Time to travel

As the world opens up again, let us inspire you, with South African art (page 110), the top 10 hotels (page 118), the tombs of Egypt (page 126), practical conservation in the Maldives (page 130), sustainable kit (page 136), the hidden corners of the Greek mainland (page 138), people who embrace the local life (page 142), tasting the wine of Vienna, Austria, (page 148) and cycling into a fairy tale in Transylvania (page 150)

Le Grand Contrôle, Airelles Château de Versailles, France

We often praise a hotel for feeling like a home away from home, but, after two years stuck in our actual homes, the notion feels a tad outdated. And really, is somewhere that feels like home really where we want to go on our much-deserved breaks from reality? Instead, in our annual top-10 feature (page 118), discover some of the most stylish hotels and villas in the world.

Alternatively, stay in someone else’s home —that of Louis XIV’S treasurer. Le Grand Contrôle is the only hotel inside the perimeter walls of Château de Versailles. It has been renovated to late-18th-century style and furnished with a mixture of period antiques and replica pieces. Pretty side tables groan under the weight of seasonal fruit and Ladurée macarons; some of the 14 bedrooms look out over the Orangerie gardens.

There is a thoroughly modern Valmont spa, too, and an Alain Ducasse restaurant, as well as complimentary out-of-hours tours of the château and Trianon Palaces. Electric golf buggies are available to guests who want to explore the grounds.

From £1,450 per night (www.airelles.com)