Coastal destinations

Once touted as the ‘City of Churches’, Adelaide is making a concerted effort to lose the pious tag and re-express itself as a creative, progressive destination with a kickin’ arts scene, fab restaurants and more bars than you could blitz in a year.

Boutique hotels in Adelaide

The ‘seven sisters’ of the volcanic Aeolian Islands are scattered like stars across the deep blue Tyrrhenian Sea, north of Sicily.

Boutique hotels in Aeolian Islands, Sicily

Craggy, winding and riddled with caves and secret beaches, the Amalfi Coast is one of the most spectacular stretches of coastline in the world. The volcanic headland reaches out from the ankle of Italy towards the Tyrrhenian, sheer mountainside plummeting into the sun-sparkled sea.

Boutique hotels in Amalfi Coast

What sets Antigua apart from other tropical Caribbean islands is its geography: the lush undulating hills promise postcard-perfect panoramas like nowhere else. Barbuda, Antigua’s far less developed little sister, is a petite coral island hemmed with pink-and-white talcum-powder sandy beaches and a swimming-pool-clean sea.

Boutique hotels in Antigua & Barbuda

Surrounded by volcanic peaks and water, it’s hard to ignore the natural beauty of New Zealand’s largest city, situated on the North Island.

Boutique hotels in Auckland

A melting pot of African, European and Indian cultures, the state of Bahia, up in the north of Brazil, is as indefinable as its ethnic make-up.

Boutique hotels in Bahia

Bali is a dozen flavours of paradise, and tastes different to everyone.

Boutique hotels in Bali

On Barbados – arguably the most charismatic of Caribbean islands – you’ll live like the locals do, eat with them, chill with them and most definitely party with them.

Boutique hotels in Barbados

Hugging a rugged, windswept coastline that snakes east of Bilbao into France and the Pyrenees, the Basque country of northern Spain promises both urban excitement and open-air adventure.

Boutique hotels in Basque Country

Easy does it is the mantra in this sub-tropical haven that features 144 islands, craggy coves and crystalline waters.

Boutique hotels in Bay Of Islands

One of the world’s youngest countries, Belize has a landscape that shifts from Caribbean island paradise to jungle-clad mountain, and a culture that blends Mayan with Mennonite, European with Garifuna…

Boutique hotels in Belize

The charms of Queensland’s capital are both superficial and soulful. Go for the sunshine and nearby beaches, and make time for its riverside restaurants, parks and museums.

Boutique hotels in Brisbane

Rugged, windswept Brittany in north-west France is the coastal twin of Cornwall, and its happy-holidays charm matches its UK sister’s in buckets and spades.

Boutique hotels in Brittany

Some jokingly refer to Byron Bay as the most northern suburb of Sydney – everything you can find in the big smoke is right on the doorstep here too.

Boutique hotels in Byron Bay

The red carpet only gets rolled out for a fortnight a year, but the Film Festival embues Cannes with perennial flashbulb glamour.

Boutique hotels in Cannes

Glorious beaches and soaring mountains frame this thriving city built on the foothills of Table Mountain, along the edge of the Atlantic.

Boutique hotels in Cape Town

The tiny island with a big following.

Boutique hotels in Capri

Cardigan Bay, like the knitwear of the same name, is a comfy-cosy, sit-back-and-put-your-feet-up kind of place. But that’s not to say the area lacks drama.

Boutique hotels in Cardigan Bay

With its sweeping sandy coastline, verdant-valleyed interior and tale-telling locals, Carmarthen Bay has all the raw materials needed for ‘iconic destination’ status.

Boutique hotels in Carmarthen Bay

Former fishing village, Cascais (‘kesh-kysh’) grew into a genteel summer resort under the patronage of the Portuguese royal family.

Boutique hotels in Cascais

On the coast that defined seaside glamour, you can never be too rich or too brown.

Boutique hotels in Côte D'azur (east)

It might only be a couple of hours north of Sydney, but New South Wales' Central Coast couldn't be any more different.

Boutique hotels in Central Coast

Small and volcanically formed, Colima is the legendary domain of Mexico’s gods, who gaze down from the skies at the sweeping valleys, vast, open ranches, and dense subtropical jungle.

Boutique hotels in Colima

With its soft sand beaches, hot summer sun and spectacularly noisy waves, Cornwall is the stuff of perfect childhood holidays.

Boutique hotels in Cornwall

On the Costa de la Luz the blue skies and pristine beaches stretch on almost endlessly, and Atlantic breakers crash against a wild and windswept shore.

