Far from the maddening crowds…
This hotel was voted the Best in the World
CAPELLA UBUD, BALI
Bali isn’t shy when it comes to creating cool quirky places to entice you, but if you want to completely knock it out of the park and really impress your travel companion then pop the Capella Ubud on your list. It was voted Best Hotel in the World last year...not because it’s inaccessibly super luxury (read expensive) but because it is really really cool and is genuinely one of a kind.
It's a tented camp nestled in lush rainforest where each standalone suite is completely hidden away for maximum privacy and Castaway vibes. But unlike Castaway, you don’t need to fend for yourself here; you can splash about in your own private salt water pool, relax on your rainforest deck and as the sun sets, wash away the day in either your indoor or outdoor bathroom before you get ready for dinner.
Bali can either make you feel really snoozy and relaxed, or it can make you want to get active and explore the scents and incredible scenery of this very special part of the world. So if you’re feeling chilled, head to the incredible spa or relax in the Officer’s Tent living room. Or if you’re feeling adventurous grab yourself one of the complimentary mountain bikes.
One of the really cool things about this hotel is the The Capella Culturists, a group of local historians, guardians and native explorers of Bali who are there to personalise every bit of your stay, and help you to really get under the skin of the place they call home.
Perfect for:
Honeymooners
Adult only escapes
A relaxing break
www.capellahotels.com/capella-ubud
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Cozy ‘gers’ are your base for immersing yourself in Mongolian nomadic life
Three camel lodge, gobi desert, mongolia
Many people say they want to get away from it all...but if you really mean it, and you want to get as far away from the maddening crowds as humanly possible, this may just be the trip for you.
Do you even know where Mongolia is? Starting with a geography lesson, Mongolia is a nation bordered by China and Russia, and best known for vast landscapes and nomadic culture. Much of the country is covered by the Gobi Desert, and right at the heart of this rugged expanse is a completely one of a kind Eco Lodge called Three Camel Lodge. The owners of this place have one mission: to give you a genuinely authentic experience of their country and to immerse you in Mongolian cultures and traditions.
Central to this are the spaces where you’ll lay your head in one of 40 ‘gers’ - traditional felt and canvas tents used by Mongolian nomads, all locally sourced and built…and surprisingly comfy! You’ll sleep in handpainted wood carved furniture, snuggled in with camel hair blankets and cozy wool carpets. This isn’t the place to crack out a swimsuit, it gets really quite chilly here but the wood stoves in every ger bring cosy vibes as well as atmosphere to your Mongolian retreat.
The other thing the owners are committed to is true sustainability - they’re passionate about preserving the environmental area of the lodge but they also fully staff the lodge with local people. When you’re staying here and are interacting with these warm and friendly people every day you can’t help but get sucked into their nomadic spirit and their love for the land they call home.
There’s tons to do here - if you’re an early bird you can take part in yoga as the sun rises over the Gobi desert, or you can try your hand at archery using replicas of historic bows; grab a mountain bike and hit the trails for some exercise and incredible sweeping views; star gaze like you’ve never experienced; learn how to make the traditional ger; take one of the traditional nomadic ponies out for a jaunt; enjoy lunch with a local nomadic family and pick up a few of their traditional skills.
This isn’t an environment for the faint hearted in winter, so I’d recommend you pop this on your bucket list for a June, July and August trip, with the shoulder months on either end also good times to visit.
Perfect for:
Getting away from it all
Learning about cultures and history
Proper adventure
Sound appealing? Get in touch
The cabins at Shipwreck Lodge are designed to look like listing ships
SHIPWRECK LODGE, NAMIBIA
Namibia's desolate and wild Skeleton Coast is really creepy! It’s littered with shipwrecks that met their fate on these unforgiving shores and form a ghostly line up along the whole coastline.
If you found yourself gazing at this coast from the Atlantic Ocean you might spot some ships that look a bit different to all the others. That’s Shipwreck Lodge - a series of standalone cabins set among the sandy dunes that have been designed to look like a listing ship!
