‘Spellbinding’: Inside the hobbit-themed hotel deep in an Armenian forest

Though I’ve visited Portland, Oregon, so many times I’ve lost count, I won’t soon be forgetting my last trip thanks to a new downtown hotel.

Hidden beneath an overhang on steep cliff walls above the Pinturas River Canyon are more than 800 stencilled handprints and painted images of animals. Nobody fully understands why Patagonia’s nomadic hunter-gatherers crafted the graffiti, but we do know they were created around 9,300 years ago using mineral pigments mixed with blood and fat, and that they provide a glimpse of early life in the glacier-carved province of Santa Cruz.  

Frequent fliers with American Airlines, British Airways and Cathay Pacific have an exciting new membership benefit. Alongside regular perks such as extra baggage and assigned seating, today marks the official opening of the first dedicated oneworld airport lounge. 

In the tucked away Black Forest town of Donaueschingen, the mighty River Danube begins. It rises as a clear, three metre-deep wellspring in the town centre, encircled by a stone basin sculpted with zodiac symbols. From there, the Danube – Donau in German – flows full tilt onwards for 1,771 miles to its mouth on the Black Sea, passing through the great cities of Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade.

From air traffic control strikes to extreme weather, last year saw millions of passengers face flight delays across Europe.

It just got a little more expensive to stay at many popular casino hotels. MGM Resorts, the parent company of some of the largest casinos and hotels in Las Vegas, recently increased resort fees at many of their properties, with some topping out at $50. The fees, which are added after a reservation is made, drive up the total cost of a reservation. The increase will vary between $2 and $6 per night, depending on the property, MGM Resorts shared with Travel + Leisure.  Specifically, at the MGM Grand Las Vegas the resort fee, now $45, provides services such as unlimited local and domestic phone calls, airline boarding pass printing, digital newspaper, fitness center access and in-room Wi-Fi. The fee also provides complimentary access to Paramount+ with SHOWTIME On Demand, with the in-room television.  Here are the current resort fees at MGM Resorts: ARIA Resort & Casino — $50.00 Bellagio Hotel & Casino — $50.00 Delano Las Vegas — $45.00 Excalibur Hotel & Casino — $37.00 Luxor Hotel & Casino — $37.00 Mandalay Bay — $45.00 MGM Grand Las Vegas — $45.00 New York-New York Hotel & Casino — $42.00 NoMad Las Vegas — $42.00 Park MGM — $42.00 Vdara Hotel & Spa at ARIA Las Vegas — $50.00

While most visitors make their way to Kyoto to take in the rich history of the ancient capital of Japan, nature lovers come for the hiking trails – both well-trodden and off-the-beaten-path – that snake across Kyoto Prefecture.

When the Moroccan financier Aziz Nahas decided to buy and regenerate a farm outside Marrakesh about two decades ago, he underestimated how much would grow there. Now, the 10-acre plot produces organic vegetables and fruits as well as hosting an artist residency program and a ceramic studio, all under the name Sanctuary Slimane. In 2021, Nahas’s friend the French restaurateur Benjamin Pastor suggested they partner up to start a cafe and farm shop in the busy Marrakesh neighborhood of Gueliz. Last spring, they opened the coffee shop Blue Ribbon, with offerings including fresh salads served with halloumi or beets and almonds and a bánh mí sandwich on fresh sourdough. In the fall, they added a seating area next door and the Slimane Farm Shop, which sells vegetables and products like honey and dried herbs that are grown and produced on the farm. Up next: Farmers, a restaurant headed by Blue Ribbon’s chef and located in the same building. The 46-seat space, lined with colorful Popham tiles, is scheduled to open at the end of February.

If you're ever wondering aloud where the hottest mid-winter celebrations take place, those in-the-know might quietly respond, “St. Barts.” The island's luxe air of mystery and remoteness are part of what makes it a seasonal staple for jet setters and superyachts as they follow the sun to the Caribbean in winter. The festivities rage on until the St. Barths Bucket Regatta in mid-March, but what most visitors don’t realize is that the island is practically a year-round one, since the only time hotels typically shut is at the height of hurricane season (late summer).

As the calendar flips to a new year, Unique Vacations, Inc. (UVI) – an affiliate of the worldwide representative for Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts – inaugurates 2024 as “The Year of More” at an energizing Global Sales Conference designed to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the travel advisor community and reinforce its crucial role within the ecosystem of tourism for the Caribbean at large. The first of its kind since 2019, the event was held between Sandals Dunn’s River and Sandals Ochi, and united esteemed Caribbean government officials, Sandals Resorts executives, and over 200 members of Unique Vacations global sales force for a weekend of reflection, strategic alignment, and gathering momentum in the direction of selling the coveted Caribbean.

Four European countries now have the world’s most powerful passports.

Sedona, Arizona, is an outstanding travel spot, drawing visitors with its radiant red rocks, exceptional hiking trails, and reputation as a spiritual mecca.