Blue Skies (2024)

25/03/2022

Lake Como, Italy

'It’ll be my first time visiting Lake Como and the four-day Easter break seems like the perfect amount of time to explore and chill out with an Aperol. I'm looking forward to sailing the waters and hopping off at the colourful towns that sit just on the water’s edge – Bellagio and Verenna are top of my list. I’ll be staying at the chic Villa Lario and diving into their infinity pool at the first chance I get.'

25/03/2022

Los Angeles, USA

'April is the perfect time for a trip to La La Land. The weather is a comfortable 23 degrees, so it’s ideal for brunch outside hip Silverlake hangout Sqirl, afternoons exploring Abbot Kinney Boulevard or micro-breweries in the Arts District, and evenings sipping cocktails on the rooftop of Downtown’s Perch. The Hoxton's DTLA spot – complete with Instagrammable interiors and rooftop pool – is where I’ll be checking in during my next visit.'

25/03/2022

Hampshire, UK

Built in 2021, the rustic cabin is slick yet cosy, with an open-plan living area and fully equipped kitchen. But it's the outside, set within acres of farmland, where you'll find the real wow-factor. Take your morning coffee outside to spy roe deer, pheasants, foxes, badgers and red kites, and enjoy a sundowner from the wood-fired hot tub, followed by a splash around in the outdoor copper bath. During the day, there are miles of countryside walks to take, plus the historic town of Wi******er is only three miles away.

23/03/2022

The French Riviera

The Côte d'Azur stretches languorously from Menton to Marseille, basking in year-round sunshine and brimming with aristocratic charm. The beach spots along its coastline are among the most picturesque in France: old-school Nice, artsy Antibes, A-list Cannes and sexy St Tropez where Pampelonne beach has legendary Le Club 55. Quieter stretches of sand can be found in Cavalaire-sur-Mer and Juan-les-Pins. For a real respite from the crowds you'll have to head offshore; a short ferry ride from the Giens peninsula will bring you to Les Iles d'Or, three idyllic islands shaded by eucalyptus trees and scented by lavender. Their white-sand beaches and sleepy little villages feel a world away from the hubbub of the mainland.

23/03/2022

Atlantic Coast

On the west coast of France the weather is wilder and so are the beaches. Great, rambling stretches of sand, backed by dunes and pine forests. Just off La Rochelle, the Ile de Ré is the French holiday island par excellence, complete with cute antique shops, oyster shacks and horseriding on the beach; this is where chic Parisians go for the weekend. Wilder and quieter still are the beaches further south in Cap Ferret, where the highest sand dunes in Europe tumble down to a dark blue Atlantic Ocean speckled with white sailboats. And down where France meets Spain is Biarritz, where the beautiful beaches of the Basque coast are a hit with surfers and a quieter kind of A-lister.

16/03/2022

Sorrento, Italy

Nothing brings a spring to the step quite like the sight of Italy’s glorious Amalfi coast. Particularly in March, when its vertiginous twists are bathed in a daily average eight hours of sun. Cliffs plunge into the Tyrrhenian Sea, topped with grand palazzos and smart hotels. Narrow, Roman lanes are stuffed with limoncello stalls flogging the boozy spoils of Sorrento’s famous fruit. Its snoozy air and pastel-coloured houses are pure Italian cinema: you might even swear you’ve seen a young Sophia Loren looking impossibly saucy by the quay. Do as the Italians do and spend the lazy, romantic days enjoying a long aperitivo. Don’t miss fresh fritto misto at Marina Grande, the town’s old fishing harbour, or Michelin-starred Il Buco in the cellars of an old monastery, where chef Peppe Aversa serves seasonal ingredients under a stone-hewn, vaulted ceiling. The sweet life, indeed.

16/03/2022

Nice, France

If you’re after French Riviera glitz, look somewhere other than Nice. Sitting pretty next to flashy Cannes and ritzy St Tropez, this seaside city is anything but a scene. It doesn’t even feel much like France (which makes sense when you learn that, until 150 years ago, it was part of Italy): a classic Mediterranean mongrel that pairs old-school Italian culture and faded grandeur with gritty urbanity. This is a city of pastels and sunshine with a retro-style promenade dotted with candy-coloured parasols. Splash out on a sun lounger if you plan to spend an afternoon on the pebble beach.

