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Beautiful riverside lodge in a spectacular jungle location. You can dine under the stars beside the river and set off early in the morning to track orangutans in the wild. Amazing place.
www.bilitrainforestlodge.com
KG Bilit Seberang Jalan Sukau Kota Kinabatangan, 90200 Malaysia
(+6) 088-448-409
This is an amazing beach hotel only about 30 minutes drive from the centre of Athens. It overlooks a calm bay with views up to the Temple of Poseidon (a short walk away). The service, food and rooms are superb.
www.capesounio.com/
Sounio Road GR-195 00, Sounio, Attica
+30 22920 69700
An amazing place to view polar bears in the wild. It's on the frozen tundra outside Churchill, not a luxury hotel but a comfortable base for excursions out on the ice and across Hudson Bay to see these amazing creatures!
Box 40063 RPO Lagimodiere
Winnipeg, MB, Canada R2C 4P3
+1 (204) 949-2050
www.tundrabuggy.com/
Google map: bit.ly/kaN82b
This is a glorious section of the Aegean coast, with turquoise bays, hidden coves and authentic fishing villages. You can't see the best bits from the road, and a big ship wouldn't be able to get into the small bays, so the best way to see it is on a small gulet. You can book a cabin or take over the whole boat.
www.ewaterways.com/shipdetail/itinerary/?shipID=814&itineraryID=1151
You don't even need to be a fan of opera to appreciate the thrill and romance of watching an opera performed in an open-air arena on a warm summer's night in the beautiful city of Verona. This is not the hushed atmosphere of Covent Garden. Imagine thousands of people in a Roman arean, humming along, waving lighters, cuddling in the back row. A stunning experience
www.kirkerholidays.com/verona-independent-opera-holidays.aspx
Borneo is such an amazing island with great beaches, thick jungle and cultural treasures to discover. You should not miss the orangutan sanctuary at Sepilok, and you can even see pygmy elephants in the Danum Valley.
The Rosa Alpina is a gorgeous hotel in the Italian Dolomites ideally located to ski the surrounding mountains. Fitscape is a specialist holiday company that offers ski fitness training - you spend a lot of time on the slopes but also get a healthy breakfast, yoga classes and stretching exercises as well as plenty of time to unwind in the hotel's sauna, pool and steam room.
www.fitscape.co.uk/italian-dolomites-ski.php
www.rosaalpina.it
Strada Micurá de Rü, 20
39030 San Cassiano in Badia (BZ) Italia
+39 0471 849 500
Google map: bit.ly/fWgZMN
Trekking to Everest Base Camp is one of the outstanding "must do" adventure trips for all keen walkers and hikers. It's a tough trip, taking about 18 days all in but it's totally rewarding and the views are simply majestic. It takes a few days to adjust to the altitude when you arrive - you can't go straight from Kathmandu - but that gives you plenty of time to soak up the beauty of this amazing country.
www.nepal-uncovered.com/tours/nepal/evbc.php
Google map: bit.ly/gxeZqg
Less well known than Bandhavgarh National Park, Corbett National Park and Tiger Reserve is a beautiful, remote park in the foothills of the Himalayas, a great place to experience real wilderness.
There are about 100 tigers in the park - so you have a good chance of spotting one - plus Asiatic elephants, crocodiles, otters, jackal, sloth bears and leopards.
World Big Cat Safaris is a fully-bonded UK-based tour operator run by former safari guides. They arrange tiger safaris across India.
With a prime location on one of the best beaches in Koh Phangan, the Rasananda is pure class. The rooms all have private gardens with outside showers, the food is amazing and there's a nice spa. Intimate enough for a honeymoon, but it's not cut off from the rest of the island. You can wander next door or up the road to find cool bars and cheap eats. Getting there is a bit of a nightmare if you have to take the minibus across the island's interior, but the hotel has its own speedboat which can do transfers from Samui. Classy way to arrive!
The Bell is a recently-renovated historic hotel on the banks of the River Stour in the beautiful medieval town of Sandwich.
The rooms are comfortable, the service is excellent and the food is outstanding with lots of local fish and seafood and Kent wine.
The renovation has been done sensitively. Although there are lots of modern touches, many original features have been revealed including high ceilings, stained glass and parquet floors.
It's less than two hours drive from London and great value for money.
www.101shortbreaks.co.uk/bell-hotel-sandwich/
www.bellhotelsandwich.co.uk/
The Quay, Sandwich, Kent, CT13 9EF
Tel: +44(0) 1304 613 388
Google map: tinyurl.com/yhhp3bj
A small restaurant in La Balme, recently converted from a series of old cow sheds. It's near the bottom of the Aiguilette (a short red run with a button lift). There's a lovely sunny terrace and they do great value lunches for around €10. Try the assiette de pisteurs, a huge plate of salad, rosti, goats cheese on toast and lardons.
00 33 683 33 86 61 (Booking is essential)
No website
www.snowcarbon.co.uk/ski-resorts/chamonix/chamonix-eat-drink-party
A rustic restaurant in Les Houches, just off the Col de Voza run (accessed on a signed track through the trees). It's an old farmhouse lovingly converted by an Australian woman, Julie, and her French husband, Claude. Excellent homemade slow-cooked dishes; about €15 for mains
00 33 684 42 37 00
www.lesvieillesluges.com/
Google map: tinyurl.com/yb43sjv
Visiting the battlefields of the First World War in Northern France and Belgium is an emotional, eye-opening journey. Join a tour accompanied by an expert historian and you can appreciate the full impact of the experience. Stand on the D-Day beaches, and pay your respects at the many Allied cemeteries.
Islay in the Scottish Hebrides has a number of working whisky distilleries that can be visited on a short tour. The island is beautiful and there are some lovely places to stay on the shores of a loch. Plenty of opportunities for tastings, too.
Just 30 minutes by road from Calais, Ferme du Vert is a charming little farmhouse in a peaceful bucolic setting, and great value for a weekend break. The rooms are lovely, the food is superb - the owners have their own fromagerie - and the small collection of farmyard animals makes it a hit with young children.
www.fermeduvert.com/
La Ferme du Vert, rue du Vert - 62720 Wierre, Effroy
+33 (0)3 21 87 67 00
Google map: bit.ly/eHVUzD
The vast majority of skiers and snowboarders travel by air. Typicaly, that means getting up in the middle of the night to get a charter flight from a crowded airport. But Tignes is one of many resorts that can easily be reached by train - a journey that is comfortable, easy, good value and surprisingly quick. You'll be able to find more information about these train journeys at a new website, www.snowcarbon.co.uk.
La Palma is one of the least known of the Canaries, a small mountainous volcanic island that is wonderful for walking and exploring by car. The capital Santa Cruz is a charming colonial town of historic buildings, cobbled streets and excellent restaurants. This is not a place for sun worshippers, and you may go a whole week and hardly see another Brit, but it's a magical island.
The best way to see the "Green Coast" of Northern Spain is on foot. Walk between historic villages along ancient pathways, discovering an unspoilt coastline and pristine mountain views. You'll find great family-run hotels and wonderful local restaurants. It's possible to arrange a self-guided holiday where your luggage is transported from one hotel to the next.
The most authentic Egyptian restaurant in Naama Bay. It's located above the Hard Rock Café, but don't let that put you off. Behind heavy wooden doors there is an ornate interior and a roof terrace with great views. Try the veal tagine and fettah. Mains courses cost around £5.
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