with Projeto Baleia Jubarte.

June to November (dry season) is also the best time of year to visit the Amazon. Consider exploring the dense, tropical rainforest on a river cruise, said Chris Moss in The Telegraph. “As a nature-lover and twitcher, I have marvelled at macaws, kingfishers, hummingbirds and giant otters.” Starting from Belém at the mouth of the Amazon, you can sail as far as Iquitos in Peru.

And if a city break is more your thing, spend a few days in São Paulo visiting the bustling city’s stand-out restaurants, bars and galleries. A trip to the “huge indoor market”, Mercado Municipal, is a “must”, said Time Out. The multi-storey “food heaven” is packed with “colourful and lively” stalls selling everything from delicious baked goods to exotic fruits and vegetables. “Be prepared to loosen your belt by a few notches to eat the market’s most famous sandwich: a small baguette packed with a brick-size wedge of mortadella.” Night owls can stay up late at Fabriketa – an “all-night electronic music party in an abandoned factory”.

Fresh off an early morning Eurostar service from London’s St Pancras, I feel excited when my taxi pulls up outside Maison Proust, and I discover its serene location on a tree-lined Parisian backstreet. Getting out of the car I wonder for a moment if I’m at the right place; I can’t see an obvious sign and its plain grey façade looks more like a private mansion than a hotel. As I contemplate getting back in the cab, a young man in an elegant navy suit appears from behind a grand door and welcomes me with a smile.

Inside, it’s a fun surprise to discover the decadent Belle Époque décor that evokes the style of the salons Marcel Proust would once have frequented. Standing in a darkened wood-panelled entry way lined with glass cabinets filled with curiosities, I am instantly transported back in time – and inspired to read some Proust, a great French author I am loath to admit I know very little about.

Sipping a welcome glass of chilled black tea infused with hibiscus and pepper in the cosy guest lounge and bar, I take in my new surroundings. It’s a theatrical mix of dusky blue velvet, distressed mirrors, wood panelling and tasselled lampshades that sets the tone for the rest of the hotel.

Waiting for my keys, I explore the thickly carpeted space and find a circular library, with a celestial ceiling inspired by “The Rotonde du Soleil” at Opéra Garnier, and a secret alcove. It’s the perfect spot for delving into Proust’s epic seven-volume novel, “In Search of Lost Time” (“À la Recherche du Temps Perdu”, I later learn he’s best known for.

Why stay here?

Set on a quiet street in heart of the Marais with its lively village atmosphere, luxurious Maison Proust is the ideal refuge for those who appreciate hotels with character, art, literature and history, and who seek a tranquil weekend escape in the heart of Paris. With its small, cosy spaces, it appeals to couples and solo travellers looking for a discreet base.

The hotel’s 23 compact, individually designed, street-facing rooms are split across six floors, set off curved darkened corridors. Ranging in size from doubles to junior suites, they’re named after Proust’s friends, including writers such as Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette and Emile Zola and painters such as Edouard Manet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

A peaceful night is guaranteed at Maison Proust, thanks to a combination of triple-glazed windows, blackout curtains, luxurious beds and high-quality linens. Rich colour palettes, sumptuous carpets and opulent fabrics like silk drapes and velvet sofas are décor hallmarks. Lampshades are decorated with pages from Proust’s “In Search of Lost Time”, while bathrooms clad in marble have deep tubs, showers – or both – and luxurious Italian body products made with almond milk and orange blossom.

Before you arrive, it’s worth reserving an hour-long session at the Salon d’Eau, an exclusive Moorish-style relaxation space, with a steam room and a warm 33ft lap pool. Book into Spa La Mer, which offers indulgent treatments like lifting facials and revitalising massages, by appointment only.

Eating and drinking

Although there’s no restaurant at the hotel, breakfast – continental, American or à la carte – is served in the light-flooded glassed-in winter garden decorated with huge portraits of women in Proust’s life.

Come early evening, snacks like truffle tarama, burrata with olives, artichoke hearts, smoked salmon, and French cheeses, to name a few, are served when the bar opens. Drinks-wise, a comprehensive menu features several absinthes, 16 gins and 40 whiskys. Cocktails are as rich as the surroundings, like the Albertine, a sweet and punchy concoction laced with cognac and apricot syrup and topped with champagne.

Things to do

If you can drag yourself out of your artfully decorated salon-style room, the excitement of the Marais awaits. Start with a browse around the cluster of upscale boutiques along the Rue Vieille du Temple, before exploring the dizzying choice of restaurants and bars on surrounding streets. Great options include Candelaria, Mesures, and the Marché des Enfants Rouges, the city’s oldest food market.

And it’s a 15-minute stroll to the Musée Carnavalet, whose temporary collection includes the reconstituted bedroom of Marcel Proust, featuring his polished-wood bed draped with a deep blue coverlet, his cane and coat, and the writer’s precious pen.

The verdict

The quiet yet central location in the Marais is a unique combination that promises a fun-filled but relaxing trip to Paris. With its darkened corridors and small decadent spaces, it’s the perfect romantic refuge from the nearby hustle and bustle, that inspires you to want to be creative, and to read more.

Ellie was a guest of Eurostar and Maison Proust.

When it comes to hotel room views, it doesn’t get much better than having your own private wildlife show. That’s exactly what you get at Chester Zoo, where the new safari-style Giraffe View lodges let you stay overnight overlooking the sandy enclosure where the male giraffes live.

“That’s Meru,” our friendly concierge tells us as we drop off our bags in our room. Beyond the glass, across a small rocky strip of water, the zoo’s eldest giraffe is craning his impossibly long, elegant neck up to a hanging basket of foliage and methodically stripping the branches of their bark. Below him, a smaller, paler giraffe – (Stanley, we soon find out) – prods his shoulder, demanding attention. It’s a mesmerising sight.

Cosy lodges with stellar views

The Reserve only opened last year, but the entire experience already feels like a well-oiled machine. We didn’t arrive until check-in, but wished we had got there earlier when we realised just how much there was to see. As well as an overnight stay in a luxury lodge, the After Hours package includes a two-day zoo pass. Guests get early access on both days from 9am (an hour earlier than the general public) to the Heart of Africa zone – a sprawling 22-acre habitat designed to mimic African grasslands. It’s home to more than 50 animal species, including zebras, rhinos, vultures, antelopes, and, of course, giraffes.

On arrival, we were given wristbands giving us exclusive access to The Reserve, and were whisked straight out on to the terrace overlooking the lakeside lodges for our welcome drinks. We opted for the Kenyan-inspired dawa cocktail: a refreshing – and surprisingly strong! – blend of vodka, lime, honey and sugar syrup. Despite being April in Cheshire, sitting out on the bright, sunny terrace, it really did feel like we were on safari (or what I would imagine it’s like, as a safari novice).

The lodges themselves are comfortable and modern, decorated in calming shades of oatmeal with plenty of natural wood and pretty rattan wall hangings. But the real draw is the views: floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors open out on to your own private balcony where you can watch the giraffes amble around the paddock. Perfect for families, a cute stuffed toy giraffe is also waiting on the bed.

An after-hours tour to remember

It’s easy for hours to slip by while you sit and watch the giraffes but we managed to tear ourselves away from our lodge for the after-hours tour. Every member of staff we met at Chester Zoo was warm, friendly and, above all, passionate about what they do. Ranger Ben was no exception. Together with another couple staying at The Reserve, we set off to explore the Heart of Africa zone – stopping off at the various enclosures to learn about the animals and their quirks.

We pass the female giraffes (Tula, we learn, is a “diva”, while Kanzee is the “adventurous” one), and stop to look at the inquisitive yellow mongooses, Cinnamon and Saffron. Perhaps most memorable of all are the aardvarks; they’re nocturnal so they’re still sleeping when we visit at dusk but peering into their cave we manage to catch a glimpse of their strange pink feet with shovel-like claws dangling in the air.

Next, we head into the Hidden Savannah – an indoor space where a colony of naked mole-rats are huddled together sleeping. We can’t spot the African bullfrog at first but soon find he’s blending in beneath a log, staying completely still as he lays in wait for his prey. There’s just time to stop off for a talk with another ranger, Ewan, who shows us the “enrichment” puzzles and feeders used to engage the lions and monkeys, and tells us about Chester Zoo’s biggest conservation projects, including work supporting the monitoring of giant anteaters in Brazil.

Back at The Reserve that evening, there’s a range of activities for guests. We opted for the Pangolin Talk, where Ben told us about the zoo’s research tracking critically endangered giant pangolins in southwest Uganda. (Ewan reappeared too, with a slightly unnerving giant pangolin puppet.) The only snag was our evening meal, which, after the incredible day we’d had, was disappointing and didn’t live up to the quality of the rest of our stay.

Skipping the crowds with early access

Thankfully, breakfast was much better, with a selection of pastries, fresh fruit and cooked traditional classics. Determined to make the most of the early access this time, we set out at 9am to explore the rest of the zoo. This felt really special: many of the animals we hadn’t been able to see the night before were just waking up and we could get to the best viewing spots before the crowds arrived.

Chester Zoo was recently voted the best zoo in the UK and it’s easy to see why. Spanning 130 acres, the sprawling site is home to some of the biggest habitats in Europe and with so much more space the animals looked happier and more relaxed than those in the old Victorian cages in London. It’s also a non-profit carrying out some incredible conservation work around the world, teaming up with local partners to support crucial research projects everywhere from Mexico to Madagascar.

There is so much to see and you really will need to get there early to have any hope of getting around the entire zoo. But the memory that will stay with me the longest is waking up, drawing back the curtains, and seeing two majestic giraffes amble right past the window. It’s an experience that will be difficult to top without getting on a plane to explore the countries and wildlife in Africa.

Irenie was a guest at The Reserve at Chester Zoo, chesterzoo.org

Framed by fjords and mountains on Norway’s southwest coast, Bergen is a beautiful city with a lively cultural scene, including some excellent New Nordic (“Neo-Fjordic”) restaurants. And the islands around it also offer a “very Scandinavian interplay of big, contemplative nature and fresh thinking”, says Toby Skinner in Condé Nast Traveller.

Compared with, say, the Lofoten or Stockholm islands, this archipelago remains “relatively under the radar”, but it is magical even so, and a delight to explore by road and on “peaceful” ferries. It’s a world of rocks and forests, “picture-postcard” seascapes, and villages of white weatherboard houses. Here and there, “immaculate” red boathouses sit by the shore, and there are some great bakeries and artisanal distilleries, as well as stylish boutique hotels.

Among the more recent openings is Lilløy Lindenberg, a private island retreat that sleeps 12 people in a “traditional” house and a “whimsically converted” boathouse. Both have “coolly Scandinavian” yet “playful” interiors featuring locally made objects such as “wobbly, organic-seeming” lamps by the glass-blower Sigrid Rostad. Summer days here are “slow, soft-lit reveries of saunas, boat trips and vegan feasts”, but it’s also worth visiting other islands. On “rocky, windswept” Fedje, you can taste “subtly complex” organic whiskies and spirits at the Feddie Ocean Distillery, and stay at Fab 8 (“crisply designed” apartments in a former sardine factory).

And there are two good hotels in the little fishing community of Bekkjarvik, on Selbjørn – the “traditional” Bekkjarvik Gjestgiveri and the “angular” Beckerwyc House, where the Bocuse d’Or winner Ørjan Johannessen serves “sublime” 16-course dinners made at the restaurant, Mirabelle. Before heading back to Bergen, Bekkjarvik Experience offers kayaking trips, fishing expeditions and more. I loved its sleek, black “Bond-worthy RIB”, which reached speeds of 70mph on a “roller-coaster-like tour of tiny islands”.

When it comes to grand European cities, you would be hard pushed to find one more majestic than Vienna.

As the centre of the Austrian and Austro-Hungarian empires centuries ago, it was a hub of culture, art and, above all, architectural beauty – a legacy that endures today.

Modern Vienna is a thriving metropolis with a stylish centre. Locals and guests can indulge in treats from world-class art to Michelin-standard gastronomy, plus this year it is home to the festival of fun that is the Eurovision Song Contest. There are few more satisfying destinations in which to lose yourself for a weekend.

Things to do

First things first, if you plan to see a lot of sights (and you should!) grab a Vienna City Card and load it onto the ivie digital city guide app. It acts as a public transport ticket and offers discounts on major sights, while the app has suggested routes for self-guided walking tours.

For the best introduction to the city, get wandering! Check out the famous Ringstrasse, a 3.3-mile boulevard that circles the city centre, before heading inside the loop towards St Stephen’s Cathedral. This is the epicentre for high-end shopping, literally or window, among some of the most exclusive postcodes in the world.

You can’t miss the glorious Imperial Palace, seat of the Hofburg Dynasty, and one of the largest palace complexes in the world. It houses the Sisi Museum, which celebrates one of their most famous monarchs Empress Elisabeth, and the National Library, which gives the one in “Beauty and the Beast” a run for its money. You'll find the crown jewels on show at the Imperial Treasury.

You could spend a day at the stunning Schloss Schöenbrunn and gardens that celebrate 30 years as a Unesco World Heritage Site this year, and if you’re a war buff, make your way to the Museum of Military History, home to the car in which Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot, sparking the outbreak of the First World War.

Music fans really should try to pre-book for a show at the State Opera House, but if you don't have the time, then a behind-the-scenes tour is a great way to get a feel for the world-famous venue. Art lovers can’t go wrong with an afternoon at the Belvedere Palace, where Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” hangs, but don’t miss out on the gallery’s huge collection of modernist, Renaissance and Medieval art too.

To delve deeper into Vienna’s cultural heritage, seek out the Museum of Applied Arts, the Foto Arsenal Wien photography museum, the Kunsthistorisches Museum and, my personal favourite, the Leopold Museum, which boasts an astonishing collection of Austrian art. In fact, the entire museum quarter has 61 cultural institutions, alongside bars, restaurants and outside spaces.

To experience what it might be like to live in Vienna, get out of the centre, too, and discover the city’s Grätzels (neighbourhoods). Each has its own unique vibe, from trendy Karmeliterviertel to the cobblestones of Neubau and Spittelberg.

Eating and drinking

Vienna is the only city in the world with a type of cuisine named after it, and its most iconic dish is the Wiener schnitzel (breaded, pan-fried veal cutlet). Try one at Salonplafond, where modern interpretations of Austrian classics are served in a grand dining room.

Michelin-starred Z’SOM takes its name from the Tyrolean dialect word for “together”, but its food is rooted in Latin America and is both exciting and unpretentious. Head chef and owner Diego Briones has created an accomplished, light-hearted menu with hero European ingredients such as white asparagus, accompanied by more unusual combinations like coconut and green papaya. Try it out for a night to remember.

Butcher and restaurant Praterwirt is a locals’ favourite, serving high-quality meats alongside authentic Budweiser lager straight from their own tanks. Perfect for a hearty plate on a cold night. If you’re looking to try an Austrian hot dog, then head to Alles Wurst, where they serve classic sausages alongside steak tartare. Expect to queue as this one’s popular.

Stepping away from the meat counter, Tian Bistro, under the guidance of Michelin-starred chef Paul Ivić, serves a five-star vegetarian menu with combinations such as lion’s mane mushrooms and chimichurri to satisfy the taste buds.

Grabbing a seat at one of Vienna’s coffee houses is a must. Take in the late 19th-century interiors at Café Sperl, or try a kaiserschmarrn, a sort of deconstructed pancake, at Cafe Landtmann, which also has a great outside space to enjoy the sun.

