New York, USA
Average September temperature: 25°C
Flight time from the UK: Around 8 hours; fly direct from London Heathrow and Manchester with Virgin Atlantic
September in New York City is a wonderful time. Summer is technically fading away, but the sun sticks around with the odd smattering of rain, with a weather forecast over a long weekend offering the perfect excuse to shelter in galleries and museums before curbside dining in the suburbs and Central Park picnics. Things get particularly buzzy as New York City Fashion Week takes over the city’s glitziest hotels and restaurants – secure a table in one of our favourite spots and you may well spot an A-lister or two. Visit from the second week of the month onwards and the Feast of San Gennaro is quite the sight to behold, as thousands of hungry diners descend on Little Italy for a lip-smacking street fair.
Where to stay: Live out your Big Apple fantasies from the comfort of Nine Orchard, where 113 residential-inspired guest rooms sit atop a chic all-day restaurant inspired by classic taverns, and a glitzy cocktail lounge.
Rhodes, Greece
Average September temperature: 27°C
Flight time from the UK: Around 4 hours
If your understanding of Rhodes only extends as far as Faliraki, you’re in for a surprise. The largest of the Dodecanese, this perennially summery island has plenty of secluded, sandy beaches; picturesque, hilltop towns spilling white, sugarcube houses; and, in the Old Town, one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval cities. Far from the Faliraki frenzy, and just steps from the maze-like town of Lindos and its crowning acropolis, the Melenos Lindos is an atmospheric boutique hotel with sweeping Mediterranean sea views, a twinkling terrace restaurant, and Ottoman-esque styling, featuring raised wooden sleeping platforms and hand-painted tiles. Bonus: it’s right by one of the island’s most striking beaches, at St Paul’s Bay.
