Somewhere Lombok is a vague, if accurate, name for a hotel that opened on an Indonesian island that’s long been a favoured haunt by Aussies.
Located somewhere on Lombok, Somewhere Lombok is somewhere between luxurious villa, art aesthetic and surf hut.
It is located near a famous break for a start, but to call it a surf stay would be to downgrade the place of its lovely, earthy aesthetic, simple and airy, and making you want to go there right now, whether you surf or not.
Somewhere is the brainchild of two sisters with Indonesian roots. For any wave loving traveller with a bit of extra coin, we can’t imagine you’ll find too many places better than this in 2023.
Bawah Reserve is the recently reopened paradise in the Anambas, an archipelago in northern Indonesia.
A series of six secluded private islands play host to 35 luxury suites, all boasting panoramic views of the ocean. Overwater bungalows and beach suites are the go here—the sort of barefoot luxury you dream about from your desk at 3pm every Thursday.
There’s access to an ‘Aura Spa and Wellness Centre’, plus hiking, snorkelling, stand-up paddle boarding, stargazing, a beach cinema and an unquantifiable number of places to swim. There’s even a chance to sail off into the sunset on an island cruise.
Ishigaki, Japan (set to be completed May 2023)
It’s not a hotel, only it is, but not yet.
Ishigaki is an island in the Yaeyama chain, at the very, very south of Japan (technically it’s closer to Taiwan than mainland Japan). Slated to open mid-2023, the design has certainly set tongues wagging—we’re to expect a circular building with an infinity pool, plus a rooftop lawn and pond, all of which blend seamlessly into the landscape.
Designed for one group (of up to ten people), the tranquility of both the island and the building itself will set it apart from other spaces. We can easily imagine a writer penning their debut novel here, or a bunch of mates using it as basecamp as they surf the more or less unheralded waves nearby.
Green is usually reserved for thinking about Ireland, or salads, or traffic lights.
But get lost were on Bohol Island, Philippines recently, and whenever we think of the colour green from here on in, we think we’ll be thinking of the stunning Loboc River, which flows gently from the village of Carmen and into the Bohol Sea.
The vividness of the emerald green water, reflecting its jungle surrounds, makes for a surreal paddle downstream on a stand up paddleboard, which is surely made for this sort of journey. Alone except for occasionally floating past villagers doing a spot of fishing, this river is a spot tranquility, where you can get a work out as well. Pop in for a refreshing dip in the humid climate, or jump off one of many rope swings dotted along the river. Paddle as far and as fast, or as cruisey as you like.
Consider this your green light to go to the Philippines.
It’s the sort of place that is low key at night and up-tempo during the day. The Loboc River winds like a snake through the island and eventually out into the ocean, and its water, emerald green on a sunny day, is a stunning location for action and adventure; think stand-up paddle-boarding, fishing, swimming and rope swinging.
Amorita is where you want to be to take it easy at the end of a massive day on this island. It’s actually on an additional island called Pangalao, which is connected to Bohol by a little bridge at its southern end.
Amorita is a stunning collection of designer rooms and villas, and home to two of the most stunning swimming pools you’ll come across. Putting the arms up on the ledge of the beachside pool, and staring out at the water, seeing little fishing boats bobbing up and down as the locals go about their day gives you that surreal feeling that you are elsewhere in the world. Somewhere other than, and better than, home.
The bar serves a delicious rum-based cocktail called Maybe I Should, and speaking from experience, you absolutely should, until you shouldn’t, and even then, you should one more time.
There’s archery and a wellness centre and all of the things you expect from a place with such an excellent reputation, but the low key, unpretentious-while-still-classy vibe that emanates through the staff and then by osmosis seems to transfer to guests is what separates this from the cold, corporate luxury resorts that exist.
You may recall us telling you in digital issue five of get lost about Private Jet Villa, the plane which has been shifted onto a cliff in Uluwatu and made into a villa.
