The 24 destinations that will be especially hot this year—and the data you need to plan your trip.
The best way to plan a trip is to think about what you love to do and when you need a break—not which destination you have yet to check off some list. With these key points in mind, we tapped our network of in-the-know editors and global correspondents to deliver two dozen inspiring spots that will be particularly enticing this coming year.
Among them are far-flung places you may have never considered, such as the nomadic villages of Kyrgyzstan, the archaeological ruins deep in Guatemala, and the pristine landscapes of Lombok, Indonesia. There are also sleepy beach towns getting glammed up by posh hotels, or classic cities revitalized by hot restaurants and fresh cultural institutions. And if you’re looking for a chance to commune with the great outdoors or go on an animal adventure, we’ve got those, too.
In interactive graphs accompanying each destination, you’ll find exclusive, week-by-week hotel pricing data from Google and intel from our most trusted travel experts. Tap or hover over them, and you’ll get specific insights for each spot.
All that’s left is for you to pick your favorite. Bon voyage!
Finger Lakes
Named for its 11 digit-shaped lakes, this bucolic region in central New York is better known for its waterfall-studded state parks than its worthy food scene or cultural heritage. But the area counts more than 100 wineries—of which Red Tail Ridge was the first to win a coveted James Beard nomination last year. It’s roughly an hour south of the wine-centric new-American restaurant Redd, an offshoot of the Michelin-starred Redd Wood in Napa Valley. For sophisticated accommodations, American Girl founder Pleasant Rowland owns five inns in her beloved college town, Aurora, and the Brooklyn-based design wizards at Studio Tack will open the Lake House on Canandaigua this summer, complete with a spa and timber-framed event barn. The Finger Lakes is also a birthplace of the women’s rights movement and will commemorate the 19th Amendment’s centennial with parades, museum exhibits, and a new home for the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Jamaica
Jamaica’s powerful tourism industry will get extra buzz after the April release of No Time to Die, Daniel Craig’s last James Bond movie, which was filmed partially in Port Antonio. That’s where owner Jon Baker has expanded the beloved Geejam Hotel to include a sea-facing infinity pool, a stage for live music, and 12 “studio” rooms each designed by a different emerging artist. Meanwhile, an offshoot of Half Moon resort, which the fictional spy patronized in 1973’s Live and Let Die, will open in Montego Bay in March. The 57-room Eclipse at Half Moon will have hammocks slung on coconut trees outside its casual restaurant, Spice—perfect for sleeping off a mai tai or piña colada. Even Dr. No would say yes to that.
Hawaii
Hotels on the Hawaiian Islands are getting ever more serious about the health factor that luxury travelers increasingly crave. Auberge Resorts’ reboot of Mauna Lani—one of the oldest and most beloved hotels on the Big Island—will open in January with a sports program designed by surf legends Gabby and Laird Hamilton. It’ll focus not on cutbacks and foam climbs, but on breathing—a hot trend. The new Halepuna Waikiki resort, an extension of the popular Halekulani, includes qigong and tandem yoga in its lineup of daily fitness classes. And on the tiny island of Lanai, where Four Seasons already runs a best-in-class resort founded by Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, the same company just opened its first Sensei Retreat, a 96-room, an all-inclusive getaway with a high-tech spa and farm-to-table restaurant by Nobu Matsuhisa.
Read the full article on Bloomberg.