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MeMoon: Malaysia

With solo travel becoming more popular, MeMoon experiences are being crafted by YTL Hotels, leading the traveller onto a path of adventure.

Several settings are to be had in an assortment of different locations across the landscape of Malaysia.

Pangkor Laut Resort

Surrounded by ancient rainforest this is the environment for jungle trekking. This unspoilt corner of the world provides an escape for the lone traveller. Activities from balance exercise classes to learning how to create Asian Cuisine are just examples of the array of offerings here. Two bath houses are on location and there is a brilliant spa with treatments from the continent.

Pangkor Laut Resort’s nightly rate starts from 275.

Gaya Island Resort

Located in a 4,922-hectare protected Marine Park, this part of Borneo’s wilderness is unique in its setting. Tavajun Bay belongs to the resort and is a private beach with clear waters and white sand shores. Guided by the resort’s scent artist, there is a tour of Kota Kinabalu where one can learn about the basics of essential oils. The hotel’s Spa Village includes specialised rice scrubs and masques of the Kadazandusun.

Gaya Island Resort’s nightly rate starts from £275

Tanjong Jara Resort

Renowned for its location at the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, this destination has a turtle hatchery that releases baby sea turtles into the wild. Among many other pastimes for MeMooners, there are over 20 locations to go diving, with all levels included. Itineraries are packed with offerings such as a night river cruise.

Tanjong Jara Resort’s nightly rate starts from £249

With over 35 properties and more than 7,000 rooms, YTL Hotels continues to redefine luxury and authentic experiences across the globe. Visit ytlhotels.com for more information and follow us on our social media platforms for #YTLTravels.

Mediterranean 2050: Oceanographic Institute of Monaco

Home to over 17,000 marine species, this part of the sea is in a fragile condition that takes precedence when highlighting the immense need to preserve the condition of the Mediterranean.

This new exhibition, held at the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco explores solutions to the impact that the climate has on the form of this precious aqua landscape.

In a speech at COP27 in Egypt 2022 HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco said: “In the past, the Mediterranean was a symbol of the progress of civilisation. Today it is a symbol of the planet’s dysfunctions and tensions. Tomorrow it must be the symbol of new solutions.”

As the grandest inland sea in the world, the Mediterranean is being altered by climate change and pollution. A small proportion, 8.33 percent, of the waters are currently protected.

This exhibition holds installations that educates the spectator about a world that can be captured in 2050, if those powers maintain the unique treasures of this special part of the globe.

The ideology behind this show is to show how the Principality can ensure these measures are taken seriously.

This is the home of many species including loggerhead turtles, Neptune seagrass meadows, fin whales, swordfish, tuna, dusky groupers, sharks and sperm whales.

The protection of the Mediterranean is down to the legacy of this tranquil stretch of coastline. To book tickets visit:  The exhibitions – Musée Océanographique de Monaco

Wilderness Mara: Kenya

Beginning with a journey of adventurous hosting, this new safari escape is set to open in June 2026.

The camp is located in the base of Oloololo Escarpment and the position of this gives access to the enigmatic wildlife of the region of the Mara Triangle.

The rare and beautiful landscape of the area is an untold story that has been in the making of this remarkable development.

There is access to the wildlife that is present at both sides of the Mara River where this is positioned.

There are some of the most exclusive wildlife sightings on the continent from lion prides and black rhino to vast herds of elephant, zebra and wildebeest.

Tailored for solo travellers and couples, twelve tented suites are available with a bathtub, outdoor shower and a private deck offering fabulous views of the surroundings.

Luxury amenities include a spa, a complete gym and an onsite photographic studio. Two daily game drives just top the whole Mara experience.

Hot air balloon safaris offered by Governors’ Balloon Safaris leave an impression of true excellence of this superb terrain.

Hein Prinsloo, Wilderness Kenya Chief Executive Officer said: “Formerly the legendary Little Governors’ Camp, the completely rebuilt Wilderness Mara carries forward a legacy of pioneering safari. For over 50 years, Governors’ set the standard for authenticity, conservation and community. Now, Wilderness is proud to honour and evolve that heritage – blending classic East African charm with elevated, low-impact luxury”.

Nightly rates start from $950 per person. For more information visit: www.wildernessdestinations.com

Marie Antoinette: Style

From 20 September 2025 until 22 March 2026, the V&A Museum is putting on a display of over 250 objects in the name of one of the most aesthetic Queens to date.

