Hang ten in Costa Rica
Learn to surf at the new St Regis hotel in Costa Rica, opening this November. starwoodhotels.com
Kick the kilos in Crete
Shift the winter flab with a luxury bootcamp in five-star heavenly surroundings. The Blue Palace in Crete is your base for a week-long fitness frenzy and delicious pampering. fitnessboutique.tv
Chill out in Jamaica
Spend July in Jamaica when the Reggae Sumfest turns Montego Bay into the party capital of the Caribbean. reggaesumfest.com
Play polo in Dubai
Learn about chukkas at the new Desert Palm in Dubai. On the edge of the desert, the new resort has 24 suites and pool villas, a spa and polo estate. desertpalm.ae
Check Carlos’s moves
Widely recognised as the best dancer of his generation, Carlos Acosta’s raw athleticism and feather-light steps make him a dream to watch. Don’t miss him at the Coliseum during 31 March- 3 April. eno.org
Traverse the Rockies
Rocky Mountaineer Vacations are launching three new Wilderness and Rail trips. Rockies, Whales & Bears includes two days onboard a train through the Rockies and three nights on Vancouver Island. rockymountaineer.com
Bond with the boys
Learn to drive a racing car at the F1 Track in Johannesburg before heading out on safari in the nearby Madikwe Game Reserve with the four-day Race Roar Safari Package. madikwecollection.com
Find a Turkish delight
Luxury hotel W and a second Four Seasons property open in Istanbul this year. fourseasons.com, starwoodhotels.com
Catch Cate in Sydney
Cate Blanchett and her husband playwright Andrew Upton are co-artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company in 2008. See the stage version of Joan Didion’s acclaimed The Year of Magical Thinking and David Hare’s The Vertical Hour. sydneytheatre.com.au
Learn to cook Swahili
Discover how to catch, marinate and cook your supper the African way on a Swahili course in Mombasa. originsafaris.info/cook
Pick up a pro
Get the inside track on Russia with Tania Illingworth, who has opened up the secrets of Russia for everyone from Bruce Willis to Viscount Linley. If Brazil is more your style, then call Matueté, the São Paulo-based experts, who know everything there is to know about Brazil. If they’re good enough for U2… Matueté (matuete.com), Tania Illingworth (rctours.com)
Bog snorkel in Wales
Held on the August bank holiday in the Waen Rhydd peat bog in Llanwrtyd Wells, competitors complete two lengths of a 60-yard trench. green-events.co.uk
Surf in Mozambique
Ticket to Ride is launching a new surfari to Mozambique in April. The three-week trips start in Durban, from where you’ll jump in a four-by-four and head through South Africa into Mozambique. ttride.co.uk
B&B in W1
Dean Street B&B (bed and brasserie), the latest offering from the Soho House group, will open its swanky doors in London this spring. sohohouse.com
Heli-raft the rapids
Be wet and wild in the North Johnstone River in North Queensland, Australia. Four-day heli-rafting expeditions begin with a helicopter ride into the gorge before riding out through huge grade-five rapids. raft.com.au
Sex up South Beach
Adding even more style to Miami’s hip hotel scene, the Mondrian South Beach, a swanky 342-room condo/hotel opens in 2008. mondriansouthbeach.com
Bend it like bikram
Fitness specialist In:spa has new eight-night yoga retreats in India at Shreyas, a luxury yoga retreat near Bangalore. inspa.co.uk
Dress in Tom Ford
Stylish men about town will be able to sample Tom Ford’s acclaimed menswear collections at new stores opening in Milan, Moscow, Hong Kong, Beijing and St Moritz this year. tomford.com
Go gastro with Gord
The ubiquitous Gordon Ramsay is launching his next pub, the Warrington, in Maida Vale. Serving classic pub grub in a beautiful 19th-century building, it’s set to be one of west London’s hottest spots. gordonramsay.com
Walk on the wild side
Southern Ocean Lodge opens this March on Kangaroo Island off the southern coast of Australia. A stunning wilderness lodge, it adjoins two national parks and will have 21 suites. southernoceanlodge.com.au
Take New York
New York is undergoing a hip hotel boom. First up is Gild Hall on Wall Street from hot hotelier Jason Pomeranc. Spring sees the opening of Kimpton Vu in Midtown, a 222-room hotel with a 2,000 sq foot rooftop bar. At the end of the year, Firmdale Hotels will open the Crosby Street Hotel in Soho. And Andre Balazs, the man behind Chateau Marmont, will open the Standard New York. Crosby Street Hotel (firmdalehotels.com), Kimpton Vu (kimptonhotels.com), Gild Hall (60thompson.com), The Standard (standardhotel.com)
Indulge in Milan
Milanese hot spot Bar Giardino d’Inverno at the Hotel Principe di Savoia will reopen its doors in time for Fashion Week in February. hotelprincipedisavoia.com
Be green in Yorkshire
Check into an Aislabeck Lodge in Richmond, Yorkshire. Built from sustainable timber and glass, all lodges are surrounded by countryside and use green sources of energy. ruralretreats.co.uk
Eat Italian in Bath
TV chef Jamie Oliver is opening Jamie’s Italian, a new affordable chain. The first branch will be in Bath. jamieoliver.com/italian
Chill in St Lucia
Cap Maison, St Lucia’s latest boutique resort hotel, is set to open in July. capmaison.com
Do Delhi in style
Delhi will challenge Mumbai as India’s style capital with the launch of an Aman hotel in February and new Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Hermés stores. amanresorts.com
Go designer in Dubai
Italian designer Georgio Armani is moving into hotels. Armani Residences will open in Dubai this year in the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building. burjdubai.com
Take a powder trip
Following a Can$1 billion investment, the Revelstoke Mountain Resort in British Columbia has opened for the 2008 ski season. In Europe, Tom Aikens will cook for a week at four of Descent International’s Swiss chalets from 3 February. discoverrevelstoke.com, descent.co.uk
Be grand in Russia
The renovation of St Petersburg’s Grand Hotel Europe completes this April. For a further touch of Russian decadence, dine in the Caviar Bar and Restaurant. grand-hotel-europe.com
Spa by lunar cycle
Irish hotel Capella Castlemartyr is offering spa treatments by the Organic Pharmacy based on the lunar cycle. Alternatively, if it takes good old-fashioned fresh air to relax you, then take the hotel’s red setters for a walk. capellacastlemartyr.com