16/03/2022

Split, Croatia

Split’s polished marble streets and terracotta rooftops have sat for hundreds of years on a peninsula stretched over the sparkly Adriatic Sea. Founded by the Romans, the Old Town is inside the walls of fourth-century fortress Diocletian’s Palace. Along the shady, meandering, car-free streets, forward-thinking restaurants jostle for attention – try To Je Tako for fresh Mexican sharing plates. If you’re the spontaneous type, you can dive straight into the water from the city’s promenade. Croatia’s beaches are often rocky coves – head to Bene beach for soft sand.

15/03/2022

With its otherworldly landscapes and isolated luxury lodges—not to mention populations of rhinos, giraffes, and elephants—Namibia is like nowhere else on Earth. In fact, its red sand dunes and skeletal trees might make you think you've been transported to Mars instead of southwest Africa.

15/03/2022

Africa's highest peak seems more striking than a lot of other famous mountains, because it's an ancient stratovolcano that's not part of any mountain range. That means the 19,000-foot summit drops down to vast, flat plains on all sides, making it a mirage-like blip on Tanzania's widespread topography. As an added bonus, the peak requires no technical mountaineering skills to summit, so even novice hikers can cross this item off their bucket lists.

15/03/2022

About a three-hour drive north of Chile’s San Pedro de Atacama, this salt lake in the shadow of the Andes is known for its blood-red waters—the result of algae that thrive in extreme heat. Flamingos (and the lake) look their best from December to April: the lake is full of water, making it more reflective for photos, and the birds are breeding. Be sure to try and catch the lake at sunset, when it’s at its reddest.

15/03/2022

The oldest and deepest lake on earth it reaches a depth of one mile in some spots is also home to our planet's only freshwater seals. Come winter, the lake transforms into a wonderland, with jagged ice caves encircling what amounts to the world's largest ice skating rink.

15/03/2022

With fairy pools and endless undulations of hills, the magical Isle of Skye is the stuff dreams are made of (regardless of whether you've binge-watched Outlander yet). While the nature here is timeless, the island also has a food scene that's totally modern—we can't think of a more beautiful place to sample Michelin-starred cuisine.

15/03/2022

Halong Bay, located in northeast Vietnam, is beloved for its blue waters and spread of limestone islands, all occupied by tropical trees and wildlife. Board a Chinese junk boat to experience the beauty and associated myths and stories of the mist-shrouded emerald basin for yourself.

15/03/2022

Greenland is icy, mysterious, and one of the most naturally beautiful places on the planet. The world's biggest non-continental island is so much more than glaciers, too (although the glaciers are spectacular)—think magnificent fjords, colorful villages, fields of sheep, and that ever-alluring midnight sun.

15/03/2022

Although the Great Barrier Reef the largest living thing on Earth can be seen from space, the best vantage point belongs to the avid snorkelers and scuba divers who visit each year. If you must resurface, do it at the Whitsundays namely Whitehaven Beach, often considered to be one of the world's most beautiful beaches.

11/03/2022

Ireland

The country is one of those rare places that fully lives up to its reputation: incredibly green, windswept, raucous, and – more often than not – pelted by rain. What better time to visit than during the month that features an ode to St Patrick, the 'Apostle of Ireland'? Donegal’s wild beaches and the looming Cliffs of Moher are movie-beautiful, and the elemental, towering sea crag of Kerry’s Skellig Michael was picked for a pivotal role in Star Wars. There’s nowhere cosier for a pint than the brightly painted pubs of Galway (wood-panelled Tigh Neachtain’s is a favourite), best paired with the riverside city’s famous oysters. In Dublin, the cobbled, Georgian capital, the docklands have lately gone from run-down to tech hub: the so-called Silicon Docks are now home to Facebook, Google and Airbnb HQs. The rooftop bar at the area’s Marker Hotel is where young Dublin comes for après-coding.

