From antiques to gourmet food to vintage clothing, you can find it all in London’s best weekend markets. A tradition since medieval times, these colourful markets are delightfully overwhelming with hoards of people, food from all over the world and things for sale ranging from useless to rare. For me, there is no better way to spend a weekend morning than strolling through vendors, browsing through racks of handmade dresses while juggling a bag of fresh produce in one hand and a delicious spinach and feta gozleme in the other. If that’s not your cup of English tea, however, here is a little more about what some of London’s most popular markets have to offer.

Borough Market

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Tucked under the railway viaducts between the river Thames and Borough High Street, this market is a food lover’s paradise. Here you can join chefs, amateur cooks and people who just love to eat filling their baskets and bellies with some of the best food in London and beyond.  Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 130 rotating vendors offer everything from fresh falafel made with hemp seeds to white truffle oil.  It sounds gourmet, and it is, but this doesn’t necessarily mean sky high prices. With so many deals and samples you can enjoy the magic of the Borough market on any budget.

• Borough Market

Brick Lane Market(s)

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Brick Lane on a Sunday is a one of a kind experience. Be sure to go hungry to this famous curry street because you’ll have a difficult time limiting yourself to just one option. In addition to the many restaurant promoters calling out irresistible deals and the food stalls in the Brick Lane outdoor market there are the indoor Sunday Up and Backyard markets serving up every kind of international food imaginable. After eating your fill of pumpkin chicken curry and empanadas (maybe a cupcake too) its time to shop! Both of the indoor markets, located in the Old Truman Brewery, have great artwork, new and vintage clothing and accessories and along Brick Lane you’ll find blankets spread on the ground displaying everything from a single sweater to a pile of African Masks.

• Brick Lane Market

Portobello Market

One of the most famous markets in the world, Portobello market overtakes Portobello road every Saturday and attracts crowds of Londoners and tourists alike. It is probably most famous for its antiques but the market offers much more than that with 2 miles of road lined with vendors selling fruit and veg, new goods, second hand goods, fashion, and lots of great street food too. The market runs right through the heart of Notting Hill, a spunky area that is worth checking out any day of the week.

• Portobello Road Market

Camden Market

Funky and original, Camden market is a colourful collection of all kinds of goods and all kinds of people. The shops here are open all week and are great shopping for those with an alternative style or if you’re looking for some cool vintage pieces. Sunday is the main market day with stalls selling absolutely everything at good prices, especially if you’re willing to haggle.  With lots character and freaky style, Camden market is the place to get your goth on.

• Camden Market

Spitalfields

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A renovation a few years ago changed this market’s vibe from rough and gritty to more modern and trendy, starting a tug of war between loyal market goers as to whether the Spitalfields market is better than ever or a shadow of what it used to be. Regardless, the market holds and irresistible charm and is a popular place to shop all week long with lots of quaint shops, cafés and restaurants. Monday through Wednesday and Saturday too you’ll find just the permanent shops open, selling unique goods by individual designers. Stalls on Thursdays feature antiques and vintage, Friday you’ll find fashion and art and the Sunday market day is the busiest yet with all the shops and stalls open for business.

• Spitalfields Market

From Royal engagements (love them or hate them!) to Olympic preparations, London is firmly in the global spotlight as one of the places to see and be seen right now. If you’re visiting, don’t fall into the usual tourist traps – get to know a different side to the capital – with our top 10 hidden London places to see. Here is Part 1 of our London double-bill. Look out for next week’s guide to London markets…

The Phoenix Artist Club

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Secreted under a theatre of the same name (the one showing Blood Brothers for two decades), The Phoenix is exactly the kind of bar there needs to be more of in London. Central, but not over run with people. Spacious, but not impersonal (in fact, it’s décor and lighting is more towards the intimate end of the spectrum). Interesting, but not pretentious. The catch? Well technically it is a members bar, but if you arrive before 8pm non members are allowed in for a drink or a bite to eat. I can’t understand why I don’t go there more often!

