Blooming sunshine | where to go on holiday this spring

I recently enjoyed porridge and pastries on the rooftop of the Ace Hotel Shoreditch, which hosts Sunday brunches and themed events for guests and RSVP-ing visitors. Everything from yoga and martial arts to live music and cocktail parties are on the calendar, with soaring views of the East End to boot. I used to live in Shoreditch when I was at university, then it was a renaissance in progress, now it’s a fully fledged coffee shop laden, cultural haven. Ace arrived just as it all started to get cool… Rooms at this trendy hotel are packed with design goodness, with industrial details and extras such as vinyl players and record stacks.

You can see for yourself with a stay in the Artist Residence hotel. With interiors designed by artists, it’s eccentric, quirky and cool – completely capturing the creative spirit of the town. Choose a Sea View room for views of the blue and Brighton’s eerily beautiful, crumbling West Pier.

Brighton packs in the culture and has plenty of diverse pockets whether it’s in the hip Seven Dials district, the bohemian North Laine or chic Hove. From gin bars to artisan restaurants to flea markets and walks along the beach, this town shines whatever the season, but you’ll avoid the summer crowds by visiting in spring.

I took advantage of the down season to visit some of Dublin’s best sights, such as the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery of Ireland and Trinity College. The college can be found in the Grafton Street district – an area of neoclassical architecture and oodles of culture. It’s also home to the Westbury hotel, with its grand entry staircase, luxe interiors and 30s style bar. The hotel hosts Dublin’s most revered afternoon tea. Here you can sit sipping on Darjeeling, surveying Grafton Street below and pretending the million pounds worth of Irish art on the walls is all yours… fancy.

Amsterdam’s canal-side houses provide the perfect backdrop for a stroll, and they’re also a pretty great place for a fancy hotel. Flowing through 25 of these gabled houses, the Pulitzer hotel dates back to the 17th century. It has all the period features you’d expect from a grand pad on the water – exposed beams, fireplaces, antiques and art – some rooms boast collections that are worthy of any museum even in Amsterdam. Choose a water view room to make the most of such an iconic setting.

But that isn’t to say the city is on downtime. Festivals, fresh food, crumbling ruins and ancient art all thrive in a perfectly pleasant climate that calls for wandering aimlessly to take it all in. Stay at the heart of the city in Palazzo Dama, an 18th-century pile that feels like a cool pad that belongs to your even cooler Roman friend. Inside is dripping with paintings, photography and sculptures, with chandeliers from New York’s Plaza Hotel. Outside you’ll find a marble swimming pool – a rare find in the middle of the city – you might just be able to brave a dip in the spring sunshine. There’s even a nightclub downstairs if you fancy an Aperol nightcap.

A short stroll from the hotel you’ll find Piazza del Popolo and The Spanish Steps. The Steps are at their most beautiful when surrounded by springtime flowers, as are most Roman streets in this season – you’re sure to win any wisteria hysteria hashtag on Instagram with the purple flowers popping up all over the city, not to mention the orange blossom, cherry blossom and Azaleas.

Tivoli Gardens has joined the Copenhagen renaissance, now opening throughout the winter instead of closing its fairground rides in cold weather. Stay opposite in ultra stylish Design Hotel, Nobis. It sits in a classic, beautiful building but inside is super slick and achingly cool. Its typically Scandi interior is warm but sharp, with traditional features such as a marble staircase and high ornate ceilings set against statement modern pieces such as a concrete block reception desk and moody blue painted walls. I want to live here, please.

Brooklyn is my ideal NY neighbourhood; I have fond memories of finding a brand new Chloe dress in a vintage warehouse here that had been priced incorrectly… a few dollars later and I was one happy tourist. But designer dresses aside, the pizza slices, breakfasts in Egg and views of Manhattan put Brooklyn on my radar for spring. One of the best views comes courtesy of 1 Brooklyn Bridge. It looks out over the East River, with that iconic Manhattan skyline in the background.