MEET ME IN…

Not ready for autumn? There is still plenty of sun to be had if you head south, whether for a luxury stay or a more adventurous getaway

Escape the autumn chill by heading east for an Indian summer

THE ELITE RESORT GRECOTEL CORFU

If you like champagne with breakfast, you’ll fit right in with the glamorous old-school vibe (all chandeliers and Venetianstyle furniture) at this waterfront resort. Set on a private peninsula jutting into the Ionian Sea, with three Blue Flag beaches, some rooms are in multicoloured waterfront houses, while others in the main building are simpler and brighter, with lots of white and wooden floors.

Book one of the luxe Dream Villas for your own pool and direct sea access, or one of the Palazzo Suites, with private pools and decks with steps leading into the water. If you tire of the four restaurants (offering everything from steak to seafood), drive 3km in either direction to the busy resorts of Gouviá or Dassia for traditional taverna favourites. And for more stylish action, the elegant Corfu town is just 12km away. Doubles from £195 B&B; corfuimperial.com. EasyJet (easyjet.com) has return flights from London Gatwick and Luton from £1OO

THE PARTY PAD

RIAD FARNATCHI

Tucked away in a quiet cobbled lane, a stone’s throw from the buzzy medina (in Marrakech’s old walled city), Riad Farnatchi is the ultimate Moorish party pad. A converted trio of traditional houses, it is ornate but homely, with a covered courtyard, small, mosaic-edged pool and nine beautifully decorated suites: think black-andwhite zellige (handmade clay) tiles, vibrant hand-stitched rugs and cosy fireplaces (Moroccan nights are surprisingly chilly). Bedrooms have crisp white linens, marble sunken baths and walk-in power showers, and you even get your own fez hat and djellaba (traditional robe) to lounge around in on the roof terrace. The tiny spa can take care of everything from manicures to a full hammam experience, and their restaurant, Le Trou au Mur (‘hole in the wall’), just across the street, is the talk of the town. Doubles from £231 B&B, including airport transfers (riadfarnatchi.com). British Airways (ba.com) has return flights from London to Marrakech from £15O

THE VIP VIBE NOBU IBIZA BAY

Last time I was in Ibiza, I watched the sunrise from the terrace of a nightclub. This time, I catch it during a yoga class on the roof of the five-star Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay. Have I changed, or has Ibiza? A bit of both, I’d say. You could stay at this insanely

luxurious, 152-room Talamanca Bay seafront

palace (co-owned by Robert De Niro and chef Nobu Matsuhisa), and

seek out the island’s renowned hedonism – Ibiza Old Town is a short water-bus hop away. Or you could come for the world-class food from one of the hotel’s four restaurants, from Nobu’s famous blackened cod to the best Mexican I’ve ever eaten in Peyotito. It ain’t cheap – we’re talking mega-treat – but you do get stratospheric levels of indulgence and style. The daybeds round the planet’s

most Instagrammable sea-view pool come with

parasol butlers and cushion plumpers, while the elegant rooms boast marble bathrooms and huge windows. Naomi Campbell is a fan and, well, if it’s good enough

for Naomi… Doubles from around

£425, room only (nobuhotelibizabay.com).

British Airways (ba.com) has return flights from London Gatwick and London City to

Ibiza from £98

THE SPIRITUAL ZONE THE XARA PALACE

By day, the ancient walled

city of Mdina, Malta’s former capital, is buzzing

with tourists and horsedrawn carriages clattering along the cobbled alleys. But as the sun sets and the sightseers leave, it regains its status as the ‘silent city’, and that’s when The Xara Palace comes into its own.

Part of the Relais & Châteaux group, this converted 17-room, 17th-century palazzo is just inside the city walls and restored to its former

glory, with elegant

Parisian-style furniture and grand ecclesiastical fittings – there’s even a confessional box, should you feel remorse after the

lobster cannelloni and masterfully cooked local

rabbit (a Maltese favourite) at the hotel’s de

Mondion restaurant. Perched atop the city’s old bastion with sea and rooftop views, a table here is one of the best

on the island. Doubles from £121, B&B (relaischateaux.com). British Airways (ba.com) has return flights from London Gatwick to Malta International

Airport from £115