Weird & Wonderful
PLACES TO STAY
Weird & Wonderful
PLACES TO STAY
SLEEP ON WATER
Nimmo Bay Resort
British Columbia, Canada
Forget walking on water, this wilderness resort actually floats on it.
Weird & Wonderful
Hidden deep within British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest, Nimmo Bay Resort, spills across the water as a series of timber cabins, floating walkways and lounges balanced between forest and water. There’s even a waterfall running through the middle of it. Not beside it, like, actually through it.
It’s practically a fully operational basecamp for people who’ve watched too many nature documentaries and thought, ‘I could give it a crack’. But the catch is you can only get here by seaplane or boat, which immediately makes arriving feel significantly cooler than anything you’ve got going on back home.
And while the setting is undeniably wild, the experience is anything but roughing it. One morning might involve snorkelling in cold Pacific waters before eating lunch on the ocean during Nimmo’s famously bizarre and brilliant “snorknic.” The next could see you heli-hiking across ancient glaciers, bear spotting by boat, or soaking in a wood-fired floating hot tub while rain rolls across the rainforest.
It’s like a summer camp for adults with very expensive taste.
From AU$8,000 3-night minimum
JUNGLE HIDEAWAY
Esh Hotel
Nosara, Costa Rica
Some hotels help you switch off…
Weird & Wonderful
…but Esh Hotel makes you want to delete your entire personality and re-emerge as someone who drinks green juice and journals at sunrise.
Hidden between the jungle and the sea in Costa Rica’s surfy little wellness bubble of Nosara, this adults-only hideaway is an extremely attractive nervous system reset. Everything here leans earthy and intentional: rammed textures, volcanic stone, open-air layouts, recycled timber, breathable linen and shadowy lighting.
The spaces blur indoors and outdoors so seamlessly you’ll probably spend half the trip wondering whether you’re technically still inside. Think outdoor bathtubs surrounded by jungle, private plunge pools, rain showers and terraces where howler monkeys occasionally provide the soundtrack. It screams main-character-goes-on-healing-journey energy.
And while Esh absolutely nails the slow-luxury aesthetic, there’s still enough adventure nearby to stop things becoming too serene. Surf breaks, horseback riding, wellness rituals, ice baths and beach sunsets are all within easy reach. Then you return to mezcal cocktails at Ember & Ash and suddenly understand why nobody in Nosara seems even remotely stressed.
From AU$420 per night
SOLITARY STAY
Desert Whisper
Namib Desert, Namibia
The silence here is so complete it almost feels like the landscape is listening back.
Weird & Wonderful
Desert Whisper sits alone in the Namib; no neighbours, no passing traffic, no background noise pretending to be nature. Just one sculptural suite resting in a sea of sand and silence, where the horizon doesn’t seem to end.
The architecture is sharp but unshowy, designed to blend into the desert rather than compete with it. From afar it looks almost camouflaged; up close, it opens up into a pared-back interior of stone, timber and glass that keeps the landscape firmly in charge. Tbh, the building is more guest than host.
And inside, everything points outward. The bed faces the dunes. The bath looks toward shifting light. Even the living space seems arranged to encourage staring into the distance rather and not into screens (although don’t stress, there is Wi-Fi).
Outside, a private deck runs into a plunge pool that’s at odds with the heat and dust. Beyond that, the desert just continues, changing colour hour by hour.
From AU$1,300 per night
SAFARI STYLE
Sandringham Private Game Reserve
Greater Kruger, South Africa
This safari lodge was built for the animals first.
Weird & Wonderful
Six years ago, this patch of the Greater Kruger was a disused hunting reserve. Today, elephants wander to the river, leopards prowl through the bush and guests arrive to watch nature reclaim what was always hers.
The luxury is easy to notice. The fact you're sleeping inside one of South Africa's most inspiring rewilding projects is what makes the experience unforgettable.
Spread across almost 5,000 hectares, the reserve is home to two intimate safari camps and an exclusive-use villa, each designed to disappear into the landscape.
Whether you're sleeping on a rooftop beneath the stars at Shisaka Camp or watching elephants from your bathtub at N'weti Camp, the rooms are almost as distracting as the wildlife. And if you're bringing the whole gang, Sandringham House comes with a private chef, butler, ranger and safari vehicle, because, well, who wants to share?
