Catalonia’s Beautiful Obsession with Timelessness

Latest Luxury Travel News

🐘 Babanango: South Africa’s New Big Five Safari Destination

Nestled in KwaZulu-Natal, Babanango Game Reserve is emerging as South Africa's latest Big Five safari hotspot. Spanning over 20,000 hectares, this community-owned reserve offers a blend of luxury and conservation. Guests can choose from upscale lodges like Madwaleni River Lodge or mid-range options such as Zulu Rock Lodge, all while experiencing rewilded landscapes teeming with wildlife.

True luxury lies in authentic experiences and giving back to the land.​

🌿 Ownia Collection: Sustainable Luxury Without Compromise

Introducing the Ownia Collection, a curated portfolio of eco-conscious hotels that blend luxury with sustainability. Founded by hospitality expert María Olazábal, each property undergoes a rigorous evaluation based on 12 sustainability pillars aligned with UN SDGs. MORNINGSTAR

Because indulging in luxury shouldn't come at the planet's expense.

🏨 The Coolest New Hotel in Paris Isn’t in a Palace

La Fondation, just opened in Paris’s 11th arrondissement, is what happens when a modern art gallery and a boutique hotel have a lovechild. With only four rooms, no front desk, and an immersive digital art program curated by founder Antoine Azaïs, it’s redefining what a “stay” can feel like. Design lovers, this is your whisper-only, culture-soaked hideaway in the heart of the city.

Sometimes, five stars are too many — four walls and good taste will do.

🎸 Vegas Just Got Louder: A Rock 'n' Roll Fever Dream at AREA15

Illuminarium Las Vegas just launched “The Rock and Roll Experience,” a trippy, immersive audio-visual exhibit featuring icons like The Rolling Stones, Prince, Queen, and U2. Housed inside AREA15, it’s a multisensory explosion of light, sound, and nostalgia — like walking into a music video you wish you’d lived through. TRAVEL WEEKLY

What happens in Vegas should include a stadium anthem and 18 projectors.

🏰 Swiss Castle Dining Just Got a Michelin-Grade Makeover

After a full renovation, Schloss Schauenstein, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant-hotel by Chef Andreas Caminada, is back — and somehow even more fairytale. Located inside a 12th-century Swiss castle, the update blends historic soul with sleek minimalism, plus a new garden restaurant and wine bar. The best part? The view still looks like it was Photoshopped by God. ROBB REPORT

Because if you’re going to eat foie gras, it might as well be in a castle.

Barcelona: Where Time Gets Lost, and Tapas Come Late

There’s a reason no one rushes in Barcelona. It’s not laziness, it’s precision.

Lunch at 3, dinner at 10, creativity all day long. This isn’t just Spain’s coastal darling; it’s a city with a stubborn soul and unapologetic rhythm.

And if you know where to look, it gets even better.

From the sun-splashed rooftops of The Barcelona Edition to the tucked-away vermuterías of Gràcia, Barcelona whispers luxury with a Catalan accent. And no, it’s not just about Gaudí — though we’d never say no to a private sunrise visit to Casa Milà, either.

🛏️ Where to Stay (Beyond the Obvious)

• Hotel Neri – A quiet Gothic Quarter gem in a 12th-century palace with contemporary flair. Intimate, moody, and made for people who don’t do chain hotels.

• Casa Bonay – Think “cool friend's flat” meets creative hub. Not ultra-luxe, but curated to the last tile.

• The One Barcelona – Rooftop pool, sleek marble everything, and located right where you want to be but never too loud.

• ABaC Restaurant & Hotel – Michelin-starred hedonism meets Zen retreat. Come hungry.

🍽️ Where to Eat (And Linger)

• Disfrutar – Consistently ranked one of the world’s best. It’s not dinner — it’s theatre, chemistry, and edible joy.

• Cinc Sentits – A sensory tasting experience rooted in Catalan traditions. Michelin, but never mechanical.