In this curated event there will be her own silk slippers, jewels and the last note that she had written when she was alive.

A fashion matrix in her own time, this is the first exhibition in the United Kingdom that celebrates her uniqueness and the French Queen’s lifestyle.

Her fashion authority on modern designers is also delivered in part of this show which features the creations of Chanel, Dior and Vivienne Westwood, among many. Contemporary inspirations demonstrate the chic of her own credibility.

Antonietta, 2005 by Manolo Blahnik

Over 250 years of creativity are broadcasted to participants of an exhibition spanning over 250 years of design for this celebrity of artistic culture.

With loans from the Château de Versailles this is the first time that some of the archive will be revealed in this celebration of craftmanship and these will run aside many of the V&A’s own collection.

Sarah Grant, Curator of Marie Antoinette Style said: “The most fashionable, scrutinised and controversial queen in history, Marie Antoinette’s name summons both visions of excess and objects and interiors of great beauty. The Austrian archduchess turned Queen of France had an enormous impact on European taste and fashion in her own time, creating a distinctive style that now has universal appeal and application.  This exhibition explores that style and the figure at its centre, using a range of exquisite objects belonging to Marie Antoinette, alongside the most beautiful fine and decorative objects that her legacy has inspired. This is the design legacy of an early modern celebrity and the story of a woman whose power to fascinate has never ebbed. Marie Antoinette’s story has been re-told and re-purposed by each successive generation to suit its own ends. The rare combination of glamour, spectacle and tragedy she presents remains as intoxicating today as it was in the eighteenth century.”

Tickets are available at vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/marie-antoinette

Sani Festival 2025

Beginning the prolific events from 12 July until 23 August Sani Festival will headline a number of performers from Gipsy Kings to Grace Jones.

Held at one of the world’s leading beach resorts, this collection of music will please spectators in this unique place.

Set in Kassandra, Halkidiki in Greece this musical escape will focus on the talent of the stars set to take their place on the stage.

Since 1992 there have been over 400 concerts and performances in this luxurious spot. Past performers include Andrea Bocelli, Tom Jones and Bob Geldof.

For tickets please visit:

www.sanifestival.gr
https://sani-resort.com/festivals/sani-festival-2025
www.more.com

SANI FESTIVAL 2025 PROGRAMME:

SOUNDS OF THE WORLD

SATURDAY 12.07
Buena Vista All Stars

One Night in Havana

Featuring Original Members of Buena Vista Social Club

JAZZ ON THE HILL
SATURDAY 19.07
Norah Jones  

Visions 2025

INTERNATIONAL SOUNDS
SATURDAY 26.07
Gloria Gaynor

INTERNATIONAL SOUNDS
SATURDAY 02.08
Grace Jones

INTERNATIONAL SOUNDS

SATURDAY 09.08
Nouvelle Vague

SOUNDS OF THE WORLD
SATURDAY 16.08
Gipsy Kings
featuring Tonino Baliardo

GREEK VARIATIONS
SATURDAY 23.08
Lina Nikolakopoulou

“If only joy were a plot of land”

Manolis Mitsias, Glykeria, Pitsa Papadopoulou

featuring Sofia Papazoglou, Thodoris Voutsikakis, Aspasia Stratigou, Apostolos Kitsos

with the participation of composer Kiki Lesendric

V&A: Design and Disability Exhibition

From 7 June 2025 until 15 February 2026 the Victoria and Albert Museum are holding a captivating experience in The Porter Gallery at South Kensington.

The focal part of these works will be outlining disability as an identity through design. This will ignite an understanding of showmanship from 1940s until now.

Disabled. deaf and neurodivergent people are celebrated through this interpretation of creative works in the making.

Over 170 objects will be displayed under three titles including “Visibility, Tools and Living”. This will be shown through design, art, architecture, and photography.

‘The best lovers are good with their hands’ by Harry McAuslan, issued by AIDS Ahead part of the British Deaf Association

The accessibility of an exhibition has been greatly thought of in the curation phases of this contribution to equality. It questions how thought processes are combined with the creator’s ethics.

Natalie Kane, Curator of Design and Disability said: “This exhibition shows how Disabled people are the experts in our own lives, and have made invaluable contributions to our designed world. Design and Disability aims to honour Disabled life as it engages with creative practice, presenting a strong culture of making that has always been central to Disabled identity. In putting this show together, it is an act of joy and resistance.”

