The best hotels, flights, destinations, cruises and attractions of 2019

EXCITING new destinations, great-value flights and some inspiring places to stay – there is plenty to keep everyone happy in 2019. Even Brexit fears are failing to stop us doing what we love most – travelling to our favourite hotspots across the Med and far beyond.

LISA MINOT and JACOB LEWIS pick the best of what’s new in hotels, flights, destinations, cruises and attractions in 2019.

Get a room!

THREE exciting new hotels will be arriving in London next year. Expect hipster luxury at a former council office in Kings Cross when The Standard opens.

Hard Rock will bring its musical brand to a hotel where Jimi Hendrix, Diana Ross and Bob Dylan once stayed, at the corner of Oxford Street and Park Lane opposite Hyde Park.

And Hyatt’s conversion of the Metropolitan Police’s former home, the Great Scotland Yard Hotel, is due to open towards the end of the year. Guests will be able to stay in the building where police pursued some of Britain’s most notorious criminals.

Further afield, a development in the Maldives will bring a very different experience to the Indian Ocean paradise in early 2019. The groundbreaking Crossroads project, 15 minutes by speedboat from Malé airport, is a vast new project that will transform the Emboodhoo Lagoon.

It will have eight hotels, including the Hard Rock Maldives and Hilton Curio Saii Lagoon, as well as a yacht marina, beach club and entertainment island. European camping specialist Siblu has a new holiday village in Brittany, France, for 2019. The 4H Le Conguel is a hidden gem at the tip of the Quiberon peninsula, with pools, water slides and playgrounds, children’s clubs and evening entertainment.

Four people can enjoy a seven-night stay from £328 in total in May half-term. See siblu.com or call 020 8610 0186 for more details.

Destination anywhere

WITH flights by easyJet starting up, it has never been easier to visit the historical sights of Petra or scuba dive in the Red Sea.

Jordan has been insulated from much of the region’s instability, and with its year-round sunshine, we expect it to be top of many people’s lists next year. Meanwhile, Galicia in northern Spain is tipped by the Association of British Travel Agents as one to watch in 2019.

Most of Spain’s fishing is via Galicia’s ports and you will find the country’s best seafood here. The famous pilgrimage destination of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela is not to be missed, along with the city’s winding streets, live music bars and bustling al fresco restaurants.

Durban is known as the place where South Africans go to holiday, and is a surfer’s paradise as well as a wildlife lover’s dream. The cosmopolitan beach city is bursting with restaurants and nightlife, while safari trips are within easy reach.

With British Airways now flying direct, this is a great opportunity to seek winter sun at the Southern Hemisphere hotspot. Major tour operators such as Tui and Jet2 are expanding their reach in the little Balkan nation of Montenegro, on a stunning stretch of the Adriatic. New hotels are opening regularly as the nation becomes a favourite for the mega-rich.

All-new attractions

DISNEY is the one to watch in 2019 as it launches the hugely anticipated Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at parks in California and Orlando, Florida. There are no opening dates yet – but expect to see the West Coast launch in late summer and Florida in late autumn.

You won’t have to wait long to enjoy Star Wars action at Disneyland Paris. Its Legends Of The Force: A Celebration Of Star Wars runs from January 12 to March 17 across both parks, with character meet-and-greets, sound and light shows and Stormtrooper parades.

Over at Universal Resort in Orlando, a new generation of thrill rides is coming to The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter.

Hogsmeade promises to take you deeper into JK Rowling’s Wizarding World. The resort’s hotel options will include Universal’s new Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn & Suites. Opening in August, it is its first value hotel.

At SeaWorld, Orlando, kids will be able to stroll down Sesame Street for the first time. And back at home, Alton Towers is launching its own Dungeon attraction. Also new for 2019 are Stargazing Pods, opening in April, offering families the chance to stay at the park from £83.

And at Legoland Windsor, spring sees the launch of a new ride, The Haunted House Monster Party.

Look cruise talking

LOLA and her dancing angels are strutting their stuff in red Kinky Boots as the first sections of the new ship Norwegian Encore are put together. Encore is one of a series of new floating resorts in 2019.

A go-kart track veers over the side of the ship and you can do battle in the laser tag city of Atlantis. And don’t forget those Kinky Boots. The musical will open in the theatre when the ship launches in October.

MSC Cruises’ MSC Bellissima is christened in Southampton in March and will have Cirque du Soleil acrobats, water slides and a digital assistant called Zoe (think Alexa) in cabins. She is one of two MSC ships launching next year. November brings MSC Grandiosa, with its Yacht Club and butlers on call.

Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Panorama, out in November, has a bike track and an adult-only retreat.

Viking Jupiter, a Viking ship that launches in February, boasts a snow room where real flakes fall each night, and a planetarium. Add some fizz to your life in Flutes Champagne Bar on Marella Explorer 2. She is out in May and is Marella Cruises’ latest ship. There is a 19th Hole bar where golfers can practise swings sipping cocktails.

Saga Cruises’ Spirit Of Discovery debuts in July with The Club by Jools, a cabaret lounge featuring Jools Holland on occasions. October heralds Sky Princess from Princess Cruises, with cabanas to rent by the pool and suites with balconies bigger than some cabins.

Flight of fancy

BRITISH Airways is opening its first direct routes to Pittsburgh and Charleston in the US.

The service to Charleston in South Carolina takes off on April 4. The seaside city makes the perfect break for some classic southern hospitality. Pittsburgh, known as the City of Bridges, is a buzzing mid-size city with miles of waterfront to explore.

Elsewhere, Norwegian is expanding its long-haul, low-fare route map, with the UK’s cheapest flight to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil from March 31. The four weekly flights from Gatwick start from £239.90pp one-way, so you could be dancing in Rio Carnival or snapping selfies in front of Christ the Redeemer in no time at all.

Transylvania in Romania still has an untouched charm. The area, which is surrounded by mountain ranges and dotted with castles, is fantastic for hiking. Wizz Air, the only airline with direct flights to Transylvania, already flies from Luton to the city of Cluj-Napoca and will start a new daily service from Gatwick on March 31.

Ryanair’s new base at Southend is great news for holidaymakers in the South East.  From April, 13 routes will open, covering Alicante, Barcelona Reus, Bilbao, Brest, Corfu, Cluj, Dublin, Faro, Kosice, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Palma and Venice.