EARLY PRESENT, ANYONE?

The Chobe Water Villas take getting away from it all to a whole new level — and now you could go there for free

It’s that time of year when we’re all dreaming of holidays — even more than we usually do. School children are downing pencils, workmen are downing tools, and cities are preparing to disgorge their inhabitants for prettier parts of the world. It’s also a time of year to daydream about the places we hope to go someday, and the most enduring places we’ve been.

One of my favourite ghosts of travels past is the Chobe Water Villas, which is now offering our readers the chance to win a stay (see box right). And yes, from someone who’s been, you should absolutely throw your hat in because winning might mean your visiting the finest place you’ve ever laid your hat.

ENDS OF THE EARTH ... ALMOST

If you’re guessing from the name that the villas are in Botswana, you’d be wrong. They’re in Namibia, in a remote and wild location on the edge of the Chobe River. Botswana’s Chobe National Park, however, and its perpetual parade of creatures, is the view that greets you across the water from your private deck.

The property is comprised of 16 freestanding chalets, sitting on the edge of a 150km² conservancy, with not much happening in the way of neighbours. The easiest way to get there, then, is to fly to Kasane, Botswana. From there, transfers entail a ride through the small town in an open safari vehicle to the immigration post, a ramshackle building on the edge of the river.

After a quick stop for passport stamps, you exit Botswana by flat-bottomed boat, and head out into the glittering, blue-grey expanse of the Chobe. Round a bend and across to the other side, the villas await, standing in a line on stilts over the water.

DO NOTHING, DO EVERYTHING

Their thatched, rustic appearance from the river belies the contemporary elegance within. Even as you climb up from the jetty, you’ll know this is to be a refined affair. Chic, open-plan communal areas beckon you in and then lead you on again to splendid outdoor spaces, with chill-out couches and a rim-flow pool dripping away to the river.

The rooms, reached by a wooden walkway, are similarly tasteful, with inspired artworks, inviting linens on enormous fourposter beds, and deep, linger-longer baths.

Of course, the food is worth writing home about — or at least snapping and posting all over your social media. Every meal is a series of dishes both pretty and perfect to taste.

Even just “tea time” is a guilt-inducing buffet. Well, maybe just the one …

Activities include game drives in Chobe National Park, and sundowner cruises to Impalila Island, where four countries meet (Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe). Optional extras include a walking tour of Impalila Island, and fishing. You could even take a day trip to Zimbabwe to visit the Victoria Falls, 88km away by road.

Guests’ main task, however, is to perfect the art of doing not much, and yet so much at the same time. Sit, lounge, drink, eat, inhale, exhale, repeat, and relish your absolute escape to this gloriously isolated, utterly peaceful part of the world. —

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