Italy's best kept secret, Ischia Island

The beautiful island of Ischia is just a boat ride from Naples. Shrouded in the shadow of neighbouring Capri is the picture of Italian paradise.

Ischia is a volcanic island in the Gulf of Naples, Italy. It's known for its mineral-rich thermal waters. Beautiful hot springs bubble up at Maronti Beach, in the south. East, Roman remains lie beneath the sea floor at Cartaromana Beach. The beach has views of the stunning medieval Aragonese Castle, linked to Ischia by a stone bridge. Nearby, 18th-century Palazzo dell’Orologio houses the Sea Museum, devoted to Ischia’s fishing tradition.

Where to stay? 

We highly recommend the 5 star L'Albergo della Regina Isabella Resort and Health Spa located  seaside village of Lacco Ameno, overlooking the Bay of Naples and picturesque Piazza Santa Restituta. 

With amazing service, easy access to the beach and one of Italy’s largest and most renowned spas keep repeat guests coming back again and again. 

www.reginaisabella.com

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Tom Kerridge to open at The Corinthia Hotel London

It has been announced that Tom Kerridge will be opening his first London restaurant at what is currently Massimo at Corinthia, London. The restaurant will close in June 2018 for a rebrand with interior design by David Collins Studio and is expected to launch in September 2018. It will be a relaxed British brasserie-style dining room.  

The five-star Corinthia continues to be a big success and draws a lively crowd to its grand bars, restaurants and event spaces. It has an ESPA spa and two fine-dining restaurants, as well as a great location near Trafalgar Square and the River Thames. 

www.corinthia.com 

Kudadoo Private Island in the Maldives opening soon

Kudadoo Private Island by Hurawalhi  and opening soon is set to be the most exciting opening in the Maldives this year, designed by the world-renowned Yuji Yamasaki. This adults-only private island will bring house just 15 super luxurious and expansive over water villas with one or two bedrooms, complete with world class amenities and only 40 minutes by seaplane from Male.

The blissful spa and endless activities on offer mean everyone will be kept entertained and guests have access to all the amenities at the nearby Hurawalhi Island Resort, a five minutes’ boat transfer away, including Hurawalhi’s undersea restaurant, ‘5.8’ – the World’s largest all-glass undersea restaurant. 

www.kudadoo.com

New Hotel opening shortly in Dubai

Stella di Mare, Dubai Marina

The first international Stella Di Mare is set to open in the first quarter of 2018. The Egyptian hotel chain will open a 369-key, five-star property on the edge of Dubai Marina, spanning 31 floors and coming complete with three restaurants, three bars, a luxury spa, swimming pool, gym and salon. Our eye is on the signature rooftop bar, Skyland, located on level 31.

New Hotels opening in 2018

 

Amanyangyun, Shanghai

Villas at this astonishing new Aman boutique are set in Qing and Ming-dynasty dwellings, saved from demolition and painstakingly reassembled ancient brick by brick. The big draw of this ambitious heritage property, located deep in a relocated forest of sacred camphor trees just outside Shanghai, is the spa. It will host bathhouses and a banya, and offer a cutting-edge range of treatments, from a body healing therapy inspired by Russian cosmonaut technology, to energy boosts by way of quantum medicine-inspired laser beams. Six dining venues include a Chinese restaurant overlooking a bamboo grove and a Japanese eatery.

Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, Andaman Islands

The first luxury hotel comes to one of the world’s final great unmolested beach destinations – an archipelago of 300 islands in the Bay of Bengal, all bristling jungle, twisting mangroves and champagne-coloured sands. The hotel has been built on stilts inspired by indigenous Jawara huts. Its villas, billowing with white linen, boast private plunge pools. The spa floats on a lake. Jungle trekking, underwater photography and rare turtle-spotting expeditions are among the standard activities. A fine dining restaurant fusing Bengali with south-east Asian flavours, and an eatery specialising in coastal curries cooked using catch from the Andaman Sea, should keep foodies equally satisfied. 

The Langley, Buckinghamshire

The Duke of Marlborough’s vast, stucco-stencilled, Georgian country estate has been transformed into an all-dancing, gold-foil-spattered, Baroque-fireplaced country house pile. The former hunting lodge – just 40 minutes from London – is targeting weekend spa-seekers, with its cutting-edge cryotherapy treatments, women’s-only thermal areas, VIP suites with dip pools and Matt Roberts gym. Rooms have rolltop baths; some are set in a converted brewhouse, where the owners used to make their own ale. Guests can also look forward to an Art Deco cognac and cigar bar, and afternoon teas served in a courtyard overlooking the lake.

