Madrid is Spain's central capital, is a city of elegant boulevards and expansive, manicured parks such as the Buen Retiro. It’s renowned for its rich repositories of European art, including the Prado Museum’s works by Goya, Velázquez and other Spanish masters. The heart of old Hapsburg Madrid is the portico-lined Plaza Mayor, and nearby is the baroque Royal Palace and Armory, displaying historic weaponry.

Gibraltar with its Red pillar boxes, fish-and-chip shops is a piece of Portsmouth sliced off and moved 1100 miles south. As with many colonial outposts, ‘The Rock’ is not shy in displaying its Britishness, a bonus for pub-grub and afternoon-tea lovers, but a confusing double-take for modern Brits who thought their country had moved on since the days of Lord Nelson memorabilia. Poised strategically at the jaws of Europe and Africa, Gibraltar, with its Palladian architecture and camera-hogging Barbary macaques, makes for an interesting break from Cádiz province's white towns and tapas.

Marrakech, also spelled Marrakesh is the first of Morocco’s four imperial cities and lies in the centre of the fertile, irrigated Haouz Plain at the foot of the Atlas mountains. The city has long enchanted writers, film stars, colonialists, con artists, fashion icons and rock stars. It is Morocco’s most popular destination, receiving over 30 percent of all visitors. The ancient section of the city, known as the medina, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985. From the exotic market stalls of the medina to the westernised glamour of the Ville Nouvelle, Marrakech is a riot of contradictions and extremes.

Merzouga Luxury Desert Camp, Experience an incredibly warm welcome among the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi. This beautiful desert hideaway allows you to stay in one of the remotest destinations on the planet where the haunting beauty of the Sahara sands stretches as far as they eye can see. You’ll enjoy authentic feasts beneath the stars and be treated to wonderful local entertainment. Take stunning sunrise and sunset camel rides. On retiring to your spacious khaimas tent, you’ll be sure of the perfect night’s sleep.

Seville,  disarms and seduces you, its historic centre, lorded over by a colossal Gothic cathedral, is an intoxicating mix of resplendent Mudéjar palaces, baroque churches and winding medieval lanes. Flamenco clubs keep the intimacy and intensity of this centuries-old tradition alive whilst aristocratic mansions recall the city’s past as a showcase Moorish capital and, later, a 16th-century metropolis rich on the back of New World trade.