Well, it’s almost ready for take off. Private Jet Villa opens to the public in late-April however you might have to wait a while to stay there. According to the owner, there are unpaid requests to stay at the extraordinary $7,000 a night villa for the next 11 years.
Workers had to remove an estimated 50,000 bolts, and build an entire new road to get the thirty-tonne Boeing 737 aeroplane disassembled and reassembled in its position on the edge of a 150 metre cliff.
Its right wing serves as one of the most epic decks we’ve ever seen, and the newly released designs of the inside suggest a luxurious stay, with two bedrooms and stunning bathrooms, and wall to floor window views of the Indian Ocean.
The word unique gets thrown around a lot these days, but this really is it: there isn’t another place like this on earth. Pretty cool.
“There’s nothing to do in Thailand,” said no-one ever, a rhetoric which continues with Yona Beach Club, the brand-new tropical party paradise floating aimlessly just off the coast of Patong Beach, Phuket.
We saw another article describe this place as a floating oasis, which doesn’t make any sense. How can an oasis, as a body of water, be floating? Yona too, is not a body of water, but a tiny, stunning man-made island. But we know what they mean.
The club’s two palm-tree lined levels offer a restaurant, several bars, a DJ booth, a bunch of cabanas to lounge about and two swimming pools to do the same. There’s kayaking and paddle boarding you can do if you feel like it, and it’s open late – from 11am until 2am every single day. This is probably the ultimate place to have a pool party….got a birthday coming up?
This is one of the most Insta-worthy bars/clubs we’ve seen in a while, and we can see it absolutely exploding as a result.
If chomping mushrooms at full-moon with a bunch of raving youngsters isn’t you, or you’re looking for something a little more upmarket, in the words of Talking Heads, this might be the place.
Built among rice field terraces, waterfalls and jungled mountainside, the brand-new, super-lux Avana Retreat in Mai Chau Vietnam is symbolic of iconic south-east Asian beauty.
Avana Retreat was inspired by the discovery of a local waterfall, just ten years ago.
That very waterfall is now privately accessible to guests of the retreat (of which there aren’t many – there’s only 36 rooms here) making it a truly ethereal breakaway – the kind you dream about from your desk every day at work.
There are more private surprises throughout: one villa perches on top of a terrace of rice fields; and three more boast private pools, including an 89-square-metre heated beauty that climbs in tiers, echoing the nearby rice terraces.
Thai AirAsia X launched the first flights direct to Bangkok from Australia since the pandemic this week.
The budget airline, a branch of AirAsia, have sent plenty of Australians to the top Asian destinations over the years, and the opening of both the Melbourne to Bangkok, and Sydney to Bangkok route will be big news to the hordes of Aussies wanting to get back to the country’s pristine beaches and chaotic cities.
Almost a million Australian travellers flocked to Thailand every year before the pandemic – about 4% of the country. There are about 70,000 Thai born Australian residents.
Aliya, a stay in central Sri Lanka, boasts what might just be the best swimming pool anywhere in Asia.
The generously sized 12 by 8 metre pool (which feels much larger than that) is situated in the middle of a dense canopy of greenery, gazing out towards Sigiriya – the thousands of years old wonder rock that is the enduring image of Sri Lanka.
King Kashyapa (of sixth century fame) built a palace of exquisite grandeur on Sigirya, which has been both lost and found over the last 1500 years. But if he were to hypothetically see the low-key, relaxed opulence of Aliya, we get the feeling he would have preferred to stay here.
As well as the pool there is a spa with modern and traditional methods, a modern recovery treatment centre for those needing a complete break, thoughtfully designed rooms and villas with their own pools, and the most extraordinary buffet selections get lost has ever seen (curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner).
As well as being the perfect base to explore Sigiriya, Aliya (Singhalese for elephant) is central to Minneriya National Park. When we visited, four herds of elephants converged into the one area, giving close proximity to over 100 elephants.
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