A YEAR OF WONDER

Globetrotting to some of the more interesting travel options that spiced the calendar year

- Sonia Nazareth

Take Me to The Water, Athens, Greece

Greece has been one of the most consistently googled spots for international travel in 2024. While its inexorable tug is one thing, the more obvious trend is for travellers to linger longer in historic Athens, before heading to the Greek islands that exert their evergreen siren call. Amid the reasons for longer stays in Athens, is the seductive call of its Riviera.

Just 25-minutes out of the main city centre, this lush natural oasis, with its caves and beaches, water sports and pristine shores is sweeping more travel votes. Lake Vouliagmeni, a reservoir whose waters are consistently replenished by both sea and subterranean thermal springs, provides a relaxing natural spa experience. The newly renovated, The Roc Club, a Grecotel hotel, is a great base from which to experience the Riviera. This pearl of tranquility and elegance, perched over the rocks of Lake Vouliagmeni, with its bright interiors, white décor, art-meets-design features and sublime sea views, leads you off the straight-and-narrow and down a path of sweet distraction. Luxe boutiques, café and snazzy restaurants popping up all around, contribute to the seduction.

Moselle Valley, Germany

If a road trip along a soothing waterway for delicious wine, glorious vineyards, and historic towns draws you in, you're only human. I begin this wine-soaked adventure at the impossibly pretty town of Traben Trarbach. Around 1900, Traben-Trarbach was one of the most important wine trading towns. The reason for this accolade was its production of superlative Riesling wine. Fringed by the Moselle River and unfurling vineyards, it is now possible to explore the TrabenTrarbach historic cellars and learn in the semi-darkness about historic viticulture.