Where to stay

The plant-covered facade of Hotel Gilbert has made it one of the most identifiable and forward-thinking boutique hotels in the city. It has been awarded the Austrian Ecolabel for high sustainability standards, with bathroom products from organic local company Lederhaas and innovative heating solutions. There are 57 rooms, each decorated in a contemporary palette of blues and yellows, with even the smallest rooms well presented with modern bathrooms and plenty of space. A generous buffet breakfast is served in &Flora, the vegetable-focussed restaurant that is also popular in the evenings.

Jaymi McCann was a guest of Wien.info

The deadly outbreak of the rare hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship has highlighted the growing trend of tourism in Antarctica.

No tourists visited the icy southern continent until the 1960s and only 8,000 a year set foot there three decades ago. By last year, this had risen to 80,000, with a further 36,000 seeing it for themselves from ships docked in Antarctica’s spectacular bays.

This “unchecked tourism growth” risks “undermining the very environment that draws visitors”, said two academics from the University of Tasmania on The Conversation.

Irreversible melting

Those first tourists set foot on Antarctica on 23 January 1966. The mission, with 57 guests, was intended to “inspire people to become stewards for the planet, by exposing them to one of its most awe-inspiring places”, said The Independent. But some now think the trip was a “mistake” because it began a process that is endangering the “fragile” environment.

Sixty years on, “tourism to the bottom of the world is soaring”, said The Associated Press. This is “driven in part by fears that the frozen landscapes of Antarctica may be irreversibly melting away because of climate change”.

“High costs” and the “time it can take” to travel there mean visitor numbers are “still small”, but they’re “growing so fast that scientists and environmentalists are sounding alarms”. The University of Tasmania academics estimated that the number of tourists could triple or quadruple to more than 400,000 a year by 2033-34.

The draw is clear: the experience of visiting Antarctica, with its whales, seals, penguins and icebergs, is “unique and not replicable anywhere else on the planet”, Claire Christian, from the environmental group Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, told AP. “It’s all really stunning and it makes a huge impression on people.”

‘Loved to death’

Between 2002 and 2020, nearly 150 billion tonnes of Antarctic ice melted each year, according to Nasa. Experts warn that more visitors will bring an increased risk of contamination, illness and other damage to the continent.

Tourists can threaten ecosystems by compacting soils, squashing fragile vegetation and bringing in non-native microbes and plant species. They can also disturb breeding colonies of birds and seals.

Each cruise ship visitor to Antarctica produces between 3.2 and 4.1 tonnes of carbon, and that doesn’t include their travel to the port of departure. This is comparable to the carbon emissions an average person produces in a year.

So the answer to Antarctica avoiding being “loved to death” may “lie in economics”. Some suggest a rule requiring visitors to pay a tourism tax, or a “cap-and-trade system” to limit the number of visitor permits for a fixed period.

The guidelines of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators stipulate that only 100 people can set foot on the ice at any given time, and ships carrying more than 500 passengers are not allowed to dock.

Visitors are told to avoid touching the ground with anything but their feet. Some crews and passengers use vacuums, disinfectants and brushes to keep shoes and equipment free of bugs, feathers, seeds and microbe-carrying dirt, said AP.

Airlines cut 13,000 flights globally in May as jet fuel prices soared due to the conflict in the Middle East.

In the future, these “spiralling” fuel costs could “spell the end of budget flights”, wrote Cathy Adams, news features editor, travel, in The Times.

Why are prices up?

Airfares have risen 24% year on year, according to the consultancy group Teneo. The price of jet fuel, usually the second-largest element of airlines’ costs after crew, is rising. In the week ending 1 May, the price of a barrel of jet fuel had risen 101% year on year to $181 (£133), according to the International Air Transport Association’s Jet Fuel Monitor.

These hikes are then passed on to travellers. Prices on some routes, such as London to Hong Kong and Singapore, have tripled since the start of 2026. Carriers including Air France-KLM, Virgin Atlantic and Emirates are adding fuel surcharges.

Other airlines are warning of price rises once their current hedge arrangement – which allows them to buy fuel at a fixed price – expires.

Are higher prices here to stay?

For the time being, yes. Even once the Strait of Hormuz is reopened to allow the free flow of crude oil and refined jet fuel, it will take a “minimum of three months for lower fuel costs to work their way through the supply chain”, Bryan Terry, the managing director at Alton Aviation Consultancy and former director of industry fuel services at the IATA, told Adams.

“Even then, airlines will try to hold higher fares in place as long as they can to recoup the costs and losses they’ve absorbed since the conflict began”, so passengers should “start thinking of elevated airfares as the new normal for the foreseeable future”.

There are other factors expected to push prices up in the longer term. Aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus are struggling with production delays and engine shortages, which means fewer available seats overall.

Major carriers have signed “historic contracts” with pilot unions and ground crews over the past two years, and some of the cost of the wage increases is passed on to passengers, said Fly Fairly.

Finally, EU climate laws mean prices will be 13 to 14 times higher in 2030 than in 2019, claimed Airlines for Europe.

How can I find cheaper flights?

In the “near term” there are “bargains to be had” as airlines “battle to fill their planes” for a summer season during which travellers are “nervous to commit to overseas holidays”, said Adams.

The “very thin silver lining” is that as airfares go up, the cost of extras such as baggage and seat selection “typically goes down”.

As usual, airlines and agents continue to advise passengers to “book sooner rather than later” to “lock in a good deal”. Meanwhile, “whether we’ve seen the last of the £9.99 flight to Spain remains to be seen”.

Few things are as thrilling as an equestrian adventure. From multi-day desert treks to gentle countryside hacks, a horse riding holiday is a great way to explore your surroundings and reconnect with nature. Here are some of the best places to saddle up.

Le Barn, France

This former equestrian farm just an hour from Paris is now a “stylish and welcoming retreat where every room looks out on to meadows”, said Kate Johnson in The Guardian. Located in the Rambouillet forest, the sprawling property shares 500 acres with a “world-famous” horse-riding training centre with “plenty of riding on offer” for all abilities. But the real draw is the magical weekly Whisperer’s Experience which teaches you how to “forge a connection by working on foot with a free horse and using your body language and exercises” to “build trust” and communicate with one of the elegant animals. “Be warned, it’s emotional.”

Reschio Hotel, Italy

Set amid the “quite outrageously beautiful” rolling hills and olive groves on the Tuscany-Umbria border, this 11th-century castle is home to a 36-room hotel and collection of farm buildings, said Steve King in Condé Nast Traveller. As well as offering an array of activities from wild swimming to truffle hunting, the estate is a “noted breeding and training ground for Andalusian horses”. Even if you don’t fancy taking a lesson, “you’d be mad not to go and pay a visit to the stables and see with your own eyes these extraordinary, otherworldly creatures”.

São Lourenço do Barrocal, Portugal

Vineyards and meadows “stretch out as far as the eye can see” at this 200-year-old estate in Portugal’s Alentejo region, said Chloe Frost-Smith in The Times. Riders can hack through “old cork forests and archaeological trails scattered with neolithic stone circles”, and end the day with a “canter towards the hilltop village of Monsaraz to catch the sunset”. There are plenty of other activities, too, from olive-wood carving to wine tasting at the surrounding vineyards.

Gleneagles, Scotland

This iconic Scottish hotel in the heart of Perthshire is one of the world’s “loveliest” spots for “golfing, relaxing and exploring the bonny lands beyond”, said Lydia Bell in Condé Nast Traveller. It’s also home to an excellent equestrian centre offering a jam-packed schedule of horse-riding lessons and walking tours. Facilities include two covered, heated show-jumping arenas, a large livery and woodland cross-country hacking.

Hollacombe Farm, Exmoor

And if you want to “take your horse on holiday”, consider checking into this self-catering property on the edge of Exmoor National Park, said Johnson in The Guardian. Set on “private rolling farmland”, the self-catering converted stone barn features “stabling and grazing for three horses”, and host Louise is “on hand as a guide”. Days are easy to fill riding through the “heather- and gorse-covered moorland” or galloping the length of Salcombe Sands beach. Bliss.

If the walls of these hotels could talk, they would regale guests with tales of lavish parties, milestone celebrations, newsworthy occasions and fascinating visitors. It would take quite some time to hear the stories too: These properties are all more than 100 years old, with one opening before the Revolutionary War.

Beekman Arms, Rhinebeck, New York

A who’s who of influential — and infamous — Americans have spent the night at the Beekman Arms, including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Benedict Arnold. The inn opened in 1766 and is believed to be the oldest continuously running hotel in the United States.

During the Revolutionary War, “militia drilled on its lawn,” and “townspeople took refuge within its walls during the fighting,” said The Independent. Life here is much calmer today, with guests appreciating the inn’s “charmingly creaky floors, fireplaces and quaint bedrooms.”

Claremont Resort & Club, Berkeley, California

This Bay Area retreat has been a beloved spot for rest and relaxation since it opened in 1915. Guests can lounge by one of three pools, enjoy a treatment in the spa or unwind in their room, soaking up views of the San Francisco skyline.

Those who prefer a more active stay are in luck. At The Club, they can play a few sets on the lighted tennis and pickleball courts, take a fitness class and cycle through the dry saunas, steam rooms and whirlpools. The guest rooms were recently renovated in calming shades of soft blue and gray, and the “plush bedding and fluffy down comforters make the beds feel like clouds,” said Condé Nast Traveler.

Congress Hall, Cape May, New Jersey

Congress Hall bills itself as the country’s first waterfront resort, which has proudly survived “fires, hurricanes and war.” It started as a boarding house for summer visitors and during the Benjamin Harrison presidency was considered the Summer White House.

The rooms are “comfortable” and have an “air of seaside whimsy,” and the hotel offers plenty to do year-round, said Travel and Leisure. During warmer months, guests can “dine alfresco and swim in the seaside pool,” and come December, the grounds turn into a “festive Winter Wonderland” with holiday vendors and a train for kids.

Fairmont Breakers Long Beach, California

The glamorous Fairmont Breakers Long Beach is ready for its close-up. The hotel is fresh off a renovation and is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year with special culinary events and activations, themed suite experiences and tours.

Original details remain, like plaster molding and “ornate” exterior motifs, and are combined with modern furnishings for a “compelling blend of old and new,” said Afar. Rooms are decorated in “whites and soothing blues,” with bathrooms “clad in marble,” and the “polished design” extends to the hotel’s restaurants and venues like Halo, the rooftop bar.

The Inn at Hancock, Hancock, New Hampshire

When The Inn at Hancock first opened its doors in 1789, it was a stop along a busy trade route, with lodgers arriving by stagecoach. Today, guests arrive via much faster transportation — but the property’s welcoming atmosphere remains.

The Inn at Hancock recently reopened after a three-year renovation, and the 15 suites are distinct, each one having its own decor, bespoke furnishings and period antiques. All of the dining options have unique characteristics as well, with the Restaurant spread out across three spaces: the Georgian-paneled Formal Room, bright and airy Garden Room and book-filled Reading Room.

The Inn at Stonecliffe, Mackinac Island, Michigan

The Inn at Stonecliffe, once a private summer estate, is now a “quaint” resort that feels like a “nearly perfectly preserved time capsule,” said Travel and Leisure. The Edwardian-style Tudor mansion dates back to 1904, and a renovation added modern updates like air conditioning but kept in place original details that “give the property its charm,” including hardwood floors, fireplaces and “beautiful” stained glass windows. Outside, guests have 15 acres to explore and can fill their day by playing games on the massive lawns, lounging in the Adirondack chairs facing the Straits of Mackinac and enjoying s’mores by the fire pits.

The NuWray Hotel, Burnsville, North Carolina

What’s old is new again at The NuWray, North Carolina’s oldest continuously operating hotel. The 1833 property recently reopened after a renovation, and during that process the owners repurposed old materials, converting wood from the ceiling into a bar top and original laundry sinks into ice holders. Guests appreciate how “intentional” the owners have been about “preserving much of the history of the building,” said the Asheville Citizen Times. They also love the speakeasy-style Washroom Bar in the basement and Southern food served at the Old Ray Restaurant.

Omni Parker House, Boston

Open since 1855, Omni Parker House is “as much a part of Boston’s history as the Freedom Trail itself,” said Condé Nast Traveler. It’s the birthplace of Boston Cream Pie and Parker House Rolls, with both still on the menu at Parker’s Restaurant.

The hotel’s downtown location puts the property in the “center of the action,” and its “sweeping marble lobby” makes a great first impression. Guests can learn more about Parker House history in the basement, where an “extensive” memorabilia display showcases some of the property’s “most memorable moments.”

The Wigwam, Litchfield Park, Arizona

The Wigwam has always been a gathering place. It opened in 1918 as a retreat for Goodyear Tire & Rubber employees and not long after became a guest ranch.

Spread across 440 acres, the resort combines “historic charm with modern comfort,” and its “spacious” casitas are “ideal for families,” said Arizona Foothills Magazine. Over the last century, The Wigwam has expanded to include nine tennis courts, three swimming pools, a spa and 54 holes of golf across three courses.

Most people likely only think of Uber for ordering rides and food, but the company wants to change this perception by expanding into a full-service travel app. The brand has announced it is partnering with Expedia for a wide variety of vacation-related services, including hotel reservations and general concierge services. The expansion is part of Uber’s effort to become an “everything app.”

‘Become the one app for everything’

The biggest change is that users can now book hotels directly on the Uber app without having to go through a third-party reservation site. By connecting with Expedia’s hotel database, Uber will offer “access to a wide selection of hotels, which will ultimately grow to more than 700,000 properties in destinations around the globe,” the company said in a press release. There is also cross-pollination with Expedia, as Uber rides “will be integrated directly in the Expedia app” starting in June 2026.

Notably, the partnership will allow Uber to offer hotel bookings “for properties in countries where it doesn’t currently offer rideshare services, if the properties are listed through Expedia,” said The Wall Street Journal. Plans to add rental property bookings through the Expedia-owned Vrbo are also in the works. Beyond hotels themselves, the company will provide specified Uber Eats “room services” that can “deliver food and any forgotten items, such as a toothbrush or phone charger, directly to the hotel,” said NBC News. There is also voice-enabled booking powered by AI.

The goal is for Uber to “become the one app for everything,” Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber, said to The New York Times. The “more convenience we can bring to our consumer on a global basis, the better.” The partnership is also helping “hotels get access to travelers, get more demand, get more exposure,” which “strengthens the value proposition we bring to our hotels,” Ariane Gorin, the CEO of Expedia, told the Times.

‘There’s a catch’

Many are wondering if Uber’s new venture will make hotel rooms cheaper than competitors’ booking sites, which does indeed seem to be the case. At a Hilton hotel near Tampa International Airport, a booking through Uber with an added refund window cost $140.19, while the “same room would have cost $144” through Hilton’s website, said The Washington Post. A “reservation with a comparable refund window would have cost $165” on booking.com and $159 on hotels.com. So “Uber was the cheapest.”

But “there’s a catch” for people looking to stock up on hotel rewards points. When people “book with a third-party online travel agency” like Uber, they are “likely forgoing the brand-specific points,” said the Post. Despite this, Uber is hoping the benefits outweigh the negatives. Adding hotels could prove to be an important experiment for the business model, as the partnership “pushes Uber into a higher-value category” and “tests whether the ‘super app’ model — which has taken off in parts of Asia — can take hold in the U.S.,” said Axios.

Making the “everything app” plunge by starting with hotels does seem to be natural, as “more than 1.5 billion Uber trips took place globally outside a rider’s home city last year,” said Axios, and 100 million users ordered rides from airports. The company is “betting it can deepen its role in travel by building on behavior that already exists.”

