Energy-balancing therapy is all about good vibrations. Amatierra’s sound therapy tune-up sessions use singing crystal-quartz bowls to relax the mind, while the meditative treatments will rebalance your chakras (energy centres).
Raise your vibratory levels to the rhythm of the Costa Rican rainforest and be at one with the environment and your own inner tempo.
The treatment draws on the ancient Tibetan practice of playing singing bowls, which are a type of bell said to restore any frequencies in your body that are out of whack and potentially diseased. Therapies can also combine Biomat treatments, which use the power of amethyst crystals to soothe the body. For something more hands on book in for a horse therapy session.
Open your imagination and leave sound of mind and body.
With a Lego-yellow hotel and the snow-covered Andes as a backdrop, the outdoor pool at the world-famous Portillo Ski Resort is one of the coolest (and coldest!) places to get your trunks on.
True, most people come here for the fresh powder and unbeatable runs (Portillo is ranked among the top 10 ski resorts in the world), but we say it’s worth a visit for the hotel pool alone.
It really doesn’t get any better than soaking in a hot tub while you bask in the rugged mountain views and fresh snowfall. Who knows, you might even be tempted to re-create a scene from the documentary film Warren Miller’s Journey and practise extreme ski jumps into the pool – but you didn’t hear that from us.
Pulse through the musical meccas of Burkina Faso and Ghana in a toe-tapping, hip-swaying African odyssey.
Rhythm and Power tours depart in December annually for a physically and mentally challenging journey designed to immerse you in the music and culture of West Africa.
Dance your way through Ghana as you study the subtle nuances of djembe, a skin-covered goblet drum, and dunan, a cylindrical drum topped with rawhide. Explore the bustling streets in Kumasi, Ghana’s second-largest city, jam with locals in Bolgatanga, in the country’s warm farming region, and celebrate New Year’s Eve in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.
Live with a griot family (a household of storytellers and musicians), perform in traditional ceremonies and muster strength and stamina as you master folklore dances. By the end of this 40-day journey you will march to the beat of your own drum.
It gets totally wild when scantily clad Sitgetans take over the Catalonian city during their Carnival. Even in the chilly weather (it’s Europe in February, after all), a full covering is optional and debauchery rules the streets after dark.
When it first gets going, Sitges is essentially a party that attracts the LGBQTI crowd, but after the initial four days it becomes slightly more like Carnival in other parts of the world, albeit with a rainbow hue.
It all begins on Fat Thursday – they call it Dijou Gras here – and the Gran Rua (King’s Parade). Costumed ‘queens’ shimmy down the street and the King of the Carnival reads his proclamation to start proceedings. From then until the ceremonial burying of the sardine on Ash Wednesday the town becomes a heaving, swaying mass of humanity.
The two biggest events, however, are the Debauchery Parade on Sunday night and the Extermination Parade on Tuesday evening. A procession of floats, pumping out tunes and surrounded by dancers, cruises through the streets. Drag performers and dancers from all over Europe strut beside them, as up to 300,000 people from all corners of the globe shimmy on the sidelines. Then, when the parading is done, the Sitges nightlife keeps the party going until well past dawn.
During the day, if you manage to wake up, things are often a little calmer. You’ll see costumed children and folk dancing, take part in a game that’s a bit like bingo called the Great Carnival Quinto, and hook into the traditional feasts held at different points around the city. Try xató (cold cod salad), but hold on to your plate since the carnival jesters have been known to start food fights.
Not every sailing adventure has to be an epic voyage, and a two-day dhow cruise with Musandam Sea Adventures is a tantalising way to find your sea legs. The rugged Musandam Peninsula is an enclave of Oman, separated from the rest of the country by the United Arab Emirates and jutting into the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Persian Gulf. Board a dhow – a traditional wooden fishing vessel – and explore the mountains that plunge straight into the sea. Frolic on the sparkling white sand beaches skirting the many inlets, keep a lookout for dolphins and swim in clear waters teeming with marine life.
If there’s one thing the locals of Papua New Guinea’s Trobriand Islands are mad about it’s cricket. But be prepared for an unconventional contest. Trobriand cricket – introduced by Christian missionaries back at the beginning of the twentieth century to discourage ritual warfare (and the copious fornication the islanders are still renowned for) – involves chanting, dances, traditional dress and modified bats and balls.
A six is scored by hitting the ball over a tree, bowling is always underarm, the umpire comes from the batting side, and the home team puts on a feast at the end of the game. Some would say that’s just not cricket, but we think it’s a hoot.
For a quick look at their interpretation check this out:
The historic walled city of Derry in Northern Ireland is a charismatic charmer, and there’s no better way to get there than by travelling the Causeway Coastal Route along the Antrim coast from Belfast.
Whether you do it by bike, car or skateboard, take the time to explore the pubs and pit stops along the way, including Murlough Bay, the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, the Giant’s Causeway and the Old Bushmills Distillery.
Experience a wild night at Coco Bongo, where even the venue is a heady cocktail: part nightclub, part floor show, with a dash of Cirque du Soleil poured into the mix to keep things very interesting. Think lip-synching pop star doppelgangers, acrobats, wild movie costumes, dancing and social lubricant by the litre. If you tire of the place in Cancún, head to its sister venue in Playa del Carmen.
Rio might grab all the attention, but the flesh-flashing party that goes hand in hand with the mass participation Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago is every bit as explosively colourful and crazy, minus the crowds of tourists. Steel bands, elaborate costumes, stick fighting and limbo competitions all form part of the tropical two-day festival, which kicks off on different dates in February or March each year.
It starts at 4am on the Monday before Ash Wednesday, with the main celebrations – masqueraders in costume, bands in competition and plenty of people watching on – taking over Tuesday.
Also known as the Manhattan Solstice, this is a natural spectacle during which the setting sun aligns with the east–west streets of New York City’s main grid. It makes for some killer photos, so photographers, take note: it only happens twice a year, and the best chance to catch that perfect moment on camera is usually between the end of May and the middle of July.
(
