World of exciting places for you to explore
Instead of overpriced minibars and room service there will be galley kitchens, vending machines and ironing stations catering to guests’ needs. From £119 per night.
● london-portman.nobuhotels.com; panpacific.com; ruby-hotels.com
Next year’s European Capital City of Culture, Galway kicks off its celebrations in February.
It has a lively art scene, plenty of Irish music and is Ireland’s top foodie hotspot with Michelin-star chefs, cheesemakers, brewers and also fish-smokers.
Don’t miss nearby Burren, a dramatic limestone landscape, a tour of the Tara China manufacturer and the Claddagh Museum in
Thomas Dillon’s ring shop, famous for the Claddagh ring, a heart clasped by two hands.
● Two nights in Galway from £412, B&B, with flights to Shannon, various hotels available. expedia.co.uk
The capital,tbilisi, doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue but its brightly painted Art Nouveau buildings interspersed with brutalist
Soviet-era designs make for an arresting cultural clash.
Between the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains, Georgia has a feel of being in both Asia and Europe.
Take a dip into a medicinal sulphur bath, tour the old monasteries or simply take in the dramatic mountain scenery.
Food is an important part of this region and so is wine. (It’s on the Unesco Intangible
Cultural Heritage list).
In fact, more than 500 varieties of grape and over 8,000 years of winemaking tradition has placed Georgia firmly on wine lovers’ hotlists.
The mostly organic tipples are served in clay jars.
● A nine-day Discover Georgia tour starts from £1,585pp. Including return flights, transfers, some meals. explore.co.uk
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