Rooms with a View

KENYA

• Where - Loisaba Lodge, a tiny safari camp with its own spa.
• Why - Kenya boasts some of the world’s most incredible wildlife. What better way to experience it than on safari?
• Your room with a view - Each room has legendary views across to the water hole a few hundred feet below. The other side faces the forested foothills of Mount Kenya.
• Other features - For a taste of the unusual, try one of the two sets of Star Beds at Loisaba. Each bed is designed by the Laikipiak Maasai people from the Koija community, with a handcrafted wooden raised and a thatched roof. They can be wheeled onto the open deck for a night under the stars. All the beds have insect netting and are reached on foot, horse or camel.
• Other info - As well as incredible wildlife, Kenya has some of the best beaches and coral reefs in the world.
• The trip - From £2,580 per person including four nights full board at Loisaba and three nights at Alfajiri .
• Contact - www.rbww.com or www.magicalkenya.com

ICELAND

• Where - The Hotel 101 in Reykjavik, moving on to the Hotel Budir on the Snaefellsnes Peninsular .
• Why - Iceland’s so cool, it’s hot. And these hotels are two of the world’s best.
• Your room with a view - Hotel 101 is a state-of-the-art hotel in the heart of the capital city and the rooms have a fab view over Reykjavik. The Hotel Budir is a stunning rural retreat – a magical hotel with breathtaking views of the peninsular and a snow-capped volcano.
• Other features - Complete your trip with a visit to the Blue Lagoon Spa which often wins awards for excellence. Iceland also has numerous volcanoes, hot springs and some of the most dramatic landscapes in the world.
• Other info - Summer in Iceland means 24-hour sunlight.
• The trip - The two-hotel stay, including flights, transfers, two nights at 101 and two nights at Budir (all B&B) car hire and tax, starts at £783 per person.
• Contact - www.arctic-experience.co.uk

ENGLISH RIVIERA

• Where - Torquay’s Imperial Hotel, set high on the cliffs.
• Why - No long flight or immunisations, no need to change currency or to adapt to a new time zone.
• Your room with a view - Most of the bedrooms (including 127 suites) at this five-star hotel overlook the stunning coastline.
• Other features - The hotel boasts a range of luxury features. Indulge yourself in one of two award-winning restaurants and enjoy the indoor pool and health club.
• Other info - Torquay’s waterfront is the focus of life in the town. You’ll find a palm-lined promenade, seafront gardens, a lively harbour and an international marina. There are beautiful beaches minutes away too!
• The trip - Prices from £115 per person per night during July and August, including breakfast.
• Contact - www.paramount-hotels.co.uk or www.englishriviera.co.uk

ST LUCIA

• Where - The Ladera Hotel is St Lucia to a fault – sheer luxury and unmatched elegance.
• Why - Ladera offers a romantic hideaway and a tranquil retreat, but is by no means a boring beach honeymoon. The open air views of the Caribbean are simply amazing.
• Your room with a view - Set 1,100ft above sea level, the hotel overlooks the magnificent Pitons – St Lucia’s mountain phenomenon. All suites have been designed without a fourth wall to catch the prevailing breezes.
• Other features - SCUBA diving is spectacular around the volcanic rock, or you can hike through tropical rainforest. A beach shuttle service can take you to secluded bays.
• Other info - The hottest time of the year is between June and August, but there’s always a pleasant breeze.
• The trip - Seven nights on a room-only basis is £1,166 per person. 14 nights at £1,732 per person, sharing.
• Contact - Azure Luxury Hotel Collection on 01244 322770

CANADA

• Where - The Belvedere Suite at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in the Rockies.
• Why - The suite overlooks the amazing Lake Louise. It’s one of the world’s most beautiful spots and it’s great all year round, offering comfortable summer temperatures.
• Your room with a view - Surrounded by snow-frosted peaks, the hotel is right on the legendary azure blue lake. A taste of wilderness with an unsurpassed luxury.
• Other features - Nature trails, golf, boat tours, river rafting, horse riding, cycling and fishing are all on offer.
• Other info - The summer climate is really pleasant with warm temperatures and daylight hours stretching to 11pm. In the winter skiing is the thing to do – Rocky Mountain powder snow is among the very best in the world and they really look after their pistes.
• The trip - Seven nights from £1,619 per person on a room-only basis, including private transfers and flights.
• Contact - www.carrier.co.uk

