At these resorts, your vacation comes with a training schedule.
Some people go on vacation to switch off and unwind. Others go to train with ex-Olympians and voluntarily plunge into an ice bath afterwards. If you fall into the latter category, welcome to the world of elite active resorts. From trail running through the Swiss Alps to volleying on the same pitch as the Williams sisters, these destinations go miles beyond the standard hotel gym.
Macallan 1926 set whisky auction records for decades. Now the 1986 Romantica Collection enters the spotlight – can it rival the legend?
But in truth, there’s one single bottle that has done more than any of those marketing messages to elevate the brand. The Fine and Rare 1926, the first bottle of wine or spirit to exceed $2m at auction, has shaped The Macallan’s position as the world’s most collected Scotch whisky.
There were just 40 bottles of that 60-year-old vintage. They were never sold publicly and handed to private clients sporadically over several years. The first known private sale in 1987 valued the bottle at a then-record of $8,000. Since then, examples of the 1926 have surpassed that mark a further six times and traded for over $1m on eight occasions since 2018.
“It arrived into the market as the most expensive thing you could buy, and it’s never yielded that position,” says Jonny Fowle, global head of spirits at Sotheby’s and lead auctioneer the last time the bottle sold in 2023, for $2.7m. “It stands above the industry and has power over the industry. Anytime the 1926 is sold, it’s going to be front-page news.”
See also: The Best Whisky in the World Right Now, According to Bartenders
For The Macallan, the 1926 remains its strongest brand asset, but four decades on it’s also the benchmark for everything that follows. Which brings us to the Romantica Collection, a new 1986 vintage that is being unapologetically pitched as the natural successor to Scotch whisky’s most celebrated and valuable bottle.
Romantica is cut from the same cloth as the 1926: an exceptional Scotch whisky aged in a single first-fill sherry-seasoned oak cask. The poetic connection comes from the year 1986: this liquid started its maturation in the same year the 1926 was extracted from Cask #263.
The label design further strengthens the bond. The trio who collaborated on bottle designs for the 1926 (pop artists Sir Peter Blake and Valerio Adami, and landscape artist Michael Dillon) are back. Each has created a label in their distinct style to form a three-bottle collection, of which only 86 exist. While Dillon is a spritely 68-year-old, both Sir Peter and Adami are in their 90s. How did The Macallan coax them back into their studios?
“It was an easy conversation”, says global creative director Jaume Ferràs. “Peter and Valerio are in a moment where they are reflecting a lot about their life. They’re very conscious of legacy. I think the chance to go back 40 years after 1986 offered them a bit of nostalgia, but also the opportunity to build their legacy a little bit more.”
If recreating the magic outside the bottle was easy, repeating the feat inside was not. Some of the qualities that set 1986 apart are not only unrepeatable but unpalatable to today’s market. Fowle says: “The 1926 was a real world first. Sixty-year-old whisky in 1986 was crazy, given that The Macallan released the first 50-year-old in 1983. Only three years later, they managed to add a whole decade on.”
The market is now used — and increasingly indifferent — to very old whisky. The record for the oldest Scotch has been broken four times since 2021, twice by The Macallan. Romantica, at 39 years old, doesn’t rely on age. You may think that gave lead whisky maker Euan Kennedy a wider selection, but you’d be wrong.
“The whisky-making team gets a handle on absolutely every single cask by the time it’s eight years old,” Kennedy says. “And it’s when we’re looking at those casks, even at that early age, that we’re earmarking them for the future. In any given year, it might just be five or six that we think could tell a specific story in the future, even though we don’t know what that story is.
“When we started work on the 1986 project, it was almost like there could only be one. When you get to that age in the inventory, there’s just a handful of casks, and we’re very close to them. When we knew what we wanted to do, the flavor that was in the glass, we felt it had to be this one.”
See also: The Most Exciting Whisky Right Now Isn’t Scottish – It’s English
It’s easy to see why when you taste it. On the nose, it’s layered with stewed orchard fruit and ginger, alongside a faint tropical lift of lychee. The palate follows with peach, lychee, dark cherry, and aged oak. For all its character and complexity, it’s an unmistakable hint of peat smoke that defines it. The Macallan has not used peat in its production since 1988, and that subtle wisp places it firmly in another era.
Priced at $105,000, the Romantica Collection is an easy sell to The Macallan’s long list of private clients. What will be more interesting is seeing how it fares on the secondary market. “I’ve got strict guidelines around collecting,” says Fowle. “Is the brand strong? Does it have transparency of information? Is it vintage specific? How limited is it? Is it of good quality?
