What to add to your holiday wishlist: From grand destinations to equally luxurious travel essentials
Whether you’re looking for Berlin’s best trattoria, a four-star motel with a French twist or a bag that will be the talk of business class, here’s how to travel in style this year.
I.
Grand Mess, Clermont-Ferrand
France
On the outskirts of Clermont-Ferrand, with the Chaîne des Puys mountains as a backdrop, Grand Mess hotel is like a US motel with French flair: think less neon, more nonchalance. Designed by Parisian practice ASL in partnership with Clermont-Ferrand-based studio Boris Bouchet, it draws upon the terracotta rooftops and distinctive Volvic stone particular to the Auvergne region.
The 96 guest rooms range from compact mezzanine hideaways to terrace suites with mountain views. The Bouillon du Mess canteen serves traditional broths with a modern touch, while La Brasserie offers classic French dishes under soft light from candelabras. Once you discover Bar Central and the adjoining wine cellar, you might find yourself staying far longer than you planned.
2.
Fujifilm X-T30 III
Japan
Capturing the moments that you want to hold on to has never been easier with Fujifilm’s new SLR. The Japanese brand’s hot streak with compact but advanced cameras continues with this handsome and pleasing-to-hold X-T30 III. It has a 26.1-megapixel sensor and autofocus technology, which means that it’s better than most rival cameras at producing clear and focused snaps. It’s handy for shooting short videos too and looks extremely stylish, whether it’s finished in black, silver or gunmetal grey. Best of all, it’s pocket-sized and light, at just under 400g. That’s certainly something worth smiling about. Say cheese!
3.
Poon’s, Somerset House
London
Amy Poon first learned the restaurant trade while working in her parents’ establishments, the first of which opened in London in 1973. Despite the family’s success – including earning a Michelin star – Poon initially decided never to open a place of her own. “I knew how hard it would be – the effect on your family life, the hours, the commitment,” she tells Monocle. So what changed her mind? “It must be in my blood. I love feeding people.”
After several successful pop-ups, including a year-long residency at Carousel in London, Poon’s has now found a permanent home in the new wing at Somerset House. The beautiful, high-ceilinged space is kitted out with murals, while the charmingly illustrated menu includes the restaurateur’s celebrated wontons and classics from her parents’ eateries. Try the wind-dried meats on claypot rice, Covent Garden duck salad and Lisle Street zha jiang noodles.
Perhaps the most intriguing dish on the menu is the unusually named The Hill That Amy Didn’t Die On, a labour-intensive prawn toast that her mother urged her to include. As the name suggests, she persevered.
4.
Bar Omi
Paris
Restaurateurs Laetitia and Arthur Cohen’s latest Paris venture, Bar Omi, is a fresh variation on the theme that has made the couple’s two other Franco-Japanese spots – Ojii and Onii-San – the toast of the French capital. Chef Yuji Mikuriya’s sushibased dishes are made all the more enjoyable by a winning wine cellar and designer Fanny Perrier’s work on the interior. The 10 bar seats are industrial swivel chairs with plush black padding, while the faience countertop puts diners in mind of textured Japanese lacquerware. There is also an intimate dining room at the rear for small groups.
But wherever you want to sit and whatever you plan to order – just-so nigiri and Wagyu beef handrolls share the menu with the soba of the day and salmon chirashi – you’ll need to book early to reserve a table.
5.
Travel-bag toiletries
Travelling can take it out of you. Here are a few reviving finds for your Dopp kit.
1. Biafine Act
This French topical skin emulsion will help you tend to unexpected irritations, from insect bites to minor burns. Made with trolamine and enriched with soothing oils to support the skin’s natural repair, it will provide gentle hydration to accelerate tissue recovery and reduce the risk of scabbing or dryness. Take a tube along – it’s better safe than sorry.
2. Abhati
Anju Rupal drew on her Indian heritage when she started this Swiss beauty brand, inspired by memories of her family applying oils and powders to her hair in childhood. Its signature soap bars – blended with botanicals including Indian papaya and Himalayan sea buckthorn – are designed for cleaning hair as well as scrubbing the skin.