What happened

Pioneering no-frills budget carrier Spirit Airlines ceased operations on Saturday, citing sharply higher fuel prices and the collapse of a $500 million Trump administration bailout. “This is tremendously disappointing and not the outcome any of us wanted.” Spirit CEO Dave Davis said in a statement.

Who said what

The “proudly penny-pinching” airline had capped its “final, mad-dash scramble to save money” with tentative deals to emerge from bankruptcy, unveiled four days before the Iran war started, The Associated Press said. In the end, the “spike in jet fuel prices from the war was the last straw,” said Axios.

Spirit was “often skewered for its bare-bones service,” but its “corresponding dirt-cheap fares opened up air travel” to thousands and “helped shape how other airlines competed,” The Washington Post said. Even if “you never flew Spirit, you benefited” from its low prices, said The Wall Street Journal. “Competing airlines vigorously matched its fares,” and “one big reason major airlines” were “rooting against a government bailout” is that “one less pesky discounter gives them more pricing power.”

What next?

Spirit said customers who booked flights with credit or debit cards would automatically get refunded. Most other U.S. airlines offered discounted or “rescue fares” to Spirit passengers facing canceled flights.

Wending its way around some of the highest peaks in the Pennines, the Settle-Carlisle Railway is among the greatest engineering feats of the Victorian age, and arguably England’s most scenic line. This year, it is celebrating its 150th anniversary, said Duncan Craig in the Financial Times – a good moment, I felt, for a week-long break travelling up and down it to explore some of the “extraordinary” hiking country it opens up, much of it in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Some of the buildings at its stations have recently been converted into holiday lets, and we stayed in one – the booking office at Kirkby Stephen. Painted in the “crimson-and-cream” livery of the old Midland Railway company, it is charming, cosy, and, of course, perfectly located for hopping on and off the trains. This is “the railway line that shouldn’t have been made”, so “fiercely undulating” is the terrain it traverses for much of its 73-mile length.

The Midland Railway company wanted a share of the “fast-expanding” London to Scotland rail market, and won Parliament’s approval for the line in 1866, as its rival, the London and North Western Railway, refused to share its tracks (now the West Coast Mainline). Built of local stone, the railway’s great viaducts are as grand as cathedrals, and seem to rise naturally from their landscape.

But, in fact, they came at great cost. Several thousand navvies worked on the railway, living in makeshift camps, and many died in accidents, or from exposure and disease in the bitterly cold winters. The journey south from Kirkby Stephen takes you past three majestic hills – Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside – to the “engineering crux and spiritual core” of the railway, the Ribblehead Viaduct, with its 24 soaring arches.

There’s also particularly good hiking around Dent, the highest station in England at 350 metres. A holiday cottage today, the lone building there has a picture window overlooking Dentdale – one of the country’s finest views.

Malta’s 300 days of sunshine a year draw visitors, but there is much more to this island between Sicily and North Africa than optimal weather. Its history isn’t tucked away in corners, but on full display in the cities of Valletta and Mdina, and landmarks like St. John’s Co-Cathedral and the Megalithic Temples of Malta. Natural beauty also shines along the rugged coastline and in the sparkling turquoise waters.

History comes alive

Valletta is a small city, but it “packs a historical punch,” said The Independent. The Knights of St. John built Valletta during the 16th century, and the city remains “laced” with townhouses from that era that now “house atmospheric restaurants and bars.” Another early landmark is St. John’s Co-Cathedral, which dates back to the 1570s. From the outside, it looks “unprepossessing,” but inside you’ll find a “riot” of “lavish” details, including marble floors, a gilded vaulted ceiling and Caravaggio’s masterpiece “The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist.”

The ancient walled city of Mdina is “hardly touched by modernity,” said National Geographic Traveler. It’s been called the Silent City since the mid-1500s, when political power moved to Valletta, and is filled with “narrow alleys full of mystery” and “winding lanes with whispers of a bygone era.” The baroque Mdina Gate makes a grand statement, and visitors don’t have to be religious to find a “sense of spirituality” in the “gilded altars” and “detailed frescoes” of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Though a bit “gruesome,” the Mdina Dungeons are worth a descent and feature “macabre” dioramas showing how Malta’s former rulers once doled out “punishments and tortures.”

Snorkel, dive and swim in turquoise waters

Divers and snorkelers love Malta for its coves, accessible wrecks and clear water with high visibility. A top spot to visit is the “picturesque” Ghar Lapsi, a bay known to have “some of the best reef life on the island,” said Lonely Planet. Boat and shore dives can be arranged for all skill levels.

For unmatched views, head to the Blue Lagoon on the small island of Comino. This protected area boasts “luminous” blue water “flanked by caves” and is “unmissable,” said the Times of London. It gets crowded, and to curb the number of sightseers and make the experience more enjoyable for everyone, you must now book a slot to visit the lagoon.

A signature Malta experience

For a laidback experience, head to the sea and explore one of Malta’s traditional fishing villages. Marsaxlokk’s harbor is filled with colorful wooden boats, called luzzus, and it’s entertaining to watch the fisherpeople “studiously touch up” their “prized” vessels, said the Times of London. The action picks up on Sundays, when the town hosts a fish market where hawkers “loudly declare their wares.” During the week, artisans set up shop and sell their own handmade art, crafts and jewelry.

Ancient stone wonders

Some of the world’s oldest free-standing stone buildings can be found in Malta, and experts believe many of the structures were built before the pyramids of Egypt and Stonehenge. Among the most notable are the Megalithic Temples of Malta, constructed more than 5,000 years ago. They are “remarkable for their diversity of form and decoration,” and the Hagar Qim, Mnajdra and Tarxien temples are “unique architectural masterpieces” due to the “limited resources available to their builders,” said UNESCO.

Eating the Maltese way

Malta’s location between North Africa and Italy plays a major role in its cuisine. Dishes feature Arabic spice blends, touches of “Sicilian comfort” and a bit of “French flair,” all made with ingredients and seafood straight from the Mediterranean, said Broadsheet.

One Maltese staple is the pastizzi, a golden flaky pastry often filled with ricotta or peas that’s best served “straight from the oven” and “eaten with your hands,” said Broadsheet. The country’s national dish is fenek moqli, or slow-cooked rabbit stew, a “rustic, hearty” meal, and its “answer to lasagna” is timpana, a baked meat pasta “encased in buttery pastry.” On a simpler note, the seafood in Malta is “second to none,” and diners can’t go wrong choosing fresh grilled swordfish, lampuki (dolphinfish) or octopus stew.

Visiting the Maldives is all about relaxation; finding the perfect spot under a swaying palm tree so you can while away the hours gazing out at the ocean with a fresh coconut by your side to sip on. Joali Being takes this one step further. The whole island is dedicated to wellness, with a cutting-edge spa and a sound healing centre all designed to have you floating back home on a dopamine high.

Why stay here?

Joali Being is a beautiful island in Raa Atoll with talcum-powder-soft sand, an aquamarine lagoon and lush greenery everywhere.

The resort revolves around the concept of four pillars when it comes to wellness – mind, skin, microbiome and energy. When you arrive, guests have a wellness consultation with a doctor. In mine, I share how I’ve been struggling with frequent migraines and insomnia. If your body is a temple, mine is on shaky foundations and threatening to collapse. She assigns me the mind pillar category, and later on sends me diet and supplement recommendations.

The beach and overwater villas are a strikingly modern take on a thatched Maldivian cottage with artfully curved roofs and extremely high ceilings. The resort was created by Turkish entrepreneur Esin Güral Argat, who believes in biophilic design – using nature in the decor to enhance a sense of wellbeing – which means lots of pleasingly curved edges and playful nods to the ocean.

Inside my overwater villa is a delightful pastel-hued confection in blush pink, creams and greys. The living room is decorated with a manta ray sculpture on the wall. The sliding doors into the bedroom have a cream-grey coloured shell pattern and there’s a desk with the quirkiest chair I’ve ever encountered – it looks like a Lego block with square prongs sticking out that retract as you sit on them. It’s surprisingly comfortable and a sign of how fun the resort’s style can be.

Before you arrive you’re given a pillow menu to fill out; I choose an anti-stress one with carbon fibres that are supposed to remove all the static electricity accumulated in your body throughout the day. The bed is huge, with romantic netting draped by its sides. There are no plug sockets near the bed to encourage guests to scroll less while they’re there but an extension lead is available if you want it.

It’s also one of the few villas in the Maldives where you’ll find a musical instrument instead of a TV (which, again, is also available on request). A glockenspiel sits on a shelf in the living room so I can indulge any musical whims. The bathroom is beautifully designed in sage green and white, with open shelving for your wardrobe and there are three different kinds of salts next to the bathtub. Outside there’s a large terrace with a sofa swing, which looks out on a stylish pool and a pair of sunbeds with steps that take you down into the ocean.

Eating and drinking

Flow, overlooking the beach, is where guests start their day with a bountiful breakfast buffet stuffed with healthy options, including gluten-free bread, vegan cake and delicious home-made granola. There’s freshly cut fruit, a salad bar and a crepe making station. There is also an impressive à la carte menu – my favourite dishes were the custard-like French toast and tasty crab congee that came piled high with fresh shiitake mushrooms, crunchy fried onions and chilli oil.

Mojo is the resort’s beach-side restaurant, which is the place to head to for lunch. I tried juicy tiger prawns with Vietnamese vermicelli salad in a sweet chilli dressing. I also had a perfectly chargrilled lobster with a light herb and leaf salad. Desserts on offer include mango with creamy sticky rice and a heavenly coconut sorbet served with fresh fruit.

There are several options for dinner. Mojo has a different menu for the evening and it’s beautifully lit up with fairy lights. I had a flavourful seafood paella loaded with mussels, clams and reef fish, along with a delicious octopus salad. Flow is also worth visiting at night; I ate succulent seared scallops and the most tender wagyu steak followed by a decadent chocolate mousse.

The Japanese eatery, Yutori, is an open-air circular restaurant overlooking the sea. I feasted on a prawn popcorn salad, which comes with a punchy spicy sauce, and delectable black miso cod, one of the signature dishes, which is marinated for 24 hours. For dessert, I had the wonderful matcha tiramisu, which layered earthy matcha with sweet mascarpone cream and a red bean compote. It was an incredible way to end a spectacular meal by the sea.

What else is there to do?

During my stay, I tried several massages at the beautifully designed Areka spa – the relaxing signature four pillars massage, reflexology and the mind therapy massage, which involves singing bowls being played before my treatment. The resort offers a watsu treatment in the Kaashi hydrotherapy hall, where guests float in the water with a therapist to support them, tapping into primitive feelings of being back in the womb. There’s also a cryotherapy chamber in the gym, Core, where you can enjoy a short sharp shock of cold Arctic air, known to reduce inflammation and help muscle recovery. Joali Being is dedicated to giving you the best wellness journey possible but don’t worry, it’s not a boot camp – you can be as strict or indulgent as you like when it comes to food and exercise.

Joali Being has a sound therapy centre, Seda, which offers sessions where you can lie on a bed with guitar strings underneath, surrounded by oversized instruments that are played by a therapist. Taking a stroll along the Discovery Sound Path is a fun way to pass some time. It’s a squiggle of a walk in a shaded garden that leads to several instruments, including a giant glockenspiel and sheets of metal that can be bashed like a gong.

B'Kidult, the children’s club, is a great space to leave the little ones for a few hours. It features a shallow pool for toddlers to splash about with their parents, an outdoor art pavilion for crafts, a yoga space for the whole family to perfect their downward dog and cute mini sunbeds.

The verdict

As if its beautiful beaches and stunning lagoon aren’t enough to lull you into a sense of deep relaxation, Joali Being will stop at nothing to enhance your sense of wellbeing. If your ideal holiday involves being pampered at a spa in between bouts of sun-tanning on the beach then this resort should be your holy grail. The staff make a Herculean effort to ensure you return home refreshed. It’s the ultimate wellness destination in the Maldives if you want to unplug and unwind.

Ann was a guest of Joali Being; joali.com/joali-being; begin your Maldivian journey with the experts at Angelfish Travel, angelfish.travel

This is where Paris stole Helen and triggered the Trojan War; that’s where Heracles fought the lion; here are the Arcadian mountains that goat-footed Pan called home, and over there are the gates to Hades.

The Peloponnese peninsula of Greece is a land packed with myths and legend. Hanging down from Corinth like a four-pointed leaf (it used to be called Morea or mulberry), it’s at its prettiest in flower-strewn April to June. As well as a wealth of ancient Greek sites to soak up, there’s also stacks of drama from more recent times. Set off on an old-style road trip and, in just a couple of days, you can journey from Homeric palaces and 2,000-year-old amphitheatres to Venetian fortresses, clifftop monasteries, dramatic gorges, and the strange battle towers of feuding medieval clans.

Nafplio to Epidaurus and Mycenae

The pretty harbour town of Nafplio, a couple of hours south of Athens, makes an ideal first base. The fledgling capital of modern Greece, it has a lovely faded elegance, with narrow streets, flower-draped balconies and a photogenic Venetian fort on an island in the bay. We stayed at the quirky Ilion Hotel, all sloping floors, antique finds and walls hand-painted with idiosyncratic copies of famous portraits. Towering over the town is another, much bigger, Venetian fort, the Palamidhi (named after Palamedes, Nafplio’s legendarily clever local hero, who outwitted Odysseus and, well, didn’t live long enough to regret it). Climb the 900-odd steps (or cop out in a car) for a walk through its eight baroque bastions and some breathtaking views.

Just half an hour west of Nafplio is Epidaurus, the ancient site of the cult of Asclepius, the healer god who had a bit of a thing for snake cures. Star of the archaeology show here is the beautifully preserved 14,000-seat amphitheatre. Built with limestone slabs in the fourth century BC, it has near-perfect natural acoustics, as the tour guides enthusiastically demonstrate.

North of Nafplio is the Bronze Age citadel of Tiryns, where you can walk round the “mighty walls” Homer described in “The Iliad”. It’s well off the tourist trail, so you can stand pretty much alone on the hilltop ruins of the palace and look over the Argos plains to the sea. Twenty minutes further north is Mycenae, home of the spectacularly ill-fated Atreus family, who had a gory habit of killing each other. Walking through the colossal stone posts of the Lion Gate into the walled citadel, you can feel the confidence of a town that dominated the region and from where Agamemnon took command of the Greek forces that set out for Troy. A few metres down the hill, tourists flock to the Treasury of Atreus, a massive, conical tholos (“beehive”) burial vault, but few visit the slightly smaller but no less impressive tholos tombs just outside the entrance. Head there for a quieter gape at the astonishing mortar-free construction.

Dimitsana and Arcadian mountain trails

The heartland of the Peloponnese is Arcadia, a mountainous province of gorges and hills, many precariously topped by medieval towns. In the spring, all is awash with green and swooped by swallows, and the many roads and hiking trails are beautifully edged with flowers.

As we headed for the hills, we stopped at Nemea, renowned for its wine, the lion labouring Hercules was first tasked to kill, and its ancient stadium, where enthusiasts still re-enact its famous Games every four years, running onto the track through the lovingly restored “players’ tunnel”.

We stopped in Dimitsana, a picture-postcard, cobble-streeted town straddling a twin hillside overlooking the Lousios gorge. The stone and wood En Dimitsani hotel has great views and a cabin-style cosiness (there’s a working fireplace in every room for chillier months). It also serves a serious dinner – try the goat spaghetti or beef kontosouvli with a juicy, deep-pink local rosé – and gargantuan breakfasts: we’d fill our boots, snaffle boreks and pastries for lunch and still not make a dent in the spread before us.

