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Clockwise from
left: Le 1947, Cheval
Blanc’s signature
restaurant.
Dedon Island Resort,
Philippines.
On Dedon Island,
everything is fresh.
Garden villa, Cheval
Blanc, Maldives
c a pe . . .
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ten DESIGN HOTELS
Lightfoot Travel’s Matt Vlemmiks shares his inside tips
on the world’s most exceptional hotels, whether you’re on the
search for authenticity, culture or simple, unbridled luxury
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Aerial view of the sea in Maldives
Bathroom at one of the cheval blanc’s villas
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Cheval Blanc,
Randheli, Maldives
The first thing you have to
acknowledge upon landing at
Cheval Blanc Randheli (in the
resort’s private sea plane, decked
out like a private jet of course) is
the flash factor. And given that it
was opened by luxury goods
megabrand LVMH, it’s hardly a
surprise. The resort villas are
impeccably designed by the
Malaysia-based architect JeanMichel Gathy, who was also the
brains behind the One&Only
Reethi Rah and several Aman
resorts. The villas themselves are
huge with three main rooms,
achingly cool artwork by famous
artists, and state-of-the-art
technology where everything is
controlled by iPad. The resort
boasts the biggest overwater pools
in the Maldives, a fantastic Kid’s
Club, a Guerlain island spa and the
same 1947 restaurant featured at
the renowned Cheval Blanc
Courchavel resort. With a high
profile royal clientele and the
unique draw of the ultra-exclusive
Cheval Blanc name, this is arguably
the number one place to be seen
this summer.
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Dedon Island,
The Philippines
Located on the south-eastern
tips of the island of Siargao, a short
50-minute flight from Cebu,
Dedon Island represents barefoot
luxury at its very best. A boutique
resort in every sense of the word,
Dedon is comprised of nine airy
villas all made from recycled wood
with open showers and large
verandahs. Run by a husband and
wife team, the staff at Dedon really
set this property apart. From Brian,
the chef who whips up meals
family-style according to your
dining preferences, to Sean, the
Activities Manager who is
incredibly knowledgeable on the
island’s wildlife and can take guests
on surfing, paddle boarding and
boating excursions, as well as hikes
and day trips around the island.
Last but not least, the resort dog
Erni is a permanent fixture around
the place and is loved intensely by
the younger guests. Dedon Island is
an all-inclusive resort so, once you
arrive, you really don’t have to think
about anything until checkout –
pure bliss.
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Chinzombo Camp,
South Luangwa
National Park,
Zambia A new addition to the
South Luangwa safari circuit but
reassuringly operated by local
stalwart Norman Carr Safaris,
Chinzombo has raised the bar for
luxury in one of Africa’s finest
national parks. Conceived by award
winning architects Silvio Rech and
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Clockwise from
top: Sunken bath
with a view.
Rustic sign to
the Play House in
Cambodia.
Song SAA Private
Island, Cambodia
aerial view.
Details from the
open kitchen.
Clockwise from top:
View of the cabana in La
Sultana, Marrakesh.
A bedroom at the
Museum Hotel in
Cappadocia, Turkey.
Bathroom in one of
the six luxury villas in
Chinzombo Camp in
South Luangwa National
Park, Zambia. Chinzombo
Camp kitchen
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Lesley Carstens, Chinzombo
combines ingenious, contemporary
design with impressive levels of
space and privacy. There are just six
villas, including one for families,
beautifully situated on the banks of
the Luangwa River just outside the
park, where safari legend Norman
Carr himself kept a rather more
rustic base in the 1970s. The villas
offer vast living spaces,
sophisticated furnishings and
private decks with plunge pools.
Guests enjoy inclusive safari
activities which begin with a private
boat crossing into the national
park. Once inside, there are day
and night game drives on offer,
with a huge variety of wildlife and
some of Africa’s best leopard66 | Harper’s BAZAAR interiors
spotting opportunities. The South
Luangwa is also renowned for the
continent’s most authentic walking
safaris, while the guiding is
uniformly first class, the service
entirely intimate but unpretentious,
and the food always outstanding.
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La Sultana,
Oualidia, Morocco
Morocco’s’ temperatures can
climb uncomfortably in the
summer, but Oualidia’s Atlantic sea
breezes make it perfect for a few
tranquil nights in July or August.
