Coolcation Calling: 10 must-visit destinations that won’t have you overheated in busy tourist cities

Coolcationing is one of the hottest trends this year, so MGallery Collection boutique hotels have curated a list of the coolest coolcation destinations around the world.




Avoid sweltering hotspots this year with MGallery Collection's curated list of cooler alternatives for must visit destinations across the world.

The Art Gallery Hotels of Asia

We’ve put together a round-up of Hotels as Art Galleries. From supporting pottery art included in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding to giant abstract interpretations of iconic cultural landmarks to a hotel art tour by a practicing artist who also happens to work for the hotel’s restaurant services team… each hotel has a different take on engaging art lovers.

The famous doors of Zanzibar open to a world of history and culture

Zanzibar's doors are a real treasure trove of history and culture. Let's dive in and explore why they're so significant.

First off, the doors themselves are stunning pieces of craftsmanship. Intricately carved with geometric patterns, floral motifs, and Arabic calligraphy, each door is a unique work of art. You can almost see the skilled hands of the craftsmen who spent hours perfecting every detail.

If John Steinbeck visited the ancient city of Luxor

Travels in Dust and Time: A Journey to Luxor

The road from Cairo unrolled like a dry ribbon, a tether pulling us toward something older than cities, older perhaps than memory. Luxor, they called it now, though once it bore the name Thebes, a place of gods and pharaohs, of temples so large a man could lose his own smallness in their shadow. I came not as a scholar, nor as a pilgrim, but with the kind of hunger that comes from hearing whispers in stone.

We arrived in the amber light of afternoon. The sun here doesn’t set so much as surrender, quietly and with reverence. And the Nile, eternal in its purpose, glinted like a mirror made for gods. The air held the perfume of heat and dust, and beneath it all, something deeper—sand, sweat, and the breath of time.

The bazaar thronged with energy, aroma and vigour

Luxor is a city built on layers. On one side of the river lies the living city, the bazaars, the motorbikes, the children with wide eyes and wider grins who run beside you, palms outstretched, laughing. On the other side—the west bank—the dead sleep. Not peacefully, for the tombs of the Valley of the Kings and the queens are not quiet places. They hum. They hum with the weight of stories that never found their ending. In those winding tunnels painted in ochre and lapis, Ramses still speaks. He speaks not to you, but through you. And if you listen too long, you’ll find a part of yourself sealed in there, left behind among the jackal-headed gods and golden promises.

We hired a small felucca and drifted across the Nile. The boatman, an old man with eyes as sharp as river reeds, said nothing, as if words might disturb the balance. The oar dipped and rose, dipped and rose, a rhythm older than language. I watched the sun melt into the hills behind the temple of Hatshepsut, and I thought of time—not as an enemy, but as a sculptor. It carves us all in its own image, eventually.

The Temple of Luxor: Columns as thick as tree trunks reached for the sky

Karnak was less a temple than a memory you could walk through. Columns thick as tree trunks reached for the sky, which seemed too pale to contain such ambition. I touched one, half expecting it to pulse beneath my hand, like the heartbeat of some slumbering god. The guide, a thin man with a cigarette clinging to his lip, rattled off names and dates. I heard none of it. I was busy watching light filter through the cracks, illuminating hieroglyphs like a sacred script written by the sun itself.

And so we left Luxor, though not really. You don’t leave a place like that—you carry it. It tucks itself in the folds of your coat, in the callouses on your hands, in the dream you’ll have weeks later of standing before a statue whose eyes follow you.

There are cities you visit and forget. Luxor is not one of them. It waits. And someday, like all the others before you, you return—if not in body, then in reverie.

If you'd like to visit Luxor for yourself

Intrepid Travel Small Group Tours

Boryeong Mud Festival: A Messy Delight in South Korea

Every July, the sleepy coastal town of Boryeong in South Korea transforms into a muddy playground, attracting thousands of thrill-seekers and fun-lovers from around the world. The Boryeong Mud Festival, also known as the Daecheon Mud Festival, is a messy extravaganza that promises an unforgettable experience.

Done Isle of Pines? Try Lifou: Discover lesser-known New Caledonia

Travellers who have had the opportunity to visit New Caledonia are likely familiar with areas such as Upi Bay in the Isle of Pines, Anse Vata Beach in Nouméa, or the lighthouse at Amédée Island. While these spots are well-deserving of another visit, there’s a hidden world of untold beauty waiting to be explored outside of the go-to spots. From secluded beaches and sparsely populated regions, these lesser-known treasures offer travellers an authentic, peaceful experience where they can truly uncover the heart of the destination. 

Visiting the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Temple of Abu Simbel in Egypt

The Temple of Abu Simbel is a majestic rock-cut temple complex in southern Egypt, built by Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC. The complex consists of two temples: the Great Temple of Ramesses II and the Temple of Hathor and Nefertari.