
City breaks stay memorable when travellers move beyond the postcard landmarks and spend time in the parts of a city shaped by everyday routines
The Red Sea, Saudi Arabia
For centuries, the Red Sea was known only to fishermen, divers, and those who lived along its untouched coastlines. Now, it is being transformed into one of the most ambitious travel destinations the world has ever seen – a constellation of luxury resorts, wellness sanctuaries, and desert icons designed to open up a region that until recently was little more than myth to travellers.
Sri Lanka
Thick mashed potato sands on its southern coast give way to landscapes carpeted in tea plantations and jungle, and its towns and cities are steeped in culture and colourful history – the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonised the island itself. Bigger names like Aman, Resplendent Ceylon, Anantara and Cinnamon have dominated the hotel scene for decades, but recent times have seen a flurry of independently owned boutique hotels open