Find your summer holiday: sea, wild or city
Summer holiday has a way of meaning exactly what you need it to. Some years, it is about salt on your skin and afternoons that drift lazily into evening. Other years, it is fresh air and wide, open spaces that hit the spot. Or maybe you crave warm city streets after sunset, humming with possibility.
Whatever you are looking for this time around, summer does not have to follow a script. It can be slow or full, familiar or completely new. It can be about doing more or finally giving yourself permission to do less. Wherever the season takes you, here is how to make it yours.
Time by the sea
When you are looking for the best beach resorts for summer school holidays, it often comes down to one simple feeling: ease.
In Koh Samui, Thailand, Garrya Tongsai Bay is one of those rare places where everything feels within reach. You wake to the sound of waves, wander down for a swim before breakfast, and by mid-morning the kids are already plotting their next adventure: kayaking one hour, hitting jungle trails the next. And if you feel like venturing out, waterfalls, markets, and beachside temples are just a short trip away.
On Indonesia’s Bintan island, the summer months of June to August come with dry, sunlit days made for beach time. Cassia Bintan makes family stays feel effortless, with apartment-style living that lets you really settle in. There is space for the kids to roam, time for a round of golf if you fancy, and adventures to be had beyond – from visiting local Sea Gypsies to gliding through wildlife-filled mangroves. The key thing is that you have options. To keep things active or to sit back and simply be.
If the Mediterranean is calling, slip into an easy, sun-warmed rhythm at Angsana Corfu Resort & Spa. Mornings might start with a swim in the infinity pool overlooking the Ionian Sea; afternoons drift by with long lunches and slow wanders through herb-scented hills. And when curiosity strikes, Corfu Old Town is just close enough for an impromptu gelato stop and a meander through its storybook streets. You will come back with a tan, certainly, and possibly a newfound obsession with Greek sunsets.
Into the wild
Sometimes you want to spend summer surrounded by green space, wildlife and fresh air.
In Singapore, Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree is a wild alternative to a city break. Tucked within Mandai Wildlife Reserve, it feels immersive without being remote: macaques sometimes pad along the resort’s open spaces and wild boars wander the perimeter – small reminders that you are sharing the space. Yet the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari are close enough to reach on foot, making it easy to dip into the action and retreat again when you have had your fill. For the ultimate tranquillity, cocoon yourself in one of the resort’s private treehouses, right up in the rainforest canopy.
At Homm Saranam Baturiti, up in Bali’s central highlands, you can exchange beach heat for mountain breezes and busy itineraries for laid-back exploring. Rice terraces ripple down the hillsides, village roads invite aimless wandering, and Lake Bratan sits quietly nearby when you feel like stretching the day a little further. It is an easy base if you like enough adventure to fill the day, but never so much that you need a holiday from your holiday. By the time the mist drifts in and you sit down for dinner, there is that rare sense of having done plenty, without rushing at all.
There is no diving experience required to feel the magic of Dhawa Ihuru, one of the best Maldives resorts for underwater adventures. Here, the reef begins just steps from your villa. One moment you are adjusting your mask; the next you are drifting over coral gardens, watching reef fish flicker past. In summer, visibility is at its clearest, and if you are lucky, manta rays glide into view. There is even the nearby Rannamaari Shipwreck should you feel like venturing a little further – a sunken piece of history crammed full of marine life.
Culture, colour and city heat
The best summer city breaks have their own rhythm: museum mornings, long lunches in the shade, rooftop sunsets. Ideal if you are happy swapping flip-flops for skyscrapers or cobblestones.
If you are considering a summer holiday in Mexico, Banyan Tree Puebla sits at the heart of an enchanting colonial-era city. It feels characterful from the moment you arrive, with a terrace that looks out across tiled rooftops and church spires towards distant volcanoes. Beyond its doors, the city unfolds in layers – churches, museums, a thriving art scene – while in nearby Cholula, tunnels snake beneath what is said to be the world’s largest pyramid. It is the kind of place where you dream about returning before you have even left.
In Morocco’s Medina of Marrakech, Marrakech Riads, Angsana Heritage Collection offers calm behind carved wooden doors. Step outside and you are in a swirl of souks, food stalls and ancient alleyways. The joy is in the contrast: one minute you are getting happily lost, the next you are back in the cool quiet of your riad courtyard. Add a traditional hammam or a Moroccan cooking class, and the city begins to feel less overwhelming. Urban energy when you want it. Sanctuary when you do not.
One of the best hotels in Kuala Lumpur for a summer city escape, Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur puts you right where you want to be. The Petronas Twin Towers rise nearby, a constant point of reference as you move between sleek galleries, street food stalls and pockets of culture and history tucked between skyscrapers. Evenings are best spent at the rooftop bar watching the skyline shift from gold to twilight, drink in hand and the day settling gently behind you.
Wherever summer takes you, we hope it leaves you a little sun-kissed and a lot restored. Browse more travel ideas here.