Image courtesy of http://www.airlinesanddestinations.com.

Sydney, Australia, already voted one of the Top 10 Most Beautiful Cities at Night by TripAdvisor, becomes even more stunning this spring (or shall we say fall?). From May 25-June 11, Sydney Harbor will once again transform for Vivid Sydney, the largest celebration of light, music, and ideas in the Southern Hemisphere. For these 17 days, the Sydney Opera House sails will be illuminated by more than 50 light-art sculptures and large-scale installations and projections.

Catch the best views of the event at the newly redesigned Park Hyatt Sydney in the Rocks District, reopening in February. With its incredible views of the Sydney Harbor, you can have the best seat in the house in your own room!

The festival will also feature contemporary music performances at Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House; international creative-industry conferences; and the new Vivid Ideas Exchange, a hub for creative ideas, discussion, and debate at the Museum of Contemporary Art. For more information on Vivid Sydney, visit www.vividsydney.com

For more information on Park Hyatt Sydney, click here.

Anantara Bophut Resort & Spa has exciting changes in the air! Formerly Anantara Koh Samui, the new name isn’t the only thing new going on. In January, the resort will have 20 additional executive suites and villas available for guests seeking a little R&R along the Gulf of Thailand.

The new suites will be spread among a new three-story villa with panoramic views not too far from the five new, intimate Pool Villas and new one- and two-bedroom Beach Villas.  Decisions, decisions!

All guests will receive:

• 2-for-1 fares
• $1,000 per couple “All-Inclusive. As You Wish.” spending credits
• Free economy airfare

If that doesn’t have travelers ready to book, just imagine watching a breaching whale from your private balcony, ‘flightseeing’ an ancient glacier on a helicopter tour, or just staying up to admire the beauty of the Northern Lights. All Alaska trips are 12-days, and will stop at Victoria, Vancouver, Sitka, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Glacier Bay or the Hubbard Glacier during the journey.

Better still, Crystal Symphony recently completed a multi-million dollar refurbishment and welcomes guests to enjoy the improvements on the ship named World’s Best more than any other ship, hotel, or resort. Guests can expect true excellence and refinement when the best gets better.

The first sailing doesn’t leave until May – so book now & plan later!

Waddesdon Manor is sure to attract the Hoxton hipsters with the addition of a new modern art gallery at the trad manse outside London.

Waddesdon – one of the National Trust‘s most popular sites and free to visit for members of The Royal Oak Foundation  –  might be known best as the stomping grounds of the Rothschilds (yes, those Rothschilds) and now is set to be a modern art mecca, having converted the former stables into a sleek space.  A bona fide collector for decades, Lord Jacob Rothschild (recipient of ROF’s Timeless Design award in October) has turned his gaze forward with the new space, a slight departure from the classical works that decorate the walls and halls of the estate.  Case in point: the opening exhibition featuring the works of one of the original Young British Artists, Angus Fairhurst.

Fairhurst, a classmate of Damien Hirst at Goldsmiths College, was part of the now-famous student show Freeze, launching the YBAs.  Fairhurst tragically passed away last year, but visitors can appreciate his sculpture and work through the end of October.

The new space symbolizes the changing face of Waddesdon – a historic house with a difference, one looking forward rather than towards the past.

Where did the Queen of Crime choose to go on holiday?  Mystery solved: to the Devon countryside and her home Greenway, newly renovated and open to the public for the first time to view or even to stay.  Plan a murder mystery weekend and rent “The Apartment” – the second and third floors of the crime writer’s haven – which accommodates a party of ten, sans any disappearances! 

Rates for one week start at $2,335 this spring (which equates to just $233 per person for an entire week).

Through The Royal Oak Foundation, American visitors can book Agatha Christie’s house or one of the National Trust’s other 360 very affordable Holiday Cottages in an authentically Anglo setting and become part of country life (i.e., having a jolly time at the village pub).  One may choose from the Cornish coast to the Yorkshire dales, including ten new homes.  Adding to the experience, many of the cottages had previous lives as former sporting grandstands, water towers, and lighthouse cottages.

The Trust’s 2009 Holiday Cottages, a 201-page, fully-illustrated book describing in detail each residence and its special qualities and surrounding locale, is available in the U.S. exclusively from The Royal Oak Foundation.  The cost is $12 with shipping but, while supplies last, is FREE upon request with new Royal Oak membership (mention code cottages09 to redeem when signing up) – just $55.  Plus, staying in these cottages directly supports the continuing conservation of the Trust’s properties – truly a feel-good vacation! 

Call (212) 480-2889 the Royal Oak Foundation to become a member and secure a free catalogue or visit their website: www.royal-oak.org.

The Apartment is the top two floors of Christie’s home; the rest of the renovated house is also on view for the first time to the public and is one of over 300 historic houses and gardens protected by the National Trust.  Royal Oak membership grants free access to Greenway and all other Trust properties.