Getting the flavour of…
Sailing in the West Country A 1920s wooden trawler that sailed out of Brixham, in Devon, Provident is a rare relic of our seafaring past now owned by the Trinity Sailing Foundation, which offers sailing lessons to disadvantaged young people and sailing holidays for paying guests. With her green and black hull and huge rustred sails, she is a “glorious” sight, says Brian Jackman in The Sunday Telegraph – and the accommodation she offers for 12 passengers is pleasant, though decidedly snug. On a four-night trip from Brixham to Falmouth, you’ll enjoy “cheerful” banter with the friendly crew, and will visit some beautiful ports. Past Salcombe, with its gorgeous harbour and “idyllic” sandy bathing coves, the coast gets ever wilder, its “gaunt” cliffs climaxing at the Dodman, the highest headland in southern Cornwall. Prices start at £295 for a three-night Taster Cruise (01803-883355, www.trinitysailing.org). A bewitching island in the Med With no beaches and no picture-postcard villages, the volcanic island of Pantelleria is not a tourist magnet. But Giorgio Armani has a holiday home perched high on its cliffs, Madonna and Sting have stayed here, and now this bleak, rugged island midway between Sicily and Tunisia has a luxury hotel too, says Simon Usborne in the FT. Newly opened this year, the Sikelia is a “startling” place adapted from traditional fortified houses, or dammusi, with rooms like “wellappointed caves”. When not basking by its beautiful walled pool, you can hike through olive groves, swim in “unspoiled” coves (but beware of jellyfish, which are common here), or luxuriate in the Specchio di Venere (Venus’s mirror), a natural hot spring. Double rooms cost from £288 per night (00 39 06 36006551, www.sikeliapantelleria.com/en).
California’s oasis in the desert A favoured retreat of old-school Hollywood stars, notably Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack, Palm Springs had become a “backwater” by the 1980s, part “retirement home”, part gay clubbing mecca, and, later, a major centre of methamphetamine production. Now, however, this spa town two hours from LA is back in fashion, says Alix Sharkey in Condé Nast Traveller. Go to relish its fantastic mid-century modern architecture, “offbeat” vibe, desert sunshine and cool mountain breezes. There are a host of recently opened art galleries and restaurants. Good new hotels include the “brilliant and eclectic” Parker Palm Springs and the “opulent” Colony Palms – or commune with glamorous ghosts at the former homes of Sinatra or Elizabeth Taylor, now available to rent.
The Parker Palm Springs has doubles from about £300 (00 1 760 770 5000, www.theparkerpalmsprings.com).