Weird & Wonderful
PLACES TO STAY
ULUM MOAB
Utah, United States
The red rock of outback Utah is something get lost have covered in depth. Why? Coz we're addicted to the otherworldly feeling of this special part of the planet.
Weird & Wonderful
PLACES TO STAY
ULUM MOAB
Utah, United States
The red rock of outback Utah is something get lost have covered in depth. Why? Coz we're addicted to the otherworldly feeling of this special part of the planet.
Weird & Wonderful
ULUM®Moab might be the best place to situate yourself in this ethereality. White, glamping style tents are dotted throughout the Moab Desert, and their interiors provide a luxurious refuge from what can be a harsh and unforgiving environment.
During the day you can go canyoneering, hit the trails or charge the Colorado River in a kayak, Christopher McCandless-style. ULUM® Moab is a solid place to base yourself for outdoor adventure.
This is not some over-built monolithic mega-complex; ULUM® Moab does what great accommodations in great landscapes—blend into the environment, and bask in it.
From AU$992 per night
FLOKEHYTTENE
Sveio, Norway
Pronounced: FLOKE-HIT-NAH. Yep, the entire Norwegian language is just an outrageous tangle of consonants and vowels to an outsider.
Weird & Wonderful
Hello to these small cabins situated in Sveio, at the edge of Norway’s mighty west coast, just south of Bergen. Flokehyttene translates to ‘The Tangle Huts’, but these are hardly a tangle.
This part of the world is blessed with extraordinary beauty and these incredible installations (built in typical northern minimalism) let the location do all the talking.
Panoramic windows offer glorious views to the outside world—wild winds whipping the sea into a frenzy. And you're watching it all from the comfort of your little cabin, coffee in hand.
From AU$275 per night.
OTRO OAXACA
Oaxaca, Mexico
Cenotes—naturally formed, slightly shaded swimming holes—are an enduring image of Mexico.
Weird & Wonderful
Otro Oaxaca has built an homage to cenotes in this stunning new hotel. Light filters through a porthole in the roof of a heated, 20-foot plunge pool, offering a tranquil escape from the rest of the world. It’s stunning, and it still might not even be the best pool at the hotel—the rooftop pool that overlooks the 16th century Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán is hard to beat.
The rest of the place is beautiful too: 16 rooms of exquisitely designed Mexican goodness, and a restaurant of yet more delicious Mexican goodness. This is one of the best hotels to open this year, absolutely no doubt about it.
From AU$490 per night.
SUN RANCH
Byron Bay, Australia
The perspicuously named Sun Ranch, in Byron Bay’s hinterland, is 55 acres of California meets Australia. 1970s meets today.
Weird & Wonderful
Retro furnishings seemingly taken from the Californian ranch homes of 1970s movie stars sit inside plush wood panelled rooms. There's record players, tiger-print wraparound sofas. And probably a martini making station, we bet.
There are also massages and yoga, kayaking and Zooz e-bikes. Oh, and horse riding. There's a pool overlooking the famed hinterland, and a restaurant boasting ridiculously succulent open-fire meals from famed chef, Pip Sumbak. Parts of the ranch are totally off-grid, but the whole ranch is pretty light on when it comes to eco footprint. This really is the best of both worlds.
From AU$1,700 for two nights
CABN
Kangaroo Island, Australia
Kangaroo Island is continuing its stirring comeback after being razed by the 2020 fires. And one of the best things travellers can do to help is visit, stay and contribute to the local economy.
Weird & Wonderful
CABN is one of the best places you can stay on the island. Making their name as specialists in off-grid sustainable accommodation, CABN at Cape St Albans, is a simple but striking black box set on a 162-hectare private property (which should be enough, you’d imagine).
This might just be the ideal place for an outdoor bathtub. After you’ve gone and gotten sweaty on a hike or a surf, fill the tub (perched on your private balcony) and take in the surrounding wilderness, ocean and kangaroos. Preferably with a beverage in hand.
There’s a king-size bed and other luxuries inside, but it’s really the extraordinary location you come for. Well, that and the tub.
From AU$695 per night
SONEVA SECRET
Haa Dhaalu Atoll, Maldives
When the legends at Soneva sound the conch horn to announce they’ve built another stay, you listen.
Weird & Wonderful
The luxury chain makes accommodation so damn dreamy you’ll think it’s been dreamt up by AI. But it’s not. This place is real. Soneva Secret is the incredible, not-so-secret collection of 14 beach and over-water villas located in Haa Dhaalu Atoll, the Maldives’ most remote atoll.
The resort's star attraction? Probably the Castaway Villa, the Maldives' first floating villa. Floating on water, not a euphemism, this incredible master suite even boasts a roof that slides open to reveal star-strewn skies.
Transport around the resort is also done in style; going for a swim? Take the water slide. Heading to dinner? Enjoy the zipline.
Soneva opens January 10, 2024. Your move, AI.
From AU$HEAPS per person, per night
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