Weird & Wonderful

PLACES TO STAY

COUCOO CABANES DES GRANDS LACS

Bonnal, France

Picture this: it’s a delightful 25 degrees outside, and you’re hiking through a pleasant forest in France’s east...

Weird & Wonderful

PLACES TO STAY

COUCOO CABANES DES GRANDS LACS

Bonnal, France

Picture this: It’s 25 degrees, and you’re hiking through a pleasant forest in France’s east, enjoying sweet smells and the sounds of birds...

Weird & Wonderful

Fast forward an hour and you’re cooling off by jumping off your own private pontoon, into what feels like your own private lake. A little while later you’re enjoying drinks in the minimalist, but full-equipped teardrop-shaped treehouse you're calling home. As night falls, you can drink a red wine from Burgundy either on your balcony or while soaking in your Nordic bath tub. This is life at Coucoo Cabanes des Grands Lacs, on the banks of Lake Bonnal. And life is good.


From AU$235 per night.

COUCOO NOT TO

TRIXIE MOTEL

Palm Springs, California

Trixie Mattel ain’t just a pretty face.

Weird & Wonderful

The former winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race has turned a run-down old motel in Palm Springs, California into a queer paradise—the Trixie Motel.

The refurbished mid-century motel contains seven rooms of whimsical, Barbie-style fabulousness, located in the heart of inimitable Palm Springs.

Until it’s time to sashay away, guests can enjoy over-the-top everything from wild wallpaper and art installations, to retro furnishings like flamingo lampshades and heart-shaped beds, all of which make you feel as if you’re actually on a RuPaul set. The neon motel sign, which is visible from the road, would normally be the loudest thing at a motel, but remarkably, it feels almost understated here.


From US$781 per night.

COME SLAY THE NIGHT

AMAN

New York City, United States

On Aman New York's website they give 'how to get here' directions from Teterboro Airport. An airport that only serves private jets...

Weird & Wonderful

And private jet people are exactly the sort of people that are gonna be frequenting the Aman, which has been dubbed ‘the most expensive hotel in New York’ at an eye-watering AU$3,400 per night.

What does this price get you? Absolute total luxury in Manhattan’s famous Crown Building (around the corner from Central Park), including a spa which takes up three entire floors, and suites of extreme opulence that look straight out of HBO’s Succession.


From AU$3,400 per night

PRETEND YOU’RE IN SUCCESSION

LAS QOLQAS ECO RESORT

Ollantaytambo, Peru

A geodesic dome at the heart of the Sacred Valley in Incan territory, Peru.

Weird & Wonderful

The dome is designed as a multi-purpose space for social connection, arts, stargazing and meditation, surrounded by lush hillsides, mountains and mystical ruins from centuries gone by. These are all everyday activities, significantly amplified by incredibly special surrounds.

We’re not breaking any exclusives when we reveal how magnificent this area of the world is, but we can tell you that this extraordinary locale is the ideal place to base yourself, before and after hikes in the area.


From AU$287 per night

LAS GO

MAGIC CAMPS

Wahiba Sands, Oman

There are sand dunes, and then there are the mighty kahunas you’ll find in Oman. Like the Ramlat Jadilah, a 455-metre peak that's the tallest in the world.

Weird & Wonderful

Magic Camps is the closest to an oasis you'll likely ever get. And by that we mean a luxury glamping experience in a world-renowned location NOT meeting the Gallagher brothers somewhere in the desert.

You can choose to stay at the permanent campsite in the Wahiba Sands region, or opt for an even more intrepid experience by choosing your own location to explore. Pretty cool.


Price available on request.

MAN, OMAN

SOMEWHERE LOMBOK

Lombok, Indonesia

Somewhere Lombok is a vague, if accurate, name for a hotel that opened on an Indonesian island that's long been a favoured haunt by Aussies.

Weird & Wonderful

Located somewhere on Lombok, Somewhere Lombok is somewhere between luxurious villa, art aesthetic and surf hut. It is located near a famous break for a start, but to call it a surf stay would be to downgrade the place of its lovely, earthy aesthetic, simple and airy, and making you want to go there right now, whether you surf or not.

Somewhere is the brainchild of two sisters with Indonesian roots. For any wave loving traveller with a bit of extra coin, we can’t imagine you’ll find too many places better than this in 2023.


From AU$250 per night

YOU'LL WANNA GO BOK

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