Where to go in 2017

Last part

JAPAN

Despite an abundance of talented concierges and hospitable locals, traveling in Japan without speaking Japanese can leave you feeling as if you’ve barely scratched the surface. In the run-up to the 2020 Olympics, though, the country is shaking off its Lost in Translation vibe.

The Ryokan Collection, a just-formed consortium of more than 30 properties, is making it easier to find traditional inns that cater to foreigners, even in off-the-beaten-track destinations. Celebrity chef Hiroyuki Hiramatsu is also overseeing a brand-new line of high-end ryokans that combine the exquisite service and meticulously prepared, hyper-seasonal meals of old-style properties, but with rooms that nod to Western luxury ideals of mattresses, instead of sleeping mats, and walls, rather than paper screens. The first locations are in the hot springs town of Sengokuhara and Atami, which lies in the shadow of Mount Fuji.

Two high-end rail experiences are on the horizon as well. The Twilight Express Mizukaze, an Art Deco-inspired sleeper train that travels through the western regions of Sanyo and San’in, and the Train Suite Shiki-Shima, a jewel box-like, 10-car train that takes guests on multi-day itineraries in northern Japan, both pass through coastal and country towns most people never see.

Even if you stick to the well-trod tourist trail, Kyoto Artisans Concierge can give you unprecedented access to renowned workshops that were long closed to tourists. Now, with a few clicks, anyone can arrange a visit to an atelier that makes fans, lacquerware, or knives.

When to go: Mid-October to the end of November. The stunning, fiery red fall leaves (koyo) are on full display and the weather is great, to boot. When not to go: July to September. Popular destinations such as Tokyo and Kyoto are in full-on hot, sticky summer mode. Whom to call: Mark Lakin of Epic Road.

MADAGASCAR

Suspended off the coast of Mozambique in the Indian Ocean, the island of Madagascar is hardly a secret among the adventure-seeking set. Its extraordinary biodiversity has rightly earned it comparisons to the Galapagos Islands. But before this year, its rainforests and untouched beaches were largely accessed only by the truly intrepid, due to a void of high-end lodging options.

But now this naturalist’s paradise — which is home to more than 250,000 endemic animal species — is poised to become a luxury traveler’s bragging right, thanks to the April opening of the ultra-exclusive, 14-villa Miavana resort. For $2,500 per person, per night, you’ll get full run of Nosy Ankao island, off the country’s northeastern tip. While you’re there, check these two things off your to-do list: snorkeling through the archipelago’s turtle-filled lagoons (you can literally dive in from the deck of your villa), and sailing to the mainland for an up-close look at Madagascar’s famed lemurs.

When to go: May and September, when lemur safaris are less crowded. For divers, September gets an edge because high plankton levels attract loads of whale sharks and dolphins. When not to go: Mid-January to mid-March. Bad things come in threes: rain, wind, and cyclones. Whom to call: Teresa Sullivan of Mango Safaris.

LONDON

There’s no need to worry about your London travel plans, post-Brexit. On the contrary, a soon-to-open boutique hotel and private club is reason alone to visit. Called The Ned, the project is set in a former 1920s bank in the City and is the first collaboration between the Soho House and NoMad hotel teams. On the docket is a rare-for-London rooftop pool, with glorious views of St. Paul’s and a bar in the old vault.

Fierce competition is brewing near the Tower of London, at the Four Seasons Ten Trinity: it’s likewise set in a portentous 1920s building with a French restaurant by three-Michelin-starred chef Anne-Sophie Pic.

Old-meets-new is playing out elsewhere, too. Claude Bosi of the Michelin-starred Hibiscus is opening in the fabulous Art Nouveau Bibendum structure this spring. And Jean-Georges Vongerichten will create his version of a comfortable neighborhood restaurant in the grand Connaught Hotel in Mayfair. Plus Marcus Samuelsson will soon bring his Harlem comfort food hot spot, Red Rooster, to Shoreditch.

But the hottest dining hood is Soho, where the Barbary showcases the flavors of North Africa. With the exchange rate more in favor of travelers than it’s been in decades, splurging on meals is just the beginning of your best London trip yet.

When to go: May and early June, when the gardens are in bloom and several royal birthdays fill the city with pomp and circumstance. When not to go: August. Londoners decamp — and tourists replace them, leaving the Tube and streets completely clogged. Whom to call: Ellen LeCompte of LeCompte Travel.

CAPE TOWN

Cape Town has found its way onto travelers’ bucket lists for many reasons, including its natural beauty, its cutting-edge design sensibility, and most recently, its exceptional food scene. But in 2017, expect the city to make a star turn as the hottest art capital in the Southern Hemisphere.