“Having tasted it, I would say the quality is very good. I was really impressed by it. And then only 86 sets, by Macallan standards that is extremely rare, and that’s really refreshing. It’s what people have been asking for: genuine scarcity. That makes it a good collectible.”
And what effect will this have on the 1926? “This release is more a celebration of ’86, not ’26,” says Fowle. “I don’t think that has any real effect on the 1926 itself. That remains a unique entity. If one came to auction today, I suspect it would break its own record.”
Debuted in Rome, Maranello’s highly anticipated all-electric car seats five—but don’t confuse it for an entry-level grocery getter. Debuted in Rome, Maranello’s highly anticipated all-electric car seats five—but don’t confuse it for an entry-level grocery getter.
This is your one-stop guide to the exploding sport.
It would be difficult not to notice the rise of padel. What was once a relatively niche sport, played mainly in Spain and Latin America, now seems to be everywhere: luxury hotels are building permanent courts, fashion brands are hosting padel pop-ups, and private members’ clubs are making space for matches.
It’s estimated there are now more than 30 million recreational padel players worldwide. According to the LTA, in Britain alone, participation has surged from just 15,000 players in 2019 to more than 860,000 in 2025, making it one of the country’s fastest-growing sports.
“Thirty-one million people in the UK are now aware of padel – that’s 50 percent of the population,” says Charlie Grave, who, with TBB-Sport, founded the Hurlingham Club’s star-studded Alfred Dunhill Padel Classic, adding that there is talk of padel becoming an Olympic sport come 2032.
Grave has noticed the shift firsthand. Now in its third year, at the first padel classic, he speaks of a limited knowledge of the sport. “I was walking to people, and they were going, ‘I’ve heard of padel, isn’t that on water?” I was having to explain it to everyone.”
All teams were amateurs, and we managed to pull together 15 celebrities, mostly cricketers,” he recounted. “This year, we had 16 teams instead of 12, and everybody’s playing at a high standard. It’s gone ballistic.”
Celebrities and athletes have definitely helped fuel the boom and raise the profile of the sport. “It’s every ex-athlete’s favourite sport, every actor, every millionaire. It’s for everybody. Grandma, grandson, mom, and dad,” says Peter Worton, founder of Padel Up, an independent padel club in LA. Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, have both been spotted playing. David Beckham and Eva Longoria are also fans, alongside grand-slam champion Andy Murray, who has reportedly invested in UK padel operator Game4Padel. “That’s why padel is the fastest growing sport in the world,” adds Worton.
And while social padel is on the rise, 2026 also marks a major milestone for professional padel in the UK, with the arrival of Premier Padel P1, a professional tournament which will bring some of the sport’s biggest names to the capital. “This is a huge opportunity to showcase the sport at the highest level, inspire new audiences, and give fans the chance to experience world-class professional padel in Britain,” says Tom Murray, LTA head of padel.
For those keen to pick up a racket and give it a go, courts around the world are being built at remarkable speed. “There’s a padel court being built every 60 minutes,” says Grave. “People play it once and immediately want to go back.”
So, if you’re eager to try, but are concerned you may be late to the trend, fear not – we’ve spoken to the world’s top padel entrepreneurs to find out everything you need to know about padel, the racket sport everyone suddenly seems to be playing.
See more: The Best Padel, Tennis, and Pickleball Accessories to Buy This Summer
The most divisive topic when it comes to padel is not how it’s played, but how the sport is communicated, due to two different pronunciations floating around, depending on who you speak to. James Turner, CEO of luxury travel agency 360 Private Travel, advocates for ‘pah-DEL,’ with emphasis on the second syllable, while Chris Moore, founder and president of Privé Padel, a global travel membership for padel players, and Pablo Carro, COO and co-founder of Playtomic, an app for racket sports players and clubs, suggest the sport is pronounced with an emphasis on the first.
Worton is a little more flexible, “Tomato, tomato. It has Mexican origins, and as such, it is to be pronounced ‘pah-del.’ Granted, though, most of us don’t have a Spanish accent.”
The consensus seems to be that an ‘it’s up to you’ approach will do.
“Padel is a racket sport that blends elements of tennis and squash,” says Moore. The sport is played in doubles with a solid, stringless racket and a low-compression ball on an enclosed glass-and-mesh court, measuring roughly a third of the size of a tennis court.
