Unsure where to go for your next big break? New direct flights are making Guyana easier to get to than ever, while cultural options in Charleston and Samarkand both vie for attention. Meanwhile, there are new major attractions in Japan and Egypt in the shape of Studio Ghibli’s theme park and the Grand Egyptian Museum. And, of course, England will make another bid for a football trophy at 2023’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Main photo: a kangaroo in Queensland, Australia (Getty Images)
1. Australia
Partly due to it co-hosting the Fifa Women’s World Cup in July and August (with New Zealand), Australia will be the subject of intense demand — especially among Brits craving holidays to Sydney, the outback and Uluru, or the Great Barrier Reef. Beaches, wine and wildlife from koalas to kangaroos are other obvious reasons to go, as is a recently reopened gallery. Focusing on indigenous and First Nations artworks, the striking, £27 million Shepparton Art Museum is two hours northeast of Melbourne.
How to do it Start in Melbourne at the grand old Hotel Windsor*. Harry Houdini once stayed here, but it’s so plush you won’t be interested in vanishing acts.
• Best things to do in Melbourne
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2. Charleston, South Carolina
Gadsden’s Wharf was once America’s largest slave port. Close to half of all subjugated Africans first entered the US through this dock. It’s a grim statistic, but one that has also motivated a new International African American Museum. Due to open just across the waterfront on January 21, 2023, the IAAM promises a comprehensive overview of slavery’s cultural, socio-economic and psychological history, and of its continuing legacy. Designed by the late, great American architect Henry Cobb, the £106m, nine-gallery museum will add to the lure of Charleston alongside old-world, oh-so-Southern charm and one of the country’s best food scenes.
How to do it 86 Canon Historic Inn* offers adult-only accommodation with free bikes.
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3. Kenya
Two very different safari options in Kenya look set to gain column inches in 2023. Most notable is the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge: a 20-tent camp which sees the hotel giant enter the African safari segment. But most sustainable, and downright important, is Emboo River Camp, across the Mara. Independently run, this is a beautiful place that screams progress: half of its guides are female, all-electric cars are used, vegetarian food is prioritised, power is solar, and environmental impact is proudly minimal. Marriott might be the headline-grabber, but Emboo should be the benchmark.
How to do it Emboo River Camp* is a luxurious tented camp with striking views of the river.
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4. Senegal
Meet Tui’s newest winter sun option. Senegal is far more accessible thanks to weekly flights from Gatwick to Dakar until late March. There’s much to see in the large West African nation, from sun-baked colonial architecture in Saint-Louis to a solid surfing scene built around solar-powered lodges and safaris in the Niokolo-Koba National Park, where hippos, crocodiles, elephants and lions live in forests along the Gambia River. Tui will focus on the coast’s golden-sand beaches by selling trips to Saly and Pointe Sarene, a once-sleepy fishing village where huge hotels are being built, with the option of excursions to Dakar’s markets, bird-rich deltas and the Bandia Wildlife Reserve, where giraffes, rhinos and crocodiles congregate.
How to do it Four-star Riu Baobab* opened in spring 2022 and comes with four huge pools, one of which has a swim-up bar.
5. Guyana
Launching late in March, British Airways’ direct flights from Gatwick should open up this South American country. Unsung and underrated, Guyana has English as its official language (and cricket the national sport) as a legacy of colonial days. Highlights include the sandy, 90-mile — yes, 90 miles — Shell Beach; Amazonian tracts where eco-lodges help guests look for jaguars; and Kaieteur Falls, perhaps the world’s most wondrous single-drop waterfall. The capital, Georgetown, is also a riveting mix of Amerindian, Caribbean and Latin cultures.
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How to do it Arrange a bespoke itinerary of highlights with a country specialist such as Journey Latin America.
6. Qatar
Fresh from hosting the Fifa World Cup, Qatar is home to seven new stadiums (some of which will be dismantled), a new airport and even an entirely new city, Lusail, north of Doha. There are luxury residences from Raffles and Fairmont in separate wings of the amazing Katara Towers — shaped like two scimitars in an upended horseshoe. Beyond football, there are pearl-diving trips, shopping souqs and the superb Museum of Islamic Art.
How to do it Accor has plenty of tempting options in Qatar to suit different budgets.
