IT’S a well known fact that I love a Premier Inn hotel.

I’ve been lucky enough to stay at some fantastic hotels around the world.

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And while some of them are no contest, there is something about a Premier Inn that I love as a budget option.

And the hotel chain has a brand new style of room launching across the UK – so I decided to check it out.

Called the Next Evolution rooms, I headed to the Angel hotel in London to take a look for myself.

Sarah Simpson, Head of Product & Proposition at Whitbread, said the new designs were to allow more “flexibility and personalisation” for guests.

Some of the new additions are a stretch at best – including “floor length curtains” – although they definitely hid enough of the light to make the room pitch black at night so got some of the best sleep I’d had in a while.

But I was impressed by the decor, which is definitely a modern take on the hotel’s iconic purple.

This included tasteful art on the walls, a huge purple bed headboard as well as purple clothes hangers and even a purple hairdryer.

The room has been divided into ‘zones’ according to the hotel chain – work, sleep and getting ready.

I especially appreciated the addition of a table you can move, rather than the desks that are usually attached to the wall in the corner of the room.

And one thing I dread at hotels are the bathrooms, which can easily be small and rather grotty.

But the new bathrooms are what won me over.

The huge walk in showers were a highlight, with no grim shower curtains or tatty bath to step into.

Each room has Bayliss & Harding toiletries, rather than some unknown, cheap brand that can often be found in rooms.

And one small element I loved was the lighting, with a choice of the main light or just a purple underlight that made me feel like I was in a trendy club toilet (in a good way).

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Obviously they have all of the other perks you can find in the Premier Plus rooms already in most hotel rooms, such as offee machines, mini fridges and USB ports.

And you can of course buy the pillows and bedding for your own house.

In case you had any doubt of how much of a fan I was – you’ll find the pillows in my own bedroom at home.

The rooms can be found at 32 hotels around the UK, including a number of airports.

This is set to be rolled out more in the future, with there being more than 850 Premier Inns across the country.

By February 2025, around 11,000 of the rooms are to be introduced across 100 hotels in the UK.

My verdict? While they aren’t the biggest game-changer when it comes to a Premier Inn room, they are a nice upgrade if you are staying for more than a few days.

I also tried the world’s biggest Premier Inn which is found in the UK and has more than 700 rooms.

We also compared Premier Inn with Travelodge and easyHotel – here’s the one which came out on top.

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GREEK island are aplenty, with Santorini and Mykonos some of the most popular holiday destinations in the world.

But a new study has named the island of Paros as a trending destination for next year.

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American Express Travel included the island in their 2025 Trending Destinations list.

Analysing travel bookings as well as working with global travel consultants, the island was one of the few European destinations to make the list.

The website states: “Laid-back Paros has become the Greek island of choice for many.

“The cultural scene is vibrant here, and the rocky coastline is studded with beaches, secluded coves, and sea caves.

“A mere 40-minute flight from Athens—or three hours on a ferry—this windblown retreat is also easy to get to.”

Around 200,000 people visit a year – just 10 per cent of the annual tourists that go to Santorini.

This means you can expect the island to be much quieter, and off-the-beaten track.

Its famous for a few things. This includes its marble, which was considered to be the best in ancient times, but there are other attractions too, including its many beaches.

The town of Naoussa is the second largest town on the island and has been called a “smaller version of Mykonos”.

Expect amazing seafood when there too, with most of it caught at fresh before being served up

However, it is also undergoing some new changes.

The island’s airport is expanding its terminal and runway, which will allow better infrastructure for travel.

The €41million project hopes to be complete by 2026.

New hotels are popping up too.

This includes the boutique Andronis which opened earlier this year and a new Canaves Collection resort following success in Santorini.

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Last year, professional travel planer Jennifer Greene said Paros was on the up.

She added: “The lack of an international airport tends to keep it that way, but a gentle ebb of chic new hotels is attracting more tourists.”

American Express also named Brittany in France as a trending hotspot.

They included the destination because of its “distinctive culture, coastal scenery and miles of seaside walking paths like the GR34 trail”.

Mont-Saint-Michel is one of the region’s most famous attractions, located in the bay shared by Normandy and Brittany.

One beach that’s proven popular among holidaymakers because of its long stretch of sandy beach, stunning views, and tranquil waters is Plage de Tahiti.

Ferry is a popular option for travelling to Brittany from the UK – with routes from Plymouth and Poole.

BEING the most popular holiday destination for Brits, choosing where to go in Spain can be tricky.

But Valencia was named the best city in Europe by Conde Nast Traveler – and I was lucky enough to have visited.

