Luxury travel is often assumed to be expensive by default, with five-star hotels and private experiences confined to a short list of high-cost destinations. But new research suggests that the equation might be outdated. A 2025 study examining the real cost of luxury travel across global destinations reveals that some of the world’s most affordable luxury experiences are found in destinations where prices remain quietly, almost unexpectedly, restrained.

Conducted by Sail Croatia, the study looks at how much travellers actually spend on core luxury experiences across the globe. The results point to a growing shift in how and where value-driven luxury travel is taking shape.

The world’s most affordable luxury travel destinations in 2025

1. Cape Town, South Africa

• 5-star hotel (1 night): $199
• Three-course meal: $23
• Private tour: $127
• Spa (1 hour): $50
• Taxi: $2
• Score: 100/100

2. Hamilton & Pink Sand Beaches, Bermuda

• 5-star hotel (1 night): $133
• Three-course meal: $90
• Private tour: $9
• Spa (1 hour): $78
• Taxi: $6
• Score: 96/100

3. Muscat, Oman

• 5-star hotel (1 night): $230
• Three-course meal: $13
• Private tour: $159
• Spa (1 hour): $77
• Taxi: $1
• Score: 91/100

4. London, England

• 5-star hotel (1 night): $397
• Three-course meal: $54
• Private tour: $60
• Spa (1 hour): $119
• Taxi: $5
• Score: 87/100

5. Riviera Maya, Mexico

• 5-star hotel (1 night): $175
• Three-course meal: $21
• Private tour: $160
• Spa (1 hour): $298
• Taxi: $4
• Score: 83/100

6. Tokyo, Japan

• 5-star hotel (1 night): $489
• Three-course meal: $22
• Private tour: $86
• Spa (1 hour): $82
• Taxi: $5
• Score: 79/100

7. Algarve, Portugal

• 5-star hotel (1 night): $430
• Three-course meal: $29
• Private tour: $146
• Spa (1 hour): $104
• Taxi: $1
• Score: 74/100

8. Havana, Cuba

• 5-star hotel (1 night): $300
• Three-course meal: $14
• Private tour: $384
• Spa (1 hour): $37
• Taxi: $1
• Score: 70/100

9. Ambergis Caye, Belize

• 5-star hotel (1 night): $313
• Three-course meal: $15
• Private tour: $361
• Spa (1 hour): $83
• Taxi: $6
• Score: 66/100

10. Dublin, Ireland

• 5-star hotel (1 night): $514
• Three-course meal: $53
• Private tour: $144
• Spa (1 hour): $101
• Taxi: $3
• Score: 61/100

What the findings reveal

Cape Town’s position at the top of the ranking underscores how dramatically luxury pricing can vary by region. With five-star hotels averaging $199 per night and spa treatments costing around $50, the South African city offers a level of accessibility rarely associated with its natural beauty, culinary scene and hospitality standards.

Elsewhere, the results highlight different value drivers. Muscat stands out for its exceptionally low dining and transport costs, while London’s inclusion is driven almost entirely by the affordability of private tours, which come in at less than half the price of many other luxury capitals. Havana, meanwhile, offers some of the cheapest fine dining and drink prices in the study, offset by higher private tour costs.

As Helle Seuren, Director of Sail Croatia, notes, luxury is increasingly about context rather than postcode. Premium hotel brands operate across both expensive and affordable destinations, maintaining consistent service standards while adapting prices to local markets. For travellers willing to look beyond the usual high-cost hotspots, the data suggests that luxury these days is less about overspending and more about choosing wisely.

From the Arctic Circle to Gabon, these trips promise adventure beyond the familiar
New year, new budgets and a whole new opportunity to plan 12 months of adventure. And while Mzansi has no shortage of fantastic places to explore, this year set your sights on something a little more adventurous. From searching for polar bears in the far north to unpacking the rich history of the South Atlantic, here are six destinations worth seeking out in 2026.

Albania

Whether it’s on a cruise or from a sun lounger, South Africans love the Mediterranean. But for travellers looking to avoid the overtourism that blights many of the most beautiful islands and an exchange rate that makes it taxing on the wallet, Albania is stepping up as a prime alternative, offering all that Greece, Italy and Croatia have to offer at a fraction of the price.

