The smart summer travel guide
Are you craving barefoot luxury in the Caribbean, culture-soaked city breaks, or just some smart ways to make life easier when travelling?
From eco-villas in Bali to a next-gen non-alcoholic drinks and even a high-tech chauffeur solution, these standout travel ideas are tailor-made for curious, conscious travellers looking to soak up the summer season in style.
Encounter laid-back luxury with local soul on a Balinese beach
Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach is so much more than just a beachfront beauty. As the beloved hospitality brand's first resort, it's a vivid celebration of Balinese culture and community. With 289 rooms, suites and villas, eight dining venues and a sublime spa, it's a dreamy place to unwind.
But what truly sets it apart is its neighbourhood-rooted ethos.
Guests can try Endek painting – a traditional textile art – or don ceremonial dress for a joyful immersion into local life. The hotel's sustainability efforts are equally hands-on, from transforming used chopsticks into furniture, to donating surplus food, and repurposing cooking oil into biodiesel.
It's a stay that feels good – and does good, too.
Discover a sun-kissed paradise in the British Virgin Islands
Summer is so much more than a season — it's a state of mind.
And at Long Bay Beach Resort that feeling comes vividly to life on one of the Caribbean's most postcard-perfect coastlines.
Set on the shores of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, this boutique resort hideaway offers modern beachfront villas and suites with knockout ocean views of the surrounding Caribbean islands, swaying palm trees and soft white sand just steps away from your door.
Whether you're into paddleboarding at sunrise, sailing to secret coves, or just napping on a day bed on the beachfront to the gentle lapping sounds of the sea, Long Bay Beach Resort moves to your rhythm. Here, time slows down, the stress melts away and every moment feels like the golden hour.
Book a five night stay 182 days in advance and get 30% off at longbay.com
Book now
Possessing both magnificent nature and unparalleled urban style, Norway is a must for any discerning traveller's bucket list.
And Thon Hotels makes it easy. With over 80 stylish locations across the country, this colourful hotel group pairs Scandinavian design with a warm welcome and a reassuring focus on sustainability.
Whether you're soaking up Oslo's vibrant arts scene, kayaking through crystal-clear fjords, or chasing the midnight sun in the Arctic north, you'll find a cozy place to land at the end of every day.
Expect smart, modern rooms, a standout Norwegian breakfast buffet and easy access to both wild nature and walkable cities. This is summer travel somewhere cool, calm and thoroughly refreshing.
Save up to 20% on your stay at thonhotels.com. Offer ends August 2025.
Located near Canggu, Desa Hay Bali is where eco-luxury meets soulful serenity.
Each standalone villa comes with a private pool, lush garden, and is tailor-made for travellers who crave connection as much as comfort. At Ijo — the resort's restaurant — globally inspired tapas is crafted daily from fresh, local ingredients.
Morning yoga, in-villa massages and traditional Melukat rituals offer deeper immersion, while nearby adventures range from the cliffside majesty of Tanah Lot to sunrise hikes up Mount Batur.
With solar energy, water conservation and gentle luxury at its core, Desa Hay is so much more than a place to stay.
It represents a slower, more meaningful way to experience Bali.
Sip smarter on your next summer escape
Whether it's beachfront barbecues or golden-hour gatherings, it's increasingly clear creating great travel memories needn't involve alcohol.
That's where a new kind of drink comes in. Enter SENTIA Spirits — a pioneering functional drinks company whose products are designed to enhance mood, boost sociability and help you stay fully present.
Developed by leading neuroscientist Professor David Nutt, these award-winning blends use cutting-edge science and botanical ingredients to support your brain's natural GABA system, bringing calm, clarity and connection wherever you roam.
Start your day with an energising pre-surf GABA Black pour, savour vibrant GABA Gold at a long picnic lunch or wind down with a mellow GABA Red after dark. Whether paired with tonic, kombucha or your favourite fizzy drink, each sip helps support your wellbeing — without compromising on flavour. Or vibes.
