“Is anyone else having travel dreams? Not daydreams . . . actual dreams.”
Are you watching You Tube videos and travel shows on TV? Do you want to go somewhere so badly you could scream?
You’re not alone, most of us are desperate to travel again and we want to really celebrate finally being able to go somewhere by choosing one of our dream vacations, something from our bucket list.
Being stuck at home when you’re dreaming of visiting the next place on your bucket list or even yearning for a trip home can feel pretty grim, especially when you’re used to circling the globe, so here is our travel wish list.
Let’s hope we can tick some of these off soon!
THAILAND
AMANPURI, PHUKET
Pavilions sprinkled on the hillside of a former coconut plantation site by the Andaman Sea
The luxury resort opened in 1988 as the first Aman resort named for the Sanskrit word for peace and is now the flagship property of Aman resorts.
Sound tracked by the whispers of coconut palms and the sighs of the Andaman Sea, Aman’s first resort presides over its own peninsula, promising guests’ space, serenity, an idyllic white-sand beach, exceptional restaurants and a Holistic Wellness Centre.
Literally and geographically separated from the pack, Amanpuri rests on a rainforest-covered peninsula flanked by beautiful boulder-embossed Pansea beach on one side and the seemingly infinite white sands of Bangtao on the other.
Designed to capture the warmth and generosity of spirit unique to Thai culture, while allowing nature to reign supreme, Amanpuri offers 40 Thai-style Pavilions and 30 private Villa Homes set within a coconut plantation and connected by elevated walkways. Facilities include swimming pools, restaurants and bars, a gym, spa and beach.
Amanpuri’s top-notch services and extreme privacy make it a favorite getaway for some of the world’s biggest celebrities, including Kate Moss and Leonardo DiCaprio.
SONEVA KIRI, KOH KOOD
Unparalleled luxury meets eco-friendly design. Soneva Kiri is nestled within lush tropical rainforest on an unspoiled island with some of the best beaches in Thailand
Remote yet accessible by a 60-minute flight from Bangkok on the resort’s private plane, phenomenal Soneva Kiri sits on Thailand’s 4th largest but least populated island, Koh Kood, in the Gulf of Siam.
Soneva Kiri is not only the best hotel in Thailand but also one of the most exclusive resorts in the world, offering an unrivalled combination of luxury, environmentally friendly design and unforgettable, authentic Thai experiences.
The 36 resort villas (including 11 private residences) are amongst the largest in the world. Located on the idyllic beach or sunny slopes in the rainforest, all have stunning infinity pools, impossibly chic furnishings, personal electric buggies, and impeccable service courtesy of private butlers. Highlights include the open-air cinema Paradiso, Benz’ mangrove restaurant, the chocolate & ice cream parlour, the children’s den and the spectacular Treetop dining pod.
REST OF THE WORLD
THE GOODTIME HOTEL, MIAMI USA
“The goodtime hotel is a collection of experiences linked by a commitment to create emotional good.”
Pastel colours and wicker furniture clash playfully with the leopard-print fabrics in this Miami hotel, created by American designer Ken Fulk for musician Pharrell Williams.
The Goodtime Hotel, which was designed to reflect the famed art deco architecture of the local area, is a collaboration between Williams and entrepreneur David Grutman.
While Fulk was responsible for the interiors, New York firm Morris Adjmi designed the building and landscape architect Raymond Jungles worked on the hotel’s outdoor spaces.
Set in a central, historic section of South Beach along the neighbourhood’s Washington Avenue, visitors arrive at The Goodtime Hotel through a double-height archway placed within a corrugated facade.
Inside, an atrium entryway filled with plants and decorated with a hand-painted hothouse mural and art deco plasterwork leads to the lobby.
The hotel houses 266 rooms as well as 100,000 square feet of public space. This includes Strawberry Moon – a restaurant and 30,000-square-foot pool club – 45,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, a gym and a glossy, peach-hued bar called the Library.
The rooms, which include a handful of suites, have either sunset views across Biscayne Bay or sunrise views out across the Atlantic Ocean.
In the hotel’s restaurant and pool club Strawberry Moon, Fulk’s design concept channels Caribbean and Central American resort towns such as Havana and Acapulco that were popular around the mid-twentieth century.
This theme is translated into features such as striped pastel tiling, vintage scalloped bar seating and pinstriped awnings.
GIRAFFE MANOR, NAIROBI KENYA
Set in 140 acres of indigenous forest, the house and grounds are simply beautiful.
Built in 1932 as a house for Sir David Duncan, it retains the design and feel of its former days, and you feel you are staying in a friend’s house.
During the day sit outside watching butterflies flutter through the trees. In the evening recline in the lounge in front of a grand fireplace reading a book or playing chess.
There’s even a cabinet hiding away spirits, wines and beers for you to help yourself to.
Giraffe artwork and sculptures throughout the property are tastefully curated.
Giraffe Manor may not have the pools and gyms that other luxury hotels in Nairobi have, but the giraffes are far more interesting.
Wake to find them grazing outside your bedroom window on the foliage covering the house, then enjoy breakfast with the hysterical sight of giraffes swooping their heads inside the dining room.
There is a spa tucked away for pampering and a shop selling arts and crafts.
Given it was built as a family home, rooms vary from suites to twin rooms. But regardless of size, each is furnished in keeping with the 1930s design.
Breakfast and lunch are served in a light chandelier-decorated room with vast windows for those giraffes to say hello. Dinner takes place in a candle-lit wood-panelled drawing room either around a large communal table or at private tables, depending on guest preference.
SUN ROCKS HOTEL & SUITES, SANTORINI GREECE
Maybe you think this is just another Santorini hotel, with the same white-washed Cycladic architecture, vaulted ceilings, and views of the azure waters as its worthy neighbors—but you’re wrong.
Upon arriving at Sun Rocks Santorini, look behind you from where you have entered, and you will realize that carved into the sides of the volcanic cliff, all around you, is a Santorini romantic hideaway, quite like no other.
Undoubtedly, it is the view that holds center stage at this elegant couples only hotel, one of the most exceptional Firostefani Santorini hotels.
Sumptuous aesthetics abound, reflecting its luxurious, low-key, in-house lifestyle where complete peace and tranquility in a magical setting artfully combine with abodes flourishing in comfort, convenience and seduction.
Sculpted into the bare walls of the world-famous Santorini Caldera, poised three hundred metres above the water surface, The Sun Rocks Hotel, Santorini is the ideal retreat for couples wanting to enjoy the spectacular sunsets that revitalize the senses and calm the spirit. The hotel property is conveniently located in the village of Firostefani, less than 1 km from the island’s capital of Fira and 15 minutes from Santorini’s International Airport and Athinios Port. Following to road towards Fira, pass through Fira town. Still following the same road, Firostefani is located 1 km out of Fira town. The hotel itself is located 100 meters from Firostefani’s main square.
