New Zealand's best boutique lodges

Forget backpacking: the country’s wilderness is best enjoyed from a hot tub, with a glass of sauvignon

• New Zealand's finest island escape

• Among New Zealand's warrior tribes

The boho side of Cape Cod

Provincetown is a curious mix of rugged landscape and bohemian vibe with a community of artists and misfits

Get the right payment card and deny Ryanair its hefty fee

Airlines are charging up to £5 for a transaction that costs them a few pence. But you can avoid the fee, says Ginny Light

Dior Spa, Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris

Super stylish spa in the French capital with "live" fashion shows and the promise of eternal youth

• La Réserve, Ramatuelle, France

Hotel Du Vin Spa, Birmingham

Fitness and pampering in stylish surrounds in this boutique hotel spa in the Midlands

• The Lido Spa, Bristol

Q&A: ski fitness and injury

Our experts hosted a live debate on getting in shape and skiing with ailments. Find out what our readers asked here

Video: How to get fit for skiing

A ski junkie and a fitness expert test the best gadgets and games to get you in shape for the coming ski season

Dubai: the insider's guide

So much for the doom mongers: hotels are 90 per cent full, the driverless Metro is running smoothly and a Waitrose has opened

• City style: Dubai

• Dubai: it should be ugly but it isn't

The 8 best wintersun city breaks

Don't want to fly and flop? Here's some culture, sightseeing and world cuisine with your winter sunshine

10 bargain festive hotel stays

Hotels charge a fortune for Christmas and New Year - so slip in between them for a Twixmas bargain. We show you how

• The 20 best new year party places to stay

• 10 cosy British inns

Germany's perfect Christmas city

Craig Lord laps up festive treats and reveals the best of the city year round. Plus, six more festive markets in Saxony

• Winter city shopping breaks

Signs of the times 2009

The votes have been counted and we can now reveal the 20 most popular silly signs of the year

Your travel smugshots

15 images in a brand new smug gallery. Plus, send your snowy wintersports shots for our new competition

Hilton hikes Hhonors points for free nights

Hotel group goes against the recent trend of more generous guest loyalty programmes

Profile: Leisure boss John Morphet

The man who runs the estate where Freddie Flintoff and Wayne Rooney have homes shares his views on business travel

Dining at New York’s top hotel tables

Manhattan has had a frenzy of chic, grand and trendy hotel openings – but how do you get in? Try their restaurants

Top 10 stops on the Pacific Coast Highway

Mike Gerrard drove from San Diego to Seattle. These are his favourite stops, from elephant seals to John Steinbeck's Cannery Row