Flight delayed? Schedule changed?
When travel plans shift on a dime, drvn exists to ensure your ground game stays sharp.
Designed for travel managers, event planners and executive teams who demand flawless execution every time, this global platform coordinates private transportation at scale, with real-time ride tracking, custom integrations and white-label booking tools tailored to your exact needs.
Whether it's black car pickups for an international conference or discreet SUV arrivals for top-tier clients, drvn connects you to a vetted network of commercial chauffeurs worldwide. Every detail is managed, and every mile carefully accounted for.
This isn't just black car service, it's large-scale ground transportation management.
Unwind at a Tuscan wellness retreat
Castel Monastero is located in a beautifully restored 11th-centruty monastery in the heart of Chianti, surrounded by rolling vineyards and cypress trees.
With just 70 rooms and suites, the hotel's atmosphere is one of calm refinement — perfect for couples or solo travellers seeking space, silence and soul. Guests can unwind at the award-winning wellness retreat with water circuits, detox therapies and customised spa rituals.
Gastronomy is a highlight, from informal dining in the medieval cellar to a Michelin-starred experience in the historical square.
Whether you're exploring Siena and Florence nearby, sipping Brunello under the stars or simply recharging in the gardens, this romantic corner is the perfect place to rediscover balance.
If your soul is seeking a little snow-dusted silence and starlit solitude, Isbreen The Glacier is where it's at.
This off-grid Arctic hideaway sits deep within Northern Norway's Jøkelfjord, where five geodesic-domed igloos overlook the Øksfjordjøkelen glacier and fjord below. From wood-burning stoves and private whirlpool baths to chef-prepared meals featuring reindeer and cloudberries, every detail exudes authentic local luxury.
Fill your days with dog sledding, kayaking or whale swims. Or simply gaze at the Northern Lights, when conditions are right, from the comfort of your bed. The largest suite, a 1,500-sq-ft double dome, redefines remoteness with style.
Book now and get your fourth night free, a complimentary forest sauna experience and potential igloo upgrade (subject to availability). Offer valid with code OFFER2025 for travel in 2025 and 2026.
Stay stylishly stress-free in the Swiss Alps
If your family vacation vision is all about clean lines, crisp air and zero hassle, rocksresort in LAAX totally hits the mark.
Set in a modern Alpine village at 3,600ft, this design-forward escape swaps cookie-cutter chalets for sleek, stylish and modern stone-clad apartments, with cafes, restaurants, concept stores and a freestyle park that let kids roam and grown-ups breathe.
The Family Deal of rocksresort wraps up the best of the region: lift passes for hiking and biking, entrance to turquoise Lake Cauma, the world's longest treetop walk (complete with gnarly spiral slide) and even childcare when you need a little adult escapism.
LAAX brings laid-back energy with sustainability baked in—it's cool, conscious and quietly luxurious.
Book now
Learn a language through full cultural immersion
If you're hoping for a life-altering summer, why not take the plunge and learn a language where it's spoken?
EF's immersive Language Abroad programmes let you swap surface-level sightseeing for deep connection, meaning you'll bring home skills that last a lifetime.
Offering flexible Monday start dates, EF has courses in 17 countries, including Spain, France, Japan and Costa Rica. You'll learn at modern campuses alongside students from over 100 countries and get to benefit from a full calendar of cultural events, weekend excursions and cool summer-only perks like beach barbecues and music festivals.
Each programme includes accommodation, expert support and guaranteed progress in as little as six weeks. You'll return more confident, more connected and well on the way to fluency.
Book before 12 June 2025 to get 15% off courses of three weeks or more departing by 25 September 2025.
