Where to stay :

AlmaLusa Baixa/Chiado

Verride Palácio Santa Catarina

Where to stay :

Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Bosphorus 

Temperature: 22°C high; 10°C low
Season: autumn
Travel time from UK: 1 hour 20 minutes
Time difference: GMT+1

This UNESCO-listed river valley is the epitome of bucolic bliss. Little wonder French royalty of yore ditched Paris for its gentle pastures, scattering myriad romantic châteaux across the landscape, plopped amid sprawling manicured gardens or perched on placid lakes. As the back-to-school crowds filter out, take advantage and meander its villages and vineyards in relative peace. Plus, the first weekend of September is marked by the annual Vines, Wines and Walks festival, where visitors choose between various wine trails, led by local winemakers – so you can stroll, sip and chomp the finest cheese with the help of an expert guide.

In a majestic location on the left bank of the Loire River, the Château of Chambord is the most emblematic Renaissance monument in France. A breathtaking sight to behold, this enormous castle provided inspiration for the building of the Château de Versailles. The estate was created in the early 16th century (at the height of the French Renaissance) for King Francis I, who spared no expense.

Where to stay :

CHATEAUX CHATEAU DE MARCAY Chinon

Temperature: 33°C high; 19°C low
Season: autumn
Travel time from UK: 3 hours 35 minutes
Time difference: GMT+1

Morocco saturates the senses. See Marrakech ’s chaotic medinas; the raggedly isolated mud-wall towns of the High Atlas; Essaouira’s salty sea air and sun-dappled surf. All are at their finest in September. As the summer sizzle mellows, both Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts remain bikini-balmy, while the winter chill that grasps desert nights and mountain villages is yet to take hold. And a smart new crop of design hotels — typically airy riads with crisp courtyard pools, renovated by French fashion photographers and Italian aristocrats — makes Morocco an especially stylish place to lay one’s head. Fez,  a vast, medieval warren of a city, expects to complete an impressive, 30-year restoration project this year.

Where to stay :

Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo

Temperature: 18°C high; 11°C low
Season: spring
Travel time from UK: 13 hours 45 minutes
Time difference: GMT-3

They call it the Paris of South America, but Buenos Aires has long tangoed to its own beat. Nothing feels quite like wandering the tree-lined streets of its largest barrio, Palermo, past rainbow-hued street art and bohemian coffee haunts, quirky galleries and fashion boutiques. It’s more seductive still in September, when the cold winter is easing off, but still-thin crowds largely comprise fun-loving locals and expats. Life-changing steaks and chic cocktail bars beckon at every corner; new — and hard-to-get-into — speakeasy Uptown BA recreates a New York Subway station. On the bright side, low-fare long-haul airline Norwegian just launched a direct flight from Gatwick, so there should be plenty of pesos in your pocket for bribing the bouncer.

Where to stay :

Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires

Temperature: 28°C high; 22°C low
Season: winter
Travel time from UK: 23 hours
Time difference: GMT-10

July and August are the busiest months in French Polynesia. Hold out until September and, as well as having more overwater bungalows to choose from, the weather’s still heaven. No heavy rains until November; none of the later months’ humidity to force on the air-con. Just blue, blue lagoons and the kind of peace you only find at the end of the world. Though it’s the very picture of paradise, locals call Bora Bora “boring boring”. For a quick culture dose, visit the pearl farms of quiet Taha’a, or meet the blue-eyed, giant sacred river eels of lush Huahine (but maybe leave it to your guide to feed them).

Where to stay :

St. Regis Bora Bora Hotel

Temperature: 26°C high; 20°C low
Season: autumn
Travel time from UK: 11 hours 30 minutes
Time difference: GMT+9

Cherry Blossoms be damned. The madding crowds are less maddening in autumn, when trees brushed scarlet and gold make Kyoto’s sublime temples and gardens an even more precise image of perfection.

HAVE A CHERRY-BLOSSOM SUNDOWNER BY THE RIVER

During balmy evenings join the groups of Kyotonians who gather on the banks of Kamogawa, especially when the cherry trees are blossoming (there are extensive weather reports predicting the percentage of bloom in the run up to the season). It’s right near Sanjō Keihan station, so pick up drinks snacks from the nearby conbini (convenience store), kick back on a patch of grass and enjoy the gentle hubbub of buskers, street artists, and fire-eaters. It won’t be long before a humble local asks you to join their group as a guest of honour.