“Padel is just like mini doubles tennis,” says Worton, “until the ball hits the wall,” he adds. “You get one bounce on the ground, and then the ball can bounce off the walls. Your job is to return the ball over the net.”
Carro adds, “The serve is underarm, the scoring follows tennis, but the learning curve is much gentler. Most people can have a genuine, enjoyable game within their very first session.”
The walls, for a start. While for those that haven’t played, this may not seem like a major shift away from other racket sports, experts credit them with the sport’s exponential rise.
“They completely change the dynamic of the game and are what make it so fun and addictive,” says Moore. “The ball stays alive off the glass, which creates longer rallies, more creativity, and points that feel incredibly fast-paced and unpredictable.”
Turner credits the walls with the sudden popularity over other racket sports: “In tennis, a ball that hits the back fence is out. In padel, it’s an opportunity. That changes the entire pace and strategy of the game.”
It’s this fast pace that is building excitement among new players and spectators alike. “There’s constant movement, recovery shots, and exciting exchanges happening. It gives the game an energy and rhythm that feels very different from tennis or pickleball,” says Moore. And just in terms of practicality, the enclosed court means you’re not chasing balls constantly.
There is also the ease of the game: “It’s much more engaging, much more inclusive, which really siphons down to the fact that it’s a lot easier to play,” says Grave.
“You’re able to sustain rallies quickly, the court is smaller, and physical strength matters less than timing and positioning,” says Moore. “It removes a lot of the frustration that beginners often feel in other sports.”
Grave affirms this. “Tennis is very technical. Golf is very male and very daunting. You can turn up to a paddle court, and you’ve never played before, and within half an hour you’re having rallies.”
Another small difference, the serving technique, also changes the game. “The underarm serve removes one of the biggest barriers in tennis, where serving alone can take months to feel comfortable,” adds Turner. “People who’ve never picked up a racket in their life usually have fun within a single session.”
This is, perhaps, what has made it such a popular social sport, and we recommend newcomers come into their first game with a relaxed attitude, ready for a little fun. “The atmosphere around padel is usually very relaxed and community-oriented. It’s one of the few sports where people are genuinely talking, laughing, and connecting throughout the experience,” says Moore.
«It’s always four people, always doubles, always on a compact court where you can hear each other and actually talk between points. There’s a natural camaraderie built into the format,” says Turner.
“It’s also easy to mix abilities, which means families and groups of friends who aren’t all at the same level can still have a genuinely good game,” he adds.
See also: Game, Set, Paradise: The World’s Most Breathtaking Tennis Courts
The game has been traced back to the 1960s in Mexico, where the sport was seemingly born from one man’s practical needs. Enrique Corcuera allegedly built the first-ever padel court at his home in Acapulco, building a small court due to the simple fact “he couldn’t quite fit a tennis court in his garden,” says Grave. “Then he realised he didn’t want to keep going and fetching the ball, so he built walls around it. And there was born padel,” he says.
From there, padel spread to Spain and Argentina, becoming popular over the last 40 years, and has since “exploded globally”, says Moore, “especially across Europe, the Middle East, and now the United States.” Grave credits Italy, France, and Sweden as some of the most recent European hot spots, adding “The UK and Germany are probably the last two big cabs on the rank.”
Looking to the future, Carro suggests it will be no time before the sport is commonplace in the US, although acknowledging that it is already popular in areas like Miami. “It has all the ingredients – a strong sports culture, millions of tennis and pickleball players, and an appetite for new social experiences,” but also notes, “We’re still at the very beginning of that journey here.” Watch this space.
These are the nutritionists cutting through misinformation with evidence-based advice, practical recipes, and realistic wellness guidance.
Between shifting trends, fear-based messaging, and the latest superfood, it’s easy to lose clarity. Cut through the noise and focus on evidence-based guidance from qualified professionals. Here’s who Elite Traveler recommends following.
Dr Emily Prpa
Dr Emily Prpa is an award-winning nutrition scientist and microbiome researcher with a PhD from King’s College London. Her research career began by investigating the effects of fruit-derived compounds on type 2 diabetes prevention. She is now a visiting lecturer at King’s College London, and is a fellow at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.
Through her Substack, Science and The City, she shares weekly commentary on women’s health, translating complex research into easy-to-grasp insights. On Instagram, she focuses primarily on women’s health and takes a critical approach to popular wellness trends, including intermittent fasting and its potential effects on hormonal health (‘no bro science, no biohacking at 5am.’) She urges users to take her posts with a pinch of salt and expresses that she is ‘not here to influence, but to inform.’
