Nothing gets the food-motivated among us gossiping, plotting and planning quite like a galaxy of new Michelin star restaurants. Here, we introduce you to a few of our favorite newly starred spots of 2025, so you can get your reservations in ASAP, and adjust your travel plans accordingly.

1. Chishuru – London, UK

Of the 12 new Michelin star restaurants in London in 2025, Chishuru is a firm favorite. This west African restaurant in glitzy Fitzrovia started life as a pop-up neighbourhood spot in Brixton, south London, winning diners over with flavor and care. The name Chishuru refers to the hush that falls over the table when the food is so good nobody wants to speak. The modern Michelin star incarnation lives in a space that’s soft and sleek, with cosy carved wood, golden light, peachy terrazzo tables and a very inviting atmosphere. Chef Joké Bakare is a formidable chef, a force for deliciousness. If our British Royale or Castles & Kingdoms itineraries are on your horizon, make your reservations now.

Credit @chisuru on Instagram

2. Vaisseau – Paris, France

In the 2025 Michelin Guide, the Île-de-France region (which encompasses Paris) had the highest number of new Michelin star restaurants. In Paris, other new stars went to Aldehyde, where young chef Youssef Marzouk fuses French traditions with Tunisian flavors and Hakuba, a Japanese restaurant with an all-star cast of chefs. Our pick here, Vaisseau, is French TV chef Adrien Cachot’s monochromatic, youthful space for flexing his interest in unconventional ingredients and unexpected pairings, like lentils with coffee or spider crab with anise. A signature dish is the cacio e pepe mochi. If you’ve booked the Ultimate France journey with us and want your Paris sojourn to include an adventurous tasting menu with tons of personality, Vaisseau is the one to book.

Credit @adriencachot on Instagram

3. Vineria Modi – Taormina, Italy

Across Italy, there were 36 new Michelin star restaurants in 2025. Vineria Modi is located in the impossibly gorgeous historic centre of Taormina, on the east coast of Sicily. Taormina is where the second season of White Lotus was filmed – true to those scenes, it’s a place that oozes beauty and glamor. Vineria Modi started as a wine bar and remains a wonderful choice for wine aficionados, thanks to a thrilling wine list and enthusiastic, knowledgeable staff. Now, chef Dalila Grillo will prepare six or seven intricate courses to enjoy alongside your wine, each plate with beauty to befit its surroundings. Every dish is laced with Sicilian flavor, and the chef’s own personality. Grillo’s brother oversees the front of house.

Credit @vineriamodi_taormina on Instagram

4. MAE – Barcelona, Spain

In a modern, pale pink and green dining room, three friends are doing something special at one of the hot new Michelin star restaurants in Barcelona. The name MAE is taken from a Costa Rican colloquial term for ‘friend’, a perfect encapsulation of the concept, which draws on the cultures, tastes and experiences of the trio – Mariella Rodríguez (Costa Rica), Diego Mondragón (Colombia) and Germán Espinosa (Spain). The Grand Mae menu is an intensely wonderful journey through 16 plates featuring seamless, dreamy fusion dishes like cuttlefish tartare with jalapeno gazpacho, asparagus with smoked eel and green mole, and fermented strawberries with tepache (a fermented drink made from the peel and the rind of pineapples).

Credit @mae.restaurant on Instagram

5. Crizia – Buenos Aires, Argentina

In Argentina, the culinary scenes of Buenos Aires and Mendoza are thriving – there were three new Michelin star restaurants across the two cities this year. At Crizia, chef Gabriel Oggero is famed for sourcing from producers across the country and for his deft preparation of seafood. Consequently, the Crizia oyster bar is a thrill: beautiful oysters from Patagonia, served Rockefeller (gratinéed with parmesan, spinach and cream), or tempura (in brioche buns with radish cream and seaweed caviar), or raw with yuzu. You can then choose from appetisers from the ocean and appetisers that are farm-raised or orchard-grown, before you move on to mains from the wood oven. There is plenty more exceptional dining on our Classic South America journey, which visits Argentina, Brazil and Chile.

Credit @criziarestaurant on Instagram

6. Texture – Copenhagen, Denmark

There is incredible technical precision at play at this calming little French fine dining restaurant in central Copenhagen. As the name suggests, chefs focus on texture as well as flavor here; from the glassware and linens to the silky, velvety, crunchy textures of the food itself – everything has been considered. Plates are intricately balanced – there are lobster and crab doughnuts with imperial selection caviar, langoustine tartare with lavender cream and clams, cold tomato consomme with rose. Chef Karim Khouani hails from Marseille, with an Italian mother and a Moroccan father, so you may notice these influences, too. The petits fours plate includes an orange blossom tart that is reminiscent of Khoani’s childhood in Marseille – and is reason alone to book a table.

