Be the first to know about the latest hotel openings around the world and hottest new destinations with our round-up of travel news
1 Tri, Sri Lanka
Tri, Sri Lanka, is the talk of the luxury travel town, and rightly so. The new boutique hotel – opening at the end of 2015 – has been designed by British ex-pat photographer and entrepreneur Rob Drummond who has lived on the island for over 15 years. As a result his creation is totally at one with the nature around it, it has been built to blend in with the surroundings and built with the surrounding’s materials. Rob worked with award-winning architect Raefer Wallis of A00 Architects on what is Sri Lanka’s first contemporary, sustainable, luxury design hotel. And what a design it is too. Sitting on a hillside haven on Lake Koggala (25 minutes from Galle), Tri has been built to mirror nature’s Golden Ratio, a geometric swirl of 11 suites spirals around the plot, made up of living walls, green roofs, solar panels, recycled wood and cinnamon stick cladding. Food and activities at Tri also work with the natural setting. There’s a 21m cantilevered pool with terraces and decks, a tree-top yoga studio, kayaking trips, and all the food is made using local ingredients. Despite the strong eco-ties, Rob knows what holiday makers want from a luxury hotel, and Tri’s private Beach Club & Restaurant on Kabalana Beach is just a boat ride away, plus the hotel is accessible by sea plane. trilanka.com
Take a look at how Tri will look:
2 Nelson Mandela Centre for Reconciliation, Shambala Private Game Reserve, South Africa
The Nelson Mandela Centre for Reconciliation has been a private home since 2001, but was closed in 2013 when the former president of South Africa died. This month the house will reopen as luxury accommodation for up to 12 guests visiting Shambala Private Game Reserve. At the request of Nelson Mandela, the house was given a deliberately simple design. Typical African style is carried through the house, from the exterior’s thatched roof, pillars made from leadwood trees and intricately-carved teak door frame, to the interior’s neutral tones and tribal designs. There’s an indoor, heated swimming pool overlooking a private waterhole, a large deck and lounge area, plus five en-suite bedrooms and a presidential suite. The Nelson Mandela Center for Reconciliation House can be rented for between £3,794 and £4,607 a night for 12 people sharing six bedrooms. This includes all meals and drinks, a private chef and butler, game drives, bush picnics, cruises on the Douw Steyn Dam and star gazing expeditions. Spa treatments, transfers, elephant back safaris, fishing trips and guided bush walks can be arranged at an extra cost. zulucamp.co.za
3 Linkwasha Camp, Zimbabwe
Another African opening for May, this time in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park – an area famous for amazing wildlife. The eight-bedroom camp has private access to Wilderness Safaris’ Makalolo and Linkwasha concessions, amounting to some 52,300 hectares of game habitat. A fresh, open, airy design mixes with eclectic contemporary interiors in the camp’s en-suite tents that overlook the waterhole and includes raised decks at different levels. There’s also a pool and winter lounge, with a library – all of which offer panoramic views of the game reserve, where guests can expect to see lions, elephants, buffalo, leopard, hyenas, zebras, impala, giraffes and plenty of African antelopes all year round.
Four nights cost from £1,465pp, including meals, house drinks, safari activities and laundry. aardvarksafaris.co.uk
4 Treehouse Hotel, Port Lympne Wild Animal and Safari Reserve, Kent
Slightly less exotic but still no less exciting is the new Treehouse Hotel in Port Lympne, Kent, which opens in July 2015. Made up of several treehouses, all with views over the safari park, the luxury, glass-fronted suites have been conceived by interior designer Tara Bernerd, who is known for her stylish hotel and restaurant design, and encompass natural colours and materials to complement the surroundings. Each Treehouse has two bedrooms with space for four people, a bathroom and open-plan kitchen/sitting room, which leads out to a private balcony. While staying at the Treehouse Hotel guests will have exclusive use of a golf buggy to drive around the reserve, plus the option to have a private chef, while among the activities in the park is encounters with gorillas, zorbing, fishing, cycling, archery and various safari experiences. Overnight stays cost £300 in the low season and £600 in the high. aspinallfoundation.org/treehouse-hotel
5 Sugar and Loaf holiday cottages, the Brecon Beacons, Wales
Sugar and Loaf, the holiday cottage expert, has added several new cottages to its collection in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. Among them is the charming Peggy’s Cottage (for 2-4 people, from £390 for 3 nights), which comes with its own kitchen garden, The Mill House, a cosy detached farm house (sleeps 6 people, from £390 for 3 nights), with its own barn and gypsy caravan, and The View, a remote holiday property with wooden hot tub and Finnish sauna (sleeps 8 from £990 for 3 nights). Guests have the option to pre-order a hamper of Welsh goodies to be waiting for them, breakfast in bed and bike hire. Sugar and Loaf has also teamed up with My Personal Santuary, offering guests organic beauty treatments in their homes. There are packages for mums-to-be, mini treatments for kids and options for men. An hour with a therapist costs £120. sugarandloaf.com
6 Rosa Alpina Hotel & Spa’s mountain cabin, Trugnei, Dolomites, Italy
Open for the summer season, the Rosa Alpina Hotel & Spa’s mountain cabin Trugnei gives families and friends the chance to really get away from it all. Located at 6,500 feeet, there is no Wi-Fi or mobile phone reception, creating the ultimate space for a digital detox. Gaze out over the mountains, walk among the wild flowers, go mountain biking, rock climbing or swimming in the nearby lakes – a holiday at Trugnei is all about good clean outdoor fun. The five-star Rosa Alpina will deliver breakfast to your door and organise BBQs, plus there’s the option to eat in the hotel or cater for yourself. Trugnei is open from 12 June to 20 September for the summer. Rooms are available from €385 per night based on two adults sharing a Deluxe Double room. Rates include breakfast, taxes and services and exclude tourist tax. Children up to one year stay free of charge and – extra beds are added for a fee. rosalpina.it
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