We're obsessed right now with Santorini, that beautiful little Greek island (actually, multiple islands) with exquisite sunset views, perfect whitewashed houses and lapis lazuli waters surrounding volcanic formations that compose the islands. ​

So once-upon-a-time, many volcanic eruptions occurred over and over again, creating, destroying, building back up again and forcing more collapse until out of it all, finally, came Santorini; a group of islands in Greece comprising of a still-active volcano, in the southernmost part of Cyclades (the full circle of Greek islands in the Aegean). The caldera is the big, sea-filled crater left by volcanic activity throughout the ages and creates the backdrop for many the beautiful views you'll see from towns, cliffs and overlooks on Santorini.

The best time to visit these islands is from June through September with the edge months being the best in my opinion to catch the heat of the sun but sometimes beat the crowds of the true high season. And September has the bonus of having heated up the sea sufficiently so you barely notice the temperature difference between air and sky! (Sorry, dad, I know you love a bit of shocking cold water!)

Firá is the capital of Santorini - the place to find your grocery stores, a myriad of cafés and restaurants and the spot to party into the wee hours. Surrounded by vineyards and filled with whitewashed cubic dwellings, it overlooks the azure Aegean sea, allowing many a luxurious hotel to build infinity pools seemingly stretching out into the sea, balconies on the edge of cliffs and the most picturesque dining views.
Firostefani and Imerovigli are nearby Firá but maintain their seclusive and relaxing vibe. Just hop over to Firá when you need to inject a bit of nightlife into your holiday!
Oia seems like the perfect spot to stay if you are looking for the best sunset views, relaxing atmosphere (although touristy) and amazing restaurants. Not many shops here but oh! the luxury in these high-end hotels is impressive!
The towns of Perissa, Perivolos and Kamari don't have vistas toward the scenic volcano but instead contain the best beaches you'll find on Santorini. 

So you have your choices laid out for you of where to stay when you get to Santorini according to what's most important to you on your holidays: Will it be scenery, buzz or beach? 

First on our list of destinations that are blowing up is Iceland suggested by @MalloryOnTravel & @SonjaSwissLife, and here's why:
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Party scene: You'll surely know some friends who have already hopped over to Reykjavik for a stag do (personally haven't heard of any hens there yet but I'm sure they're coming) to take advantage of the kroner, the craft liquors and thumping nightlife. Here are some must-see bars we recommend:

• Snaps Bistro (Þórsgata 1, 101 Reykjavík) - cool and cosy, great food, tasty drinks, great atmosphere
• Kaldi Bar (Laugavegur 20b, Reykjavík) - sprung from the loins of the Kaldi microbrewery, a local hotspot with Kaldi beers on tap
• Slippbarinn (Mýrargata 2, 101 Reykjavík) - cocktail bar complete with mixologists and situated in cultural hotel Reykjavik Hotel Marina; mix with locals and hotel guests alike for a swanky start to the evening
• Paloma (Naustin 1-3, 101 Reykjavík)- end your night by dancing your socks off with a lively crowd of tourists and locals  

In the news: Remember we all were made very aware of this little island when in 2010, its impossibly-named Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted and created an ash cloud that disrupted millions of travellers' air journeys when about 20 countries closed their airspace for a period of 6 days.

Football & fan prowess: Even more recently, we applauded Iceland, an island of ~330,000 inhabitants, when their national football team beat England 2-1 to make it to the quarter-finals of the Euros 2016 (where they then lost to hosts, France). Matching the team in statistics, the Icelandic fans had some of their own: that 10% of their population bought stadium tickets to watch their team advance and an astonishing 99.8% of Iceland's TV-audience tuned in to watch the final match. To put that into actual numbers: just 298 individual viewers in the entire country were tuned to channels not showing the game. So when you visit Iceland next, you should definitely congratulate them on their impressive skills on the football field and in the fan seats!

Istanbul has long been a city that has fascinated me, it really doesn't need much to bump it up my list of destinations.  I have a shelf full of books on its history, although nothing really post-1931'ish. So my "current knowledge" is probably quite poor (which I won't often admit).  That's why this blog post, by @annaselundberg is one of my favourites of the week.  Anna was fortunate enough to land an invitation to a Dutch-Turkish wedding in Istanbul - it didn't disappoint. From the Grand Bazaar, to Hagia Sophia, to The Blue Mosque (which is apparently "not particularly blue" - it's the tiles on its interior that give it the name), Anna takes us on a historical and architectural journey and then to the wedding itself, adorned with a multitude of fezzes and Dutch bonnets!  Plus, you can't beat that view, straddling Europe and Asia:  

Next up is a place close to my heart, as told by through the medium of photography by @RHTog.  There are some genuinely excellent images here so I won't ruin them with further words on the topic, I'll let some of Raymond's photos do the talking.  Check out his Facebook page for more.