Originally opened as Alto Atacama Desert Lodge & Spa by Tánica Hotels, but now looked after by Nayara Resorts since 2020, this is a luxury lodge in the heart of the Atacama Desert. With a focus on sustainability and nature, we enjoyed 4 nights here (3 full days) taking part in many nearby activities; whilst also enjoying relaxation time in our suite (both open-view front terrace and enclosed rear terrace with stunning mountain top views) and in their Puri Spa with a selection of treatments and water experiences.

Cardiff was somewhere I’d never been before, so being invited by Eat PR & Marketing for a short weekend stay at Voco in Cardiff Bay, I was looking forward to the opportunity to visit a new location and new hotel, as well as being my first Voco hotel stay too (a group of currently 41 open hotels with 34 more in the pipeline). Any reviews though by The Private Traveller are completely independent.

Capella Hotels first came to my notice when they used to operate the Capella Pedregal resort in Cabo, Mexico. Capella is a small chain (which also incorporates the Patina brand) across mainly the Far East and Maldives and as soon as I saw the tented experience becoming featured at Capella Ubud I knew it was somewhere I wanted to visit.

Looking for a relaxing fortnight in Mexico before heading further to the USA and Palm Springs for Modernism Week, we first visited Cartesiano in Puebla before travelling up to the Yucatán Peninsula for two Chablé Hotels.

I had spotted Chablé Yucatán a while back, this property had opened in 2016 and is currently part of the Leading Hotels of the World portfolio; always a favourite go-to of mine for hotel choices. The stunning casitas throughout the resort all with private pools looked amazing, and they certainly did not disappoint in reality.

This new hotel, self-styled as the world’s first super boutique hotel opened in September 2021, slightly later than planned but was obviously impacted by Covid. It had been on my radar for a while and I was eagerly anticipating when I’d be able to visit, so I was very lucky to be able to stay for a weekend in March 2022.

There is the saying “Location, location, location” that I often use in hotel reviews or blog posts, and I think One Aldwych has to be one of the best examples of why that phrase can be so important. The hotel is so easily accessible, this trip we took the train and it was a very short taxi ride from King’s Cross station, and would equally be very easy by underground (the Tube) too had there not been a strike on the day we arrived.

As much as I love to revisit favourite five star hotels when in London, I also like to try out new properties and locations too. L’Oscar had come onto my radar a while back (it’s been open for just over three years now) but we had to cancel a trip last summer due to Covid, and (almost a year to day) were able to reschedule it.

Having been to Santorini before, we knew we would want to stay again at Oia, and after investigating a few options decided to book the Andronis Boutique Hotel, more on this in a separate review.

Recognised as the most exclusive beach resort in Brazil, Ponta dos Ganchos is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World portfolio. The bungalows are carefully distributed throughout the resort on a private peninsula surrounded by two working fishing villages and an emerald sea. Privacy and comfort assures guests a unique stay.

Having had to cancel a trip to Positano in Italy at short notice due to the change in Covid-19 travel restrictions, we decided to look for somewhere within the UK and opted for a two-centre short break between Gleneagles and The Fife Arms (you can read my full review on The Gleneagles Hotel here).

Having stayed at other Constance hotels in the past, I was aware of Ephelia on Mahé but to be honest had discounted before in favour of the Leading Hotels of the World sister, Constance Lemuria on Praslin.

As I’ve talked about before, I like to undertake a lot of research on countries I’d like to visit, have visited, places I would like to see and often take note of a hotel or resort that catches my eye for a future trip. I’d looked at a few island locations in the Seychelles, and have been before to the main islands of Mahé and Praslin, but also wanted to try something different.

For this trip, our first long-haul since Covid, we picked the Seychelles both because they allowed international visitors without too restrictive travelling/entry restrictions and by being able to fly direct from London with British Airways meant we could take advantage of the Seychelles being one of the UK approved quarantine-free travel corridors

Our stay, booked through Leading Hotels of the World, was quite a last minute booking having had to cancel Le Sirenuse in Positano (Amalfi Coast, Italy) due to changes in Italian legislation regarding Covid-testing for UK arrivals. I had accumulated a number of points through the Leaders Club membership, so paid cash for the first night then booked a couple of extra nights using points.

I’ve loved this hotel ever since it opened, it was a game-changer in terms of the standard of hotels at Heathrow, not least because of the direct connection to the Terminal 5 building. I love everything about airports and travel, so being able to stay so close in such nice surroundings and, with the runway views if you’re lucky enough to be located in the outward facing parts of the hotel, this makes for a fantastic stay.

We had such a wonderful hotel experience here - as well as this summarised review I also plan to post another blog detailing and contrasting with our stay at the other LHW property we visited on the same trip, the equally impressive Hotel Villa Dubrovnik.

After researching which countries were accessible and not requiring a quarantine on the return to the UK, we opted for our first post-lockdown trip to be Croatia (you can check out the full itinerary here). I very quickly opted for a two-centre trip, flying to Dubrovnik with British Airways first then travelling onto Hvar by ferry.

Quite a different accommodation choice for ThePrivateTraveller - this was actually chosen by “Mrs” ThePrivateTraveller as a Christmas present; but as soon as I found out about it I loved the idea; and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Having not long been in Madrid for a long weekend, staying at the Gran Hotel Inglés (which was fantastic too), I wanted to try somewhere different to write up another hotel review on my website.⁣ In the heart of Madrid behind its Elizabethan-style façade, the Gran Meliá Palacio de los Duques boasts a modern design and facilities with grand architectural splendour.