3. The Deodorant Balm by Akt
This balm was born when West End performers Ed Currie and Andy Coxon couldn’t find a natural deodorant that worked. Featuring a blend of natural plant and mineral powders, it’s packaged in a smart aluminium tube and infused with shea butter, vitamin E and calendula to keep skin hydrated. A modest squeeze will keep you fresh from arrival at the airport to the end of an evening out, without the heaviness of aerosols or the fuss of perfumes. It’s scented with pomelo, eucalyptus and lavandin.
4. Beauty of Joseon
This brand was founded to apply the centuries-old traditions of Hanbang, Korea’s natural medicine, to modern skincare. Its most celebrated products include the Matte Sun Stick, formulated with mugwort and camellia. Developed with Ramón Pagán – the cosmetic chemist behind Glow by Ramón – it also contains artemisia capillaris and green-tea extract for hydration, resulting in a pleasingly soft matte finish.
6.
Bardele
Berlin
With its half-length curtains, terrazzo floors and cushioned benches, Bardele calls to mind northern Italy more than it does Berlin. What began as a supper club by Philadelphia-born, Italian-trained chef Tyler Hanse has found a permanent home on the gallery-lined Auguststrasse in Mitte. The menu is classic yet deftly executed: light ricotta gnocchi, pumpkin tortelli scattered with amaretti crumbs and slow-simmered polpette al sugo. There’s roasted Brandenburg chicken and homemade sausages too, while the wine list incorporates everything from natural lambrusco to an elegant Piedmont fizz.
Milanese designer Davide Rizzo, meanwhile, has given the space a marble bar, 1960s Venetian chandeliers and starched white tablecloths, making it feel like a trattoria that’s equally suited to a quick negroni or an unhurried dinner. Though the interior is very Italian, the upbeat soundtrack and youthful staf could only be the product of Berlin.
7.
Hotel Belle Plage
Cannes
Once a small fishing village overlooking the Mediterranean, the Suquet, one of Cannes’s oldest neighbourhoods, is home to French hospitality group La Clé’s third Côte d’Azur outpost, Hotel Belle Plage. Designer Raphael Navot – working with Polish studio Faar Architects – was asked to restore a 1930s building and turn it into a hotel. From the soft blue and sand-coloured palette to the coralshaped bookcases, every detail evokes the sea outside the hotel’s windows.
As for the exterior, ASL landscaper Gwenaëlle Grandjean imagined a Mediterranean garden where guests could wander among the palm trees and pine groves on their way to the Villa Spa. At dinnertime, the restaurant offers regional classics such as sea bass carpaccio and pissaladière salad, paired with a bracing view of the Cannes bay.
8.
Altatto
Milan
Milanese restaurant Altatto might be of the beaten track but it’s well worth the trek. Already a success, this inventive new opening recently moved from the northern end of the city to the south in search of more space. The result is a homely, modern restaurant, largely conceived by artist and designer Nicola Lorini (look out for his wooden chairs) and featuring a large, open kitchen.
Chefs and founders Sara Nicolosi and Cinzia de Lauri (pictured) serve up plenty of locally sourced ingredients, with the vegetarian menu changing roughly every two months. While there are some à la carte options, the main draw is a nine-course tasting menu, with every dish prioritising one vegetable. On a recent visit, Monocle enjoyed the sweet-glazed and grilled mushrooms with a medley of fresh herbs on the side.
9.
Torel Terra Brava
Azores
Amid the cobblestone streets of Unesco World Heritage site Angra do Heroísmo, you’ll find the new Torel Terra Brava hotel. It’s easy to see why Torel Boutiques chose Terceira for its first opening outside mainland Portugal: just a stone’s throw from the Atlantic and overlooking the Monte Brasil volcano, it combines luxury and comfort with the beauty of the Azores landscape.
The hotel was dreamed up by Porto-based Nano Design, which worked with artisans from the area to create the 44 guest rooms and suites. The same design language, which nods to the island’s flora and fauna, extends to the hotel’s spa, gym and pools, while the bistro serves regional specialities. “The hotel is connected to the whole island,” says Ingrid Koeck, a partner at Torel Boutiques.
10.
Lufthansa’s centennial livery
Heads turned when Lufthansa’s centennial livery was first spotted on a new 787 Dreamliner. The company has special liveries across its fleet but they tend to be subtle. This one takes the Lufthansa crane logo and imagines how it might fit across a whole aircraft and the result is stunning. It’s bold for a carrier with a conservative reputation, while remaining recognisably Lufthansa. “Our iconic crane guided us in our design, just as it has guided us through the decades,” says Ronald Wild, the airline’s chief designer.
