Marc Vitria

All-inclusive holidays often conjure images of overbuilt resorts, mediocre buffets, sugary cocktails, and relentless poolside music. Yet two very different brands—Club Med, the grandad of all all-inclusives, founded in 1950; and Ikos, one of the newer iterations of this popular travel concept, turning 10 only this year—defy the popular perception of all-inclusives. Both Club Med and Ikos offer vacation packages that include food, drinks, a wide range of activities, and childcare, mainly targeting families, couples, and individuals. However, they diverge in style and philosophy. To highlight those contrasts, this trip report will compare two specific resorts in the heart of the Mediterranean: Ikos Porto Petro in Mallorca, Spain, and Club Med Cefalù in Sicily, Italy.

Sailing the Rhône aboard Riverside Ravel offered an experience that went far beyond the destination itself. The ship’s refined design, spacious suites, and highly personalized service bring an ultra-luxury standard rarely seen in river cruising. From gourmet dining crafted with locally sourced ingredients to intimate, small-group excursions, every element felt carefully curated to elevate the journey.

As part of my ongoing exploration of ultra-luxury cruises, I recently sailed on a classic Mediterranean itinerary from Rome to Barcelona aboard Crystal Serenity, one of two ships in the Crystal fleet. Now under the stewardship of the A&K Travel Group, the entire fleet underwent an extensive refurbishment in 2023 aimed at restoring Crystal’s reputation among the elite in luxury cruising. But has the relaunch lived up to its promise? Let’s explore the ship, food and beverage offerings, enrichment and entertainment, service, and target audience.

During the course of last summer I had the opportunity to try two very similar products in the ultra-luxury cruising segment: a nine-day circumnavigation cruise of Iceland and the Faroe Islands onboard Regent’s Seven Seas Splendor; and an eight-day cruise of Alaska onboard Silversea’s Silver Muse. These two ships are the most recent additions to the respective fleets of these two high-end ultra-luxury cruise lines. This article sets out how they fare when compared against each other.

Switzerland ranks among the top ski destinations in the world, with over 300 ski resorts to choose from and a micro-climate on the northwestern side of the Alps that guarantees decent snowfall from December to April. As an Epic Ski Pass holder, last winter I set about to make the most of my pass and visited two of the best, yet very different Swiss ski domains included in the pass: Andermatt-Sedrun and Verbier 4 Vallées. Here’s my trip report with tips on how to best plan transfers and what hotels to book.

My journey started at Zurich airport, from where I would be traveling on the modern Swiss railways to Andermatt, the home of Ski Arena, and spend several days there discovering the mountains of Cantons Uri and Graubünden. After that I would be taking a scenic journey across to western Switzerland onboard the famous Glacier Express and discover the resort of Verbier, in the 4 Vallées ski area, which is also covered by the Epic Pass.