The new luxury hotels to know on Sardinia
An A-list crowd has long been drawn to the white-sand beaches of Costa Smeralda, but now a string of five-star hotel openings are sure to make Sardinia the Italian island to visit. Away from the glamour of the north-east coastline, there is much to enjoy. Flights into Cagliari offer access to the quieter, more laid-back areas of the south coast stretching in both directions, with more camper vans than yachts likely to be spotted, and some of the best-preserved beaches and other natural attractions. Faro Capo-Spartivento, to the south west of Cagliari, is the smartest boutique hotel stay, while further east, Forte Village is a world of its own that is ideal for families. On the Costa Smeralda, accessed via flights into Olbia, Belmond has taken over the existing Romazzino hotel, which opened under this LVMH brand last summer. Further north in Porto Cervo, it will be joined by both a new Mandarin Oriental and Rocco Forte's fourth Italian hotel in 2026. Inland, there are several appealing options: Gallicantu Stazzo Retreat, Cascioni Eco Retreat and Petra Segreta Resort & Spa have a more casual, rural charm alongside easy access to the Costa Smeralda.
An elegant new Rocco Forte hotel opens in Milan
For its latest opening, Rocco Forte Hotels has breathed new life into a 19th-century palazzo located, fittingly, in the design district of Milan's historic centre, the Quadrilatero della Moda. A collaboration between interior design duo Paolo Moschino and Philip Vergeylen, and the hotel group's own director of design Olga Polizzi, Rocco Forte Milan House's 11 apartments showcase a union of tastes, with interiors furnished with modern and antique pieces under frescoed ceilings and original stuccos. Uniquely for a serviced property, the apartments can be booked for weekend stays as well as longer periods, with the bonus of options such as private chefs and dog walkers offering the chance to live like a local. At the heart of the palazzo is a courtyard restaurant, with blue-trimmed, scallop-edged umbrellas and wrought-iron furniture creating the feeling of being in the Tuscan countryside rather than on a city break. Overlooking the courtyard are the two-bedroom Brera apartments, with frescoes in the sitting rooms. The Duomo apartment on the second floor has blue-and-white-striped wallpaper in the bedroom, which contrasts with the otherwise neutral scheme. Tortona, on the fourth floor, has walls in a crimson vinyl covering that reflects light pouring in from the balcony, which is accessed via floor-to-ceiling windows with views over the city. Apartments cost from €1,211 a night. roccofortehotels.com
Tadao Ando's new museum on Japan's art island
On Naoshima, known as Japan's art island, highlights include one of Yayoi Kusama's oversized kabocha pumpkin sculptures and architectural masterpieces by Tadao Ando in his typical brutalist concrete style. Next spring will see the opening of a new museum on the island, which is in the Kagawa prefecture. The tenth one designed by Ando, this will be dedicated mostly to contemporary works by Japanese and Asian artists. It is an extension of a collaborative project with Benesse House, a hotel and museum also designed by the Japanese architect, which displays work by the likes of Hiroshi Sugimoto, Gerhard Richter and David Hockney. The new museum will join the Ando-designed Lee Ufan Museum and Valley Gallery, among others spread across the island. benesse-artsite.ip
New voyages to take in Antarctica
Recently it has felt as if every top-end cruise and travel specialist is offering holidays in Antarctica or has extended their reach deeper into the icy South Pole. In response to demand, shorter journeys are now possible, so it is no longer necessary to take two weeks or more to make a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the White Continent. Luxury cruising lines such as Seabourn, Silversea, Viking and Scenic have expanded their expedition-class fleet and introduced new itineraries. Typically departing from Ushuaia in Argentina or Punta Arenas in Chilean Patagonia, these often include stops at the Falkland Islands, penguin-populated South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Silversea is set to open a hotel on the southernmost city in the world, Puerto Williams in Chile, for trips into Antarctica. With less emphasis on indulgent comforts, HX Hurtigruten Expeditions has been operating in the region for the longest. For those who would like to avoid a bumpy sail through the Drake Passage to reach Antarctica, White Desert offers flights from Cape Town - including day trips to the South Pole. Its multi-day itineraries include accommodation in one of two carbon-neutral, temporary camps - Echo and Whichaway.
