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.
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.
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
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
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.
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
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