Remote Hideaways
Self-isolation has transformed even the most social people into travel introverts. Expert itinerant James Lohan, who founded boutique hotel platform Mr & Mrs Smith with his wife, Tamara, introduces three places where you can detach from the world but still enjoy your creature comforts
ANNANDALE, NEW ZEALAND
Scrubby Bay is one of four properties on this wave-gazing working farm nestled into New Zealand’s picturesque Pigeon Bay. With wood-clad living spaces and enormous windows, it epitomises the trend of bringing the outdoors in. If you’re looking to unplug and unwind for a few days, the secluded scenery is just about the best tonic you could wish for.
DEPLAR FARM, ICELAND
A remote sheep croft in the snowcloaked north of Iceland, Deplar Farm is the ultimate private house hotel. The fire-warmed bar is home to a full-blown band set-up, should musically inclined guests feel like an impromptu jam session; out in the frozen surrounds you can try everything from snowmobiling to ice fishing. We love the geothermally heated open-air pool (complete with swim-up bar) and, since the skies above are impossibly clear, it’s the perfect place to (hopefully) catch a glimpse of those elusive Northern Lights.
MORUKURU BEACH LODGE, SOUTH AFRICA
Hunkering down in South Africa’s vast De Hoop Nature Reserve, just three hours from Cape Town, clifftop Morukuru sits beyond a bank of 30-metre-high sand dunes. Wildlife roams freely here, so you’ll see zebras, flamingos, ostriches and more, though the star sightings have to be the pods of whales that breach just off the coast between July and October. You’d struggle to design a hideaway that segues so effortlessly into its surroundings. mrandmrssmith.com