4 Musts for Spring Travel

As an alternative to the cherry blossoms that draw large crowds to Japan and Washington, D.C. in April, the scent of orange blossoms and jasmine captivates the first visitors of the season on the Amalfi Coast. The best time to visit is when spring blooms, from April to June, when travelers get to enjoy the wonderful aromas of these “undiscovered” blooms and avoid the tourist crush of July and August.

Carved into the cliffs of Praiano, overlooking the blue water of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Casa Angelina will open on March 24 for the 2018 season. To celebrate, Casa Angelina will invite guests and locals for a festive cookout located on the garden terrace, featuring a traditional Italian fish barbeque. Each dish will be paired with local wines as well as the hotel’s bubbly, Casa Angelina Champagne.

For close proximity to La Gavitella Beach, book one of Casa Angelina’s four Eaudesea Experience rooms, set in old fisherman’s houses, and enjoy an all-day butler service in the newly refreshed rooms. Before departing, each guest will be gifted with a taste of Italy, the hotel’s exclusive il Mulino della Signora olive oil.

This season, Casa Angelina will introduce a bespoke “proposal concierge,” who can assist with planning a proposal anywhere on the Amalfi Coast. casangelina.com

As the city awakens from its wintery spell and tiptoes into spring, trees along Amsterdam’s canals burst with greenery and tulips come into full bloom.

Check into one of Pulitzer Amsterdam’s themed suites (all with canal views), including the Book Collector’s, which welcomes guests with an archway built by books; Antique Collector’s, home to an ornate bronze tabletop clock and vintage barware; Music Collector’s, featuring a wall of 18 trumpets; and Art Collector’s, which houses paintings and sketches from wall-to-wall. And forget the usual canal tours. Pulitzer Amsterdam offers guests private tours on its own antique 1909 canal boat.

Less than two miles from the hotel is the Van Gogh Museum. From March 23-June 24, 2018, it will host a Van Gogh & Japan exhibition, highlighting the influences of Japanese art on Van Gogh’s work.

Don’t miss seasonal events including King’s Day (April 27), Amsterdam’s largest street party of the year. Worth noting: No need for an umbrella, April is the driest month of the year in Amsterdam. pulitzeramsterdam.com

As the snow melts and temperatures start to rise, New York City becomes a popular spring destination.

Guests can catch before-they-break films at the 2018 edition of Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Film Festival or taste the most innovative bloody mary mixes at the Bloody Mary Festival on April 8.

In commemoration of the spring season, Macy’s will host a two-week flower show featuring nearly one million flowers, plants, and trees.

Recommend the Millennium Broadway New York for those obsessed with Broadway. The hotel is working with the recently restored and historical Hudson Theater on Broadway to offer guests a Stay and Play package, which includes tickets to see Uma Thurman’s new Broadway show, “The Parisian Woman,” with VIP lounge access at Hudson Theater, accommodations at Millennium in Times Square, and more. (Make note: The show goes dark on March 11.) millenniumhotels.com 

May is the ideal time to visit—the crowds have thinned out and autumn (spring in the U.S.) offers travelers reduced rates from flights to hotels.

Be one of the first guests to experience M Social Auckland, the brand’s second hotel, opening May 2018. With each room featuring wall-to-wall windows overlooking Auckland Harbour, elements of local culture such as the fauna, marine life, and literature are sprinkled throughout the property.

Those craving culture can head over to Gibbs Farm, a sculpture park nestled between the largest estuary in the Southern Hemisphere and hills dotted with man-made lakes and sheep. Visitors can expect to see works by Richard Serra, Anish Kapoor, and Maya Lin, among others.

Just 30 minutes from Auckland, explore Great Barrier Island Aotea, the only island in the world to feature an International Dark Sky Sanctuary certification. millenniumhotels.com