Mykonos, Ibiza, St Tropez? Been there, done that. This summer follow the trendsetters and celebs to a fresh set of ‘in’ destinations du jour. Some are old favourites with revamped appeal thanks to glitzy hotel or beach club openings. Others are unpolished, under-the-radar gems with adventurous appeal. Whatever kind of scene floats your boat, you’ll be in good company as you holiday with the cool crowd…
Bodrum, Turkey
Bodrum is back, baby. The cachet of this Turkish resort town waned in recent years, but it’s now properly returned to the A-lister books as a slew of new openings rival the likes of glitzy party capitals like Mykonos and Ibiza. Don’t take our word for it, ask Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell or Roman Abramovich: all recent visitors to the region.
Check into the just-opened Maxx Royal (from £750), a swish resort on a secluded bay that puts art at the forefront. Expect work by French steel sculptor Bernar Venet and digital installations by Turk Refik Anadol, as well as bedrooms boasting terraces with sweeping views of the Aegean blue. There’s an elaborate 4,500sqm wellbeing space too, and food is given a big focus, with branches of California-favourite Spago by Wolfgang Puck and Mayfair’s THE MAINE, courtesy of Montreal restaurateur Joey Ghazal.
Next door you’ll find another new draw for the jet set: the first overseas branch of cult Mykonos beach club Scorpios – known for its holistic wellness offering, social hedonism and on-point music. Watch the sun set from its relaxed family-style restaurant – or head to the swish Bodrum EDITION, where the restaurant has been awarded a star in this year’s Michelin guide.
Albania
With white sand beaches, crystalline Adriatic and Ionian waters and rugged green peaks, Albania has everything you’d want in a Med holiday – but flies resolutely under the radar for most Brits. Though that’s all changing as word gets out and switched-on travellers follow the likes of part-Albanian singer Dua Lipa to holiday in this underrated gem.
The Albanian Riviera, as it’s known, stretches from Vlore to Saranda – the latter just across the water from well-known Corfu. Dua Lipa has reportedly hit Ksamil, near the latter, spending time at Kep Merli, a plush development of private whitewashed villas coddled in shrubland and fringed in icing sugar sands.
The summer sun lasts long enough to make September’s week-long dance festival ION, in seaside Dhërmi, a ray-kissed affair, though if you prefer slightly cooler climes escape to the Albanian Alps – also known as the Accursed Mountains – for lakeside guesthouses. The latter is a great place to try traditional fare such as tavë kosi (baked lamb with rice) but for chic plates worthy of the foodie elite, make for Mullixhiu in capital Tirana instead. Ex-Noma chef Bledar Kola’s sublime menu featuring goat, quail and traditional jufka pasta has bagged the restaurant a spot on the 50 Best Restaurants Discovery list.
Folegandros, Greece
Crete, Santorini, Athens – so far, so obvious. The elite is looking for something new; high-end tour op Black Tomato, who reports a 20% rise in their Greek bookings, says enquires for off-beat destinations are booming. In 2024 eyes are on little-known Folegandros – a tiny under-explored gem unblighted by mass tourism, where days are spent swimming in the shallows off Agios Nikoloas beach or hiking uphill to the alabaster Orthodox Church of Panagia.
What makes it hot now? New design-led Gundari Resort (from £520) – one of this year’s most exciting hotel openings. Think minimalist but impactful swathes of stone and cream, and private infinity pools, set in 80 acres of rugged cliffscape and gazing out across the water. It’s an immersion in nature, style and holistic wellness (including meditation workshops, energy healing, healthy eats from Michelin-starred chef Lefteris Lazarou) that doesn’t compromise.
Kosovo
For those craving off-the-beaten-track explorations, luxe tour operator Cox and Kings says Kosovo is the summer’s hottest ticket. Its epic countryside calls active travellers with a patchwork of soaring mountain peaks, swooping valleys, rushing waterfalls and dense forest populated by eagles, wolves and bears. And this year’s launch of the Trans Dinarica Cycling Trail, which sews up the eight countries of the Balkans across 2,090 miles of scenic bike route, makes it all more accessible than ever before.
Another draw? Monasteries. In mountainous Peja visit Patriarchate of Peć, a Serbian Orthodox church and nunnery complex rooted in the 13th century, or explore Visoki Dečani Monastery near sleepy Deçan. By the latter Resort Ujevara e Drinit (from £80) perches on scenic riverfront and serves up contemporary cocktails on its elegant alfresco terraces. Or make for pretty city Gjakova, where the historic bazaar, Čaršija e Madhe, is stuffed with bars and restaurants.
