We’ve spent a long time travelling via television and film over the last few years, but now we’re finally able to go to many of the amazing places that have graced our screens. Here are some of the most tempting destinations we’ve been watching lately that might just inspire your next getaway… Warning: may contain spoilers!
Love Island, ITV
Love Island has returned to our screens in all its gaudy glory, and while many aspects appear to look exactly the same, the beloved reality show has actually made a few changes this year – including the famous villa. The new digs are located near Sant Llorenc des Cardassar, a 16th-century village, and not far from the coastal resort of Cala Millor, where you’ll find stretches of powder-soft Blue Flag beaches. The area is also renowned for its agrotourism, so this year’s couples might be heading out on dates among olive groves and citrus trees…
Selling Sunset, Netflix
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In addition to allowing viewers a sneak peek into the mansions of Los Angeles, we followed the realtors of The Oppenheim Group around some of the city’s swankiest hangouts in this season of Selling Sunset, including the E.P. & L.P. rooftop bar and the atmospheric Tesse Restaurant. Some of the office also headed over to Mykonos on holiday, where they partied at the glitzy SantAnna restaurant and beach club. We found out this season that the Oppenheim brothers are opening an agency in Newport Beach, so we may soon get to see how the ‘it’ crowd of the OC live it up too…
Conversations with Friends, BBC
The television adaptation of Sally Rooney’s complex romance novel Conversations with Friends is based mostly in Dublin, where two of the main characters Frances and Bobbi study at Trinity College. There are a few episodes however, where the quartet swap the bracing Irish coastline for the aquamarine Adriatic. They visit Hvar in Croatia – a slight deviation from the novel, in which they go to France – making for beautiful backdrops of rocky beaches and lush greenery. The characters also go on a brief jaunt to the ancient town of Stari Grad, where charming, sunbaked buildings line the quiet, pearly slabbed streets. What could possibly go wrong in a place so heavenly…?
The Flight Attendant, HBO Max
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The first season of The Flight Attendant saw its protagonist Cassie hop from continent to continent, including destinations like Bangkok, Rome and her home of New York. This season, Cassie is living in the wellness capital of Los Angeles, where she has turned her life around and gone sober. Despite her good intentions though, she still ends up in a bit of a pickle – to say the least. We see Cassie follow a mystery man through the urban landscape of Berlin, as well as the epic terrains of Iceland, notably the dramatic Reykjanes Cliff and the scenic Sky Lagoon. Back in Reykjavik, Cassie revisits some of her old drinking haunts and even tries the traditional Icelandic dish of svið – sheep’s head!
Bergman Island
Fårö is located in the Baltic Sea, northeast of Sweden’s largest island of Gotland. The film director Ingmar Bergman loved the isle so much that he lived and worked there for around 40 years, and after his death his estate was opened up to writers and creatives as a retreat. Limestone sea stacks, fishermen’s huts, and serene seascapes make up much of the island’s scenery, and these backdrops featured in many of Bergman’s films. Director Mia Hansen-Løve recently followed in the footsteps of Bergman, literally, and filmed her new movie Bergman Island in Fårö. The story follows two writers who stay on the island in search of inspiration.
Downton Abbey: A New Era
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Downton Abbey’s second feature length release returned to the usual charming corners of England to film, including Highclere Castle and the village of Bampton. Much of the period piece was actually shot further afield though: UK spots included the Electric Palace Cinema in Harwich in Essex; the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh, which was owned by the Queen for 43 years; and Belchamp Hall – Lucy and Tom’s wedding venue. Some of the most enchanting scenes however, took place on the Cote d’Azur at the dreamy Villa Rocabella, which Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) becomes the new owner of. The villa is actually a hotel, so you could live out the high life depicted on screen and stay amongst its Belle Époque decor and lush gardens!
