6 Vacation Essentials Inspired By the Grand Hotel Son Net in Spain

Would you pay someone to plan a trip for you and only learn where you’re going when you arrive at the airport?

Nobu Hotel San Sebastián has officially opened its doors this month; the latest property marks the fifth hotel in Spain for Nobu Hospitality. The luxury lifestyle brand by Robert De Niro, Nobu Matsuhisa and Meir Teper is expected to offer world-renowned cuisine to the already Michelin star-studded San Sebastián.

As our hot, stuffy plane approached Bodrum, the seaside resort city on Turkey’s southwest coast, I closed my eyes and imagined a cool plunge into the crystalline turquoise waters of the Aegean. It was late July, and I was going home for vacation, despite warnings about the record heat. Southern Turkey is always hot in the summer, but the thought of sea breezes and swimming made it seem a desirable destination — especially after spending the last month in a heat wave in Geneva where air-conditioning is all but banned.

A week before a Journee mystery trip, the traveler receives a sealed envelope in the mail. 

When I started packing for the Camino de Santiago this summer, I didn’t want to get things wrong—after all, the stakes are a bit higher than a day hike when you’re packing for a month-long trip.

Among the many wonderful things about Greece is that everyone has a favorite island—and everyone is right. For veteran Forbes travel contributor Jim Dobson, that magical isle is Sifnos. Reachable by ferry from Athens in a little over two hours, Sifnos has beautiful beaches, numerous hiking trails along the Aegean Sea and a remarkable 237 churches. Here’s where to eat, stay and play on Sifnos.

1 Hotel Mayfair, is the first European property for the American-based, sustainable hotel group. The location is great, with Green Park across the road, museums like the Royal Academy down the road and the stylish shops of Bond street and Burlington Arcade nearby. This chic new luxury hotel claims to be London’s very first sustainable luxury hotel, a big assertion indeed but one that does appear to have substance. From the moment you walk through the doors, you’re surrounded by living things, natural materials and textures, complemented by muted colors from nature. Over 1,300 plants from 200 species can be found throughout the hotel.

From St. Peter's Basilica to the Vittoriano, the Pantheon to the Colosseum, Rome boasts one of the most iconic and romantic skylines in the world. So when choosing where to stay in the Eternal City, it’s ideal to find a hotel that gives you a bird’s eye view of the grand cityscape.

Looking for a new museum to add to your travel to-do list? TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) has released the Travelers’ Choice Top 25 Museums of 2018, including the top 10 worldwide and the top 10 in the United States, with some surprising frontrunners. The findings also highlight bookable ways to see each winner—think VIP tours and scavenger hunts—with some offering the added perk of allowing you to skip the lines to get in.

If you want to stay at the best hotel in the United States, head to the French Quarter Inn in Charleston, South Carolina. And if you’re looking for the best bargain hotel stay in the world, it’s in a small town in northern Spain. That’s according to TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards, which just shared the best hotel ratings for multiple categories heading into 2019.

The carpet is deep and squidgy, the striped wallpaper has a cheery jauntiness about it and you can almost smell the fresh paint emanating from the baby-blue walls, lined with an eclectic mix of art. The corridor that leads to The Dorchester’s newly renovated guest rooms surely puts a spring in your step.