Phoenix Artist Club

Scooterworks Café

Now, I will confess – I’m not much of a coffee aficionado. Quite the opposite, but I am on a mission to find the best mocha in London. Scooterworks doesn’t even come close in that regard (I think Café Vergnano might have it) but it’s an absolute gem of a place, more so because it’s in such an unlikely location, and is adorned with wonderful vintage signs and décor. Next time you have to wait for a train near Waterloo, forget the corporate banality of Starbucks and give this place a try.

Scooterworks Cafe

Afternoon Tea at the Howard Swissotel

This was a tough one to narrow down. My dad loves afternoon tea, and we go at least 4 or 5 times a year in London, steadily working our way through a massive list including posh hotels, department stores and individual shrines to tea (RIP Shipp’s Tea Rooms at Borough Market). We’ve had better teas, but if you want to go somewhere nice and haven’t booked long enough in advance for Claridge’s or The Dorchester, then give the Swissotel a try. The setting is totally different – in fact the lack of atmosphere is the only let down – but it offers something nowhere else does: the Sight-seeing Tea. As well as your normal desserts you’ll also get biscuits in the shape of black cabs, Underground signs, Tower Bridge, St Paul’s etc, all crafted almost as beautifully as they taste!

Swissotel The Howard

The Lexi Cinema

I love this place – I just wish it were closer to where I live. Good sound and picture quality? Check. Small café attached? Check. An interesting range of films? Check. Enormous colour-changing light bulb chandelier? Check. So how could this gem possibly be improved? How about if all the profits were given to charity? Oh, they already do that as well…

Lexi Cinema

Syon Park’s Winter Light Display

Chances are, if you have kids and live in West London, you’ll probably already know about this one. But to everyone else, when the nights draw in closer to Christmas, I’d urge you to make the journey to check this out. I very nearly didn’t go – last year, as I left the house, it started raining and I really couldn’t face the effort to go there and get wet. I’m glad I eventually convinced myself to go though – it really is very beautiful, especially if you want to get a bit creative with your photos – so take your camera and get snapping!

Syon Park

Eltham Palace

To anyone who is a fan of the Art Deco movement, this place is unmissable. Unless you happen to be from Napier (in New Zealand) or Miami then any opportunity to see beautifully preserved Art Deco buildings is hard to pass up. London has several other good examples but this is the best I have found – they also hold an annual fair selling Art Deco products for die-hard fans. It works both as a spectacle – the wonderful light-filled main room – and in smaller detailing on furniture, windows, walls etc. Well worth a visit.

Eltham Palace

Positively 4^th Street

Another bar, and inexplicably empty on our recent visit. The only reason I could guess why this might be so, is its slightly out-of-the-way location on Hampstead Road – a few minutes from Warren Street tube station – hardly the beating heart of London night life. But it’s a great little place – the kind you might find in New York or LA. Comfortable red leather banquettes, good value cocktails (around the £6-7 mark), atmospheric lighting and decent bar staff. Go and have a look if you’re in the area – and make a journey if you’re not.

Positively 4th Street

Leighton House Museum

I recently discovered this place during the annual Open House Weekend that takes place every September. It’s nice to know that even after 5 years of living in London it’s still possible to go into a historic building and go “wow”, which is exactly what happened to me as I entered this impressive display of Arabic architecture, slap bang inside an unassuming Kensington townhouse. Frederic Leighton was a major artist of his day, and during his Middle Eastern travels he collected enough ceramics and tiles to decorate an entire hall and room of his house. The ground floor is the most startling in the house, but it’s all worth a look, though his bedroom is incredible more for it’s astonishingly basic level of comfort.

Leighton House Museum

Chinese Cricket Club

Ok, I have a confession to make – I work as a Concierge in the hotel where this restaurant is located, but I’m still going to include it as I honestly believe it to be one of the best Chinese meals in London at the moment – and as of October 2010, Top Table diners agree too! The food is fantastic, drawing on classic influences but adding a modern twist, and great for a group dining where you can order several dishes and share. The only downside is it can sometimes lack atmosphere – many restaurants struggle to shake off the fact they are in a hotel. But if you want to avoid the pretension of London’s high-price Asian eateries, or are actively looking for somewhere a bit quieter, then I highly recommend it.

