Choice destinations
Leap into travel with these choicest picks for a bold, brand new year, writes Julietta Jameson.
Look no further, we’ve found 2020’s hotspots for you.
The Tokyo Olympics and World Expo in Dubai are set to dominate the headlines for travellers in 2020 but elsewhere a series of other thrilling events, architectural wonders, swish hotels and more will provide every bit as much holiday inspiration over these 366 leapyear days.
From China’s unveiling of its latest grandiose attractions, ranging from architectural statements to entertainment meccas, to New York cementing its status as the most exciting city in the world with its latest plethora of essential things to do and see, 2020 is packed with interest.
Cities and countries Paris
In 2020, a flurry of glamorous new Parisian hotels throw open gleaming doors. The Bvlgari Hotel, JK Place, Kimpton Paris and Cheval Blanc are set to make their mark on the City of Light, and just down the road, the Airelles Chateau de Versailles, Le Grand Controle, on the grounds of Versailles. See enparisinfo.com
Bosnia & Herzegovina
This once war-torn Balkan country is marking 25 years of peace in 2020. FlyBosnia, the country’s new (though struggling) airline has launched flights from London Luton to Sarajevo – ending a 12-year dearth of direct air links with Britain. See bhtourism.ba
Rwanda
Tourism in this African nation may be in its infancy. But some great operators have shown their confidence in its future by building luxurious lodges affording access to remarkable wildlife, most notably, mountain gorillas. Put One&Only Gorilla’s Nest on the 2020 travel vision board. See visitrwanda.com; oneandonlyresorts.com
Hotels and resorts Aman New York, US
Aman takes its ‘‘urban sanctuary’’ concept to Manhattan, the brand’s second city property after Aman Tokyo. If location is everything, then this hotel has the lot: it inhabits the Crown Building on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, overlooking Central Park. See aman.com
Mandarin Oriental Saigon, Vietnam
Mandarin Oriental Saigon occupies the upper floors of Union Square Saigon, adjacent to the Saigon Opera House and the People’s Committee Building. Featuring 227 guestrooms and suites, six restaurants and bars, and an outdoor swimming pool, the property is single-handedly raising the level of Saigon luxury. See mandarinoriental.com
Rosewood Sao Paulo, Brazil
Rosewood’s first property in South America lies in a former hospital at the centre of Cidade Matarazzo, a historic complex being developed by the French entrepreneur, Alexandre Allard, who helped to revitalise the House of Balmain.
The project team includes the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel and the legendary designer Philippe Starck. See rosewoodhotels.com
Events 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, Tokyo, Japan
If you’re going to the Olympics and you haven’t booked accommodation, you better get on to it. It’s estimated Tokyo will be short 14,000 hotel rooms each day of the event, pushing visitors into other cities and on to cruise ships acting as temporary hotels. See tokyo2020.org
Expo 2020 Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Spanning 173 days, involving 192 countries, and hosting a huge number of events, the first World Expo in the Middle East is expecting 25 million visitors to the 438-hectare site. The cost? More than US$3 billion. But Dubai expects the reputational legacy to be priceless. See expo2020dubai.com
2020 Capital of Music/Salzburg Festival Centennial, Austria
Some may argue Vienna is the world’s capital of music every year, but combine the official mantle with the 250th birthday of Beethoven, and the focus of the classical world will be on the Austrian capital. Three hundred kilometres away, Salzburg will be celebrating 100 years of its exquisite summer festival with more than 200 separate performances and events. See musik2020.wien.info; salzburgerfestspiele.at
Culture The Grand Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt
GEM, Egypt’s new US$1b-plus home for its historical artefacts, is set to finally open this year. Announced in 1992 and scheduled to originally welcome guests in , pieces are moving in (a huge delivery occurred mid-December) and the facility is already running private tours for the lucky few. See gem.gov.eg
European Capital of Culture, Galway, Ireland
Structured around the old Celtic calendar of Imbolc, Bealtaine, Lughnasa and Samhain, Galway 2020 begins in February and runs through until the end of January 2021. The February 8 opening in Galway City promises to be very good craic indeed. (Marrakech is the other 2020 Capital of Culture.) See galway2020.ie
The New Museum for Western Australia, Perth
Western Australia’s A$400 million new landmark mixes heritage and contemporary architecture. Cutting-edge technology inside showcases the people, places, history and cultures of Western Australia with a strong focus on Aboriginal and multicultural stories.
See museum.wa.gov.au/newmuseum
Architecture and design Ambiente, A Landscape Hotel, Sedona, Arizona
A magnet for wellness and nature lovers, Arizona’s Sedona will soon have this ASUL Architectsdesigned haven comprising 40 cube-shaped ‘‘Atriums’’: above-ground metal and glass cubes that will reflect, rather than interrupt the incredible natural environment surroundings. See ambientesedona.com
Central Park Tower, New York, US
A US$3b, 472-metre-high edifice on NYC’s so-called Billionaire’s Row will be the highest residential tower in the world. Architects Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill are no strangers to dizzying heights. Their previous work includes Saudia Arabia’s Jeddah Tower. See centralparktower.com
The Londoner Hotel, London, England
The revamp of Leicester Square continues with the opening of the £300 million Londoner, cleverly designed by Australia’s Woods Bagot to work with the existing streetscape, having eight storeys above ground and six subterranean levels of bars, restaurants and cinemas. See edwardian.com
New National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
Starchitect Kengo Kuma’s stadium for the Tokyo Olympics is built on the same footprint as the stadium for Japan’s landmark 1964 Games which coincided with technological advances such as the shinkansen or bullet train. The 60,000-seat stadium’s design and construction is dominated by timber, a trademark of the architect.
See tokyo2020.org; jnto.org.au
World Expo 2020 Pavilions, Dubai, UAE
A who’s who of the architecture world is on display for Dubai’s Expo. Foster + Partners is just one of the firms involved in the host nation’s facilities, while country exhibits are housed in structures as smart as they are striking, leaving a permanent architectural legacy. See expo2020.dubai.com
Homage, Spicers Hidden Vale, Grandchester, Queensland
In April 2018, the 100-year-old Homestead at Spicers Hidden Vale was destroyed by fire. The Chef Hatted restaurant was moved to the property’s barn. In February, the Homestead rebuild is due for completion and guests can dine either in it, the barn, or even under the stars.
See spicersretreats.com
Attractions Edge Skydeck, New York City, US
New York’s Hudson Yards development gets a new attraction with Edge, a suspended viewing deck constructed from glass, jutting 25 metres out of the 100th storey of a skyscraper. A staircase leads up to a higher level Champagne bar. See edgenyc.com
Universal Beijing Resort, Beijing, China
Several new theme parks are opening across China in 2020, the biggest name, though, is Universal. Further development will see a second theme park and water park adjacent. The company is opening parks in Moscow and South Korea as well.
See universalbeijingresort.com
Legoland New York Resort, Goshen, New York, US
The biggest Legoland yet will have more than 50 rides plus other attractions, including 15,000 Lego models, currently being constructed around the world. A 250-room hotel will be busy; the 61-squarehectare resort lies 100 kilometres away from NYC. See legoland.com
Shanghai Planetarium, Shanghai, China
This 38,000-square-metre Ennead Architectsdesigned planetarium will be the world’s biggest. The striking facility, a branch of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, comprises three ‘‘celestial bodies’’, the Oculus, the Inverted Dome, and the Sphere, telling the story of time, space and China’s astro-ambitions. See en.sstm.org.cn