The Best Places to Travel in July
Every July, bundles of bookworms and thousands of fiction fans flock towards the Hong Kong Book Fair, a major summer event in this city. Beyond the glass and steel of Hong Kong’s commercial persona, the city also boasts a vibrant cultural scene that features the eclectic influences of its Chinese roots and colonial connections. You can also see the Victoria Peak which has breath-taking panoramic views over Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.
July also sees the end of the largest annual celebration of art and culture in Indonesia, the BaliArts festival with a full month of daily performances, art exhibitions, dances, food and other cultural offerings. Aside from this festival Indonesia has a lot more to offer in terms of culture, nature and spectacular scenery. View the legendary Komodo Dragons, soak up the ambiance of Spiritual Ubud or dive into the pristine waters of the Gili Islands.
Alternatively, take a private catamaran ride along stunning coastline to your own private beach or take part in some of the many varied watersports including snorkelling and diving in Mauritius. Mauritius is a fascinating, world-in-one-island slice of paradise. Its very name conjures up images of tropical luxury and stupendous extravagance. The island is full of historic sights, cultural diversity, geographic variation and almost limitless activities to distract you from the daily grind of beach and pool. But perhaps its single biggest asset is the relaxed charm of its warm and welcoming people.
Hong Kong
Meaning 'Fragrant Harbour' in Cantonese, Hong Kong is an island that has attracted tourists, travellers, merchants, seamen, pirates and plunderers for centuries. Its iconic waterfront is as dazzling as that of Manhattan, while in its side streets and alleyways you can find traditional Chinese tea-houses and temples. Trams and ferries vie with limos to transfer people from place to place, and its restaurants veer from Michelin-starred to street stalls, all equally delicious.
Indonesia
An exotic collection of islands - 18,000 in total scattered around the equator; although the most visited are Java, Bali and Lombok - Indonesia spreads itself along the South China Sea. Throughout the centuries it has been influenced by traders and travellers from near and far as wide apart as China and Northern Europe, and it still bears the influences each has brought, as well as those of the three main Asian cultures and religions - Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam.
Mauritius
Exquisite and exotic, Mauritius is an island for all seasons, all weathers and all tastes. The interior offers mountains and forests, waterfalls and sparkling rivers alongside the occasional dormant volcano. Of all the Indian Ocean Islands, Mauritius is the most cosmopolitan. For centuries it was a useful and strategic staging post for traders, wayfarers, pirates and conquerors and has absorbed what it has needed from all of them – the French and English, the Indians and East Africans not to mention the Dutch and Chinese – in attitude, language, religion, food and joie de vivre. Its coastline is near perfect with acres of pristine beaches and bright blue seas – all fringed by coral reefs. Mauritius is a haven for both sun seekers and water sports aficionados.