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The Guardian
33 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Caribbean beaches blighted by record masses of stinking seaweed
A record amount of sargassum has piled up across the Caribbean and nearby areas in May, and more is expected this month, according to a new study. The brown prickly algae is suffocating shorelines from Puerto Rico to Guyana and beyond, disrupting tourism, killing wildlife and even releasing toxic gases that forced one school in the French Caribbean island of Martinique to temporarily close. The amount – 38m tonnes – is the biggest quantity of algae observed across the Caribbean Sea, the western and eastern Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico since scientists began studying the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt in 2011, said Brian Barnes, an assistant research professor at the University of South Florida who worked on the new report from the University of South Florida's Optical Oceanography Lab. The previous record was set in June 2022 , with some 22m tonnes. 'The peaks just seem to keep getting bigger and bigger year after year,' he said. But scientists don't know why yet. 'It's the million-dollar question,' he said. 'I don't have a supremely satisfying answer.' Three different types of sargassum exist in the Caribbean and nearby areas, reproducing asexually as they remain afloat thanks to tiny air sacs. They thrive in different ways depending on sunlight, nutrients and water temperature, factors that scientists are currently studying, Barnes said. Experts have also said that agricultural runoff, warming waters and changes in wind, current and rain could have an effect. While large clumps of algae in the open ocean are what Barnes called a 'healthy, happy ecosystem' for creatures ranging from tiny shrimp to endangered sea turtles, sargassum near or on shore can wreak havoc. It can block sunlight that coral reefs need to survive, and if the algae sinks, it can smother reefs and sea grasses. Once it reaches shore, the creatures living in the algae die or are picked off by birds, Barnes said. Huge piles of stinky seaweed also are a headache for the Caribbean, where tourism often generates big money for small islands. In the popular tourist spot of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, officials have invested in barriers to prevent sargassum from reaching the shore. In the Dutch Caribbean territory of Sint Maarten, crews with backhoes were dispatched in late May as part of an emergency cleanup after residents complained of strong smells of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, which can affect a person's respiratory system. 'The smell is quite terrible,' Barnes said. Meanwhile, in the French Caribbean, officials expect to soon use storage barges and an upgraded special vessel that can collect several tonnes of seaweed a day. The sargassum 'disfigures our coasts, prevents swimming and makes life impossible for local residents', the French prime minister, François Bayrou, recently told reporters. But Comito said such vessels were 'massively expensive' and not a popular option, noting that another option – using heavy equipment – is labor-intensive. 'You have to be careful because there could be sea turtle eggs affected,' he said. 'It's not like you can go in there and massively rake and scrape the whole thing.' Some Caribbean islands struggle financially, so most of the cleanup is done by hotels, with some offering guests refunds or a free shuttle to unaffected beaches. Every year, the amount of sargassum expands in late spring, peaks around summer and starts to decline in the late fall or early winter, Barnes said. The new record is likely to be broken – experts said they expect even more sargassum for June.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Bra Boy Koby Abberton explains the startling reasons why he told his nine-year-old son 'never ever get rescued' after he was saved from a rip in Bali
Former Bra Boys member Koby Abberton has explained why he told his son to 'never get rescued again' after the nine-year-old was caught in a rip during a surfing lesson with his school in Bali. The retired professional surfer, who lives in Indonesia with his family, told Daily Mail Australia that Makua has the skills to get himself out of trouble in the water and that he may have just been 'putting it on' to get out of school. Abberton explained that Makua 'was not hurt' in the incident and revealed how he's been coaching him since he could swim to be aware of how to navigate and avoid dangerous situations while surfing. On Tuesday, the 45-year-old published a screen grab of a conversation he had on WhatsApp with a teacher from Makua's school, named Intan Sinuhaji. The teacher had contacted Abberton to inform him that Makua had been 'sucked out by the tides' during a surfing lesson. 