Weird & Wonderful
PLACES TO STAY
Weird & Wonderful
PLACES TO STAY
ECO LODGE LIFE
Topas Ecolodge
Sapa, Vietnam
Way up in the Hoàng Liên Son mountains, Topas Ecolodge makes clocks feel irrelevant.
Weird & Wonderful
Every morning, fog drifts lazily across rice terraces while the mountains glow gold - a perfect location for questioning why you ever tolerated your phone’s alarm.
Yeah the rooms are cool, think elevated wooden hideaways with massive windows, but there are no TVs. Which makes sense because at a place like this, the entertainment is the view.
Exploring what you see outside of the lodge’s boundaries is optional, but impossible to resist. Trek through winding trails, hop on a mountain bike, or just float in the infinity pool and try to find funny faces in the clouds. And meals are fresh, local, and somehow both rustic and fancy enough to have your taste buds taking notes.
By the end of your stay, you’ll either feel deeply zen or wildly alive (fingers crossed for both).
From AU$359 per night
GLACIER ESCAPE
Cabane Tortin
Verbier, Switzerland
Sitting pretty at 3,000 metres, you’d be forgiven for thinking Cabane Tortin is a ski stopover. Instead, it’s the kinda place that makes you wonder if you’ve actually strolled onto the set of a Bond film.
Weird & Wonderful
Perched like a mountain peacock above the ancient Tortin glacier, this property offers jaw-dropping panoramas, frosty powder fields, and those signature electric-orange sunsets that’ll make your Insta followers swoon.
Inside, things are just as good: comfy beds, fluffy duvets, sleek bathrooms, and a sauna that feels waaay too good after a day in the snow. The kitchen is both function and chef-ready (and yes, you can have someone whip up fondue while you warm your toes by the fireplace).
But what makes it even more special is how it’s built. Solar panels, spring water, and locally sourced timber and stone; you can’t get more eco-iconic than that.
Let’s just say, it’ll be hard to go back to ‘normal’ chalets after this.
From POA
DESERT DREAM
ZhongWei Desert Diamond Hotel
Tengger Desert, China
This pretty place is like finding a flawless gem in the middle of a sandpit…in China.
ZhongWei Desert Diamond Hotel has a geometric design that was inspired by diamonds and boasts stunning architecture with sharp, sparkling forms that glow under the blazing desert sun.
Step inside the main structure of the hotel and you’re swept into a surreal scene: public spaces crown the building with cathedral-like height and diamond-shaped glass details, while guest rooms stretch outward like a jewelled necklace, each with its own terrace or bubble pool so you can gaze at the shimmering dunes during the day and up at the sparkling stars at night.
And with camel rides, sand-surfing and star-lit dinners on your doorstep, you’ll quickly realise that this place needs to be the location of all of your future holidays. Starting, like, tomorrow.
From AU$1,700 per night
BUSH GLAMPING
Bay of Fires Bush Retreat
Tasmania, Australia
Imagine showing up to a glamping spot so low-key there’s practically no reception desk.
Weird & Wonderful
At Bay of Fires Bush Retreat, you’re not checking in behind a counter but stepping into a wood-smelling, canvas-lined oasis where a ‘collect your own dinner’ concept is the unspoken rule of the land.
There’s a cavernous open-air kitchen (not a stuffy dining hall) that’s a communal playground of pots, pans, and pantry staples crying out for you to whip up a midnight pasta or hatch a herb-infused fireside feast. It’s gloriously independent and strangely social, where guests silently bond over chopping vegetables instead of wading through awkward small talk.
And when you’re done playing chef, you retreat to a tent so stylish and comfy that it’s never even heard of the term ‘roughing it’. It’s camping, but like, the seriously cool kind.
From AU$290 per night
TIPSY PARADISE
Corona Island
Cartagena, Colombia
Corona Island is for travellers who’d rather chase reef breaks than room service.
Weird & Wonderful
Think turquoise water, blindingly white sand, and a bar that never seems to run out of beer (no prizes for guessing which one).
This place is plastic-free, solar-powered, and designed to make you feel smug about your carbon footprint while sipping a sundowner in a hammock. Days here aren’t wasted, they’re crammed with paddleboarding, kayaking, snorkelling coral gardens, and exploring jungle trails where monkeys swing overhead.
Nights are even better. With no light pollution, the stars throw a show that could shame any planetarium, and the soundtrack is all ocean waves and crackling fire pits. To call Corona Island a paradise is kinda underselling it a little.
A stay here is proof that you don’t have to choose between adventure and escape. You get both - straight up, no garnish. Well, maybe a lime wedge.
From AU$820 per night
CITY STAY
Casa Foscolo
Istanbul, Türkiye
Casa Foscolo, set in Beyoğlu’s Renaissance-era quarter, offers the perfect base to explore both sides of Istanbul.
Weird & Wonderful
Behind its beautifully restored 1800s façade lies a bold, contemporary interior that blends art and architecture. The original brickwork in the circular staircase contrasts with polished, modern finishes, reflecting Istanbul’s mix of old and new.
Highlights include the rooftop terrace with views over Galata Tower and the many mosques that shape the skyline, and a sunken exhibition space that anchors the building with calm, gallery-like energy. Every corner feels considered, expressive, and connected to the city’s rhythm.
We bet you’ve never stayed anywhere quite like it.
From AU$208 per night
get in the know In Pasto (Colombia), the “Carnaval de Negros y Blancos” on New Year's Eve ends with people egging and flour-bombing each other. It's pretty much the world’s largest omelette fight.
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