The simple life is waiting. Situated in the Sulu Sea in Palawan, this private tropical island – just two hectares but with an expansive white-sand beach – is a secluded paradise.
The main house at Brother Island sleeps up to 10 guest and is rustic but comfortable, and the staff members, including a cook who prepares traditional Filipino meals, ensure no guest wants for anything. Chill in hammocks, snorkel on a nearby shipwreck or take an island-hopping excursion.
One of the island’s greatest features, though, is its night sky. With no TV to offer distraction, you may find grabbing a beer and staring into the dark quickly becomes part of your nightly ritual.
Famed for its castles, palaces and wild gardens, the tiny town of Sintra is one of Portugal’s shining stars. Experience it just like a royal, with a stay at the luxurious Tivoli Palácio de Seteais. Built on a hillside in the 1780s, this five-star, 30-room estate has been lovingly restored to resemble a palace of centuries past. Days can be spent soaking up the Portuguese sun by the infinity pool with fresh lemonade, crushed from the fruit in the gardens, delivered to your day bed. This is a prime spot to see the sun set over the ocean too or, better yet, opt for a suite with your very own terrace, and watch as the Atlantic sends mist swirling over the famous Pena Palace on the mountain above you.
Wander the halls lined with priceless antiques and carpets worth as much as your university degree and kick back with a book – perhaps by Lord Byron, who wrote of Sintra as a “glorious Eden” – in one of the sitting rooms. At night, chandeliers illuminate the frescoes on the walls and music from a harpist or pianist dances in the air.
You’ve probably guessed it by now – Seteais is so beautiful you won’t want to leave, but exploring the UNESCO World Heritage town before the crowds arrive is one of the best parts of a stay. Then there are the hotel’s activities… Helicopter flights and horse riding adventures are all on the cards, but if you prefer to keep your feet on the ground head to the striking cliffs that form the westernmost point of Europe. Your guide, selected from Walk Hike Portugal, will share secrets of the area with you, including lunch at a local haunt where you’ll devour a feast of clams, prawns and fish chosen from the day’s catch, before rolling you back to the pool. Yep, a day trip to Sintra is far from enough.
Ever wanted super powers? Get one step closer by delving into the legend of the ninja in Japan. Your first stop is Kyoto, where you’ll learn to use a bow and arrow in an archery class. Next, you’ll study the ancient art of kenbu (sword dancing). In your downtime, explore the city’s temples or visit a tearoom for a warm cup of matcha. Board a shinkansen (bullet train) and zoom to Tokyo where you’ll undertake the ultimate ninja experience: a training session at a dojo with a karate master. Here, your sensei will guide you through various movements and techniques (and hopefully leave you in one piece). After your lesson wander Tokyo’s crowded streets, cutesy toy shops and tiny sushi bars. You might not become Superman, but being a fully fledged ninja will look pretty cool on your resumé.
Forget dinner and a show, where’s the gin? Imbibe libations at this raucous West End tavern, an homage to Jules Verne’s fictional adventurer, Phileas Fogg, then toddle upstairs to the plush parlour of the explorer’s beloved aunt, acclaimed actress Gertrude Fogg.
Choose your poison from a selection of more than 300 types of the world’s most interesting gin, peruse curiosities from Gertrude’s days on stage and take in views of London’s Noël Coward Theatre. Indulge in a gin tasting or sashay into the salon and settle on a chaise longue to nibble treats fit for famed thespians, such as sloe gin cured salmon followed by gin and tonic marshmallows. After a couple of strong drinks you may feel the urge to crack open the cabinet of wigs and scripts for a debut under an ornate chandelier.
Experience the sensation of whooshing down an Olympic ski slope without the risk of breaking your neck at the Kollensvevet zip-line, propped on top of Oslo’s Holmenkollen jumping tower.
The first ski competition here took place in 1892 and since then the structure has undergone 14 transformations to morph into the architectural curiosity it is today. Stand atop 100 tonnes of steel and take in the expansive views of Norway’s capital, then plummet 107 metres over a swift 361-metre distance. If that isn’t enough to get your heart pumping, boost the adrenaline factor by riding upside down.
There is an islet in Kenya so private and romantic that even Cupid couldn’t have dreamed of it. The Suite on the Rocks, a thatch-roof natural beauty exuding tranquility, is connected to the Sands at Chale Island resort by a stone bridge.
The centre of the room will have you lost for words. There’s a walled garden beneath an open roof that lets rain trickle in to create an atmosphere resembling that of an indoor rainforest. Spend your days watching fishermen in dhows sailing by as you sprawl on the sun terrace. Then, as the evening arrives, pop the champagne and immerse into your hot tub on the cliff face.
Imagine soaking in a tub and watching clouds unravel from Japan’s most iconic site, the snowy cone of Mount Fuji. Set in a red pine forest marked with craters and ice caves, the concrete cabins of Hoshinoya Fuji blend the worlds of camping and luxury with a minimalist Japanese aesthetic.
Echoing an American summer camp, the glampsite offers horseback riding, tours through the infamous Aokigahara Forest, star watching and whiskey sipping near the camp fire at night. Rise with the sun and set out in a canoe to paddle Kawaguchi, one of Mount Fuji’s five lakes. If you’re lucky you’ll witness the famous volcano mirrored in the glassy water.
Catch world-class waves without the crowds in a Polynesian paradise. Despite being the largest island in Samoa, Savai’i and it’s impressive breaks are still something of a secret. At Aganoa Lodge you’ll have exclusive access to a beach sheltered by a barrier reef. High tide brings Little Left, the only beginner’s wave on the island, which breaks on the edge of the lagoon. For something more challenging, just ask the lodge’s experienced guides. They’ve got the drop on the island’s other breaks – there are right- and left-handers pumping at between two and 14 feet – and can usually get you there within 30 minutes (the furthest is an hour’s drive). When you’re not paddling out, go hiking to waterfalls, pull on a snorkel or try your luck catching dinner. In the evening, retreat to the deck for a cold one as the sun goes down.
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.
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.
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