From Dimitsana, you can pick up the Menalon Trail, a well-marked, moderately challenging 75km hiking route that unfurls through the gorge. A landslide had blocked the hike we’d planned past the cliff-hanging Prodhromou monastery. So we walked among blossom and bees along the side of the gorge to Zygovisti instead, where the very friendly owner of the trail-side taverna plied us with mountain tea before the trek back – and the world‘s twistiest, turniest drive (and final walk) to the monastery, which is even more astonishing than it sounds.

Ancient Messene, Kardamyli and the Mani

From Arcadia, we drove south, heading towards Kalamata, and its famous olives, and the southern tip of the peninsula. Ninety minutes outside Kalamata are the gobsmacking remains of Ancient Messene, founded in 369BC after the final defeat of Sparta. You can roam over the huge, poppy-dappled 400-acre site, untroubled by tourist coach parties. There’s a vast agora, a theatre, an amphitheatre, several temples and then, through an olive grove, the colonnaded entrance to a vast stadium and gymnasium (pictured above). You’ll need to bring a hat (no shade) and plenty of water (no services) but you’ll leave with your flabber well and truly gasted.

Beyond Kalamata, we stayed just outside the beautiful, pebble-beached village of Kardamyli at the charming Kalamitsi Hotel, right next door to the house of British writer and WWII hero of the Greek resistance, Patrick Leigh Fermor. Simple rooms and studios look over an orchard of orange, lemon and olive trees that leads, down a stone staircase, to a small private beach. From Kardamyli itself, you can hike up to the hamlet of Exohori along paths dotted with wildflowers (we spotted orchids) and then scramble down the white rocks of the dry Vyros gorge. Then, as the sun goes down, feast on tomato fritters, roast aubergine, and hard cheese and honey in the open courtyard of the restaurant in the ruins of the old part of town.

From there to the gates of hell – and the literal end of the road. The onward drive south takes you deep into Mani country, where (strictly male-only) blood feuds were fought with elaborate tradition from specially built towers – many of which still dot the hills. You could stop to drift in a gondola through the stalactites and stalagmites of the Diros caves; you definitely should stop to admire the clutch of Maniot towers in the (almost) abandoned village of Vathia. And, when the beautiful coastal road comes to an end at a temple to Poseidon, you can walk over the hills (and the mosaic floor of a Roman villa) to the cave portal to Hades (mercifully closed) and, with the sea on both sides, stand at the lighthouse on the southernmost point of mainland Europe.

Helen travelled to the Peloponnese with Sunvil/GIC The Villa Collection

Thrill seekers, consider China for your next adventure. There are lots of spots around the country where you can get your adrenaline pumping, whether that involves taking a hair-raising plank walk along a sheer cliff or bungee jumping from the top of Macau Tower. These six experiences are not for the faint of heart, but they will surely give you stories to share.

Pass through the Guoliang Tunnel, Henan province

The Guoliang Tunnel in the Taihang Mountains may seem like an ancient wonder, but it was constructed in the 1970s by villagers who carved it into the side of a cliff. This .75-mile-long tunnel is 16 feet tall and 13 feet wide, and allowed cars to enter and exit the isolated village.

The construction is an “amazing feat” but has never been a “pillar of safety.” Visitors who brave the road will find that “in many spots, roughly carved pillars are the only thing keeping you from plunging to your death,” said Atlas Obscura. There are “twists, turns and dips” in the most “unpredictable places,” and it’s a trip whether you’re walking through or driving “white-knuckled in terror.”

Take the Mount Huashan Plank Walk, Shaanxi province

Whatever you do, don’t unhook your harness and rope. Those tools are what keep you upright on the Mount Huashan Plank Walk — and prevent you from plunging 1,000 feet to the bottom of the cliff. The 328-foot-long path is described as the World’s Most Dangerous Hiking Trail and consists of wooden boards nailed together and affixed to the side of the mountain. It’s safer now to visit than it once was: It used to be a free climb.

Travel along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway

It’s understandable if you want to keep your eyes closed when traveling on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, but don’t — you’ll miss the breathtaking scenery. This highway is one of the world’s most dangerous roads, with hairpin turns, narrow and steep descents and high risk for mudslides and rockslides.

The curvy 1,500-mile route links Chengdu in Sichuan province with Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, and passes through rugged mountains and valleys and by glaciers, rivers and permafrost. The highest point is the Mount Zheduoshan Pass at 14,075 feet, offering panoramic views, plus, of course, the potential for altitude sickness. Driving this route is challenging, and you should plan on trips taking longer than expected because of how slow cars, buses and trucks have to drive through certain areas.

Go bungee jumping at Skypark Macau

Macau is considered the “Vegas of China,” an “epicenter of gambling and glitz," said Lonely Planet. And just like in Vegas, there are lots of over-the-top ways to spend your time — like by leaping from the top of the 1,109-foot-tall Macau Tower at Skypark Macau.

Skypark is the highest commercial bungee jumping facility in the world, and the attraction says more than 5 million people have safely bungeed with the company. Visitors also have the option to take it a bit slower and instead glide down the tower while attached to a wire cable.

Power paraglide in Yangshuo, Guangxi region

Soaring above picturesque Yangshuo and its tall karsts and verdant valleys is an electrifying way to sightsee. Powered paragliding is gaining popularity in Yangshuo, with pilots taking tourists on guided tours through the sky. When back on solid ground, rent a bike to ride through the countryside, then climb aboard a bamboo raft for a journey down the Yulong River.

Walk across the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, Hunan province

Take a walk on the wild side. The 1,410-foot-long Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge is suspended 980 feet above the ground, and its transparent glass bottom allows visitors to look at the “dizzying abyss below,” said Escape. The span connects two cliffs at Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and offers an exhilarating way to enjoy the “panoramic” views. It’s not the park’s only thrill: You can also shoot up the Bailong Elevator, the world’s tallest outdoor elevator, built into a cliff. There’s a glass window, so you can look around you as the elevator climbs 1,000 feet in two minutes.

“Britons are rushing to book holidays in the UK”, said the Financial Times. Fears over soaring airfares and travel delays triggered by the Iran war have “put people off long-haul trips”. Holidaymakers choosing to stay closer to home are booking trips everywhere from postcard-worthy Cotswold villages to the rolling valleys of the Yorkshire Dales. Here are some of our favourite spots.

The Fish, Cotswolds

With its “cheerful smattering of honey-hued villages” and “endless rolling green expanses”, the Cotswolds is “one of the loveliest” spots in the UK, said Charley Ward in Condé Nast Traveller. “So where could be better to head for some R&R on a long weekend?” This beautiful part of the country offers plenty of chances for “long walks to cosy pubs along cobbled ancient streets” – the kinds of activities that “you just don’t need to step on a plane for”. Consider checking in at The Fish where you can opt to stay either in a treehouse, cabin or woodland hut. Its “unique village-style layout” promises “extra peace and quiet” and gives you “more precious opportunity to soak up some of the scenery while you amble leisurely over to supper”.

Blakeney Hotel, Norfolk

The pretty coastal village of Blakeney is “secluded up in the most northern part of Norfolk where it’s a positive rather than a hassle that the phone reception is a bit scatty”, said Lela London in GQ. “Not a huge amount happens” here – but that’s sort of the point. If you’re looking for somewhere to completely relax and unwind, try Blakeney Hotel on the seafront. Its “Edwardian handsomeness” feels “reassuringly traditional”, and there are plenty of walks right from the doorstep through the “wildlife-rich marshes” or you can drive along the coast for a visit to the grand stately home of Holkham Hall and wonderful sandy beaches.

Looking Glass Lodge, East Sussex

Nestled among the trees in an ancient woodland just an hour from London, the glass-fronted, eco-friendly Looking Glass Lodge is the “ideal escape for those looking to reconnect with nature”, said Elle. The self-catering retreat is rendered extra-special by thoughtful touches from “luxury deli hampers packed with local cheese and wines” to a “floating log burner for chilly nights and a vinyl collection that fits perfectly with the mood, and in case the owls get too loud”. If you really want to push the boat out you can also book a bespoke treatment with a masseuse, or try a forest bathing session with a local psychotherapist.

Middleton Lodge, North Yorkshire

“When it comes to rural retreats, Middleton Lodge might just have it all,” said Sarah Allard in Condé Nast Traveller. Set within 200 acres of parkland and woods on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, the Georgian mansion is home to a collection of “light and airy” rooms, with “cloud-like beds with deep, squashy sofas”. But what really “sets this place apart” is the hotel’s “eco-forward ethos”; head chef Jake Jones crafts his menus using ingredients from the “impressive walled garden”. And the idyllic spa includes a heated outdoor pool that’s “so striking, you’ll want to pull your phone out of your robe pocket for a snap”. It’s a must-visit.

“Everyone knows everyone in St Lucia,” said our driver as he took us through the palm-fringed roads of the eastern Caribbean island. “When we toot our horns, it’s because we’re saying hello.” And toot they did, always with a smile and a wave.

This warmth is part of the draw for the million or so tourists who visit St Lucia each year. That and the exceptional beaches, views and experiences. If you want to throw in some romance and adventure, Serenity at Coconut Bay has you covered.

Why stay here?

Serenity is an adults-only resort within the larger family-friendly Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa. Popular with honeymooners and couples celebrating anniversaries and birthdays, it has 36 suites, each with its own plunge pool, indoor soaking tub and 24-hour personal butler service. Guests are greeted by their butler with a drink on arrival (there’s nothing like rum served in a fresh coconut to welcome you to the Caribbean) and shown around their suite.

Every villa feels tucked away from the rest, giving couples a quiet space to themselves. There’s even a service hatch by the outside door so messages and room service can be delivered discreetly. As well as the private pool, the large deck includes an outdoor kitchen area, shower and hammock built for two, the perfect place to watch the stars with just the sound of the birds and crickets. Inside, there is a four-poster bed, rain shower and tub, which was filled up for me with bubbles and fresh bougainvillea petals more than once during my stay. His and hers wardrobes and sinks mean you won’t be fighting over space.

Butlers can help with anything from arranging meals and excursions to creating once-in-a-lifetime moments like proposals or a birthday surprise. They can be reached on a special mobile phone, dubbed the “batphone” by my butler, which can be taken around the resort. Serenity has its own pool area, or guests can head over to the larger Coconut Bay before returning to their exclusive hideaway.

Eating and drinking

St Lucia is a rum lover’s dream. It’s a primary ingredient for many of the cocktails on Serenity’s extensive drinks list (if you have a sweet tooth, don’t leave without trying Jonathan’s Special or the Dirty Banana) and guests can take part in rum-tasting nights, where locally produced blends like Chairman’s Reserve are paired with different foods.

Serenity has its own restaurant, The Greathouse, which serves up an extensive range of options, from chargrilled octopus to filet mignon and pistachio-crusted lamb rack. It caters well for different dietary needs and offers service with a whole lot of smiles. Guests also have the choice of Coconut Bay’s eight restaurants and seven bars, which include contemporary Caribbean fine-dining at Calabash, the Asian-inspired Silk and the outdoor Jerk Treehouse. Couples can hire beach cabanas for the day, with food and drinks brought to them, or celebrate a special occasion in the private oceanside dining spaces of La Luna.

Be sure to try the island’s national dish, green fig (actually a green banana) and saltfish, as well as the fried plantain and freshly grown fruit. Bananas are the island’s biggest export and it has dozens of varieties of mangoes. And did I mention the rum?

Things to do

You could easily while away a week at the resort, enjoying the pools, spa and entertainment. The mile-long beach suffers from sargassum (floating algae) at certain times of the year, but the hotel is efficient at clearing it each day and it is home to water sports, like kayaking and paddleboarding, as well as a turtle conservation programme. There are plenty of night activities, too, including creole classes, sushi-making and “Paint and Punch”.

Those who choose to venture beyond the hotel will be rewarded with jaw-dropping views of the volcanic island, with its famous twin peaks and lush rainforests. You will get a snapshot of island life just driving past the brightly coloured houses, churches, schools and fishing villages. Serenity can organise a huge range of trips, from boats and dune buggies to zip-lines and ATV tours. One unforgettable way to explore the island is by horse. Atlantic Shores Riding Stables can take you on a ride over hills above the Atlantic Ocean and down to the beach for an hour – or more, if your glutes can handle it.

We took a catamaran from Port Vieux up the southwest coast of the island, past the iconic Pitons, stopping to snorkel in the turquoise Caribbean Sea. After lunch at a local restaurant, we drove to the mud baths at Sulphur Springs in Soufriere to douse ourselves in mineral-rich mud. You’ll have to practise mouth breathing to avoid the sulphur smell but your soft skin will thank you for it.

The verdict

Just a few minutes’ drive from Hewanorra International Airport and about 45 minutes from the Pitons, Serenity is conveniently located for a trip to the south of St Lucia. As the name suggests, it is a peaceful sanctuary offering a truly special grown-up break on the friendliest of islands.

Hollie was a guest of Serenity at Coconut Bay

The tour operator Shakti Himalaya offers “culturally immersive” walking holidays in three remote, mountainous regions of India – Sikkim, Ladakh and Kumaon. But although these adventures take you far off the beaten track, says Pamela Goodman in Country Life, they involve none of the “hardship” such treks would usually entail.

The accommodation – in beautifully restored village houses or lodges – is “sumptuously comfortable”, with deep mattresses, wood-burning stoves and breathtaking views of snowcapped peaks (often through floor-to-ceiling windows). The food is fabulous, and the service is attentive. On the walks, picnic lunches are served on chequered-clothed tables in wooded glades.

For my latest trip with Shakti, I chose Kumaon, which makes up one half of the state of Uttarakhand, immediately northwest of Nepal. The company’s new showpiece here is Shakti Prana, a seven-bedroom lodge perched at 6,000 feet, with a “soul-filling” view of Nanda Devi (India’s second-highest peak after Kanchenjunga) and the five dramatic summits of the Panchachuli range. It sits a 45-minute walk from the nearest road, and a ten-hour, “helter-skelter” drive from the airport in Pantnagar, and so I broke up the journey with stays at Shakti’s three other Kumaon lodgings, all of which are restored village houses. One of them, Shakti Kana, sits in the very heart of a village on a steep terraced hillside, where local people greeted me as I trod the “slippery” path that wound between their homesteads.

The walks took us through sacred cedar forests and past 8th century temples, up “near-vertical” hillsides and beneath towering waterfalls. In the tiny villages through which we passed, people proffered fresh cucumber sprinkled with chilli and Himalayan salt, and mugs of warm milk “drawn straight from the cow”. And at Shakti Prana we soothed our limbs in the sauna and bathhouse, feeling like “epic adventurers” at the end of every day.

Cazenove+Loyd has a nine-night trip from £8,600pp (cazloyd.com).

Tucked down a winding road in Buckinghamshire, Burnham Beeches Hotel does not so much receive you as lower your pulse. This large mansion was once a Georgian home but now it’s a four-star hotel and spa that serves as a soothing cocoon for the soul.

Built in 1727, the grand old building has attracted many eminent visitors, including the English poet, Thomas Gray, and, less lyrically, it was the base of the England football team during the Euro 96 tournament.

The atmosphere is regal and luxurious, yet settling and unpretentious. If its character seems a little undefined then perhaps that’s the point – it’s one of those hotels where you can characterise it for yourself. You make it what you want it to be.

Why stay here?

