It has long been the conviction of the discerning traveller that a journey is only as memorable as the roof beneath which it is concluded. In an age when the grand hotel has become so agreeably familiar, a certain class of wanderer now seeks lodgings of a more astonishing character: dwellings that appear to have been conjured by some fevered and gifted imagination, perched upon cliffs, sunk beneath the waves or fashioned entirely of ice. Such places demand neither apology nor comparison. They ask only that the guest surrender to wonder. Outlook Luxe takes a look at seven hotels so extraordinary that they seem to belong to another dimension, each offering a most singular kind of luxury.
Giraffe Manor, Kenya
Upon the outskirts of Nairobi stands a handsome country manor of the 1930s, whose most distinguished residents are not its guests but its giraffes. The tall and gentle Rothschild’s giraffes wander freely about the grounds and, at breakfast, lower their heads through the windows in search of a morning treat. Few welcomes in the civilised world can claim such charm. The house itself, with its stately proportions and quiet, old-fashioned elegance, makes a delightful contrast to its towering neighbours, and it offers a rare and tender intimacy with the creatures of the African plains.
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Shebara Resort, Saudi Arabia
Rising from the turquoise waters of the Red Sea, Shebara appears less a hotel than a string of pearls laid across the lagoon. Designed by Killa Design for Red Sea Global, its mirrored stainless steel orbs reflect sky and sea until they all but vanish into the horizon. The resort comprises 38 overwater villas and 35 beachfront retreats, set among coral reefs, mangroves and dunes, and is powered by solar energy. Within, warm interiors with red leather and mirrored steel offer comfort of a most polished order. It is a dream of the future, wrought in gleaming metal.
Icehotel, Sweden
In Swedish Lapland, beside the frozen Torne River, a palace is built each winter from ice and snow, and returns to the river with the spring. Artists from many nations sculpt its suites, each a singular work of frozen art, and guests repose upon beds of ice draped in reindeer skins, wrapped in thermal sleeping bags. The Northern Lights flicker overhead on clear nights, lending the whole an air of enchantment. Few experiences so beautifully unite the fleeting and the sublime. It is a masterpiece that exists for one season only, and is the more precious for it.
The Muraka, Maldives
At Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, the Muraka offers what must surely be the most remarkable bedroom in the Indian Ocean. This two-level villa places its master suite some five metres below the surface, enclosed in glass, so that the guest may drift to sleep beneath a canopy of passing fish and shimmering coral. Above the waterline, the villa provides all the elegance one might expect of a private retreat, with ocean views stretching to the horizon. It is a most extravagant conceit, and one that turns the whole sea into a living tapestry, lit by dawn and moonlight alike.
Montaña Mágica Lodge, Chile
In the ancient forests of Patagonia’s Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve, a lodge in the form of a volcano rises from the trees, with a waterfall tumbling down its sides. Fanciful and enchanting, it appears like a scene from a fairy tale, and the surrounding landscape of mist, moss and towering trees only deepens the spell. Within, the rooms are warm and thoughtfully appointed, offering a snug retreat from the damp of the wilderness. It is a place where imagination and nature join hands, and where the traveller may well feel that he has wandered into a storybook of his own childhood.
Skylodge Adventure Suites, Peru
High above Peru’s Sacred Valley, transparent capsules cling to a sheer cliff face some 400 metres from the ground. Guests must earn their rest, reaching the suites by a climb up the rock by way of a via ferrata, or by a steep and thrilling hike. Reward awaits in the form of panoramic views of the valley below and a night beneath the stars, suspended between earth and sky. It is not a place for the faint of heart, yet it offers an unforgettable communion with the heights, and a bed in the very heart of the Andes.
Desert Rock, Saudi Arabia
Hidden within a secluded wadi, a short drive from Red Sea International Airport, Desert Rock appears to have been carved by nature itself. Designed by Oppenheim Architecture for Red Sea Global, the resort comprises villas and rooms embedded in the mountainous terrain, so that the buildings share the very colours of the surrounding stone. Wadi Villas with private pools and Cliff Hanging Villas perched high above offer sweeping views of the desert, while a lofty observatory is reached by a suspension bridge and a long climb. It is a most dramatic union of ancient landscape and modern luxury.