Chinese Cricket Club

Sam Smith’s pubs

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I was trying to narrow down which of London’s plethora of amazing pubs to include in this list, but failed miserably. There are too many to mention, so I decided to include the Sam Smith’s group (about 35 of them), as I believe they are such a valuable asset to the city and would hate for them to disappear. Some are better than others – my personal choices would be The Princess Louise, Cittie of York, The John Snow, and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (probably the best known). What most of them share is the feel of a “proper” pub, incredibly low prices, generally friendly bar staff and sometimes a bit of history. Exactly what an English pub should have!

Sam Smiths

One of Europe’s most liveliest cities, Amsterdam is a place where tolerance and an extremely liberal attitude seems to be embraced by all. Brimming with creativity and subcultures –  many curious visitors are drawn to the city with the promise of great nightlife, interesting cafes and picturesque canals. Amsterdam’s thirst for the original is also evident in many of its hotels. Here are ten of the most inspiring and unusual hotels in the Dutch capital:

1. CitizenM Amsterdam City

Recently voted the trendiest hotel in the world, CitizenM offers contemporary luxury at surprisingly affordable prices. The hotel’s award winning design combines clean modern decor with functional space and innovative technology. All of the 215 rooms feature LCD TVs, a power rain shower, climate control and a king-size bed with Frette linen. Tech-nerds will particularly appreciate the touch screen ‘MoodPad’ which allows you to control the television, window blinds, coloured mood lighting and even call a member of staff.

2. Hotel Arena

A popular hotel with an intriguing past, Hotel Arena once housed orphans, elderly adults and young hostellers. Now fully but respectfully renovated by a group of acclaimed designers the end result is a unique combination of contemporary dutch design and historical character features. Light wooden floors, high ceilings, soothing white washed walls and a good use of space are the hallmark of every room. The glossy bathrooms are no less unique with open showers and larger than average bathtubs.

3. Sandton Hotel de Filosoof

An unconventional three star hotel founded by two deep thinking sisters. Each of the 38 rooms are dedicated to a philosopher or writer and range from a colourful interpretation of Confucius to a sparse but serene Zen room. The hotel also offers a buffet breakfast, free wifi, a spacious outdoor garden and art gallery. A lower price but professionally run hotel capturing an inspiring and authentic Amsterdam experience.

4. Hotel V Frederiksplein

Handily located near the fashionable Pijp area and Heineken Brewery, the achingly trendy Hotel V caters for a young individual crowd. The V concept combines unique design with a welcoming atmosphere and exceptional customer service. Each room is luxuriously designed to a boutique standard and the newly renovated lobby has an exclusive club lounge feel complete with with soulful music, roaring fire and comfy leather sofa. Perfect for a non-traditional, yet unpretentious hotel experience.

5. Qbic Hotel Amsterdam

An inventive budget hotel for the open minded. Qbic offers novel and alternative self catering accommodation with a strong focus on efficiency and unusual design. Guests have the chance of staying in a ‘Cubi’ where they will benefit from an extra long Hastens bed, an LCD television, a designer bathroom and an ingenious work-and-dine station. You can even change the colour of the lights to create different moods and atmospheres. The futuristic lobby also features a touch screen digital kiosk which provides you with local information on restaurants and cinema listings.

6. Lloyd Hotel

The frequently praised Lloyd Hotel is one of the very few hotels in the world that offers a full range of ‘one to five star’ accommodation. The revamped 1920′s building sits right in the heart of the trendy East Docklands area and has quickly become an Amsterdam institution. The one star rooms are sparse but full of character with a shared bathroom and the more luxurious rooms are spacious with exceptionally deigned furniture and interiors. A haven for original design, you also have the chance to stay the night in more unusual surroundings such as a bed which sleeps up to eight people.

7. Times Hotel

Centrally located and reasonably priced the Times Hotel offers accommodation where ‘Design meets Old Dutch’. Originally a canal mansion dating from 1650 the hotel has been recently renovated to deliver a successful mix of old and new. Now each of the individually and elegantly designed rooms showcases a wall sized old Dutch master such as Van Gogh or Vermeer which is contrasted with tastefully modern furniture. Guests will also benefit from private bathrooms and a bright welcoming lobby.

