Unexpected Spanish area that's got posh, revealed by a travel expert: From incredible hotels and restaurants to amazing sights, you'll NEVER guess where the smart set are now going...
Lying by my infinity pool, listening to a waterfall cascading over rocks carved with Buddha figures, while gazing across palm-filled gardens, it feels like the set of The White Lotus.
Yet despite the sumptuous spa and bungalow-style suites at the plush Asia Gardens Hotel, this isn't Bali.
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The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Even MORE tourist hotspot flights cancelled after gargantuan volcanic eruption that spewed ash & sparked tsunami fear
DOZENS more flights to tourist hotspots have been cancelled after a massive ash cloud exploded from a volcano in Indonesia. Mount Lweotobi Laki-laki was seen spewing plumes of ash more than 11km into the sky on Tuesday - sparking fears of an impending tsunami. 7 7 7 Authorities raised the highest red alert and residents have been urged to avoid activities within a 7km radius around the crater. Multiple airlines have since delayed or cancelled flights to and from Bali, the popular holiday destination west of Flores. These include Air India, Air New Zealand, Jetstar, Juneyao Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia. Bali's Gusti Ngurah rai International Airport showed that almost 40 flights have been cancelled due to the explosion. A number of domestic AirAsia flights heading to Flores have also been axed. Japan's Meteorological Agency is investigating whether the eruption - with a 16,000-metre plume of ash - could spark a tsunami. The organisation said: "The possibility of a tsunami hitting Japan is currently under investigation. "If this eruption were to cause a tsunami to reach Japan, it is expected to arrive as early as 10pm in the Okinawa Prefecture area." They added: "The expected maximum height of the tsunami is unknown." Terrifying footage taken from a residential area nearby showed the moment a gargantuan plume of and orange and grey smoke erupted from the volcano. Shocking moment 1,000ft fiery lava jet erupts in 6-hour volcano frenzy as scientists warn of wind spreading toxic gas The humongous mushroom cloud towered over horrified locals who watched on as dark smoke spewed into the air. Visual observations taken earlier this week saw a significant increase in volcanic activity from Mount Lewotobi. The country's volcanology agency said it had raised the volcano's alert to its highest and most dangerous level. It also warned of potential lava flows if it rains. Volcano Observation Post Officer Yohanes Kolli Sorywutun confirmed the eruption in a statement. He said: "There was an eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, at 17:35 WITA." He added that there was an "observed ash column height of 10,000m above the peak (11,584 m above sea level)". Authorities in Indonesia said: "The public and tourists are advised not to carry out activities within a radius of 7km and the southwest-northeast sector 8 km from the eruption center." They also advised all those nearby to "remain calm and follow the directions of the local government". "People around disaster-prone areas should be aware of the potential for lava floods if heavy rain occurs," authorities also warned. 7 7 7 They provided instructions to the public if they encountered raining ash. "Residents affected by ash rain are advised to use masks or nose and mouth covers," officials said. In November last year, 10 people died after Mount Lewotobi spewed a fiery column of lava. Hot ashes hit several villages, burning down houses including a convent of Catholic nuns. Indonesia sits on the "Pacific Ring of Fire", an area of high seismic activity atop multiple tectonic plates. In April 2024, a remote volcano in Indonesia erupted and sent a tower of ash more than five kilometres into the sky. Thousands were evacuated and an international airport was closed after Mount Ruang erupted several times. Within the same month, the 725-metre-tall volcano had already erupted more than half a dozen times, forcing more than 6,000 people to flee their homes.
TTG
3 hours ago
- TTG
Experiential travel reigns but climate is still volatile: luxury experts reveal 2025 travel trends
Panellists presented a resilient and positive picture for luxury travel. Despite constant threats of volatility from economic and geopolitical events, they agreed that luxury travel had a lot to be excited about, so here are five key takeaways to help dissect the trends in booking patterns, destinations and experience, and what luxury agents should be prioritising for their clients. Why you can't commoditise luxury travel The panel heard earlier from PwC partner Eleanor Scott that luxury travellers were 10% more likely than other consumer groups to be taking an experiential holiday this year, and were quick to share their observations of luxury traveller priorities. Jennifer Charlton, MD, Cox & Kings and SVP of Sales, A&K UK and EMEA Trade Sales, highlighted how the uniqueness of the experience - not the just the experience itself - is what catapults travel to premium levels. 'People want to get into places where nobody else can; they want that 'surprise and delight' type of element and they want to be met and whisked through the airport. They want to be made to feel special. It's a very consultative type of sell and they start out with a certain idea in mind - but those ideas, that uniqueness, is what is driving [increased spend]. It's very difficult to commoditise luxury travel if you want to upsell.' Travel Counsellors' managing director Kirsten Hughes noted little limit in terms of the amount that premium customers wanted to spend, but was adamant that they want value for that spend. 'Those customers that maybe went to the same hotel pre-Covid, then post Covid prices went up again and again, so they are no longer brand loyal. And now there's so many properties – particularly in Europe – that have upped their game in luxury. People want to spend but they want to come back thinking it was worth it.' No 'Trump effect' - but people are switching destinations Luxury travellers were more likely than others to consider new destinations rather than retreating to the safety of what they have known before, the panel heard. But on the subject of safety, our panel was keen to point out that current geopolitical events and the threat of extreme weather were main drivers for customers booking later as they wait to see what unfolds. Richard Hyde, chief operating officer and managing director of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, was quick to state that he had seen little evidence of the often pronounced 'Trump effect' on sales, but added that the chain was experiencing significant bookings in Caribbean, Japan and the Maldives. He added that certain parts of Asia – such as Thailand or China – were 'definitely bouncing back'. Charlton observed that clients are switching destinations. 