When you step into your solar powered lodge, you’ll find a fire going to take the edge off the chill of the Namib Desert night. You’ll be completely mesmerised by the panoramic glass windows that face west and frame an unapologetically breathtaking sunset that turns the golden sands a burnt orange colour. And when you drift off to sleep beneath swathes of fur you’ll be lulled to sleep by the crashing waves of the Atlantic and the cackling of hyenas in the distance.
This is one of the most isolated places in the world but there’s an amazing beauty to this vast landscape and plenty to do between your morning coffee on the deck and your happy hour drink watching THAT sunset. This is a great base from which to explore the Skeleton Coast, the nearby Hoarusib River and the dunes. You can go sand boarding, take out a 4x4 to chase more dunes, visit the local seal colony, or head down to the isolated beach for a picnic set up by the lodge and enjoy the wild Atlantic Ocean in front of you.
You can go here any time of the year but if I was to pick the sweet spot, I’d head there in Namibia’s winter (July to September), when it’s a pleasant temperature and very dry.
Perfect for:
A pairing with Safari in Africa
Outdoors adventure
Adventure honeymooners
Families with older children
Pop ANI Anguilla on the list for a big celebration
ANI RESORTS, ALL OVER THE WORLD
To hotel or self-cater is one of the biggest conundrums that families or groups face when planning a trip. Hotels can really look after you with all the trimmings, where a self-catered provides convenience, but to weary parents or work exhausted folk it can sometimes feel like a busman’s holiday!
Enter ANI - a collection of gorgeous private properties that are essentially mini boutique hotels. They’re small enough to fill with your crew in entirety, so you feel like you’ve got your own private villa, but you get all the staff, services and amenities of a great hotel thrown in.
There are four of them across the world you can choose from: Dominican Republic (14 bedrooms), Sri Lanka (15 bedrooms), Thailand (10 bedrooms), and Anguilla (10 bedrooms - which can be split into two separate units of 4 bedrooms and 6 bedrooms). I can’t pick between them - they’re all outstanding!
Ticking all the boxes is an impossible task when you’re navigating the needs and priorities of a disparate bunch of friends and family. But ANI gets really close! All meals, drinks, spa treatments, childcare (yes!), laundry and activities - they’re all included, which makes group travel the actual dream. Got the urge for a few cocktails? Say hello to your home mixologist. Want a bit of tennis coaching or a hitting partner? Here’s your tennis pro. Want lunch and dinner prepared for you without worrying about tricky taste buds and dietaries. That’s what your chef is for. Need a pedicure, or fancy a massage? Treatments are complimentary (whoop!)
If ever you needed a reason to gather the troops, this is it!
This is the most intimate gorilla trekking in the world
The Republic of Congo probably isn’t on your list for your next big trip. But perhaps it should be. If you’ve ‘done’ safari, or just have a hankering for a proper adventure that will give you bragging rights for years to come, give this central Africa spot some serious thought.
This is the place where you can enjoy the most intimate gorilla sightings in the world, and tag along with researchers studying the family groups of the western lowland gorilla in the Congo Basin. You'll have to fight for a spot...just four guests are allowed to join the researchers on every trip to minimise the disruption to their work. But if you’re lucky enough to get your place the rewards will be huge!
It isn’t all about the big hairy beasts. There are three camps in the Odzala National Park where you can base yourself to set eyes on a whole world of wildlife including forest elephants, forest buffalo and chimpanzees. Here the privilege is in the one in a life experience you’re enjoying in an incredibly remote part of the world, rather than the amenities. But they’re comfortable - every room has an ensuite bathroom with a loo that flushes, and a few have private decks for your own viewing experiences.
When you’re not gorilla trekking, there are river safaris, walking safaris, kayaking, night walks and if twitching is your vibe, the bird watching is also immense. This is truly the adventure of a lifetime!
Perfect for:
Real adventure
Experience of a lifetime
Getting up close and personal to African wildlife