Peace is a clear draw: every inch of the hotel and its grounds is calm. Located less than an hour from London, and a short drive from Windsor, it’s the perfect base for short day trips. The rooms are gorgeous, with options ranging from modern, elegant Nest rooms to fabulous Canopy suites with charismatic décor.

The staff are generally friendly, welcoming and helpful. Their approach is on the unobtrusive side, which adds to the peaceful vibe. If you need a lot of attention and fuss, you might feel a little ignored but the atmosphere will work well for those who prefer autonomy to validation.

The layout of the hotel is a little confusing because of a lack of signposts and labels. But any initial dazzle is a worthwhile price to pay for the homely feel that the lack of signs brings. As you prance around its beautiful floors for your next meal or spa treatment, it’s easy to pretend you own the place.

Eating and drinking

The afternoon teas, which are served in the Evergreen Tea Room, are popular and I was very keen to try one. The traditional line-up includes coronation chicken sandwiches, plain and raisin scones and an assortment of tantalising afternoon tea pastries. You can add a glass of prosecco or champagne. But I went for the vegan afternoon tea, which included sandwiches of hummus, vegan gouda cheese and chutney and beetroot. The vegan scones and cream were gorgeous. So were the plant-based pastries and the Birchall Virunga Chai I washed it all down with.

Later, I had dinner in the Arden room, which overlooks the hotel’s gorgeous lawns. I tucked into a refreshing baked celeriac, with coconut milk and chutney for starters, followed by a wholesome vegan burger, complete with gorgeous brioche bun. For dessert I practically absorbed the refreshing coconut and kefir lime panna cotta. Mocktails arrived in steady procession, each one carefully assembled, none superfluous.

The breakfast room is simple and I was thrilled with my vegan English breakfast, including scrambled tofu, mushrooms, avocado, baked beans and a hash brown. I helped myself to the standard fare of sliced fruits.

Wherever I ate or drank during my stay, I overheard the quiet choruses of my fellow guests, who were delighting in their meatier and boozier selections.

Things to do

Windsor is a 15-minute drive away, so it’s easy to head over to the royal town where you can visit the famous castle and take a relaxing post-lunch stroll down The Long Walk or visit the charming high streets of neighbouring Eton and Datchet. Other nearby attractions include Legoland, historic Runnymede, the Ascot racecourse and the town of Burnham itself. You can also borrow a bike to explore the grounds or the nearby greenery.

But I was mostly happy to stay within the hotel’s warm embrace. The spa has a gym, pool, steam room, sauna and hot tub. Treatments include unwinding massages, facials, manicures and pedicures.

I unwound with the aptly-titled “Aaahhh!” massage. It was 30 minutes of relaxation and revival for my legs and feet. I took some happy strolls around the tranquil woodland that circles the hotel and then sat looking out of the window in my room, basking in the shoulder-soothing splendour of the surroundings.

The verdict

This is a hotel of gentle calibrations and its blend of inherited grandeur and contemporary adjustment works less by declaration, more by accumulation. Which is to say, every minute I spent there was more pleasurable than the previous one. I left blissed out, feeling soothed and relaxed. This is less a hotel, more like a long exhale given architectural form.

Chas was a guest at Burnham Beeches hotel, burnhambeecheshotel.com

Tulips in many of the UK’s most well-known gardens are already in full bloom after the particularly wet and mild start to spring.

The country is home to hundreds of varieties of the perennial bulb, in vivid shades of crimson, yellow and purple. Whether you’re planning a romantic day out or a family-friendly activity, these are some of the best places to see them.

Farmer Copleys Tulip Festival, West Yorkshire

This festival at Ravensknowle Farm near Pontefract is “one of the biggest celebrations of the spring flower in the north”, said Lauren Hughes in Country Living.

Home to “over 100 varieties and a million flowers”, Farmer Copleys offers “many photo opportunities” to its visitors. There is a giant Ferris wheel on site, with “panoramic views” over the “vast tulip fields”, and you can make your own bouquet to take home. As tulip season starts a bit later in the north of England, this festival lasts slightly longer than others.

Until 3 May, farmercopleys.co.uk

RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey

RHS Garden Wisley is a "sea of vibrant colour" at this time of year, said Laura Nightingale in the Daily Express. More than 100,000 tulips have been planted, carefully chosen for their “fabulous shapes and staggered flowering times”. Visitors can take in the “most iconic views” of the Old Laboratory building and Jellicoe Canal when the flowers are in full bloom. Wisley has some “lovely cafes and coffee shops dotted along its tulip route” if you’re looking to refuel during your stroll.

rhs.org.uk

Ham House, Richmond

If you find yourself in or around London, this “17th-century kitchen garden” featured in the latest season of Netflix’s “Bridgerton” is not to be missed, said Lily-Rose Morris-Zumin in The Times. The grounds are filled with both “formal, historic varieties” of tulip as well as “thousands of naturalised, wild-style” flowers. Alongside the “500,000 spring bulbs”, there is also a cherry garden and fruit trees. History lovers can explore the “beer cellar, the duchess’s bathroom and the historic kitchen” in the house.

nationaltrust.org.uk

Tulleys Tulip Festival, West Sussex

This farm in West Sussex has more than 130 varieties of tulips that are “planted in long, ordered rows”, said Morris-Zumin. You can “walk directly through” them or choose to explore the place using an “observation wheel” that’s about 100ft high; from here, you will get views out across a “lake with floating tulip beds”. In addition to the “impressive” floral landscape, there is a “theatre and live music” programme as well as a bar, food stalls and “Dutch-inspired offerings”.

tulipfarm.co.uk

Safaris often come with an “eye-rolling price tag”, but if you know where to look there are “bargains” to be had, said The Times.

One way to save money is to “rent a car and drive yourself”, avoiding the hefty cost of a fully guided package. It’s also worth choosing a “locally run park outside of the national park” in one of the “gateway towns”, rather than opting for a luxury lodge within one.

Everyone is keen to see the annual wildebeest migration, “but most people don’t realise that the migrating herds can be found year-round at various places in Africa, so you don’t necessarily have to be in the Masai Mara during July and August”, said Condé Nast Traveller.

Consider travelling during shoulder season in the spring or autumn and “staying longer” in one safari destination instead of moving between lodges every few days, to cut down on travel costs and increase your chances of “finding a good deal”.

“Africa has become synonymous with safaris”, said The Independent. However, if you’re willing to expand your search, “more affordable Brazil has flown under the radar”. Home to the “highest concentration of wildlife in South America”, the Pantanal region is “sometimes dubbed the Brazilian Serengeti”. It even has its “own Big Five: the capybara, giant river otter, maned wolf, jaguar, and – tick – the giant anteater”.

And with all-inclusive lodges costing a fraction of the price of a luxury resort, the country “promises an affordable alternative to a traditional safari”. Around three-and-a-half hours from Campo Grande airport in southwest Brazil you’ll find the family-run ranch, Pousada Pequi, which offers authentic safari experiences. “Giant anteaters are the lodge’s main draw” but look out for the region’s “legendary” birdlife, including the giant “inky blue” hyacinth macaws.

If you do have your heart set on an African safari, steer clear of the luxury offerings in Tanzania, Botswana and Zimbabwe, said The Times. “The likes of Namibia, Malawi and Zambia offer the same balmy settings, bush camps and big five thrills for less.”

Set in the heart of the Sahara, the Ennedi and Tibesti mountains of northern Chad are spectacular and fabulously remote. They are also home to a “treasury” of ancient rock art, said Sophy Roberts in the Financial Times.

Made from ochre mixed with human saliva, these drawings date back more than 5,000 years, when the landscape here was green. Depicting dancers and hunters, cows and horses, elephants and giraffes, they are “masterpieces” with an “oddly modern” air, sometimes calling to mind Matisse, Modigliani or Chagall. The journey to see them, however, is “not for the faint- hearted”. Not only are the distances involved huge, but the Foreign Office advises against travel in these areas, with dangers including landmines and rebel attacks. I recently chose to visit even so.

Travelling with the long-established local tour operator Société de Voyages Sahariens (SVS), our party flew by small plane from Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, to the Ennedi Massif, where we stayed at SVS’s Warda Camp. Among the sandstone pillars and towering rock arches nearby, we saw paintings of dozens of galloping horses and a rider in a plumed headdress. And at Grande Riparo, a cave 50 metres above the wadi floor, there’s a magnificent 15-metre parade of running archers and cattle with sickle-moon horns. The flight onwards to Tibesti took a full two hours.

We camped in the Ouri Valley, a great plain “hidden inside a formidable rim of Mordor-like peaks”. Our guides, Rocco Ravà of SVS and the rock art researcher Pier Paolo Rossi, said the air strip here had last been used in the 1960s, and only a few dozen foreign travellers had reached the valley overland since then. The valley is studded with rocky tumuli as much as 140 metres across – ancient “compass” graves, so named for their precise east-west alignment.

And there’s so much rock art that we found some hitherto undocumented examples – an elephant, a rhino, giraffes, and a dancing man with a birdlike beak and a penis “swinging down to his knee”.

A nine-night trip costs from approx. £15,000pp excl. flights (svstchad.com).

“Who knows what the Big Five are?” my guide Kets asks as we bounce over sand dunes in Botswana’s Makgadikgadi National Park. “What about the Ugly Five?” he laughs. “And the Tiny Five?” The humour of the safari stereotypes, and the questionable ethics behind them (“The Big Five” aren’t the rarest, but the hardest for hunters to kill) aren’t lost on us. We’ve come to the Makgadikgadi and the Okavango Delta, two less visited regions of Botswana that swiftly reveal there’s much more to this vibrant country than a safari checklist.

Not to say I don’t have a checklist. I’m as enthralled as the next city slicker to see my first tower of giraffes in the wild. The privilege of seeing these graceful giants without another vehicle in sight was worth the extra flight on Safari Air. The journey is part of the adventure. Our hosts, Desert & Delta – a locally owned and run organisation for over 40 years – run nine lodges in lesser trodden corners of the country.

Migrating zebras and noisy elephants

Arriving at Leroo La Tau Lodge, perched on the western flank of Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, brought a cluster of surprises. The bungalows’ protruding balconies give views of thousands of migrating zebras, sauntering around the watering holes in the dried-up river below. The erstwhile Boteti River is now a ravine, as the water flowing through the delta changed direction following a shift in the tectonic plates. It’s the only inland delta in the world and doesn’t lead out to sea, just one fact that makes this lodge feel almost ethereal. The stretch is so laden with animals, herds of noisy elephants, wildebeest and zebra, all passing my bedroom, that we almost don’t need to go on safari but of course we do, bright and early.

Bumping around in our comfortable 4x4 I marvel at Kets’ eyesight. It’s as if he has a sixth sense, pointing out the tiniest of birds and shy steenbok (a small antelope), while the rest of us bop up and down with excitement every time we see an elephant. They may be easy to spot but are never not thrilling. Kets is one of the expert team, led by veteran ranger Metal Matmos, who has worked for Desert & Delta for 17 years. Metal has the answer to everything – whether its the details of our itinerary or what to do when a local leopard makes a late-night appearance. The answer, delivered with signature laugh, was “stay inside” – advice we gladly adhere to while the big cat roars in search of its mate.

Starlit sleepovers and birds of the delta

Leroo La Tau also takes groups out on overnight trips to the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. Sleeping under the stars on the flats is humbling, no matter how many times you do it. Metal’s been visiting the park for almost two decades and is still enthralled. “I think about theories on the evolution of humankind between enjoying the scenery” he muses.

Heading northwest to the verdant Okavango Delta, we disembark from our tiny plane at Shakawe’s landing strip after flying over veins of water running through vast greenery as far as the horizon. The hour-long flight was followed by a lengthy drive in a 4x4 before arriving at our smaller, remote boutique resort, Nxamaseri Island Lodge, built on the banks of the water.

Here the lodge’s rangers transport us on boats, searching for hippos who give themselves away by clusters of bubbles rising to the surface of the bayou. Hippopotamuses, I learn, can stay submerged for five minutes and, despite being herbivores, are responsible for the most human fatalities on safari. I’m slightly unnerved as we float around, engine quietened, looking for a lonely male who we saw in the distance. The hippo finally emerges, parallel to the reeds that cushion the waterways, but he glides away, not keen to socialise, thankfully. I’m glad to get back to my exquisite tent of a room and kick back on my veranda to watch for eagles.

The birds of the delta are a revelation. We spy egret, heron, purple heron, kite, black geese, hamerkop, a kaleidoscope of bee-eaters, malachite kingfishers, white-backed night heron, fish-eating eagles and one Pel’s fishing owl back at the lodge. Fishing trips are also on offer and one of our gang goes out to catch dinner, which is made into delicious fish cakes by the lodge’s excellent chef. This stop at Nxamaseri Island Lodge really cements the rumour I’d heard pre-trip; there’s much more to Botswana than its wildlife.

Magical hiking in the Tsodilo Hills

I didn’t think my jaw could drop more but as a former art historian my highlight comes at the Unesco-listed Tsodilo Hills; four terracotta and copper coloured mountains jutting out of the Kalahari Desert like islands. These hills are the sacred home of a trove of 4,500 ancient cave paintings made by the San people up to 20,000 years ago.

We arrive in the foothills by sunset on the night of a full moon and the San staff and villagers tell us their legends. Descendants of the great cave painters, they perform their folk tales through dance and song; 19 villagers harmonising, clapping and stamping their ancient stories. Shamans in this group believe spirits of ancestors speak to them through the fire, telling them where to go hunting. After an impressive dinner we sleep in small pods, cleverly constructed by Desert & Delta, who are the only company with accommodation here by Tsodilo, meaning we can rise at the same time as the sun to head off for our hike.

The San believe their ancestors’ spirits rest in the hills and as we ascend the paths that loop Tsodilo there’s a palpable atmosphere of reverence. “This is Tsodilo that you’ve been looking for,” whispers Gabo, our guide who has worked on this site every day for more than 20 years. He leads us to a handful of the 420 sites of finger and hand painted forms, which are mostly human and animal figures, depicted in hematite and ostrich egg yolk, which served to make it so mind-bogglingly durable.

Beating the heat is the name of the game here, and on seeing a coach trip arrive at midday, we were glad we got up early. While they climbed the hills, we enjoy a hearty post-hike brunch. As captivating as the safari runs were, it’s the cultures of the 13 different communities of Botswanans we encountered that made this trip. I’ve been on safari before but nothing beats this, I decide, as we board the plane home.

Lucie was a guest of Desert & Delta Safaris; desertdelta.com

Toronto may not be top of your travel list, but there are so many reasons it should be. This vibrant city is a foodie’s sanctuary, a shopper’s delight, and a cultural hub bursting with museums, galleries and cafes.

Located downtown on University Avenue, the beautiful and luxurious hotel Shangri-La Toronto makes the perfect base to explore everything the city has to offer.

Why stay here?

Shangri-La’s central location means you can explore this multicultural metropolis, while enjoying a five-star stay with world-class comfort and service. But you may have to drag yourself outside; the spacious rooms and suites are bright and comfortable with floor-to-ceiling windows, hi-tech controls and marble furnishings.

My suite was an impressive 820 sq ft and featured a walk-in wardrobe, separate living room and stunning marble bathroom with a walk-in shower and a deep-soaking bath, where you can relax and take in the spectacular views – over iconic landmarks like the 1,1815ft CN Tower – day and night. The bathrooms are kitted out with divine John Masters Organic toiletries.

Toronto is easy to reach with direct Air Canada flights from Heathrow, and use of its Maple Leaf lounges when you fly business class. The hotel is a half-hour taxi ride from the airport and has an impeccable concierge service; the staff are happy to offer advice on what to see and how to get there.