8. The Dylan

The Dylan is an award winning boutique hotel where top end luxury meets classic design. Once a theatre and then a workhouse for the poor, the Dylan’s interesting history is still evident in the hotel today (the restaurant still has the original workhouse floors and baking ovens). All rooms are individually designed and range from the tastefully elaborate to the minimalist and exceptional customer service and attention to detail is key to the brand. Different modes of transports are even lent out to staying guests, including bicycles and fully fitted canals boats.

9. The A-Train Hotel

Less cool more quirky, The A-Train is a traditional budget hotel with ‘train’ theme. Aptly located right in front of Amsterdam’s central railway station the family run establishment even has a railway carriage Pullman lounge and train tracks painted on the floor. Standard rooms are although basic are differently designed, for those seeking more comfort there are four ‘First Class rooms’ to choose from. Not to everyone’s taste but offering homely and unique accommodation in a great central location.

10. Inntel Hotel Zaandam

Part of the popular Inntel group Amsterdam Zaandam is a 4-star design hotel located in a town very close to the capital. Interiors have been carefully planned with a blend of contemporary modern industrial design and classic vintage details. The hotel also offers a relaxing wellness centre, swimming pool and an informal restaurant specialising in pure ingredients. The hotel’s exterior, although, is the biggest draw. The colossal cartoonesque 12 story structure gives the impression of traditional Dutch houses randomly stacked upon one another and certainly makes an statement.

The Zayed National Mueum will feature five lightweight steel towers resembling birds’ wings, set within a landscaped mound with gallery spaces located at ground level.

The latticed towers will be designed to act as thermal chimneys that will draw cool air into the spaces below, whilst cooling pipes buried beneath will release fresh air into the lobby.

Named after UAE founder Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the museum will be dedicated to the history and culture of the country.

The museum is the latest superstar-designed building to be unveiled for Saadiyat Island cultural district; a performing arts centre by Zaha Hadid, a Guggenheim by Frank Gehry, a branch of the Louvre museum by Jean Nouvel and a maritime museum by Tadao Ando are already underway.

Designs for the Zayed National Museum have been officially unveiled today by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Conceived as a monument and memorial to the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding president of the UAE, the Museum will be the centrepiece of the Saadiyat Island Cultural District and will showcase the history, culture and more recently the social and economic transformation of the Emirates.

Architecturally, the aim has been to combine a highly efficient, contemporary form with elements of traditional Arabic design and hospitality to create a museum that is sustainable, welcoming and culturally of its place. Celebrating Sheikh Zayed’s legacy and love of nature, the museum is set within a landscaped garden, based on a timeline of his life.

The display spaces are housed within a man-made, landscaped mound. The galleries are placed at the bases of five solar thermal towers. The towers heat up and act as thermal chimneys to draw cooling air currents naturally through the museum. Fresh air is captured at low level and drawn through buried ground-cooling pipes and then released into the museum’s lobby. The heat at the top of the towers works to draw the air up vertically through the galleries due to the thermal stack effect. Air vents open at the top of the wing-shaped towers taking advantage of the negative pressure on the lee of the wing profile to draw the hot air out.

Here in the museum these towers are lightweight steel structures, sculpted aerodynamically to work like the feathers of a bird’s wing.  The analogies with falcons and flight are deliberate and relate directly to Sheikh Zayed’s love of falconry. This theme is further celebrated by a gallery devoted to the subject as part of a wider focus on conservation. These inner spaces open up to an outdoor arena for live displays with hunting birds.