Come September, the long-anticipated Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa — aka the Zeitz MOCAA — will become the world’s largest museum dedicated to modern art from across the continent. The collection will occupy an erstwhile grain silo at the V&A Waterfront that was once the tallest building in sub-Saharan Africa and was since reimagined for the 21^st century by famed UK architect Thomas Heatherwick. Those involved with the project hope to make it as influential as New York’s MoMA and London’s Tate.

What’s more, Cape Town’s art galleries are upping their game in anticipation of the inevitable influx of patrons soon to descend on their city: Current highlights include StateoftheArt, Ava, Whatiftheworld, and Gallery Momo. And where’s a discerning art aficionado to stay? The new Silo Hotel crowns the MOCAA’s glass-clad tower, promising stellar views and unrivaled museum access.

When to go: March, for harvest-time day trips to the nearby wine lands. When not to go: June through August. South Africa’s wet winters are ideal for Great Migration safaris, not urban explorations. Whom to call: Julia Douglas of Jetset World Travel, Inc.

TORONTO

Canada’s largest city has decisively shed its image as a staid also-ran, thanks to its flourishing food scene, an abundance of new green spaces, and lots of homegrown creative energy. It’s become one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas on the continent.

On the cultural front, the Museum of Contemporary Art will unveil its expanded location in fast-changing Junction Triangle. And the city’s splashy $25-million Bentway project, Toronto’s answer to such repurposing initiatives as the High Line in New York, will transform a one-mile stretch beneath the elevated Gardiner Expressway into a vibrant recreational space — just in time for Canada’s 150^th birthday celebration.

Base yourself at the Hotel X, an “urban resort” with two movie theaters, two rooftop swimming pools, and a 3,000-square-foot children’s play area. Or spring for a room in the 44-storey project Bisha Hotel & Residences, in the centrally located Entertainment District, where an entire floor has been designed by Lenny Kravitz. And don’t overlook the dining — not that you could, with options such as French-influenced dim sum at DaiLo and pine-smoked mussels at Boralia.

When to go: The crowd-free, foliage-filled window between the Toronto International Film Festival and the onset of winter — from late-September to mid-November — is largely underrated. When not to go: Spring, which is uncomfortably cold and rainy. Whom to call: Elke Hinson of Merit Travel.

SHANGHAI

A cooling economy? Weakening yuan? In glitzy Shanghai, China’s woes seem worlds away amid all the city’s splashy development projects. Put aside the $5.5-billion Shanghai Disney Resort that finally opened its doors in June — it’s the steady influx of five-star hotels and celebrity-chef restaurants that most excite us.

On the ever-glamorous Bund, an Art Deco gem of a building will transform into an Edition Hotel, set to open early next winter. The Capella Shanghai will open sooner, in March, with a restaurant by acclaimed Frenchman Pierre Gagnaire; he’s joining a crew of recent imports, such as Spanish chef Diego Guerrero and Joël Robuchon, to further boost a culinary scene that earned Shanghai its inaugural Michelin Guide in 2016.

The capstone will be Aman Shanghai, the group’s fourth mainland resort, bowing this spring. It inhabits a centuries-old traditional village that was painstakingly transplanted from rural Jiangxi province, 500 miles away — giant camphor trees and all.

When to go: April, when the weather is pleasant and dry — important in a city that gets twice as much rain as London. When not to go: Skip the end of summer (typhoon season) as well as Golden Week, in the beginning of October. It’s when domestic tourists come flocking, packing local attractions and public spaces. Whom to call: Guy Rubin of Imperial Tours.

MIAMI

Save for one party-filled weekend each December, Miami’s culture scene has been as skimpy as the bikinis on South Beach. No longer.

The tide began to turn with the arrival of the Perez Art Museum Miami in 2013; it proved that the high-concept spirit of Art Basel can thrive year-round in this sun-filled capital. Now, the dramatic statement piece that is the Faena Hotel has spawned a 43,000-square-foot cultural center designed by Rem Koolhaas/OMA. It opened last month with a lineup that includes funk trumpeter Spencer Ludwig and weekly performances of its Latin jazz-centric revue show, C’est Rouge.

The Frost Science Museum, which has been delayed and bailed-out countless times, will finally open in the spring, with 250,000 square feet of LEED Gold-certified galleries, all designed by a “technologist” who spent years developing pieces for artist James Turrell. It’s anyone’s guess whether the Frost or the significantly expanded Bass Museum will win the race to ribbon-cutting day.

And that’s to make no mention of South Florida’s first food hall, Central Fare (with a restaurant by Top Chef alums Bryan and Michael Voltaggio) or Brickell City Center, a retail complex of staggering proportions that’s steadily expanding the city’s appeal beyond its sandy shores.

When to go: November to March. Chances of rain: slim. Chances of amazing weather: high. When not to go: July to September. The lowest hotel prices of the year don’t make up for the fact that it’s brutally hot and muggy. Whom to call: Greg Guiteras of Lorraine Travel. — Bloomberg