Where To Go In May 2024

Rome is fabulous in May, when skies are clear and blue and it’s still not too scorching to explore its streets on foot. Fully in spring mode, the Eternal City is carpeted in wisteria, azaleas, and poppies — and the Villa Borghese gardens are at their most lush and green. So where to stay? Two of our favorite Rome addresses are Hotel Locarno and Residenza Napoleone III. The former is one of the city’s most legendary hotels and has been welcoming the great and the good to its incredible location between the Tiber and Villa Borghese since 1925. Its rooms are elegant, sumptuous, and oh-so-Roman — and aperitivo hour on its spectacular rooftop is something to be treasured. The Residenza is located within a 16th-century palazzo on the legendary Via Condotti. Filled with sumptuous furnishings and artworks fit for an emperor, its two unique apartments are available for private hire.

Now for the food. Rome is a city with a big appetite, where pasta rules. Make your first restaurant stop La Matriciana, a wonderfully old-school spot in the Esquilino neighborhood where you should order a Roman specialty, bucatini all amatriciana — tomato, guanciale, and pecorino — for lunch. After drinks in the stunning courtyard of Hotel De Russie, make your way to the Testaccio area for a true taste of Rome. Our favorites in the area are Felice for timeless local dishes such as tonnarelli cacao e pepe, Da Enzo for classic Roman dishes and Checchino dal 1887 where we always order la coda alla vaccinara, an oxtail stew.

Read our Rome Restaurant Guide

After its often long and grueling winters, London comes alive in spring. Its locals shrug off literal and metaphorical layers and revel in blossom-strewn streets and sunnier days. A city made up of many village-like neighborhoods, our thoughts are turning to east London this May. The area around Hackney is dotted with lovely green parks, while the Regent’s Canal runs through it like a main artery. This month is a time for testing its brilliant natural wine bars — such as Oranj, Hector’s and Cadet.

And old-favourite restaurants, like Brawn, Campania and Rochelle Canteen.

As well as the Cafe Cecilia. Make time to stop in at Vout, a vintage store on Columbia Road with seriously good pieces from Missoni, Max Mara, and Levi’s.

Sporting eyes are on Paris this summer with the Olympics taking place in July & August. Our highlight kicks off on May 20th with the French Open at Roland-Garros. Ahead of the summer heat, there are a few more idyllic months to visit the French capital, with walks along the Seine, tables spilling out onto every available pavement, and a certain joie de vivre in the air.

Our favorite addresses to stay at during these months are the super chic Le Grand Mazarin, the latest outpost from the Maisons Pariente group which opened its Martin Brudnizki-designed doors last September in the Marais.

And the intimate Hotel Particulier Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement, a haven of greenery and the former home of the Hermes family — it’s a slice of the French countryside in Paris.

Every meal in Bistrot des Tournelles feels like the best meal ever. Classic French dishes are executed to perfection. Every meat dish is followed by Michelin-grade “au jus”, and you get as much just as you want. There are two side dish choices of frites or puréed potatoes - choose BOTH. A selection of beautiful natural wines with a focus on the Beaujolais region.

Paris local Lassi Martikainen handpicks his favorite Neo-bistros, old and new alike. Read his hit list here.

While you’re in town, don’t miss the Brancusi exhibition at Centre Pompidou, which ends on July 1.

Read our full guide to Summer in Paris

The French Riviera is always a place to be come summer, but in the off-season, it is another kind of dream. This May, we’re heading for Antibes and specifically the iconic Hotel Belle Rives which sits kissing the water’s edge in Cap d’Antibes. The former home of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, this Art Deco beauty tells a thousand stories inside its handsome bones and has played host to everyone from Picasso to Hemingway. This season, the historic Bar Fitzgerald has had a revamp and its beautifully handpainted walls are the perfect backdrop to champagne cocktails after the sun has gone down. During the day, while away an afternoon on the private deck after a grilled fish lunch at the Beach Club — or even go waterskiing, it was invented at Belle Rives after all. For panoramic views of the Cap and the most golden of golden hours, ask for Room 79.

Read our French Riviera Guide

Like other Mediterranean summer destinations, Ibiza is a revelation in the shoulder months — and especially in May, when this Balearic isle is carpeted in wildflowers. Bed down at Finca Legado, an agriturismo-style stay near Santa Eulària that’s run by a very entertaining Austrian couple, Andi and Andreas. We love the enormous daybeds by the saltwater pool and the fact you eat fresh eggs from their own chickens and fruit from the garden. Start your day with coffee on the square in Santa Gertrudis at locals’ favourite Bar Costa, before spending a laid-back day at Es Torrent. There’s a small pebbled beach for sunbathing and crystal clear water for swimming, plus a fantastic seafood restaurant where the must-order is the ‘bullet de peix’ — a delicious fish stew followed by paella.

Read our Insider’s Guide to Ibiza

84 Rooms recommends: Where To Eat, Stay, And What To See This Summer In Paris, and The Parisian Hotels To Book Now.