Balancing the lightweight steel structures with a more monumental interior experience, the galleries are anchored by a dramatic top-lit central lobby, which is dug into the earth to exploit its thermal properties and brings together shops, cafes, an auditorium and informal venues for performances of poetry and dance. Throughout, the treatment of light and shade draws on a tradition of discreet, carefully positioned openings, which capture and direct the region’s intense sunlight to illuminate and animate these interior spaces. Objects are displayed within niches and on stone plinths that rise seamlessly from the floor.
The museum contains a variety of performance spaces. A large auditorium, lined with Emirati textiles, provides an evocative setting for presentations and films. The lobby incorporates more informal venues for poetry readings, music and dance, where the audience can gather in a circle to enjoy the spectacle and atmosphere of traditional performances.

The interior concept for the restaurant draws on the opulence and hospitality of the Bedouin tent, with carefully selected furnishings. The majlis, or VIP spaces, open onto a central courtyard. This traditional space offers guests a unique perspective, as it is the only place in the museum where one can enjoy views of the wind towers.

Lord Foster said: “It has been a great privilege to work on the Zayed National Museum, to carry forward Sheikh Zayed’s vision and to communicate the dynamic character of a contemporary United Arab Emirates. We have sought to establish a building that will be an exemplar of sustainable design, resonating with Sheikh Zayed’s love of nature and his wider heritage.”

Volkan Simsek, who is the President of .Professional Hotel Managers Association of Turkey, in a latest interview with the Anatolia News Agency, commented that Turkey has come out as an attractive option for the UK travelers replacing the traditional eurozone countries. According to Simsek, till the previous year, around 5 million tourists were heading to Spain for holiday but there is a steep decrease in this number. Now, many of those people especially Britons are now opting for cheaper alternative countries like Turkey. Additionally, the country’s sunny climate, beautiful resorts, high standard of living and the delicious Turkish cuisine are tempting the British tourists to spend their vacations there.

In the past few years, German and Russian groups form the major part of the travelers to Turkey but now the British travelers are also catching up. Simsek also said that approximately 1.5 million Brits headed to Turkey for holidays in the past 12 months and in few years this number can double itself by going to 3 million. Many new hotels and resorts are also coming up in the country and the old ones are in a rush to improve their facilities to cater to the taste of these new visitors. Recommended Sites: Turkey Travel , Turkey Holidays and Turkey travel advice

If you love to visit so many places then Germany is the amazing one that is full of architecture, fabulous shopping and endless nightlife. Nation is also considered as one of the beautiful lands of a thousand possibilities because of there real presentable beauties. You will also take a wonderful view of its medieval villages, traditional wine villages and friendly festivals. Other than that, many of the Castles, palaces and abbeys have colorful and meaningful histories that are also abundant in this countryside. It is one of those perfect places that allow the travelers to have fun, sports, wellness & relaxation.

Germany is full of culture, traditions and festivals that happen all year around. One of the most popular festivals that held in such country is celebrated in the month of September to October. It is also known as the Oktoberfest and takes place in Munich. You need to spend huge amount of money if you want to engage yourself in the specific places and travel to the beautiful country. Though Germany is a fairly inexpensive country, but it needs to be considered the factors to determine that how much you can pay to spend for your vacation.

A trip to Paris is not complete without a visit to the Louvre or the popular Musee d’Orsay but the city is also home to so many other museums, big and small, which are also very interesting, historical, enlightening or just plain fun. Check out our guide to the less famous museums in Paris.

Musée National Du Moyen Age
(The National Museum of the Middle Ages)

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Located near the Sorbonne, the Museum of the Middle Ages is located at two important historical sites and is worth a visit just for these. The first is the beautiful Hotel de Cluny (from the late 15th century it was the town residence for the abbots of the Cluny Abbey). Also on this site are the remains of the ancient Gallo-Roman baths, dating from the 1st-3rd centuries. The frigidarium or cold room is actually incorporated into the museum itself.

Beautiful Tapestries
The museum collections include  sculpture, paintings, miniatures, gold and ivory work and textiles. The most famous of their tapestries is the spectacular “Lady and the Unicorn” series. You will probably have likely seen reproductions of these tapestries, as they show up  everywhere (I’ve even noticed them copied as the wallpaper in the common room in the “Harry Potter” movies). Still, it’s well worth seeing the originals. You can’t help but be in awe of the artistry of the women who created these very large masterpieces one little stitch at a time.

