Indian Ocean and Africa
Middle East and the Americas
Every hotel we shortlist170 hotels, one listFilter by place, by what each hotel is best for, and by the judges behind it.Browse all hotelsWorth it once
The splurges worth it once, priced.
What each really costs, split per person where that is how people pay, and how to try it first.
See all 22Stay
Fly
Go further
Celebrate
Winter
Christmas marketsChristmas markets Europe-wide: ten weekends from about £775 for two
UK Christmas marketsThe best Christmas markets UK-wide: ten weekends from about £451 for two
New Year's EveTen New Years Eve breaks, from about £990 for two
HogmanayTen ways to do Hogmanay Edinburgh, from free to £11,460Journeys
Rail · 5 trains
Luxury train journeys
Five great trains, from the Orient Express to the Andes.
Read the guide
Cities · 1 perfect day
One day in Rome
Sunrise to midnight: the walk, the tasting menus and a view of St Peter's.
Read the guide
Islands · 12 months
The Maldives, month by month
When the sea is glass, when the mantas come, and when the price halves.
Read the guide
Wild · Jul to Oct
The Great Migration
Where two million animals will be, and where you should be waiting.
Read the guide
Rail · London to Venice
The Orient Express
When it runs, what each cabin costs, and the best month to board.
Read the guide
Flights · Door to door
Emirates business class
From the car at your door in London to the lights of Dubai, in ten moments.
Read the guide
Winter · 5 nights
Lapland holidays
Huskies, reindeer, glass igloos and the fox fires, told as five Arctic nights.
Read the guide
Fly there in style · The Maldives
British Airways flies Heathrow to Malé non-stop. Everyone else changes on the way, and the Gulf hubs have the most connections.
Artur Tumasjan, Unsplash
Short answerBritish Airways for the only non-stop, Emirates for the most connections, and Singapore Airlines to stay clear of the Gulf.
Business · Heathrow to Malé, 787-9
The one with no change: Heathrow to Malé on a 787-9.
Business Class · A380
The one for choice: the most UK airports and the most Malé connections.
FCDO advice for the UAE
The Foreign Office says the situation in the Middle East remains unpredictable
, and that British nationals should be prepared for possible flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions
.
It does not advise against travel to the UAE, and it advises getting travel insurance that covers you.
Updated 24 July 2026, still current on 24 October 2026. Read it on GOV.UK
Business Class · flat bed
The one that keeps you clear of the Gulf, via Singapore.
FCDO advice for Qatar
Doha is in the Gulf, so the same regional picture applies. Read the Foreign Office's current advice for Qatar before you book.
How we chose. Cabins we would pay for ourselves, from the UK, with no more than one change. Routes, seats and suspensions are from the airlines' own published details, checked 24 October 2026. Emirates also has our full door-to-door guide.
Prices. Fares change daily, so we don't quote them here. Our What it costs page has dated fares by cabin.
Links. Airline links go to each airline's own UK website. We count the clicks so we know what's useful. They are not affiliate links today; if an airline's partner programme approves us, we will say so here. It never changes the order.