Six Senses Bhutan

This pearl string of five luxury lodges will offer a unique lodge-hopping journey across the Bhutan’s scabrous landscape, taking in ancient fortresses, icy rivers and oxe-and-scythe fields.The experience starts at ‘Palace in the Sky’ Thimpu lodge, overlooking forested mountains scattered with ancient monasteries. Punhaka lodge, with its traditional farmhouse vibe, stares down on a patchwork of rice fields and pine trees. From Paro, guests can drink in vistas of 12th-century ruins and sprawling barley crops. Gangtey clutches at the Black Mountains in an area that is home to endangered black-neck cranes. The final destination is Bumthang, set in a pine grove, and made completely from recycled wood. 

 

One & Only Gorilla’s Nest, Rwanda

Set in the curling mists of the Virunga volcano range is this exciting new base for face-to-face encounters with the world’s last mountain gorillas. A three-day stay at this grass-thatched traditional Rwandan lodge will guarantee an hour-long encounter with one of the eight local families of gorillas in their natural habitat. Simple en-suite bedrooms have hot showers and rustic furnishings. The restaurant will use produce grown in the lodge’s garden, and the spa promises to draw on African traditions for its treatment menu. A nine-hole golf course offers an unlikely way to relax after a morning stalking endangered primates in the African foothills.

COMO Uma Canggu, Bali

Surfing is at the heart of this hip new resort on the onyx-black volcanic sands of Bali’s southern coast. Calmer waves and expert coaching from luxury provider Tropicsurf should appeal particularly to novices. Penthouses boast private pools on creeper-clad rooftops. Think minimalist interiors with Japanese screens and perspex chairs; architecture is all swooping oceanic curves. Fish caught just across the archipelago will crackle on wood-fired grills at the beach shack, and living enzyme smoothies will be up for grabs in the 'Glow' bar. Daily yoga sessions should help unwind mind and muscles after a hard day’s surf.

Rosewood Baha Mar, Bahamas

Aspiring to be an instant classic, with imposing colonial architecture, and languorous afternoon teas served in the chandeliered splendour of the library. Villas right on the beach have their own private pools, and couples can enjoy romantic dinners in a private rum bar. Restaurants include a seafood outfit and nautical-inspired bar serving up craft cocktails and sharing plates. Buildings may look like something out of a Robert Louis Stevenson novel, but bedrooms are firmly set in the era of Pinterest: minimalist black four-poster beds, corner couches, retro chairs and pepperings of baby blue furnishings.

Baglioni Resort Maldives

2018’s biggest luxury hotel opening in the Maldives, set on the bone-white sands of Maagau island in Dhaalu atoll, a 40-minute seaplane from capital, Malé. All the suites are ocean-facing; some are over-water villas, snaking out towards the mottled blue sea. An al-fresco Japanese joint serves up fresh sushi under the stars. Guests can burn off cocktail calories in the yoga pavilion or the beach gym, and the dizzying daily array of activities range from kayaking to topcat sailing and pedalo rides. A dive centre with resident marine biologist offers child-friendly scuba experiences too.

Raffles Singapore

This historic haunt of Elizabeth Taylor, Charlie Chaplin and Joseph Conrad aims to recapture the age of razzmatazz following a multi-million-pound refurbishment. A new range of Residence suites are themed around local cinemas. The interiors of the legendary Long Bar have been freshly exfoliated – though the tradition of throwing peanuts on the floor while sipping a Singapore Sling will be diligently preserved. A new lounge in the lobby will host afternoon tea and the Writers Bar has been refashioned into a trendy cocktail joint. A spanking new spa and history gallery are also set to feature in the hotel’s revamped shopping arcade. 

London

Great Scotland Yard, the formal Whitehall HQ of the Metropolitan Police is having a £50 million makeover to create 3 restaurants and 153 five-star rooms. Opening summer 2018

Paris

The Experimental Cocktail Club's Hotel des Grands Boulevard is accessed via a secret passageway. Its 50 rooms will channel Marie Antoinette extravagance, with canopied beds and televisions hidden in mirrors. Opening January 2018

New York

Freehand New York will have 358 rooms with a trendy rooftop bar overlooking Gramercy Park. Opening February 2018

St Kitts

Park Hyatt has ousted opened in the wonderful Christophe Harbour with 126 rooms, 3 restaurants, private rooftop plunge pools and Miraval treatments available in the incredible spa