Historical Collections
The collections of simple everyday items from the Middle Ages are also fascinating. There are combs, games, boxes, toys and even real shoes. As we dispose of mostly all our old shoes in our own lifetime, I always wonder who these centuries-old shoes belonged to and how they could possibly have survived.

Musée National Du Moyen Age 6, place Paul-Painleve, 75005 Paris

Musée Carnavalet

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This is a great destination in the Marais district. The collections in this museum tell the story of the history of Paris. And again, speaking of location, the two mansions housing the museum are architectural beauties in their own right. One of the houses belonged to the famous Madame de Sevigne, whose preserved letters to her daughter have left us a detailed and personal  description of the aristocratic life in 17th century France.

Unique Collections Across the Centuries
The permanent  collection here includes paintings, sculpture, furniture, ancient artifacts, coins, period rooms, decorative arts, old shop signs and a large collection of  photographs, drawings and prints. On display are even some personal  items belonging to the ill-fated French Queen, Marie Antoinette. The Museum courtyard also has a beautiful and very decorative maze and an  added bonus here is that viewing the permanent collection is free.

Musée Carnavalet 23, rue de  Sevigne 75003 Paris

Musée de la Curiosité et de la Magie
(Museum of Curiosity and Magic)

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This quirky museum is located at the Academie de Magie, also in the Marais district. This is a great visit for adults and kids as well. The collection includes interactive exhibits and interesting magic memorabilia, even from the great Harry Houdini. Remember that like love, magic is a universal language and the frequent live shows can be enjoyed by anyone-even if you don’t speak a word of French! You can also purchase magic tricks to take home.

Musée de la Curiosité et de la Magie 11, Rue Saint-Paul 75004 Paris

Le Museé des Egouts de Paris
(The Museum of Sewage from Paris)

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Yes, it’s the Sewer Museum- definitely a place to talk about when you get back home! The museum entrance is located on the Left Bank side of the Pont de l’Alma. Crude sewer construction was begun in Paris in the 1300’s but when it was very much expanded and improved starting in 1850, it truly became an engineering triumph that eventually helped greatly with the control of disease. “Les egouts” are even written about extensively in the novel “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo (whose house in the Place des Vosges is also a museum).

Interesting Tour
Now you can tour the operations of today as well as see some from the past. And there’s even a gift shop! When we visited, the smell wasn’t bad, though I’ve heard that this can depend on the weather, so decide for yourself whether you’re up for it or not. Still on view are giant wooden balls, from those earlier days, that men pushed by hand, rolling them slowly through the tunnels to clean them out. And this makes for an added bonus to visiting this interesting little alternative museum.

No matter how much you may get fed up with your own job on certain days, chances are that at least you don’t have to struggle and strain to push walls of sewage away with giant wooden balls!

Are you a self-confessed beach bum but have had enough of high rise over-development and rowdy beer boys? If so, we have pulled together a list of some of Europe’s finest beach resorts with not a crowded disco bar or banana boat in sight.

Best for incredible coastline

Amalfi Coast, Italy

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You would be hard pressed to find coastline as jaw-droppingly beautiful as the southern side of Sorrento’s peninsula. The Amalfi Coast is 50km stretch of towering cliffs, winding roads, pungent lemon groves, vineyards and whitewashed villas. The resort has long been a magnet for the rich and famous and although the area is incredibly popular, thankfully over-development has been limited-probably largely due to it’s unforgiving terrain. The gorgeously located Sorrento and Ravello shouldn’t be missed nor should the photogenic but expensive town of Positano. If you are a tight budget give the exclusive hotels a miss and stay in one of the family run B&Bs instead.

Best for authentic charm

Sesimbra, Portugal

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Sesimbra, located on the west coast of Portugal is a small and attractive working fishing port where visitors will also benefit from a long promenade, a great beach, clear turquoise sea and some better than average hotels. Sesimbra is not what you’d call underdeveloped but it still somehow manages to retain it’s rustic charm and village atmosphere – the resort is the antithesis of the unashamedly brash Algarve. Lisbonites come here to escape the city hassles and is undiscovered by most living outside Portugal. The bay is excellent for swimming and dolphin spotting and there are endless rows of cafes and restaurants to enjoy the local catch of the day. Being only an hour’s drive from the capital, Sesimbra also makes the perfect base to explore Lisbon and the neighbouring cosmopolitan seaside town Cascais.