Eating and drinking

Breakfast at Shangri-La Toronto is worth waking up for. It’s not your typical buffet, but an experience in itself with dishes that include a wellness frittata, duck congee, and homemade granola. It’s served at the hotel’s signature Bosk Restaurant, where dinner is just as delicious. The evening menu celebrates northern Italian flavours, sourcing produce from Canadian farmers and businesses.

One of the places the hotel sources its ingredients is St Lawrence Market, a short walk away. I took a tour with Bosk Restaurant’s chef de cuisine, Troy Cabarios. The market sells foods from around the world, reflecting Canada’s diverse population, and some of the stalls have been there for generations.

With your appetite woken, there are plenty of cafes and restaurants to try outside the hotel. I visited Takja BBQ House, a Korean restaurant where meat and seafood is grilled in the middle of your table. Lunch at the Peller Estates winery, producer of the best wine in Canada, is a must. It is close to Niagara Falls, so you can combine the two on a day trip. The winery runs a lunch and wine-tasting package, plus a tour of the winery. A five-course tasting menu starts from $200 (£107), and a tour alone costs from $45 (£24).

Don’t miss the 10below Icewine Lounge, made completely of ice, including the furniture. Its temperature remains at -10C all year round, which is the temperature Peller sets for harvesting its ice wine grapes. In the chilled atmosphere, enjoy a glass of the well-known Canadian ice-wine – liquid gold!

Things to do

As you may expect, the hotel’s Miraj Hammam Spa offers the perfect way to unwind and relax after a busy day of shopping and sightseeing. Middle Eastern wellness rituals blend with modern needs – you’ll want to try more than one treatment. I opted for a deep tissue massage, one of the best I have had, but you may be tempted by the Turkish bath or a Sodashi plant-based facial. You can also sample some in-room spa time: book the ‘bath butler experience’ in advance and your bath will be set up with petals, a candle and a bath bomb, alongside optional room service.

No visit to Toronto is complete without a tour of Niagara Falls, 80 miles away on the other side of Lake Ontario. But for something really special, book a trip with Niagara Helicopters, where you’ll have the opportunity to capture the most amazing views of the Falls. It doesn’t come cheap: a 12-minute flight costs $200 (£107) but you’ll leave with some incredible memories. I also tried out the recently opened virtual experience at Niagara Parks, where the immersive ride ($33 [£17] for adults) lets you soar above Lake Ontario and the thundering falls without boarding a helicopter.

While the falls is an unmissable side trip, there is plenty more to see. Don’t miss the CN Tower for amazing views of the city, Little Canada, the Aquarium – and the historic Distillery District is a must-see. See what’s on during your visit at Visit Toronto.

The verdict

Just as you would expect from any Shangri-La hotel, the Toronto outpost made my visit to the city truly enjoyable. It’s a seriously classy hotel and I found it the perfect place to come back to after exploring everything the busy city has to offer. If you want to combine adventure, luxury and relaxation, the Shangri-La is the place to stay.

Kalpana was a guest of the Shangri-La Toronto; shangri-la.com

The UK is home to some incredible birdwatching spots, but Europe’s scale and variety of wildlife is just as tantalising for twitchers. As migration season begins, get ready for an influx of species, from flamingos to forest woodpeckers. Here are some of the best destinations in Europe to try this spring.

The Camargue, France

“Few who slurp fizz on the French Riviera realise that one of Europe’s most rewarding birding destinations lies nearby,” said James Stewart in The Times. Situated on the south coast of France between Montpellier and Marseille, the Camargue is home to “abundant birdlife”. From autumn until spring, “thousands of flamingos” descend on the marshland, and touring around the Pont de Gau Ornithological Park is “photo magic”. For keen bird-lovers, consider driving half an hour inland for a chance to spot rare Bonelli’s eagles in the Alpilles mountains.

Andalusia, Spain

One of Andalusia’s biggest perks as the southernmost point of Europe is that it sits on “important migratory routes” between the continent and Africa, said David Escribano in Condé Nast Traveller. Each year, “millions of birds” make the nine-mile flight over the Strait of Gibraltar. The region is home to some of Spain’s “most elusive” birds, such as the “endangered Spanish imperial eagle, crested coot and red-necked nightjar”. Further north, the region is filled with the “colourful” oriole, hoopoe and the “beautiful” European bee-eater.

Bonus tip: head to the Fuente de Piedra Lagoon, famous for its colony of greater flamingos and the birds’ only breeding ground in Europe not located in a coastal area.

Folegandros, Greece

This “lesser-known” Cycladic island lies between Paros and Santorini, and is home to a reserve protecting the rare Eleonora’s falcon, which has a global population of under 20,000, said Freya Bromley in National Geographic. You can take part in seasonal bird monitoring programmes and volunteer surveillance expeditions to nearby inlets. For dedicated birdwatchers, you can even participate in measuring nestling growth, or for newcomers, depart on educational hikes with conservation experts.

Transylvania, Romania

Transylvania is one of Europe’s “last great unspoilt wildernesses”, said Stephen Moss in The Telegraph. You can see majestic Ural and eagle owls hunting at dusk, and the forests are home to “several species of woodpecker, including the largest member of the family in Europe, the crow-sized black woodpecker”. Be sure to travel into the mountains where you might spot “golden eagles soaring above, and also one of the most striking and beautiful birds in the world, the wallcreeper”.

You may be focused on what’s happening overhead, but don’t forget to keep an eye out for Romania’s other headline attraction: “Europe’s largest predator, the brown bear”.

Airlines are feeling the strain of swelling oil prices resulting from the Iran war and closure of the Strait of Hormuz. To deal with higher operating costs, many companies are making changes that shift the burden to consumers, including higher baggage fees, more fuel surcharges and canceled routes.

How are higher gas costs affecting airlines?

Airlines and their customers across the U.S. are being impacted but especially those based in four major hubs: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and New York City. In these locations, the average price for a gallon of jet fuel is currently $4.25, according to the aviation trade association Airlines for America. On Feb. 27, the day before the war in Iran started, the average price was only $2.50. Airlines are also “facing an increase in the amount of fuel their aircraft use because of extra miles required to avoid flying over the conflict zone,” said The Guardian.

Fuel is already an expensive cost for aviators and is “generally airlines’ largest expense after labor,” said Quartz. Airlines are feeling the pressure as a result. If prices were to stay at their current level, it would mean an “extra $11 billion in annual expense just for jet fuel,” said United CEO Scott Kirby in a memo to employees. For “perspective, in United’s best year ever, we made less than $5 billion.”

How are airlines adapting?

Many are adding “extra fees and surcharges onto already rising ticket prices” to “recoup costs as the war in Iran causes fuel costs to surge,” said The New York Times. Luggage is one common area where airlines are bumping up the price. Delta and Southwest announced they would “start charging $10 more to check a bag on U.S. domestic flights,” days after United and JetBlue said the same.

The company with the most notable baggage changes may be American. The airline said it would “raise the fee by $10 each for the first and the second checked bag for travelers booking domestic and short-haul international flights,” said The Detroit News. The company also “increased the cost of a third checked bag by $50 to $200” for fliers and additionally announced an upcoming $5 increase on checked bags for passengers flying economy.

Some airlines are also including pricing for the fuel itself. Canada’s second-largest airline, WestJet, announced it would “add fuel surcharges of up to 60 Canadian dollars, or about $43, to some flights,” said the Times. Air Canada unveiled surcharges of 50 Canadian dollars to certain warm-weather destinations. For passengers, the decisions from airlines resulted in “rising fares and fees, fewer flight options and difficult decisions about whether a trip is worth the cost,” said The Associated Press.

Airlines are also cutting the number of places they go. Several Asian airlines have stated they would “cut flights to mitigate fuel shortages and mounting costs,” said Business Insider. Ryanair, Europe’s largest carrier, is also “considering reducing routes,” while Lufthansa could ground up to 40 planes. Air New Zealand will “cut about 5% of its flights, or about 1,100, at the start of May,” and in the U.S., United and Delta are both cutting routes.

As the world creeps toward peak travel season, industry leaders are taking notice of the fuel shortages. ACI Europe, an association representing airports in the European Union, notes these shortages could “hit within three weeks, disrupting summer travel and ‘significantly’ harming the European economy,” said CNBC. For people who still want to fly, experts say “flexibility and careful planning can help offset these costs,” said the AP, and “fare-tracking sites can alert travelers to price changes.”

The smallest and most westerly of the seven main Canary Islands, El Hierro is young, in geological terms – a mere 1.2 million years old – and its volcanic landscape is far less lush than those of its nearest neighbours, La Palma and La Gomera, said Ben Ross in The Telegraph.

Still, if “bleakly fascinating” sounds appealing, and you’re fit enough to handle some quite steep paths, the island makes for “wonderful” hiking. El Hierro is sparsely populated and has no international airport – most visitors arrive by ferry or on a small plane from Tenerife – and while Tenerife welcomed seven million visitors in 2024, El Hierro saw just 26,000, the vast majority of whom were Spanish. I visited on a week-long, self-guided walking tour with Inntravel, which includes accommodation – at, among other places, the island’s state-run Parador and the Balneario Pozo de la Salud, a “delightful” small seaside hotel.

The most “impressive” hike took us (in seven hours) from El Mocanal to La Frontera, and granted “epic” views of the El Golfo plains and the caldera of the Fireba volcano, where clouds “pour over the spine of the island in waves”. El Hierro’s peaks rise to 1,501 metres and the microclimates on their upper slopes sustain contrasting areas of vegetation, including giant heather trees, pine forests and plantations of prickly pears. More striking still, however, is the grove of twisted junipers “crouched” like abstract sculptures on the hillside above the isolated village of Sabinosa.

Each day we came across “new peculiarities”, including tracks where the rock “swirled with molten shapes like hot toffee”, and the badlands of the Punta de la Dehesa, a “brutal” landscape formed by an eruption in 1793. And although the island’s “giant” lizards were slightly disappointing (they grow to only 70cm long), encounters with flocks of canaries (“drabber” than their captive cousins, but just as “charming”) made up for that.

The trip costs from £820pp, excluding flights (inntravel.co.uk).

Visiting a public garden is one of the best ways to get outside. You feel the sun’s warmth on your skin as you stroll by the trees and flowers in bloom, appreciating every leaf and petal. Give yourself the gift of fresh air and time well spent by taking a trip to one of these splendid gardens.

Edward James Sculpture Garden, Las Pozas, Mexico

During the 1960s, “eccentric” British poet and Surrealist art patron Edward James traveled to the Mexican rainforest and created this “otherworldly” sculpture garden, said The New York Times. More than 30 “elaborate” and often “nonsensical” statues and structures, with curious names like “The House of Three Stories That Could Be Five,” are scattered about, surrounded by massive ferns, orchids and waterfalls. Every area vies for your attention; exploring this topsy-turvy landscape feels like “stepping into a dream.”

Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

A 250-acre “fantasy land” of “space-age biodomes” and “whimsical sculptures,” Gardens by the Bay is known for its over-the-top features, said Lonely Planet. The “astonishing” Cloud Forest, with its 114-foot waterfall and aerial walkways through the trees, feels straight out of the tropics, while the Flower Dome “replicates the dry Mediterranean climates found across the world.” Once the sun sets, the giant trees of the Supertree Grove slowly illuminate for Garden Rhapsody, a nightly light and music show.

The High Line, New York City

Manhattan’s urban landscape is on “full display” at the High Line, said Condé Nast Traveler. This former freight rail turned “elevated, mixed-use public park” is a prime example of New York City “cleverly” turning “old spaces into exactly what you want them to be.” More than a dozen garden zones can be found along the 1.45-mile-long stretch, where perennials, grass, trees and shrubs come together in “perfect unkempt harmony.”

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town, South Africa

This trailblazing botanical garden, established in 1913, was the first in the world to focus solely on indigenous plants. It sits in a lovely spot on the eastern slope of Table Mountain, and though the garden “showcases more than 7,000 species,” a “high priority” is given to plants in the fynbos biome, like “stiff, structured proteas” and “shaggy, flowering ericas,” said The New York Times. Get a bird’s-eye view by taking the Tree Canopy Walkway, a curved bridge that offers “mountain vistas and sweeping forest views.”

Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

Conservatories, topiaries, aquatic plants, meadows, dazzling fountains and more await at the spectacular 1,100-acre Longwood Gardens. The collection of plants is “incredible,” as is the main conservatory filled with “lush” displays that change seasonally, said USA Today. Variety is key to Longwood Gardens’ success, as visitors have plenty of sections to wander, including the spacious new Orchid House, tranquil Bonsai Courtyard, verdant Waterlily Court and the modern Cascade Garden, designed by Roberto Burle Marx.

Marqueyssac Gardens, Vézac, France

Nearly four miles of pathways wind their way through this enchanting garden, where more than 150,000 boxwood trees are “meticulously laid and manicured” to “create mesmerizing patterns,” said Veranda. Marqueyssac sits on a cliff overlooking the Dordogne Valley and offers impressive views of the land and river below. Peacocks roam freely and are often spotted enjoying the garden’s beauty.

Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, Sydney, Australia

Pack a picnic, don comfortable walking shoes and prepare to spend all day at Australia’s oldest botanic garden. Spread across 74 acres, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is home to more than 5,000 native and international species and “adorned with ornamental plants, rolling lawns and ancient trees,” said Condé Nast Traveler.

Highlights include the Cadi Jam Ora garden, which “shares native, Aboriginal plants and those brought from Europe by Britain’s First Fleet,” and The Calyx, a “living art gallery” and one of the largest green walls in the southern hemisphere. Leave enough time to see the ancient Wollemi pine, one of the rarest plants on Earth.

Wrest Park, Bedfordshire, England

The grand gardens at Wrest Park date back hundreds of years, giving visitors the chance to go on a “journey through three centuries of landscape design,” said The Times. The formal gardens showcase English, French, Dutch and Italian landscaping styles and “ornate” sculptures, but “venture beyond the pretty parterres and perfumed borders” and you’ll find far less manicured woodland trails. For fans of “Bridgerton,” if the grounds look familiar, that’s because scenes for season two and three were filmed on the property.

Nothing about these impeccably designed hotels is ordinary. With their architecture, decor and aesthetics, each property welcomes you into a thoughtfully curated world. Every detail tells a story and enhances your stay.

Ashford Castle, Cong, Ireland

Go back in time at Ashford Castle. Built in 1228, the estate was purchased by the Guinness family in the 1800s and used to “entertain guests — among them, George V — and display the family’s wealth and influence,” said Country Life. Now part of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection, Ashford Castle remains “luxury personified,” its common spaces filled with “rich fabrics” and “glittering chandeliers.” The 83 guest rooms each have their own individual designs. A standout is the King’s Room, featuring “plush” seating, a “sumptuous” velvet four-poster bed, dramatic floral wallpaper and a fireplace.

Hotel Château Du Grand-Lucé, Loire Valley, France

This “impressive” 18th-century chateau is a shining example of neoclassical architecture, where “grandeur is still the order of the day,” said the Michelin Guide. Think extravagant toile and damask wallpaper, limestone and French white oak flooring, crystal chandeliers and heavy curtains tied back with impressive tassels.

No two rooms are alike, with the Barron Suite being the crown jewel. It boasts 17-foot-tall ceilings, a private library filled with classic French literature and the marvelous Salon Chinois, a sitting room named in honor of the chinoiserie-style paintings by prominent French artist Jean-Baptiste Pillement that adorn the walls.

