Weird & Wonderful
PLACES TO STAY
CASA NA TERRA
Portugal
Going underground is generally synonymous with fugitives on the run or sheltering from a bomb threat. But here at Casa na Terra, it's a place you go willingly. And you never want to leave.
Weird & Wonderful
PLACES TO STAY
CASA NA TERA
Portugal
Going underground is generally synonymous with fugitives on the run or sheltering from a bomb threat. But here at Casa Na Terra, it's a place you go willingly. And you never want to leave.
Weird & Wonderful
The house blends naturally, almost seamlessly into the Portugese landscape. So seamlessly it'd be understandable if nearby animals and humans didn't even know the place exists. Looking for privacy? This place is on another level.
This subterranean lair is definitely up there on the architectural genius scale, but the main brilliance of Casa na Terra is it's total originality. It might just be the most beautiful bomb shelter ever made.
From AU$600 per night.
SONG SAA
Cambodia
We love a private island here at get lost. And Song Saa is up there at the very, very top. Best part? The hullabaloo of Phnom Penh (and your regular life) feel a world away when at Song Saa.
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This resort takes the average overwater bungalow and turns the dial up a notch (or seven). The thatched-roof huts seem humble from the outside, but inside they're packed with luxury. Think cushy day beds, indoor and outdoor showers, and private pools. Plus you’ve got that south-east Asian cuisine to feast on, and the knowledge that you’re contributing to a hotel that invests majorly into nearby rainforest and mangrove regeneration. Mull that over while you're floating in your choice of luxe body of water.
From AU$900 per night.
ALBERGO IL MONASTERO
Italy
To stay at one of the many old school, but newly renovated, European castles on the market, you usually need to be prepared to leave with a wallet considerably lighter than the one you took in.
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Not here though. Albergo Il Monastero is the achievable European castle stay; a former 16th century convent with room starting at just AU$215. Bargain.
Albergo is a restored stone beast perched high up on the Island of Ischia, just off the Italian south coast. From this vantage point you can sit on the castle’s terrace at night and admire the lights on the fishing boats as they bob gently up and down in the Gulf of Naples, catching fresh seafood for your next day's dinner. Across the way is the hullabaloo of Naples, but that’s well in the distance; here you’re ambling about with a vino from the on-site vineyard, at complete ease with the world. #CastleLyf is pretty sweet, if you can afford it.
From AU$215 per night
INNIT LOMBOK
Indonesia
Lombok, Innit? Sounds a little like a Londoner picking up a cabbage in China and asking the seller its name. BUT in great news for Indo-lovers, this is an epic stay in Ekas Bay, an idyllic stretch of Indonesian coastline.
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There are only seven villas on this island resort, but they're sleek, they're made of bamboo and they're hot damn beautiful. Everything you imagine a low-key trip to Indonesia to be. Each villa has two levels, so you can move about the different areas as if you’re in your own house. That is if your own home also contained a stunning infinity pool looking out over the Indian Ocean. Paradise, innit?
From AU$699 per night
THE OYSTER BOX
South Africa
If you’ve ever wanted to live in a Wes Anderson dupe—this is the hotel for you.
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Situated just outside of Durban, South Africa, The Oyster Box is 5-star luxury hotel with a famous cat, its own lighthouse and a host of cheeky local monkeys to keep the guests entertained. Literally. Don’t leave your beachfront doors open unattended, they’ll raid your mini fridge.
The buffet breakfast on the pool patio is indulgent in all the best kinds of ways (oysters and Bloody Mary’s, anyone?); the day spa has its own hamam; and the variety of bars means even the booziest of us can stay entertained. The only thing The Oyster Box is missing? Bill Murray.
From AU$500 per night
BnA ART HOTEL
Japan
Judging Tokyo's BnA Art Hotel by only a single room, may lead you to assume this is a space-themed hotel. If you look at a second, you may mistake it for something more urban or underground. That's the beauty of an art hotel.
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