I want to be an astronaut...

The kitsch of a thousand Christmas lights wrapped around the beams in the London loft, which go up in early November to mark the Hindu festival of Diwali and come down again on the 6th of January, post my birthday. They are sorely missed.?

While not very ‘designy’, I hear you cry, their magical sparkle managed to captivate my thoughts whilst lying on the sofa. See, I have had a thing about space, stars, and anything galaxy-related ever since I was a child watching?The Sky at Night?- presented by Sir Patrick Moore, who hosted the show from its beginning in 1957 until his death in 2012. I read several of his books, and his enthusiasm for the stars ignited my passion - at the time, I recall asking my teacher how to become an astronaut.?“Don’t be silly”, came the curt reply.?

Over the holidays, some people sit glued to Romcoms; I’m more of an interstellar-themed film buff:?Star Wars,?Gravity,?Apollo 13,?Sunshine,?The Martian?and?Star Trek. I’m also fascinated by navigation. How did our ancestors plot their way using the stars? My quest for star exploring got a jolt from one of our hotels in the Italian Alps announcing their clever little packages of traversing the mountain peaks at full moon. You can even be escorted by their explorer father, who leads you to the Alps, snow, and the stars - a galaxy of its own cosmos.?

This week, amigos of travel, we also punch the heavenly coordinates to the Italian city of celestial architecture Pienza created in 1459, head over to Antwerp to a two-star Michelin restaurant housed in a former convent, and (whilst in town) visit the famous Diamond Quarter. In addition, we've picked out a couple of places perfect for stargazing, including the forested Beskydy (Beskids) range in the Carpathian Mountains of Czechia, a lost-in-the-snows timbered chalet in Austria, a hotel whose glamorous design was influenced by a compass in the heavens of Bavaria, and a ski hotel inspired by the Norse god of snow in Austria’s St. Anton am Arlberg. Of course, if you can’t shoot for the stars – there’s nothing better than sunshine glazing across a glistening lake: check out the five lakeside dens that will whisk you away.

Lastly, more stars appeared as I read over the Hotel Gold List 2024 by the travel gurus at Condé Nast Traveler , and three of our lovelies made it - scroll down to find out who.?

'Space, the final frontier' may be getting much closer as Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic enters the outer tourism realm, but in the meantime, book yourself a moon walk at the Schgaguler Hotel in the Italian region of Südtirol | Alto Adige | South Tyrol .

Beam me up, Scotty, Hugs Iain & Crew