(
After getting stuck in a storm on a 1850-kilometre scramble across Antarctica, a team of explorers decided to set up a camp with everything they lacked during those four gruelling days. Situated next to an ice cliff, deep in the interior where few travellers ever venture, Whichaway Camp offers six luxurious domes, where guests lounge on leather and nosh on gourmet food rather than voyage rations.
Its zero-impact policy means waste is flown out, emissions offset and the 24-hour sunlight harnessed for power. Away from base you’ll visit ice caves and 6000 penguins in Atka Bay, and even jet to the South Pole if you choose.
Archives: Highlights
Allows the user to create Highlights
Bad Frankie
When John Franklin, the governor of Van Diemen’s Land, outlawed small pot stills in the early nineteenth century he crippled the distilling industry. It wasn’t until the 1990s that this law was overturned and Aussies once again began to brew their own spirits. At Bad Frankie, in Melbourne’s inner north, punters can celebrate the emancipation of local liquor and choose from hundreds of Australian whiskeys, rums, vodkas and gins. There’s even local absinthe for those disposed to a little adventure. But it’s not just the alcohol here that burns the tastebuds – it’s also the piping-hot jaffles. Bad Frankie serves nine different types, including two dessert versions. These more-ish, home-grown parcels include the Classic, stuffed with vintage cheddar and ham off the bone, and the Shroom, which packs garlic, spinach, fetta, and red wine and thyme mushrooms between slices of wholemeal.
Bali’s Coolest Place to Stay
Most presume the Bali of old was sucked into Kuta’s juice bars, but pockets exist that still offer the same magic travellers fell for many years ago. One such place is the Hideout, a double-storey bamboo abode for up to four guests perched between a rice field and a river in the mountains near the Gunung Agung volcano, a 90-minute drive from Denpasar.
Decked out with musical instruments, art supplies and a resident kitty, it is the ideal place to relax and let creativity flow. Cool off in the river with huge butterflies kissing your skin and watch the waterwheel churn to give the Hideout extra electricity. Visit the nearby Campuhan, the sacred confluence of two rivers, where the Balinese go to cleanse body and soul and perform spiritual ceremonies. At night, ride the house’s scooter to a warung (casual restaurant) in a nearby village and return to laze in the hammock, listen to frogs and spot fireflies blazing in the jungle. It’s the ultimate Balinese holiday.
Home away from home at Gorki Apartments
No matter where you’re from, Gorki Apartments makes Berlin feel like home. Located in the hip Mitte neighbourhood – much-loved for its historic attractions like the Brandenburg Gate, designer shopping and cool bars – the building has been transformed from its 1900s residential roots into 34 apartments and two expansive penthouses.
Little touches, like Berlin-based brews from Paper & Tea, seasonal decorations and freshly baked biscuits, make you feel as if you’re staying in someone’s home.
Take advantage of the concierge’s wisdom to get great tips for exploring the city, then climb on a Pelago bicycle to see Berlin from a different perspective. After a long day of exploring, settling into your room feels so right.
Matera’s deluxe cave dwelling
Imagine, if you can, people living in caves dug into the side of a ravine 7,000 years ago. That was how hotel Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita began its existence. The sassi are ancient cave dwellings that, until the late 1980s, were inhabited by the poor of Matera, a village in Italy’s south. With the rise in tourism, some have been transformed, including Le Grotte Della Civita, which is now a unique 18-room boutique hotel.
The whole town is UNESCO World Heritage listed, so each of the caves housing a suite has been carefully conserved and retains its original shape and materials. The interior design is minimal and true to the formation’s origins, the candlelit restaurant is set in a former church and even the spa is housed within rough-hewn walls.
Thai beach island bliss
Tucked away in its own bay at the base of striking cliffs, Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi caters to beach-bliss hedonists and adventurers alike.
Wake in a plush room or pool villa overlooking the ocean on the west coast of Thailand and ponder the big questions of the day: should you flop and drop on the beach with a cocktail? Or meet wildlife thriving under the sea, clamber up Krabi’s famous limestone formations, or explore the Monkey Trail?
When you’re done paddle boarding the coast and hiking into tropical parkland, unwind with a signature massage using products made with locally grown herbs. Next, satisfy your palate with a seafood barbecue before slipping into your private plunge pool for a dip under a canopy of stars.
Play posh at Mayer Manor
Embrace your inner noble on the banks of Amsterdam’s ancient canals. The Mayer Manor, built from the remains of a fifteenth-century convent, is now a three-storey Art Deco mansion with a spellbinding one-bedroom apartment spanning the top two levels.
Throw open the fairytale oak doors to a city haven furnished in moody tones and earthy textures. If you can bring yourself to leave the opulent setting, explore the nearby shops, galleries and cafes. Return for an evening soak in the oversized copper bath in your bedroom while the fireplace crackles and light from elegant candelabras flickers across your skin. Once you’re squeaky clean, climb the wooden staircase onto your rooftop, or trail the haunting melody from a distant piano playing in the private club downstairs.
Head downtown to the Bowery
Opened in 2007, the Bowery Hotel was a leader in the revitalisation of the once-gritty Bowery neighbourhood. Hoteliers Sean MacPherson and Eric Goode, also responsible for the Maritime and Jane hotels in Manhattan, bought and redesigned the 14-storey property, creating spaces imbued with retro, Art Deco-inspired glamour. There’s a warm and welcoming lobby, complete with hand-picked antique furnishings and cosy fireplace, and an outdoor patio.
The 135 bright guestrooms are like cool apartments, with floor-to-ceiling windows (some even have glimpses of the Empire State Building), Turkish oushak rugs, marble tubs and C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries amenities in the bathrooms. Grab a board game from the collection inspired by The Royal Tenenbaums and escape to the wood-panelled lobby bar for a break from the New York crowds, or try chef Chris D’Amico’s rustic Italian fare at Gemma, the in-house restaurant.
Discover Dubai’s arty side
If you live and breathe art you will do both happily at the XVA Hotel in Dubai, an understated boutique property in a city usually associated with excess.
This triple threat – it’s a hotel, vegetarian cafe and one of the best contemporary art galleries in the city – is located in the Al Fahidi historical neighbourhood, with its Persian architecture and snaking alleyways. The 13 guest rooms, arranged around shady courtyards where guests relax sipping mint lemonade, were once part of a home that was painstakingly restored over a four-year period by owner Mona Hauser.
Each has a theme based on a local tradition – henna or dishdashas (traditional robes), for example – and features artwork by XVA artists.
High in the trees at Keemala
Every rainforest-enclosed villa at this luxurious, wellness-focussed Thai retreat has its own pool. That, in itself, isn’t groundbreaking, but consider the designs, with the infinity dippers seemingly suspended in midair, and it becomes clear Keemala is a game changer.
The 38 suites come in four different styles, including Bird’s Nest (pictured) and Tree Pool villas. The whole resort overlooks the Andaman Sea and is close to both Kamala and Patong beaches. There’s a holistic spa and plenty of activities on offer, as well as four dining destinations and a terrace on which to sip sunset cocktails.