Credit @restaurant_texture_ on Instagram

7. LYLA – Edinburgh, Scotland

Our Castles & Kingdoms voyagers will also adore this elegant new Michelin star restaurant within a Georgian townhouse. LYLA’s tasting menu is a vibrant celebration of the wonderful line caught fish and sustainable shellfish available across the Scottish Isles. But before that, an unforgettable evening at LYLA begins upstairs, with views over the Firth of Forth, with Champagne and snacks (Peterhead lobster with pickled kohlrabi and sake, for instance). Only then are guests seated for 10 courses in the main dining room, beneath coffered ceilings and ornate cornicing, with all eyes on the open kitchen.

Credit @lylaedinburgh on Instagram

In the mid 2010s, premium economy was the class cabin of concern – these were the seats that airlines were pouring their investment into. It looked as though first class might face extinction, making business class seats the most sought-after seats on the plane. But then, something switched, as elite travelers went in search of one-of-a-kind, ever more luxurious experiences, and consequently many airlines have had a first class glow-up in recent years, with the gap between business and first class appearing to widen. We’re exploring the upper echelons of air travel below, just in case you’ve ever wondered: first class vs business class – what exactly is the difference?

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1. What is the highest class in a plane?

First class is the highest category of ticket you can buy. But between airlines, first class varies enormously and numerous airlines have added even more premium and unique options to the repertoire, such as Etihad’s The Residence. One airline’s business or first class offering can also vary massively between routes.

2. Which seat is better: first class or business class?

Business class seats tend to be the most luxurious version of what you get in economy and premium economy cabins, in that they are still actual seats, whereas first class seats tend to be within larger suite-like spaces, with full beds and privacy curtains or doors. Business class seats still have privacy, usually as a result of clever seat configuration, and they always have plenty of space, usually enough for lie flat seats.

3. Which food and drink is better: first class or business class?

There is a clear shift in the dinner service between these classes. In business class, you will usually enjoy restaurant-style plating with cloth napkins, ceramics, glassware and cutlery and you may be able to pre-select your meals or dine on demand, depending on your airline. In first class, things go up a notch; airlines are aiming to give you an actual gourmet experience, with elevated fine dining presentation, rare vintage wines, more choice and exclusive menus designed by Michelin star chefs.

4. What are the other key differences in amenities?

Essentially, first class is looking to provide a luxury hotel experience in the air, whereas business class is looking to make your flight as smooth and comfortable as possible. So, in business class, you’ll have more control over your personal space than in economy or premium economy (temperature, lighting), and you’ll have bedding to transform your seat into a bed. Business travelers will have easy access to plug sockets and WiFi and everything they need to get on with their work or take a break from it.

In first class you’ll have this, plus perhaps a personal minibar, access to a shower, a flat screen TV and space for another passenger to come and dine with you. There are luxurious amenities in both classes – Emirates works with Bulgari on their amenity kits, and Turkish Airlines works with Ferragamo, for instance. As a first class vs business class case study, Air France’s La Premiere passengers get embossed boxes in Air France red or pearl grey, with hand cream, eye contour balm, serum and moisturizer by Sisley, whereas the equivalent business class bag includes two Clarins moisturizers.

5. What’s the difference on the ground?

Like everything in the world of luxury travel, no two airport lounges are created equal. Generally, business class and first class passengers will have access to airport lounges, with extra special first class lounges available in some circumstances, for the most elite first class fliers. For instance, at Singapore Changi airport, Singapore Airlines has gold and silver lounges, as well as The Private Room, with a maximum capacity of just 78. As well as lounge access, first class passengers often receive additional perks like chauffeur-driven cars to and from the airport and dedicated jet bridges so they don’t have to board the plane with everyone else.

6. Is there an industry standard for airline classes?

Broadly speaking, business class is an enhanced experience, designed for your comfort, with wider seats and more amenities than economy or premium economy and first class is the highest level of luxury and service. But the reality is more complex; airlines have different priorities and different seat configurations on different routes, and they’re making updates to their fleets all the time.

7. Is it worth upgrading from business to first class?

You are never going to be uncomfortable on a business class flight, so this question comes down to what you are prepared to pay for. In the battle of first class vs business class, there is much to consider. How long is the flight you’re taking? For domestic flights, the difference in service will feel small, and you won’t have much time to make use of the amenities. Will you feel the benefit? Have you checked specifically which seats are available on your route and your airline? Not to mention, it’s often quadruple the price to travel in first class. We found an Emirates business class ticket from NYC to Dubai for $5,537 while the equivalent first class ticket cost $21,967.

If the range of journeys offered by Luxury Gold doesn’t go quite far enough for you and you’re more concerned with seeing things beyond this planet, perhaps a stargazing vacation is in your future. Forget white sand beaches and Michelin stars – you want stars and planets, meteor showers and the Milky Way. Before we dig into some of the world’s best places for stargazing, let’s run through some basics.

What is stargazing?

Stargazing is the simple act of observing the night sky for enjoyment. It is – in fact – about so much more than stars. Other objects visible in the clearest night skies include comets (large objects made of dust and ice that orbit the sun), meteors (space rocks that have entered the earth’s atmosphere), asteroids (sometimes called minor planets – rocky, airless remnants left from the formation of our solar system, 4.6 billion years ago), planets (celestial bodies that orbit the sun) and even entire galaxies (huge collections of gas, dust, and billions of stars and their solar systems, all held together by gravity).

