March


Trek mountainous Morocco Spring is the perfect time to be in Marrakech, with the


prospect of piercing blue North African skies and the foliage in Yves Saint Laurent’s Majorelle Gardens in riotous bloom. By noon in March, temperatures in town may be in the 30s


(retreat for a mint tea), but just an hour away, the peaks


of the Atlas Mountains remain snow-capped and tantalising. Head to the cool foothills for


invigorating hikes and nights in candle-lit boutique hotels like the Kasbah du Toubkal. Dan Linstead, editor of Wanderlust magazine wanderlust.co.uk


May Chill in Hellenic heaven May is a wonderful month on


the Greek Islands – everything has just opened for the season and the air is fresh and crisp in the mornings, building to pleasant beach weather by early aſt ernoon. Ithaka is my favourite island. It’s


too mountainous for an airstrip so we fl y to neighbouring


Kefalonia and catch a ferry across. I usually check


into the Perantzada Hotel,


which is small, very stylish and the breakfasts are sensational; it is a sophisticated little oasis and the rooms are as cool as igloos... just what you need when you get back from the beach all sweaty and salty


and in need of a really long, hot shower.


Peter Browne, associate


editor of Condé Nast Traveller Magazine cntraveller.com


April GO GREEN IN JAPAN Thousands of blossoming pink cherry


trees, gardens bursting with exotic blooms and women clad in vibrant kimonos


– nowhere is more colourful than Japan in spring. Explore Zen-like temple grounds,


share picnics under drifting sakura blooms and dine on exquisite kaiseki meals,


where every morsel is crafted to evoke the season. And there’s nowhere better to do this than in the beautiful riverside setting of Hoshinoya Karuizawa hot-springs resort, an hour from Tokyo. One of the


world’s greenest luxury hotels, Hoshinoya hosts a bear conservation project,


supports farmers and families from the stricken tsunami region, and generates


its own green energy. But Tokyoites don’t fl ock here for that. They come for days at a time to wallow in the natural geothermal pools. Here you can soak up views of cherry blossoms and mountains while soaking away your winter blues in the bright spring sunshine.


Jill Starley-Grainger, eco-travel expert and editor of ecoluxhotels.com


> Before you jet off , visit Ocado’s Holiday Shop for everything from mini-toiletries to infl atable pillows ocado.com/holidayshop < June Take a dip in Provence


For the competent self-caterer, why not rent a cottage near the Gorge de Verdon in Provence? Or on the stunning Lac de St Croix, where the river fl ows


out of the main gorge. This is upper Provence, so there are


loads of little charming villages, stupendous walks along the Gorge, swimming and sailing


on the lake, and such a choice of places to visit that you can only scratch the surface. And the sea is not far away.


Alastair Sawday, B&B expert and head of Alastair Sawday’s Special Places to Stay guides sawdays.co.uk


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