Absinthe and antiques, voodoo temples and Catholic cathedrals. The city is steamy, sassy, spooky - and a world away from the rest of the USA

We've forty of the best jet-set secrets from our industry insiders. Read them, use them, destroy them. They’re for your eyes only...

The man behind Hotel du Vin has opened a radical rural retreat. The Pig puts a modern spin on the concept of the country house hotel

Robin Hutson is the best hotelier you’ve never heard of. He ran Chewton Glen in the New Forest for a decade, making it the best-known country pile for rilly, rilly posh people. And Michael Winner. He moved on to found the Hotel du Vin

A long voyage from Britain is the ultimate in laid-back adventure and it’s back into fashion — here is the pick of exotic, ex-UK cruising

You love exotic, far-flung destinations. You just hate flying to them. What can you do? Walk up the gangplank. Cruising from Britain is booming, and there’s a lot more on offer than the standard nip over to France or the western Med. You can float from a British port direct to the Caribbean, Alaska, Rio or Shanghai.