We were talking in the office about who still hasn’t booked their summer holiday, and more importantly, where we’d go.
The answer? Places with direct flights, rewarding experiences and enough ease that you don’t have to overthink every detail.
Coastlines with room to breathe
If summer to you means warm sand, sea air and slow days, these are the beaches we’d choose now.
La Fiermontina Ocean sits on a wild stretch of Moroccan coastline, with July availability and a complimentary Village Breakfast Experience for Steppes clients staying three nights or more.
Further east, Indonesia‘s remote Anambas archipelago is home to Bawah Reserve, where days are shaped by snorkelling, kayaking, guided walks, spa time and all-inclusive island living.
Or pair safari with the coast at Kinondo Kwetu on Kenya’s Swahili Coast, where dhow sailing, horse riding, coral reefs and slow afternoons beneath the palms offer barefoot ease with character.
Culture without the crowds
If you can embrace the summer heat, Egypt and Jordan offer culture with fewer crowds and a more relaxed pace.
In Egypt, see the Pyramids, Luxor and the Valley of the Kings with shorter queues and the best guides, then step inside the Grand Egyptian Museum.
In Jordan, recent FCDO advice has eased, value is strong and the cities come alive after dark. See Petra with few others around, when its scale, silence and wonder are at their most powerful.
Mountain air
For mountain air and long sunny days, look to higher ground.
Forestis sits high in the Italian Dolomites, with August availability, south-facing suites, spring-water pools and included wellness activities for a restorative mountain escape.
Ladakh brings a different kind of altitude, where Indian Himalayan landscapes, Buddhist monasteries and clear summer skies are made for slow, considered exploration.
In the French Alps, Chalet Gueret, owned by our Chairman, Nick Laing, offers tranquillity and plenty of opportunities to hike, mountain bike, raft or browse local markets, before returning to the garden terrace, heated pool and sauna.
Cooler corners of the world
If heat isn’t your thing, look north to Spitsbergen for a last-minute expedition aboard the Greg Mortimer. Sail through pack ice in search of walrus, bearded seals and polar bears, with jagged mountains and glacial fjords as your backdrop.
Days might bring guillemots nesting on towering cliffs, walks across flower-strewn tundra or visits to historic explorer camps in one of the world’s last great wildernesses.
These are a few of our favourite late summer ideas for a last-minute escape. And if you have somewhere else in mind, speak to us. We’ll help shape something that works.