Roughly equidistant between
Casablanca and Essaouira, Oualidia
is essentially a peaceful fishing
village, overlooking a picturesque
lagoon that attracts a colourful
parade of migratory birds and
flocks of pink flamingos. This
peaceful ambience translates to the
accommodation itself, where guests
can enjoy spa treatments,
hammams, swimming and yoga.
The rooms at La Sultana are
beautifully conceived, with
understated luxury and soothing
colour schemes supplemented by
modern amenities such as iPod
stations, plasma TVs and private
terraces with sea water Jacuzzis.
Exceptional seafood is served in the
restaurant and laid-back cookery
courses can also be enjoyed. With
its effortless style, this feels just how
a boutique oceanside property
without a classic swimming beach
can be effectively delivered. La
Sultana also operates a luxury
Marrakech riad, where the
ostentatious antique furnishings
and rich colours contrast sharply
with the Oualidia property and
make for an ideal 7-night
combination itinerary.
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Museum Hotel,
Cappadocia,
Turkey
You might expect inland Turkey to
suffer from the same climatic issues
as the UAE during the summer
months, but Cappadocia is
something of a law unto itself. Early
July can be relatively spring-like,
with hot days and cooler evenings,
before an onset of roughly a month
of uncomfortably high
temperatures. By late August it’s
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good to go again, with the intense
heat moving elsewhere and some
great sightseeing conditions. And
you’ll certainly want to sightsee in
historical Cappadocia: the
wonderful, unearthly landscapes,
rock-cut temples, hot air ballooning
over striking fairy chimneys and
combination of Roman, Byzantine
and Persian influences making it
unlike anywhere else on the planet.
The rock cave dwellings are also a
huge attraction, and many of the
best boutique accommodations are
based within renovated cave
dwellings. Perhaps the finest is the
Museum Hotel, Turkey’s only
Relais & Chateaux property, which
provides a heady mix of fine dining,
relaxation and a breathtaking
collection of antiques and art. The
rooms are beautifully designed,
spacious and cool throughout the
year, with bare, curving rock walls
that offset rich carpets, colourful
paintings and fascinating antiques.
There is an expansive infinity pool,
a spa and wellness centre, and the
chance to enjoy cookery courses,
but it tends to be the priceless
antiques throughout the hotel that
your attention will return to. For
this reason the Museum Hotel is
aptly named, a delicate period piece
in which it feels a rare privilege to
be permitted to spend your time.
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Song Saa Private
Island, Cambodia
Situated across two islands in
the Koh Rong Archipelago in the
country’s far south, Song Saa is
Cambodia’s only private island
resort. The main island itself is
serene, beautiful and rugged, which
only adds to its Robinson Crusoe
charm. It’s the kind of place where
you kick off your shoes as you step
onto the jetty and don’t put
them back on again until you
board the boat back to the
mainland. The all-private pool
villas are stunning in style and
décor, with accompanying
hardware to a very high spec
– amongst some of the best
we’ve seen. What is also special
about Song Saa is the focus on
sustainability (and it’s more than
just asking guests not to recycle
towels daily). The resort has an
Eco-centre where you can learn
about their activities, as well as six
dedicated conservation staff, with
a marine reserve around both
islands that includes a ‘No take
zone’. This is ideal for a few
nights of R&R after a sightseeing
visit to Angkor Wat.
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possible at other times, while the
truly indulgent might also look at
chartering a helicopter. For those
that can make it, summer (the
Australian winter) is the perfect time
to visit, with cooler temperatures
providing ideal conditions for classic
outdoor pursuits such as fishing,
hiking, river cruises, 4WD safaris
and wilderness picnics. For more
prosaic downtime, the star gazing is
exceptional, flatback turtles often
visit the nearby beaches to lay eggs,
sundowner drinks are a rare treat,
and there is even a moonlight
cinema, which guests can enjoy
while floating in the swimming
pool. The 20 luxury villas are huge,
cool and spacious, with floor-toceiling glass offering stunning,
panoramic views from the lodge’s
elevated location. With an
outstanding restaurant and
well-stocked cellar, Berkeley River
Lodge has become a attractive
proposition for jetsetters and
staycationers alike.
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Clockwise from top: Get
cosy at the Hacienda
De San Rafael in Seville,
Spain. Open-air bathing
at the Berkeley River
Lodge in Kimberley
Coast, Australia.