How do I stargaze?

To stargaze, you must go somewhere far from skyglow of the city lights and watch the sky. Your eyes will take some time to adapt to the darkness, but then you’ll be able to spot things with the help of apps and charts (and expert tour guides). A red flashlight can help you see in the dark without spoiling night vision.

What is the best time for stargazing?

You want velvety, black darkness, which is usually (but not always) achieved in cold weather on cloudless nights. Light pollution makes it difficult to see the breadth of what the sky has to offer, so avoid bright moonlight by stargazing just after a new moon. When looking for dark skies, you’ll hear references to the Bortle scale, where 1 is the darkest sky available on Earth and 9 is an inner-city sky.

You may also enjoy reading: Five best National Parks in the world you can discover with Luxury Gold

10 Best Places for Stargazing in the World:

1. Jasper National Park, Canada

Located just above Banff National Park, spectacular Jasper is a UNESCO World Heritage site and 97% of it is a designated wilderness area, free of light pollution, so life-affirming night skies are all but guaranteed. On our Majesty of the Rockies journey, we spend three nights at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, where the restored heritage cabins make a cosy base to return to after a long evening letting your mind wander along the Milky Way.

2. Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park, Japan

In Okinawa, Japan’s southernmost park is a subtropical archipelago of evergreen forests, mangroves and coral reefs, with flashes of white sand. After a day drifting through a maze of mangroves in a canoe, the sky opens to you. Just as the park provides refuge for threatened plant and animal species, its residents, tour operators and government agencies also work hard to boost conditions for stargazing. Explore the possibilities of a Luxury Gold journey to Majestic Japan.

You may also like to read: The Most Beautiful National Parks in Western Canada

3. Pic du Midi, France

This is a mountain in the French Pyrenees which is crowned with an iconic observatory. It’s not only one of the best places for stargazing in the world, it’s the oldest high mountain astronomy observatory in the world, and it’s where the moon’s map was drawn up for NASA in 1969. It’s one of the best stargazing sites in the world both practically and culturally. All year round guests can take a cable car to the peak for an otherworldly high-altitude experience – a must for amateur astronomers.

Bookmark for later: The 30 Most Beautiful Places in the World You Need to Visit

4. Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, New Zealand

This is the largest reserve in the Southern Hemisphere with pristine dark skies. It’s comprised of Aoraki, Mount Cook National Park and the Mackenzie Basin, Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo. The dramatic, Lord of the Rings landscape features enormous glacial lakes and golden tussock grasslands flanked by snow-capped mountains. It’s the ideal setting for a little cosmos-watching and celestial magical.

5. Kiruna, Sweden

At the top of Sweden, in the province of Lapland, Kiruna is an arctic city surrounded by forests, marshes, lakes, rivers and mountains. It’s a popular stop for those chasing the Northern Lights or seeking the Midnight Sun, so naturally it’s one of the best places for stargazing, too – essentially a one-stop-shop for all your worldly wonders. Come for the polar night which lasts for 28 days between December and January – it’s completely dark every day save for a few hours of bluish twilight.

6. The Atacama Desert, Chile

This cool, arid plateau glows with fiery oranges and reds, particularly as the sun sets. And once the sun’s done its thing, the landscape transforms into an amateur astrologist’s playground, with its high altitude, minimal light pollution and dark skies offering mesmerising sights wherever you turn. At the San Pedro de Atacama Celestial Explorations (SPACE) open-air observatory, a large selection of telescopes are set up at different angles.

7. New Mexico Dark Skies Trail, USA

Stargazing opportunities abound in and around the colorfully named Pie Town in New Mexico. It’s been called the dark skies trail since 2017, but the skies have been darker for much longer than that. The best places for stargazing include the Cosmic Campground which has an epic, starry spot that is designated by DarkSky International (IDS) as a Dark Sky Sanctuary. It often hosts public star parties and invite serious stargazers to bring their telescopes.

8. Kruger National Park, South Africa

South Africa’s Kruger National Park is one of the world’s greatest wildlife-spotting destinations by day and one of the best places for stargazing by night. In the dry winter months, the sky is festooned with stars, blanketing the horizon. The hazy, remarkable band of light that may make itself known to your eyes as early as dinnertime is the Milky Way. Our Spectacular South Africa journey includes a three-day safari in Kruger National Park.

9. Zselic National Landscape Protection Area, Hungary

Established in 1976 to protect the natural assets of the North Zselic region, this park encompasses over 9,000 hectares. The Triangulum Galaxy can be seen without telescopes on the clearest nights, and the zodiacal light – a glow of diffuse sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust – is visible in spring and autumn.

10. NamibRand Nature Reserve, Namibia

This one is a private nature reserve established to help protect and conserve the unique ecology and wildlife of the south-west Namib Desert. It has been designated a Gold Tier International Dark Sky Reserve by the International Dark Sky Association. There is minimal tourism on the reserve but at Kwessie Dunes Lodge each bedroom has a special space for stargazing, which is completely open to the sky.

Feeling inspired to see the world in all its glory? Take a look at our collection of small group luxury journeys.