Star tips

Why battle the crowds in Europe this summer when there are so many charming, even unexpected, destinations? Below are a few places to while away the summer, including a revamped motel on a beach in New York; Airstream suites under the stars in Utah; new addresses in Kentucky that pay homage to horse culture; and a ranch in Wyoming that’s introducing activities like cuddling with goats and learning about llamas. And if you’re longing for an international getaway, it’s low season in Argentina, where a boutique hotel has opened amid the vineyards and wineries of Mendoza. Whether you’re interested in raising a glass or in the raisingof llamas, a quiet getaway awaits.

It was the shower for me. A shower convinced me that more luxury fashion brands should explore expansions into hotels and resorts. This particular shower was in my suite at the Bulgari Hotel Paris, one of the legendary Italian brand’s newer properties opened in December of 2021. For some reason, a lot of luxury resorts and hotels like to tout “rainfall” showers as a feature of their rooms, but for the most part, and in the hundreds of properties I’ve visited, such “rainfall” showers usually feel like a downpour let down. But not at the Bulgari Hotel Paris: this shower was transformative, the droplets so fine yet plentiful and luxuriously soft that I knew I had never felt real rain in actual nature like THIS.

“There is definitely a moment for every food style but having a simple, well executed meal within a great environment is a great pleasure and surely a form of understated luxury for any food lover.”

The Wynn Las Vegas mega-resort includes connected multiple lodging, dining and spa options, and these components collectively won 47 Forbes Stars in the 2023 Guide, more than any other U.S. property under one roof (very big roof). Forbes doesn’t rate gaming, shopping, live entertainment or golf, but if they did the tally might well be even higher, especially since Wynn is the only resort on the Strip with a golf course, an impressive Tom Fazio design. This is one very high-profile example of the unique assets that help set Wynn apart from all the other mega-resorts full of gambling, great restaurants, shops and shows in the city - but it is certainly not the only one.

Following the USA’s total solar eclipse in 2017, 'astrotourism' is big news. And the growing global light pollution problem means so-called 'dark sky parks' are more precious than ever. Jacqui Agate reports from Antelope Island in Utah, home to more dark sky parks than anywhere else in the world.

The player leaps like a basketball star through a crowd of desperate opponents and flailing sticks. Barely visible to the naked eye, the arcing ball somehow lodges in his upstretched palm. Dropping to the ground, he shimmies his way out of trouble, the ball now delicately balanced on the flat end of his hurley, then bang! With a graceful, scything pull, he slots the ball through the narrow uprights, seventy yards away.

For anyone planning a trip to the Philippines, Stephen Keeling has picked out ten top films that showcase the country’s landscapes, history and culture.

Forget Paris. Lyon is currently where it’s at, and whilst it’s reputation as France’s culinary capital is fully justified – twenty-two Michelin stars and counting – there’s a great deal more to this colourful city than gluttony.

2020 awards season is in full swing! And what better way to celebrate than to look at some of the most beautiful filming locations gracing our screens this year. If you're still working on your travel plans for the year, read on for our pick of the top TV and Film locations to visit in 2020. Take inspiration from The Secret Garden and embark on a road trip to visit some of the most beautiful ornamental gardens in the UK or follow in the footsteps of Mulan and explore the wide-open landscapes of New Zealand’s South Island. All of the destinations on the list are just as spectacular in real life as they are on screen.

Every night on Lake Maracaibo the clouds gather to perform the world's most intense storms. Thunder and lightning crash about in the skies as residents of the local villages, built on stilts, sleep peacefully in their shacks. Alasdair Baverstock went to investigate.

At the halfway mark of Series One of The Rough Guide to Everywhere (iTunes; Soundcloud), we invited poet-comedian Tim Key to tell us about his gap year in the Ukraine.

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are sitting in a red 1950s convertible under the stars. Giant ice creams march across a giant screen. A giant hot dog dances with a giant bun. He yawns, sliding a surreptitious arm around her neck. She turns away. He moves in, she slaps him and I’m hooked.

Georgia’s leafy capital is due its time in the spotlight. Dynamic, progressive and home to one of the country’s most exciting food scenes, Atlanta is the new star of the South. Whether you stay for a week or stop by on a layover, you’ll soon discover why it’s one of our top 10 cities to visit this year.

None of this choo-choo stuff – Byun! Shu! are the sounds that a Japanese train makes. And while bullet trains – shinkansen – are one of the symbols of modern Japan, the Japanese adore trains in all their forms. Some of the best loved are “sightseeing” Japanese trains, which run along lines with gorgeous landscape views – nowhere else on the planet does them quite like Japan. Some are simple, some come with quips and quirks and others are utterly luxurious (2017 has been a big year for the latter).

As you shuffle along with your fellow tourists round the chancel of Prague’s main cathedral, there’s not a lot to see beyond the remains of a few medieval Czech kings with unpronounceable names – Břetislav, Spytihněv, Bořivoj. That is, until you find your way virtually barred by a giant silver tomb, which looks for all the world as if it has been abandoned by a bunch of Baroque builders upon discovering it was too big to fit into one of the side chapels. Turning your attention to the tomb itself, you’re faced with one of the most gobsmackingly kitsch mausoleums imaginable – sculpted in solid silver, with airborne angels holding up the heavy drapery of the baldachin; and you notice the saint’s rather fetching five-star sunburst halo, and back to back with him, a cherub proudly pointing to a glass case. On closer inspection, you realize the case contains a severed tongue.

The Three-Star Road in Japan runs from Nagano to Kanazawa in the country’s central belt, taking in spectacular mountain scenery, charming UNESCO-endorsed villages and a collection of tremendous monuments. In fact, the route is named for a series of three-star sights (as recognized by Michelin’s Green Guide Japan). For landscape lovers, culture vultures and adventurous travellers of all persuasions, here’s our guide to exploring the Three-Star Road in the Japan Alps. 

The popularity of The Mandalorian series on Disney Plus is proof enough that the force is strong with this franchise. With plans for more than half a dozen spin-off series announced, it's time we revisit some of our favourite Star Wars film locations.

Rough Guides editor Amy Hopkins shares her tips for what not to miss when travelling along the historic Three Star Road in central Japan

In an interview with Playboy in 2012, Tom Cruise described Katie Holmes as “an extraordinary person” with a “wonderful” clothing line, and someone for whom he was fond of “doing things like creating romantic dinners” — behavior that, he confided, “she enjoys.” It would prove to be his last major interview with a reporter to date. Despite what may be recalled through the penumbra of memory, this sudden silence was not directly preceded by either of Cruise’s infamous appearances on television: not by his NBC’s “Today” show interview (in which he labeled host Matt Lauer both “glib” and “Matt — MattMattMattMatt”), nor even by his appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” (in which he reverse-catapulted himself onto Winfrey’s fawn-colored couch multiple times in a demonstration of his enthusiasm for Holmes). Those incidents occurred seven years earlier, in 2005; Cruise emerged from the hex of public bewilderment unscathed. In fact, Cruise gave no indication that the interview, pegged to the musical-comedy bomb “Rock of Ages,” was intended to serve as a farewell address to journalists. At the time he sat for it, another life milestone was hurtling toward him: The month after the article was published, Holmes filed for divorce.

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This dazzling city will sate your clients’ appetites for luxury while engaging their minds with world class art and culture.