Park Hyatt London River Thames now accepting reservations

Before Australia’s East Coast burnished its reputation as a haven of sun, sand and sea, it was the temperate climate of Tasmania, the country’s largest island, that lured visitors from across the British Empire. Sometimes called the “sanitarium of the south,” it was noted for its salubrious climes, which were considered an antidote to havoc wrought on delicate constitutions by tours in the equatorial colonies. Some two centuries later, the heart-shaped landmass 150 miles off the mainland’s southeast coast is still seen as a place of invigorating isolation.

As the Olympics take over Paris, the hospitality scene is expanding in the city — and beyond — with a handful of new hotel openings worth bookmarking for a visit once the crowds have died down. Le Grand Hôtel Cayré opened in the Seventh Arrondissement earlier this month with 123 rooms, all with handcrafted wooden beds and mustard yellow velvet chairs, some with balconies and views of the Sacre Coeur or Eiffel Tower. In Carry-le-Rouet, a seaside village outside of Marseille, L’Hôtel Bleu’s design follows its name with 44 harbor-view rooms decorated in shades of blue. The property’s restaurant offers three seafood-heavy, Mediterranean-inspired tasting menus, while a private cinema room can be reserved when the weather calls for some indoor time. Further east toward Cannes, in the commune of Mougins, Hôtel Le Mas Candille was recently redesigned by the architect and decorator Hugo Toro, whose hand-painted patterns appear on the curtains and carpets in the 46 rooms. Its Glow House spa has four treatment rooms, each with its own terrace, and a private swimming pool overlooking Provence. In Nice’s old town, Hôtel du Couvent opened last month within a 17th-century convent surrounded by two-and-a-half acres of gardens. The former nuns’ herbal shop has been revived and now offers personalized remedies, some made from herbs grown on the property. There’s also a bathing area with pools of varying temperatures inspired by the nearby Roman baths.

In the middle of the pandemic, my phone pinged with an email from InterNations, an expat group I had joined after spending time in Switzerland.

I'm an independent traveler who likes making my own arrangements. (Or, to rephrase that for the people who know me and will want me to tell you the truth: I'm a travel obsessive with a need to usually control every aspect of a trip.)

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Yusuf and Sumaiya Omar, co-founders of Seen TV . They have no fixed address and travel constantly with their son, Noah. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Low-cost Icelandic airline Play is helping travelers plan a European shoulder season vacation by offering 25 percent off fall and early winter flights.

Quito Turismo will participate at the National Geographic Traveller Food Festival 2024, an event organised by the prestigious international magazine of the same name.

"I'm not spoiling my children; I'm making deposits of joy," that's what I recited to myself silently as I clicked on four tickets for Taylor Swift's one-night-only Eras Tour appearance in Cardiff, Wales.

Jul 19, 2024 • 7 min read

Qatar Airways was declared the best airline in the world at the 2024 Airline Awards in London on June 24. Qatar beat out Singapore Airlines, last year’s winner, who slipped to the number two spot this year. Emirates, ANA All Nippon Airways, and Cathay Pacific Airways completed the top five. No North American airline made the top twenty, with Delta narrowly missing out at 21. Other North American airlines that made the top 50 are Air Canada (29) and United Airlines (42). In fact, those three airlines are the only North American airlines to receive any Airline Awards. Other popular North American airlines like American, JetBlue, and Southwest failed to even be mentioned for any individual award.

It just got easier to visit the «world’s greatest open-air museum.»  Luxor, Egypt is known for its massive historical temples, the nearby Valley of the Kings, stone statues, and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Now, thanks to a newly introduced flight route from low-cost carrier easyJet, travelers to the region will have direct access from London's Gatwick airport.

The central Italian region of Umbria — with its unspoiled landscapes and ancient Roman ruins — has long been a source of inspiration for artists; in the 15th century, the region even gave rise to a namesake movement that counted the Renaissance painters Pietro Perugino and Raphael as members. It’s against that backdrop that the Babini family — who also own the Hospitality Experience, a hotel group, and the Place of Wonders, a foundation dedicated to preserving traditional Italian craftsmanship — recently opened Borgo dei Conti, a 40-room resort perched on the grounds of a former medieval fortress about a half-hour drive from Perugia. Inside the property’s original neo-Gothic villa are preserved frescoes and wood-beamed coffered ceilings along with Etruscan terra-cotta floor tiling and furniture covered in fabrics handwoven at a nearby textile atelier. Between meals at Cedri, a fine-dining restaurant placed in a former (lemon greenhouse), and L’Osteria del Borgo, an all-day trattoria serving Neapolitan pizzas, guests can visit the wellness spa — complete with saunas, a salt room and an outdoor solarium — or visit the Italian-style gardens of the surrounding 40-acre park.