World’s finest destinations

The Surrey hotel review: The new kid on New York’s Upper East Side

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When The Surrey hotel reopened under the Corinthia umbrella, there was an air of confusion over its choice of interior designer. Martin Brudnizki, lauded for his use of colour, texture and pattern — normally all in one go — didn’t seem like a natural fit for a hotel group that tended to skew towards the … Read more

Waldorf Astoria New York review: The Midtown hotel where Frank Sinatra once partied and the salad of the same name was invented emerges from a decade-long renovation

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‘The Waldorf at 7’, I texted my romantic interest, advancing the arrangements for our drinks date. I’d recently moved to New York City, and to my mind, suggesting Manhattan’s grandest hotel for cocktails signalled refinement. We settled into its ‘Peacock Alley’ lounge, the Art Deco marvel that drew international high society for most of the … Read more

Can you keep a Secret? This new resort in a remote part of the Maldives boasts the big marine five and the world’s first moving villa

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As the sea plane drops through the clouds, we catch our first glimpse of Soneva Secret — a tiny island in the remote Makunudhoo atoll. The sea is that specific shade of turquoise I’ve only ever seen in the Maldives, unbothered by the grey sky looming menacingly above it and still wonderfully inviting. Secret is … Read more

Omani tourism is booming and this one-of-a-kind hotel — with exquisite marble swimming pools dedicated murshid guides — shows why

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Tourism is booming in Oman, contributing more than $5.5 billion to the economy last year, according to official data. Hotel heavyweights, including the St Regis and Mandarin Oriental groups, have moved into Muscat and, just as the capital is a natural gateway to the rest of the Sultanate, so the Gulf country’s appealing combination of … Read more

Portofino is Italy’s answer to the Garden of Eden. The Splendido hotel put it on the map

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The funny thing about Liguria, a region in north-western Italy, is that few people could point it out on a map — unless you told them that it’s where the Splendido is. The hotel, part of Belmond, treads a careful line, attracting everyone — the glitterati, the self-made man, seasoned jet-setters, the British upper crust … Read more