HOTEL EXCELSIOR DUBROVNIK, CROATIA

The celebrated Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw gushed about the beauty of Croatia’s capital, Dubrovnik, describing it as paradise on earth. Decades later, the coastal city still holds visitors in its thrall with flaming red roofs that flash in the mild winter sun against the Adriatic Sea’s blue waters.

One of the world’ s most well-conserved walled medieval towns, Dubrovnik’s charm is best exemplified by the Hotel Excelsior, amere five minutes from Ploce Gate, the entrance to Old Town. This once-upon-a-time royal villa has a unique Elizabethan history – the discerning Queen Elizabeth II and Elizabeth Taylor have stayed here and both loved its sea-facing, bright, woodpanelled rooms filled with pine-scented breeze from nearby Lokrum island.

For local flavours with a bite, nothing beats Croatian oysters. November is when these briny delicacies flourish off the Dalmatian coast and the picturesque bayside town of Mali Ston (a 45-minute drive away) abounds in oyster farms and gourmet eateries such as Kapetanova Kuća. A trip would guarantee a feast for the eyes and the taste buds!