The hotels, museums, and cultural debuts that are setting the agenda for the year in travel.
1. EXPLORA EL CALAFATE, ARGENTINA
Famed for its collection of adventure lodges in some of South America’s most thrilling destinations, Explora unveils a property near picture-perfect El Calafate, the gateway to Los Glaciares National Park. With just 20 rooms and suites set on a historic and remote estancia in Patagonia, the on-property experience aims to evoke appreciation for the locale, with windows that frame the steppes and the mountains. But Explora excels at adventure, and here, about 30 excursions are on offer, including a litany of ways to explore Perito Moreno Glacier: by foot, boat, or kayak.
Instagram: @exploratravel
explora.com
2. SINGITA ELELA, BOTSWANA
Luxury safari lodge company Singita has finally landed in Botswana. In a 400,000-acre, concession of the Okavango Delta that’s teeming with wildlife, Elela features eight private camps (set on stilts to allow the water to flow freely), each with its own dedicated team of guide, tracker, and host. Here, the safari experience is meant to be personalized and fluid: hop on the vehicle with your guide to explore at your leisure, have meals whenever hunger strikes, or spend your days in quiet meditation while marveling at the open skies.
Instagram: @singita_
singita.com
3. THE SEMINARY, BENNINGTON, VERMONT
In the heart of southern Vermont, The Seminary is a meticulous restoration of an 1829 schoolhouse, opening this fall as a six-room boutique hotel. Celebrated design studio Hendricks Churchill led the architecture and interiors, conjuring an idealized vision of rural New England throughout, while Grace Fuller Design reimagined the bucolic grounds. Art plays a big role here, with original works by Keith Haring, George Bellows, and various Hudson River School painters on display, and nearby Bennington College has produced novelists including Bret Easton Ellis and Donna Tartt, cementing the area’s reputation as a haven for American culture.
Instagram: @aplaceinmindstays
aplaceinmind.com
4. FREGATE ISLAND, SEYCHELLES
Shuttered in 2022 for a full refurb, this 544-acre private island resort makes its long-awaited return in 2026, and everything is better than ever. The 17 villas, now significantly larger, have been redesigned in mostly glass and wood so that they seamlessly blend into their lush surroundings. World-class amenities – a sprawling spa, distillery and hydroponic farm – are still second best to the island’s pristine beaches and exciting wildlife, including 3,500 Aldabra giant tortoises and the once-endangered magpie-robins.
Instagram: @fregateisland
fregate.com
5. LASSONDE ART TRAIL, CANADA
The newly developed Biidaasige Park on Toronto’s waterfront has welcomed a two-and-a-half-mile art trail, part of a large-scale initiative to renew parts of the port as public parks. A series of stations around the site will host installations of all types, including the first ever permanent public sculpture from Canadian Cree artist Kent Monkman, who has created a larger- than-life piece called The Colony that explores the vital role beavers play in shaping the world around us.
Instagram: @thelatfoundation
latfoundation.org
6. EXPLORA III
One of the newest brands in luxury cruising, Explora Journeys launched its third ship this summer with itineraries around the Mediterranean before it trains its bow for ports in the Americas this fall and winter. In addition to five heated pools, seven restaurants, and 11 bars and lounges, Explora III comes with an Owner’s Residence designed by Patricia Urquiola, who custom-designed many of the decorative elements, including a sculptural chandelier that was 3D-printed from recycled plastic.
Instagram: @explorajourneys
explorajourneys.com
7. CONRAD ATHENS THE ILISIAN, GREECE
A beloved Athenian landmark gets a glamorous second act with the debut of Conrad Athens The Ilisian. Set within a 1963 modernist icon in the Ilisia neighborhood, the property brings 307 light-filled rooms and suites (the largest suite inventory in the city) along with views that stretch across Athens from nearly every window. Nine restaurants and bars round out the offering, anchored by the return of Byzantino, now a grand brasserie serving classic Greek and French fare, and Galaxy Dispensary, a reworking of the city’s original rooftop bar dating back to the 1960s. Beyond the hotel, guests can while away the hours at the city’s largest outdoor pool, a rooftop running track, or the wellness-focused spa overseen by famed aesthetic surgeon, Dr Costas Papageorgiou.
Instagram: @conradathenstheilisian
conradhotels.com
8. LARRAKIA CULTURAL CENTRE, AUSTRALIA
In Darwin, Northern Australia, a new institution is emerging with the opening of this multimillion-dollar project. Shaped like a bird in flight, it was designed by Rossi Architects in partnership with Susan Dugdale & Associates. Like the building’s ancestral inspiration, Indigenous expression is at the heart of the Centre, which features historic artifacts (such as spears, jewelry, and woven bags) repatriated from museums around the world as well as contemporary works by Larrakia artists.
Instagram: @larrakiaculturalcentre
larrakiaculturalcentre.com.au
9. EXPERIMENTAL PORTO, PORTUGAL
The Paris-based Experimental Group continues its global expansion with the acquisition of Infante Sagres in Porto. Known as the city’s first luxury hotel when it opened in 1951, the property has lived many lives. And when it debuts as Experimental Porto, the trademark pink exterior will remain, but the inside will be a whole new world, featuring decor by Dorothée Meilichzon and the arrival of a La Compagnie wine bar and a branch of the Experimental Cocktail Club.
Instagram: @experimentalgroup
experimentalgroup.com
10. KANAL – CENTRE POMPIDOU, BELGIUM
One of the year’s most highly anticipated art openings, the November ribbon-cutting at this museum will include five gallery floors dedicated to 10 exhibitions of Carrie Mae Weems’s photography, a film by Joshua Serafin, and an installation by Otobong Nkanga. The 430,000-square-foot multi-use emporium will also include performance spaces, a playground, and a rooftop bar.
Instagram: @kanal.centrepompidou
kanal.brussels
Taken from 10 Magazine USA Issue 7 – HERITAGE, LEGACY, FUTURE – out September 18! Order your copy here.
TEN PLACES TO GO
Text CHADNER NAVARRO
