Car lovers, prick up your ears. Last Saturday, 21st May, an Aston Martin Bulldog V8 Engine, 5300cc, 1979, was deemed Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este in the annual Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. It’s a one-off vehicle, built for an enthusiast who wanted to achieve 200 m.p.h. Currently being tweaked for owner Philip Sarofin, 35, a venture capital founder, it could once again speed up ‘next year’, though presumably Sarifin’s local Beverly Hills police won’t be happy.

“It’s the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter,” said that eternal style icon Marlene Dietrich, born in Berlin in 1901. Change the word ‘friends’ to ‘room service’ and you see why Hotel Adlon Kempinski is super-special.

Say Turnberry, on Scotland’s rugged west coast, to many and golf dominates. Turnberry’s Ailsa and Kintyre courses have for decades attracted business worldwide. Private jets almost commute to Prestwick, under half an hour away, and easiest scheduled airlift is via Glasgow or Edinburgh.

The Milestone Hotel & Residences, London, more or less reveals its location, although in fact it is ‘1.25 miles’, according to centuries-old signage, west of the city’s historic centre, Hyde Park Corner.

Stay in the world’s oldest hotel – but feel part of tomorrow. Red Carnation’s Ashford Castle Hotel & Country Estate, outside Cong, in Ireland’s inland Co Mayo, has a history dating back to 1228, when the de Burgo family built their little home. Think today and on, and this magnificent pile offers the personal space and wellness that are now.

Stay at Nobu Hotel London Portman Square and, indeed, there are a myriad of unusual experiences. Ask one of the hotel’s concierge-types, say Andrew (who has strong New Zealand in his multinational background) to arrange a Nobu hamper, plus suitably-chilled Laurent-Perrier, and a rug.

Want to feel like a film star? Dream as if you are on set for Cannes International Film Festival, which this year runs 17-28 May. Support its partners. Fly Air France to Nice, take a BMW from Europcar for the 40 minutes’ drive west.

Now that it is possible for many to dream, once again, of travelling outside Asia-Pacific, what is top of the list?

What is it like to holiday alone – in this case on a ship? Regent’s Seven Seas Splendor was cruising the Caribbean for seven nights. Do not ask where. Everyone boarded, and a week later, disembarked, in Miami but apart from a few hours in Key West for a meeting I, unlike all the other passengers, never got off.

The Setai Miami Beach has a volunteer Ambassador, Bob Fetty. He lives in one of the hotel’s residences and every morning he posts the real-time view from his balcony (see above). Over the last few years the affable sculptor has amassed a following of over 2.5 million worldwide.

Australia claims third largest percentage of citizens with Irish roots (top slot is the USA, followed by Canada). At last count, 10% of Australians said ancestors came from the Emerald Isle. Many know Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, home ground of Six Nations and many other prestigious sports events.