Escapism
Playa Koralia, a 'nature hotel' on Colombia's Caribbean coast, offers hammocks, a spa and a collection of cabanas decorated with art near unspoilt Koralia beach and the slopes of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The mountains' indigenous Kogui community has just granted permission for guests to make excursions to the nearby Laguna Encantada (Enchanted Lagoon) and emerald-green Pozos Sagrados (Sacred Pools).
• +57 310 642 2574, koralia.com, rooms from £69
Travel trend
The Association of British Travel Agents says 13 million Brits will holiday abroad in July and August, 90% heading for the Med. Thomas Cook says the terrible British weather has caused bookings to Spain, Turkey and Greece to soar. Compared with this time last year, it has fewer holidays left to sell. Remaining deals for a week, including flights: Kefalonia £312pp, Mallorca £1,542 for a family of four.
Travel trash
Your smartphone can be reborn as a dinky DJ booth with Go Travel's new speaker case – slot the phone inside and it will amplify your tunes through its mini speakers, £19.99
• go-travelproducts.com/product/speaker-case
What's new?
Accommodation
An incredible penthouse in Rome with opulent Louis XVI decor (pictured) frescoed walls, colourful upholstered furniture, cherubs and marble bathroom is now available along with other romantic Italian properties through worldwide-accom.com. The Penthouse Marquis Lucifero is at the top of a building above a Roman temple near Campo de' Fiori and sleeps four from just €125 a night.
Archaeology
The Festival of British Archaeology starts today, and lasts until 29 July, with 750 events at museums, heritage centres, parks and universities across the country, and opportunities to explore physical links with our past. "Archaeology has become very popular over recent years," said Dr Mike Heyworth, director of the Council for British Archaeology. "Events this month demonstrate the growing public enthusiasm for the subject."
• festival.britarch.ac.uk/whatson
Flight
Wizz Air is to trial charging for larger, wheelie-case-type luggage carried in the cabin on flights. From 1 August passengers on the Luton-Katowice route will pay €10 in advance online, €20 at the airport or €30 at the gate for each large cabin bag. Those taking one will be allowed to board early, after priority passengers.
United nations: the world in London
It's not just London that's hoping to show itself off to visitors this month when that big sporting event takes over the capital – tourist boards representing countries from every part of the globe are flocking to the city to set up stalls, festivals and activities to promote their patch.
At St Katharine Docks on the Thames east of Tower Bridge, Denmark will have cooking demos, a seven-metre high Lego wind turbine, a Viking ship and a designer houseboat for the three weeks of the Olympic Games, while the South Pacific Tourism Organisation and the Oceania National Olympic Committees will turn a pontoon in the docks' west marina into a South Pacific island for the tourist boards of Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and Papua New Guinea, with palm trees, warriors, dancing and crafts.
Jamaica will host a celebration of the country's food, sporting heroes and music (with gigs by Damian Marley, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Shaggy and Jimmy Cliff) at the O2 from 25 July (jamaicahouse2012.com).
At Tower Hill, the official Austria House Tirol (thealpsoflondon.tirol.at) will open its doors to the public from 26 July with Tirolean events, yodelling and an Alpine hut serving apfelstrudel, beer, schnapps and Almdudler soft drinks, and an après-ski party on 29 July. Kenya will run activities for children and showcase its music, art, culture and fashion at Kenya House in Stratford.
Brazil, which will host the next Olympics, in 2016, will launch its PR campaign in the capital with a Casa Brasil show at Somerset House, 21 July-8 September.
And fans of the Irish team can enjoy the craic at the Irish House – the Big Chill House bar in King's Cross (irishhouse-london2012.com).The Irish House, meanwhile, is at the Big Chill House bar in King's Cross (irishhouse-london2012.com).
