This Month
- Top 50 Hotlist
- Life & Leisure
10 top luxury cruises to sail away on in 2025
There’s plenty to tempt guests away from relaxing on their cabin verandas as cruise companies offer ever-more immersive, exciting and educational itineraries.
- Charis Perkins and Kirstie Clements
You can fly from Europe to America for free. There’s just one catch
Delays are an inevitability that clouds travel in the post-COVID world. But in Europe at least, they can have a silver lining.
- Andrew Hobbs
- Top 50 Hotlist
- Life & Leisure
10 new and extraordinary international hotels to book in 2025
From New York City to Rome, luxury hospitality is being redefined. These city stays are destinations in themselves.
- Kirstie Clements and Charis Perkins
The hotel boss who starts her day at the gym (away from the buffet)
Renae Trimble, CEO of Accor Plus, leans on her teen sport habit to kickstart her morning (but you won’t catch her at the buffet).
- Lauren Sams
The rituals of a ryokan prevail in this new international hotel
Banyan Tree makes its Japan debut in Kyoto’s historic temple district, and honours a revered art form.
- Kate Hennessy
Why Mick Jagger and Yves Saint Laurent loved this Marrakech hotel
This hidden boutique hotel where the rooms are dedicated to cultural icons doubles as an art gallery with a $10m collection.
- Ute Junker
- Top 50 Hotlist
- Life & Leisure
10 delicious culinary adventures in 2025
Take your pick: milk a goat during a shore excursion, select from a plants-only menu, or get served “wind and weather on a plate”.
- Kirstie Clements and Jill Dupleix
Can’t stand the tourist hordes? Book a ‘coolcation’
Savvy travellers are visiting holiday hotspots in Europe beyond summer or heading to Canada or Norway for a cooler experience.
- Ute Junker
Trust Los Angeles to have a crazy entertainment venue like Level 8
Once you navigate the hidden doors, it’s easy to hop from a pool deck to a Japanese restaurant to an oyster-champagne bar to a speakeasy … and more.
- Tony Davis
Why the Amazon is best explored by water
A Seabourn expedition will take you into the heart of the rainforest and up close with pink dolphins and piranhas.
- Tim Johnson
You can’t buy it on the phone. You can’t find it on the internet
To get hold of the world’s best mezcal, you need to go to a private bar in Mexico City. It’s like taking a spiritual journey around the country.
- Kate Hennessy
- Top 50 Hotlist
- Life & Leisure
10 getaways to satisfy your adrenalin-rush needs in 2025
Check out these action-packed adventures for thrill-seekers, snow-chasers and space enthusiasts.
- Kirstie Clements and Charis Perkins
Qantas plans lavish farewell for Richard Goyder
He led the company to an excruciating reputational crisis. But he will exit to well-wishes and speeches delivered in one of Sydney’s most salubrious hotels
- Myriam Robin
Why late March is the best time of year to visit Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament is a bucket-list event for sport enthusiasts. But there’s plenty of sightseeing to be had too.
- Zoe Samios
- Top 50 Hotlist
- Life & Leisure
10 country and coastal retreats to book in 2025
Get away from it all at these luxury lodgings primed for relaxation, solitude and wellbeing.
- Kirstie Clements and Charis Perkins
This Swiss Alps hotel is so luxurious, you needn’t leave. But you will
At its door, The Chedi has a ski hill for winter visitors, and some of the world’s twistiest, most challenging roads for cyclists and car enthusiasts.
- Tony Davis
Why free upgrades are a thing of the past (except for politicians)
Feel like a complimentary leg-up into business class is no longer a thing despite your Platinum status? You’re not alone.
- Fiona Carruthers
October
This humble ‘house’ in Nepal has lured celebrities and revived a village
Buy the stunning hand-woven rugs of Phaplu that grace the floors of Happy House, or wander down the road to watch the ateliers at work.
- Nina Karnikowski
What makes this Himalayan valley so alluring is its inaccessibility
In Ladakh’s fabled Zanskar Valley, remote villages, dramatic landscapes and ancient monasteries await adventurers. But will a new highway destroy the remote culture drawing visitors to the region?
- Nina Karnikowski
Why these super-cheap flights to Europe could be under threat
Australians are prime beneficiaries of Chinese airlines’ ultra-low airfares to Europe. But the European carriers want Brussels to level up the playing field.
- Hans van Leeuwen