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Hotspots

October

Paula Cardona

Is it the end of revenge travel?

New research has found that almost 20 per cent of Australian travellers regretted their destination choices as booking figures continue to rebound strongly.

  • Gus McCubbing

September

You can’t possibly miss Disneyland California’s Together Forever fireworks spectacular.

If you’re leaving Disneyland while it’s light, you’re doing it wrong

The world’s best-known theme park inspires awe and delight during the day, but after dark Walt’s $280 billion vision truly comes to life.

  • Lucy Dean

July

Novotel Brisbane Southbank Assistant Manager Michaela Barbeler. The hotel is experiencing high demand due to the origin decider taking place in Brisbane this week.

$2400 a night: Hotel prices soar as Origin fans flock to Brisbane

A perfect storm for the blockbuster rugby league series decider has sparked a surge in hotel rates across the city.

  • James Hall

The most glam Olympics of all? Parisians are unimpressed

Plonking games venues among the city’s iconic monuments is an unprecedented experiment that will look grand on TV but its setup in causing street-level chaos.

  • Hans van Leeuwen

June

Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel’s unique selling point is its private, white-sand beach.

Holiday like Europe’s jetset on the Côte d’Azur

The ability to step straight onto a private sandy beach is rare in this part of the world, which is why summer is always booked out at this pink-splashed hotel.

  • Tony Davis
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May

Cruise ships docked in Charlotte Amalie Harbour, off Saint Thomas island.

Pirates, pampering, rum bars and more - the Caribbean has it all

The region has many drawcards in addition to its famous white-sand beaches and azure waters. Norwegian Cruise Line offers a tantalising taster.

  • Mark Mulligan
Capella Tufu Bay in Hainan has 190 spacious rooms.

Squeeze out the most value at these five-star luxury hotels

So you’ve splashed out on airfares, but you still have to book the accommodation for your next holiday. Here’s how to get the most bang from your remaining bucks.

  • Fiona Carruthers

January

What not to miss in Australian travel this year

From an $18,000-a-night suite in South Australia to a 25-day, POA bucket-list ‘Highlights of Australia’ trip, here’s what’s happening on the home front.

  • Fiona Carruthers

November 2023

A villa terrace at Rosewood Luang Prabang, complete with its own private plunge pool.

At this oasis in Laos, you get your own plunge pool and butterflies

The centuries-old town of Luang Prabang was once known only to backpackers and Buddhists. Luxury boutique hotels have put it on the map.

  • Trudy Harris

July 2023

The Swan Room bar’s magnificent ceiling has been restored too. The upper velvet-draped windows overlook the area where tellers once served the bank’s clients.

It was a failure at birth. Now it’s New York’s hottest new hotel

A Beaux-Arts building once known as “a shrine to capitalism” has been born again in a part of the city that’s undergone its own renewal.

  • Ayesha de Kretser
Steep bends are par for the course: luckily there is a guardrail between the driver and a precipitous drop on this stretch of  Route Napoléon.

The ultimate French road trip? Take Napoleon’s way

The cute little warmonger obviously liked a challenging corner or three. His route through the high country of Provence winds its way in spectacular fashion.

  • Tony Davis

May 2023

The vista from the Weisshorn in Arosa Lenzerheide, eastern Switzerland.

I packed up my Sydney life and moved to Switzerland. These are my best ski tips

After many years in Australia, going back home wasn’t hard for this Swiss-born former AFR photographer. He was ready to indulge his “true Swiss passion”.

  • Peter Braig
Chris Wright and his wife ended up staying in Bequia and day-tripping to Mustique as a result of a not-so-minor issue with their sailing plans.

What to do when your Caribbean cruise is shut down? Go anyway

It was meant to be a milestone birthday celebration aboard a tall ship sailing through the Windward Islands. But then the cruise company was shut down by international war sanctions.

  • Chris Wright

Finland cashes in on happiness, and other travel tips

Dial up good vibes in the ‘land of a thousand lakes’; discover a just-opened manor in Moss Vale, and how to stay at WA’s remote Horizontal Falls in style.

  • Fiona Carruthers
Would you do it? There’s only padding and a reindeer pelt to separate you from that bed of ice – and you’ll have to wear a balaclava and cocoon yourself in a special sleeping bag.

At this hotel, guests pay $3600 a night to sleep on ice at -5C

If you enjoy cold swimming, Sweden’s Icehotel might be the place for you – at the very least you know the champagne will be chilled.

  • Tony Davis
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March 2023

“Through my niece’s eyes, I see the way the low winter sun throws shadows of the bare trees across their ornate facades.”

Here are the odd ways Paris has changed 10 years after I lived there

The City of Light is always the same – but not this time. This writer returned after a decade to behold his former home through fresh eyes.

  • Matthew Drummond
The rooftop restaurant at Soho Rome offers sweeping views and the evening breeze.

Why some think Soho House is too sexy for central Rome

Here’s what you’ll find at the Italian chapter of one of the world’s coolest private members’ clubs.

  • Fiona Carruthers
travel

A private island for $1.4m a week? Five of the best getaways

From a wellness retreat in the Italian Dolomites to a remote island in French Polynesia or a US road trip, it’s time to embrace the extraordinary.

  • Ute Junker

February 2023

The Haldane Suite in Raffles London at The OWO  was once reserved for secretaries of state of war, including David Lloyd George and John Profumo.

Ten of the most luxurious new boutique hotels

Tired of the tried-and-tested five-star brands? Here’s a round-up of new and soon-to-open luxury havens in superb locations.

  • Jane Knight

September 2022

Monaco is small but hilly, so it takes longer to walk around than you might think. And there are so many yachts to look at!

How to spend 48 hours in Monaco

If you’ve got time on your hands before the famous yacht show, get your walking boots on. There’s so much more to the city-state than boats and that famous casino.

  • Tony Davis

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/travel-hotspots-1msg