Le Sirenuse's 2026 beach club debut will break Instagram

Welcome back to Happenings, your weekly reminder that the world is big, beautiful, and occasionally absurd. From Italy’s Le Sirenuse opening a beach club to canal cruising in style to Florence’s war on outdoor eating, we’ve rounded up the stories worth your scroll. Grab a coffee—travel envy incoming, penned by editor .

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Deary me! More money is set to be squeezed out of your pockets, and this time it’s happening whilst you are on vacation. Starting October 2026 and applying to all tickets purchased after April 1, passengers departing from Singapore will face a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) levy, the first of its kind in the entire world. Why? Well, it’s the name of all things eco-friendly and is an ambitious attempt to decarbonise the skies. How thought-provoking. Find out more about the tax here.

Italy has a problem, and a very big one at that: it’s become so popular that Italians themselves can’t even enjoy their own country, and to help curb it, several cities across the boot have imposed new restrictions to help keep the tourists at bay. The latest restriction, however, is just as aesthetic as it is a potential tourism killer: the banning of al fresco dining. Florentines say it looks ugly and is wildly disruptive to their days, and as a result have asked several councils to totally ban the dining concept on 50 of its most busy streets. Not everyone is happy with the ban, stating that it will shutter their businesses. Find out more here.

Iconic family-owned boutique hotel Le Sirenuse is set to open a brand new, shiny beach club in 2026. “Le Sirenuse Mare is a beach club that distills our family hotel’s ‘new dolce vita’ spirit in an al fresco space designed for easy sun-kissed living, stylish yet also authentic, friendly, and convivial,” say hotel owners the Sersales. The next chapter of the Amalfi Coast escape will introduce Le Sirenuse Mare to the island of Nerano, just a 25-minute boat ride away from the hustle of Positano. Le Sirenuse’s home. Don’t know what to expect? Think big old restaurant, sun loungers, and a host of creative minds and lots of talent. Follow it all here.

This one says it all in the kicker, so if you are prone to getting sick on a plane, train, boat or whatever, these tips from the team at Condé Nast Traveller will keep the bugs and sniffles away. Just always remember to wash your hands, and hard kids.

Have you ever been to a hotel in the world and thought, OMFG, this is total perfection? Good, because that just happened to me. Cue Singita Kwitonda, a luxury trekking lodge set on the foothills of Volcanoes National Park. It’s THE spot for conservation-first antics, from gorilla trekking and golden monkey spotting to R&R in the mountains. Pair all that with demi glass palaces to sleep in, exceptional food, and the largest bush wine collection imaginable, and you have yourself a rarity in hospitality nowadays: perfection. Expect wellness first adventures, humbling experiences, and perhaps the most bespoke experiences this side of equatorial Africa. Snoop the hotel here.

Have you noticed everything is so same-y lately? If it’s not the same BS written all over websites or in magazines, it’s lazy tour operators who can’t be bothered to think outside of the box. Tag onto any suspiciously local tour lately, especially those in Europe, and you’ll notice that most of them lack any real imagination whatsoever. It’s always the same route; the same museum; the same walking tour; and the same national tourist trail. Why? Well, it’s simple: you are the problem. Most travelers are getting so lazy nowadays that they have lost the spirit of exploration and instead decide to take the easy way out and just do what everyone else is doing or simply copy whatever they see some influencer do on TikTok or Instagram. The point is that there is so much out there beyond the usual suspects. Embrace your sense of adventure and go off-road for once. Chances are you’ll find somewhere better, and one that actually trumps the favourite. Discuss.

Our weekly column from hospitality-obsessed city native Megan Shelton unveils the gotta-be-there spots across the Big Apple that are anything BUT basic.

For more NYC + travel content, follow Megan, who doubles as HAP’s NYC Know-It-All and Contributing Travel Writer, on Instagram, TikTok, and her Substack, Turndown Service.