Soak up the history of Unesco-listed towns such as Berat and Gjirokastër, or spread out your towel on the sun-soaked Ionian beaches around Ksamil. The archaeological park at Butrint speaks to the ancient human history of the region, while those of an adventurous bent will love exploring Europe’s last great wild river system in the Vjosa National Park or lacing up to hike the Albanian Alps, less prosaically known as the Accursed Mountains. Travellers with an eye on discovering the seaside towns of Palasë, Dhërmi and Himarë will be glad to know that Vlora International Airport is set to open in 2026, offering easier access to Albania’s southern riviera.

Réunion

While Mauritius is popular for fly-and-flop holidays in the Indian Ocean, that’s not all that the islands of the Mascarenes archipelago have to offer. Rodrigues is growing a reputation for kitesurfing and watery adventure, and Réunion is a paradise for adrenaline-seekers who prefer terra firma.

The island landscape is dominated by the dramatic cirques (collapsed volcanic calderas) of Mafate, Cilaos and Salazie, which together offer hundreds of kilometres of marked hiking and biking trails. Throw in the chance to trek across the dome of an active volcano — Piton de la Fournaise — and you can see why Reunion is so popular with adventure-seekers.

Though just a four-hour flight from Joburg, Reunion — as an “Overseas Department” of France cast adrift in the Indian Ocean — comes infused with both Francophone and Creole charm. That’s evident from the warm hospitality to the fantastic food, where you might start the day with a baguette and fromage and end with a fragrant fish curry. The road network is excellent, albeit a bit narrow in places, making it ideal for self-drive adventures.

Diriyah, Saudi Arabia

The historical heart of Riyadh is being recast as a heritage-led destination. Anchored by the Unesco-listed At-Turaif, the mud-brick city that was the birthplace of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, this ancient quarter is being transformed into a haven of considered luxury.

Bujairi Terrace has evolved into a culinary destination in its own right, and a clutch of global hotel brands will open their doors in 2026, starting with The Langham, Diriyah.

Why go now? The Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026 (January 30 to May 2) will take over the JAX district, bringing together Saudi and global creatives.

Gabon

While Rwanda and Uganda have long claimed the throne for rainforest adventures in Africa, Gabon is joining the action in 2026 with a handful of intimate luxury lodges offering insider access to some of Africa’s last forest wilderness.

Loango National Park, famous for its surf-loving hippos, sees the opening of Loango Savannah Camp and the remote Sette Cama Eco Camp, offering guests access by boat or kayak and walking safaris to a forest shared by elephants, chimpanzees and western lowland gorillas. To the south, Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, which has some of Gabon’s highest primate densities, is anchored by Nyanga Lodge, which opened in 2025, to combine gorilla tracking with seasonal whale, turtle and (catch-and-release) tarpon experiences.

Getting to and around Gabon, where luxury is in its infancy, can be unpredictable and adventurous, but grab the opportunity to discover one of Africa’s most biodiverse, least-visited rainforest destinations.

Svalbard, Norway

If a trip to Antarctica is out of your reach but you long for polar landscapes, look north. With direct flights from Oslo, the Svalbard archipelago is surprisingly accessible, offering a multitude of adventures in the high Arctic landscapes.

Summer is peak season here, when the fjords are ice-free and small vessels can reach glacier fronts and wildlife areas. Most travellers arrive seeking polar bears, which famously outnumber humans on Svalbard, but also to marvel at walrus haul-outs, reindeer herds and Arctic foxes. In 2025, Svalbard began addressing the threat of overtourism to wildlife by limiting landings in protected areas to 43 sites and managing visitor numbers ashore.

Beyond wildlife, you can go kayaking on the glacial waters of Isfjorden, hike the windswept hillsides in search of ptarmigan, or visit the shuttered coal mines that first brought intrepid travellers north of the Arctic Circle. For a full Norwegian adventure, combine days on Svalbard with a Hurtigruten cruise across the Barents Sea to explore Norway’s dramatic fjords.

St Helena

While perhaps most famous as the rocky exile where the Emperor Napoleon lived out his days, the far-flung island of St Helena is about so much more than colonial history. It’s an island that overdelivers on both laid-back local charms and dramatic landscapes, and though it was once as remote as can be, direct flights from Johannesburg — and Cape Town in the peak summer season — have made it more accessible than ever.

The island’s charms are diverse but are especially well suited to adventurous travellers. Hike the “Postbox Walks”, which meander across remote corners of the island, or strap on your tanks to dive the reefs and wrecks that litter the island. Snorkelling is superb here, especially in the summer months when whale sharks congregate in the shallows offshore.

In between, you can visit the world’s oldest living land animal, discover yet more colonial history and sip on some of the world’s rarest coffee, grown on the island’s micro-plantations.

