For many, the mild months of March, April and May present glorious opportunities for exploring close to home.

Having closed the door on winter, a new season of hope and possibility lies ahead: Buds are unfurling, daylight hours are stretching, and the crowds of summer are yet to descend.

Travel at this time of year and you’ll also be rewarded with cheaper prices, greater hotel availability and sufficient sunshine to make you glow, rather than break into a sweat.

Need a little seasonal direction? Find inspiration in some of these upcoming 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…

The UK's Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has downgraded its travel advice to Nicaragua, no longer warning against all but essential travel to the country.

Soaring volcanoes, lush highlands and sparkling beaches are just a few of the attractions.

Essentially off limits to tourists since April 2018, the Central American country is now open for business – and there are plenty of good reasons to go.

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…