La Valise San Miguel, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Tucked away in a “vibrant” corner of San Miguel de Allende is La Valise San Miguel, a “surrealist sanctuary” designed to “pay tribute” to the city’s history of art and culture, said Condé Nast Traveler. The property’s bold blend of “psychedelic installations and famous furnishings” by Mexican artist Pedro Friedeberg mixes seamlessly with mid-century furniture and “rich textiles.” Guests have six “completely unique” suites to choose from, and each one has a “standout” design feature, like a domed shower or white-stucco fireplace “adorned with Aztec monkeys.”

L'oscar, London, England

With Oscar Wilde serving as his inspiration, French interior designer Jacques Garcia gave new life to an old Edwardian baroque-style church, turning it into an exquisite boutique hotel dripping in gilded decor and rich silk, damask and velvet fabrics. Both Wilde and Garcia are “known for decadence, in different ways,” and L’oscar is “nothing if not decadent,” said the Michelin Guide.

The 39 guest rooms and suites and common areas are decorated in “hyper-saturated jewel tones,” with objets d’art on every surface and gorgeous Lalique bird-shaped lights illuminating the corners. Some original details remain, like opulent plastered ceilings and terra-cotta panels.

Leela Palace Jaipur, Jaipur, India

The attention to detail at Leela Palace Jaipur is extraordinary. Inspired by “Indian royal heritage,” the property is all about “opulence,” with marble corridors, hand-painted ceilings, frescoes and “impressive” flower displays” in the rooms and common spaces, said The Independent.

Even dinner is an extravagant affair. Jamavar (formerly known as Mohan Mahal) is the hotel’s signature restaurant, filled with 3,500 hand-cut mirrors that make the candlelight dance. The menu focuses on traditional Rajasthani cuisine with a modern twist, and between the food and ambiance, dining here is a “truly spectacular experience.”

Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand

When you arrive at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, expect to “nearly strain your neck trying to take in all the splendor,” said Condé Nast Traveler. The hotel opened in 1876 as The Oriental, and over time the property has expanded while retaining much of its original charm.

The lobby alone is a dream, with its “lattice woodwork, cascading florals, giant birdcage-style chandeliers and printed sofas.” Inside the rooms, you’ll find a “British East Indies aesthetic” based on “Bermuda pink, sea green or creamy yellow,” along with teak and leather furnishings and fresh orchids.

Romeo Roma, Rome, Italy

Rome’s past and present blend together beautifully at Romeo Roma. Zaha Hadid Architects transformed the 16th-century patrician mansion into a “striking” hotel where materials include “polished Macassar ebony,” and steel and glass are “teased into a riot of swirling, curving and overlapping forms,” said The Telegraph.

Contemporary art work, frescoes and artifacts discovered during the property’s restoration, including a marble head of the Roman empress Livia Drusilla, are also on display. You can get a glimpse of ancient times in the pool — it has a transparent base so swimmers can look down at the archaeological remains of Ripetta port.

Royal Palms Resort and Spa, Phoenix, Arizona

Desert decadence looks different at Royal Palms Resort and Spa. The 1929 Spanish Colonial mansion anchoring the property “stands in sharp contrast” to the “bland, corporate architecture” of area chain hotels, said the Michelin Guide. Hand-painted tiles, antique furnishings and oriental rugs “defy the usual pastel Southwesternisms” and give the resort a “distinctly Mediterranean feeling.” The grounds are just as stunning, and even on the hottest summer day guests feel at ease walking through the lush, shaded gardens planted nearly 100 years ago.

Spier Hotel, Stellenbosch, South Africa

The recently renovated Spier Hotel puts a chic spin on farmhouse style. It’s clear the design “prioritizes comfort,” with “plush linens” and gas fireplaces in rooms plus a “curated selection of artworks” like “delicate botanical drawings” and “mosaic murals,” said Travel and Leisure. Nearly every item and material, down to the jacquard throws and table placemats, was made in — or sourced from — South Africa. Spier Hotel is part of the Spier Wine Farm, and check-in takes place in its wine bar.

“February in Salinas is likely to be damp and cold and full of miseries.” So wrote John Steinbeck in “East of Eden”, describing how the weather patterns of Central California governed the agricultural land and the farmers who worked it.

Arriving in the same valley under unseasonably blue skies and warm winter sun, you might be tempted to think that Steinbeck’s California has vanished entirely. But travel through this stretch of the West Coast on the trail of the American writer and there are echoes of his world all around you.

Cannery Row and Pacific Grove

We stayed at the Spindrift Inn, right on Cannery Row itself, and having re-read the novel on the flight over, I was delighted to find myself dropped into the heart of its comic, ramshackle happenings.

The sardine canneries that once defined the strip are long gone – victims of overfishing in the 1940s and 50s – but the bones of the place remain. During an early morning stroll I found Doc’s Pacific Biological Laboratory, the original building still standing, a modest placard acknowledging the legend within. Doc was modelled on Ed Ricketts, Steinbeck’s closest friend and intellectual companion, whose passion for the bay’s marine life shaped Steinbeck's own philosophy throughout his writing.

Today, the bay holds some of the richest marine biodiversity on earth, a fact that would have delighted Ricketts and Steinbeck. From the near-panoramic window of our room at the Spindrift, we were greeted each morning by sea otters floating on their backs in the kelp beds, pods of dolphins arcing through the swell and the occasional seal hauled out on a nearby promontory.

A beautiful coastal walking path connects Cannery Row to Pacific Grove, the small town where Steinbeck lived for a time, and it’s worth the stroll. The architecture is predominantly grand Victorian villas in candy-box lilacs and creams, their aged wooden panels faintly reminiscent of a Norwegian coastal town.

We had lunch at the aptly named Aliotti’s Victorian Corner Restaurant, a charming throw-back, with healthy portions. Monterey town rewards an afternoon’s wandering before dinner; we ate at Stokes Adobe, a tastefully restored building whose Californian menu feels entirely in keeping with the town’s layered history.

Tracing Steinbeck’s steps in Salinas

Salinas sits inland, the undisputed centre of one of the most productive agricultural valleys on earth. Steinbeck grew up here, and his ambivalent relationship with the place – he was largely shunned by its conservative establishment after “The Grapes of Wrath” – is one of the more poignant stories in American literary history.

The California Welcome Center, housed in what was once the first railway station in the region, is an excellent scene-setter. It tells the story of Monterey County’s agricultural heritage with sweep and intelligence: from the Southern Pacific Company’s campaigns to attract settlers westward, to the valley’s evolution, to the family businesses that have grown into global leaders.

It makes clear something Steinbeck knew instinctively: California was built by migration. It was the Swiss who brought dairy expertise, the Italians who planted artichokes and the Chinese who constructed the railways. There were also the Japanese abalone fishermen, and the Mexican labourers whose descendants now make up the majority of the population and whose food, available all over town, is extraordinary.

We had coffee and cake at the Steinbeck House, the grand Victorian home where he was born. Now run as a restaurant by a non-profit, it’s an inspired solution to the challenge of preserving a literary heritage home: perpetually full of Steinbeck pilgrims comparing notes over homemade lunch. We received a brief tour of the downstairs floor by a volunteer, including the front room where Steinbeck was born.

The Californian landscape is a central character in Steinbeck’s fiction and in particular in the seminal “East of Eden”, where the Salinas Valley is rendered with a loving, geological intimacy.

A short drive from town into the valleys (along the rural River Road rather than the official John Steinbeck Highway) takes you through miles of vineyard and farmland, past dozens of family wineries. We visited Odonata Winery for a tasting: the valley’s cool winds and marine influence produce excellent chardonnays and pinot noirs, and the experience was unhurried and delicious.

Big Sur and the storied Highway 1

Steinbeck experienced Big Sur before Route 1 was even built, working as part of the first surveying crew in the area, pre-construction. The storied road had reopened just a month before our visit, following storm-induced landslides that had closed this notoriously fragile, distractingly beautiful, coast for months.

Steinbeck’s short story “Flight” is set along this stretch, tracing the primal, terrifying journey of a young man fleeing into the mountains after a killing, and as you edge into the cloak of the redwood forest, the violence buried in this landscape doesn’t feel far away.

We stayed for two nights in this area. First, at Glen Oaks Big Sur, a historic property that began as a 1950s motor lodge and has evolved into a rustic-modern retreat. We had dinner at Fernwood Resort, a short moonlit walk from our cabin, where we enjoyed burgers on a vast decking area surrounded by redwoods. The evening was elevated by live music from a local country band, complete with a pedal steel guitar, reminiscent of Lee Hazlewood.

The scale of this coastline only reveals itself on foot and we spent both days exploring spectacular, well-worn trails. We hiked in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park on a route that rises through redwoods and opens on to vertiginous coastal views, and ate a picnic on a clifftop watching two whales make their slow way across the bay. A morning hike up Buzzard’s Roost trail in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park rewarded us with a panoramic view of the ocean below, before circling back to the Big Sur Lodge for a well-earned coffee in the stately lobby.

Lunch at the Post Ranch Inn was a world apart. We scrubbed off the morning’s soil, put on our best outfits and made our way up the miles-long winding road to a restaurant that is essentially one enormous sheet of glass looking over rolling hills that fall into the sea. The staff are extraordinarily attentive and the food spectacular. The day closed with a sunset drink at Nepenthe, the famous clifftop restaurant and terrace. It’s not to be missed; the entire mountain-range turns blood orange as the light floods in from the west.

We ended the trip at Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn, built by a Norwegian immigrant in the 1930s: a collection of hand-built cabins of great charm set in a redwood canyon above a creek. We dined at the restaurant for dinner and breakfast, the rooms were buzzing with hikers and locals and the food was deliciously decadent. The guest book in our room was a remarkable document; visitors write at length and with unusual honesty. One woman hailing from Massachusetts described her pull towards California in a register that was unmistakably Steinbeckian; proof that the passage from east to west on the tail of a dream endures.

More than a century on from the world Steinbeck documented, the migrations continue. The American dream persists. The land endures. Come for the charming towns, the diverse cuisine and the most dramatic coastline in America. Stay for what Steinbeck called “one of those pregnant places from which come wonders”, where history, landscape and the human story compress into a single, overwhelming present.

Alexandra was a guest of See Monterey; seemonterey.com

In a city with no shortage of swish five-star hotels, it’s hard to make an impact. Yet The Newman, which opened in February, has quickly become one of the most talked about spots in London, with its eclectic décor, subterranean spa and buzzy bar.

It’s the first hotel from British hospitality brand Kinsfolk & Co, a team of respected hoteliers and restaurateurs with years of experience at big names including The Beaumont and royal favourite The Goring.

Though The Newman is moments from Oxford Street, its trump card is its under-the-radar location in charming Fitzrovia, surrounded by tree-lined Georgian streets, quirky boutiques and independent restaurants, with the iconic BT Tower looming overhead.

Why stay here?

For big city thrills with a cool neighbourhood feel. The location is echoed by the hotel’s considered design. London-based studio Lind + Almond has used Fitzrovia’s bohemian past as inspiration for the interiors, displaying black-and-white photographs of modern-day residents and specially commissioned paintings of the area’s historical figures, including Virginia Woolf. Marble bathroom sinks are based on the balconies of a nearby art deco building, while even the distinctive bedposts are modelled on the chunky bangles worn by local writer and activist Nancy Cunard, heiress to the shipping empire.

There are 81 rooms in total, ranging from classic doubles to one-bedroom apartments, while the show-stopping penthouse suite has a dining table for eight, a dressing room and an enormous 130-square-metre rooftop terrace with a private sauna and cold plunge pool overlooking Fitzrovia. All are impossibly elegant, with a tasteful palette of chocolate brown, honey and oatmeal, geometric carpets, curved bronze furniture and leather-topped writing desks.

Bathrooms have underfloor heating, stone-carved vanity units, graphic tiling and oversized Anatomē products I couldn’t get enough of. Even the mini-bars have unexpected touches, including a coffee-flavoured mushroom drink, CBD sleep patches and essential oils alongside drinks by British brands. All guests can also access the Earth+Sky fitness app for on-demand workouts during their stay.

Eating and drinking

Brasserie Angelica is at the heart of the hotel, with all-day dining and tables lining the pavement outside. It has a lively but laid-back feel, with some staff recruited from the hotel’s innovative pop-up hospitality school that ran last summer to find team members from the local community.

The menu has a Scandi feel, with a trolley of open sandwiches served at lunchtime and a la carte dishes including gravadlax with pickled cucumber salad, Swedish west coast salad with prawns, mussels and crab, and lemon and blueberry custard tart. Meat dishes like my grass-fed 28-day dry-aged fillet steak are cooked over a woodfire – be sure to order the perfectly salty fries and deliciously rich bone-marrow gravy on the side.

Head downstairs afterwards to The Gambit, the hotel’s decadent art deco bar already loved by locals. Drinks include local craft beers, a large selection of zero-proof drinks and an unusual list of innovative cocktails such as “dazed and confused”, made with chilli-infused tequila, blood peach and açai. There’s plenty going on while you sup, from resident DJs and unplugged sessions from guest artists to regular chess evenings and nightly live music from the in-house band.

Just be sure to drag yourself out of bed the following morning for breakfast, also served in Angelica. Highlights include house pressed juices like the green detox elixir, ricotta hotcakes with caramelised apple, and homemade cardamom buns inspired by those served in Copenhagen’s Hart Bakery and made from offcuts of croissant pastry that would otherwise be wasted. They’re so good, I went back for a second and I’m still wishing I’d had a third.

Things to do

Every room includes free access to an entire floor devoted to wellness, including a large 24-hour gym and a studio offering yoga, Pilates and sound bath sessions for an extra cost. There’s a whole range of Hyperice gadgets available to tinker with, including Normatec compression boots and a Venom heat therapy belt. External visitors can now book a three-hour pass to use the spa's wet area facilities, too.

I was far lazier and spent an afternoon dipping between the glass-fronted Finnish sauna, ice lounge, hydrotherapy plunge pool and medical-grade salt room. All are only available to hotel guests so I was the only person there during my visit – a rare treat in a central London spa.

Soho is less than 10 minutes’ walk away for nights out, but Fitzrovia is a delight to wander, filled with dog walkers grabbing artisan coffees, historic pubs and shops you didn’t know you needed. The slick restaurants of Charlotte Street are on the doorstep while the elegant Fitzroy Square Garden is a prime picnic spot close to Virgina Woolf’s former home.

There are some surprise attractions too, from the Cartoon Museum, which documents the history of British cartoons, caricatures and comics, to the spectacular Byzantine-style Fitzrovia Chapel with its gold mosaic ceiling where King Charles recorded his Christmas broadcast in 2024.

The verdict

From the chatty staff to the speakeasy-style bar, The Newman already feels like a much-loved neighbourhood hangout you might drop by even if you aren’t staying over. It’s a far cry from a stuffy five-star-by-numbers, but is just what London’s booming hotel scene needed.

Siobhan was a guest of The Newman; thenewman.com

“Feeling stressed?” asked Suzanne Harrington in the Irish Independent. Then “find a forest and spend a few hours absorbing its quiet magic”.

That’s the essence of forest bathing or shinrin-yoku, a concept introduced in 1982 by director of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tomohide Akiyama. He believed spending time outdoors and purposefully reconnecting with nature could be the “antidote” to burnout from the fast-paced, tech-filled modern world.

The psychological benefits of forest bathing are well documented, said New Scientist. But as well as “reducing anxiety and stress”, a new study by researchers at Tokyo University of Agriculture found that a two-night trip to a forest with gentle hiking and a group mindfulness meditation session also boosted physical health by “lowering blood pressure and inflammation”.

