The Best Places to Travel in 2023
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Your next trip should be:
Madrid, La Maxima…
Because four new five-star hotels can't be wrong.
Madrid may not have the sheer beauty of Paris or the antiquity of Athens or Rome. Its appeal has long been what writer Julia Reed once called its “elegant conservatism”—and unmatched nightlife. (“In Madrid,” Hemingway said, “nobody goes to bed until they have killed the night.”) It’s still true, but these days there’s a new temblor de emoción, a flutter of emotion (the closest Spanish comes to the word excitement). “Remember, in the 1980s, after Franco died, how Madrid was the place to be?” says Virginia Irurita, of Made in Spain and Portugal, who lives in Madrid. “With La Movida, the painters, Almodóvar? That’s how Madrileños feel now.”
The city’s cultural cachet (not that it needed more) is building: A fifth UNESCO World Heritage Site has been anointed (the tree-lined Paseo del Prado and the adjoining El Retiro, a 17th-century palace garden). Next summer Madrid’s Royal Palace (the largest in Europe) will open a new annex for the Museum of the Royal Collections. And the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum has not one but two blockbuster shows planned for 2023: Picasso and Lucian Freud.
New high-end hotels, always a bellwether, have sprouted—four of them: the Four Seasons Madrid on central Calle Sevilla; an acclaimed total makeover of the storied but Miss-Havisham-like Ritz, now the Mandarin Oriental Ritz; the Edition, where the suites are among the finest in the city and there’s a rooftop pool, a rarity here; and the rebirth, in the Salamanca shopping district, of the Villa Magna as a Rosewood. Locals still treat it as a fashionable clubhouse; come for an emceed, G&T-powered scene. By Mark Ellwood. To book a trip to Spain: Virginia Irurita, Virginia@madeforspainandportugal.com ; Jack Ezon, Jack@embarkbeyond.com
On Our Radar Spain's Balearic islands just get better. Everyone's abuzz about the April opening in Majorca of the new Son Net, a 17th-century estate in a bucolic setting 15 minutes by car from Palma that has been restored and transformed into a 31-room hotel by the masterminds behind Andalucia's Finca Cortesin. Enough said.
Your next trip should be:
Royal Romania…
Because the king of England will open his home to you.
The king of England’s real estate portfolio is worth billions. There is the verdant paradise at Highgrove and 192 acres of bucolic bliss at Llwynywermod in Wales. Now he has Sandringham and Balmoral, too. But where does a sovereign go to really unplug? Romania, apparently, where King Charles owns two homes in Transylvania—yes, of Dracula fame.
One of them he turned into a center for traditional crafts; the other, his private country residence in Valea Zalanuluibeyond, becomes a seven-room B&B when he isn’t around.
A grand pile this is not, and that is by design—all local antiques and textiles. No TV, no WiFi, just horseback rides, nature walks, and convivial dinners during which you might drop in this fun fact: Charles is a descendant of Vlad the Impaler (so named for his preferred method of execution), who inspired Bram Stoker’s tale about history’s most famous vampire. By Leena Kim.To book a trip to Romania: Raluca Spiac, raluca@ beyonddracula.com
Your next trip should be:
The Literary Maldives...
Because who says a tropical resort can't be the ultimate party school?
Sonu Shivdasani, the founder of Soneva resorts, was turning his properties into exemplars of environmental sustainability long before it was fashionable to do so. His latest stroke of genius: bringing the Jaipur Literary Festival to the lush, beach-ringed island of Kunfunadhoo, in Baa Atoll in the Maldives—home of Soneva Fushi.
The JLF in Jaipur attracts thousands of attendees and is streamed to 10 million viewers worldwide; at Soneva Fushi’s inaugural festival last May, there were 120 attendees, spread out over 10 days (minimum stay is four days). Which meant attendees had direct access to the 34 renowned writers and artists (including filmmaker Mira Nair, novelist André Aciman, and Oxford historian Peter Frankopan). We all resided in solitary splendor (Soneva Fushi has 64 private, butlered villas), but we had meals and gala dinners together (barefoot) as well as keynote lectures, panel discussions, and musical performances.
