New roll of the dice
The Palais de la Mediterranée, an elegant art deco casino on the fashionable Promenade des Anglais in Nice, reopens in December after elaborate renovation as a four-star hotel. A Mediterranean restaurant will extend to a poolside terrace; the Palais has indoor and outdoor pools, a solarium and fitness centre and, of course, a casino.
· Cresta Holidays (0870 3333303, crestaholidays.co.uk) offers three nights in January for £281 including BA flights from Gatwick. Cresta will also book low-cost flights, at the available rate, and arrange accommodation only at £80 a night.
Cape Castle
Phantom Beach is one of four extraordinary crenellated stone buildings on a sandy beach at the end of a forest track on the Garden Route in South Africa's Western Cape. Built by farmers of Scottish descent, it is now run as a luxury hotel, with four turret bedrooms. Breakfast is Scottish style; lunch and dinner by arrangement.
· Rooms at Phantom Beach start at £175 a night with i-escape.com.
Fit for a prince
The Saint-Exupéry family, descendents of the French aviator and author of The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, has renovated the north wing of their chteau in a forest in the Dordogne to provide fairy-tale self-catering. Thick stone walls, ancient beams, leaded windows and the original floors add to the baronial feel.
· A week's rental of Chteau Saint-Exupéry, which has five double/twin bedrooms, costs from £1,745 to £3,365, including ferry crossings, with Something Special (01455 852229, somethingspecial.co.uk).
Inside job
British designer Yvonne Golds has produced a cutting-edge interior behind a listed historical facade for a new five-star hotel in Vienna. Le Méridien Vienna (pictured left), which opens on November 11, is on the Ringstraase, a stone's throw from the State Opera House. Facilities include a pool, steam bath, a French restaurant and a traditional coffee house.
· A special opening room rate of €135 (£94) runs until the end of February. Le Méridien Vienna 00 43 1 588 900, lemeridien.com.
