If you haven't heard of Saadiyat Island, listen up because it is poised to become one of the hottest destinations in the Middle East.

This tropical island off the coast of Abu Dhabi will eventually be home to the largest Guggenheim Museum in the world (designed by Frank Gehry), as well as an out post of the Louvre. In addition to miles of beach, the island also has a Gary Player-designed golf course and academy. Luxury hotels are beginning to pop up there, including the just-opened Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas.

­It’s that time of year when everyone is sick of the winter weather and craving some sun – minus a long haul flight to the Caribbean. If you’re feeling pasty and fall into that category, consider Soma Bay in Egypt’s Red Sea Riviera, which is home to the brand new Kempinski Hotel Soma Bay. The area is served by oodles of direct flights from Europe (Hurghada International Airport is just 45 minutes away) and the resort has over 400 meters of a private sandy beach. The resort’s 325 guestrooms have been done up in a Moorish style, and the resort is definitely family friendly, with multiple pools as well as a kids’ and baby club. For relaxing, there is a massive spa as well as two golf courses, both with views of the Red Sea.

One & Only resorts happen to be in some of the most luscious locations in the world, like Mauritius, the Maldives and the Bahamas. The newest location in the portfolio is Cape Town, which will open on April 3. The 131-room resort is the brand’s first urban location, and will highlight the city’s art, wine and design. Guest rooms have views of Table Mountain and Signal Hall, and the resort also has two landscaped islands, home to 40 Island suites as well as the spa. For relaxing, there is a yoga pavilion and restaurants from Gordon Ramsay and Nobu's Nobuyuki Matsuhisa.

Ahhh, Marrakech. It's impossible not to fall in love with this exotic city. Spend hours losing yourself in the Medina, browsing the stalls and breathing in the scents of leather, cinnamon and spices. If you'd rather not stay in a big hotel, but don't know where to start when it comes to finding a sexy little riad, here's something to make your life easier. Angsana resorts, which is owned by Banyan Tree, will launch its Riads Marrakech Collection on 1 December 2007. The collection will include eight riads, and each one will feature an Angsana Spa. Seven of the riads will be located in the ancient Medina, and the eighth will be in the coastal city of Essaouira. Each riad is different, but guests can expect only a handful of rooms, cosy libraries, swimming pools and traditional hammams. Angsana Riads will also have riad hosts to help out with any and all guests' needs, whether that's helping to design a shopping or sightseeing itinerary, or arranging dinner reservations. For reservations, call 0065 6849 5788.

Heading to South Africa on safari or for a stylish city break (or ideally, both?) Then park your bags at Johannesburg's newest boutique hotel, the Peech Hotel. Located in between the suburbs of Rosebank and Sandton, the Peech is all about chilled out luxury. The look is contemporary and luxurious, and has just 10 bedrooms. The guest rooms are packed with essentials like Bose iPod SoundDock and WiFi. For chilling out, there's also a swimming pool, library, an in-house bistro and Champagnebar- where of course you can order a Peech bellini. Rates start at 1300 Rand. Phone: + 27-11-537-9797

During our trip to Namibia, I felt I was on the trail of Brangelina; everywhere we went it seemed the couple had also stayed, or did a similar activity. While we were in Swakopmund we spent an afternoon quad biking in the sand dunes; and yup, Brangelina did this too (well, ok only Brad and Maddox as Angelina was eight months pregnant. She had a picnic on the dunes with Zahara, so we're told). The experience was incredible- all you can see in every direction is dunes, but if you get up a high one, you can catch a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean in the distance. The guys went on manual bikes while the girls stuck with our semi-manuals and we all enjoyed our Easy Rider moments in the dunes- which was celebrated with a bottle of Tafel at the end.

We're back from Namibia and have finally downloaded all of our photos (all 800 of them!) and we'll be showcasing some of the best ones here in iTravel iShop. During our two week trip, we stayed at the magnificent Okonjima (home to the AfriCat Foundation) where this photo was taken, as well as the elegant Mushara and the Erongo Wilderness Lodge, and the lovely Wolwedans resort. Highlights of the trip? Just about everyday was a highlight, as we drove thousands of kilometers around Namibia soaking in the stark beauty of the remote desert plains, the sand dunes and of course, the game. We spotted elephants, cheetah, leopard and plenty of kudu and oryx (we also ate them, in the form of biltong and steaks, and yes, they're delicious). More to come...

For the next few weeks, we'll be swapping shops for the wind-swept dunes of Namibia. We'll start our journey in Windhoek, winding our way north to the Etosha National Park and stopping in plenty of safari lodges along the way- there will even be a few nights of camping in Namibia's “1000 star hotel” (camping will be a first for some of us at iTravel iShop!) We won't be able to update the site while we're gone, but when we're back we'll have plenty of stories and photos from our trip. In the meantime, please send us some of your images and tips from the best shops, restaurants and hotels you've discovered around the world- we'd love to print them when we're back. Email us at info at itravelishop dot com. In the meantime, happy journeys to you.

The newest place to park your bags in Marrakech is Terre, the latest offering from Octogone Hotels. The resort is the brainchild of Christian Rivadalla, a Cuban American. (And why has he named his company Octogone? “Who wants to be square?” he once said in an interview.) Terre will be spread out over 12 acres and will feature 52 suites, all which are shaped like an octagon.  The octagon theme may even extend to the spa, where one treatment in the works will offer an eight-handed massage. The property will have hundreds of palm trees, as well as a putting green, a spa and entertainment complex. The three restaurants will feature Moroccan, International and a Cuban-Moorish fusion restaurant named Milagros. Terre is the first of eight resorts planned across Morocco. Other locations to be added in the next few years include a ski resort in the Atlas Mountains, a beach resort in Essaouira, and a desert oasis in the Sahara.