Provence, France

Stocked up on designer finds and stuffed full of steak tartare, ditch the city in favour of the verdant olive groves and limestone villages of the southern French countryside. Wind your way along Rhône, through the fruit orchards and fields of lavender, to Alain Ducasse’s romantic hillside hideaway, La Bastide de Moustiers. Make like Cézanne and hike up the nearby cliffs for dramatic views, then return home to nap in a hammock in the garden before a pastis aperitif on the patio and dinner at Ducasse’s restaurant. Spend your days on private food tours of the region and learning to press its famous olive oil. Visit artisan pottery and textile workshops, and join winemakers on private tasting tours of local vineyards. It won’t take long to slip into the relaxed Provençal lifestyle.

For many of us, travel is what we eat: new flavours, local delicacies and relaxing al fresco feasts. Grade-A gourmands tend to love things Gallic and, when it comes to getaways, Provence’s Alain Ducasse-owned Hostellerie de l’Abbaye is the cerise on France’s rich gâteau. Nearby Baumanière is a Michelin-star-spangled stay hugged by abundant vineyards. Cross the Med to Castiglion del Bosco and you can learn the secrets of the Tuscan cucina at its renowned cookery school. Thirsty? California’s cinematic wine country – valleys Napa and Sonoma – will sate you in style. 

From gentle exertions like cycling between the vineyards around Hôtel Crillon le Brave, to brow-dampening hikes in the Atlas Mountains near Kasbah du Toubkal, we know activity-packed places to appeal to every type of adventurer. Thrill seekers might consider the Alps: bathed in summer sun, they're a playground for hikers, climbers, mountain bikers and white-water rafters. Alpaga makes for a tranquil base to rest up afterwards. Those of a more leisurely persuasion might prefer to mount a steed and see the White Isle's wilder side on horseback – rustic retreat Can Curreu in Ibiza has its own stables. And if Sweden's big-kid-thrilling Treehotel can't make you fall in love with the outdoors, nothing can.