Seven Days, Seven Walks in the Algarve

I took a deep breath and stepped into the Italian restaurant Amano in Auckland, New Zealand.

October 2023: For the tenth time, the Algarve has been voted as ‘Europe’s Leading Beach Destination’ at the 2023 World Travel Awards. It is a world first as no other destination has won this prestigious award, which honours travel and tourism, so many times.

For the tenth time, the Algarve, in southern Portugal, has been voted as “Europe's Leading Beach Destination” at the 2023 World Travel Awards. No other destination has won this award, which honors travel and tourism, so many times. The other top shortlisted beach destinations included: Cannes, France; Corfu, Greece; Costa Navarino, Greece; Mallorca, Spain; Marbella, Spain; Porto Santo Island, Madeira and Sardinia, Italy.

There’s a new way to explore the volcanic Canary Island of Lanzarote this winter, thanks to a new guided hike being offered by sustainable travel specialists Lanzarote Retreats. Originally launched in 2016, Walk the Rock has been revamped following a three-year hiatus. New for 2023, the seven-night break features a fresh route as well as additional stops along the way. Run in conjunction with local experts Blackstone Treks & Tours, the small group tour offers the opportunity to walk some of the most beautiful paths of Lanzarote, taking in highlights from its jagged cliffs to its pretty white villages, its volcanoes to the vineyards and coast.

Great golf? That’s just the tip of the inspired iceberg at the world-famous Gleaneagles resort.

Queenstown, New Zealand, wouldn’t be Queenstown if it weren’t far away from everything—more than three hours’ flight from the closet foreign city of Sydney, a long transpacific slog from the west coast of the U.S., a diabolically long distance from western Europe. (This part of the world is called the Antipodes for a reason.) But being tucked away in the snowy mountains at the bottom of the world is what gives it its character: It’s a cosmopolitan frontier town, full of ruggedly individualistic locals and generous transplants, ski bums and worldly chefs, shepherds and sommeliers.

Skiing in the Alps. Swimming in crystal clear lakes. Modern cities with medieval old towns. All that chocolate and cheese.

While Monaco takes up less than one square mile in area, it has an outsized reputation as the ultimate luxury destination on the French Riviera. This is the place to experience Belle Époque architecture, a glamorous Casino and the Grand Prix. But you can also enjoy terrific museums, lovely gardens and a country with a deep commitment to sustainability. Below is a suggested itinerary that includes many of the country’s most beloved sites.

From St Ives station, there’s a view of sand, palms and, across misty blue water, a lighthouse on a rocky island. Virginia Woolf and her sister, artist Vanessa Bell, saw this view as children from the house their father rented. It later featured in Woolf’s novel To the Lighthouse, set in the Hebrides but clearly inspired by St Ives. She describes “the great plateful of blue water” and “hoary Lighthouse, distant, austere in the midst”. Images have lingered ever since I read it years ago at college, and my pub walk is something of a literary pilgrimage.

Everything about Las Vegas feels indulgent, from the glittering lights on the Strip to the cacophony of casino slot machines and all-you-can-eat buffets. However, perhaps nothing in Las Vegas is more indulgent than the luxury hotel suites that sit high above the Strip.

A day trip to leafy Westchester in autumn offers a variety of attractions: historic sites, scenic beauty, casual dining, and special events that will appeal to adults and kids of all ages.

Travel has well and truly bounced back since the pandemic, buoying tourist destinations that were crippled by restrictions and closures.