'If you look at the Middle East and North Africa, that's been like a yoyo for us. It's difficult to replace unique destinations so there's no one place people are gravitating to,' she said. Hughes added: 'Brits have really short memories, and the US has come back, but we are seeing bookings down for major cities and up for places like Montana, Yellowstone, Texas and ranch holidays.' She noted significant growth in luxury cruise over the past four to five years, with strength in bookings also coming from Asia, Australia – and Albania, 'which has suddenly become popular'. Sales are solid, but 'peaks' and troughs are volatile Broadly speaking, our panellists were reporting solid sales as the year progresses, though they warned the industry should not rest on its laurels and the volatility of the travel market is making it more difficult to forecast. Hyde stated this year has been 'very rosy' for Small Luxury Hotels of the World, with sales currently outdoing last year's 'best ever year', though he stressed now was not the time for the industry to rest on its laurels, with a particular nod to geopolitical uncertainties and world events 'You can have a sequence of events and it comes crashing down,' he warned, adding however that 'people are a lot more savvy these days and have a better sense of what's going on in the world'. Hughes noted that across Travel Counsellors, premium travel was 'solid' against a backdrop of softening for non-premium sales, with average booking values up among premium customers, who were also going on holiday more often.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
American finds himself stuck in Iran as all hell breaks loose during round-the-world fundraising trip
An American YouTuber shared his desperate scramble to get out of Iran after getting trapped in the war-torn nation while on a fundraising trip. Ian Andersen, from Minnesota, shared a video to his channel RideWithIan showing his dramatic escape from Iran as Israel sent a barrage of rocket fire. He found himself stuck when neighboring Pakistan closed its border with Iran on Monday. 'The situation is quite dire at this point,' a panic-stricken Andersen told the camera. 'All the land borders are closed. Flights have all been canceled. There's a rumor that the border with Iraq is open. So that's my best hope right now.' Andersen was in the middle of a years-long effort to cycle across all seven continents which he began in 2016 when he entered Iran weeks ago before the conflict with Israel was ignited. The YouTuber said he quickly became concerned as Israel used American-supplied arms to bomb Tehran at the end of last week, fearing he could become a target for Iranian forces. 'The Iranians now see the U.S. as being like tied directly to Israel. Now people see the U.S. as the enemy. So, I'm in quite a bit of danger here,' he said. The cyclist said the outbreak of the conflict, which has killed at least 250 people and injured hundreds more, has ended his plans to bike ride across the Middle East. 'It's no longer safe to bike, in my opinion,' he said. 'It's a matter of just escape and survival. Evading police, capture.' Andersen showed himself in several locations in northern Tehran as he described hearing rocket fire and bombs dropping, at one point saying he heard an explosion 'just a few miles from us'. After finding shelter for the night, Andersen spoke into the camera as he said the 'situation continues to evolve' because of 'escalations on both sides.' 'I thought it was safe, but I heard a bomb this morning,' he added. He was joined by a tour guide named Reza, who spoke to him in Spanish in hopes that authorities would not detect that Andersen was an American. 'So, today I'm a Spaniard,' he joked as they drove through Tehran. Andersen was in the middle of a years-long effort to cycle across all seven continents which he began in 2016 (seen on a separate trip) when he entered Iran weeks ago before the conflict with Israel was ignited They were making their way to the border with Azerbaijan in an attempt to slip out of the country when his guide made a chilling confession about their safety. 'Probably the scariest part about this is that my guide says that he's no longer able to protect me,' he said. 'So if we're pulled over at a police checkpoint or something like this there's not much you can do if they suspect me of anything, just chuck me in prison for a few years and that would be the end of it.' Although he got to the border without a visa, Andersen said at the end of his clip that Azerbaijani authorities gave him an 'emergency green light to enter' after they were contacted by the US Embassy. 'That border is never open. It hasn't been open in five years,' he said, adding that he was 'grateful to Azerbaijan'. The YouTuber's escape comes as American forces were moved toward the Middle East amid fears that the US could be dragged into the conflict with Iran. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned on Wednesday that direct U.S. military assistance to Israel could radically destabilize the situation in the Middle East. Ryabkov said Russia cautions the U.S. against supplying such assistance to Israel - as the ministry warned Israeli strikes on nuclear facilities had pushed the region 'millimetres away from catastrophe'. The remarks came as the Ayatollah Khamenei issued a chilling threat to the U.S., warning that 'any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage'. 'This nation will not surrender to anyone in the face of imposition,' he said in his first televised comments since Israel launched its surprise attack on Friday. The stark warning came as U.S. officials indicated that Iran has 24 to 48 hours to surrender and save itself from American invention as President Trump considers joining Israel's war. White House officials said the next two days will be critical in determining whether Washington and Tehran can find a diplomatic solution to the burgeoning crisis in the Middle East.
