Travel: Hot spots

Dip into the author's collection of the best places to dive and the chicest places to dry out, with this blend of breathtaking photography and pick of the hippest accommodation. From Australia to Zanzibar, the Mediterranean to the Maldives, 26 destinations dazzle in what was once the unbridgable gap between scuba and style.

Dive in Style, Tim Simonds, Thames & Hudson, 19.95

Single nip

FOR those times when you're enjoying a dram but suddenly feel the urge for a wee lie down, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (smws.co.uk) has come up with the ideal solution – whisky snugs with hotels attached. Known as Snuggles, they are located in the Aberdeen Malmaison and Birmingham and Brighton branches of Hotel du Vin, thanks to the group's links with the society. As well as benefiting from preferential room rates, SMWS members will be able to access a sample of the bottlings, all with a comfy bed just a stumble away.

Monkey Around

THERE'S nothing like watching your little darlings hurtle through the air at death-defying speeds to reaffirm your parental love. Beecraigs Country Park in West Lothian sees the launch of the latest Go Ape tree-top attraction this weekend.

With a giant obstacle course of ladders, bridges, tunnels, walkways and zip wires, all 40ft up, it includes three new challenges that aren't at any of Go Ape's existing adventure venues.

Open to anyone over the age of ten who wishes to embrace their inner gorilla, the Beecraigs facility has instructors to show climbers the ropes in a safety briefing before setting them free to swing, climb, crawl and zip through the trees for up to three hours – or as long as it takes to develop arms like a chimpanzee's. You may have to grit your teeth, but it will still count as family bonding.

Sessions cost from 20 at Go Ape (0845 643 2034, www.goape.co.uk)

Virtual Feast

IF YOU reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you'd be better to stay at home, according to the American writer James A Michener. But for those with a healthy appetite for food and travel, www.foodtripper.com is stuffed with tempting destinations and delicious diversions. From the secrets of Chinese cuisine to news that top New York chef Daniel Boulut is talking about plans to open a bar in London, this is the site to visit if food is what tempts you to travel.

New horizons

BRITISH artist Anthony Gormley is making his US art debut en masse with not one but 31 statues of himself being unveiled in New York's Flatiron District this weekend. Made of iron and fibreglass, the sculptures inhabit paths in Madison Square Park and the rooftops of some the area's architectural treasures. Called Event Horizon, this exhibition is part of Mad Sq Art 2010, and examines the relationship between the public and the art object.

This Article was first published in Scotland on Sunday, March 28, 2010