Travel

MailOnline Travel's Samantha Lewis discovers that Etihad's First Class Lounge & Spa in Abu Dhabi International Airport is comparable to London's Claridge's or The Ritz. It has 16 areas including an a la carte restaurant, fitness centre, cigar lounge and relaxation room.

Wales and Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale is one of the investors in this seat of the future and he claims that the prototype is just as comfortable as his bed at home. Made by Simba Sleep, it uses sensors, memory foam and gyroscopic movement to ensure the best possible chance of slumber at 38,000ft. The maker claims that the bed - called the Air-Hybrid - has been 'engineered to identify and respond to nuanced body movements'. It does this thanks to an array of technology. The Air-Hybrid features a six-axis accelerometer, a gyroscope and it can monitor noise, temperature, light, humidity and air particles - and then make adjustments according to the results. 

With street art springing up across the world in destinations from Sao Paulo to San Francisco, a fascinating new Lonely Planet book takes the reader on a tour of 140 street art spots in 42 cities. MailOnline Travel takes a sneak peek of some of the highlights. Pictured: a haunting mural in Reykjavik (top left); a girl hugs her knees on a building Mexico City (top right); a young child looks to the sky in Melbourne (bottom left); a colourful woman stares at the viewer in Adelaide (bottom right) and a boy climbs a ladder between two windows in this creation in Rome (inset).

From trams snaking through Belfast’s Royal Avenue (top right) to the popular beach at Portrush on a sun-drenched day (bottom right), stunning vintage pictures have revealed a rare snapshot of daily life in Ireland at the turn of the century. Locals are pictured in idyllic farming villages in County Antrim (top left), spinning in Galway (inset) and bustling around the quays in Victorian attire in Waterford. The collection dating back to the 1890s highlights Ireland’s timeless and enduring tourism appeal.

In a collection of comically scathing reviews left on TripAdvisor over the years, tourists have slated everywhere from the Grand Canyon to Big Ben. One traveller from Singapore described the Eiffel Tower in Paris as being merely 'a piece of rusted iron'. Another wrote of their disappointment over Tumon, the most popular beach on the island of Guam, describing it as being 'too sandy'.

The photos were taken by Italian videographers and reporters Giuseppe Distefano, 37, and Marco Restivo, 31, 3100 metres (10,170 feet) up Mount Etna. Giuseppe said: 'It looks very dangerous, but we felt safe as we have been skiing on this volcano from when we first started. But it can be risky if you don't have complete control of your skis. The lava was flowing at the time, and we even went to see its source.'

In the heel of Italy's 'boot', nestled amidst some 60 hectares of olive trees lies an ancient hotel tempting travellers into an oasis of tranquility and splendour. Once used by the Knights of Malta to defend against Ottoman attacks, the 40-room Masseria San Domenico is a former 15th century watchtower (inset) which has been lovingly restored into a luxury hotel. Set back 500 metres from a shimmering stretch of Adriatic coastline in Puglia - one of the country's southernmost regions - this hotel feels rather like an undiscovered beauty reserved only for those privileged few aware of its existence.

A great white shark washed up on a beach in Santa Cruz, California, on Friday evening with the event attracting dozens of people. Video footage captured by a local resident, Mark Shawtz, shows the shark helplessly rolling around on its back before righting itself. With its mouth open, it then pants for breathe with its razor-sharp teeth on display. A man is seen getting very close to the great white shark as he attempts to capture the moment on his phone. The shark appears unable to move from the spot, with its back fin stuck in the sand.

Fredrik Broms, originally from Sweden, has spent ten years photographing the Northern Lights in Norway. He is based on the wild island of Kvaløya, more than 300 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. Explaining what took him to such a remote part of the world, Broms says: 'As long as I can remember I have been drawn to the far north, and I secretly dream about living alone in a lighthouse on some remote Arctic island surrounded by nothing else than the howling wind, the vast open sea and the silent black-and-white world of the Arctic pack-ice.'

Dangling nonchalantly over the edge of cliffs and skiing down vertical drops - these are hardly your average holiday snaps. But there are travellers who need to push the boat out just that little further when it comes to making memories that count. Some of these photos capture explorers who have pitched their tents to the sides of staggeringly high rock faces in locations including California's Yosemite National Park and Canada's Baffin Island - and they all look confoudingly relaxed about it. Others see cyclists teetering just inches from the edge of the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, snaking along narrow trails perched 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Again, looking at their faces alone you'd think they were meandering through a nice park. MailOnline Travel presents a catalogue of images which will have your heart in your throat.

