Zanzibar has long been one of our favorite destinations, but this year for the first time it has come out as #1 in the region, winning our Experts’ Choice Award for Best of Africa & the Middle East.
Zanzibar is rightfully renowned for its beaches. Vogue, in choosing Zanzibar for its list of top holiday destinations in 2019, says that the archipelago “boasts some of the most brilliant shores around, making it a dream-worthy holiday destination”.
We’ve been tracking a number of exciting new hotel openings in Zanzibar over the past couple years. The most talked-about is the Zuri Zanzibar, which consists of 55 thatched bungalows, among the most tasteful and well-appointed rooms on Zanzibar’s main island.
Zanzibar is more than white sand beaches, clear warm water and diverse marine life. Its culture, with Arabic, African, Persian and European influences, is also a unique attraction. It reaches the height of its expression in historic Stone Town, where the mosques, palaces, and bazaars have been built in an eclectic range of architectural styles.
In awarding Zanzibar the title of Best of Africa & the Middle East for 2019, we took into account trends in reviews of hotels, restaurants, and attractions throughout the region. As always, only expert reviews were taken into account: at TripExpert, we focus exclusively on reviews written by professionals for leading travel media.
Barcelona is a rare city. It features as much culture as virtually any other destination in Europe, but in a uniquely laid back environment, with excellent weather, beach access, and a fantastic culinary scene. It consistently appears at or near the top of “best of” travel lists, and was a runner-up to San Sebastián, the winner of our Best of Europe award in 2018.
This year, Barcelona takes the top spot in Europe in our Experts’ Choice Awards. Critics and writers from leading travel media power the Experts’ Choice awards. We draw on “best-of 2019” lists and our proprietary scoring algorithm that aggregate and weight expert reviews for hotels, restaurants and attractions.
Barcelona is renowned for its architecture, which range from Gaudi masterpieces such as Basilica of the Sagrada Familia Casa Milà and Park Guell to modern skyscrapers by architects such as Herzog and de Meuron. Best of all, you can enjoy many of these buildings from multiple angles by taking advantage of the city’s rooftop bars.
The Grand Hotel Central has a rooftop infinity pool that’s unparalleled. Our expert reviewers are tracking several exciting recent and upcoming hotel openings in the city. The Edition, which opened in summer 2018, also has an excellent rooftop as well as a cocktail bar and a cabaret show.
The Kimpton Barcelona, opening this summer, will be centrally located near La Rambla, the city’s most famous (and most crowded!) street, and will feature the luxury and eccentricty that the Kimpton brand is known for. Nobu Barcelona, which is taking reservations for stays starting from September, will feature a 23rd floor restaurant that we expect will become a highlight of the city’s dining scene.
There has been a rapid rise in the number of tourists visiting Barcelona in the last few years, and several of our source publications have warned that this may negatively effect your experience of the city. Our #1 piece of advice is to avoid visiting the city in peak season, especially August, when the in any event the weather is often unpleasantly hot. In the shoulder and off-peak seasons, Barcelona remains an exceptional experience and a deserving winner of the title of Best of Europe 2019.
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