'The coach needed to throw his leash for Makua to grab and hang on it,' the staff member explained. They added that Makua had sustained a scratch on his left ankle during the incident. Abberton replied by simply saying: 'Good. Tell Makua to never ever get rescued again by anyone. 'I told Makua [the] tide would drop and the waves would be big. 'Next time have makua paddle alone and don't be lazy.' The screen grab then appeared to show that the staff member had got Makua to reply to his father, with the nine-year-old writing: 'Dad I was stuck in the rip.' Abberton replied: 'He can definitely paddle on a surfboard' He then appeared to reply to his son, writing: 'So paddle to Padang.' Padang Padang is a world-renowned surfing spot on Bali's north-east coast that has a 110m-long beach, with white sand. Abberton provided some clarity on his seemingly cold response to his son. 'The reason why I replied like that to the teacher is because I know my child and I know he was not hurt in any way,' he said. 'Otherwise, he would have ran the two minutes to our house for help. We look at the surf before every lesson he has. 'I'm more worried about the indoctrination of our kids in the Australian school system. Learning the same thing over and over again without any real knowledge being taught.' He explained that he has taught his son, who trains three times a day as he looks to pursue a career in pro surfing, skating or MMA, how to navigate dangerous surfing conditions. 'My son knows CPR and breath work including great holds,' Abberton added. 'I am up at 6am since I was his age. We look at the surf and make an assessment. I explain to Makua where [the] dangers and exits are. 'He has been surfing since [he was] nine months old. 'He has been cut many times on reefs before as we live in Indonesia and are surfing over shallow reefs instead of Australia's sand.' Abberton, his Ukrainian model wife Olya Nechiporenko and his son, Makua, moved to Bali in 2011. He claims he made the decision to emigrate from Australia because he didn't like what his native country had become. He added his son knows how to perform CPR and suggested that Makua had 'put the whole thing on' so that he could stay out surfing for longer without getting in trouble He says his son has hopes of one day following in his dad's footsteps by pursuing a career in professional sports. 'Makua is training three times a day to follow his pursuit of pro surfing, skating or MMA,' Abberton told Daily Mail Australia. 'In the end, I'm pretty sure he put the whole thing on and just tried to arrive late to school and surf longer without getting into trouble.' It comes as the Australian government issued a warning to tourists on Monday urging travellers to be careful when swimming or surfing in coastal areas, following multiple recent incidents involving drownings. While updating its Smartraveller advice, the government said: 'Australians have drowned in coastal areas, due to rough seas and strong rip currents at popular tourist beaches including in Bali.' In March, an Australian family was left devastated after surfer Sam Kepompong tragically died while riding waves near Bali. The 33-year-old was surfing near to Ekas Beach but was swept out into the ocean. Father-of-two Jacob Vennix, 32, also tragically drowned on his honeymoon in Bali in January, after he had been swimming at an estuary at Pasu Beach in Tabanan Regency. Abberton gained notoriety in Australia following the release of the documentary Bra Boys: Blood is Thicker than Water, which was backed by Russell Crowe. The legendary actor and director also provided the voiceover for the show. The former pro surfer has since spoken on how that show changed his life, adding that it was perhaps another reason why he opted to move abroad. 'Ten years ago I just didn't like the state of Australia, so after the Bra Boys movie and all the media attention there was this really crazy police presence around me and my beach, and I was just the number one target,' he said in 2021. 'I started getting pulled over in the streets with my son in the car and I was told I was taking drugs and all this sort of s**t, and I had this beautiful wife… I just knew I was going to go to jail if I left it up to the police.' The documentary reflected on his time in the Bra Boys surf gang, who were founded and based in Maroubra in Sydney's eastern suburbs. 'I grew up at a beach where if you did not listen, you got punched in the face – I don't mind that way of life. But when I left Australia, I left that man behind too,' he said, reflecting on his upbringing. 