Boasting tropical beaches, volcanoes and an abundance of wildlife, Mail on Sunday's David Rose says it's impossible to be bored in Costa Rica. He flew to the Central American country direct from the UK, hopping on a plane from Gatwick. He travelled with his wife Carolyn and sons Jacob, 17, and Daniel, 12, and the family-of-four spent three weeks exploring the country last August. Pictured: White-water rafting on Pacuare river (top left), a grinning sloth (top right), David's son Jacob zip lining (bottom right), Costa Rica's Mount Arenal (bottom left) and a friendly toucan (centre).

We've all had days at work that have deadened our soul. But have you ever been responsible for a screw-up so profound you've briefly considered never showing your face in public again? This may well have been the case for some of the employees captured in these comical (in hindsight) scenarios from around the world. Here, MailOnline Travel presents a catalogue of catastrophes that will make your job look like a walk in the park.

Boasting stunning views of the steaming Blue Lagoon, Iceland's first luxury hotel is set to be in high demand. The Moss Hotel, slated to open in autumn, will have 62 rooms for guests with salubrious features including freestanding bathtubs, outdoor terrace areas and private naturally-heated swimming pools. But travellers better get saving, as rooms will start at £780 per night, with suites costing more than £2,100. Pictured: A room at the Moss Hotel with an outdoor terrace (top left), hanging basket chairs under a night sky (top right), a room with a private pool (bottom right), a shot of the steaming Blue Lagoon (bottom left) and an open fireplace (centre).

BA has announced multi-million pound upgrades for business class passengers including an overhaul in the on-board dining and sleep experience in the Club World cabin from this summer (inset). The UK flag carrier has also unveiled a new long-haul business class lounge at Gatwick South Terminal featuring large panoramic windows, 469 seats (top right), a kidszone and a mezzanine level (bottom right), a bar (bottom left) and a self-service buffet (top left).

Mesmerising pictures show animals as diverse as foxes, eagles, barn owls, fallow bucks, red deer and feral goats roaming through Britain's national parks. Talented wildlife photographer Andrew Marshall has shared a stunning collection of images from his book Photographing the Wildlife in the UK. Pictured: a red deer stag in Richmond Park (main); a red squirrel in Cairngorms National Park (bottom left) and a bottlenose dolphin off the coast of Inverness (bottom right).

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. Thomson cruises has cancelled its whale and dolphin watching tours in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines after two orcas were killed in front of some of its passengers last week. Shocking photographs given exclusively to MailOnline Travel show what happened after the large mammals were harpooned to death and hauled ashore. The graphic images show fishermen butchering the large mammals to pieces, drying the flesh out to eat and boiling the blubber down extract to oil. Pictured: Orca meat cut into cubes (main image), the head of one of the whales (top right) and the fat boiled down to oil (bottom right).

When money is no object all sorts of possibilities are on the table, with a Champagne breakfast in the foothills of Mount Everest being one of them. A plethora of travel companies are now offering 'breakfast at Everest' packages, with most costing in the region of £3,000 to £4,000 per person. Diners are helicoptered from the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu to Everest Base Camp at 17,600 feet, before retreating to a lower altitude of 14,000 feet for an open air morning meal. Pictured: A group of diners drink champagne at their Everest breakfast (top left), waitresses prepare the table (top right), stunning mountain views (bottom right) and one of the helicopters used to transport guests (bottom left). Inset - the Champagne awaits.

MailOnline's Thomas Burrows visited the laid-back island of Holbox, where the Gulf of Mexico meets the Caribbean, and stayed in a treehouse in Tulum - a far cry from the brash party resort of Cancun. In Holbox he stayed at CasaSandra, a small boutique hotel set on the beach front and the perfect place in which to unwind. In Tulum, he stayed at Azulik, a unique and stunning hotel where each individual beach hut is made from rough-hewn log frames and has floor-to-ceiling windows draped with bamboo blinds.

Australia is a colourful tourism magnet but beyond its postcard perfect looks is a raw beauty rarely seen. While many associate Australia with endless sunshine and beaches, Dan Proud’s incredible shots include epic dust and thunder storms in Wadouan, Queensland (main). He’s also photographed snaking tidal creeks in the Kimberley (bottom left) and the vibrant Great Barrier Reef (bottom right).

One passport cover comes in multiple shades of grey, representing the bleak UK weather, while another features visa pages emblazoned with handy translations of foreign phrases to help linguistically challenged Brits. This eclectic and rather colourful selection of designs offer a glimpse into what the British passport could look like in a post-Brexit world. They make up the shortlist of finalists in a well-timed unofficial contest run by Dezeen, a design and architecture magazine, which received more than 200 entries from people aged from 12 to 83, scattered across 34 different countries. Pictured, from top left clockwise: The current red passport fading to a shade of blue, a cherry-red minimalist design, a perforated map of the UK, a hyper-local passport concept, a shiny blue creation, a weather-inspired grey design, an immigration-themed passport and a smart black cover embossed with gold.

