A luxurious calm: Summer getaways for a real bliss
Luxury is a tangible edifice built on elegance. In embracing luxury, we are embracing the evolving tastes of our civilization and showcasing a culture's parameters of 'fine-ness'. Ease into bliss at our luxury getaway recommendations this summer. Chosen from among the winners of World Luxury Hotel Awards, these are a mélange of spaces that will awaken your senses to the wonders of nature, and beyond it, the wonders of nurturing hands'
1/10
Overlooking the Moremi game reserve, the ten luxury tents of the Masaba Camp nestled in the dense treeline along the Khwai river provides an authentic experience of the African bush. The Machaba tree is renowned for their abundant fruit that feeds a vast array of animals, and makes for excellent game-viewing from the comfort of your tent. Then there is the local cuisine served under the stars at night…
2/10
Housed in a pyramid shaped glass structure, this eccentric, art themed hotel may be the closest you’ll come to staying in a luxurious modern art museum. The hotel floors house the largest private Salvador Dali collection outside Europe alongside modern masterpieces by Chen Wenling, Andy Warhol and Zeng Fanzhi, and quirky objets d’art . The rooms are cozy and thoughtfully designed with the latest in technology. Take a tour of the hotel and stand in awe. Others have.
3/10
The founder Kiwi Janine Hall heard her calling – to help women ‘ quieten your monkey mind, reconnect with yourselves and rekindle your sparkle’. She set up Escape Haven at Bali’s hip surf village of Canggu, a tropical luxe haven exclusively for women to get away from the pressures of everyday life. Their range of inspirational wellness and detox packages cover surf, yoga, healing, ayurveda or fitness retreat programmes. With standalone villa rooms on large grounds bordered by jungle and paddy fields, Escape Haven is showing the way.
4/10
This is as elementary as it gets. A mesmerizing view of vast rust coloured desert landscape with craggy outcrops at sunset, and a plush settee with Jordanian wine and mezze to take it all in. The luxury tented suites have a private deck each with views, hot and cold showers. The local bedouins who expertly run the camp dish out a traditional zarb dinner, an ancient practice of cooking with hot coals under the sands.
5/10
Luz Houses are a set of terra cotta buildings set in a wooded landscape of fruit and olive trees. The rooms are like little sanctuaries, with details that stir the senses, inviting reflection : Hot lavender scent towels, a tableware that seems taken out of a fairy tale, a welcome tea served by the fire, homemade biscuits, candles in every corner, trees decorated with little lights, a stairwell leading to a quiet cave... Luz promises you a soul experience. After all, this was the region that witnessed Marian apparitions in 191
6/10
This is no mirage but a fort, dreamt and built from scratch on a sand dune in Marwar by Sidharth and Rashmi Singh just a decade ago. Overlooking the expanse of the Thar desert, the exceptionally spacious nine suites at Mihir Garh celebrate the textile art traditions and mirror work of the desert state with modern amenities. Gaze at the rugged beauty of the land for hours or ride the horses of the famed Marwari breed, from the owner’s private stables. For the saddle-sore, there’s always the infinity pool and an ayurvedic spa.
7/10
The classic white-washed hotel, modelled after the island’s traditional cave dwelling, seem carved onto the cliffside of the island. Each suite’s terraces open to sparkling views of azure seas. For guests who never want to leave the privacy of their terraces, there’s a cocktail list and a tasty light-fare menu and the staff’s complete attention. Splurge on The Antiquarian’s Suite, with its beautiful Minoan wall frescoes and a plunge pool.
8/10
The owner Bernard Magrez, one of the biggest names in the world of wine, graciously invites you to discover his stately chateau through his tasting courses. The two michelin starred restaurant is in the hands of the legendary Pierre Gagnaire, whose refined plates drawn from Bordeaux’s best produce is extraordinarily complex and awe-inspiring. You will want to retire after that to rooms with silk wallpaper, taffeta draperies and antique furnishings designed to recapture the era of Napoleon III, when the château was built.
9/10
LUXURY SMALL HOTEL - SEASIDE GLASS VILLAS, KEMI, FINLAND
It’s arctic freedom at its very best. A cozy glass cube by the seaside to snuggle up in and experience Nature’s incredible light show outside. There’s midnight sun in the summers, and a frozen sea, ice and Northern Lights in the winters. There’s breakfast to wake up to - Lapland delicacies including smoked salmon, cloudberry jam, selection of cheese and Lappish bread.
10/10
This is the epitome of exclusive barefoot luxury - a private tropical island small enough to circumnavigate on foot, with twenty five thatched roof bungalows set in a lush tropical jungle surrounded by crystal blue waters and pristine reefs filled with colourful fish. Go snorkelling, feast on fresh seafood and Malagasy cuisine and contemplate the view from a hammock. Well, any view!
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