Since I was last at one of Portugal’s top and best-run hotels, Hotel Corinthia Lisboa, a new chef has taken over at the exciting Erva, ‘herbs’, restaurant, Artur Gomes. He is such a passionate culinarian, and he is producing fabulous food. Before, this had been yet another Mediterranean restaurant, with old-fashioned décor. Now it is a stunning looks-outside space, Erva (herbs), with herb pots on plain tables, and brick walls adorned with living green plants hung in metal pails: designer is Francisco Igrejas Leite.

Fly into London and immediately feel at home in a hotel styled like an ‘English town house’. Belmond Cadogan, London, opened at the end of February 2019. It cannot be said to have reopened its doors as, apart from a staircase, nothing remains of the original hotel.

Carolina Perez is well known to the luxury travel trade. She started São Paulo’s Travel Week, which she sold on to ILTM parent Reed. New baby, DUCO, looks like being even more successful. For one thing it is, unlike most other hospitality events, destination focussed. The second annual DUCO, April 1-5, 2019, and once again in Florence, saw 265 exhibiting hotels and resorts, all in Italy: of the total, Leading Hotels of the World had 58 properties represented, Relais & Châteaux brought along 38, Small Luxury Hotels of the World numbered 22, and Preferred Hotels and Resorts 12.

More on Colombia. Honestly, everyone spending time in the exciting capital, Bogota – see last week’s Girlahead – should then head down to the coast, to the ancient walled city of Cartagena. Someone who lives there says this place is Marrakesh, for its vibes, blended with Seville, for history. But neither of those other destinations has the enchanting local people, and the continual happenings.

Heckfield Place, 50 kilometres west of London’s Heathrow airport, should be in the diary now for everyone who loves nature, history, authenticity, a sense of fun and great food. And yes, it does feel a little Australian, in a way.

On a recent Saturday Le Bristol Paris, part of the Oetker Collection, organised one of its now-regular weekly movie afternoons. “We were showing ‘Midnight in Paris’, the 2011 film directed and written by Woody Allen”, explains Hotel Manager Leah Marshall. “The hotel was full, and just before the movie started everyone was networking over glasses of Alfred Gratien – the Champagne owned by the Oetker family – when by sheer coincidence Owen Wilson, star of the movie, walked in. Everyone thought I had arranged it specially”, says Marshall.

From a harbour bridge to one of Europe’s most significant bridges, over the Danube… From Sydney to Budapest, the quickest route is via Dubai, which allows a bit of shopping or other relaxation en-route.

Today, February 1st, 2019, LUX* North Male Atoll opens: a week after some 30 global media and self-styled influencers were hosted for a preview of this luxury resort. I can report that for those who are drawn to the white-blue chiaroscuro of Mykonos or Santorini, or the vibe of Miami Beach, this is just the perfect luxury resort here in the Maldives.

Miami Beach has literally hundred of hotels, some as unique as the book-filled The Betsy, or the decidedly-lavish Casa Casuarina, formerly home of Giovanni Versace. Here are two others that I have really loved in the past month.

Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana is, alone, a reason to head to Cuba, as quickly as you can. Many of those staying at this 246-room beauty seem to congregate on the sixth-floor rooftop, for its outdoor pool – see above – and, in all directions, strategic views of the city.  Also up there is the Albear by Resense spa, named for engineer Francisco de Albear, 1816-1887, whose main lasting claim to fame was installing a system to bring in water from the Vento springs via what is still known as the Albear aqueduct.

Juan-les-Pins is under-the-radar French Riviera: those who want to be seen head for Cannes or St Tropez; those who do not want to be trailed by paparazzi are more likely to head for this part of the Antibes metropolis. It goes back to time immemorial, but its modern history really kicked off when Frank-Jay Gould opened a hotel in May 1927. Two years later, Russian-born Boma Estène and his wife Simone, who came from a family of Antibes hoteliers, converted the Villa St Louis, right on the coast, to what is now the luxury Hôtel Belles Rives, part of Small Luxury. Today, says the gal, it is owned by the Estènes’ great-granddaughter, Marianne Estène-Chauvin, and run by her son, Antoine Marianne Estène-Chauvin, and their GM, Stéphane Vuillaume.

Park Hyatt Sydney was deemed best hotel, Australasia, at the Ultras, held in Dubai on 21 November 2018.  The Ultras are honestly now the most global luxury hotel awards. The 13 million Discovery members of Global Hotel Alliance GHA can vote, plus readers of Ultratravel, published in UK by The Daily Telegraph, and in UAE by Al Ittihad and The National. This year, for the first time, The Ultras were presented in Dubai.