Before you get too excited, be aware that the house specialty at Barranco’s Ayahuasca Restobar is not the mind-altering substance favoured by people looking for higher meaning, but much tastier pisco sours, made with the local liquor. Not that you’ll care, because the interior of this nineteenth-century mansion is enough to transport you to another place anyway.
Before you settle in for libations and perhaps a plate of empanadas, wander the seemingly endless corridors and rooms. Each is furnished in traditional style but infused with primary colours, whether in the woven upholstery or covering an entire room and all that is in it. There’s one room where everything – from the sofas to the objects on a set of shelves, is lime green. Which may just make you think you’re tripping on ayahuasca, even if you’re completely sober.
The reason this is one of the parties you have to put on your bucket list is right there in its name: Willie Nelson. Regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of country music, the 81-year-old songwriter, author, actor and activist is an absolute legend. He first held Willie’s Picnic way back in 1973 in a field in Dripping Springs, Texas, which is outside Austin if your knowledge of Texan geography isn’t that good. Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings and Tom T Hall co-headlined, 40,000 people turned up (according to legend that’s about 35,000 more than anyone expected) and it all turned into a bit of a debacle. Thankfully, not at all phased by the chaos that ensued, Nelson continued what would become a tradition, even if it’s had the occasional year off now and then.
For the past few years, the event has been held in a large field adjacent to Billy Bob’s Texas, the world’s biggest honky tonk – and reason enough to visit to Fort Worth – with 6000 folks grabbing themselves a ticket to country-music heaven.
Make sure you… grab a handful of napkins. Billy Bob’s Bar-B-Que operates on site and, this being a picnic, you’d be mad not to stuff yourself silly on the Texan specialty.
Don’t… go too hard too early in the Texan sun. There’s a cool zone inside Billy Bob’s if you need it.
Constructed using stone hand-cut from surrounding mountains, Alila Jabal Akhdar blends sophisticated comfort with rugged terrain and Omani tradition. Perched over a gorge at 2000 metres above sea level, this new and sumptuous addition to Oman’s landscape offers sweet relief from the heat of the capital, a two-hour drive away. The aroma of frankincense drifts through the cool air, and afternoon cocktails are swilled on a deck overlooking an infinity pool. Day tours take guests into the heart of the Hajar Mountains to explore lush valleys of pomegranate, walnut and apricot trees, discover mud-brick houses crumbling into the hills, and wander terraced gardens scented with sweet pink roses.
Forget sleeping upright in a shoe-box sized space. This meticulously detailed 1965 Boeing 727 has two bedrooms, two baths, a flat screen TV, a kitchenette, a dining area and an ocean view terrace with 360-degrees of surrounding tropical gardens. The plane, which once flew for South Africa Air and Avianca Airlines, now takes centre stage on a 50-foot pedestal in the national park of the Costa Verde Hotel. This could be the closest you’ll come to joining the mile high club.
For a relatively small place Norway’s capital Oslo punches well above its weight when it comes to interesting sights. And one of the best ways to take in this leafy city is from a rather elevated position. Standing atop the arresting, angular Oslo Opera House, set by the water’s edge in the very heart of the capital, will allow you privileged views of the Oslo Fjord, with bright clapboard houses scattered along its shore line. While turning 180 degrees on the spot will provide views of both the city, and beyond the hills and mountains that surround it.
The marble-embellished roof of the opera house was designed by Norwegian artists Kristain Blystad, Kalle Grude, Jorunn Sannes. And aside from enjoying the near 360-degree panoramic views from on top of it, the opera house also plays host to a number of events, such as plays and concerts performed both within its walls and outside in its sprawling forecourt. Whether you take a stroll on the iconic roof or see a moving ballet performance, the Oslo Opera House is a highlight of any visit to the Norwegian capital and should be at the top of your to-do list.
If you haven’t been you dream about going and if you have been then all you do is dream about going back. Greece is the type of place that leaves you with a lingering taste for more. An overwhelming (yet very much welcome) array of local food, drink and ancient sights surround you, whether you’re sailing the Cyclades, exploring the Ottoman influence in the Dodecanese or immersing yourself in the mythology of the Ionian islands. And with more than 6000 isles at your toes there is plenty to uncover.
Heading north come Aussie winter means trading short, cold days for balmy European nights. Your daily routine on these Hellenic islands might consist of eating spit-roasted lamb souvlaki on the heady shores of Mykonos, cycling to the lazy beaches of Naxos or exploring the archaeological sites splashed all over Rhodes.
There’s not a whole lot of warming sun, and the number of minutes you can lie out in a cossie is severely limited, but Antarctica is a surprisingly popular beach destination for those brave travellers out there. Let’s face it, the landscape couldn’t be any more stunning and the wildlife is plentiful.
There is one place here where you can brave a swim that won’t leave you with frostbitten toes: Pendulum Cove in Deception Island. On this isle in the north of the Antarctic Peninsula, you can strip off and jump into waters heated to the temperature of a steamy bath by volcanic activity underground. Just remember to pack your togs.
Join millions of pilgrims on the banks of the Ganges, Sangham, Yamuna or Sarasvati for the holy Hindu festival, Kumbh Mela. Over 55 days, you can wash away your past sins in the sacred Indian waters and seek enlightenment from revered sadhus (holy men). Kumbh Mela is the largest spiritual gathering in the world and rotates the location every three years, meaning the festival only occurs at one location every 12 years.
The festival kicks off on a date determined by zodiac positions of the sun, the moon and Jupiter – when the sun and moon enter Capricorn, and Jupiter enters Aries. Kumbh Mela has been described as ‘the world’s most massive act of faith’, – but the ‘great’ cleanse, Maha Kumbh Melis only occurs once every 144 years… stay alive until 2145 and you may just get to see it.
Those who’ve travelled around Rajasthan will tell you that around every bend in the road you’ll see an ancient fort. This, after all, was the land where local tribes fought off invaders and each other for centuries.
Alila Hotels and Resorts has converted a 230-year-old fort into a luxury hotel, with 59 suites, a wellness centre, pool, four restaurants and a juice bar. Like all Alila properties, there will also be an on-site concierge team organising guest activities, from culinary expeditions to cultural journeys. Plus, the hotel is just an hour from the Pink City of Jaipur.
Ecuador may be famous for the Galapagos, but there’s another attraction just as great as blue-footed boobies – volcanoes. In fact, the country does them so well there’s an entire Avenue of Volcanoes, a 320-kilometre stretch that runs south from the capital, Quito, with seven huge peaks sprouting from the earth. The luxurious, 20-room CotopaxiPungo is set among them, carefully positioned to escape any hot magma that might ooze a path of destruction should one monster mountain blow its lid. It is, however, within view of some of the finest, including the snow-capped cone of Cotopaxi, which rumbled back to life last year sending whorls of smoke into the air.
The hotel itself resembles a traditional hacienda (colonial estate), complete with wooden floors, antiques and cosy fires to warm those chilly nights. And, sitting at 3350 metres, it does get cold up here. Spend your days exploring the Andes on horseback, visiting waterfalls, spying hummingbirds and testing your photography skills with tips from manager Juan Carlos, who’s an expert at snapping the giants. Return for honest, local cuisine in the dining room with 180-degree views of the landscape and the lights of Quito glimmering in the distance.
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