• Besta – Galician seafood meets Catalan produce. A sleeper hit that locals keep almost secret.

• La Mundana – A vermouth-forward tapas bar that flips tradition on its head. Go for the fusion, stay for the wine list.

🖼️ What to Do (If You’ve Already Done Gaudí)

• Fundació Joan Brossa – Poetry, rebellion, and art installations that make you feel like Barcelona’s secret co-conspirator.

• Bunkers del Carmel – Sunset from a Civil War bunker. No ticket required, just good shoes and better timing.

• El Born Cultural Center – Ruins under glass. A whole buried city, if you know where to look.

• Montjuïc’s Gardens – Laribal, Mossèn Costa, and the cactus garden. Yes, cactus. Bring a camera.

🏞️ Worth the Day Trip: Montserrat’s 1,000-Year Celebration

Just an hour from the city, Montserrat Monastery is celebrating its millennium, and you can feel it in the air.

From sacred hikes to listening to the world-renowned boys’ choir echo through the basilica, this is a timeless day trip that blends spirituality with surreal landscapes.

The celebrations and the “Montserrat, 1,000 Years” exhibition help us understand why Montserrat, a thousand years later, remains a living space of faith, culture, and identity.

Pro tip: try the mató cheese with honey sold by monks.

In Catalunya, eternity sometimes fits between breakfast and lunch.

🎨 Bonus Surrealism: Dalí’s Mind, Uncensored

Take the AVE to Figueres and enter The Dalí Theatre-Museum — part museum, part fever dream. If you can’t make it in person, the Virtual Visit offers an extraordinary immersive dive into the surrealist world, including a jewel gallery.

Who doesn’t want to lose themselves in a melted-clock dimension from the comfort of their sofa?

🌍 Global Events to Keep on Your Radar

April 15–30, 2025

🎶 Music & Entertainment

🎡 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (Weekend 2)
📍 Indio, California, USA | 🗓️ April 18–20
The desert's glitziest musical mirage returns. Headliners include Lady Gaga, Green Day, and Post Malone. Come for the music, stay for the art, the VIP lounges, and the people-watching from $10K cabanas.
👉 coachella.com

🏃‍♂️ Sports

🏃‍♀️ Boston Marathon
📍 Boston, Massachusetts, USA | 🗓️ April 21
The world’s oldest marathon returns with its mix of elite runners, cheering crowds, and New England energy. Book a hotel with a view — and maybe a post-race massage, even if you're just spectating.
👉 baa.org

🖼️ Art, Culture & Global Spectacle

🎨 Art Brussels
📍 Brussels, Belgium | 🗓️ April 24–27
A magnet for collectors and curators alike, Art Brussels brings 150+ galleries under one contemporary roof. Sip champagne, discover the next big thing, and maybe buy it before Basel.
👉 artbrussels.com

🌷 Keukenhof Tulip Festival
📍 Lisse, Netherlands | 🗓️ Ongoing through April
Seven million flowers. One dazzling spectacle. The Keukenhof gardens are spring’s most luxurious photo op — and if you time it right, you’ll catch the Daffodils and Special Bulbs Show (April 10–15).
👉 keukenhof.nl

🖼️ Art Dubai 2025
📍 Dubai, UAE | 🗓️ April 18–20
Global galleries meet the Gulf in this premier Middle Eastern art fair. Expect sharp curators, digital installations, and a little champagne with your contemporary commentary.
👉 artdubai.ae

🌐 Expo 2025 Osaka
📍 Osaka, Japan | 🗓️ April 13–October 13
The future is now — and it’s dressed in Japanese efficiency and innovation. This world expo is all about smart cities, AI, sustainability, and mind-blowing pavilion design. A one-of-a-kind reason to book that flight.
👉 expo2025.or.jp

You don’t visit Barcelona. You let it get under your skin.

Colm Tóibín