News

Sharjah’s Ultimate Travel Guide: Top Things to Do

If you’re looking for a real gem in the UAE, Sharjah is the place to be! This city offers a perfect blend of rich history, stunning art, and modern experiences, all while maintaining its authenticity and charm. The best part? Sharjah is incredibly accessible. It has its own international airport. This makes it easy to fly directly in. If you’re landing in Dubai, it’s only a short 30 -minute drive away. I recently had a chance to visit Sharjah and it completely blew me away! Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway or an extended stay, Sharjah offers a wide range of activities. There are dining spots and places to stay that will make your visit unforgettable. In this guide, I’ll share my top recommendations for things to do. I will also include where to eat and the best places to stay. This way, you can make the most of your time in this cultural gem. One of the first things I recommend doing when you arrive in Sharjah is to explore its cultural and historical heart. The area is rich with heritage sites, museums, and stunning traditional architecture. As you wander through the streets, you can almost feel the city’s history come alive. It’s the perfect spot to immerse yourself in Sharjah’s past while enjoying the vibrant local atmosphere.

Read more

11 Must-Try Experiences in the Philippines

Welcome to the Philippines, a surprising country of South East Asia made of three main island groups: Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. Once you land in Manilla or Cebu, it’s impossible not to find fun things to do in the Philippines during your holidays. From the stunning Chocolate Hills of Bohol to pristine beaches to relax on in Malapascua, the hardest is to choose what to do! Considered one of the cheapest diving destinations in the world, the pearl of the Orient seas is one of the favourite places to go for ocean lovers who are into scuba diving. At world-class dives sites such as Tubbataha Reefs, Monad Shoal, or Coron, you will be able to see whale sharks, thresher sharks, turtles or experience wreck diving. There are so many other things to do besides diving in the Philippines. What about travelling in the backcountry aboard the colourful jeepney buses or even attend a karaoke party? Here are 11 of my favourites activities to do in the Philippines as a scuba diver for you to find some inspiration. Note all these activities include places below 600 m of altitude so you can mix scuba diving and sightseeing during your stay in the Philippines in total safety. The Philippines must be one of the best places in the world to swim with turtles. There are so many of them all around the country! But of all the places I visited in the Visayas Islands, the community-based marine protected area of Balicasag must be number 1. I first went diving in Panglao on the south shore of the island of Bohol attracted by all the macro critters I would see underwater: porcelain crabs and ornate ghost pipefish, or pygmy seahorses. Although Alona Reef is a beautiful dive site, the dive centres of Panglao go every day to the nearby islet of Balicasag.

Read more

How to Spend the Perfect Weekend in Hong Kong

1. Best for local culture: Cha chaan teng To find the real Hong Kong, Angelababy recommends looking no further than a cha chaan teng (tea restaurant). "Tea houses are deeply rooted in Hong Kong's culinary culture. Traditional Hongkongers enjoy going to tea houses for lunch with family or friends." Locals and expats alike sit huddled around tables in these old-school cafes, which are decorated with whirling fans and patterned floor tiles. These iconic Hong Kong spots are known for serving European treats with an Asian twist, so expect cups of strong Hong Kong milk tea made with condensed or evaporated milk, flaky egg tarts and pineapple buns with a cracked surface resembling its spiky namesake fruit: "If you're working on movies in Hong Kong, everybody stops at 15:15 for afternoon tea [and] we'll all enjoy an egg tart or a pineapple bun". 2. Best culinary experience: Dim sum Another culinary custom synonymous with Hong Kong culture is dim sum; a traditional Chinese brunch where a dazzling variety of small, savoury bites in bamboo baskets are wheeled through the restaurant on carts, to be shared with the whole table. "[It's] quality time with family," says Angelababy. "It's not just about filling the stomach; it's an experience." Hongkongers tuck into baskets of stewed, roasted or steamed dumplings such as char siu bao (doughy balls of sweet roast pork); siu mai (open-topped steamed dumplings); or soup dumplings filled with richly flavourful broth, which they wash down with tea.

Read more

The Most Anticipated Hotel Openings of 2026

From luxury island villas in the Maldives to an off-grid Australian resort, these are the six new property openings we're most excited about. As travel demand continues to rise around the world, so does the number of high-profile new hotel openings, giving travellers not only more choice but better options, too. According to Rena Shah, head of lodging and experiences at Chase Travel, the best new hotels opening in 2026 aim to become an extension of their guests' lives, rather than simply aspirational escapes. "Things like sleep quality, wellness that's built in rather than optional, good food that makes you feel better not worse and spaces that work whether you're travelling for fun or fitting travel into a busy schedule feel more important than ever," Shah explains. "I think we'll see hotels really nail this by designing experiences around how people want to feel when they leave: refreshed, grounded [and] energised instead of just impressed." Simultaneously, because many hotels are getting more expensive, some properties are increasingly justifying their rates by offering the unusual, according to Fora travel agency co-founder Henley Vazquez. "The cost of travel continues to rise, so when people take a trip, they're looking for one-of-a-kind experiences rather than the typical hotel," she says. "The hotels that stand out will be the ones that offer a strong point of view – whether that's redefining how guests engage with wellness or creating experiences that feel impossible to replicate elsewhere."

Read more

Top 10 Must-Do Experiences in Taiwan

Now that we’ve had our big Asian adventure, I’m taking a breath to reminisce a bit. There’s no shortage of memories, either – sore feet, a metric ton of Pepto Bismol, and a list of pretty impressive sightseeing. I’ll launch off with some of the best things to do in Taiwan – plus a few others we didn’t get to. Despite some gastro-related worries, I had way more fun than I thought possible back before I knew anything about the country. We did the most we could cram in the little time we had, but you could easily spend a whole week in Taiwan and not get bored. Hopefully, I can give it a try myself next time we travel those parts. Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall This one’s a memorial site smack-dab in the middle of Taipei. The whole place is massive, as are the temple-looking concert hall and theatre sitting around some nicely trimmed gardens. They call the area around the hall “Liberty Square,” with the memorial hall itself being a pretty imposing white building with a blue roof. It comes loaded with details on Taiwan’s history, plus info about the former Chinese president, Chiang Kai-Shek. You know, back when Taiwan was under China’s thumb.

Read more

Tomorrowland Thailand 2026: Tickets, Dates and Details Revealed

Tomorrowland Thailand is officially confirmed as the first full-scale Tomorrowland festival in Asia, taking place from 11 to 13 December 2026 at Wisdom Valley in Thailand.¹ The event brings Tomorrowland’s large-scale stage design and production to the region, making it more accessible for fans travelling from Asia, Europe, Australia and beyond. Tomorrowland Thailand is the Asian edition of Tomorrowland, one of the world’s largest electronic music festivals.² The original Tomorrowland festival launched in Belgium in 2005 and has since become known for immersive stage design and international DJ line-ups. Thailand was selected as the host country to expand Tomorrowland’s presence in Asia and attract a global audience to the region. The Thailand edition will feature six stages, including the mainstage and additional concepts created specifically for the local setting. At the time of writing, the official artist line-up has not yet been announced. If you have attended Tomorrowland in Belgium before, expect different weather conditions. December in Pattaya is hot and humid, with average daytime highs of around 32°C.⁵ In comparison, Boom in Belgium averages around 22°C during the July festival period.⁶

Read more