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This isn’t really what you expect from a Balinese resort. At Luna2, designer and owner Melanie Hall has given 14 studio apartments more than a dash of pop-art creativity. Each is themed by colour and decked out with groovy art, modernist furniture and eye-popping accessories – think geometric rugs, Philippe Starck chairs and a maxi-bar stocked with Chupa Chups and champagne.
The studios are situated just 50 metres from the beach at Seminyak, but there’s a pool and spa for close-to-home dipping. In fact, the site is so pimped – top-notch food at Orbit restaurant, pumping tunes at the underground Pop! lounge, drinks with a view at the Space rooftop bar, and movies every day at Lunaplex cinema – you may be tempted not to leave at all. But you have to, and some point. And when you do feel up to emerging, give yourself a dose of nature in Bali’s mountains while staying at Sang Giri Mountain Tent Resort.
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California’s Wild West drinking hole
If you ever find yourself driving through the California desert, keep your eyes peeled for what looks like an old movie set. Here, in the middle of nowhere, you’ll find one of the States’ best music venues. Pappy & Harriet’s was originally established as part of Pioneertown in 1946, when a group of Hollywood hoi polloi decided to create a frontier town that hid motels, restaurants and entertainment venues.
Harriet and Pappy took over one building in 1982, set up a Tex-Mex restaurant and brought in the bands. Park yourself in a booth, down a Bud and a quesadilla and prepare for a night of good music. It’s a popular spot for Coachella sideshows, hosts its own festivals and has seen the likes of Modest Mouse and the Pixies on its stage.
Uncover a mountain hiking mecca
Oman can get hot. Really hot. And while the warmth makes the white-sand beaches all the more enticing, there’s another way to experience sweet relief from the sun; by travelling even closer to it. Head high into Jebel Akhdar, part of the immense Hajar Mountains, 2000-metres above sea level. Here a great canyon splits through rock and the temperatures drop more than 10°C.
At first glance the region’s name, which translates to Green Mountain, may seem a little misplaced. But on closer exploration you’ll uncover valleys of fertile soil with orchids growing pomegranate, walnuts, figs and succulent stone fruit – think juicy apricots, peaches and plums. Terraced hills are scattered with bursts of colour in the form of Damask rose bushes, with their petals destined to be distilled into Omani rose water, and later infuse local sweets and traditional cosmetics.
Ruins of mud-brick houses sit crumbling into the hills at Wadi Bani Habib, and date palms form oasis around them. This is the place to really get in touch with nature, and you’ll spot buzzing insects, vultures and warblers on a hike to the town and through the valley. After a couple of days exploring the mountain oasis of Jebel Akhdar that heat building up inside you will have dissipated, and you’ll be ready to embark back into the warmth of the lower grounds.
Bear watching in remote Russia
There’s something primal about observing bears in the wild. And witnessing these magnificent creatures in the remote lands of Russia is an experience unlike any other. Grassy Point, a tiny promontory on Kurilskoye Lake, is the largest spawning ground for red salmon in Eurasia, meaning the site is a gigantic bear magnet. Spot hundreds of animals crowding the banks as they hunt for their next meal during a helicopter tour to the region with 50 Degrees North.
Take in the views from a two-story A-frame timber lodge, complete with dining room and wrap-around verandah. From here, you can observe the graceful symmetry of Ilyinsky Volcano, whose peak touches the sky at 1578 metres, and a dozen other smaller mountains.
Spot bear cubs chasing each other across open meadows while their parents stalk salmon along the lake’s shore.
An African safari it isn’t – there are no jeeps or Land Rovers here. When you’re done animal spotting, a MI-8 chopper will whisk you off to the Gorely Volcano, a massive complex of five overlapping stratovolcanoes with 11 summit craters and another 30 on its flanks.
India’s ultimate glamping experience
Panoramic views of mystical mountains, a private patio and your very own butler – this is glamping like you’ve never seen before. Chamba Camp in Thiksey sits in the twin shadows of India’s impressive Stok Kangri and the Ladakh mountain ranges and houses travellers in unique, individually designed tents. The camp is located away from the hustle and bustle of tourist trails – but don’t worry there is still plenty of activities to keep you busy and to take you into the heart of India.
Try your hand at archery and croquet or if you’re in the mood for adventure explore nearby villages either on foot or by bike. Bird enthusiasts will delight in the bird watching sojourn and there are many culture tours to embark on including visiting the Leh Palace and walks through ancient trade paths surmounted 108 stupas. You’ll find it almost impossible not to be moved by the chanting of prayers flowing from the nearby Thiksey Monastery. At the end of your jam-packed day enjoy a meal in the dining tent before returning to your own haven for the night. And if you need anything during your stay, just call on your own personal butler.