NEW YORK

• Where - The Mandarin Oriental, NYC.
• Why - It’s the most luxurious hotel from which to enjoy NYC’s skyline views. The perfect honeymoon for culture addicts and shopaholics. The view makes it one of the best addresses in the Big Apple.
• Your room with a view - Floor to ceiling views of the city skyline, including Central Park.
• Other features - The Madarin Oriental Spa offers a ‘complete journey of the senses’. Trendy restaurants and bars, high tec computer/TV in your room. The Hudson View rooms offer an amazing view while you bathe.
• Other info - The Mandarin is in the heart of Manhattan and is part of the exclusive Time Warner Center.
• The trip - Five nights from £1,295 per person in a Superior Guest Room, room-only. Includes flights.
• Contact - www.mandarinoriental.com or www.nycvisit.com for more info on New York. Brochure request line - 020 7202 6368

SOUTH AFRICA

• Where - The Gorah Elephant Park in the heart of the (malaria-free) Addo Elephant Park.
• Why - It’s home to the densest elephant population on earth and you can get very close to them. Accommodation is in luxury tented suites.
• Your room with a view - Guess what? Miles and miles of stunning landscape – the African Plains – and masses of other incredible wildlife, including big cats.
• Other features - Dine by candlelight in the elegant dining room, or on verandas overlooking the waterhole.
• Other info - Autumn is a good time to go, though it can be very hot; May is a great month, too.
• The trip - A ten-day self-drive tour of South Africa’s Garden Route and the coast (where you might spot whales), including three nights full-board at Gorah, costs from £1,725 per person, including flights, car hire, and nine nights’ accommodation.
• Contact - www.africanodyssey.co.uk

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

• Where - Seagrape Cottage on Little Thatch Island.
• Why - It’s completely private and is the only rented villa on the island; it’s just like having your own private island.
• Your room with a view - The villa is located right on the beach with a dining deck over the sea. There’s a large, draped four-poster bed which looks right out to sea.
• Other features - A large veranda with a king-sized hammock, a fully-equipped kitchen and an outdoor cooking area. The owners will pre-stock the house with food and drinks and fresh ice is delivered daily.
• Other info - The BVIs consist of about 50 islands, islets and cays. No building can rise higher than the surrounding palms and there are no direct flights from the US mainland, so the tourism tide is held back.
• The trip - A week’s stay at Seagrape is £2,775 per person, including flights, transfers and a lift to Tortola for eating out, shopping or sightseeing.
• Contact - 020 8232 9781 or www.carib-club.com

NAMIBIA

• Where - The Mountain View suite at Wolwedans Dunes Lodge in the NamibRand Nature Reserve.
• Why - The scenery is spectacular, and it really suits honeymooning couples who want to avoid a beach, like the heat and want to do something a bit different.
• Your room with a view - Your room (a large domed tent perched on a platform on stilts) will look out over desert mountains and dunes. It’s incredible stuff.
• Other features - The Dunes Lodge design is sensitive to its delicate environment – everything is on stilts.
• Other info - A hot air balloon trip to see the tapestry of colours and shapes that form the desert is a must.
• The trip - The itinerary costs from £3,306 per person for the 16-day trip including visits to lots of fascinating places. Prices include flights, car hire and accommodation with most meals.
• Contact - www.sunvil.co.uk

INDIA

• Where - Oberoi Amarvilas hotel in Agra.
• Why - You get to see the magnificent Taj Mahal – the greatest declaration of eternal love ever built. What could be more perfect on your honeymoon?
• Your room with a view - A brilliant, unimpeded view of the beautiful structure itself. It took more than 20 years and 20,000 men to build it, you know. Awesome.
• Other features - The hotel boasts one of the world’s finest spas which also has that brilliant view. There are beautiful terraced gardens, reflection pools and marble bathrooms, too.
• Other info - December to February are cool, March to May – hot, and it’s monsoon from June to September.
• The trip - A seven-night itinerary which includes visits to the cities of Delhi and Jaipur and a two-night stay at The Oberoi Amarvilas costs from £1,749 per person and includes flights, accommodation and some meals.
• Contact - www.somak.co.uk