There were sunset champagne cruises to a sandbank, movie nights, and dancing. I left with new friends and a notebook full of ideas—about as vivifying as travel can get. JLF Soneva Fushi 2023 runs May 12–21.One speaker will be Priyamvada Natarajan, a professor in the departments of astronomy and physics at Yale whose specialty is the nature of dark matter and black holes. Just the thing to ponder in paradise. By Klara Glowczewska. To Book: Soneva.com
On Our Radar The Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavara has launched a trainee marine biologist program for teenagers. Six full-day modules are offered (you can choose as many as you like), working with scientists studying such topics as manta rays, turtles, coral, and the secret lives of plankton.
Your next trip should be:
A Scottish Surprise…
Because you'll like the fresh takes—even on haggis.
The second haggis came as a surprise. On my first night in Scotland, ordering chef Mark Greenaway’s elegant version of the country’s most famous (and often derided) dish seemed like a leap into the gastronomic deep end, something to try to get the full experience of the place. On the next night it was just because I liked it. That kind of reconsideration of classics is what’s most exciting about Scotland right now. Sure, castles, lochs, and misty mountains abound. But Glasgow and Edinburgh are sophisticated cities with extraordinary dining and cutting-edge culture around every corner. Last summer Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe celebrated its 75th anniversary with 3,300 performances by artists from 63 countries;at the Edinburgh International Festival, Gabriel Byrne premiered his one-man show, Walking with Ghosts, which recently moved to Broadway. On leafy St. Andrew Square, Gleneagles has opened its first urban property, Gleneagles Townhouse, with a member’s club and rooftop bar.
Dean Banks, the MasterChef veteran who runs fine-dining destinations including the Pompadour at the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh, is quick to call out other new favorites, such as the Finnieston in Glasgow, which specializes in sustainable seafood, and Monachyle Mhor, the boutique Highlands hotel known for its “whisky safari.” “In Scotland,”Banks says, “we are kings of touching back to our traditions.” Luckily, the rest of us are able to as well. By Adam Rathe. To book a trip to Scotland: Jonathan Epstein, Jonathan@celebratedexperiences.com
Your next trip should be:
Italy Off-Season…
Because at the end of the day, no one comes to Italy for a suntan.
Last summer Italy was, let’s be frank, almost loved to death, with congested roads, swamped sights, and sluggish service from overworked staff. Our suggestion? A do-over, but not in summer. “We are huge believers in low-season travel here,” says Andrea Grisdale, the Como-based founder of IC Bellagio. “It’s a totally different experience, and we are actively encouraging it.” No, you will not be forced to pitch a tent. For the first time, a number of hotels that used to shutter as soon as summer ended are pushing back closures. In Lake Como, the classic Villa d’Este is staying open until early January and reopening in March, as is the beautiful new Passalacqua.
Following suit in Puglia is the wildly pretty Borgo Egnazia. On the Amalfi Coast, Monastero Santa Rosa stayed open into November in 2022 and is considering December in 2023. There will be more. “After a year like this one,” says Elisa Pozzoli, of Essence of Italy, “hotels are changing their mentality. And Venice in January or February is magical. You’re alone, in a ghost city.”
Something else might help ease the travails of overtourism: a handful of new five-star hotels available year-round. Six Senses Rome (GM Francesca Tozzi comes from Capri’s Tiberio Palace) opens in the spring in a 15th-century palazzo a block from the Galleria Doria Pamphilj. In Milan the 73-suite Portrait Milano, a first foray there from the Ferragamo family, has just opened on Corso Venezia, close to the fashion district but not in the thick of it. Casa Baglioni Milano, a 30-room hotel with an interior that nods to Italy’s Modernist dolce vita era, is in the heart of the city’s artsy, “local” Brera district. Both offer a way to sidestep the visitor surge, even during Fashion Week. As for the summer? Grisdale cannot be more emphatic: “We are about to enter a new era. The famous summer tradition is on its way out. No one comes to Italy for a suntan, anyway. And do you know how amazing this country is with few tourists around?” By Mark Ellwood. To book a trip to Italy: Andrea Grisdale, andrea@icbellagio.com
On Our Radar Hotel La Palma, Capri’s first hotel, built in 1822 and steps from the famous Piazzetta, is opening in July after a major renovation as the Oetker Collection’s first Masterpiece Hotel in Italy. One of many highlights: a private beach club at the Marina Piccola. (No word yet, though, on an extended season.)
Your Next Trip Should Be:
Africa in a Private Villa…
Because, let's face it, having the bush all to yourself is better.
OL JOGI, KENYA.