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Spain isn’t short of beautiful cities – Barcelona and Madrid being the most popular – as well as stunning islands such as Tenerife and Majorca.

I’ve managed to visit nearly 10 different spots across Spain.

But Valencia is my favourite with so much going for it, from futuristic attractions to affordable food and drink.

I was unlucky enough to have visited during the 2022 ‘heat dome‘ which saw temperatures soar to 45C.

It certainly made it a challenge to explore – after all, being 30C at both 8am and 8pm meant there was no escape.

Thankfully, I enjoyed the heat, so made the most of the quieter-than-usual streets because of the (sensible) people taking shelter.

But my favourite attraction that I think is unmissible is the City of Arts and Science.

The huge complex – costing £760million and taking a decade – is home to a number of different structures to explore.

Film fans will recgonise it, featuring in both Westworld and Doctor Who.

There’s the Science Museum, with enough interactive experiences for kids to enjoy.

But for adults there is the Opera House with live musical perfomances and shows.

Outside of the complex, the city is beautiful enough by itself.

Many of the huge Art Deco buildings make the streets feel like a film set,complete with vintage street lights.

There is El Cabanyal, a trendy district named one of the coolest neighbourhoods in Europe by The Guardian.

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It’s here I fell into a warehouse-cum-greenhouse that had both a bar and jazz being played live on stage.

But the cheapest eat I found was La Finestra back in the city, where not only are the beers cheap, but you can get mini pizzas for just £2.

There’s a number of new hotels opening in the city, such as a new Novotel in downtown this December.

I stayed at the Valencia Oceanic by Melia. It was simple, but had its own pool and was a short walk to everything you need.

This includes the huge stretch of beach to the east, with the Las Arenas strip having bars and cafes.

Flights to Valencia are as little as £16.99 with Ryanair from Birmingham or £20.99 with easyJet from London Gatwick.

A NEW mega airport in Europe is set to take on London Heathrow and Dubai – and works have finally been given a start date.

Warsaw Solidarity Airport in Poland hopes to open by 2032.

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Passengers travelling from countries in Central and Eastern Europe will be able to fly almost anywhere in the world.

Last year, Foster + Partners and Buro Happold, the architect firms behind the ambitious build, unveiled detailed plans of what the future travel hub could look like when it opens.

A series of CGI images depicted the airport’s passenger terminal, main rail station and transfer hub.

According to the New Civil Engineer, the proposed plans have been finalised, with construction work set to begin in 2026 – two decades after the project was first announced in 2005.

Since last year, design changes were made to the roof, walkways, waiting areas and the bus station, in a bid to improve passenger comfort.

Further designs for the airport’s runways, taxiways, underground railway tunnel and air traffic control tower are still being finalised.

Grant Brooker, head of studio at Foster + Partners previously told Notes from Poland: “Our design focuses on passengers. Our ambition is to create an accessible building that will improve the travel experience…[through] clear visual connections.

“We believe the CPK [the airport] will completely change the way people travel around Poland, and will also become a new gateway to Europe and the rest of the world.”

Even though the airport has yet to receive planning permission, preparation work on the site is already underway with tree removal said to be currently taking place.

Construction work is slated to start in 2026, with a phased opening date set for 2032.

Initially, Warsaw Solidarity Airport was being built to replace Warsaw Chopin Airport because it was nearing capacity.

However, the huge new travel hub will now complement the existing airport.

Poland plans to build on its overall passenger growth, with the new airport also helping the country’s flag carrier (LOT Polish Airlines) to increase its passenger numbers.

The new passenger terminal will be able to accommodate 11,000 passengers per hour, with the capability to hold 40 million annual passengers by 2035.

A third runway, and other terminal extensions, will see passenger numbers increase to 65 million by 2060.

In addition to the new airport being built, improvements will also need to be made to the country’s rail infrastructure.

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This is because the airport will be located 40km away from Warsaw.

Because of its location outside the city, the airport will have its own train station that will connect to the country’s pre-existing railway network.

It is not yet known when flights will operate from the airport and which airlines will fly from the travel hub.

The huge airport project is expected to generate around 150,000 jobs in the area.

However, the plans for the new travel hub have been met with fierce backlash from local residents and travel experts.

Two years ago, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary told local newspaper Rzeczpospolita: “This airport is unnecessary. It was planned in the wrong place and at the wrong time.”

Doncaster Sheffield Airport, which closed in November 2022, could reopen thanks to a new multi-million-pound plan.

And Plymouth Airport hopes to reopen after being closed for more than a decade.

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