Marcella Martinelli

It was one of those grey mornings when packing a bag felt like an act of optimism bordering on delusion. Yet the train was booked, the overnight bag was by the door, and the words thermal waters had been lodged in my brain for weeks like a half-remembered song. So I found myself at London Euston just after nine, coffee in hand, boarding an Avanti West Coast service heading north, wondering why I hadn't done this years earlier.

If you are planning a trip to Barcelona and want a place that feels less like a hotel and more like a private sanctuary, there's one retreat in the heart of the Gothic Quarter that will stay with you forever. Soho House Barcelona is housed in a Catalan mansion from the early 1900s, blending historic charm with a subtly contemporary atmosphere.

Malta, an island nestled in the heart of the Mediterranean—south of Sicily, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya—lies almost at the very centre of the sea. Its location explains the captivating layering of cultures, histories, and influences that shape its identity. Stepping onto Maltese soil is like entering a world that exists somewhere between past and present, where every stone, street, and corner tells a story.