Japan’s Yoshino forests have a “restorative, spiritual quality”, said Oliver Smith in National Geographic. Standing beneath the “towering cedar trees”, watching the sunlight stream through the branches and “listening to birdsong drift on the breeze”, it’s hard to feel anything but calm.

Exhausted workers from nearby Osaka “flock to this mountain idyll” to practise shinrin-yoku and unwind at the ryokans (traditional Japanese inns with tatami-matted floors). Days are easy to while away “gazing at the hypnotic textures in the wood”; while “idle” evenings can be spent soaking in an open-air hot spring bath.

But you don’t have to go far to try forest bathing. In fact, it’s as simple as finding a nearby forest and walk “slowly and mindfully”, said Harrington. Leave your mobile phone behind if you can and “allow plenty of time for silence”, engaging each of your senses by breathing deeply, listening to any sounds, touching branches and smelling the aromas of the forest.

I headed to Wiltshire to try out Bishopstrow Hotel and Spa’s forest bathing experience, said Shadé Owomoyela in Cosmopolitan, and “it might just have changed my life”. Holistic health practitioner Sue Judge ran the two-hour session, which included a leisurely stroll through the woods, poetry readings and a short meditation session. “When burnout inevitably creeps in again, I’ll know exactly how to ground myself.”

Located between Lisbon and the Algarve, the Alentejo is the largest and most sparsely populated region of Portugal. It receives relatively few foreign tourists, said Niki Blasina in the Financial Times, though it is beautiful, with its “savannah-like” landscape of olive groves, cork oaks and vineyards; and for oenophiles, it is a “revelation” – producing a distinctive range of excellent wines.

Interest, however, is now growing in the region. Baixo Alentejo (Lower Alentejo) was named this year’s European Wine City (despite not being a city). The historic town of Évora in Alentejo Central will be one of the EU’s two capitals of culture next year. And winemakers are helping to draw visitors with “destination restaurants and stylish hotels”. In the summer, the Alentejo becomes an arid “golden plain”. By contrast, when I was there, in late February, the orchards and almond groves were in blossom, and shoots were poking from “craggy” vines.

My suite at the Herdade da Malhadinha Nova hotel was “strikingly modern”, a concrete structure with glass walls, a plunge pool and a private terrace commanding views over fields where storks’ nests adorn the trees “like colossal Christmas decorations”. The hotel is on a 744-hectare estate that guests can explore on horseback, and there’s a winery and a restaurant overseen by Joachim Koerper of the Michelin-starred Eleven in Lisbon.

The wines are organic, and there are tastings to give visitors a sense of the unique appeal of the Alentejo, which has “dozens” of indigenous grape varieties that are unfamiliar to most outsiders. Among the region’s best wineries is Fitapreta, which occupies a 14th-century palace with “soaring” ceilings. I loved its white Paulistas (€50), with grapes from Chão dos Eremitas, a vineyard that dates back to the 14th century.

I also visited Herdade do Rocim, an estate known for producing wines in clay amphorae, just as the Romans did in the Alentejo. The results tend towards the “fresh” and “mineral” – and are perfect sipped “chilled on a warm day”.

Bluebells spring to life from late March to early May, carpeting Britain’s gardens and ancient woodland with their violet-hued flowers. And, this year, the mild, wet winter means some of the perennial bulbs are already in bloom: Hole Park in Kent had its earliest spring opening ever, welcoming visitors to its 200-acre grounds last weekend.

Over half of the world’s bluebells are found in the UK and there are plenty of places to spot them around the country. Here are some of our favourites.

Grass Wood Nature Reserve, North Yorkshire

Located a short walk up the valley from the village of Grassington, this sprawling nature reserve is “one of the largest areas of broad-leaved woodland in the Yorkshire Dales”, said The Times. Come spring, “the ground is awash with bluebells” and wildflowers including primroses, lily of the valley and wild basil. Ideal for twitchers who don’t mind an early start, it’s a prime location for hearing the “spectacular” dawn chorus and the “hooting call of a male tawny owl can often be heard”.

Glen Finglas, Stirlingshire

Nestled in the heart of the Trossachs National Park, this “vast estate” is the Woodland Trust’s largest site, home to “Scotland’s biggest collection of ancient trees”, said The Guardian. At this time of year, the ground turns into a “sea of bluebells” and there is plenty of wildlife to spot roaming through the glen. Look out for otters, pine martens and golden eagles. After a long, bracing walk, warm up with home-cooked vegetarian dishes at the nearby Brig o’Turk tearoom.

Langford Heathfield, Somerset

Somerset Wildlife Trust’s second biggest reserve is a “beautiful mixture of oak and ash woodland with sunny glades and vivid patches of bluebells”, said The Times. Mornings are a great time to visit (listen out for the “rare, booming call of the wood warbler”), while at dusk you’re likely to spot pipistrelle and noctule bats. As the days get warmer, lizards and common adders come out, too.

Winkworth Arboretum, Surrey

Arboretums are “all about the trees” but this spectacular woodland “comes alive with jewel-coloured flowers every spring too”, said Time Out. The Azalea Steps are a real draw: the stone staircase leading down to the lake is lined with “cascading flowers” in “vibrant” shades of pink, purple and red that “burst into beautiful colour” every year.

Ashridge Estate, Buckinghamshire

Dotted with “stunning clusters of bluebells” the winding woodland trail at Ashridge Estate is well worth a visit, said Country Life. Tucked into the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, the idyllic estate is perfect for a family day out. Keep your eyes peeled for the “huge variety of wildlife”; the estate is home to fallow deer, lesser-spotted woodpeckers and the rare Duke of Burgundy butterfly (look out for its chequered orange-and-brown wings).

Elephants are among the planet’s most majestic creatures, walking steadfastly through the savannas, forests and deserts of Africa and Asia. These gentle giants are also the largest living land mammals, and being able to see them in person is a sight to behold. You can enjoy this bucket-list experience during an ethical tour, hotel stay or park visit that puts the animals first.

Chobe National Park, Botswana

So many elephants live in Chobe National Park — about 120,000 call it home — that there’s a “good chance” you will spot a few “wherever you go,” said Thrillist. Botswana has the world’s highest elephant population and is a longtime “haven for the trunked pachyderms,” thanks to strong anti-poaching and conservation efforts.

Chobe has four geographical zones, and the best way to see elephants is by choosing a safari in the grasslands and riverfront area because “where there’s water, there’s elephants.” And you can expect to see a parade of other incredible wildlife, like lions, zebras, giraffes, water buffalo, hippos, crocodiles and hyenas.

Elephants & Opium tour, Thailand

On Red Savannah’s 11-day Elephants & Opium tour, travelers start in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand and end in Bangkok in the south. Along the route, you will stop at temples, ride bikes through the countryside, visit historic ruins and the Hall of Opium Museum, and take a private home cooking class, with the highlight being your time in the Golden Triangle. Guests stay at the Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort and interact with rescued elephants going along on their daily jungle walk.

Elephant Valley, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, California

At the immersive new Elephant Valley, visitors come face to face with a herd of eight elephants led by their matriarch, Swazi. The space was expanded to give the animals “more areas to roam, bathe and sleep” and additional “opportunities to keep them engaged,” said KPBS. It’s easy to spend hours watching the elephants play together with puzzle feeders and splash around in a 250,000-gallon pool, and you can snap stunning pictures and videos at several lookout points.

When hunger strikes, you don’t have to tear yourself away from the views. Enjoy a meal or snack at Mkutano House, Elephant Valley’s open-air dining experience during which snacks and meals come with a side of gorgeous panoramas of the pond and savanna.

&Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, South Africa

&Beyond has six lodges on its 74,000-acre reserve, and each offers ample opportunities to coexist with elephants and other wildlife. Phinda Homestead is a private villa with a dedicated ranger, tracker, chef, butler and host, while Phinda Rock Lodge sits on a cliff face, giving guests dramatic views from their stone suites.

The “most unique” accommodation is the recently revamped Phinda Forest Lodge, said Condé Nast Traveler. Situated on one of Africa’s last sand forests, the “glass-encased” suites have a “treehouse-like” feel. Start your day with a game drive, keeping your eyes peeled for elephants, leopards and lions, then take a guided bush walk and “laze by the pool, where the animals swing by for an afternoon drink.”

Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home, Sri Lanka

The Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home is a “halfway house” for orphaned and injured elephants, giving them a safe place for rehabilitation before being returned to the wild, said Lonely Planet. Visitors are invited to observe the elephants from a viewing platform and watch as they eat and interact.

There are typically 40 juvenile elephants out and about, and while you do have to keep your distance, the experience is “still a lot of fun,” said Lonely Planet. Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home is a short drive from Udawalawe National Park, which has “famous elephant herds” best spotted from 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

From the outside, the Bvlgari Hotel Roma is all clean lines and quiet authority, a relic of the city’s fascist-era architecture. But step inside and the mood shifts entirely.

Directly opposite the Mausoleum of Augustus – currently emerging from a long-awaited restoration – the hotel is a confident homecoming for the Roman jewellery house that inspired it.

Opened in 2023, this is only the ninth outpost in the Bvlgari hotel portfolio, a brand that has always favoured considered expansion over ubiquity. The result? A stay that feels rarefied, polished and Roman.

Inside, a second-century marble statue commands the foyer with gravitas. It’s part of a rotating exhibition on loan from the illustrious Torlonia family collection, just one example of how the hotel blends heritage with high design. Beyond it, glass cases gleam with Bvlgari jewels, while the polished marble surfaces shimmer in the light. It’s less hotel lobby, more curated gallery of Roman splendour and a harbinger of the opulence to come.

Why stay here?

Upstairs, the atmosphere softens into something more intimate. The hotel’s 114 rooms and suites are spread across six floors, each one designed as a sumptuous cocoon away from the city’s lively streets.

Our Junior Suite was a study in balance: muted neutrals offset by jewel-toned accents, including a rich green headboard and coordinating rug. The living area, anchored by a cream sofa and a sculptural Arco lamp by Flos, felt both elegant and inviting. A marble coffee table, sleek minibar and leather armchair completed the picture.

The ceilings soared, giving the room a sense of grandeur, while tall windows – soon to overlook the restored mausoleum – were draped in billowing cream curtains. Service included thoughtful touches: plates of fresh fruit, delicate mini-cakes and a turndown service that included herbal tea served in flasks. It’s this attention to detail that elevates the experience from luxurious to genuinely indulgent.

But the bathroom stole the show. Ours was clad in blue-green Brazilian marble, streaked with deep rust veins – it was dramatic, unusual and mesmerising. Other suites feature equally striking palettes, including a rich Sudanese red. At its centre sat a deep porcelain tub, crowned by a celestial Bvlgari mosaic. Add a walk-in shower, double sinks lined with Bvlgari toiletries and a dressing room complete with vanity, Dyson hair dryer and generous storage, and you have a space designed for lingering.

Down below, the subterranean spa feels like a hidden world unto itself. Far from the modest wellness areas typical of city hotels, this is a vast, shimmering sanctuary. A 20-metre heated pool stretches out, its surface glinting with blue, green and gold mosaics inspired by Bvlgari’s signature design, the Divas’ Dream fan motif. Marble columns rise dramatically from the water, while a bubbling vitality pool and waterfall shower add to the sense of theatricality. It’s the kind of place where hours slip by unnoticed, especially when stretched out on one of the cloud-soft loungers.

Eating and drinking

Il Caffè on the ground floor is a bright, inviting space where marble and mirrors meet lush greenery. Breakfast here is an unhurried affair, with options ranging from continental classics to Chinese, Arabic and health-focused selections. Even the simplest dishes feel elevated: porridge arrives with an array of seven toppings, while avocado toast is generously layered with thick slices of smoked salmon. Everything is served on beautifully crafted Ginori porcelain for a final flourish.

As evening approaches, La Terrazza becomes the place to be. With panoramic views across Rome’s rooftops, it’s ideal for a pre-dinner aperitivo. The Bvlgari signature cocktail – a bright blend of gin, Aperol, citrus, and a delicate foam stamped with edible gold – captures the hotel’s spirit in a single glass and is served in all its bars worldwide.

The Bvlgari Bar is a destination in its own right. Its striking black marble counter, supported by Murano glass cones infused with gold dust, glows softly as the room fills with guests. There’s a lively and sophisticated energy here that contrasts with the calm of the hotel’s library lounge and chocolate boutique on the ground floor.

For something more formal, Il Ristorante – Niko Romito offers a refined take on Italian cuisine by the acclaimed chef. Here, traditional dishes are reimagined with precision and flair: think lasagne layered with pecorino and artichokes, or spaghetti vongole lifted with parsley pesto. A perfectly cooked turbot, paired with Sardinian vermentino, made for a standout main, while a chocolate mousse infused with Alchermes liqueur provided a fittingly indulgent finale.

Things to do

Step outside and Rome unfolds at your feet. The Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and Piazza Navona are all within easy walking distance, while the boutiques of Via dei Condotti beckon just around the corner. Further afield, a short journey brings you to the grandeur of St Peter’s Basilica or the ancient drama of the Colosseum.

Yet Rome’s magic often lies in its quieter corners. A stroll through the leafy expanse of Villa Borghese offers a welcome escape from the crowds, while the Protestant Cemetery in Testaccio provides a moment of reflection. Here, among cypress trees and weathered stones, lie the graves of John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley, as well as the haunting “Angel of Grief” sculpture by William Wetmore Story.

The verdict

In a city overflowing with grandeur, Bvlgari Hotel Roma manages to carve out its own distinct identity. It’s not just a place to stay but a luxurious celebration of Roman craftsmanship, heritage and style. Once you’ve checked in, you may find it difficult to leave.

Vicki was a guest at Bvlgari Hotel Roma; bulgarihotels.com

Spanning 2,700 miles, the “gorgeous” new King Charles III Coastal Path will be the “longest managed coastal path in the entire world” when fully open, said Amy Houghton in Time Out.

The project was initiated in 2008 when Gordon Brown was prime minister. Now, almost two decades later, King Charles has finally inaugurated the footpath – 80% of which is open to the public, with the remainder set to be completed by the end of the year. Once finished, the trail will stretch around the entire coast of England, joining up with the existing 870-mile coastal path in Wales.

It’s a footpath of “spectacular beauty” that weaves along “cliff edges and across chalk downs, through dunes and around estuaries, linking castles, smugglers’ villages and seaside resorts”, said Andrew Eames in The Sunday Times.

Among the most “memorable” sections is the 14-mile stretch from Bamburgh Castle to Lindisfarne Causeway along Northumberland’s “jaw-dropping” shore, said Paul Bloomfield in The Telegraph. Along the way, you’ll pass “beach after beach as you skirt golden Budle Bay” with plenty of chances to spot seabirds, seals and dolphins.

Or, for a shorter route “ideal for the kids’ first taste of hiking”, set out from the Isle of Wight’s Compton Bay, keeping your “eyes peeled for dino footprints”. Once you reach Shippards Chine, climb the wooden steps and walk out on to the chalk downs heading westwards until you reach “the blustery viewpoint over the famous chalk stacks of The Needles”. The 7.4-mile walk concludes with a chairlift ride down to the “multicoloured sands” of Alum Bay.

As for thrill-seekers, the “adventurous stretch” between Hurlstone Point and North Hill in Somerset is well worth trying, said Jen and Sim Benson in The Times. Formerly a “little-used alternative to the main track”, the challenging eight-mile route is now a “fantastically undulating” part of the King Charles III Coastal Path, creating a “stunning circuit between the moor and the sea”.