(
Add a little quirk to your holiday album and squeeze in a night in a colossal colon at CasAnus. Reminiscent of an oversized slug, this distal digestive tract is plonked on an island in the 30-acre Verbeke Foundation Sculpture Park. Windows illuminate the anatomically correct intestine, while the puckered rear boasts a porthole view.
The bowels of the polyester apartment house a double bed, shower and toilet, as well as a heater to keep you toasty warm. If you’re feeling social, the onsite bar-cum-cafe is full of art lovers looking for a gasbag. While other accommodation options might give you the arse, we’ve got a great gut feeling about this place.
Archives: Highlights
Allows the user to create Highlights
Wiesergut
This alpine hideaway blends traditional Austrian charm with minimalist design – think untreated wood, natural stone, exposed concrete and vast panes of glass. Located two hours outside of Salzburg, owners Sepp and Martina Kröll have transformed what was Sepp’s great-grandmother’s guest house into a chic mountainside retreat.
Tumble from the huge, freestanding tub to a cozy spot by the fire then into bed, without ever losing sight of the mountains outside. Devour a book under the warm glow of hand-blown glass chandeliers or share a glass of wine in the hot tub on the terrace (if you’re in one of the garden suites). The restaurant has several intimate dining areas and much of the produce – meat, eggs, herbs and vegetables – is grown on the hotel’s farm, which will come as a deserved reward after a day of biking, hiking or skiing in the mountains.
Tanja Lagoon Camp
Set on the edge of a coastal lagoon on the doorstep of Mimosa Rocks National Park, just north of Tathra on the New South Wales coast, Tanja Lagoon Camp offers offers accommodation integrated with nature. Formerly a dairy farm and saw mill, the property is undergoing a transformation as the owners return the land to its original state. The three safari tents have private bathrooms, queen-size beds, writing desks and timber decks built with locally milled wood.
Kangaroos graze on the grass, spoonbills lurk about the dam and there is plenty of other wildlife to keep guests entertained. During the day, you can relax and watch the rosellas from your deck or take a canoe out across the water. More active visitors can hike along the edge of the lagoon to Middle Beach’s surf breaks to spot migrating whales.
A dash of everything at WTF Cafe & Gallery
The moment you arrive at this retro-styled, three-storey cafe, bar, restaurant and exhibition space you’ll know you’re off to a good start. There’s a relaxed vibe, delicious cocktails to try, poetry reading nights, upstairs gallery spaces, a dance floor and a screening room.
The space was established as a creative social club aimed at exposing art to a broader public audience in an informal environment. The strategically chosen name stands for Wonderful Thai Friendships.
Sky high in Bangkok at Sirocco
Sky bars are so hot right now in Bangkok and sprouting everywhere like fresh foliage in the city’s towering canopy. At State Tower, whiz 64 flights up and emerge from the lift to be greeted by four smiling faces discretely checking how suitably you’re dressed. The punishment for attempting to enter a Bangkok sky bar in thongs is an evening of wearing the establishment’s heavy Amish-style black clogs and a guarantee of going home alone. Swan, preferably in your own footwear, down the broad staircase towards Sirocco’s neon-lit bar, perched on the side of the building like something from a movie.
Polynesian party at Three Dots and a Dash
Chicago winters can be punishing, so what better way to stave off the northern hemisphere chills than with a Painkiller No 3, loaded with two varieties of rum and the tropical bouquet of summer? Award-winning watering hole Three Dots and a Dash has Polynesian mixology down pat, with a heady menu of cocktails that will blast away the winter blues.
Named after a famous cocktail created to celebrate the end of World War II (in Morse code it stands for ‘V’ and, in the 1940s meant ‘victory’), Three Dots and a Dash serves up 20 cocktails and 250 varieties of rum. Park your behind under the thatched canopy at the bar, get both hands around a decorative tiki mug, and try not to be intimidated by the big dudes carved into the decor.
The Harrison Speakeasy
Argentina may be known for its big, bold reds, but expertly crafted cocktails are on the rise, and the best are hiding in Buenos Aires. It will, however, take some work to find them. Concealed behind a nondescript cellar in the back of a sushi restaurant called Nicky New York, The Harrison Speakeasy transports guests from the Palmero Soho neighbourhood to the sultry world of the 1920s Big Apple.
Entry into this land of crystal decanters, champagne and bourbon is exclusive, so unless you’re a member or rub shoulders with the right people, you’ll need to book a meal at the restaurant out front and do your best to charm the waiters. Your efforts will be more than rewarded once you’re sipping a creation poured by one of Argentina’s best bartenders, Seba Garcia.
Rooftop views at Suite 700
If you enjoy views with your Veuve it’s hard to pass up this westside beauty. Ensconced within the beachfront Hotel Shangri-La, Suite 700 blends old Hollywood glamour with modern chic, and is the only public open-air rooftop bar and lounge in Santa Monica.
The art deco lounge is sleek and inviting but, on a balmy night, it’s the rooftop that rules. Feel the Pacific breeze tousle your hair as you take in the 360-degree views. Chomp into a Korean BBQ slider, washed down with a signature lavender crush cocktail, and watch the sun set over the famous Santa Monica Pier.
Retro drinks at The King of Ladies Man
Want to know a secret? Getting to The King of Ladies Man is like opening a Russian matryoshka doll inside a time machine. Within The Breakfast Club, a 1950s all-day cafe and brunch bar, is a kitsch, bamboo-clad ’80s launderette complete with a fake wall. Slide back the faux panel and – voila! – you’ll be stepping inside a ’70s-style bachelor pad to snag a date with The King. Think pink flamingos, bronzed mirrors and vintage Playboy mags. In the glow of a stained-glass window etched with, well, a penis, bartenders rocking Hawaiian shirts and porn-star moustaches serve up ‘disco drinks’ like Pina Coladas and Mai Tais. For something less sweet, order from the rotating list of craft beer and pair with a toastie fit for royalty.
Play it cool at JuJu
Sidle up to this trendy inner London bar expecting a quaint English pint and you’ll be sorely disappointed. JuJu is one of London’s hippest cocktail bars, whose extensive drinks menu is a roll call of Stolichnaya and Laurent Perrier, not stout and lager. Make sure you dress to impress; this upmarket venue is owned by celebrity couple Lee Chapman and Leslie Ash.
Perch yourself on one of the dark leather lounges, soak up the candlelit ambience and check yourself out in the mirrored ceiling. The porn star martini is to die for, darling, and the Asian tapas will delight your tastebuds.