Ten destinations our advisors are quietly booking out — before the rest of the world catches on.
Editor's Note
Each year, our advisors review the destinations that consistently outperform client expectations, the regions where hospitality standards have elevated, the properties earning repeat bookings, and the journeys we would prioritize for our own travel. What follows is our curated list for the next twenty-four months, spanning established bucket-list destinations and emerging luxury markets.
Cherry blossom season in Kyoto is the cliché for a reason, but the real magic is the ryokan tucked into the hills, where dinner is twelve courses and the bath is a centuries-old cedar tub. Spend a week moving slowly between Tokyo, Hakone, and the Kiso Valley.
Best time to go
Late March – Early April · 2026
Ideal for
Couples · Cultural travelers · Photographers
The world's largest island has, until recently, been almost impossible to visit in any meaningful comfort. New small-ship expeditions and a single, stunning lodge above the Ilulissat Icefjord have changed that. Go before everyone else figures it out.
Best time to go
June – August · 2026
Ideal for
Adventure travelers · Photography · Climate-curious
Turquoise lagoons, overwater villas, and the jagged silhouette of Mount Otemanu. Still the bucket-list shot for a reason, and still where we book our most important anniversary trips.
Best time to go
May – October (dry season)
Ideal for
Honeymooners · Milestone anniversaries · Overwater bungalow obsessives
Forget the 500-passenger ships. The new generation of small explorer yachts, twelve cabins, a heli-deck, two submarines, has rewritten what an Antarctic voyage looks like. This is the seventh continent, in a way that feels entirely yours.
Best time to go
December – February · Austral summer 2026 / 2027
Ideal for
Once-in-a-lifetime · Wildlife · Serious adventurers
Terraced vineyards rising a thousand feet from a slow green river. The Douro is the world's oldest demarcated wine region, and a handful of converted quintas have turned it into one of Europe's most romantic stays. Sail it slowly. Drink it generously.
Best time to go
May – June · September – October · 2026
Ideal for
Wine lovers · Anniversaries · Slow travelers
Hilltop villages, white-truffle forests, olive oils that win the world's best, and a coastline that still feels, somehow, undiscovered. Istria is what travelers used to whisper about Tuscany twenty years ago. Go now.
Best time to go
May – June · September · 2026
Ideal for
Foodies · Culinary travel · Quiet luxury
Begin in a colonial palace inside Cartagena's walled city, then trade salsa and ceviche for the cool emerald hills of Salento and Filandia. A boutique finca, a private coffee farm tour, and a level of welcome you'll bring home with you.
Best time to go
December – March · 2026 & 2027
Ideal for
Couples · Foodies · Coffee obsessives
The gorilla trek is the headline, and yes, the moment a 400-pound silverback meets your eye six feet away will reorder your life. But the real story is what Rwanda has become: clean, safe, gracious, with the most beautifully designed lodges in Africa.
Best time to go
June – September · December – February · 2026
Ideal for
Wildlife · Conservation-minded · Bucket-list
Rugged Greek temples, Baroque hill towns, fishermen's lunches that ruin all other lunches forever. Sicily is the Italy of your imagination, only louder, more ancient, and considerably more delicious. Base in Taormina, drive everywhere.
Best time to go
May – June · September – October · 2026
Ideal for
Foodies · Multigen families · Driving holidays
Uluru at sunset. Longitude 131° under the stars. The Great Barrier Reef from a tented villa at Sal Salis. Australia at the luxury end is less about Sydney and more about getting properly, remotely, unforgettably far from everything.
Best time to go
May – September (outback cool season)
Ideal for
Seasoned travelers · Milestone trips · Once-in-a-lifetime journeys
For 2026 and 2027, our advisors are booking Japan (cherry blossom and autumn), Greenland and Antarctica expedition cruises, AlUla in Saudi Arabia, Patagonia, Rwanda for gorilla trekking, and the Douro Valley. Each destination has elevated luxury hospitality, repeat-client demand, and either a small-ship or limited-permit access window worth planning around.
For peak-season luxury travel, Japan cherry blossom, Antarctica, Galápagos, African safari, and European river cruises, we recommend booking 12 to 18 months ahead. The best lodges, suites, and small-ship cabins sell out first. Shoulder-season trips and all-inclusive resorts can often be booked four to six months out.
For a first safari, we typically recommend South Africa (easy logistics, malaria-free reserves, English-speaking guides) or Tanzania's Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater for classic Big Five game viewing. Rwanda is the top choice for travelers prioritizing gorilla trekking. We pair every safari with a luxury tented camp or lodge personally vetted by our team.
Most of our 2026/2027 hot list destinations work for both. Japan, Patagonia, Iceland, and the Douro Valley are excellent for multigenerational travel. Antarctica, Greenland, and Rwanda gorilla trekking have age minimums (typically 8–15+) set by operators. We'll match the destination, lodge, and ship to your group's ages and pace.
The Hot List is just the headline. Tell us where you're dreaming of and we'll build the entire itinerary around you.
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