Reasons to follow: Science mixed with nutrition and a no bullshit approach to the latest fads.
Emily English
Emily English’s path to becoming a nutritionist began with her teenage modelling career. At age 17, a derogatory comment on her body triggered an eating disorder and subsequent therapy. She quit the industry and went on to study nutrition at King’s College London. During the Covid lockdown, English posted a video showing what she eats in a day. It went viral, gaining millions of views. In the years that have followed, she’s written three Sunday Times best-selling books (So Good, Live to Eat, So Good Express); founded epetome, a supplement for gut health; and worked with Harvey Nichols and Le Creuset.
Reasons to follow: English focuses on nutrient-dense food, emphasising the impact on skin health. Her recipes are vibrant and nourishing.
Dr Layne Norton
A two-time World Champion powerlifter and natural bodybuilder, Florida-based Layne Norton holds a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and works at the crossroads of academic research and applied fitness. He specializes in protein metabolism, muscle hypertrophy, and fat loss. He delivers direct, evidence-based advice and engages critically with popular fitness and nutrition claims, including debates around ultra-processed foods, cortisol, and their respective roles in health.
Norton’s approach is grounded in data, and he is open about updating his views in response to new research. Some find his stance abrasive, but he’s not one to shy away from hot topics. On his podcast, The Dr Layne Norton Podcast, he dissects health and wellness claims from mainstream media through a scientific lens.
Reasons to follow: A credible voice grounded in science and first-hand experience.
Dr Hazel Wallace
Doctor, nutritionist, best-selling author, personal trainer, and women’s health specialist, Dr Hazel Wallace’s credentials are solid. She is the founder of The Food Medic, a platform for health, wellness, and nutrition that has over 200 recipes, 200 articles, and two-hour masterclasses which she hosts alongside guest experts. She’s also on the medical advisory board for WHOOP, is a consultant role at Runna, and has previously worked with Apple, Adidas, and Garmin. One of her best-known books, Not Just A Period, is pioneering — it looks at not only how menstrual health affects every facet of a woman’s life from libidio to hair health, but how to ‘have better periods.’
Reasons to follow: Beyond the recipes — a lot of which focus on efficient nutrition — Wallace trains hard. She’s just completed her fourth marathon and documented her training in the lead-up.
See also: The Personal Trainers Trusted by Olympians and A-list Stars
Dr Rupy Aujla
Dr Rupy Aujla is a London-based medical doctor trained in general practice and emergency medicine, and a leading advocate for the role of nutrition in preventive and supportive healthcare. He is best known for bringing evidence-based nutrition into clinical practice to help support both the management and prevention of chronic disease. He is the founder of The Doctor’s Kitchen, a platform focused on improving health through food, featuring recipes and educational content centered on ingredient quality and nutritional balance. He has founded a non-profit initiative aimed at teaching medical students the principles of culinary medicine, bridging the gap between nutrition and clinical training.
Reasons to follow: Grounded, evidence-based advice and no restrictive ‘all or nothing’ thinking.
Dr Megan Rossi
There is strong scientific evidence behind the role of the gut microbiome in health, but the topic of gut health has become a commercialized area of wellness. Dr Megan Rossi is a leading gut health scientist with a PhD from the University of Queensland, where her research received a Dean’s Award for Outstanding Research (top 5 percent).
She is widely recognized for translating microbiome science into practical, evidence-based advice for the public. Her approach focuses on achievable, realistic dietary habits rather than the pursuit of ‘perfect gut health,’ and she is known for challenging fear-based messaging in the wellness space. She credits her upbringing on a farm in Cairns, Australia, where eating off the land was a ‘masterclass in shaping [my] gut microbiome.’
Reasons to follow: Scientific gut health advice and intelligent viewpoints.
Alto Adige is quietly making some outstanding Pinot Noir right now. Alto Adige is quietly making some outstanding Pinot Noir right now.
This is the second release of Very Olde St. Nick, and it’s a banger of a bourbon. This is the second release of Very Olde St. Nick, and it’s a banger of a bourbon.
The rise of padel, a Reebok Pump–inspired timepiece, and time spent with Michael B. Schwab all star in the issue. The rise of padel, a Reebok Pump–inspired timepiece, and time spent with Michael B. Schwab all star in the issue.
From your skin to your spine, experts explore the visible – and invisible – effects of sleeping on your back, front or side.
According to viral claims, your sleep position matters more than you might think. They swing between alarmist (‘back sleeping causes sleep apnea’) and fearmongering (‘side sleeping leads to facial drooping and asymmetry’). While the majority veers into hyperbole, there is a more nuanced conversation worth having.