A 58,000-acre onetime cattle ranch on the Laikipia Plateau is now a private conservancy with serious game viewing. Owned by the art-dealing Wildenstein family, Ol Jogi can be booked for up to 22 people. Don’t let the thatched-hut-style exterior fool you: Inside it’s over-the-top French château luxury. Great perk: the underground hide, reached through a tunnel, which overlooks a rhino-luring salt lick.
SINGITA’S MALILANGWE HOUSE, ZIMBABWE.
This 5-bedroom villa in the 130,000-acre Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve is close enough to Singita’s Pamushana Lodge that you can walk to the main camp, but it’s isolated on a hilltop, with gorgeous views of huge boulders, red soil, and golden msasa trees. On offer: classic game drives as well as ancient cave rock art sites and “water safaris” to see fish eagles, hippos, and crocodiles.
COTTARS BUSH VILLA, KENYA.
Charles Cottar set up his safari business in the Mara back in 1919. Great-grandson Calvin and his wife Louise now run it, retro associations intact: canvas, Persian rugs, and dark wood furniture. The new 5-bedroom bush villa, built entirely by hand, sits on a hill like an old farmhouse, but it has all mod cons, including an 82-foot-long pool. Ask to be guided by the all-female ranger team, the only such in the Mara.
FARMHOUSE AT THE FARMSTEAD, SOUTH AFRICA.
Onetime fashion exec Liz Biden converted her country getaway in Greater Kruger into the Royal Malewane lodge 23 years ago and has since expanded her footprint. The nearby Farmstead now has a stand-alone 7,000-square-foot villa with a kids suite and a pool that sticks out right into the bush. Her background is evident in the exuberant decor; even the laundry comes packaged in scarlet netting, tied with a big red bow. Royal Malewane’s guides are standouts: Several have earned the title master tracker, a rarity in safari.
CHEETAH PLAINS, SOUTH AFRICA.
These three ultramodern 4-bedroom homes (booked individually or together) are remarkable for their especially game-rich location in private Sabi Sand reserve, adjacent to unfenced Kruger National Park. (The near-silent electric 4X4s help too.) As for the amenities: Each comes with a heated pool, wine gallery, chef, sommelier, and full-time spa therapist.
KATAZA HOUSE, SINGITA KWITONDA, RWANDA.
This 4-bedroom villa is the only luxe safari house close to Volcanoes National Park, home of the mountain gorillas. Building materials and decor were procured locally; there are ebonized tables, eucalyptus wood screens, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking three huge volcanoes. Deborah Calmeyer of Roar Africa calls it a “spiritual experience like nowhere else in Africa.” By Mark Ellwood. To book any of the above African villas: Deborah Calmeyer, deb@roarafrica.com
Your next trip should be:
La Belle Bourgogne…
Because of the wine, bien sur. And some fine new bolt holes.
They don’t call parts of Burgundy the Côte d’Or just for its fall foliage. “Anyone interested in wine will eventually end up here,” states Dennis Sherman, a 40-year resident who runs a wine brokerage business near Beaune. “It’s the simplicity of the single grape variety with the complexity of the soil—the wine has incredible depth and substance.” But ending up here hasn’t been all that easy: The higher-end accommodations have long been largely on barges on the region’s waterways. Now, however, two rival ultraluxe hoteliers are opening properties.
American expats Denise Dupré and Mark Nunnelly who run the five-star Royal Champagne hotel in that region, are reinventing the Clos de la Commarainen estate as a 23-room hotel in a 12th-century château (connected to the dukes of Burgundy) and anchored by its 10 acres of Pommard Premier Cru. It will form the basis of a revival of winemaking here, something that last took place 20 years ago. Arriving at the end of 2023 is COMO Le Montrachet, an albergo diffuso–style hotel nestled around a charming village square a few miles south of Beaune (Christina Ong’s fourth European site).
The lodging shortage solved, another issue persists. (Great pleasures are often hard won.) And that is access to Burgundy’s prized small-batch production. According to Philip Haslett, of Kairos, who organizes trips throughout France, “The winemakers here aren’t as visitor-ready as those in Champagne or even Bordeaux. The farmers are not turning up in a BMW—they’re the real deal, so it doesn’t matter who you are, because they don’t have anything extra to sell.”