Catering to home-dwellers with itchy feet, a design company has created a flat-pack house that can be easily moved all over the globe. The 861-square-foot vertical tube-shaped abode, created by New York-based architect firm SO-IL, has been designed to house a family of three. It features six tiny rooms and a rooftop, which can be furnished with potted plants to create a lush garden. Pictured: An exterior view of the 'Breathe - Mini Living' home (main), a stand-up shower (top right), a spiral staircase connecting floors (bottom right) and a netted hammock-like bed (inset).

After another long, dark winter, spring is finally making a tentative appearance across Britain. For many, it's the most beautiful time of the year, but it's also the perfect time to explore other countries across the world, many of which are at their very best just before tourists pile in for the summer. Pictured: Japan's Osaka castle (main) and its Meguro River (bottom right) fringed with cherry blossom, and (bottom left) China's Yunnan, which is famed around the world for its staggering appearance in spring when its fields of rapeseed are in full bloom.

Video footage offers a sneak peek of what it's like to ride the Red Force, which opens to park-goers on April 7 at Ferrari Land in Salou, Spain.

They are the handiwork of Leeds resident Jack Hurley, who describes himself as 'having a weird sideline in making daft pictures'. He calls them a back-handed love letter to the glorious British coast. The posters, he said, are either born from his own experiences – or thorough research. He said: ‘I go to most of the locations. I was born in Southsea but did most of my growing up in Teignmouth so I am mega familiar with them - as well as Leeds - I've lived here for 14 years.' MailOnline Travel presents some of Hurley's amusing creations.

Whether you’re drawn to the soothing sanctuary of a former monastery on the Amalfi coast or would like to sample wine-infused treatments overlooking a French vineyard, there are options for every type of serenity seeker. The experts at Conde Nast Traveller have selected their favourite spa breaks and shared them with MailOnline Travel. Pictured: Aman Sveti Stefan in Montenegro (main); Hotel Sahrai in Morocco (bottom right) and Monastero Santa Rosa, Italy (top right).

From a lone wildebeest wandering across a dusty plain (top left) to a herd of antelope grazing in the lush vegetation (top right), an award-winning photographer has created a series of dreamy aerial images offering a new perspective on South Africa. Boston native Zack Seckler, a fine art photographer, who also shoots ad campaigns for big names, took the minimalist images from elevations between 50 and 500 feet from a light aircraft. Pictured: a herd of wild cattle run across a beach (bottom right) and a river looks enticing enough to jump in (bottom left).

A spell-binding video shot by a Swedish filmmaker has captured Antarctica as you've never seen it before, taking viewers on an aerial journey over the frozen continent. The region's vastness is conveyed as the camera soars over thousands of broken icebergs scattered across the ocean (bottom right). The film features tabular icebergs (top left); boats gliding through the inky abyss (top right and bottom left); and a pod of whales frolicking under frozen sky.

While very rare, cases of inter-species bonding have been observed both in the wild and in domestic settings. Here, MailOnline Travel presents the most heartwarming unions in the world. Pictured, clockwise from top left: Kasi the cheetah and Mtani the labrador at the Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida; Varli the chimp and Sutra the lynx cub at Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina; a tiny fawn nuzzling a kitten; Baloo the bear, Leo the lion and Shere Khan the tiger at the Noah's Ark Animal Shelter in Georgia; Bob the golden retriever with his squad of eight birds and a hamster at their home in Sao Paulo, Brazil; and a handsome Alsatian with its pet owl in Germany.

Rare footage has emerged of the indigenous Sentinelese tribe, pictured, who are located on North Sentinel Island in the Indian Ocean (top right), and greet almost all attempted visits from outsiders with violence. Following the 2004 tsunami, helicopters from the Indian Coast Guard were sent to help the Sentinelese and drop food parcels. This tribesmen (left) responded by firing an arrow at the rescue team. India's government has given up on making contact with the islanders and established a ban on visiting the island.

Mashpi Lodge is a luxury hotel perched in the Andean Cloud Forest of Ecuador, a nature reserve considered one of the last remaining biodiversity hubs on the planet (main). Built four years ago, the otherworldly hideaway boasts clean lines, incredible views and just 22 bedrooms (bottom right) but staff outnumber guests two-to-one to overcome the challenges of this unique setting. A new TV show goes behind the scenes to reveal what it takes to deliver five-star service in the wild (top right).