Thirteen villas at Victoria Falls, an Alpine hotel 30 metres from the Bellecôte slope and a new camp on Namibia’s western Etosha boundary make for a varied travel calendar. Some of these places have already welcomed their first guests; others are scheduled to open in 2027. Two familiar addresses are returning after substantial renovations. Here are 11 worth knowing about, whether you’re planning a family escape, a safari or a longer journey at sea.
1. Albida – Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe: private villas near the Falls
Albida opened in September 2026 with just 13 villas on the Victoria Falls Safari Collection estate. Every villa has a private plunge pool and terrace; three have two bedrooms for families. The property sits four kilometres from the Falls, close enough to build days around them while keeping a private base to return to.
The all-inclusive stay covers meals, drinks, airport transfers and two selected experiences for each night booked. According to the collection’s experience details, choices include a helicopter flight over the Falls, game drives, a Zambezi cruise and a guided walk. National-park fees are included, too. Starting rates are US$850 per person per night, so it’s worth choosing the experiences you most want when considering the cost.
2. Icona’s Costa Ragusa Resort, Sicily: olive groves and a longevity spa
Icona’s Costa Ragusa Resort opened on Sicily’s south-eastern coast in August 2026. Its 105 rooms and suites sit among olive groves, with a beach club, running paths, tennis and padel for time away from the spa.
The spa is a major reason to stay. Mangia’s describes it as Sicily’s first Longevity Suite, with four treatment cabins, indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, steam bath and cryotherapy cabin. IBLÆ focuses on Sicilian ingredients, while cliffside AMA pairs local seafood with Japanese cooking. The resort’s dining programme includes dishes featuring Mazara red shrimp, Bronte pistachio and the daily catch. Double rooms start at €404 per night, including breakfast.
3. Saint Roch, Courchevel 1850: an Alpine address steps from the slope
Saint Roch is scheduled to open on 18 December 2026, 30 metres from Courchevel’s Bellecôte slope. Maisons Pariente’s 37-room hotel takes its interior cues from Slavic dachas, Mongolian landscapes and ancient Persia: wood, stone, velvet and bronze figure in a design by Friedmann & Versace.
A top-floor penthouse, Kids Club and spa with an indoor pool give different groups room to settle in. For dinner, Maisons Pariente has announced Prunier’s first mountain restaurant, bringing caviar, seafood and French classics to an all-day menu. The concierge can arrange dogsledding, snowmobiling and mountain dining. Rooms start at €1,300 per night on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
4. Mangia’s Costa Ragusa Borgo, Sicily: a village-style family resort
Mangia’s Costa Ragusa Borgo, which opened in July 2026, is the larger and more family-focused of the two new Costa Ragusa resorts. Its 433 rooms are arranged around a central piazza in a design inspired by a Sicilian borgo. Shared spaces, restaurants and pool areas make that piazza the centre of a busy holiday rather than a quiet retreat.
Families have children’s programmes developed with Worldwide Kids, plus a separate children’s pool, splash park and water park. There’s also a private sandy beach, 14 red-clay tennis courts, padel, pickleball and water sports. The Sublime all-inclusive programme covers buffet dining and selected à la carte restaurants, although those tables need booking and signature dishes cost extra. Double rooms start at €366 per night with the Sublime package.
5. Casa Cook El Gouna, Egypt: new swim-up suites on the Red Sea
Casa Cook El Gouna is an adults-only Red Sea hotel undergoing a substantial autumn 2026 refurbishment. The most appealing addition for pool-focused travellers is 29 Deluxe Swim-Up Junior Suites, each opening directly onto a semi-private pool. The entrance and main beachside pool areas have also been redesigned for more seclusion.
Existing rooms are receiving warmer, natural-material interiors, while the spa and gym are being updated. The operator expects the remaining accommodation upgrades to be completed in 2027, a useful detail if a fully finished hotel matters to your plans. El Gouna’s marina and downtown are a short journey away; at the hotel, the activities include kitesurfing from the private beach and a desert outing with sunset yoga and stargazing. Rates start at €260 per night, including breakfast.
