the foodie spots to know in 2026
Food is an intrinsic element of travel. There’s a thrill that comes with discovering a deliciously strange fruit, or learning about heritage recipes handed down through generations. Add to that a guest chef who brings their signature style but riffs off local ingredients, and the experimental approach to cooking cranks up a notch. From one-off supper clubs to kitchen collaborations, week-long residencies to retreats that lean into the seasons, these are the chef-led experiences to plan a trip around in 2026.
Isla Tierra Bomba
She’s done stints at some of New York’s best restaurants (Restaurant Daniel, the now closed Momofuku Ko); appeared on the Netflix series Pressure Cooker; and runs ‘The Supper Club from Nowhere.’ Now, private chef Lana Lagomarsini is set to co-host a six-course chef’s table dinner – think Black heritage cooking combined with local Caribbean flavours – for the Secret Garden Supper Club at Blue Apple Beach on Isla Tierra Bomba, a 20-minute boat ride from Cartagena.
21 February, around £90pp, blueapplebeach.com
Soneva Fushi
Chef residencies have long been part of the draw to sister islands, Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani. Next up is Ming-fai Choi, a rising star on the Hong Kong food scene (he’s the former head chef at Michelin star Mora) who is known for his refined, contemporary approach to Chinese cuisine. He’s cooking for two nights at each resort: toes-in-the-sand Crab Shack at Jani, then Out of the Blue at Fushi, which houses a handful of restaurants under one roof.
17 and 18, then 22 and 23 February, villas from £1,700 per night b&b, soneva.com
Shakti Prana
‘Flavours of the Himalaya Reimagined by Merlin’ is a culinary journey led by Merlin Labron-Johnson (of Osip, in Somerset) at Shakti Prana, a remote new lodge in the Uttarakhand region. During five days in the mountains (including a stay at a Shakti Village House), guests will forage for wild herbs, cook reimagined Kumaoni dishes and explore trails and temples with local guides before sitting down to Himalayan-inspired suppers.
15 to 24 and 19 to 28 March, £8,392pp based on two sharing, shaktihimalaya.com/shakti-himalaya-by-merlin
Rocca delle Tre Contrade
Californian pastry chef Claire Ptak is behind East London’s Violet bakery-café (she shot to fame for making Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding cake). Teaming up with villa specialist The Thinking Traveller, she is co-hosting a week-long stay at Rocca delle Tre Contrade. Masterclasses will cover everything from galettes and Sicilian strawberry celebration cake to gelato – all tapping into local ingredients such as orange blossom, ricotta and Etna pears.
2 to 9 May, from around £3,715pp based on two sharing, thethinkingtraveller.com
Holmen Lofoten
A stay at Holmen Lofoten, a series of renovated fishermen’s cabins on the Lofoten Islands, is always rooted in the rhythm of the seasons. So too is Kitchen on the Edge of the World, the hotel’s programme of four-night foodie adventures hosted this year by chefs including Mikael Svensson and Matthew Orlando. We’re excited for Lara Espirito Santo and George McLeod in May. Together they run SEM in Lisbon, a restaurant that has become one of Europe’s most exciting voices in sustainable dining. Days will be filled with activities such as fishing, hiking and foraging, before guests all eat together in front of the open kitchen.
7-11 May, from around £5,075pp, holmenlofoten.no
Melisses
The kitchen is the heart of Melisses, a seaside bed and breakfast on the Greek island of Andros where the creative retreat calendar includes ‘Table Talk: Food and Words’ with Sardinian-based food writer Letitia Clark (her latest cookbook is For the Love of Lemons) and Brooklyn poet Jay Deshpande. The vibe is informal, with guests encouraged to wander into the kitchen and chat. There will also be cooking classes, relaxed writing sessions and local excursions.
30 April to 4 May, from around £2,120pp based on two sharing, melissesandros.com/2026-retreats
Montréal en Lumière
Anyone familiar with Quebec’s annual winter celebration, the Montréal en Lumière festival, will know that one-off suppers by international chefs are as integral to the line-up as ice-skating, silent discos and incredible light installations. The top pick is Canadian Jonny Lake, co-founder of London’s two Michelin-star Trivet and Labombe by Trivet, back on home turf to cook with David Lepage, executive chef at Hoogan et Beaufort. Expect Lake’s signature dishes, including his infamous Turkish breakfast dessert.
27 and 28 February, around £130pp, montrealenlumiere.com
Eilean Shona
Kitchen in the Wild is a new series of roving culinary retreats co-founded by chef and food writer Valentine Warner. These include, in 2026, inviting Nathan Outlaw – who helms a couple of Michelin star restaurants in Cornwall – to cook at Eilean Shona, a private island off the west coast of Scotland. As well as gathering mussels, fishing and seaweed foraging, there’ll also be mushroom-picking hikes, kayaking to a hidden bay and natural world drawing sessions with illustrator Anna Koska.
8 to 12 October, from £4,750pp, kitcheninthewild.org
Emma Love