11.
Luggage you’ll love
If you need a new set of wheels, look no further than Stockholm brand Nudient’s suitcase in chalk white. Made to dimensions that most airlines will allow, it’s capacious enough for a weekend away and very sturdy, thanks to the polycarbonate in its shell. If you want a holdall too, London-based Métier has you covered. Its appealing Nomad in buffalo leather – designed by the firm’s founder, Melissa Morris – features a handy passport-sized pocket within.
12.
Five travel titles to tuck into your tote
1. Holiday
The fêted French travel title by art director Franck Durand delves deep into one destination every issue, the latest being Samarkand in Uzbekistan. Looking for an extra dose of inspiration? The brand just launched a new spin-off title called Holiday Interiors & Gardens.
2. Voyage Voyage
This French title is part magazine, part travel guide. Every issue explores three different cities, offering ideas for long-weekend escapes and how to spend a month in an unfamiliar place. There’s plenty of excellent photography too.
3. Waves & Woods
This German title celebrates the great outdoors. In the latest issue, you can learn about going off the beaten track in Nicaragua and admire beautiful surf images by Japanese photographer Atsushi Sugimoto.
4. Lohi Journal
Founded by Sweden-based creatives Tomas Falmer and Philip Warkander. This biannual is a celebration of slow travel. The magazine is divided into two parts: one a guide to a specific destination; the other is a mix of travel features and city guides, which for the newest issue range from Marrakech to Porto.
5. Yolo Journal
Founded by US journalist Yolanda Edwards, this elegant publication comes out three times a year. Its content is divided between the themes of water, towns and hills, and its latest edition focuses on Greenland’s glaciers and Scotland’s Inner Hebrides archipelago.
13.
Hyll Hotel
Cotswolds
Hyll was the Old English word for an elevated place – and this Cotswold hotel gently lifts guests out of the everyday. Design studio Youth was tasked with creating the interiors and the guest rooms feature plaster, local stone, aged metal and weathered timber. Verden toiletries has made a special scent for the hotel too.
“All of the most memorable hotels that I have stayed in made me feel cared for, calm and comfortable,” says Hyll’s co-founder Sarah Ramsbottom. “I wanted to create somewhere that wasn’t perfect. Imperfection, particularly in an old building, can be comforting.”
At the centre of operations is a low-key restaurant led by chef Mark Coleman, serving an ever-changing menu built around local produce. Meanwhile, a partnership with the local Borzoi Bookshop provides a curated inroom reading selection and a supperclub series featuring authors and artists. “It’s all about the simpler pleasures, all the things that make guests feel thought about,” says Ramsbottom. “Furniture and fabrics that are comfortable and invite you to stretch out and relax – and real fires.”
14.
The Venice Venice Hotel
Venice
Once on the verge of ruin, the Ca’ da Mosto palazzo has been reborn as the 43-room Venice Venice Hotel. Its unique position at a bend in the Grand Canal, just above the Rialto Bridge, makes it one of the most delightful places for a bite. Mornings here mean fluffy eggs and granola served on the boat pier that serves as a dining terrace, with views of the lively Rialto market across the canal. Its proximity to the water turns the passing gondolas, ferries and private boats into daily theatre. The pier opens up to the public in the afternoon and evening, allowing everyone to enjoy the unparalleled vista.
15.
Cabañas de Pax, Cantabria
Spain
Residents of Cantabria’s Pas Valley, known as Pasiegos, once moved between two houses in tune with the seasons. Modern migration to cities meant that many of the stone homesteads crumbled but a restoration effort by the Botín family is reimagining some of them as rural escapes.
Drive south from the clan’s home in Santander (the Botíns have run the bank for four generations) and you’ll find three stone residences aiming to bring balance back to the valley, largely thanks to architect Pepe Gómez-Acebo Botín. He enlisted local craftsmen, who harnessed their time-honoured knowledge of the area and its construction techniques, and with their help two more renovations are now in the works.
Upon arrival, guests receive a gift of valley-sourced honey and fresh bread from the village bakery. Pieces from the Botíns’ private art collection line the walls, while hearty stews and breaded fillets are available on request. “This is more than a restoration,” Botín tells Monocle. “It was always about constructing a new legacy for the region, its architecture and for the Pasiegos.”