6. The Leela Jaisalmer, India: a desert resort near the fort
The Leela Jaisalmer is due to open in December 2026 on 30 acres of desert landscape near Jaisalmer Fort. The 80-room resort will mix conventional rooms with tented villas, alongside a pool, kids’ club, dining venues, lawns and courtyards.
The Leela also plans a man-made lake and a pillarless ballroom, with weddings and milestone gatherings clearly in mind. For travellers putting together a longer Rajasthan itinerary, the new address can be paired with the group’s hotels in Jaipur and Udaipur. Starting rates are £140 per night.
7. Paraa Safari Lodge, Uganda: a renewed base beside the Nile
Paraa Safari Lodge has been welcoming guests in Murchison Falls National Park since 1954. A renovation scheduled to be unveiled in January 2027 will give its interiors more natural light and larger rooms, while a new striped swimming pool adds a contemporary note. Much of the steelwork, furniture and art for the redesign was created in Uganda.
Paraa’s activity programme lists game drives, Nile Delta cruises and boat journeys towards Murchison Falls, where the river passes through a narrow gorge before its 43-metre drop. These excursions are options to plan, rather than automatic inclusions in the full-board rate. Nights start at $610 in low season and $916 in high season, including full board.
8. The Ritz-Carlton, AMAALA, Saudi Arabia: a Red Sea wellness resort
The Ritz-Carlton, AMAALA is scheduled to open in early 2027 within Saudi Arabia’s AMAALA destination. Foster + Partners designed the 390-room resort for a setting among protected dunes overlooking the Red Sea, near AMAALA Yacht Club and the Corallium Marine Life Institute.
Its planned 1,225-square-metre spa makes wellbeing a substantial part of the stay, with outdoor pools, walking and cycling trails, water sports and seven dining venues also on the list. Marriott says the design draws on nearby Al Wajh and includes direct beachfront access.
9. Wilderness Etosha, Namibia: eight suites on a conservation corridor
Wilderness Etosha is scheduled to open on 1 June 2027 in the Hobatere Concession, on the western boundary of Etosha National Park. With eight suites on a private 4,200-hectare concession, it offers a small-scale way to explore a landscape of mountain terrain, springs and dry riverbeds.
The camp sits within the much larger Skeleton Coast Etosha Conservation Bridge, a corridor for wildlife moving across north-west Namibia. Wilderness plans guided walks, private game drives and a waterhole photographic hide. Research will be part of the stay through talks, maps and live data, giving guests a chance to understand the movement of wildlife as well as look for it. No starting rate has been announced.
10. Oceania Sonata: a new ship with a strong dining focus
Oceania Sonata is scheduled to make its maiden voyage on 7 August 2027, sailing for 14 days from Civitavecchia to Trieste. The first ship in Oceania Cruises’ new Sonata Class will carry 1,390 guests, with veranda accommodation throughout and suites making up 30% of its rooms.
The cruise line has announced 13 included dining experiences, among them La Table par Maîtres Cuisiniers de France and Nikkei Kitchen, which brings together Peruvian flavours and Japanese techniques. Its inaugural season will run through April 2028, with voyages lasting seven to 16 days. Sonata is the choice here for travellers who want a new ship and plenty of options around the table.
11. Oceania Aurelia: smaller-scale voyages and longer journeys
Debuting in November 2027, it will be a complete transformation of the existing Oceania Nautica, carrying fewer than 500 guests. Suites will account for 179 of its 238 accommodations, with butler service and a crew-to-guest ratio close to one-to-one.
The cruise line plans culinary workshops, creative sessions and expanded wellness facilities, with unlimited access to the Aquamar Spa Terrace for every guest. Aurelia will also host 180-day Around the World voyages in 2028 and 2029. For anyone considering months rather than weeks away, the smaller ship and larger share of suites are the details to note.
