It’s not every night you get to bed down in a former brothel. If the walls of Cocomama could talk they would have some sordid stories to tell, but fear not, you won’t find any icky notches on the bedposts here.
Touted as Amsterdam’s first boutique hostel, Cocomama combines the elegant style of a luxury hotel with more informal comforts. Located in the heart of the city, the building boasts high ceilings, chandeliers and quirky Dutch ornaments hanging from the walls.
Travellers can keep to themselves or hang out in the ‘movie corner’ with Joop, the resident cat. Go for a private pad and choose between the Dutch-themed rooms – think tulips and forests – or grab a bed in the ‘red light district’ dorm.
In the desert sprawling below the snow-capped Atlas Mountains sits Scarabeo Camp, a luxurious offering created by a graphic designer and photographer duo. The surrounds may be striking, but the camp itself is the true visual feast. Crisp, white cotton tents stand in the desert plain, each furnished with a queen-size bed, local artwork and Berber rugs.
Located about an hour from Marrakech, the camp takes you on a journey back in time to when pioneers settled the secluded area. Not to be outdone by the explorers of yesteryear, the camp comes equipped with ensuite showers and a separate tent for dining. Bread is baked daily in a traditional earth oven and regional produce is turned into authentic Moroccan cuisine.
During the day the camp offers board games, boules and a projector, and there are plenty of more adventurous activities to partake in, including hot-air balloon rides, paragliding, trekking and horse rides. Relax by booking a massage, enjoying picnic or joining an astronomy class, or check out a nearby hammam.
Shack up in a bungalow hemmed with succulents near the tiny coastal town of Puerto Escondido. To retain a beach-bum vibe, the architecture at Hotel Escondido (a member of Design Hotels) utilises traditional aspects – palapa roofs, wooden floorboards and regional artefacts – combined with modern touches. Each hut, for example, has a private plunge pool with sun deck and polished concrete bathroom.
There’s a spa on site, and a restaurant serving simple Oaxacan cuisine. While it might be a challenge to drag yourself from the sunlounger, think about picnicking at the nearby lagoon, surfing the region’s legendary breaks or jumping on a horse and galloping movie-star-style along the shore. At night, play cards in the bar or sweat it out in the underground nightclub.
This beautiful mid-city retreat so well-hidden among the backstreets of KL’s busy shopping avenues that you wouldn’t even know it’s there. And that’s the appeal. Step from the bustling city streets into a private tropical oasis.
Choose from a Thai-style loft room or large villa with outside decking that opens directly into the blue lagoon-like pool. Bathe in a super-size jacuzzi, dine on sweet treats delivered to your room every afternoon or order an in-room massage. With poolside cabanas and a rooftop bar with free cocktails and canapes, who needs shopping?
Built on the banks of the Mekong, Kamu Lodge blends hands-on camping with a hot shower and comfy bed. Thatched roofs keep tropical rain from drenching the lodge’s 20 safari tents and solar panels suck up enough sun to power a fan and brew hot water for the ensuite bathroom.
Meals – brekkies of eggs, bacon, baguettes and jam, and dinners created using locally sourced produce – are served in a stilted pavilion overlooking lush rice paddies. During the day you can go hiking, help plant and harvest rice, or try your hand at net fishing. There are also excursions to the nearby Pak Ou Caves.
The spa, overlooking the Mekong, offers traditional Kamu massages. There’s no wi-fi, so evening entertainment involves a couple of drinks at the bar or lazing on the deck by your tent, listening to the thrum of jungle life and watching the flow of the Mekong. On most nights children from the nearby village perform traditional dances by the campfire.
You could almost be forgiven for thinking you’d washed up on a lake somewhere in the USA – especially when you see the canoe tied to your jetty and the enormous steaks served for dinner – but this unique property is located near Shima city on Japan’s east coast, about 500 kilometres southwest of Tokyo. Part of a well-established campground in a popular seaside area that’s famous for pearl farming, these permanent waterside structures opened in May 2014.
Each has an outdoor bath, bonfire for after-hours marshmallow roasting and a hammock for relaxed staring, whether you’re looking up into the cloudless sky, watching the waterbirds on the lake or counting stars after dark. During the day take a canoe out for a paddle on the water, or head out onto the peninsula to see sacred Shinto shrines or visit Mikimoto Pearl Island and museum.
The heritage-protected rice paddies of Jatiluwih are virtually as far removed from Kuta and its bogans as is possible on one small island. Pitching its eight luxury tents with these fields and lush rainforest as a backdrop, Sang Giri Resort takes full advantage of the mountain air and panoramic views from the hills.
The shelters boast queen-size beds and a couple of torches, but don’t be concerned – they are for evening exploring. Your tent has all the mod cons you could possibly wish for, including electricity, bathrooms with rain showers and eco-friendly products.
Welcome the day with a few sun salutations on the yoga platform and thank Mother Earth for her work… and the camp’s access to wi-fi. During the day, grab a bike and cycle to villages, hike through rainforest and rice fields, visit nearby waterfalls or soak in natural hot springs.
If fantasies of being shipwrecked on a faraway isle fill your thoughts, check in at Jeeva Beloam. On a secluded beach surrounded by a nature reserve, you’ll find a string of recycled timber and alang-alang beach huts, all facing the ocean.
The huts have a rustic charm – complete with huge, netted beds – and guests spend their days basking on the beach, lazing on their terrace (Jeeva has a library should you finish the books you brought with you) and plunging into the ocean.
There’s snorkelling off the beach and sea kayaks for exploring the coast. Better still there’s no TV or wi-fi, so you can completely retreat and revive your addled mind.
Sleep amid prowling wildlife in rural India at Jamatra Wilderness Camp. Pitched right by a forest, this luxury glamping lodge gives guests the chance to get up close to nature with its array of shut-eye options.
Sink into bed in one of 10 luxury tents, snuggle up on your private patio with a hot water bottle to keep you cosy or, best of all, snooze in an alfresco suite. Set on a platform high on stilts, these four-poster beds, known as machaan, offer guests unbeatable star-gazing opportunities under a clear night sky and prime animal viewing come the crack of dawn. Spot deer, leopards and, if you’re lucky, tigers roaming from nearby Pench National Park. After a night out in nature enjoy breakfast back at camp, a daytime safari and afternoon cocktails in the shade of a huge banyan tree.
Far from the maddening crowds of Delhi and Jaipur is this exotic getaway in Marwar, a south-western region of rural Rajasthan, and the perfect mid-trip stopover for anyone suffering fort fatigue. This is desert country, but at the end of the 19th century a local noble, Thakur Chhatra Singh of Nimaj, created a dam on a seasonal stream so that farmers would have water all year round. On his new oasis, he built a hunting camp where dignitaries would come for sport and socialisation. Now his great-grandchildren have recreated the estate, with 11 luxurious hand-stitched and hand-painted traditional tents overlooking the dam, and two more private pavilions high on the hill.
Each has locally crafted furnishings, a private bathroom and its own peaceful sitting area overlooking the landscape. During the day you can explore the area with a jeep safari to rural Bishnoi villages. The Bishnoi people are nature-lovers who enjoy a rich cultural life, with their villages often home to potters, weavers, farmers and shepherds. There’s also the option of doing a wildlife safari.
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