Finland
It doesn’t get cooler than the Nordic nations: tour operator Scott Dunn notes a 400% increase in enquiries for holidays to Finland compared with 2023. The temperate weather is partly to thank, as more active travellers and families look to swerve the crippling heat waves of the Med. But solid green creds and a reputation for grade-A design add appeal too. No wonder the likes of the Beckhams and Ed Sheeran have visited.
Don’t miss capital Helsinki’s elegant new Hotel Maria (from £248), owned by three-time Olympic gold ski jumping medallist Samppa Lajunen – it’s dominated by spacious suites, glittering chandeliers and opulent crown mouldings. The wellness concierge will refer you to in-house nutritionists and magic-handed therapists after you’ve explored the fabulous thermal facilities.
Meanwhile, up in Lapland, among hundreds of hectares of rambling forest, carbon-negative Octola Private Wilderness is the Arctic region’s first luxury spa and health clinic. It’s so exclusive, you can only book if you first join a waitlist.
Grenada
This small but stylish Caribbean isle holds eternal celebrity appeal – Simon Cowell, Oprah Winfrey, Mick Jagger and Justin Bieber have all graced its idyllic shores. Summer is technically low season, but brave the odd short and sharp downpour and you’ll be rewarded with lower hotel rates and fewer crowds.
Yachties tend to congregate around St George’s Harbour, home to seaside restaurants like Sail’s and The Aquarium, where they down icy white wine and lobster before retreating to the privacy of their vessels.
Style-conscious landlubbers, meanwhile, head for the recently opened Silversands Beach House (from £556); its intimate 28 contemporary rooms are perched among swathes of greenery on the island’s southwestern tip and a 42-foot infinity pool takes centre stage. (Sister hotel Silversands Grenada recently featured on screen in ITV’s The Fortune Hotel).
Also trending is the just-launched Six Senses La Sagesse (from £632), which sprawls across 15 hectares on the south coast and is upping the luxe level with multi-level pool suites and spacious villas. The largest of the lot, featuring four bedrooms, are set dramatically on a bluff with near-panoramic views of the sea.
Chester, UK
This historic city in the English northwest isn’t an obvious jet set magnet. But this June it drew the crème de la crème – Prince William and Princess Eugenie included – for the society wedding of the year, when billionaire Duke of Westminster Hugh Grosvenor tied the knot with Olivia Henson. And the royal spotlight effect has left the rest of us scrambling to discover the city’s charm for ourselves.
It has plenty: picturesque rows of half-timbered houses, Roman city walls, a 1,000-year-old cathedral – the place where the couple married – and new hotel openings too. At soon-to launch Wildes Chester, spaces will come with silver rolltop baths and period fireplaces, and at Chester Zoo new safari-style overnight lodges will add a whole new dimension to the animal experience later this year.
Time your visit to the city with electric Chester Pride on 17 August, and don’t forget to pay a visit to Krum Gelato. The Duke treated the local public to free scoops of their ice cream on the day on his wedding.
The Cotswolds, UK
The Cotswolds are beautiful, bucolic – but not trendy, right? Though this summer that’s all change with the intel that Taylor Swift reportedly booked a £3.3 million local farmhouse to use as home base during her UK tour. Now we all have fresh impetus to pull on the wellies and live out the rural fantasy like T-Swizzle.
And in fact the area has been levelling up its cool factor since last year. There was the opening of Estelle Manor (from £625) in Oxfordshire, an exclusive members’ club on 85 acres of parkland, complete with Roman-inspired spa, brasserie serving Alaskan king crab and mini Landies for kiddos to drive. And the reopening of Cowley Manor (from £366) under the Experimental Group banner, with interior design by Dorothée Meilichzon, and a new pub with rooms from Daylesford – The Bell at Charlbury.
The renovation revolution continues apace this summer with the opening of a new branch of The Pig in the former Barnsley House hotel, as well as the launch of The Store Hotel in nearby Oxford, set in the historic Boswells department store and with rooftop bar overlooking the city. Elsewhere, East London-inspired grill Pit Kitchen is opening on Todenham Manor Farm, serving the likes of Persian chicken thigh shawarma and sweetcorn fritters. And stalwart stay Ellenborough Park near Cheltenham has opened a stylish self-contained self-catering stay, The Lodge, so you can combine impeccable hotel service with hideaway privacy à la Swift.
