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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.
region: Asia
Sushi wonderland at Sukiyabashi Jiro
Few meals compare to an evening under the eye of Jiro Ono, one of Japan’s national living treasures and head chef at Sukiyabashi Jiro. Devoting his life to sushi from the age of nine, this octogenarian was the world’s first sushi chef to snare three Michelin stars. Gently pressing each portion of seafood into a stack of lightly vinegared rice sourced from his personal rice dealer, Jiro crafts each morsel to the mould of your mouth. His staff handpicks each creature from Tsukiji fish market, before they’re sliced, diced and tempered.
Hardly larger than a bento box, you’ll struggle to find the 10-stool eatery, which is tucked into a basement in Ginza. And it’s one of the toughest restaurants in the world to make a reservation, especially for gaijin (foreigners) who must find a Tokyo native to dine with. The starting price looms at ¥30,000 (US$252) and each mouthful checks in at US$12 a pop. Diners forking out for the half-hour feast enter a gastronomic symphony, from chilled uni (sea- urchin), to melt-in-your mouth unagi (eel), before the closing chord of succulent soft egg roll.
Banish your jet lag at JUKO Oxygen Lounge
Need an antidote for all those lovely germs you’ve inhaled over the past 10 hours courtesy of your fellow passengers? Slip into the JUKO Oxygen Lounge at Tokyo’s Narita Airport and get yourself a high-grade oxygen hit. Use an oxygenator headset, or a nasal cannula to pump flavoured oxygen into your lungs; try eucalyptus-menthol or cinnamon for a particularly zingy hit.
A 10-minute session will set you back about US$6, and not only helps fight jet lag, but will ease headaches and increase alertness. Sleep it off in one of the airport’s private day rooms, complete with beds and showers.
Sang Giri Mountain Tent Resort
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.
Castaway beach camp
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.
Jamtara Wilderness Camp
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.
Chhatra Sagar
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.
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.
Overwater drinks at Baba Nest
With a panoramic view of the Andaman Sea, Baba Nest is one of the world’s most impressive rooftop bars. Open to only 20 guests at a time, it’s also one of the most exclusive; the bar occupies an island deck smack bang in the middle of a wraparound infinity pool. It’s the perfect place to watch the sunset blaze across the peninsula, or take in a sunrise – if you can last. Beanbags and low tables provide a home to park your rear and your glass while you cool off with your feet in the water and a sake mojito in hand.
