THERE’S NEVER A DULL MOMENT IN LUXURY TRAVEL IS THERE?

In fact, the past year alone has to have been one of the most fascinating of late, with mega mergers, electronics bans and misbehaving airlines, not to mention Trump. It’s always interesting to pull out the popcorn and watch the industry adapt to PR disasters, curve balls and even observe the way they adopt trends. We’ve seen millennial travellers as just one example – just turn to page 22 to see the clever (if a little unconventional) methods concocted to entertain this segment with Marriott’s new hipster-leaning brand Moxy. Another trend we are watching closely is the contemporary evolution of family travel. Accommodating large families is something hotels and resorts are fairly accustomed to in this region, but after speaking with some of Africa’s finest luxury lodges, safari camps and tour operators at ILTM Africa in Cape Town last month, what seems to be becoming even more common is the trend of multi-generational family travel. Despite what some prickly executives might have to say about babies in Business Class, exposing children to luxury at a young age is now the norm, as is travelling with the extended family, which is why we thought it was high time to create a Luxe Kids supplement. In our fabulous guide, which begins on page 65, you will find a hot-list of inspiration for your next family holiday. Also in the issue, we travel to the heavenly Indonesian island of Bali (page 54) where writer Jenny Hewett immerses herself in the island’s spiritual energy and beds down in luxury at The St. Regis Bali Resort. There’s also a piece about my recent visit to Goa, southern India’s bohemian-chic beach destination, for the launch party of the sexy new W Goa – the first W property in India (page 46). Meanwhile, there’s plenty more within the magazine to sate your appetite for luxury travel, lifestyle and cuisine. Becca Hensley charts the history behind Italy’s Bellini cocktail and shares her favourite places to drink it (page 100) while Jeff Mills leads us on an appetite-whetting gourmet journey through Lisbon (page 96), while art director Kris Karacinski drives into the sunset with our photographer Haitham El Shazly to photograph the new Mercedes GLC43 AMG (page 116). As always, I hope you enjoy the issue and wish you another month of inspiring travels.