get off the grid
YOU MIGHT AS WELL JUST LEAVE YOUR PHONE AT HOME
SIX SENSES QING CHENG MOUNTAIN, CHENGDU, CHINA
Tahiti has sharks, Thailand has elephants, but there are few places in the world where you can get up close and personal with a giant panda. While you’ve got to be willing to part with Facebook and Snapchat (China has a ban on most of your beloved social media), consider it e-toxing at its best. Equal parts picturesque, historic and worthy of an adventure, the Mount Qingcheng region is for your off-the-beaten-track kind of vacay. Stand-out luxury amid the ancient area can be found at Six Senses, with the spa menu incorporating traditional methods – think cupping, acupressure and Chinese massage – and the food combining Chinese, Western and Thai cuisines (jellyfish, anyone?). For locals, Qingcheng’s air quality and ancient history are big drawcards (it’s the birthplace of a unique style of tai chi), but the main attraction, the nearby Dujiangyan Base, Panda Valley – a research centre and breeding base – is one item to tick off your bucket list.
sixsenses.com
“It overlooks a basin near the Ngamo Plains, where wildlife can be spotted any time of year”
LINKWASHA CAMP, HWANGE NATIONAL PARK, ZIMBABWE A safari is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so you want to make it count, right? You’d be hard-pressed to find a better place to scope out the local fauna than Hwange National Park – one of the most densely populated reserves in Zimbabwe (by animals, not humans). Linkwasha Camp itself overlooks a basin near the Ngamo Plains, where wildlife – elephants, giraffe, lions and more – can be spotted any time of year. Opened in 2015, the property hosts no more than 18 guests at once, and each tent is positioned and designed to maximise eco-efficiency and privacy, without skimping on views. In each tent you’ll find contemporary furnishings in safari-appropriate neutrals, while the central structure features a library and a dining and pool area. And if the standard calibre of expansive plain views doesn’t satisfy your desires, you can spend a night at the property’s Star Bed and put your constellation knowledge to the test.
wilderness-safaris.com/camps/ linkwasha-camp
LANAI, HAWAII
Considering it’s the sixth largest of Hawaii’s eight main islands, it’s no surprise Lanai is often skimmed over in favour of more tourist-focused spots like Waikiki Beach and Hana Highway. But in 2012, tech billionaire Larry Ellison purchased 98 per cent of Lanai, and suddenly the island with no traffic lights or shopping malls, three hotels, one school and just over 3,000 residents became something worth a second look. It’s for adventure types who prefer hiking, beaching and off-road driving to boozing poolside. Check out the Four Seasons Resort, which not only has its own Nobu restaurant, but is also the place to spot whales and dolphins at sunset, snorkel with sea turtles and ride horseback through wooded valleys and seemingly unexplored terrain.
fourseasons.com/lanai