And unlike that questionable souvenir you'll inevitably buy at the airport, your stay here actually does some good, helping fund conservation projects and train future trackers from the surrounding communities.
From AU$1,000 per night
LAKE LANGUISH
The Arcadia Place
Lugu Lake, China
At The Arcadia Place, even the mountains look like they’ve been art directed.
Weird & Wonderful
This hotel clings to the hills above Lugu Lake like it grew there naturally, all curved earth walls, smoky timber and huge sheets of glass reflecting the changing weather outside.
Some mornings the lake disappears entirely beneath thick mountain mist. Other times it glows electric blue beneath the sun. Either way, you’ll spend an unreasonable amount of time just staring out the window pretending to be in the coolest music video ever made.
The hotel draws heavily from the culture of the local Mosuo people, one of the world’s last matriarchal societies, but thankfully avoids feeling overly performative about it. Instead, the influence is subtle; woven textures, earthy tones, low-slung spaces and handmade details that make the whole place calm in a genuinely grounding way.
And then there are the rooms. Deep bathtubs facing the mountains. Beds positioned directly toward the lake. Fireplaces crackling while clouds drift past outside. Even the lighting feels cinematic. And it’ll trick you into becoming a morning person purely because sunrise looks ridiculous from up here.
There’s a rooftop infinity pool disappearing into the landscape, forest walks around the lake, local village experiences and enough stillness to reset even the most terminally online traveller.
From AU$508 per night
CITY ESCAPE
Sir Devonshire Square
Shoreditch, London
Some hotels try so hard to be cool they disappear up their own artisanal sourdough. Sir Devonshire doesn't have that problem.
Weird & Wonderful
Tucked inside a historic courtyard on the edge of Shoreditch, this boutique London stay nails that tricky balance between style and substance. Set within former East India Tea Company warehouses, the hotel blends heritage architecture with contemporary design, creating a space that feels effortlessly East London.
The location is a winner. Step outside and you're moments from Shoreditch's street art, independent coffee shops, hidden cocktail bars and creative energy. We recommend hitting up Song Que Pho Bar for some modern Vietnamese. Head the other way and London's financial district rises around you. It's the perfect base for those who like a bit of culture with their chaos.
Inside, the rooms are sleek without feeling sterile. Think plush beds, rainfall showers, warm colours and a very well stoked mini-bar that makes it easy to settle in. The lounge and bar areas quickly become your local, whether you're settling in for a morning coffee or a nightcap after exploring the city. Like, we stumbled upon a jazz improv session happening in the lounge bar that necessitated another negroni.
What really won us over, was the hotel's eco-friendly housekeeping program. Skip a day's room cleaning and you'll score a complimentary drink at the bar. Saving the planet has rarely been so rewarding. Cheers to that.
From AU$380 per night
OFF-GRID CABIN
Wilka
Victoria, Australia
The road in gets quieter, the phone signal starts to wobble, and before long there's not much around except bushland, the occasional cow and a small wooden cabin sitting among the trees.
Weird & Wonderful
Kenneth, Wilka's off-grid escape near Heathcote, isn't trying to impress with excess. It's a queen bed, a wood fire, a compact kitchen and a hot tub under an enormous sky. That's about it. But that’s what makes it worth travelling an hour out of Melbourne for.
You’ll find time behaves a little differently here. A morning coffee lasts an hour. Plans to hit the nearest winery are postponed in favour of one more chapter. The view doesn't change much, yet it remains super hard to stop looking at. Cows wander across distant paddocks, kangaroos occasionally make an appearance (if you’re lucky) and the light shifts slowly across the landscape throughout the day.
As darkness settles in, the bush grows remarkably quiet. Without streetlights, traffic or much in the way of civilisation, the stars put on a decent show and beside the roaring fire becomes the most obvious place to spend the evening.
You won’t find distractions or clever gimmicks at Kenneth, but you will find a pack of uno cards and some jenga blocks. And they’ll help you disappear for a few days. They might even encourage you to remember how fun it is to have absolutely nowhere to be.
From AU$350 per night
get in the know In some parts of China, people eat so much chilli that it's considered a vegetable, not a spice.
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