Best for hanging out with the beautiful people

Sardinia, Italy

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Sardinia, the second largest island in the Mediterranean sea is popular with affluent tourists, island-hoppers, beautiful bronzed people and the odd celebrity or two. It’s also a travel destination of contrasts – it’s both historic and cosmopolitan and laid-back and lively. As well as some impossibly picturesque traditional towns, Sardinia has natural beauty in abundance and the perfectly clear turquoise sea and white sandy beaches seem to have more in common with islands much nearer the equator. Head for the glitzier resort towns of Costa Smeralda and Porto Rotundo for your celeb-spotting fix.

Best for boating

Kefalonia, Greece

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The popular novel Louis de Bernières Captain Corelli’s Mandolin turned Kefalonia into one of the most sought after Greek island resorts but yet this large but still traditional island has somehow managed to escape the problems that the other tourist ridden Greek islands have suffered. As well as being blessed with natural beauty, Kefalonia is adorned with all the usual cliched Greek images such as olive groves, white washed villages, incredible beaches and rugged mountain ranges. Try hiring a small boat to discover one of the many secluded bays inaccessible by road or foot, or use discount cruises to island hop the rest of the Ionian islands.

Best for timeless beauty

Croatia, Dalmatian Coast

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Croatia has come a long way from it’s unsettled past and is now considered a safe and welcoming country. It’s also a much-loved and much hyped holiday destination. Rapid development has been kept to a minimum here and Croatia with it’s bustling fishing ports, stone-built villages, quiet coves and historical towns is one of Europe’s most unspoilt and timeless places to take a holiday. Part of it’s appeal is it’s renowned dramatic and lengthy rugged coastline often known as the New Riviera. Dubrovnik, Lord Byron’s ‘pearl of the Adriatic’ deserves a special mention, it’s a unique city that has pristinely preserved its Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque churches, palaces and monuments.

Best for rugged scenery and chic coastal towns

Corisca, France

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Although popular with tourists, Corsica is another island that has surprisingly not succumbed to over-development. Holiday-goers flock here for the mild climate, white sand crescent beaches, serene rocky coves and unrivalled diverse landscapes. The rugged mountainous parts of the island attract walkers and hikers and the chic towns and ports lined with pavement cafés and palm trees offer the perfect place to relax. Try the famous GR20 – one of the top trails in the world for a particularly exhilarating hike or drive.

Best for budget

Patara, Turkey

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Patara is a beachside village located on the glistening ‘Turkish Riveria’ (the south-west Aegean coast of Turkey). The resort has one of the longest and most beautiful sandy beaches in the Mediterranean and has the added bonus of being outside the expensive euro-zone. Legend has it that Patara is the birthplace of Apollo and at the height of the Roman Empire it was one of the most important harbours in the western Mediterranean, fine examples of excavated Roman masonry can be found in the village’s ticketed archeological site. Nowadays Patara mostly attracts Turkish day trippers, bohemian tourists and nesting turtles!

One of the world’s most visited cities, Paris is famed for its romance, iconic architecture and centuries of artistic achievement. Paris is often everything a visitor wants it’s to be and amid the bustle of everyday life you still might find typical Parisian cliches of poets, intellectuals and elegant fashionistas. In keeping with the city’s trend of being at the forefront of many artistic and design movements, Paris offers a fine collection of cool and unusual hotels that are not just for Valentine’s day…

1. Le Bellechasse

Striking and elaborately designed Le Bellechasse sits comfortably within the narrow streets of the trendy Saint-Germain district. Not out of place amongst all the art galleries, prestigious antique shops, bistros and restaurants also located here, this boutique hotel offers a visual feast in gigantic portions. Fully decorated by fashion designer Christian Lacroix in a typically Parisian decadent style circa the 19th century. If you decide to stay at this hotel, expect the unusual. Oddities include wall giant butterflies, winged dandies and enormous playing cards but yet still manages to remain tasteful.

