Thirteen regions, north to south.
We don't claim the world. These are the regions where we've stayed in the rooms and learned which month quietly ruins the trip. Ask about anywhere else and we'll tell you honestly whether we're the right advisors for it.
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46.0–46.7°N
Two seasons in one region: ski in Zermatt in winter, lakes and walking in the Dolomites in summer.
Zermatt is car-free. You arrive by train, and the hotel meets you at the station.
Stayed: Riffelalp Resort 2222m, Hotel Schönegg, Hotel Lago di Braies
JFMAMJJASONDOur month: January
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43.3°N
Bilbao and San Sebastián in one trip: the Guggenheim at one end, the best eating in Spain at the other.
Split the stay between the two cities. They're a little over an hour apart by road, and each deserves its own nights.
Stayed: The Artist Hotel, Hotel Palacio Bellas Artes
JFMAMJJASONDOur month: May
La Concha, San Sebastián. Photo: Harsh -
39.9°N
The Balearic island for people who don't want Ibiza. Coves you walk to, a slower pace, and some remarkable small hotels.
Go in June or September. July and August bring the heat and the crowds.
Stayed: Torralbenc
JFMAMJJASONDOur month: June
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34.7–35.7°N
Tokyo and Osaka, under three hours apart by bullet train with Kyoto between them, and very different in how they eat, shop and stay up late.
Avoid Golden Week, from late April to early May, and mid-August. That's when the whole country travels.
Stayed: Park Hyatt Tokyo, The Tokyo EDITION, Ginza, Hyatt Regency Tokyo, Hyatt Regency Kyoto, Conrad Osaka
JFMAMJJASONDOur month: November
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31.8–32.1°N
Two cities under an hour apart that feel like different countries: Jerusalem for history, Tel Aviv for the beach and the food.
Plan around Shabbat. In Jerusalem much closes from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening, so that's the moment to move to Tel Aviv.
Stayed: The King David, Hilton Tel Aviv
JFMAMJJASONDOur month: April
Overlooking Jerusalem. Photo: Harsh -
23.1–31.7°N
Coast, mountains and desert, and some of the most generous hospitality anywhere, without the crowds of the better-known Gulf stops.
In Oman, pair the coast with the mountains: Al Bustan Palace on the sea, then Anantara at about 2,000 metres, where it's markedly cooler.
Stayed: Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea
JFMAMJJASONDOur month: November
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18.9–26.9°N
Mumbai's grand hotels, then the palaces of Rajasthan: Udaipur's lakes and Jodhpur's fort city.
October to March is the window. The monsoon runs June to September.
Stayed: The Taj Mahal Palace, The Oberoi, Trident Nariman Point, The Oberoi Udaivilas, Taj Lake Palace, Umaid Bhawan Palace, ITC Rajputana
JFMAMJJASONDOur month: January
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20.7°N
Two Four Seasons, two very different islands: Maui for the beach and the drive, Lanai for doing almost nothing at all.
Lanai is a short ferry ride from Maui, so a two-island trip is easy to build.
Stayed: Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Four Seasons Resort Lanai, Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, Fairmont Kea Lani
JFMAMJJASONDOur month: February
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8.0–13.7°N
A few days in Bangkok, then an island. The classic pairing, done with the right hotels at both ends.
Traffic decides a Bangkok day. The Skytrain and river boats beat a car at rush hour.
Stayed: Park Hyatt Bangkok, Hyatt Regency Bangkok, Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park, The Naka Island, Anantara Phuket
JFMAMJJASONDOur month: December
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4.6–5.3°N
The overwater trip everyone imagines, where the real decisions are the atoll, the transfer and which side of the island your villa faces.
Seaplanes fly in daylight only. A late arrival into Malé can mean a night in transit, so the flight decides the resort as much as the brochure does.
Stayed: Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru, The Ritz-Carlton Maldives
JFMAMJJASONDOur month: February
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1.5–5.8°S
A safari in the Masai Mara, then the Indian Ocean coast at Malindi or Zanzibar for the days after.
The herds are in the Mara from roughly July to October, and that is when every lodge is fullest. Book the safari first and fit the beach around it.
Stayed: Ishara, Long Pool Hotel, Kempinski Zamani (now Meliá)
JFMAMJJASONDOur month: July
Masai Mara, Kenya. Photo: Harsh -
20.1°S
An island where each coast is a different holiday, so the real decision is which two to split the stay between.
- Stay on at least two coasts, and split the time by the holiday you want.
- East: the calm coast, with the high-end resorts, sandy beaches and golf.
- West: water sports, dolphin watching and the sunsets. North: lively beaches, boat trips and safe swimming. South: cliffs and big waves, for walking and nature rather than swimming.
Krishika's own notes, first-hand.
Stayed: The Oberoi Beach Resort
JFMAMJJASONDFebruary is peak cyclone season.
The beach at The Oberoi, Mauritius. Photo: Krishika -
51.1°S
The edge of Torres del Paine, where the landscape is the whole point and the weather is part of the plan.
November to March is the season. Many lodges close through the southern winter.
Stayed: Tierra Patagonia
JFMAMJJASONDOur month: December
The Mauritius notes are Krishika's own.