It's barely Spring, but it’s hard not to think about Summer with a
calendar of new hotel openings worth planning around all across the
Mediterranean. A booming travel sector means emerging markets like
Croatia and Turkey are furthering a decade of developments. Hvar gets two new properties with Pharos Hvar and Senses Hvar - with a much-needed dose of Four Seasons on the way. Turkey is attempting to change its recent tourism slump with new properties like LUX Bodrum and ever-stylish Il Riccio Beach House (pictured) - by the owners of Capri Palace. Even larger is Banyan Tree Bodrum,
set to debut this year with a 70-room property on the Turkish Riviera
with 1,500-foot private beach. Perks will include an outdoor cinema, spa
suites with private pools and several private residences.
By late March, many of Ibiza's beach clubs like Blue Marlin and Jockey
Club are already opening their doors for the season. Island party
destinations like Ibiza Rocks Ushuaia are completing the summer DJ
calendars with additions like Martin Garix and Elrow while major changes
are coming with the rebranding of Space as a more-upscale Hi Ibiza. On the high-end, the massive Ibiza Bay development just north of town comes to completion with the opening of Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay.
The 152-room property features a mostly white Balearic design for its
two seafront pools and Six Senses Spa that becomes the top spa
destination on the island. The eateries include an outpost of Nobu,
Mexican eatery by Mexico City’s Peyote Group and more native Chambao, in
collaboration with El Chiringuito de Es Cavallet. The expansion of the
Nobu Hotels brand will also include new properties opening in London’s
Shoreditch and in Malibu later this summer.
Anyone traveling to Greece from the U.S. this summer should inquire about the new Newark-Athens route operated by Emirates - and on a 3-class 777-300ER. In Mykonos, a luxury boom in recent years has brought new destinations like Scorpios, but few new hotel properties. This summer, Branco Mykonos
brings a 5-star hotel address to Platis Gialos Beach complete with
waterfront pool deck that's a rarity on the island. On the other side of
town, Myconian Collection
takes one of the island's top hotel developments and alas rebrands them
with a worthy trifecta of design, luxury and boutique hotel. Kyma
, Naia
and Korali
Relais et Châteaux Hotels redefine three well-known hotel properties
with each offering their own unique dining concept and George's Bar - a
hip mixology lounge that’s likely a destination of its own this summer.