Perianth, The coolest new design hotel in Athens The Athens hotel scene is heating up. The latest newcomer is a modernist masterpiece overlooking the city’s most vibrant square, filled with contemporary art and custom-made furniture by architects of the moment, K-Studio.
Across Europe on the Orient Express Trains, planes, and automobiles. Long-haul flights and road trips may have become more popular than railway journeys, but there’s something wonderfully soothing and effortlessly romantic about travelling by train. Particularly if you’re on board the most glamorous train of all time…
White Nights, St Petersburg Winters in Russia are bitterly long. But all is forgotten when St Petersburg’s frozen rivers and canals start to thaw, and the hard, cold days give way to the wondrous White Nights. For several weeks, the imperial city is bathed in a silvery glow and the streets, theatres, and bars are filled with performers, concerts, and all-night parties.
Festival of Lights, Laos The glorious royal city of Luang Prabang in Laos is a sight to behold any time of year — a vision of gilded temples, elegant cafés, and French colonial architecture at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. But in late October, the whole city is illuminated for the Festival of Lights, as thousands of wishes and prayers in candlelit floats are carried downstream.
Cherry Blossoms, Kyoto Nothing celebrates the arrival of spring like Japan’s cherry blossom season. Saké flows at picnic parties in parks strewn with petals. The only downside are the crowds: five million people descend on Kyoto for this fleeting floral event. We’ve scouted a gorgeous retreat where you can admire the flurry of pink in a blissfully serene setting.
The Great Migration, East Africa “You know you are truly alive when you’re living among lions.” Karen Blixen, the author of Out of Africa, well knew the intense exhilaration of watching wild animals at close quarters. Watching the greatest wildlife show on earth in the immense savannahs of Tanzania and Kenya, you’ll be transported back to primeval times.
The Shelbourne, Dublin Dublin is swinging again. Ireland’s capital of cool has the edginess of a metropolis but the friendliness of a village. You’ll find medieval monuments, glorious Georgian architecture, a cutting-edge creative quarter, fabulous antique markets and, of course, pubs galore. And there’s still time for a last-minute city break before the year is out.
New Orleans “An American has not seen the United States until he has seen Mardi Gras in New Orleans.” Mark Twain was blown away by the Big Easy’s annual extravaganza — and you will be too. Marching bands, fantastical floats, flying beads, and beignets at dawn are all part of this life-affirming experience.