7. Nagoya, Japan
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On a bullet-train line between Tokyo and Kyoto, the Japanese city of Nagoya is best-known domestically as a manufacturing hub. It’s surprising; come and you’ll find beautiful Buddhist temples and shrines, plenty of green spaces and streets packed with good food — and a dazzling attraction about an hour away. Encompassing five areas themed around Hayao Miyazaki’s most popular films and a Spirited Away-inspired restaurant, Studio Ghibli’s first theme park is open now. Studio Ghibli is the animation studio best known for films including My Neighbor Totoro and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
How to do it Behind an unassuming façade, Meiryu* has classic ryokan elements: tatami mats, futons, tea sets and shared breakfasts.
• Where and when to see Japan’s cherry blossom
8. Uzbekistan
Samarkand’s golden days came during the Silk Road era, when Genghis Khan was building a mighty empire. Yet the early 21st century is proving similarly prosperous: following the arrival of high-speed trains connecting to two other ancient, bewitching Uzbek centres, Bukhara and Chiva, its green-domed mosques and jewel-jammed mausoleums have been joined by a new luxury complex. Just outside town, Silk Road Samarkand promises upmarket hotels and gastronomy. Getting to Uzbekistan is also easier now that Qatar Airways offers twice-weekly flights from Doha to Tashkent.
How to do it An upmarket, traditionally Uzbek hotel in style, family-run Jahongir* is five minutes’ walk from focal Registan Square.
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9. Benguerra Island, Mozambique
Many of us will insist that any long-haul travel we undertake must do some good to offset our carbon footprint. A contender is the Kisawa Sanctuary: 750 acres of acacia forest, dunes, beach and coral reefs in southeastern Africa. The vision of entrepreneur Nina Flohr — aka Princess Nina of Greece and Denmark — its dozen exquisite bungalows (built using local materials), spa and organic, zero-waste restaurant all help fund a sister marine research facility protecting resident dugongs.
How to do it Book directly with Kisawa to ensure all profits go to the right place and carbon offset flights with Etihad.
10. Maldives
Launching in October 2023, Virgin Atlantic’s new seasonal flights to Male should make the Maldives much more accessible for winter sun — and potentially more affordable. Up to now, BA has had a bit of a monopoly over the route if you want to fly direct. Happily it coincides with the opening of a number of new resorts. One of the biggest will be Joy Island, opening in spring 2023. One hundred and fifty beach and overwater villas sprawl across an entire island in the North Male Atoll, each with its own access to the sea. Also opening in summer 2023 is Six Senses Kanuhura Maldives, the brand’s second property in the country. There are just 80 villas here, each with its own pool. But with the waters so pristine, you might as well just dive straight into the sea.
How to do it If it’s the new openings you’re after, it’s best to wait as neither property is open for reservations yet. Otherwise Virgin Holidays* has package holidays from £1,627pp.
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Mid-haul options
11. Egypt
Expected to open in 2023, the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza should be quite something. Displaying all 5,000 items from Tutankhamun’s tomb, alongside other never-seen-before treasures, the giant museum is two miles from Giza’s pyramids. Once you’ve seen those, cruise down Egypt’s legendary river.
How to do it Explore’s ten-day Classic Egypt* with Nile Cruise tour. It takes in all of the big-hitting sights including the Great Sphinx of Giza and the Valley of the Kings.
12. Israel
Israel has welcomed a raft of exciting hotels. In liberal Tel Aviv, the opulent, beachfront David Kempinski arrived in April 2022; elsewhere, Six Senses has debuted a spa retreat in the Negev Desert and the chicly restored Galei Kinneret Hotel is welcoming guests beside the Sea of Galilee. Meanwhile, Jerusalem is expanding its artefact-packed Tower of David Museum and the digital Dead Sea Museum’s exhibition of Spencer Tunick artworks is raising awareness of this body of water’s alarming reduction in size.
How to do it Explore’s introductory Holy Land tour* includes Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee across eight days.
13. Istanbul
The Turkish lira hit record lows in 2022 and has remained weak since, which, given the poor performance of the pound in recent times, can only be good news for Brits looking for value. For those happy to splurge, in February The Peninsula is opening a new property in Istanbul, right on the banks of the Bosphorus — floor-to-ceiling windows will take advantage of that sweeping view, as will the riverside pool. Nearby is Yeralti Camii, the underground Ottoman-era mosque that holds the tomb of the two Arab martyrs that died inside during the failed siege of Constantinople in the 17th century.
How to do it The best way to take advantage of the exchange rate is to book an individual trip, rather than an escorted tour. British Airways* has weekend breaks, including flights and hotel stay, from £192pp.
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Additional reporting by Qin Xie
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