OTRO OAXACA

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.

From AU$490 per night.

Click for PUTTING THE O IN MEXICO

COULIBRI RIDGE

Like that talented mate at high school—smart, attractive, a natural at sport, pop-culture reference expert and part-time DJ—some places on earth are just blessed.

Set on 200-acres of lush Dominican wilderness, 14 extraordinary suites overlook a mountainous ocean landscape to one side and the Sulfur Spring Valley to the other. Want to relax? Sulfuric mineral hot springs are just minutes away from your suite. Fancy an adventure? You can hike to either the Atlantic Ocean or the Caribbean Sea in just a day.

The design of this complex is at the intersection of epic and mindful. The whole resort is off-grid, using sun as power and rain as water, and is completely genuine in its eco-credentials.

In fact, Coulibri Ridge took its creators 20 years to build—20 years well spent, in our humble opinion.’

From AU$999 per night.

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BOTÁNIKA RESORT

Botánika Osa Pensinsula is like a homage to planet earth.

It’s a brand-new eco-resort in Costa Rica, situated where stunning rainforest meets an idyllic stretch of coastline that is more or less private except for the biota that also call this part of the world home.

Located right next to Corcovado National Park and Golfo Dulce, thriving reptile, marine and wildlife hubs respectively, the resort could not be better placed for animal lovers.

When you’re done watching those beasts roam around their habitats, you can roam the stunning expanses of the resort; be it the lagoon-style pool, world class restaurants or jungle-like luxury of your room or villa.

From AU$168 per night, minimum three nights.

Click and it WON’T COSTA THE EARTH

YOUR OWN PARTY ISLAND IN THE CARIBBEAN

This might just be the ultimate party house.

If you manage to round up a few of your best mates for a week at Oasis Kalua in Colombia, your life has surely peaked.

Kalua is a four-bedroom, thatched roof, tropical paradise surrounded on all sides by the Caribbean Sea, about an hour by boat from Cartagena. By day you’ll be faced with such tough decisions as whether to lounge in the cabana or on one of the many sunbathing decks, and whether to swim in the pool or the crystal-clear sea. By night, its coronas, Piña Coladas and dancing in your own private Casa de Fiesta. Salud!

AU$3,620 per night

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Discover Grenada’s underwater sculpture park

A circle of children hold hands in eerie stillness while nearby, a man sitting at a desk taps blankly at his typewriter.

This surreal world lies beneath the calm waters of Grenada’s Molinere Bay where are number of life-size figures made mainly from concrete sit at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea, nibbled by tropical fish.

Hurricane Ivan swept through the tiny Caribbean island of Grenada in 2004 tearing up trees, houses – in fact, anything that stood in its path. The destruction occurred underwater too. The coral surrounding the island that had made it so appealing to snorkellers and divers was also severely damaged.

Killing two birds with one stone, sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor installed a series of underwater sculptures which also act as artificial reeds on which marine life can develop. They have attracted tourists armed with snorkels and diving gear, easing pressure on other reefs in the area, and have also drawn a wide range of marine life back to these waters.

The sculpture park continues to grow, with artists continuing to add their own work to the surreal space.

Return of the Rock

Prior to 2017, Saba Rock had developed a reputation as a famous island getaway for celebrities and the like.

And while the Hurricane Irma caused major destruction across the British Virgin Islands, Saba Rock included, it is now back and open for business.

The redesigned Rock has a contemporary aesthetic, with a fresh take on the destination’s nautical lifestyle and features. There are just seven guestrooms, and two suites designed as a chic retreat that plays up the island’s reputation as a kiteboarding and sailing destination.

The island also has an expansive, open-air restaurant, lounge, two very epic-looking bars (including a rooftop sunset bar), spa room, and retail space, that also serves as a museum with artefacts from nearby shipwrecks.

Made famous by diving pioneer Bert Kilbride in the 1960s, we reckon the new Saba Rock might even be just as good as the old one.

Epic Costa Rica

Costa Rica is, relatively speaking, a pretty small country. Which makes it the perfect place to cram a heap of experiences into a small timeframe.

Adventure World Travel (AWT) has an epic 12 day journey that takes in the equally epic Tortuguero, Arenal and Corcovado National Parks.

Among the highlights is Pacuare Reserve, a wildlife haven hidden in dense jungle along the Caribbean Sea, and accessible only by boat.

The trip is a Make Travel Matter journey endoresed by the Treadright Foundation – one with a focus on experiences that have a positive social and environmental impact on the destinations (and those who experience them). And that’s a good thing, right? You’re travelling, but you’re also being a bloody legend as well!

As well as intimate wildlife and conservation activities (think turtles, monkeys, macaws and jaguars) you’ll squeeze in absurdly attractive beaches, cloud forests, hot springs, volcanoes and more.

You can find more socially and environmentally positive trips like this one here. 

Mexican Indulgence

When picturing Baja Club, think old school Mexico combined with modern indulgence like a rooftop bar and opulent swimming pool.

This newly opened hotel in La Paz, Mexico is an example of masterful architectural minimalism, providing luxury but also paying homage to more modest roots.

If you’ve heard of La Paz it might be because it’s the setting for John Steinbeck’s classic 1940s’ novella The Pearl. Located at the bottom of Mexico’s South-Western arm, the city has also been building for some time as a hot-bed for eco-tourism.

Travellers frolic in seaside ‘balnearios’ that line La Paz’s spectacular bay, where whales, whale sharks and dolphins are known to frolic themselves.

The hotel has its own library, as well as a boutique shop. But for us, taking in the Mexican sunset with a tequila or seven on the roof is where it’s at. Get me there now.

Hidden delight at Tulum Treehouse

You’re shrouded from view by a thicket of greenery thriving beyond your windows. Just moments from your sanctuary are Mayan ruins, a shimmering white coastline and a bohemian beach town. Welcome to eco-friendly jungle living at Tulum Treehouse. Concocted by a coterie of artisans, architects and designers, this private five-bedroom oasis is all about shining the spotlight back on nature: from the white walls to the locally sourced wood, the upcycled furniture, the Oaxacan ceramics and the plush Mexican textiles.

Each room features a wrap-around balcony and a hammock, yet the pièce de résistance is the rooftop – perfect for a mezcal-infused tipple after a day exploring the Yucatan Peninsula’s best assets.

No dramas on Isla Damas

There is only one way to get to the tiny rocky outcrop of Isla Damas, one of three making up Pingüino de Humboldt National Park: hitching a lift with a fisherman from Punta de Choros. There is nothing on this 60-hectare island bar an unmanned lighthouse, a campsite with a couple of toilets and two beaches (La Poza and Las Tijeras) with white sand and azure water, that will make you think you’re kicking it in the Caribbean.

Except the water here is significantly colder, thanks to the current from Antarctica. It meets warmer water flowing down from Peru, making this a playground for marine wildlife, including sea otters, bottlenose dolphins, sea lions, sea turtles and the Humboldt penguin, the park’s namesake.