Elizabeth Bennett

The Catalan capital is a hive of independent enterprise, conscious design and vintage finds

From culinary safaris to celestial cruises, these 10 luxury trips offer travellers one-of-a-kind
experiences guided by some of the world’s most inspiring minds

A tiny island off the Tuscan coast in the Tyrrhenian Sea, just five per cent of Giglio is inhabited. Although numbers swell in summer, Giglio remains wild: its oak forests and vineyards lead to dramatic granite cliffs, rocky coves and sandy beaches.

Madrid’s Gran Via is not synonymous with a sense of calm, but venture beyond the flashing billboards and crowds of shoppers - into a Philippe Starck-designed haven - and you’ll surely find it.

In the mid-20th century, Porto Ercole was a hot spot for the Hollywood jet-set. Now, design-led La Roqqa is putting this quaint seaside town – and Tuscany’s unsung Argentario coast – back on the international crowd’s map.

A hub for ceramics since the Middle Ages, the modern day artisans of this small Italian town in Emilia-Romagna honor the traditions of the past while innovating for the future. Cabana explores Faenza, its storied clay-rich past and its vibrant, contemporary craft scene.

Social media is serving us more ‘real homes’ – those which feel convincingly lived-in – so what does this say about interiors right now?

“The biggest culinary overlap comes via Venice: the tradition of cicchetti—bite-sized snacks often served on bread—paired with (lots of wine) is a natural fit within Barcelona’s tapas culture.”

While many of us tended to our houseplants in the pandemic, Rajnush Agarwal took things a step further. The Rajasthan-raised, Oxford-educated biomedical engineer started growing plants in the desert — no easy feat. Not one to stop there, after transforming his family’s aloe-vera estate into a successful sustainable farm, he set about launching a farm-led fine-dining restaurant — and now a 10-cottage hotel completes the mix at Mharo Khet, located in the Thar Desert.

When it comes to visitors, Barcelona has long suffered from too much of a good thing. However, with the conversation around tourism intensifying of late and a recent rise in the daily tourist tax, it’s giving other Spanish cities a moment in the spotlight. Case in point, it’s southerly neighbor: Valencia.

Downward dogs and detox juices have long led the retreat. But suddenly, they're sharper and more curiously charged. Pottery in Puglia, sketching in Tangier, ink-making in Tokyo – led by artists, designers, and tastemakers who open up their homes and black book of favourite places along the way. This is travel for the creatively wired.

Travel has always been sensorial but in a world that’s louder than ever, experiences that give our ears a break are on the up. Around the world, hotels, retreats and travel companies are creating offerings that focus on sound in a restorative way, whether that’s a mountain lodge with a silent meditation pool, a luxury suite with a hi-tech listening room or a remote cabin in the woods where you lock your phone away for the weekend.

Small rooms can often be the trickiest to design, and a big part of this is getting the right color palette. When dealing with these pocket-sized proportions, we naturally lean towards light colors such as white, pale gray, or a soft beige, assuming these will open up the space.
However, despite light colors traditionally being the default here, it's actually the opposite that tends to ring true.

How the unlikely colour has reentered our radar (and how to use it at home)

A beautifully restored 18th-century house turned 11-bed hotel set within a large private estate on Menorca’s wild north coast. The hilltop position offers spectacular sweeping views with sea glimpses while the big rooms, ample communal areas and two infinity pools give a real sense of space and peace.