17 TRANSYLVANIA LAND OF LEGENDS There’s more to Transylvania than vampires. The Romanian region is home to the high peaks of the Carpathian Mountains, forests where wild bears roam free, and meadows filled with wildflowers. Butterfield & Robinson’s seven-day cycling trips dive deep into Transylvania, with visits to medieval castles, fortified churches and traditional farms, and The Slow Cyclist’s walking and e-bike tours include stays in rustic guesthouses, forest picnics and convivial dinners in family homes. For travellers on their own, the traditionalmeets-contemporary rooms and private villas at newly opened Matca are just a garlic clove’s throw from Bran Castle (pictured), the mythical home of Dracula. Or bed down in the 300-year-old residences of Bethlen Estates, restored by the family of the late Count Miklós Bethlen to bring life back to their ancestral village. PHOTO JOHN DAMBIK / ALAMY 42
18 ROATÁN ISOLATED PERFECTION PHOTO STOCKSY A tiny island off the coast of Honduras – just 64 kilometres by eight kilometres at the tips – Roatán has a big heart and a lot to offer. James Bond himself was a big fan (or in this case, Roger Moore, who said he had taken more photographs on the isle than he had anywhere else on his many and varied journeys). A haven for celebrities for some time, Roatán nevertheless enjoys that rare status of a relatively undiscovered land, and its exclusivity remains unimpeached, its diving options among the best in the world, and its hospitality still largely in the hands of locals rather than larger international brands – though the newly opened Kimpton Grand Roatán Resort & Spa is tipped to be a success. Surrounded by coral cays (it’s an enclave along the world’s second-largest barrier reef) and smaller volcanic islands, Roatán might just be the perfect base to explore the Caribbean’s unique aquatic environment. 43
