Breakaway Travel

TOP 8 TRAVEL DESTINATIONS OF 2023

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Caymen Islands

It just keeps getting easier to visit the Caymans. Asoffall2022,CaymanAirwaysfliesnonstopfrom Los Angeles International to Grand Cayman, the first direct route from the West Coast to the British territory. “Getting to Hawaii takes longer,” said KennethBryan,CaymanIslandshonorableminister fortourismandtransport,inaninterviewwithT+L. Wherever they’re flying in from, visitors will find plentyofnewofferingsalongSevenMileBeach,on GrandCayman’swestshore.Chiefamongthemis thefreshlyrenovatedRitz-Carlton,GrandCayman, which is now outfitted with a La Prairie Spa and SaintJunerestaurant,completewithabeachfront

bar. (The property is thankfully still home to the long-running, annual Cayman Cookout.) For travelerswhopreferheart-pumpingadventureto pool- or beachside relaxation, the Caymans can deliver:Hikingreserveslikethe100-year-oldMastic Trail on Grand Cayman or the Bluff on Cayman Brac may not be as well known as the islands’ beaches — but they should be. Whether it’s a trip to visit the friendly inhabitants of Stingray City, unforgettable horseback riding on the beach, a visittoseetheBlueIguanasattheQueenElizabeth II Botanic Park, or a journey into the past at Pedro St. James – a feast for the senses awaits you.

The 2020 opening of the Kinder Building, the latest addition to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, cemented the city’s spot among true international arts destinations. The recent reopening of the Rothko Chapel, after a $35-million renovation, has only reinforced that reputation. Today, a wealth of new ventures is poised to raise the profile of Texas’s largest city in other categories as well. Opening next year, the JMK5 Arena will transform a disused racetrack into a 12,500-seat concert stadium poised to rival the venues of Vegas. It arrives on the heels of the relatively more intimate 713 Music Hall, which has attracted artists ranging from Judas Priest to Lil Nas X.

Originally called the Colt .45’s, the Astros changed their name when they began playing at the famous Astrodome from 1965-1999. Minute Maid Park became the new home of baseball in Houston. The park was built using pre-existing historical architecture such as the Houston Union Station terminal as a cornerstone.

The Houston Zoo is undergoing a much-delayed expansion that will include a Galápagos Islands–themed exhibit, which will feature an underwater tunnel and a penguin habitat. And the Houston Botanic Gardens, which opened in 2020, features 132 acres of diverse ecosystems, from wetlands to prairie.

Houston, Texas

Maui, Hawaii

Hawaiihasbeeninthemidstofamulti-yearrethink about how tourism impacts the state. “We seek to balance the economic vitality of our industry with thehealthofournaturalenvironmentandthewellbeing of our communities,” is how Hawaii Tourism AuthorityPresidentandCEOJohnDeFriesputitthis pastsummer.OnMaui,thatbalancehasbeenstruck recently in efforts to renovate and reimagine some of the island’s most popular resorts. The 54-acre Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua, to take one example, is finishing up a major overhaul that includes a reimagined aquatic complex (with three “zeroedge”swimmingpools),anexpandedClubLounge,

andprogrammingthatwillincludenotjustcocktail classes and cooking demonstrations but also lei making and musical performances by Hawaiian artists. On the southwest coast of the island, The GrandWailea,aWaldorfAstoriaResortisinthemidst of its own refresh of all 776 guest rooms and suites; someare,happily,alreadygoodtogo.There’sother progress beyond hotels: e-bikes are now plentiful on Maui, thanks to a recent rule change that allows them on island roads. Companies like RideSmart Mauilendoutwheelsthatmakeexploringabreeze, whether your interest lies in the historic sites of Lahaina or the beautiful beaches around Wailea.

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The Spanish capital may finally, thankfully, be shaking off its reputation as the country’s somewhat stuffy business hub. A flurry of tony hotel openings throughout the city has helped, by bringing plenty of personality to what had been a staid scene. It began in 2021 with the arrival of the Mandarin Oriental Ritz; Rosewood Villa Magna; and Santo Mauro, a Luxury Collection Hotel. Then came the Edition in April 2022. Breathing new life into the former Monte de Piedad de Madrid building, the hotel has 177 rooms, 21 suites, and two penthouses, plus two restaurants with food from chef Enrique Olvera and the culinary team behind Mexico City’s acclaimed Pujol. Elsewhere in Madrid, an already electric food scene has only gotten better — particularly in the glamorous Salamanca neighborhood and architecture-rich Chamberi district — with new offerings representing everything from Middle Eastern falafel and Argentinian asado to Spanish-Indian fusion and globally inflected vegan fare.

