Holiday & Travel

Up, up, up to the Penthouse above the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles and under the starlit canopy of the vast Pacific Ocean lies a brand new oasis of timeless sophistication and glamorous intimacy. Santa Monica's venerable Hotel Shangri-La has relaunched its iconic open-air rooftop bar – the only one to boast 360-degree views of the Pacific Ocean – with a chic makeover to make the interiors as alluring as its guests.

From the Macy's Firework Show over the East River to the Big Bay Boom Fireworks Show in San Diego, over-the-top July 4th celebrations occur across this great nation. Don't forget the Lone Star State when writing your Fourth of July roundups. Let freedom ring as the largest 4th of July fireworks show in North Texas lights up the sky, lasting approximately 28-minutes.  

Opening the doors to an unparalleled, immersive dining experience, M6m, the brand-new underwater restaurant at OZEN by Atmosphere will be the first underwater restaurant within the South Malé Atoll and the first in the Maldives to be included on an all-inclusive plan when it opens on July 15. An open sea venue that's truly a world away, M6m (acronym for 'Minus 6 Meters'), is the result of painstaking planning, conceptualization and detailed design, with a focus on protecting the environment and the delicate, world-renowned aquatic life in the Maldives.

British Airways and Winair have announced they will offer a cost effective, same-day route from London to Dominica, via Antigua. The new route will mean that British travellers can leave the UK at 10:30 GMT and be in the hidden island paradise of Dominica with a rum punch in their hand by 18:30 local time.

From its world class nightlife and entertainment to its living Portuguese-Chinese culture, Macao is one of Asia's most exciting and fascinating destinations. While its neighbour Hong Kong is only 40 miles away, Macao can more than hold its own when it comes to out-of-this-world choices for a drink with a view.

POP is set to become not just a new airline, not just the only airline currently to fly non-stop from the UK to two of India’s key secondary cities – Amritsar (Punjab) and Ahmedabad (Gujarat) - but an airline with a new unique business model. POP is a new, low-cost, long-haul airline with a social conscience that will meet the demand of the growing visiting friends and relatives (VFR) market as well as the expanding leisure-tourism and business sectors.

Regularly featuring in travel awards as the must-visit European destination and a perennial favourite with tourists seeking la dolce Vita, Italy is again proving to be a very popular place to visit in 2016. So the question is how to escape the tourist hordes this summer yet still enjoy Italy's alluring scenery, history and gastronomic delights? The best answer is to take a walking holiday where the paths and trails lead away from the over-crowded tourist hot-spots to give a more authentic experience and a sense of Italy's true cultural and regional diversity.

One of the jewels in the UK's cultural crown, Bath's Roman Baths will be opening until 10pm during July and August for a special season of Torchlit Summer Evenings. The Roman Baths take on a magical atmosphere once the sun goes down, the crowds disappear and the flickering torches are lit.

An adventure to seek out Manni the Mud Monster, a barbeque party in the great outdoors and pony rides – this year, the BIG Family will sweep you off on an exciting summer holiday. New this year is the Serlespark in Mieders. Right next to the mountain station Koppeneck, the new Serlespark theme park and world of relaxation ensures that the whole family gets to enjoy a variety of activities on the mountain.

Sydney, Australia is awash with colour this evening as more than 90 light installations light up the city for the annual Vivid Sydney festival, projecting colourful art on the world-famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House and throughout the city. Vivid Sydney runs for 23 nights until 18 June 2016. Vivid Sydney is the world's largest festival of light, music and ideas.

As the Maldives is listed as one of the top locations for diving in the world, Kurumba Maldives wishes to encourage more guests to experience this wonderful activity, in a very unique environment. The aesthetic of the Dive Centre has been designed to provide a welcoming and open entrance which will be much easier for guests to find. Flowing spaces make up the tank room, storage and drying rooms as well as allowing for an inspiring dive school classroom; while in addition, the showers and bathrooms have been updated.

With Wimbledon fever set to strike, those inspired to dig out their dusty tennis rackets can now rediscover the racket wielding sport as Health and Fitness Travel, the leading specialists in healthy holidays worldwide, share their top tennis training holidays. Gain the advantage whether training in Thailand at a specialist sports retreat frequented by sporting stars, or diversifying your racket skills with tennis, squash and padel in Portugal.

This Father's Day, sporting dads and children are invited to celebrate with a UK break at two of de Savary family's luxury properties.  Whether it's a weekend fishing for trout and relaxing in the peace of the Cotswolds countryside, or playing a round at one of the UK's leading golf courses followed by a gourmet dinner, the de Savary Father's Day packages offer the perfect bonding breaks.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) were delighted to showcase the best of Asia's World City to over 45 high performing Travel Counsellors, as part of their annual Gold Weekend this month. Travel Counsellors is a leading independent travel company operating in seven markets with over 1,500 experts across the globe. 

Yorkshire folk are the least likely to go away this summer, with more people staying at home in Leeds than any other major UK city, World Travel Market London research reveals. Overall, 33% of Brits say they are not going to have a summer holiday this year, with the figure rising to 44% in Yorkshire. It’s even higher in the Leeds area, where 50% of residents say they are not having a summer holiday.

Even on a cold, wet day, you can be cheered up by the thought of summer on the beach.  The beach is where memories are made – building sandcastles, exploring rockpools, discovering seaweed and heading into the water to swim, surf, Stand Up Paddle Board, kayak or just paddle in the shallows.  It's a passion which started with the Georgians, who began to visit the coast in great numbers in the 18th century.