INTERNATIONAL flights from Australia have been grounded for over 18 months. But the rest of the world has been busy opening a new crop of hotels and resorts eager to welcome back Australians, Americans and tourists from every other travel-starved nation. Qantas announced it would be resuming flights to the US, the UK, Fiji and New Zealand in December and we can now plan to visit some of our favourite destinations again (with restrictions in place of course).
If you’ve been California dreaming, the first large scale resort in the Sonoma Valley has opened its doors. The Montage Healdsburg is the fifth property in the luxury Montage group, alongside swanky sister properties in Laguna Beach and Maui.
Northern California’s latest wine country bolt hole is surrounded by 22,000 oak trees and vineyards. The 130 post-modern rooms are secreted into the gorgeous landscape with views of the Mayacamas Mountains for a complete sense of peace. The restaurant follows the paddock-to-plate philosophy and the wines are mostly local, of course. But if you are on a wine tasting tour, you might want a break to enjoy a glass of Pliny the Elder IPA in the bar, tapped by Forbes magazine as the world’s most sought-after IPA.
For fans of Kevin McLoud’s Grand Tour, a three-part TV series following in the footsteps of English aristos through France, Italy and Greece in the 18th century, a trip to Rome is high on the post-lockdown list. Rocco Forte opened the Hotel de Russie, his first property in the Eternal City in 2000 and the British hotelier has repeated the success with his new establishment – the Hotel de la Ville.
Poised at the top of the Spanish Steps, the 18th century palazzo formerly housed the local InterContinental hotel. Glamour has returned, thanks to interiors genius Tommaso Ziffer, with a decor described as Grand Tour on steroids. Translation: lots of convex mirrors, wallpaper dotted with antique prints, retro Chinoiserie furniture and a wide-ranging palette of colours from pastel blue to maroon. Chef Fulvio Pierangeli helms the ranges in Da Sistina restaurant and smart young things flock to the rooftop Cielo Terrace. The Julep Herbal and Vermouth Bar is a standout with expertly made cocktails inspired by the 13th century Spice Route from Asia to Venice.
Les Sources de Caudalie in Bordeaux is one of the most famous spas in the world and specialises in wine-themed face and body treatments. Owners Alice and Jerome Tourbier have opened a me-too property in the Loire Valley called Les Sources de Cheverny. The entrepreneurial couple spotted the rundown 18th century chateau and not only renovated the historic pile, but also re-planted the vineyards in the surrounding 45-hectare estate. Guests can hike or bike through the nearby woodlands, relax in the former music salon or stay in the environmentally friendly wooden suites on stilts. The Baron in the Trees Suite has a huge oak barrel jacuzzi and you can play the nobleman by surveying the bucolic scene from the terrace. Like its Bordeaux counterpart, Les Sources de Cheverny also has a spa using Caudalie’s famous grape-seed creams, lotions and face masks.
Porto, the heartland of the global port trade, is one of the most popular cities in Europe for a long weekend escape because of its UNESCO World Heritage listed old town, narrow cobbled streets and the ravishing Baroque interior of Sao Francisco church. Torel 1884 Suites and Apartments are housed in the two main buildings of a former palace and the 23 suites are based on two themes. The continents opened up during Portugal’s Age of Discovery in the 15th century – Asia, Africa and America – and the spices and goods the intrepid explorers brought back – silk, tea, sugar and porcelain.
Many of the furnishing and utensils from cutlery to cups are made by local artisans and ramp up the historic atmosphere of the property. Private wine and port tastings are offered in the former vault of the palace and the Bartolomeu Bistro and Wine Bar specialises in traditional Portuguese dishes with a contemporary twist.
Santorini and Mykonos attract the crowds, but Paros has re-surged as a go-to destination in the Greek Islands. A jewel of the Cyclades, it was once firmly on the hippie trail in the 1970s. While Giorgios Seferis, one of the most important Greek poets of the 20th century, described it as the loveliest of all the Greek islands for its white-washed houses and blue-domed churches.
Leading hoteliers, Antonis and Kali Eliopoulos, own three designer hotels on Santorini and their latest venture is the Parilio on Paros. Interior Design Laboratorium, the Athens-based designers and architects, have carved out 33 relaxed and sophisticated rooms from existing historic buildings. A member of the Design Hotels network, the Parilio is centred around the Mr E restaurant with its upscale Parian menu and wine list dominated by some of the best new wave Greek wines.
Norway has pinged back onto the global radar through a series of globally successful TV series such as Norsemen, Beforeigners, Atlantic Crossing and Ragnarok, many of which use the country’s stunning landscapes as backdrops. Like other Scandinavians, Norwegians are very concerned about sustainability and many eco-friendly features are now commonplace in new hotels. The former Oslo HQ of the Amerikalinjen, the shipping line which took more than 800,000 Norwegian emigrants to the US, has been re-born as a hotel of the same name.
The property is energy-efficient, carbon-neural and sports its own beehive. Full of original details such as sculptures of the sea god Triton and Arts and Crafts carvings, framed maps and ship’s menus are a feature of all the rooms. A sister property to the Norwegian capital’s most trendy hotel, The Thief, the Amerikalinjen has a floating bartender service. Bartenders come to your room and whip up your favourite cocktail from trolleys filled with spirits and botanicals. Pier 42 is the major bar if you want to people-watch with your tipple and the Gustav is a popular jazz bar named after Gustav Henriksen, the founder of the Amerikalinjen.
The travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand has been stop and start for most of the year. Like the Norwegians, the Kiwis are keen environmentalists, and the Hotel Britomart in Auckland is New Zealand’s only 5-star green hotel. Part of a huge urban renewal project of dockside heritage buildings, its polices are light years away from asking guests to re-use their towels as a nod to saving the planet. There are refillable toiletries, plastic-free mini bars, doonas made with microfiber re-cycled from plastic bottles and mattresses will be recycled when they need to be replaced. But there’s nothing hairshirt about the Britomart and the swish decor is as plush as other luxury properties from the bluestone boulder coffee tables to the brass-dipped door handles made from Northland driftwood.
The main restaurant – kingi – tells you the names of the fishermen and women involved in catching the fish and seafood on your plate from yellowbelly flounder to kingfish. Chef Tom Hishon is constantly evolving the menu to take advantage of seasonal catches. The arresting facade of the building is made from 150,000 hand-made bricks and makes a first-rate Instagram shot lit up at night.