Escape to paradise

A new wave of openings has hit the coastlines of the Mediterranean to redefine luxury. ANNA McCOOE discovers the latest and greatest line-up of what we’ve been missing.

- ANNA McCOOE

Light blue water, white-washed buildings, bronzed bodies, golden beaches. The Mediterranean is more than the glittering basin between southern Europe and North Africa; it’s an aesthetic trigger. So harmonious is the sun-bleached colour palette to the eye, that mere memories switch the brain to holiday mode, suspending the senses in a glorious state where the full spectrum of the human experience pares back to in-the-moment bliss.

Ah the Med, it’s been a while. But, while Australia had our walls up, the operators in this sunseekers’ paradise have upped the ante on their luxury tourism offering. Old properties were renovated, new terroirs were claimed by prestigious hotel brands, and modern-day themes of sustainability and wellness have rippled through the coastline. All the while, we hung framed pictures of umbrella-lined beach bars on our walls, cooked the region’s cuisines and longingly tracked their Covid vaccine rollout. Now that we’re ready to go, it’s time to catch up on what we’ve missed.