Boutique hotels in Costa De La Luz

Dorset is a tale of two landscapes: the chalky downlands of Cranborne Chase and the Purbeck Hills, with their pretty villages and grand houses; and the wild, adventure-friendly Jurassic Coast, rebranded but untamed.

Boutique hotels in Dorset

The gorgeous East Sussex coast has always attracted crowds; in the height of summer, you may have to fight your way onto the beaches, just as the Romans and Normans once did.

Boutique hotels in East Sussex

This northerly region in Catalonia has scenery to satisfy your every whim – city break (Girona), beach retreat (Costa Brava) or country weekend (La Bisbal).

Boutique hotels in Empordà

For all it has in common with other chilled-out seaside spots around the world – clean air, ocean-view restaurants – this old hippie hang-out is out there on its own as a surfer's paradise with a kasbah.

Boutique hotels in Essaouira

Victoria's Great Ocean Road, aka the B100, south-west of Melbourne, is one of the most famous drives in Australia, and for very good reason.

Boutique hotels in Great Ocean Road

Our tip – get to Grenada before the rest of the world does. Somehow, this nutmeg-scented island has remained untouched by major tourism and has the real-deal kick-back Caribbean vibe.

Boutique hotels in Grenada

Guatemala is a naturalist’s daydream, where virgin rainforest gives way to volcanic uplands, and kaleidoscopically feathered birds sharing tree-space with chattering monkeys.

Boutique hotels in Guatemala

The high reaches of the destination pecking order, the Hamptons in New York’s Long Island is exclusive, fashionable and oh-so desirable.

Boutique hotels in Hamptons

If New Zealand is a destination to suit everyone, then Hawkes Bay is that again, just manipulated into an even more manageable package.

Boutique hotels in Hawkes Bay

At the southernmost tip of Africa, the seaside town of Hermanus sees one of the continent’s most amazing natural spectacles when, for several months a year, Southern Right whales come to calve around beautiful Walker Bay.

Boutique hotels in Hermanus

Incredible coastlines, lush valleys, ancient mountain peaks, colonial heritage, succulent seafood, world-famous wildlife and a historical harbour – you couldn’t ask for more.

Boutique hotels in Hobart

A couple of hours south of bustling Bangkok, the laid-back resort town of Hua Hin has been a Thai weekender’s favourite ever since the royal family started heading here back in the twenties. Of course, the rest of society followed suit. And they’re still coming.

Boutique hotels in Hua Hin

Crystal-clear waters, quiet beaches, pine forests and great seafood may not be the first things that spring to mind about Ibiza, but the legendary nightlife is only one aspect of this lovely Mediterranean island.

Boutique hotels in Ibiza, Balearic Islands

One of the largest, most populous, and busiest cities in the world, Jakarta is southeast Asia’s definitive megalopolis, but buried beneath the seemingly chaotic urban splash, you’ll find traces of a rich colonial past and a progressive dynamic present.

Boutique hotels in Jakarta

Skewered by the stunning Sierra Madre and edged by the warm waters of the Pacific, Jalisco is often said to be the most Mexican of Mexican states, and, since it gave the world tequila, mariachi, and rodeos, it’s not hard to see why.

Boutique hotels in Jalisco

A name which translates as ‘meal of crayfish’ gives a taste of the sumptuous scene in store.

Boutique hotels in Kaikoura

Touting itself as ‘Australia’s Galapagos’, Kangaroo Island (KI) has an amazing proliferation of wildlife – in the sky, the scrub and the sea.

Boutique hotels in Kangaroo Island

The twin islands of Koh Phi Phi ascend from the ocean like a jagged rock fortress, with beach-fronted jungle skulking enticingly behind the battlements. Simply put: it’s a mind-blowingly beautiful vision.

Boutique hotels in Koh Phi Phi

Trimmed with gorgeous beaches and filled with cool, verdant forests, Thailand’s third largest island is an altar to carefree tropical leisure.

Boutique hotels in Koh Samui

With world-renowned hotels, high-kicking nightlife, mountains of adventure, and countless beaches and islands a long-tail boat ride away, Krabi is deservedly one of Thailand’s rising stars.

Boutique hotels in Krabi

Peaceful, proto-tropical Langkawi retains a wonderfully laid-back, those-in-the-know atmosphere. A popular escape for discerning couples looking to explore the island’s gorgeous natural attractions – or simply to spend some quiet, cuddly time together at a top-end resort – Langkawi is one of Southeast Asia’s best-kept secrets.

