This is the order of the Order of St Clare, who have responded to rising costs that were affecting their pastry business by renting out rooms as AirBnBs in their 16th century convent.
In the description, “peace… light and calm” are all offered from a stay at Convent of Saint Mary of Jesus Airbnb.
We don’t expect this one to be a raucous party accommodation, and we’d advise getting your sins out before you stay, which means no profanities and certainly no orgies.
The convent is still the same one the nuns sleep and work in from day-to-day, although the apartments are based in a different block.
These is hardly the humble abode of those devoted to a life of religion; a large private patio allows you to take in the blue Seville sky, and there’s a coffee maker, orange juicer, water heater for infusions, big T.V and even an outdoor shower, which is kind of niche and unexpected.
The convent is based in the ridiculously attractive city of Seville, in the southern part of Spain, which is a huge plus.
Brand new in Singapore, 21 Carpenter is a hotel where history buffs and modern, art-deco minimalist-types can live in harmony – not always the case.
It’s blends old-world Singapore – think relics, inscriptions and phrases from the building’s history dating back to the 1930s as an old remittance house – with an exquisite, minimalistic luxury which is sure to win the hearts of architecture and design enthusiasts.
The building really is something to behold; sleek, modern art deco meets brutalist concrete, the latter inscribed with real-life messages from 1930s immigrants who would visit the building to send money home to their families.
It’s location on a busy urban street fades away when you step inside, where a rooftop pool and large open spaces remind you that you’re in a luxury hotel, and not in the 1930s (don’t think infinity pool cocktails were a thing back then).
There’s also a sick garden terrace to hang out in, for when you need a refuge from the hustle and bustle of 2024 Singapore.
‘The Black Pool’ is a 40 metre, 40℃ infinity pool that is arguably the highlight of the stunning Botanical Pool Club, near Chiba, Tokyo.
It’s amazing that a place like this could even exist in Tokyo, comprising of 21 rooms, a bunch of swimming pools and a jungle-inspired sauna stretching out over some considerable space.
Tokyo is a city of vastly variable climate, and so this is a place to come whether it’s a desert oasis or warming up you’re requiring.
It is so at odds with the Tokyo we all know and love, in fact, that we at get lost think it’s a masterstroke. A refuge from the chaotic, beeping energy, leaving you with more energy to charge this city’s weird beauty during the day and at night.
The red rock of outback Utah is something get lost have covered in depth. Why? Coz we’re addicted to the otherworldly feeling of this special part of the planet.
ULUM®Moab might be the best place to situate yourself in this ethereality. White, glamping style tents are dotted throughout the Moab Desert, and their interiors provide a luxurious refuge from what can be a harsh and unforgiving environment.
During the day you can go canyoneering, hit the trails or charge the Colorado River in a kayak, Christopher McCandless-style. ULUM® Moab is a solid place to base yourself for outdoor adventure.
This is not some over-built monolithic mega-complex; ULUM® Moab does what great accommodations in great landscapes—blend into the environment, and bask in it.
Pronounced: FLOKE-HIT-NAH. Yep, the entire Norwegian language is just an outrageous tangle of consonants and vowels to an outsider.
Hello to these small cabins situated in Sveio, at the edge of Norway’s mighty west coast, just south of Bergen. Flokehyttene translates to ‘The Tangle Huts’, but these are hardly a tangle.
This part of the world is blessed with extraordinary beauty and these incredible installations (built in typical northern minimalism) let the location do all the talking.
Panoramic windows offer glorious views to the outside world—wild winds whipping the sea into a frenzy. And you’re watching it all from the comfort of your little cabin, coffee in hand.
Cenotes—naturally formed, slightly shaded swimming holes—are an enduring image of Mexico.
Otro Oaxaca has built an homage to cenotes in this stunning new hotel. Light filters through a porthole in the roof of a heated, 20-foot plunge pool, offering a tranquil escape from the rest of the world. It’s stunning, and it still might not even be the best pool at the hotel—the rooftop pool that overlooks the 16th century Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán is hard to beat.
The rest of the place is beautiful too: 16 rooms of exquisitely designed Mexican goodness, and a restaurant of yet more delicious Mexican goodness. This is one of the best hotels to open this year, absolutely no doubt about it.
When the legends at Soneva sound the conch horn to announce they’ve built another stay, you listen.
The luxury chain makes accommodation so damn dreamy you’ll think it’s been dreamt up by AI. But it’s not. This place is real. Soneva Secret is the incredible, not-so-secret collection of 14 beach and over-water villas located in Haa Dhaalu Atoll, the Maldives’ most remote atoll.
The resort’s star attraction? Probably the Castaway Villa, the Maldives’ first floating villa. Floating on water, not a euphemism, this incredible master suite even boasts a roof that slides open to reveal star-strewn skies.
Transport around the resort is also done in style; going for a swim? Take the water slide. Heading to dinner? Enjoy the zipline.
Kangaroo Island is continuing its stirring comeback after being razed by the 2020 fires. And one of the best things travellers can do to help is visit, stay and contribute to the local economy.
CABN is one of the best places you can stay on the island. Making their name as specialists in off-grid sustainable accommodation, CABN at Cape St Albans, is a simple but striking black box set on a 162-hectare private property (which should be enough, you’d imagine).
This might just be the ideal place for an outdoor bathtub. After you’ve gone and gotten sweaty on a hike or a surf, fill the tub (perched on your private balcony) and take in the surrounding wilderness, ocean and kangaroos. Preferably with a beverage in hand.
There’s a king-size bed and other luxuries inside, but it’s really the extraordinary location you come for. Well, that and the tub.
The perspicuously named Sun Ranch, in Byron Bay’s hinterland, is 55 acres of California meets Australia. 1970s meets today.
Retro furnishings seemingly taken from the Californian ranch homes of 1970s movie stars sit inside plush wood panelled rooms. There’s record players, tiger-print wraparound sofas. And probably a martini making station, we bet.
There are also massages and yoga, kayaking and Zooz e-bikes. Oh, and horse riding. There’s a pool overlooking the famed hinterland, and a restaurant boasting ridiculously succulent open-fire meals from famed chef, Pip Sumbak. Parts of the ranch are totally off-grid, but the whole ranch is pretty light on when it comes to eco footprint. This really is the best of both worlds.
This national park isn’t like all the other national parks.
Why? Because you can find elephants swimming the waters here. Then there’s the local Vedda community, the earliest known inhabitants of Sri Lanka, who still stroll the forests as they have for thousands of years, climbing trees for food and living in harmony with crocodiles, turtles, monkeys and other animals.
There’s only nine humble bungalows at Gal Oya, so you’re not jostling with hordes of tourists in an attempt to get ‘the shot’.
Wildlife geeks will rejoice at the wildlife research centre on-site, and people who eat food will rejoice at the local dishes served up on banana leaves every day. Living.
(