Hidden deep within Canaima National Park, the world’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall plunges nearly a kilometre from the sheer cliffs of Auyán-tepui. Its waters dissolve into mist above the rainforest canopy, creating a dramatic natural spectacle that defines Venezuela’s untouched wilderness and adventure appeal.

Nearly a kilometre of water pours from the sky, only to disintegrate into mist long before it ever touches the forest floor.

Angel Falls feels less like a geographical feature and more like a vision, something imagined rather than carved by time. Hidden deep within South America’s wild interior, this immense cascade challenges every familiar sense of scale.

Known locally as Salto ngel and honoured by Indigenous communities as Kerepakupai Ven, Angel Falls is recognised as the tallest uninterrupted waterfall on Earth.

It cascades from the dramatic edge of Auyn-tepui, a massive sandstone tabletop mountain rising sharply above the untouched rainforests of Venezuela, where the fall’s immense drop turns open air into mist and distant thunder.

From this dizzying height, water spills into open air, transforming gravity into drama, mist before impact, thunder before sight, where the surrounding wilderness amplifies every moment of its descent.

The numbers alone are staggering. Angel Falls plunges a total of 979 metres (3,212 feet), higher than most skyscrapers and rivalling the height of a small mountain. At its core is an 807-metre (2,648-foot) sheer free fall, the longest continuous drop of any waterfall on the planet. After this near-vertical descent, a series of cascades and rapids completes its extraordinary journey to the jungle below.

By official measurements, Angel Falls holds the world record for both total height and longest uninterrupted plunge, distinctions affirmed by Guinness World Records.

While other waterfalls, such as Tugela Falls, come close and debates persist over how waterfall heights should be defined, Angel Falls remains unmatched at the top of most scientific and geographical rankings.

More than just the world’s tallest waterfall, Angel Falls is a symbol of nature at its most extreme, remote, untamed, and humbling. In an age where nearly every corner of the planet has been measured and mapped, it stands as a powerful reminder that Earth can still astonish, overwhelm, and inspire awe beyond imagination.

WHY THE WATER NEVER FULLY REACHES THE GROUND

Because the drop is so extreme, the water at Angel Falls rarely reaches the ground as a single, continuous stream. Long before impact, air resistance and shifting winds tear the falling column apart, scattering it into billions of fine droplets suspended in mid-air. What descends instead is a vast, drifting veil of cool mist.

This airborne spray behaves like a natural rainfall system. It settles softly over the surrounding jungle, spreading moisture far beyond the base of the falls and keeping the forest perpetually damp. The result is a thriving microclimate where mosses cling to rock faces, ferns unfurl in the shade, and orchids flourish in the humid air.

Sunlight often catches the mist at just the right angle, painting fleeting rainbows across the canyon.

Here, the waterfall does not simply crash downward in raw force; it disperses, sustains, and nourishes. Immense height is transformed into a gentle, life-giving presence, quietly feeding the rainforest below.

AN ISOLATED WONDER OF VENEZUELA’S HIGHLANDS

The falls lie deep within Canaima National Park, in Venezuela’s Bolivar state. This vast protected wilderness forms part of the Guiana Highlands, a region famous for its ancient tepui, flat-topped sandstone mountains that rise abruptly from the jungle like colossal natural fortresses.

The water pours over the edge of Auyn-tepui, whose name means “House of the Gods” in the indigenous Pemón language. From the summit, the falls plunge into dense tropical rainforest, reinforcing the area’s reputation as one of the most remote and awe-inspiring landscapes on Earth.

HOW THE WORLD CAME TO KNOW ABOUT IT

Long before international attention, the waterfall was well known to Indigenous peoples of the region. Global recognition, however, came through American bush pilot Jimmie Angel.

In 1933, Angel flew over the falls while searching for gold. Four years later, in 1937, he crash-landed his plane atop Auyn-tepui. The dramatic rescue and survival story made headlines around the world, and the waterfall became widely known by its name.

Today, the indigenous name Kerepakupai Ven, meaning “waterfall of the deepest place,” is increasingly recognised as a tribute to the region’s original custodians.

WHY THIS PLACE IS SPECIAL BEYOND ITS HEIGHT

Set deep within Canaima National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Angel Falls rises from some of the oldest exposed rock on Earth. The surrounding landscape, defined by towering tepui plateaus, mist-shrouded cliffs, and isolated ecosystems, feels primordial, shaped long before human history began.

There are no roads to the falls. Reaching them demands small aircraft flights, long river journeys, and jungle treks through remote terrain, transforming the journey itself into an expedition rather than a simple visit.

