What makes us unique?

Wichita is often billed as the “Air Capital of the World” and, after spending a aviation-filled day on the ground there, it’s hard to argue. The claim isn’t exaggerated but rather an accumulation of facts — decades of aircraft manufacture, test and restoration; a dense cluster of suppliers and OEMs; and a university research engine that feeds industry with innovation and qualified hands. Walk the ramp at the Kansas Aviation Museum, wander through a Bombardier hangar or spend an afternoon at NIAR and the signs are there for all to see: this is a place where aluminium, composites and ideas have been married, repaired and reinvented for more than a century. But “Air Capital” also describes the city’s pervading culture. Wichita’s identity is woven through with aviation as surely as its wheatfields gave the city its university mascot. There’s a proud, practical lineage here — B-29s, Beechcraft, Cessna, Learjet, Spirit and, today, Bombardier and a thriving test-and-repair ecosystem — that has kept skilled machinists, engineers and innovators in one place for generations. The result is not just a production line but an ecosystem: museums that preserve the story, universities that push the envelope, private firms that refine the craft and

Desaru Coast has been described as “a sparkling gem by the South China Sea” and also as “four thousand acres of paradise along the tip of southern Malaysia”. We would have to agree with both of these sentiments, having been lucky enough to visit on a number of occasions in recent years. Being home to The Els Club Desaru Coast, which is considered to be one of the finest golf clubs in the country, and also the luxurious Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, makes Desaru Coast the perfect choice for your staycation or luxury golf vacation. For those of you who do not consider a round of golf on a championship course to be the way you wish to relax, please worry not, as Anantara Desaru boasts an expansive golden sand beach, refreshing swimming pools and Anantara Spa, a true oasis of peace and calm where you can relax, revitalise and rejuvenate. Stay in an Executive Sea View Room at Anantara Desaru Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas is a luxury beachfront property at Desaru Coast that offers a selection of 116 rooms, suites, villas and residences to discerning guests. The sweeping sand beach and inviting ocean create a

If your idea of a vacation is lounging by a pool doing absolutely nothing, then Playitas might not be for you. As the most well-equipped sports resort on the Canarian island of Fuerteventura, it caters best for those who like to keep active. Somehow, though, it seems to accommodate a wide spectrum of guests, from those who simply want to enjoy some downtime to serious athletes who use the resort as a training base. For most, it’s a place you come to get better — at swimming, cycling, running, golf, or simply at looking after yourself. The welcome This was our second visit to Playitas and so we knew that our flight would be landing too late for us make it to the resort’s restaurants, despite it being just a 30-minute transfer from the airport. Having communicated this in advance, the Playitas team kindly arranged for cold plates from the buffet to be waiting for us on arrival. The welcome was quietly efficient: someone directed us to the food that had been set aside, and the check-in formalities were completed after we’d eaten. The room Just as we did last visit, we stayed in the aparthotel section of Playitas in

It’s 6 am, and I’m not at all keen to get out of bed. I drag myself out from under the warm duvet and head to the dining room to grab some coffee and make my way to the waiting game drive vehicle. We head out on our drive, warmly tucked up under blankets and with a flask of hot coffee in hand. The early morning light shines over the reserve as our guide steers down the rugged dirt tracks of the reserve. Within what feels like minutes, we come across a breeding herd of elephants. The young calves play while the matriarch watches over them, stripping branches from a spekboom as she waits. A few decades ago, this scene would have been unimaginable. The land was overgrazed farmland, stripped of both wildlife and vegetation. But today, thanks to a bold experiment in rewilding, it’s home to the full array of safari animals, from antelope to apex predators, and has become one of the country’s most inspiring conservation success stories. At the heart of this transformation are two properties: Shamwari Private Game Reserve and the smaller, adjacent, Founders Lodge by Mantis. Together, they represent not just a top safari destination,