Boutique hotels in Langkawi

A city of excess, Limassol is not shy. A seemingly endless tourist strip runs from the city centre in frenzied neon-flashes of shops, bars and restaurants, the palm-lined avenues and festival-fever has earned the city’s moniker of ‘Little Miami’.

Boutique hotels in Limassol

Once the stamping ground of Romans, Moors and Crusaders, this historic hillside city has culture, cobbles, cafés, cable cars and cod aplenty.

Boutique hotels in Lisbon

Gorgeous, tropical Lombok is a life-enhancing antidote to bright lights and bling for honeymooning couples who prefer their barefoot luxury to be less bland.

Boutique hotels in Lombok

With its soaring volcanic peaks, turquoise lagoon, unspoilt beaches and rare plants, birds and marine life, ruggedly beautiful eco-retreat Lord Howe Island should bring out your inner David Attenborough.

Boutique hotels in Lord Howe Island

LA – a city of silver-screen dreams, where movie moguls, stars and starlets party in the California sunshine.

Boutique hotels in Los Angeles

Spread over 26 silk-sanded coral atolls lost in the heart of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives are the textbook desert-island paradise.

Boutique hotels in Maldives

The biggest of the Baleares, Mallorca is a varied surprise: a rural patchwork of wheat fields, olive groves and tranquil villages; a cosmopolitan destination with well-edited boutiques and white-cube galleries; a series of beautiful beaches for party people and peace-seekers alike.

Boutique hotels in Mallorca, Balearic Islands

A bustling city with 24 beaches, this Spanish hotspot has more to it than the usual Costa del Sol tourist route.

Boutique hotels in Marbella

If Margaret River didn’t exist, someone would have to make it up. Just three hours south of Perth, the region combines natural beauty with phenomenal dining and over 120 wineries that produce a quarter of Australia’s top wines.

Boutique hotels in Margaret River

When Mark Twain visited Mauritius in 1896, he came away saying that ‘God first made Mauritius, and from it He created Paradise’. He wasn't wrong.

Boutique hotels in Mauritius

Miami is a particularly colourful swirl in the great American melting pot; few cities are more diverse and cosmopolitan, and even fewer can boast white-sand beaches and endless days of perfect sunshine, too.

Boutique hotels in Miami

If Monte Carlo were in the thesaurus, it would be a synonym for casinos, luxury yachts and Formula 1.

Boutique hotels in Monte Carlo

Mustique is a 1,400-acre private island, managed by the Mustique Company (in turn belonging to a conglomerate of island home-owners). To arrive here is to step into a perfect world, where the beaches and ocean are whiter/more turquoise than a dream, road signs are hand-painted, and even the grass is cut with exceptional care.

Boutique hotels in Mustique

Mykonos was the first Greek island to be ‘discovered’ in the Fifties; Chora, the main town, rapidly gained a reputation as the Cyclades’ most happening harbour.

Boutique hotels in Mykonos

Where wild moors and rolling dales form the backdrop to solid, greystone market towns and idyllic country villages, North Yorkshire is the UK's ultimate antidote to urban life.

Boutique hotels in North Yorkshire

On a peninsula at Sydney’s northern extremities lies an enclave for the rich, famous and reclusive, including the occasional Hollywood superstar.

Boutique hotels in Northern Beaches

Surrounded by the stark beauty of the desert and the snow-capped peak of San Jacinto, the lush green golf courses and tree-lined boulevards of Palm Springs make it the perfect urban oasis.

Boutique hotels in Palm Springs

France’s south-westernmost region is a lush, green pocket of land caught between the mountains and the windswept Atlantic coast.

Boutique hotels in Pays Basque

Dropped like a giant verdant pearl in the azure waters of the Andaman Sea, the gorgeous tropical island of Phuket is rightly one the most popular traveler’s destinations in Thailand.

Boutique hotels in Phuket & Khao Lak

This Atlantic region in France’s mid-west is the home of La Rochelle and Île de Ré, with fine fortresses and cognac-laced countryside inland.

Boutique hotels in Poitou-Charentes

Australia’s most famous state is a land of extremes: one side, vast plains of ruddy bulldust stretch off into the Outback, while off the Pacific coast, the tropical islands of the Reef bask in year-round sunshine.