Madrid, Spain

Greenland, Denmark

Antarctica is so last year. While Greenland may not have penguins, it does promise plenty of beautiful landscapes and seemingly endless horizons. The newly christened National Geographic Resolution will sail the Eastern shore

of Greenland in June 2023, with opportunities to explore the Rømer Fjord depending on conditions. Ponant has a dozen distinct itineraries scheduled for 2023, including a number of round trips from Kangerlussuaq, in Western

land’s coast, then continues through the Northwest Passage before wrapping in Anchorage, Alaska. More conventional operators, such as Regent Seven Seas Cruises, are making the polar destination a fixture, too. The Seven

Greenland, that explore Baffin Bay. The brand-new Seabourn Venture, the line’s first expedition ship, will also be there in 2023; one particularly compelling August itinerary starts in Iceland, spends nearly three weeks along Green-

Seas Navigator will visit Prince Christian Sound and make calls in Nuuk and Paamiut on a June 2023 sailing between New York City and Reykjavik.

Lush mountains, bustling beach towns, and idyllic resorts make Guadeloupe the perfect place for adventurous travelers looking for something Caribbean but different. In recent years, though, it’s been difficult for U.S. travelers to reach this French overseas department — particularly after Norwegian ceased its nonstop flights to the destination in 2019. Now, things are looking up again, as JetBlue has relaunched its nonstop service from New York City to the gateway city of Pointe-à-Pitre in November 2022. SkyTeam faithfuls can also now get there on Air France, on nonstops from either Miami or New York; American Airlines also serves the

archipelago from Miami. First-timers tend to focus on two of the islands, Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre, the latter of which is home to Guadeloupe National Park. (A local tour company such as Vert Intense can help with the logistics of seeing Carbet Falls and La Grande Soufrière volcano.) Accommodations tend away from big brand names, though — this being France — there is an all-inclusive, beachfront Club Med La Caravelle. Other well-regarded options include the remote, hillside Le Jardin Malanga Hotel, with its dramatic ocean views, or the cliffside villas of the boutique-y La Toubana Hotel & Spa, along the southern shore of Grande-Terre.

Guadeloupe, France

Riviera Maya, Mexico

This picturesque stretch of the Yucatán peninsula is in the midst of welcoming four marquee hotels. The Waldorf Astoria Cancun just opened, a brandnew build with 173 rooms and five dining venues all overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Casa Chablé and The St. Regis Kanai Resort are slated to open in early 2023, followed by the Riviera Maya Edition at Kanai in spring 2023. Not new but refreshed is Maroma, a Belmond Hotel, which will reopen in May 2023 after a year-long closure with 10 new oceanfront suites and Latin America’s first Guerlain spa. Farther south, closer to Tulum, the ultra-luxurious Hotel Esencia has added a posh new 10,000-square-foot, four-bedroom mansion tricked out with fitness and screening

rooms, an underground speakeasy, and three pools — the perfect thing for a friends’ getaway. Not that hotels are the only draw: The last section of the new Maya Train project, which connects Cancun and Tulum, is expected to open by the end of 2023 after delays to address environmental and archeological concerns. The route will make several cultural and historic sites, including Chichén Itzá, more accessible and connect travelers to other destinations in the state of Quintana Roo, including Bacalar, Playa del Carmen, and Puerto Morelos. Also on the horizon is the opening of the long-awaited Tulum airport, which Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said will be completed by the end of 2023.

Asheville, North Carolina

This flannel-clad city in the Blue Ridge Mountains checks all the boxes, with yearround outdoor activities, sophisticated dining, and easy access, whether you’re driving or flying. (Asheville Regional Airport is on pace for a record-breaking 2022, with service from 25 destinations.) But the year ahead offers more reasons to visit, starting with some cool new places to stay: Wrong Way River Lodge has a collection of A-frame cabins along the French Broad River that are perfect for white-water rafters. AutoCamp Asheville, another glamping-esque abode with Airstream campers, is slated to open by mid-2023. Downtown, the new Restoration Hotel promises a properly plush

stay; its sister property in Charleston consistently ranks in T+L’s World’s Best Awards. (For those who’d rather be even closer to nature, The Glamping Collective is a newly opened, 160-acre site with domed pods and glass cabins situated a short drive from the city.) Asheville’s food scene has fresh energy from S&W Market, Asheville’s first food hall and the brainchild of award-winning chef Meherwan Irani. For all that’s new, visitors shouldn’t skip the old standbys: French Broad Chocolates is a local fave that’s since gone national, and Battery Park Book Exchange is the prime spot for a late-night glass of Champagne amid dusty bookshelves.

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