A third Zetter Townhouse in Bloomsbury with rooms by Thurstan
This boutique hotel group has achieved cult status for its cool-but-cosy interiors and cocktail bars that have become popular haunts for locals as well as visitors to London. Now its Marylebone and Clerkenwell locations are to be joined by a new opening. Due to launch this autumn, the third hotel has taken over a row of historic townhouses adjacent to the British Museum on Montague Street, WCI. With decoration by House & Garden Top 100 Interior Designer James Thurstan Waterworth, the rooms offer a contemporary spin on the brand's whimsical, layered aesthetic. This will be the largest hotel in the Zetter roster, with rooms across four floors, a pretty courtyard garden and a bar likely to be the most impressive watering hole in the group yet. thezetter.com
Fresh design-led hotels in the Swiss Alps
A handful of design-led hotels are putting a fresh spin on Swiss chalet style. Experimental's latest outpost is in a 1950s building in Verbier reimagined by Fabrizio Casiraghi. In Adelboden. The Brecon - a sister hotel to The Cambrian - is set within a timbered building from 1914. And cool French hotelier Beaumier has reinvigorated Wengen with the Grand Hotel Belvedere. Find out more about the hotels reshaping Switzerland's Alpine landscape in House & Garden's February issue. experimentalchalet.com | thebrecon.com | beaumier.com
A stylish base for gorilla trekking in Uganda
Rwanda might be first African country to come to mind when thinking about gorilla trekking; but our sights are set on Uganda in 2025, where parks are less crowded and permits are less expensive (costing about half as much as those in Rwanda). Erebero Hills, a new camp from Africa expert Asilia, is being developed in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda's main trekking spot. It is located on a verdant hill carpeted with tea bushes, which are being brought back to life by the local community, and visiting the plantations will be one of the guest experiences on offer. The gorilla and chimpanzee specialist Volcanoes Safaris has recently opened Kibale Lodge, which is easily accessible from Bwindi, and also the smaller Mgahinga National Park. A four-day gorilla safari in Bwindi with Volcanoes Safaris costs $5,050, all inclusive. asiliaafrica.com | volcanoessafaris.com
Two new hotels with a design soul in India's craft province
With its hand-dyed and block-printed textiles, Persian- and Chinese-influenced blue pottery, hand knotted rugs with floral motifs and works in marble, India's Rajasthan region has long been a source of interiors inspiration. The arrival of two new hotels in its capital puts a visit at the top of our list for 2025. Raffles Jaipur's marbled marvel elevates traditional Mughal and Rajputana architecture to new heights. Palatial rooms unfold through large double doors and under soaring ceilings, with chandeliers illuminating schemes layered in jewel tones, and intricate inlay and carvings. A must-see is the book-lined Writers Bar, painted in an appealing pastel blue. The hotel's location outside the hustle and bustle of the city makes it ideal for trips to Jaipur and the surrounding villages to explore local crafts and temples. This summer also saw the opening of The Jaipur House, a palace overhauled by Marie-Anne Oudejans, who co-founded Tocca in 1994. The designer relocated to Rajasthan some 15 years ago, founding Bar Palladio and then Villa Palladio Jaipur. Find out more about her latest hotel in Right Here, Right Now. raffles.com | thejaipurhouse.in
Country meets city in a new Florentine hotel
Somewhere between the town and the country, in a trio of Renaissance buildings that once housed a girls' boarding school, Auberge Resorts Collection's newest hotel is a unique gateway to Tuscany. Down an avenue of cypress trees on a hill just three miles from the centre of Florence, the hotel combines the appeal of a sleepy rural retreat with a city hotel, and offers views over Florence's distinctive terracotta roofs and the Duomo. Due to open in March, Collegio alla Querce translates to College at the Oaks and is named after the trees that provide shade in its four-tiered, baroque-style gardens. These have been returned to their full glory by the landscape designer Franchesca Watson. Local studio ArchFlorence was called in to reimagine the interiors, which now marry the buildings' Renaissance origins with elements of modern Italian design. Hand-painted frescoes and coffered wood ceilings set a tone of grandeur throughout the hotel, with the most impressive of the rooms being the Quercia Suite in the seven-bedroom Palazzo Moderno, which provides exclusive accommodation for families or for groups. Rooms cost from €1,150, B&B. aubergeresorts.com
Tbilisi is having a moment
The Georgian city Tbilisi has become known as a capital of cool in recent years thanks to a growing international creative scene, with frequent gallery openings, an annual arts festival, and bars and restaurants to rival those in Berlin. Tbilisi's bohemian edge is, however, softened by its cobbled alleyways, courtyard cafés scented by fig trees, grand Neoclassical avenues and outdoor markets in neighbourhoods such as Abanotubani and Vera. This coming year will also see the launch of a Tbilisi Art Biennale from October 25 to November 7. In response to growing interest, British Airways is introducing a direct flight to Tbilisi from March 30, cutting the currently long journey via Istanbul to just five hours. Return flights from Heathrow to Tbilisi will cost from £275. tbilisiartbiennale.com | britishairways.com
