Why the latest issue of Luxury Travel deserves a spot on your coffee table

From pastel-hued palazzos on Lake Como to reindeer-horned degustations in the Arctic, our Autumn 2025 issue is a curated collection of travel that stirs the senses and invites deep, meaningful escape

If you’re ready to swap fast for slow, familiar for far-flung, or busy for deeply considered, these are the stories worth lingering over in the Autumn edition of Luxury Travel.

Passalacqua: Lake Como’s dreamiest address

Editor Madelin Tomelty checks into Passalacqua, a restored 18th-century villa that’s the epitome of Italian grandeur. With only 24 suites and views that spill over Lake Como, it’s a place where frescoes meet film-star romance, poolside lunches run long, and every corner feels plucked from a dream.

Arctic fine dining, reimagined

Jocelyn Pride joins Inuit chefs aboard Quark Expeditions’ Ultramarine for Tundra to Table, a four-course immersion in Greenlandic tradition served beside icebergs and seasoned with stories. From crowberries and muskox to bellflower sorbet foraged from glacier coasts, this is the Arctic – plated.

Eastern & Oriental Express: The return of a legend

The storied train is back on the rails, now with emerald interiors, a Dior spa, and a slow roll through Malaysia’s heartlands. Travelling from Singapore to Langkawi via jungle-lined tracks and Peranakan kitchens, the E&O delivers old-world glamour with a new sense of adventure.

A Highland autumn like no other

Matt Brace takes us into Scotland’s golden season, where red squirrels dart through ancient forests and whisky by the fire feels like ritual. He follows the colours, culture and warmth that define a Highland autumn, from Taymouth Marina to the Isle of Mull and beyond.

Slovenia, slowed right down

Ljubljana’s charm lies in its understatement. This story by Natasha Bazika wanders river paths, forest trails and family-run wine bars, where Michelin stars and natural wines happily share the table. In Slovenia, life is not just lived – it’s savoured slowly.

Flockhill Lodge: New Zealand’s private station retreat

High in the Craigieburn Valley in the High Country of New Zealand’s South Island lies Flockhill Lodge, where food is central to the experience. With a sustainably-minded chef at the ready to create locally-derived menus and a setting that flows from kitchen garden to mountain view, meals here are as memorable as the landscape.

Mandapa, Ubud: Where the river speaks

Framed by jungle and the Ayung River, Mandapa, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve captures Bali’s spirit with a whole lot of luxury. Riverfront villas, decadent dining and a deeply intuitive wellness program make this one of Ubud’s most restorative – and refined – escapes.

Turtle Island, Fiji: A return to the heart

Fourteen bures, 12 private beaches, and a personal Bure Mama – it’s little wonder Turtle Island is a place guests return to again and again. We hear the stories behind the serenades and explore the quiet rituals that give this private island retreat its soul.

Havana, between the cracks

In Havana, past and present dance side by side – on rooftops, in crumbling laneways, and inside music-filled living rooms. We trace the creative spirit that threads through every street, meeting the artists and musicians who are keeping Cuba’s capital not only alive, but defiantly expressive.

Hawaii’s high-tech healing

Kate Symons takes us to Hawaii’s Sensei Lanai, where wellness gets personal. Body scans, breathwork, thermal mapping and Nobu cuisine meet forest hikes and Japanese onsen in a retreat that’s more about doing less than doing it all. The result? Science-backed stillness – and a reminder that recovery is its own destination.

The new Nashville

Music City has found its rhythm again, and this time it includes designer hotels, natural wine bars, and a thriving creative class turning warehouses into galleries and honky-tonks into listening rooms. Nashville might still hum with country roots – but today, it’s playing a whole new tune.

Purchase the Autumn 2025 issue of Luxury Travel here