ZAMBIA

• Where - SUN91 at the Royal Livingstone, Victoria Falls.
• Why - The Royal Livingstone is ‘the’ Victoria Falls Resort’s five-star hotel.
• Your room with a view - You can see some amazing things from your private balcony, like hippos grazing in the reeds. One of the best views of the Falls themselves.
• Other features - Hot air balloon rides, elephant-back safaris and game viewing. There’s a large wooden platform which projects over the Zambezi River.
• Other info - Zambia’s often called ‘the real Africa’. It has three seasons - May to August – cool and dry, September to mid-November is hot and dry and mid- November to April is hot and humid. Every year there is a wildebeest migration from the Liuwa Plains when you can see herds of up to 100 elephant grazing.
• The trip - From £1,470 per person for eight nights B&B including flights and transfers.
• Contact - www.suninternational.com

MALDIVES

• Where - Sunset Water Villas, Hilton Maldives Resort.
• Why - The two over-water villas stand in a private area of the lagoon and have their very own jet boat shuttle.
• Your room with a view - Decorated with glass and fine marble, from the entrance foyer the Sunset Water Villas are a romantic discovery. The glass-floored living room provides stunning views of marine life, which can be illuminated at night. The bedroom features a remote control circular bed that rotates 180 degrees to view the sunsets through the floor to ceiling windows. The private pool has been hollowed out of the seabed.
• Other features - A personal butler, Bose surround DVD theatre system, hidden flat screen TV that descends from the bedroom ceiling.
• The trip - Seven nights B&B, flights and sea plane transfers for £5,717 per person. But you’re worth it.
• Contact - www.itcclassics.co.uk or 01244 355527

TAHITI, FRENCH POLYNESIA

• Where - Bora Bora, part of the Society Islands archipelago.
• Why - Bora Bora is known as the island of love. What could be more appropriate?
• Your room with a view - The Bora Bora Lagoon Resort consists of gorgeous over-water bungalows, a tree-top spa overlooking the lagoon and a VIP area, where villas have their own pool and jacuzzi.
• Other features - The main pool is to become the largest infinity-edge pool on Bora Bora. The hotel also boasts the most incredible tropical gardens.
• Other info - May to October are cooler (80°F!) and drier. November to March brings more rainfall, normally in showers lasting a few hours. May is good. The area is great for snorkelling and diving, surfing and walking.
• The trip - £2,100 per person, including flights with Air New Zealand (it’s about 20 hours in total), and a two week stay in a Beach Bungalow.
• Contact - www.turquoiseholidays.co.uk

SEYCHELLES

• Where - The Banyan Tree resort is on the island of Mahe, on Intendance Bay, one of the most beautiful coves in the Seychelles. www.banyantree.com
• Why - Unbelievable natural beauty, endless white sand beaches and charming people. Enough said.
• Your room with a view - Various styles of villas overlook the Bay which is a mass of swaying palms, Takamaska Trees and the Indian Ocean.
• Other features - An award-winning spa and wonderful hospitality. Each villa has a private pool, sundeck, and upgraded villas include a jacuzzi and massage pavilions.
• Other info - Rain mainly affects The Seychelles from Nov-Feb. The best time to go is probably March to May or September to November when the water is clearest.
• The trip - Five night from £1,849 B&B, flights and transfers. Extra nights at £244. Special offers available.
• Contact - www.sovereign.com

CANOUAN ISLAND

• Where - The five star Raffles Resort on Canouan Island is 100 miles west of Barbados and a few miles south-west of Mustique.
• Why - Canouan is the Carib-Indian name for ‘the island of turtles’. It’s protected by one of the world’s largest coral reefs.
• Your room with a view - The resort’s premier beachfront accommodation, the Raffles Villa, features an indoor and outdoor Jacuzzi, private fitness centre with glass walls overlooking the mangroves, private cinema and private infinity pool with private pier. Wow!
• Other features - The spa includes two glass-bottom treatment rooms set over the water above the coral reef.
• Other info - The best time to go is January to April.
• The trip - A nine-hour flight to Barbados and then a short hop to Canouan. Raffles has a private jet available for the transfer. Expect to pay hefty prices for such luxury.
• Contact - www.lhw.com or www.abercrombieandkent.com