As the most famous of Egypt’s pharaohs, the very name Tutankhamun plays on the imagination.

Little prepares you for actually meeting the legendary boy king, however.

Like chancing upon a high profile celebrity - albeit this megastar of ancient history is many thousands of years departed - goosebumps rise on entering his discreetly signed tomb in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings.

The Mediterranean island of Majorca already has several different faces.

It’s a hedonistic haven for booze-fuelled party-goers – think the Love Island villa, and the drunken debauchery of the Magaluf strip. It’s a classic island paradise, with seaside retreats and retirement homes at every turn. It’s even a fitness destination, and the likes of Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins have long been spotted traversing the hairpin bends of the Tramuntana.

Hotels with a human touch could become a thing of the past, according to hotel insiders who claim it could be just as easy to procure keys from a robot or via a voice control system.

A survey by Guestline, who provide property management and distribution software to the hospitality industry, suggests 85% of relationships with businesses will not require human interaction in the future. Their conclusions have been drawn from experts across the fields of technology, artificial intelligence, hospitality and interior design.

A good book can transport you to endless wonderful places; but what about actually travelling in honour of a decent read?

Whether it’s to meet inspirational authors or discover the roots of classic stories, literary pursuits can serve as an escape for body and mind. These are some of Europe’s bestselling breaks.

As you might expect for such a modern, high concept field, the aquatic hotel scene is evolving all the time.

Because of the huge cost and complexity, many projects stall before completion. Take the Poseidon Undersea Resort, a giant seafloor wonderland off a private island in Fiji, that’s spent the last decade hindered by development difficulties.

But there’s already a range of outlets offering the chance of a sub-aquatic sleep, often in the most luxurious surroundings…

Ever ready to embrace the ‘new’ and the quirky, Japan’s off-kilter culture also extends to its hotel offerings.

Admittedly, not every new venture runs smoothly… Only recently, Henn na Hotel in Tokyo fired its staff for being incompetent – but the most notable thing in this case was that the ‘staff’ in question were robots!

It’s fair to say, Japan is home to plenty of oddball accommodation offerings, unlike anything you’ll find anywhere else. These are some of the best…

It’s one of those occasions that many people dread, and even if you’re in a couple, the idea of a forced romantic encounter can feel a bit too contrived. But that doesn’t mean we should ditch the day (and night) completely. If you’re keen on an alternative Valentine’s break, here are a few options to try…