Detours
TRAVEL NEWS What to Look for in 2020 and Beyond By Isabelle Labrosse
With a new decade beginning, here’s a glimpse at what to look forward to in 2020 and beyond.
APEX, ARTIST’S RENDERING ©CELEBRITY CRUISES
PUNAKHA VALLEY
MALAGÁ, SPAIN ©SILVERSEA CRUISES
14 • Vacations ® • Spring 2020
APEX OF MODERN CRUISING Celebrity Cruises is getting ready for the inaugural season of its new Celebrity Apex, the second ship of its Edge series, setting sail this April. The 2,910-passenger Apex builds on the success of her sister ship, the award-winning Celebrity Edge, to take modern cruising to yet another level with interiors created by world-renowned designers, industry-leading cuisine featuring offerings from Michelin-starred Chef Cornelius Gallagher, and brand-new wellness and fitness programs. The ship will also feature the cutting-edge Magic Carpet, a platform cantilevered up to 13 storeys above sea level. Celebrity Apex will offer spring and summer sailings to Northern Europe and the Mediterranean before repositioning to the Caribbean for the winter. SUSTAINABLE BUCKET LIST Lonely Planet released its top destinations for 2020, and its Best in Travel list puts Bhutan as the No. 1 country to visit this year because of its low impact tourism policy. The world’s only carbon-negative country, Bhutan is also expected to become the first fully organic nation this year. The country is making its way to the top of many travellers’ bucket lists, and tour operators are taking notice. Slated to open this fall, andBeyond’s Punakha River Lodge will be the company’s first luxury experiential lodge in Bhutan. Located in the lush Punakha Valley surrounded by rice paddies, the lodge will feature six luxury tents, one honeymoon villa, a two-bedroom villa, as well as a spa and a space dedicated to yoga for travellers looking to combine adventure and wellness. VOYAGE OF A LIFETIME Once-in-a-lifetime journeys require some planning ahead, which is why Silversea Cruises has recently launched its Grand Voyage Mediterranean 2021. The 59-day cruise will take guests to 45 destinations in 17 countries along the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, travelling aboard the recently refurbished Silver Shadow. Highlights include classics such as the Art Nouveau architecture of Barcelona; the golden-age glamour of Monte-Carlo; the whitewashed landscapes of Santorini; and the French Colonial architecture of Casablanca. The itinerary also visits less-travelled destinations such as the sun-soaked beaches of Durrës, Albania; the subtropical delights of Batumi, Georgia; the musical charms of Odessa, Ukraine; and the coastal beauty of Sochi, Russia; plus a maiden call in La Estaca, on El Hierro – the smallest of the Canary Islands – touted as “the island of soul.”