For more information or tickets visit: at.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/design-and-disability

‘just one of those things #002’ by Mari Katayama, , 2021 © Mari Katayama, courtesy of Mari Katayama Studio and Galerie Suzanne Tarasieve, Paris

Lucian Freud’s Etchings: A Creative Collaboration

From 2nd May to 30th September 2025 Titanic Belfast displays the work of the renowned artist in collaboration with the V&A.

Lucian Freud is one of the 20th Century’s most formidable creatives of his generation. The only Irish location to display his portfolio of etchings, Titanic Belfast does not disappoint with this feature.

This is the first time that some of the etchings have ever been exhibited, and they include collaborations with printer Marc Balakjian. Another highlight is Donegal Man (2007), where the sitter was Titanic Belfast’s Chairman, Pat Doherty.

Titanic Belfast describes the etchings as contemplative and psychologically rich achievements, this journey through Freud’s creativity immerses itself in splendour.

A story of his career, the collection spans Freud’s early work to his later masterful dedication to his unique mantra. Over 60 of his etchings will be shown alongside a recreation of his studio in Kensington.

A diary of extraordinary escapism taking the viewer from the first sitting to the final piece, the sitters are referenced in the anthology of his etchings. They have included Andrew Parker Bowles as The Brigadier and sitter Sally Clarke, owner of Clarke’s Restaurant where Freud dined daily.

Gill Saunders, Curator of the V&A’s Lucian Freud’s Etchings exhibition said: “Made over a period of 25 years, Lucian Freud’s extraordinary etchings demonstrate his developing mastery of this challenging medium. Shown together for the first time, this unique collection of trial proofs offers fascinating insights into Freud’s working process, and shows us how his achievements in print depended on his close collaboration with the master printer Marc Balakjian.”

The exhibition, in collaboration with the V&A, gives visitors the chance to view over 60 of the renowned artist’s famous etchings as well as a new immersive experience created by the world-famous attraction. For further information on Lucian Freud’s Etchings: A Creative Collaboration exhibition go to www.titanicbelfast.com

One Continuous Poem: Queering the Classics

An exhibition of the new collection by Spanish Artist, Alberto Torres Hernandez, is at the SQFT:Space Gallery in London from 16 May to 27 June 2025.

The redefinition of the classical works of Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Titian’s Poesie series, One Continuous Poem highlights the exchange of replacement of female bodies into a new mythology of contemporary male figures.

The power of the sitter is reimagined with the dynamics of feelings of desire, gender and identity.

Exploring transitions of queerness that are evolved from the ideologies of past acquaintances of the conventional form where “My mind leads me to speak of forms changed into new bodies…”

The narrative speaks to those looking for a transitional style that leaves an anthology of contemporary style.

Alberto Torres Hernandez who came from Seville, Spain now lives and works in London. His education is from Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London and the University of Seville.

Notable group exhibitions include Manhood at Project 13, London (2021); Transatlantico at Mana Contemporary, New Jersey (2020-21); The Most Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo + Juliet at DFRG PRESS HQ, London (2020); Young Masters Art Prize at La Galleria, London (2019); and the BP Portrait Award exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery, London (2013). He has shown work at the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition (2013) and the Royal Society of British Artists at The Mall Galleries (2018).

For more information or to visit the exhibition @ SQFT:Space Gallery, 95 Bell Street, London NW1 6TL:  www.squarefeetarchitects.co.uk

Pierce Brosnan: Hering Berlin

“So Many Dreams” is the name of a creation of limited-edition vases that have been pulled from drawings by the renowned actor.

This collaboration speaks in the melody of artworks of Hering Belin’s Tropo Vases.

Brosnan and Stefanie Hering first met in Miami in December 2023. This was to become the saga of this new collection.

Ideas flourished and became an idea of turning the actor’s drawings into three-dimensional sculptural works.

The product became three vessels named Mirage, Tryst and Solitude, all depicted in vibrant colours that tell a tale of Brosnan’s aesthetic mantra.

Displaying Brosnan’s passion for making stories out of love, loss and renewal nothing is held back in this relationship with sculpture.

Stefanie interprets the eclectic vision into the vases that are finished with a velvety polished look. The name Tropo is taken from the ancient Greek word of “Tropos” meaning to change direction. The vases come in a selection of shapes with an asymmetrical base.

