Basic HTML Version
XX
|
TRAVELLER
If you’ve ever wanted to see the northern
lights, now’s the time, as they’re
currently the brightest they’ve been
for 50 years. For a great place to see
them, Luleå is a little-known winter
wonderland on the northern coast of
Swedish Lapland. Outside the town, the
vast Narnia-esque vistas are shared only
with reindeer, and the stunning regional
fare and exhilarating adventures on ice
make this spot an exciting and lesser-
visited part of Sweden.
TomMarchant
The Çesme Peninsula has some of
Turkey’s most beautiful beaches and
is the place where well-heeled Turks
holiday. Now, with additional flights to
nearby Izmir, the jet-set are cottoning
on to the appeal of this area at the
westernmost tip of the country, which
has its share of spas and luxury hotels.
Parts of the new James Bond film have
been set here too.
Michael Fleetwood
The beach to be seen at
“The northern
lights are the
brightest they’ve
been for 50 years”
Hotels with added personality
Finding the new...
Tired of identikit hotels? The growing
number of biographical hotels – themed
around a person – could be the tonic.
La Belle Juliette in Paris, for example,
is dedicated to Juliette Récamier, a
famous 18th-century French beauty,
with floors inspired by her friends and
favourite destinations. Similarly, Villa
Gallici, in the south of France, is filled
with aristocratic portraits of Madame
Gallici, the wife of the original owner.
Juliet Kinsman
This year will be all about finding
under-the-radar alternatives to the
usual destinations. Instead of staying
in
trulli
, the quirky conical dwellings of
Puglia, try one of the Sassi cave houses
in the sun-drenched city of Matera in
Basilicata (pictured). Or skip tasting
tours in Tuscany’s tourist-besieged
Chiantishire for red wines in Umbria’s
Montefalco, which is just as appealing,
especially in August, when the town
hosts its annual festival. Be sure to take
home a bottle of Sagrantino.
For lazy, blue-sky Greek summer
holidays, sidestep the usual island
circuit in favour of a spell on the
Peloponnese Peninsula. Easily
accessible from Athens, it’s the beautiful
sun-and-sea resplendent cradle of
Ancient Greece.
Juliet Kinsman
Sky gazing
074-079_ej_The Next Big Thing lg.indd 76
07/1