Which is why Haslett works with guides who have deep roots here, such as Youri Lebault of Bourgogne Gold Tour, who specializes in opening near-impossible cellar doors (guiding is essential due to Burgundy’s fragmented, jigsaw-like terroir, which is carved into patches known as climats). “Yesterday,” he said, “I ended my two-day wine tour in a private cellar in the Côte de Beaune, alone with my clients, smelling the wine from the barrel and tasting it with a pipette.” By Mark Ellwood. To book a trip top France: Philip Haslett, Philip @kairos-travel.com
Your next trip should be...
Yes, Panama…
Because it's about to pop and it has three attractions no other country in Central America or the Caribbean can claim.
1. The Old Town
One of the best-restored and most delightful historic districts in the region, dating back to 1673, with a sophisticated new hotel, La Compañia (a hot spot for locals and international travelers), and a real foodie scene: Peruvian-Panamanian, French-Panamanian, patisseries, and coffee and cigar bars.
2. The Canal
Human ingenuity is on full display along this 40-mile engineering marvel, which connects the Atlantic with the Pacific and divides North and South America. A must day trip from the Old Town, it’s also a good jumping-off point for hikes in the Anton Valley and visits to the Emberá indigenous community.
3. Nature
Nayara’s Bocas Bali, in the Bocas del Toro archipelago, is a luxe perch from which to explore Panama’s astonishing biodiversity. Prep at the Frank Gehry–designed biodiversity museum in Panama City. By Michael Clinton. To book a trip to Panama: Pierre Gedeon, pierre@costa-adventures.com
On Our Radar: An environmentally minded billionaire owner, Louis Bacon, has turned an archipelago of 14 islands off Panama’s Pacific coast into an aall-inclusive luxe retreat, Isla Secas. It guarantees total privacy (it sleeps just 24), real adventure, and untouched nature. Thirteen of the islands will remain undeveloped.
Your next trip should be:
A Turkish Delight…
Because jetting to Bodrum is swell, but sailing to Kaunos in a gulet is better.
A couple of years ago Emily Morrison, a former New Orleans commodities trader, visited Turkey for the first time, suntanning in Bodrum and hot-air-ballooning over Cappadocia like a latter-day Jules Verne. At the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, that tortuous labyrinth from the 15th century, she had a career epiphany while sorting through textiles, so she left her job and started a lifestyle brand, Elysian by Emily Morrison, back home, collaborating with Turkish artisans on decorative wares, footwear, and clothing. “What I experienced was the people of Turkey,” she says. “The hospitality, the craftsmanship, the culture.”
Now she returns several times a year. And Morrison’s not alone: American travel to Turkey in the first half of 2022 skyrocketed 77 percent over the same period in 2019, according to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Post-pandemic, the number is poised to climb in 2023, as the country marks its 100th anniversary as a republic.
“It took many years, but things have definitely changed,” says Karen Fedorko Sefer, founder of Sea Song Tours, who arrived in Turkey in 1998 and organized Morrison’s original visit. “The key was developing infrastructure to accommodate demanding luxury travelers.” Turkish Airlines invested in U.S. hubs (three daily flights out of JFK, two from LAX), and elite lodgings boomed: A Four Seasons and a Mandarin Oriental opened on the Bosporus, followed by the newly restored Four Seasons in historic Sultanahmet. The Peninsula Istanbul and Japan’s Okura Spa & Resort Cappadocia are expected in 2023.
And it’s not just cities that are thriving: Thanks to Turkish Airlines’ vast network of domestic flights, jetsetters are discovering the cradle of civilization in Asia Minor. Though why go by air to the ruins of Kaunos or the shipwrecks of Monastir Bay when a gulet is an option. A very posh option. Turkish sailing yachts are, Sefer says, “second to none.” Erik Maza. To book a trip to Turkey: Karen Fedorko Safer, fedorko@seasong.com
On Our Radar: This past October, Michelin Guides published its first list of 53 Istanbul restaurants. Why it took this long, given the city’s Byzantine and Ottoman epicurean traditions, is a mystery. But never mind: It’s a whole new impetus to visit. The star of the list, with two stars, is Turk Fatih Tutak.
Your next trip should be:
A Montenegro Odyssey…
Because it's the Med without the crowds.