For many, the healthiest position is the one that allows the body to relax and supports uninterrupted sleep. But while comfort is crucial, physiology still matters, says Dr Chad Eldridge, sleep and wellbeing advisor for Hästens. “Certain positions may aggravate snoring, reflux, pressure points or existing musculoskeletal concerns,” he explains. Therefore, it pays to think personally. For those snoring-prone, for example, side sleeping may be preferable.
The relationship between sleep position and snoring – particularly in those with obstructive breathing issues or symptoms of sleep apnoea – is well-established. “Sleeping flat on the back can allow the tongue and soft tissues of the airway to relax backwards, which may narrow the airway and increase snoring or breathing disruptions,” Dr Eldridge says. Side sleeping, by contrast, “can help keep the airway more open”. Nicole Moyen, director of science and clinical research at Eight Sleep, adds that this can also reduce jaw clenching compared to back sleeping, “decreasing nighttime teeth grinding”.
See also: The Biggest Wellness Travel Trends Set to Shape 2026
There are also digestive benefits to sleeping on your side. “Gravity helps move stomach contents through more efficiently, accelerating gastric emptying and reducing bloating,” Moyen explains. And for those who are pregnant, sleeping on the left is recommended as it optimizes blood flow to the placenta, she says.
Then there’s the emerging – though yet unproven in humans – idea that side-lying may support better brain waste clearance during sleep. A 2015 rodent study found that the position enabled more efficient glymphatic clearance than sleeping on the back or stomach, including that of amyloid-beta, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Of course, side sleeping is not a ‘perfect’ option. “It concentrates body weight on the lateral shoulder and hip, potentially causing pain or numbness if your mattress lacks adequate pressure relief,” Moyen says. “Sleeping on the same side can also create postural imbalances over time.” For this reason, back sleeping is often considered the most spine-friendly position. Here, “weight is distributed evenly across your entire spine, which reduces pressure on any single point and allows your intervertebral discs to decompress overnight,” she goes on to explain. “For acid reflux, sleeping on your back with your head slightly elevated is particularly effective.”
See also: The 10-Hour ‘Non-Diet’ That Improves Sleep, Energy, and Metabolism
And yes, pillow wrinkles are a real thing – and one which back sleeping can help avoid. “Sleeping in a repeated position, due to the frictional forces, can lead to changes on that particular side, including an increase in the number or wrinkles on the face, neck, and décolletage,” explains founder of The Soni Clinic, Dr Ash Soni, who can normally tell at the time of a consultation which side a patient sleeps on. Still, the plastic surgeon and aesthetic injector cautions that genetics and baseline facial asymmetry also play a major role, while Moyen adds that sleep quality likely matters more than sleep position when it comes to visible signs of aging: “Poor sleep elevates cortisol, which breaks down collagen, and reduces the release of growth hormones during deep sleep, which is critical for tissue repair and skin regeneration.” In other words, when it comes to skin, great sleep on your side is better than poor sleep on your back.
If you want to change a long-standing habit, stomach sleeping is the position often flagged by sleep clinicians as the one worth addressing. As “the most mechanically demanding position for the body”, Moyen says, it places strain on the neck and lower back and can make breathing harder because the chest and diaphragm are compressed. Altering sleep patterns takes time, though, and the nervous system needs to relearn what feels comfortable and safe. To help nudge the body into a new position overnight, Dr Eldridge suggests trying physical barriers like specialist pillows and wedges, or even vibration alarms and wearable position trainers. “Expect the process to take a few weeks and try not to switch back and forth during that period, since consistency allows your body to fully adapt,” Moyen adds.
Beyond position, sleep hygiene strongly affects sleep quality. Regularity, a cool, dark and quiet environment, and reduced screen use before bed all matter. As do your mattress and pillow, adds Moyen: “sustained pressure points from a poor mattress can cause micro-awakenings you won’t consciously register, but which fragment your sleep and reduce the time spent in deep and REM stages.” Ultimately, it’s about finding the best set-up for your needs, concludes Dr Eldridge. “Better sleep posture is less about one universal product, and more about creating an environment that allows the body to remain comfortable, supported, and undisturbed throughout the night.”
The man behind many a era-defining establishment in London talked to us as he opens his latest venture, Simpson’s in the Strand. The man behind many a era-defining establishment in London talked to us as he opens his latest venture, Simpson’s in the Strand.