Heat seeking: where it's hot right now Darwin is closer to Asia than to the Australian cities "down south" and the wonderful Asian markets held each weekend typify this. A trip to Darwin is a chance to experience contemporary indigenous Australia, with its enchanting art, mesmerising culture and its present-day challenges. Darwin's iconic markets are a tropical fantasy come to life, an overindulgence of smells, tastes and colours that take you from northern Australia to far-east Asia, the Mediterranean and beyond. The Darwin Waterfront is a great spot to while away an afternoon, with shady grass areas for lounging, some good restaurants and two swimming options, including the Wave Pool and the free Recreation Lagoon. Wander into Parap's commercial galleries for an insight into both indigenous and non-indigenous Territory art or view the impressive Aboriginal art collection and local history section at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT). Sunset in Darwin, Australia Hotels Luxury: Moon Shadow Villas is a self-catering hotel with lush gardens, antique-filled villas and easy access to Mindil Beach. Read the full review Mid-range: H Hotel is located right in the centre of town. Darwin's newest hotel is the ideal launch pad for getting the best from the city. Budget: Paravista Motel features retro charm, rooms with balconies and friendly staff, in Parap, a charming suburb just a few minutes north of the city. Darwin travel guide Twenty destinations for 2014: Darwin St Kitts, Caribbean Forecast Sunny; Tuesday, 27C; Wednesday, 27C What to do St Kitts seems to offer all the staples of the small island Caribbean holiday − splendid plantation houses, sweaty rainforest hikes, ramshackle rum shacks and blissfully warm swimming. There's plenty to see on St Kitts, with the majority of sights and attractions lined up along on the west coast, including the Amazing Grace Experience, a small exhibition space devoted to the little-known story of how an English slave trader, John Newton (1725-1807), became a changed man while visiting St Kitts in 1754. Basseterre, the capital of St Kitts, is a scruffy yet animated place, particularly if there's a cruise ship in port. Key historic sights to seek out are St George's Anglican Church (1869), Independence Square (once Pall Mall Square), and the enthusiastically-staffed but somewhat forlorn National Museum, which is housed in the 1894 Old Treasury Building. Beach in St Kitts Brimstone Hill was home to over a thousand soldiers and their families. Abandoned in 1825, it has since been restored and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the key sights on St Kitts. It is also a green and spacious National Park with superb views. Want some excitement? Then try ziplining through the rainforest at this well-organised high wire act, which has five lines, with the longest stretching for 1,350 feet. Also take a guided walk into the rainforest and a strenuous hike up to the crater rim of Mount Liamuiga. Luxury: Ottley's Plantation Inn is a smart and characterful 18th century hotel with bags of Caribbean charm. It is the most luxurious place to stay on St Kitts. Mid-range: The Marriott Resort is a colossal four-star beach resort in the centre of the island on North Frigate Bay, just a ten minutes' drive from the airport. Budget: Timothy Beach Resort is a welcoming and central three-star hotel next to a lively beach and a run of rum bars and casual restaurants known as "The Strip." St Kitts travel guide St Kitts: the Gibraltar of the West Indies St Kitts: back to my island roots Hobart, Tasmania Balmy days of solid sunshine, with temperatures around the mid-20s. Surely one of the prettiest capital cities in the world, Hobart (population 212,000) is strategically placed between Mt Wellington and the Derwent River and, from a distance, seems more Alaskan than Australian. Unlike its mainland counterparts, Hobart has not been scarred by modern skyscrapers and giant shopping malls. Much of the original colonial fabric is still intact, especially around Sullivans Cove with its lovely old warehouses and civic buildings. Somewhat neglected over recent years, the Tasmanian capital has received a giant shot in the arm with the opening in 2011 of the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). The city's culinary scene is enjoying a similar renaissance. The cafes, pubs and galleries are packed with eager young things. Hobart is becoming quietly cool. Luxury: MONA (Museum of Old & New Art) pavilions, Australia's most controversial private gallery, has overshadowed the other attractions to be found on this riverfront location. Mid-range: The Henry Jones Art Hotel is Hobart's most trustworthy boutique property. Budget: Somerset on the Pier hotel is ideal for anyone who likes being in the thick of things. Our expert guide to Tasmania Olinda, Brazil Sunny with some cloud, but toasty temperatures averaging in the mid-30s. Whitewashed churches and brightly painted Portuguese houses spill down the hillsides in Olinda's arty, World Heritage old town. Effectively a suburb of Recife, it makes an attractive base. Don't miss the Convento de Sao Franciscano with its fine carvings in the sacristy, and the Igreja da Misericordia, with its blue Portuguese tiles depicting biblical scenes and breezy vantage point over the sea. In the cobbled streets below are handicraft markets and some vivid street art. Luxury: Pousada do Amparo (pousadadoamparo.com.br) is an 18th-century, antiques-filled house with a pool, sauna and garden. Mid-range: Hotel & Colinas (hotel7colinas.com.br) is an arty hotel with a pool surrounded by palms, well-located in the centre of town. Budget: Pousada dos Quatro Cantos (pousada4cantos.com.br) is a homely, whitewashed estate with a small pool and gardens and some suites. What to see and do in north-east Brazil Essential guide to Brazil Sunny; Tuesday, 18C; Wednesday, 17C Barcelona combines everything that is most charming about Mediterranean cities - a relaxed pace, months of endless sunshine, unbeatable food - with the cultural and design clout of most any city in the cold north. Its patchwork of architectural styles displays dark, Gothic façades next to the harlequin buildings of the Modernistas and the skyline-piercing constructions of Jean Nouvel or Herzog and de Meuron, and a day spent admiring them can be topped off with a sundowner on one of the city's seven beaches before dinner at any number of Michelin-starred gastronomic temples or humble, family-run tapas bars. La Boqueria, Europe's biggest food market is a must-visit even if you're not planning on buying anything, with its pyramids of fruit and vegetables, ghoulish skinned goats" heads and iridescent displays of every kind of Mediterranean fish. The Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona showcases the work of mostly Spanish and Catalan artists from the last 60 years. Picasso spent most of his formative years living in Barcelona, and the Museu Picasso documents his time here via works produced during the early years of his career. Park Güell, a Gaudí designed surreal park, is an extraordinary place, with buildings that seem straight out of Hansel and Gretel, and the famous, sinuous tiled bench that winds around an esplanade with a view across the entire city. Park Güell, Barcelona Luxury: The Mandarin Oriental is a luxuriously appointed hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant and rooftop pool, set amid the glorious Modernista facades of Passeig de Gràcia. Mid-range: The Banys Orientals is a real winner in Barcelona at this price, with elegant rooms and friendly service that combine to make it consequently quite hard to get into, so book well in advance. Budget: Hotel Pulitzer is a cheap hotel in a vibrant central location, with a rooftop cocktail bar as its key selling point. Barcelona travel guide 36 Hours in Barcelona Barcelona on a budget