Byron called the 182-mile stretch of Montenegro’s Adriatic coast “the most beautiful encounter between land and sea.” No wonder. Riven with fjords, dotted with tiny islands and ancient towns (such as Kotor, Budva, and Perast), and lined with 45 miles of beach, the little country has been quietly turning into a niche destination for yachting holidays, a Croatia without the crowds. “It’s Norway, but it’s warm!” proclaims Paola Scalabrino, a charter specialist with Monaco-based Yachtzoo. “And it’s for people who want beautiful anchorages but don’t need to be in port every night, out clubbing.” If you want a land perch, One&Only Portonovi, near a new marina, is the sole five-star resort option (ever since the Aman Sveti Stefan closed amid a local controversy over beach rights). And, opening this spring, in an 1850s Austro-Hungarian fortress, is the boutiquey 32-room Mamula Island, which comes with a fleet of boats you can use on demand. By Mark Ellwood. To book a trip to Montenegro: Ala Osmond, Ala@exeterinternational.com
Your next trip should be:
A Viennese Waltz...
Because the new museums are magnificent and you get to pack your dancing shoes.
Mention Vienna and what comes to mind are pastries and paintings, sacher-torte and Schiele—a place worth a pit stop between Prague and Budapest. But the grand onetime imperial capital is starting to shed its gilded cobwebbiness. A permanent home has just opened for the Austrian billionaire Heidi Goëss-Horten’s 700-strong collection—of Picassos, Chagalls, Basquiats, Warhols, Richters, and Baselitzes. The two-year-old Albertina Modern, Austria’s answer to the Tate, will showcase in spring 2023 American artist Alex Katz in a major retrospective.
On the hotel front, the 150-year-old Sacher has some competition.Rosewood Vienna opened last summer in a former bank in the heart of the city’s pedestrian district. The onetime Ring Hotel, on the Ringstrasse, will reopen in early 2023 as the Amauris Vienna. The locally owned and operated Leo Grand is a pretty boutique spot a few steps from St. Stephen’s Cathedral. And a Mandarin Oriental is coming as well (to an Art Nouveau building on Riemergasse).
But there’s one tradition that Gwen Kozlowski, president of Exeter International, is keen to see preserved: the balls. “They are truly like nowhere else, and superformal.” Skip the ones around New Year’s and focus on the distinctly Viennese ones at Lent. The most prestigious are the Opera and Philharmonic balls. “They’re hard to wrangle tickets for, but if you’re serious, we can usually make it happen.” By Mark Ellwood. To book a trip to Austria: Gwen Kozlowski, Gwen@exeterinternational.com
Your next trip should be:
A Cool Cruise…
Because swanning around on a gorgeous ship is as good as it gets.
A JAMES BOND–IAN FANTASY (ON SCENIC ECLIPSE).
The first ultraluxe expedition ship, Scenic Eclipse, from the Australian brand Scenic, turned heads for its megayacht style and 007-esque toys. Now comes Scenic Eclipse II. Both will go to the Arctic and Antarctic, but in 2023 Eclipse II will also visit Euro yachtie hangouts (Capri, Hvar, Ibiza, and more) and explore the Pacific—the gorges of Australia’s Kim- berley, Indonesia’s Spice Islands, and Raja Ampat.
AN ARCTIC ADVENTURE (ON COMMANDANT CHARCOT).
Until now, reaching the North Pole has never been a breeze. But next summer Ponant’s hybrid-powered icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot, will make four 15-night trips there. Outside is a silent world of polar bears and pack ice; onboard it’s all expedition-chic (an Alain Ducasse restaurant, a dernier-cri spa, floor-to-ceiling windows). The best part: knowing you’re farther north than anyone else on earth.
AN ART TOUR OF THE BALTIC (ON VIKING OCEAN).
Without St. Petersburg, a cruise around the Baltic might feel like seeing Athens without the Acropolis. Not so. Scandi-chicViking has a fix for art lovers next summer: a series of 14-night ocean sailings between Bergen and Stockholm, with guided tours of major museums and works of architecture. One highlight: a private viewing in Oslo of Edvard Munch’s haunting masterpiece The Scream. By Sue Bryant. To book a cruise: Ashton Palmer, Ashton@expeditiontrips.com ; Tom Baker, Tom.Baker@cruisecenter.com ; Mary Jean Tully, travel@tullyluxurytravel.com
On Our Radar: Other lines are plying the Baltic too: Silversea’s 14-night roundtrip from Copenhagen stops in Stockholm, Tallinn, Helsinki, and Gdansk. Regent Seven Seas’ 10-night cruise sails June 30 from Copenhagen to Stockholm, with stops in Berlin, Gdansk, Tallinn, Helsinki, and Art Nouveau–rich Riga.
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