2. Murano Resort Paris

An extravagant avant-garde design hotel and self proclaimed ‘urban resort’, the Murano Resort hotel is a stylish choice for those looking to be near some of popular cultural sites of Paris. This place effortlessly mixes luxury, modern technology and attention to detail. In each of the 52 rooms you will find everything from essential oil kits and mood lighting control panels to ‘pillow menus’. And who needs keys when you have a fingerprint ID door access system to play with?

3. Hotel Du Petit Moulin

Once the oldest bakery in Paris, now fully refurbished to create a small boutique hotel again adorned with a large lashing of Christian Lacroix flamboyance. The result is an intimate and very colourful modern boudoir style of accommodation that you certainly wouldn’t forget in a hurry. Each room is uniquely designed and one even features scribbles and drawings taken from Lacroix’s very own sketchbook. Also perfectly located for hip fashion boutique shopping.

4. One by the Five

Marketing itself as an ultimate romantic experience, One by the Five is the last word in dreamy opulence and cosy luxury, although with an eye watering price tag to match. The single-suite hotel successfully blends top-end contemporary design, advanced technology with unique details. Each room offers rich fabrics, handmade beds, playful lighting effects and music composed exclusively for the suite.

5. Mama Shelter

Definitely cooler than your average mid priced hotel, Mama Shelter is quickly becoming a popular accommodation choice in Paris. Catering to a young, hip and open minded crowd this hotel appeals to everyone that would appreciate the quirky but chic Philippe Starck design. Expect elevators papered with trivia, superhero masks placed playfully in every room, walls of exposed concrete and iMac televisions in every room. Even if the decor might not exactly be to everyone’s taste, the great room rates and accessible location makes this an excellent choice.

6. Hotel des Academies

Sitting aptly in a trendy part of Paris is this small boutique hotel dedicated to the creative arts. Hotel des Academies promises to give you a warm and elegant welcome and even gives guests the choice of classic or Art Deco style. All rooms were completely renovated by either artist Jérôme Mesnager or the sculptor Sophie de Watrigant and the result is a glamorous but homely atmosphere. Unique artwork aside, other personal touches include a luxurious wellness area and a cinema room where you can watch films of artists.

7. Kube Hotel

Located in the very popular Montmarte district is a design hotel which combines retro designs with a strong futuristic influence. With an eclectic mix of faux fur, fluorescent perspex, bean bags and cubic forms ‘The Kube’ is a world away from many people’s idea of a typical Parisian hotel. Also try out the hotel’s ICE KUBE (the capitals’ very first ice bar) and two projection rooms.

8. The Five Hotel

The Latin Quarter has been the hub of artistic and student life since the 1920s and lying in its heart is this innovative design hotel that won’t blow the budget. In keeping with its bohemian surroundings the Five hotel is vividly and creatively decorated. Here you will find rooms decorated with bold colours, a liberal use of Chinese lacquer and tiny star like lights fitted in the wall. To keep costs down fixtures and furnishings are kept to a minimum but all rooms contain satellite LCD televisions and high-speed wireless internet access. Oh and you can even choose your own room scent.

9. Color Design Hotel

The Color Design hotel is a new mid range design hotel located in one of the most fashionable areas of Paris. The hotel has a white minimalistic design interspersed with the odd splash of colour and each floor has it’s own individual colour. More comfortable and contemporary than luxurious, this hotel would suit anyone looking for easy access to great bars, restaurants and boutiques for a price that won’t break the bank.

10. Hôtel Le A

Housed in a traditional Parisian town house, only a five minute walk from the Champs Elysee is this small but stylish boutique hotel. Modern with a bold monochrome signature stye throughout, all the 25 guest bedrooms contain modern amenities such as adjustable lights and electronic blinds. All communal spaces and rooms were decorated by French artist Fabrice Hybert, who also painted one unique work for each guest room. Other comforts include a art and design library and relaxing lounge complete with open fireplace.