Aerial view of the
Berkeley River Lodge in
Kimberley Coast.
The Gorge River in
Kimberley Coast
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Berkeley River
Lodge, Kimberley
Coast, Australia
This relatively new, delightfully
remote luxury lodge on the wild
Kimberley Coast of Western
Australia is perfect for those with a
hankering for the massive
landscapes, unique wildlife and
earthy colours of the Australian
outback. The lodge’s relative
inaccessibility is one of its delights,
with the closest town of Wyndham
located 150km away, and the
nearest major airport in far-flung
Darwin, so arrival is only possible
by air or sea. Your most likely
approach is from Kununurra by
seaplane, with a couple of scheduled
flights per week and charters
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Hacienda de
San Rafael,
Seville, Spain
A rich history of Moorish
influences, historical sights and
classic Spanish cuisine make
Andalucia arguably Spain’s most
attractive region, with Seville its
signature city. This vibrant southern
metropolis plays host to flamenco
performances, centuries-old tapas
bars, a thriving nightlife, and
fascinating sights such as the Alcazar
Palace and the Cathedral. In
definitively Spanish countryside on
the way to Jerez, the Hacienda de
San Rafael provides a glorious
respite from the action. A charming
18th century home, family-operated
on what was once a thriving olive
estate, the Hacienda is a boutique
property that often feels more like
an inviting private residence than a
hotel. The rooms and casitas are airy
and high-ceilinged, stylishly
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Clockwise from left:
Sleep seaside at the
Iniala in Phangnga
Province, Thailand.
One of the three luxury
villas located on Iniala.
Sand Spit beach on
the private paradise
in Ibo Island Lodge in
Quirimbas Archipelago,
Mozambique
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decorated, with stone walls, high
beams and enchanting artwork.
Surrounded by beautifully
manicured gardens, with swimming
pools, massage treatments and yoga
on offer, the aim is to leave all guests
feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
With its sister property, the Corral
del Rey, based in the heart of
Seville’s historical Barrio Alfalfa,
combining the two guarantees a
magical introduction to the charms
of Andalucia.
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ibo Island Lodge,
Quirimbas
Archipelago,
Mozambique
An enticing hidden gem in the
remote Quirimbas Archipelago of
Northern Mozambique, Ibo Island
Lodge offers the perfect
combination of languid relaxation
and fascinating historical context.
Ibo Island was on the Arabian slave
trade route and later a Portuguese
colonial outpost after a series of
tussles for control with the Omani
Arabs. These eclectic influences are
evidenced by the evocative,
crumbling forts and villas that have
been abandoned to nature on the
island, many of the structures now
becoming intertwined with trees,
branches and bushes in a style
reminiscent of some of the Angkor
temples in Cambodia. The
accommodation itself comprises
three beautifully converted colonial
mansions, with peaceful gardens,
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inviting swimming pools,
atmospheric rooms and
delicious sea views from the
evening terrace. Guests can be
dropped at a deserted Indian
Ocean sandbank to snorkel and
relax, or enjoy dhow cruises,
fishing and diving. For those
looking for a longer visit, the
lodge even runs its own mobile
dhow safari, with rustic tented
camps erected on various deserted
islands as part of an itinerary
covering several nights. July and
August are picture perfect in
Mozambique – warm, dry and
sunny – and this area can easily be
combined with an African safari.
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iniala, PhangNga Province,
Thailand
Just north of Phuket,
the new Iniala villa complex is
brash, opulent and utterly
hedonistic. With world renowned
architects and designers brought in
to bring a distinct feel to each room
within the three villas and single
luxury penthouse, each represents a
new discovery for guests looking for
a new ‘mise-en-scene’ for different
nights of their stay. With rooms
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variously styled as libraries,
boudoirs, Russian doll-like
structures, private spas and modern
art installations, it’s likely that not
all will be to your taste, but there is
undoubtedly something here for
everyone. The whole complex can
be booked out, or each villa
separately, and with exceptional
facilities that include a children’s
villa, various swimming pools,
private butler service, diverse spa
treatment options and an
outstanding restaurant with a
3-Michelin starred head chef
supported by decorated culinary
specialists (from seafood to pastry
and desserts), Iniala has arguably
become Thailand’s most overtly
luxurious villa concept.
To find out more about the resorts, contact
matt@lightfoottravel.com
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