Tour starkly beautiful forts and castles
When it comes to whimsical castles and forts, Oman offers beauty that could have been lifted straight from the pages of a fairytale. With that in mind, you simply can’t visit without stopping in at Jabrin Castle. Located among the palm-fringed foothills of the Jebel Akhdar highlands, the beautifully preserved 17th-century castle – built by Imam Bil’arab bin Sultan of the Yaruba dynasty – has long been a revered institute for learning. Wander through its central courtyard and dip into one of the hundreds of hidden rooms adorned with intricately painted ceilings among its labyrinth of archways and watchtowers. If you’re up for the challenge, set out to discover Bil’arab bin Sultan’s crypt – an atmospheric final resting place with carved vaults and the gentle bubbling of the falaj (water channel) flowing below.
Can’t get enough? Just five kilometres from here is the striking Bahla Fort. A fortress of astounding proportions, it is not only the oldest (built some 800 years ago by the Banu Nebhan tribe), but also the largest of its kind in Oman. Its stone foundations and surrounding 11 kilometres of fortified unbaked mud-brick walls, and the edifices within it, are thought to be among the finest Omani architecture of the medieval period. However, its disintegration over the years meant it was almost lost to the sands of time, that is until it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 – the only fort to be awarded such a title in the entire country. In the following two decades the site was restored to its former glory, before finally reopening to the public in 2012.
There’s little in the way of tourist information or exhibit displays, which means you’ll have to do your homework before you arrive, but it also leaves your mind free to wonder and imagine the various histories that took place among Bahla’s twisted alleyways, souqs and within the alcoves of its sand-coloured walls.
Argentina’s coolest neighbourhood
If you want to hang with hipsters and hobnob in BA’s boho barrio, Palermo Soho is your ’hood. Named after New York’s famous arts and entertainment district, Palermo Soho is a trendy fusion of shabby and chic, and a magnet for artists, musicians and writers (famous Argentine scribe Jorge Luis Borges once lived here). Tree-lined cobblestone streets brim with restaurants, galleries, hotels and boutiques furnished with the wares of local designers. Stroll past gentrified European-style buildings, peruse shops, grab a bite to eat and settle in for an evening of people-watching at Plaza Serrano, a small park that plays host to impromptu jam sessions and vocal performances. Be sure to check out the Sunday crafts fair, where you can pick up locally designed, one-of-a-kind pieces at stalls set up alongside the terraces of alfresco eateries.
A beachside playground for hipsters
Imagine you just finalised the purchase of a nineteenth-century building when Superstorm Sandy takes its roof off and fills it with a metre of mud. That’s what happened to Jaime Wiseman, but that didn’t stop him creating Playland Motel, an out-of-town getaway at Rockaway Beach.
His dream? To reinvigorate an area that was devastated by constant closures, even before the hurricane hit. Each of the 12 rooms, curated by prominent artists and designers, has a distinct aesthetic. Already attracting a hipster crowd wanting to explore beyond its regular Williamsburg haunts, it looks like the punt has paid off.
African Multisport Adventure
If you can’t decide whether you’d prefer to take to the African plains by foot, clamber into a saddle or quaff sundowners after witnessing a lion gorge on an antelope from the back of a 4WD, combine them all for the ultimate safari adventure. Start in South Africa, where you’ll hike Cape Town’s Table Mountain and meet a local who will share tales of his time imprisoned on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela, then glimpse rare zebras, ostrich and baboons as you cycle to Chapman’s Peak on the rugged Cape Peninsula.
You’ll go hiking and canoeing and get a taste of ancient history at the luxurious Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Retreat, where more than 130 rock art sites date back 10,000 years. In the afternoon take a break from adventure for a spa treatment in the Riverside Gazebo and watch the sun set with a glass of one of the local vintages.
From South Africa a private charter flight takes you to Mashatu in Botswana where more than 50 types of mammals and reptiles and 350 species of birds roam the plains. Three of the big five – lions, leopards and the largest herd of elephants on private land in Africa – as well as cheetahs, jackals, wildcats, ostrich and giraffe, make for excellent photo opportunities. You’ll learn to track animals as you cycle between baobabs and giant sacrosanct Mashatu berry trees, for which the reserve is named. A blazing fire and canopy of stars accompanies your camp at night.
Before returning to South Africa for bush excursions by foot and 4WD you’ll go for game drives and hike the Great Escarpment. After all that adventuring we bet you still won’t be able to pick your favourite style of safari.
Antarctica for adrenaline junkies
An Antarctic expedition for adventurers who prefer to get amongst the environment, rather than view it from a porthole. This expedition has a number of adventure-oriented add-ons so that travellers can get the most out of their Antarctic experience. Scuba dive with the seals through plunging ice walls where few artificial fins have been. Climb deserted alpine peaks, or spend a night camping on the ice.
The Antarctic Peninsula expedition departs from Ushuaia, Argentina and arrives at Punta Arenas, Chile – or the reverse, depending on what dates you choose to leave. And for those who don’t quite know how to handle their camera, there’s a professional photographer on board to help snap-happy adventurers adjust to the conditions and capture their best pictures.
