Welcome to our new editorial column 'zip it'. We'll be bringing news from the travel world and highlight the latest hot spots, as well as picking some fantastic seasonal flight offers.
We've chosen a small selection of picks below. If you'd like further recommendations about these tips, follow the link at the bottom of each article.
If you have any comments or questions about our articles, please let us know via twitter.
top beachside beauties
Shutters on the Beach, Los Angeles
This immaculately designed luxury hotel-cum-beach house comes courtesy of Michael Smith, the latest designer to give the interiors of the White House the once-over. It’s chic but casual, making Shutters the ideal location for a seaside getaway this winter. All rooms boast private balconies that afford guests beautiful views out over the Pacific, and for those wanting to truly enter into the spirit of la-la land there are Yoga classes on the beach out front every morning. Other than that, though, it’s all about lying on your sun-lounger, drink in-hand, and soaking up the hotel’s boutique charm.
For flights to Los Angeles www.nowfly.co.uk/cheap-flights-to-Los-Angeles.aspx.
Check www.nowfly.co.uk/ZipIt/55-top-beachside-beauties.aspx for further beachside beauties.
top music venues
La Catedral, Buenos Aires
The capital of Buenos Aires’ Tangopolis, La Catedral oozes sex appeal and style. Held in a converted warehouse, this underground venue (which only recently gained a license) feels like a neo-Gothic circus. Filled with old furniture, paintings and factory apparatus from its days as a flourmill, La Catedral has a wonderfully rustic look, and the bar is quite discernibly the owner’s former kitchen. As the night wears on, couples fill the floor and if you are lucky an impromptu tango jam emerges from the band.
For flights to Buenos Aires www.nowfly.co.uk/cheap-flights-to-buenos-aires.aspx.
Check www.nowfly.co.uk/ZipIt/71-top-music-venues.aspx for further top music venues.
top high altitude skiing
Val Thorens, France
Okay, so the town lacks the charm of traditional Swiss or Austrian ski resorts, but charm counts for nothing when the key reason for being in Val Thorens is to ski on almost guaranteed snow from December onwards. So leave your lederhosen or curling gear behind and instead, wax down your board or carvers and head for one of the 268 runs. Being the highest ski resort in Europe, with it’s lift system reaching an altitude of 3200m, there’s very little chance that you’ll spend your days gazing at the weather channel, praying for a sign that the white stuff lift will arrive during the precious week that you’ve been longing for all year. Despite its slightly manufactured feel, Val Thorens is quite a foodie haven, boasting a Michelin star venue called Restaurant L’Oxalys.
The nearest airport to Val Thorens is Chambery, lying 2 hours away. Alternatively, Lyon is 2.5 hours and Geneva 3 hours.
For flights to Chambery www.nowfly.co.uk/cheap-flights-to-Chambery.aspx.
For flights to Lyon www.nowfly.co.uk/cheap-flights-to-Lyon.aspx.
For flights to Geneva www.nowfly.co.uk/cheap-flights-to-Geneva.aspx.
To see all our top high altitude skiing resorts, check out www.nowfly.co.uk/ZipIt/51-High-altitude-ski-resorts.aspx
top family city breaks
At one time unjustly overlooked, this small but fiercely dynamic city has rightfully earned a place in the European capital super-league and city break travellers are now flocking for a taste of Rio in the Med. Lisbon is a city of contradictions, where modernity meets with unwavering traditions, making it both a charming and intriguing place to explore and the perfect place to suit all the family. Treat the kids to a ride on the Elevador de Santa Justa, a wrought-iron elevator that provides the best and fastest way to see the city, and see if a horse-riding trip with Centro Hipico da Costa do Estoril won’t wear out the little ones’ seemingly boundless energy.
For flights to Lisbon www.nowfly.co.uk/cheap-flights-to-Lisbon.aspx.
Check www.nowfly.co.uk/ZipIt/75-top-family-city-breaks.aspx for further top family city breaks.
top places to see and be seen right now
The Oscars are fast approaching, and LA will be the place to be when the 82nd Academy Awards roll into town. If old-school Hollywood glamour and notoriety is what you’re after then there is only one choice. Modeled after a French Chateau, this hotel manages to be grand and homely all at the same time and stands out like a huge haunted house on the Hollywood hillside. Aside from looking something out of a movie set, Chateau Marmont also has an impressive history; it was where Jim Morrison dangled from a drainpipe, where John Belushi died from a drug overdose, and where Britney Spears was kicked to the kerb before a barrage of flashbulbs. But don’t let the a-listers enjoy all the attention - steal the spotlight and prop up Bar Marmont with the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Johnny Depp. As movie exec Harry Cohn famously said, “if you must get in trouble, do it at the Chateau Marmont.”
For flights to Los Angeles www.nowfly.co.uk/cheap-flights-to-Los-Angeles.aspx.
Check test.nowfly.co.uk/ZipIt/63-top-places-to-see-and-be-seen-right-now.aspx for further great hot spots.