Where to stay :

The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto

AVERAGE SEPTEMBER TEMPERATURE: 25°C

Spring has arrived in South Africa and what a glorious season it is. The weather is warm in all regions, making it an ideal time to explore everything on offer: southern right whales breaching off the coast of Hermanus; the Garden Route at its lushest; and optimum game-viewing, particularly as newborns begin taking their first shaky steps. Combine the country’s most famous road trip with primo surfing at Mossel Bay en route; close to Mossel, Gondwana private game reserve has guests track the Big Five in 4x4s, on horseback and on foot. Thrilling safari days end in the Gondwana spa, swimming pool and suites-on-stilts.

South Africa is an extraordinary country, rich in captivating culture, spellbinding scenery and fascinating wildlife. It also has a wide range of luxury accommodation, which makes it a great destination for a family adventure, unforgettable honeymoon or multi-centre combination. Stay in an independent boutique hotel in a buzzing city or check into a serene lodge in the middle of an epic national park. Whatever the trip, you’ll find it easy to connect with the great outdoors in a country that is as dynamic as it is diverse.

Cape Town

Where to stay :

One&Only Cape Town

Tsala Treetop Lodge and Villas

Singita Lebombo & Sweni Lodges

From Georgia Papadon & team,

Happy September …!

This full moon was special because it was the moon’s closest approach to Earth since 1948, and it won’t get this close again until 2034. November’s full moon is also known as the “Beaver Moon,” when Native American tribes would set beaver traps before the swamps froze to ensure a supply of warm winter furs, according to the Washington Post.

Let’s see some of the most impressive pictures of the Supermoon worlwide.

San Franscisco, California

Bay Bridge, San Franscisco

The astronomers call this sort of close full moon a perigee full moon. The word perigee describes the moon’s closest point to Earth for any given month. Five years ago – when the closest and largest full moon fell on March 19, 2011 – many began using the term supermoon, which we’d never heard before. In the following years, we heard this term again to describe the year’s closest full moon on May 6, 2012, and again on June 23, 2013, and again on August 10, 2014, and yet again on September 28, 2015.

Athens, Greece

The so-called supermoon appears up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter as it comes about 22,000 miles closer to the Earth than average, though to the casual observer, the increase appears slight.

Above the Greek Parliament, Athens

Now the term supermoon is being used a lot, and, personally, we approve! It’s a good descriptive term for the closest full moons, much easier to remember than perigee full moon.

Castle of Almodovar, Cordoba- Spain

Last month’s full moon – on October 16, 2016 – was also a supermoon.

London, England

New England

But this November full moon was even more super! In other words, the time of full moon fell even closer to the time of the moon’s closest point to Earth.

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Looking further into the future, the perigee full moon will come closer than 356,500 kilometers for the first time in the 21st century (2001-2100) on November 25, 2034 (356,446 km). The closest full moon of the 21st century will fall on December 6, 2052 (356,425 km).

New York

Manhattan Bridge, NY

Manhattan, New York

Kathmandu, Nepal, on November 14, 2016

Chicago , Illinois

Madrid, Spain

A man stands on a balcony of a building  as the moon rises in background, on November 13, 2016

The moon rises behind the Opera House on November 14, 2016, in Sydney, Australia.

Grant Palace, Bankok

Victoria Harbour , Hong Kong

Philadelphia Skyline

The CN tower,  Toronto

Lincoln Memorial, Washington

Fremantle War Memorial at Monument Hill, Australia

PENA Palace, Lisbon

An American Airlines passenger plane passes in front of the moon, as seen from Whittier, California, on November 13, 2016

Amalfi Coast, Italy

Patras , Peloponnese Greece

Redondo Beach, California

For the moon to come closer than 356,400 kilometers (221,457 miles) is quite a feat. In fact, this won’t happen at all in the 21st century (2001-2100) or the 22nd century (2101-2200). The last time the full moon perigee swung this close to Earth was on January 14, 1930 (356,397 km), and the next time won’t be till January 1, 2257 (356,371 km).

Dubai, Burj Khalifa

I hope you enjoyed the great phenomenon…!

So, it was welcome news that we’d have the brightest moon in 69 years on display Sunday night and Monday morning.

If only.