11/03/2022

Oman

Natural and understated, Oman couldn’t be more different to its neighbour on the Arabian Peninsula, the UAE. Where the latter has built a playground of space-age skyscrapers and bling-bling beach clubs, Oman has the pristine, dolphin-filled fjords of the Musandam Peninsula, Wadi Shab’s emerald waterfalls and Salalah’s misty greenery – a quirky anomaly in a region known for barren ruggedness (thank the Khareef, Salalah’s very own monsoon). Even Oman’s port capital Muscat keeps it classy with a backdrop of craggy brown mountains and the majestic, sandstone Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. Not that Oman can’t do luxury – it’s just of a more low-key sort. See the Omani-style villas of ultra-secluded Six Senses Zighy Bay (where guests can paraglide into the hotel), or Anantara’s canyon-edge village in the remote Hajar Mountains. The perfect time to discover the Middle East’s unsung jewel? March falls neatly between the winter rush and stifling summer heat.

11/03/2022

Valencia, Spain

Spain’s third largest city celebrates spring in typically fiery Spanish style. Which is to say, it sets everything on fire. March’s week-long Las Fallas festival sees Valencia display a host of giant, satirical papier-mâché sculptures (often nodding to topical political scandals and celebrity meltdowns), before they’re paraded around town and spectacularly set ablaze on the final night. In the lead-up, the whole city’s a party: parades, music, ear-busting fireworks, plus the hipster Ruzafa district puts on its own dazzling festival of lights. Better still, this appealing cosmopolitan port city isn’t short of spectacles by day. Alongside almost 3km of beaches and a vibrant old town, there’s the awesome futuristic architecture of the City of Arts and Sciences, where buildings evoke the skeleton of a whale, a water lily, a giant eye and more. For more ideas, see our recommendations for things to do in Valencia.

08/03/2022

The Azores, Portugal
Roughly 900 miles off the coast of Lisbon, this Portuguese archipelago can inspire wanderlust with a single photo. The verdant valleys, steep ocean-side cliffs, rows of blue hydrangeas, and scattering of waterfalls make the Azores a paradise worth exploring—just make sure you visit before everyone you know beats you to it.

08/03/2022

Taking a cruise along Croatia's captivating Dalmatian Coast is a must-do for any traveler. From atop the Adriatic Sea's translucent, azure water, visitors can catch the most picturesque views of the coast's phenomenal attributes. From jagged limestone cliffs to ancient walled towns to hilltop palaces and spectacular ports, there's so much to see from the water.

On land, you'll find an endless list of things to do, such as, visiting charming island villages, dining on fresh food along the Stradun in Dubrovnik, or exploring UNESCO World Heritage Sites like the Diocletian's Palace in Split or the Stari Grad plain on lovely Hvar.

08/03/2022

The remarkable Angkor Wat is so vast, you'll need more than one (or even several) visits to see it all. This massive Hindu temple is surrounded by a large moat, adding to its impressive stature. Built in the 12th century by the Khmers, this World Heritage Site serves as the veritable heart of Cambodia. It's also the largest religious structure in the world.

Set upon over 400 acres of land within a jungle, the temple was dedicated to the gods Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu. Angkor Wat's main towers were created to symbolize the peaks of Mount Meru (a place Hindus believe to be home to the gods).

08/03/2022

There's something magical about Venice. Between the intricate canal system, beautiful stone bridges, and harmonious singing of the gondoliers, there's a unique vibe in this Italian city that can't be found elsewhere.

A boat ride along the aptly named Grand Canal rewards visitors with an intimate look at the highlights of Venetian architecture lining its banks — from historic churches to ornate palaces.

Piazza San Marco is one of the main attractions in Venice and serves as a meeting place for locals, but mainly tourists. It's home to the famous and intricate St. Mark's Basilica, but it's so crowded (and filled with pigeons) that you won't get a true glimpse of the city's heart.

08/03/2022

You'll be hard-pressed to enjoy a more romantic sunset experience than that found in Santorini. Whether you visit the picturesque capital of Firá or watch the sun descend over the sparkling water in front of beautiful Oia, stepping foot on Santorini is akin to walking into a postcard.

The iconic pearly white, blue-domed buildings are made even lovelier by colorful blooms. It's as if an artist was set loose upon each home with only the most tasteful of colors. A bright teal door here and a vibrant yellow wall or red gate there add just the right pop to a perfect natural backdrop.

Set upon jagged cliffs jutting out from the most turquoise of seas, Santorini's towns are flanked by narrow, winding streets and terraced homes that butt into each other at all angles. Walking through the area, you may find yourself unwittingly tramping upon someone's roof.

Blue Skies

25/03/2022

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25/03/2022

23/03/2022

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