Boutique hotels in Queensland & Great Barrier Reef

Rio is one of the most spectacular spots on earth, where lush mountains plunge into the tropical sea. From Sugar Loaf mountain you can survey the skip-a-beat views down to the world-famous beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana.

Boutique hotels in Rio De Janeiro

When the Spanish conquistadors arrived off Mexico’s Riviera Maya in the 16th century, they found an idyllic Caribbean coast of white sand beaches and turquoise waters…

Boutique hotels in Riviera Maya

Like the lobsters that adorn platters in many of its restaurants, San Diego isn't the most instantly appealing. Unlike Los Angeles, 100 miles up the Pacific coast, its charms aren't on the surface; but crack into its shell and behind the seemingly soulless buildings that line its seafront you'll find a fascinating city with a buoyant youthful edge.

Boutique hotels in San Diego

That bridge, the scenic Bay, those cable cars… San Francisco is a dream location for film-makers – and tourists. Its compact districts, worldly outlook and cultured population give it a cosmopolitan vibe.

Boutique hotels in San Francisco

An elegant city sparkling under several Michelin stars, San Sebastián is on the shores of the Bay of Biscay in the Basque region of northern Spain.

Boutique hotels in San Sebastián

This rugged Aegean beauty, the southernmost of the Cyclades, is famed for its sunsets, wine and the turquoise sea that surrounds it.

Boutique hotels in Santorini

This Mediterranean island has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and if you venture inland you’ll find breathtaking countryside.

Boutique hotels in Sardinia

An archipelago of 155 islands that lie scattered like birdseed to the east of Africa, the Seychelles are known throughout the world for their idyllic tropical climate and desert-island beauty.

Boutique hotels in Seychelles

Bustling cities, miles of coastline, and world-class wining and dining – this Southern Italian island showcases Med living at its most vibrant.

Boutique hotels in Sicily

Singapore has come a long way, baby. Once dubbed the most boring city in Asia, it now marries old-world charm with gleaming modernity.

Boutique hotels in Singapore

The Ancients believed that mariners were lured to the islands and towering cliffs of the Amalfi Coast by the songs of the Sirens, mythical temptresses who gave their name to the seductive town of Sorrento.

Boutique hotels in Sorrento

A small area with a growing reputation, Western Australia's Southern Forests is a nature and gourmet lover's paradise.

Boutique hotels in Southern Forests

You could call it Paris-on-sea – with all the poise, style and Missoni bikinis that it implies. St Barths is one of the original jet-set destinations, where celebrity meets society in a cosmopolitan crowd.

Boutique hotels in St Barths

Shades of emerald, ebony and teal form the colour palette on this breezy and relaxed island – making St Lucia, the second largest of the Windward Islands, the ultimate Caribbean destination.

Boutique hotels in St Lucia

A millionaires’ playground of yachts, nightclubs and nu-retro hedonism set against an azure backdrop, St Tropez is the glittering epicentre of the Monte Carlo/Cannes party route.

Boutique hotels in St Tropez

‘Undiscovered tropical idyll’ barely does it justice – with perfect beaches, swirling cerulean surf and lush tropical forests, the island of Sumba, almost untouched by tourism, is somewhere you’ll want to keep to yourself…

Boutique hotels in Sumba

With the guarantee of fantastic year-round sunshine, spectacular surf-and-turf landscapes and activities, the emphasis in these parts is on outdoor living.

Boutique hotels in Sydney

Down at the southernmost point of Europe, where you can spot Africa over the straits from the coast road, Tarifa is laidback and friendly, even in Spanish terms.

Boutique hotels in Tarifa

A cluster of coral-fringed isles in a sea that seems to shift through shades of turquoise neon, the Turks & Caicos islands offer lie-on-the-beach luxury with a totally tropical taste.

Boutique hotels in Turks & Caicos

One of New Zealand’s best wine regions, just a short hop from big-smoke Wellington, the Wairarapa makes an ideal weekend escape.

Boutique hotels in Wairarapa

New Zealand’s capital, at the Southern tip of the North Island, has it all – cosmopolitan living, a vibrant arts scene, cutting-edge boutiques and fine regional dining – all against a backdrop of some of the country’s most beautiful landscapes.

Boutique hotels in Wellington

With the cathedral city of Chichester providing its meanest seaside streets, West Sussex is a green and pleasant county, where seasons and hills roll gently, all against the ever-shifting backdrop of the sea.

Boutique hotels in West Sussex

The Scottish Highlands: unlike anywhere else on earth.

Boutique hotels in Wester Ross