The finished pieces are in a limited number of 25 and all profits from the range go to charity.

Brosnan’s previous art works have been shown in Los Angeles (2023), Art Basel in Miami (2023), and in Palm Desert, CA (2024).

Stefanie Hering has been in her field since 1992 and is a master ceramist of the highest quality.

For more information please visit: Hering Berlin – Objects with a Human Touch

FERGUS Style Punta Arabi: Ibiza

This soon to be iconic Ibiza hotel opens on 15 May 2025 and is home to many attractions such as the Punta Arabí Hippy Market.

The eclectic magnitude of the island is present with a touch of appreciation for its breathtaking panoramic views of this coastal retreat. The Fergus hotel group will not disappoint with the making of this self-acclaimed retreat.

Making an adult orientated experience the lifestyle of the hotel is just a fragrance of what to expect on this landmark island that offers magnificent beaches and play for the grownups on this location. 329 rooms have been made to suit this boho style feel.

Three restaurants and three bars are equipped to run alongside music, good food and poolside relaxation. White-washed villas have facades of traditional design and rustic wooden interiors.

Every Wednesday there is movement in this escape attraction when the Hippy Market opens to offer vintage fashion, street food and of course music to set the tone. Since the Seventies, this has been a remarkable day out.

Exploring beaches by boat, sunset DJ sets are all in the mixture of this new defining retreat. Unwinding also incorporates gym visits or yoga to discover the relaxation of this paradise.

This notable hotel is set to translate the spirit of the island, opening in time for the party season.

Rooms at FERGUS Style Punta Arabi, start from €145.62 per night including breakfast. For further information, please visit: www.fergushotels.com/en/fergus-style-punta-arabi/ or check out the Instagram @fergusstylepuntaarabi

Vivienne Westwood: Designer in Focus

From punk to damehood this remarkable designer’s work will be displaying over five decades of unparalleled success.

Located in the Craft and Design Gallery of the Walker Art Gallery, her grafted creations have been on display from Friday 18 April 2025 until October 2026.

From Westwood’s combined makings with Malcolm McLaren in the early eighties this exhibition will begin with her punk aesthetics in the King’s Road shop to her later masterpieces in periodical design, global cultures and classic British tailoring.

Key pieces in the exhibition are taken from her collections including the ‘Koo Tunic’ from the Witches (1983-84) and the ‘Dunbar Suit’ in pink tartan from the Anglomania (1993-94).

Vivienne Westwood – Craft Design © National Museums Liverpool

Westwood’s talent for drawing from inspiration from French art to Native American sources is encapsulated in this showcase of her works.

Pauline Rushton, Head of Decorative Arts, said: “Vivienne Westwood was one of Britain’s most visionary designers, whose influence extends far beyond fashion into art, culture, and even politics. This display offers visitors an amazing opportunity to explore the evolution of her extraordinary designs and understand how she transformed from punk provocateur to Dame of the British Empire.”

For more information on this Vivienne Westwood Exhibition in Liverpool please visit: Walker Art Gallery | National Museums Liverpool

Dawn to Dusk: Birds by Jim Moir

Over 45 of Jim Moir’s works will be displayed in the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Wirral from 14 June until 2 November 2025.

Some of his creations have been made exclusively for this exhibition which will be featuring the birds that he depicts so well.

Jim Moir, also known as Vic Reeves, comes from an artistic background, having studied at art school.

Born in Leeds in 1959 and growing up in Darlington, Moir said: “All I ever did as a child was paint”.

With his mother being a painter and his father a woodturner, it was from an early age that he found his talent. He won prizes for his work as a child and came first in a cornflakes box competition for painting a combine harvester.

Coming from a rural area in his youth he used World War Two binoculars, gifted from his father, to discover birds in nests and hedgerows.

This will be the first time that Moir’s wok will be on display in a national gallery and most paintings will be available for purchase.

Jim Moir said: “It’s an honour to be exhibiting at Lady Lever; a truly unique gallery that’s brimming with masterpieces. The process of working with the team at National Museums Liverpool has been a greatly enjoyable one and I’m very much looking forward to sharing the finished exhibition with visitors.”

To book tickets to the Jim Moir Exhibition visit: Lady Lever Art Gallery | National Museums Liverpool