Plunging nearly a kilometre from a sheer sandstone escarpment, the waterfall defies perspective, often dissolving into mist before it reaches the forest below. Its immense scale forces a rethink of size, distance, and gravity itself.

More than a world record, Angel Falls stands at the intersection of Indigenous heritage, exploration history, and raw geology.

Remote, monumental, and profoundly wild, it remains one of the planet’s most powerful reminders of nature’s untamed grandeur.

Fitness experts share easy micro-habits to help you feel good without sacrificing time with loved ones

The holiday season brings joy, family gatherings and plenty of tempting treats. But for many people, it also brings anxiety about maintaining healthy routines while traveling to visit loved ones. The good news is that experts say you don’t need to choose between enjoying the holidays and feeling good in your body.

Dana Santas, a mind-body coach for professional athletes, used to drive 35 minutes each way to reach a gym during holiday visits to her in-laws’ Wisconsin dairy farm. She and her husband were determined to stick to their daily exercise schedule, even if it meant spending over two hours away from family time.

That rigid approach, she now realizes, wasn’t the answer. Instead of forcing yourself to maintain your regular routine or abandoning healthy habits altogether, experts recommend a middle path that lets you celebrate while incorporating small wellness practices.

Why feeling good matters during celebrations

Maintaining some healthy behaviors during the holidays isn’t just about fitness goals. It’s about ensuring you actually enjoy your time with family and friends. Charlotte dietitian Natalie Mokari explains that skipping fiber and protein can affect digestion and energy levels, which may leave you feeling sluggish during celebrations.

However, overly restrictive diets can backfire. Being too strict about food choices often leads to overeating the very items you’ve labeled as off-limits. When people create rigid boundaries around food, they tend to crave those foods even more.

The guilt that comes from straying from health routines can also sabotage your efforts entirely. Many people adopt an all-or-nothing mentality, thinking that if they can’t maintain their full routine, they might as well abandon all healthy habits. This mindset robs you of both holiday enjoyment and the benefits of even small wellness practices.

Add vegetables without ditching tradition

Traveling during the holidays often means less control over meal options. You might find yourself eating at restaurants or enjoying dishes prepared by hosts. The solution isn’t to refuse family recipes or skip festive treats. Instead, focus on adding nutritious options alongside the foods you love.

When reviewing a restaurant menu, order what appeals to you. Then look for opportunities to add vegetables as sides or toppings. A side salad with your meal, lettuce and tomato on a sandwich, or beans with tacos can boost your nutrient intake without sacrificing enjoyment.

Apply the same pairing strategy to beverages. For every caffeinated or alcoholic drink, add a glass of water. On road trips, enjoy your favorite snacks but toss some fruit into the mix as well.

If you’re staying at someone’s home, offer to bring a vegetable side dish or salad. This gesture helps your hosts while ensuring you have nutritious options available. You can also pick up fresh produce at a local store to supplement meals.

The key is staying aware of your fullness levels and prioritizing the foods you’re most excited to eat. Don’t waste energy calculating the exact proportion of indulgent foods to healthier choices. A few holiday meals and desserts won’t derail your overall health.

Move your body without missing moments

Exercise during holiday gatherings doesn’t require gym sessions or structured workouts. Any movement that counteracts the stiffness from travel and prolonged sitting counts as a win.

Listen to your body’s intuitive signals. When you feel tight or uncomfortable, stand up and move in ways that feel good. Stretch tall, rotate your torso, or drop into a squat. These simple adjustments can prevent the aches and pains that come from sitting through long meals and conversations.

Transform sedentary activities into opportunities for movement. Stand during family games or long chats to change your posture. Suggest a group walk outside, even if it’s just 10 minutes in the cold air. Bundle up and turn the outing into quality time with loved ones.

You can also incorporate mobility exercises into downtime. Stretch or use a foam roller while watching movies with family. Pack a resistance band in your luggage for an easy workout option. Place it around your ankles or above your knees for walking exercises that don’t require much space.

Rediscover the fun in movement

Perhaps the most important strategy is remembering that movement can be joyful. Children naturally treat physical activity as play rather than obligation. Take inspiration from the kids at your holiday gathering.

Join them in their new dance moves, play tag in the backyard, or hide during a game of hide-and-seek. These activities provide exercise without feeling like a chore, and they create memories with family members of all ages.

The holidays are meant for connection and celebration. By letting go of rigid expectations and adding small healthy practices, you can feel good in your body while fully embracing time with the people you love most.