'Sadly, men like me don't respect soft men - I'll squish them - but men like that, men we respect, should be running the country.' Abberton's first reaction when he heard about the scary incident in Bali's notoriously dangerous surf was to write 'good' On Instagram, Abberton has describes himself as a 'truth-telling dad'. He adds that he is interested in 'Indo eco-living'. His Instagram feed features videos and images of he spending time exploring the outdoors with Makua, posting a clip of the pair going fishing together while also enjoying a snowboarding holiday in Japan. In one reel posted to his Instagram, the former pro surfer is seen helping stitch up a cut his son appeared to sustain on his foot while out surfing. He also published several pictures of he and his Makua climbing Bali's largest volcano on New Year's Eve in 2023. It was here that he spoke of his pride for his son. 'At some points, we were scaling 100ft cliffs into the abyss with no ropes,' he wrote. 'At 4am the wind really kicked on and we were climbing the last of the ravines about 1hr before summit I told Makua we should stop I was scared for him. 'He looked me dead in the eye and said dad I want this. I am a beast dad I got this. 'It was right up there with my proudest moment in life.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
A mystery wave of seaweed is causing a stink in the Caribbean
A record amount of sargassum seaweed amassed across the Caribbean and surrounding areas in May, with more expected this month, according to a recent report. The brown algae is blanketing shorelines from Puerto Rico to Guyana, disrupting tourism, killing wildlife, and emitting toxic gases. One school in Martinique was temporarily closed due to the fumes. The volume of seaweed—38 million metric tons—is the largest quantity observed in the Caribbean Sea, the western and eastern Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico since scientists began monitoring the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt in 2011. Brian Barnes, an assistant research professor at the University of South Florida and contributor to the report published by the university's Optical Oceanography Lab, confirmed the findings on Monday. The previous record was set in June 2022, with approximately 22 million metric tons. 'The peaks just seem to keep getting bigger and bigger year after year,' he said. But scientists don't know why yet. 'It's the million-dollar question,' he said. 'I don't have a supremely satisfying answer.' Three different types of sargassum exist in the Caribbean and nearby areas, reproducing asexually as they remain afloat thanks to tiny air sacs. They thrive in different ways depending on sunlight, nutrients and water temperature, factors that scientists are currently studying, Barnes said. Experts also have said that agricultural runoff, warming waters and changes in wind, current and rain could have an effect. While large clumps of algae in the open ocean are what Barnes called a 'healthy, happy ecosystem' for creatures ranging from tiny shrimp to endangered sea turtles, sargassum near or on shore can wreak havoc. It can block sunlight that coral reefs need to survive, and if the algae sinks, it can smother reefs and sea grasses. Once it reaches shore, the creatures living in the algae die or are picked off by birds, Barnes said. Huge piles of stinky seaweed also are a headache for the Caribbean, where tourism often generates big money for small islands. 'It is a challenge, but it's certainly not affecting every single inch of the Caribbean,' said Frank Comito, special adviser to the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association. In the popular tourist spot of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, officials have invested in barriers to prevent sargassum from reaching the shore, he said. In the Dutch Caribbean territory of St. Maarten, crews with backhoes were dispatched in late May as part of an emergency clean-up after residents complained of strong smells of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, which can affect a person's respiratory system. 'The smell is quite terrible,' Barnes said. Meanwhile, in the French Caribbean, officials expect to soon use storage barges and an upgraded special vessel that can collect several tons of seaweed a day. The sargassum 'disfigures our coasts, prevents swimming and makes life impossible for local residents,' French Prime Minister François Bayrou recently told reporters. But Comito said such vessels are 'massively expensive' and not a popular option, noting that another option — using heavy equipment —- is labor-intensive. 'You have to be careful because there could be sea turtle eggs affected,' he said. 'It's not like you can go in there and massively rake and scrape the whole thing.' Some Caribbean islands struggle financially, so most of the cleanup is done by hotels, with some offering guests refunds or a free shuttle to unaffected beaches. Every year, the amount of sargassum expands in late spring, peaks around summer and starts to decline in the late fall or early winter, Barnes said. The new record set is hardly stationary — experts said they expect even more sargassum for June.
