The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Track down a perfect pad in paradise
From a wolf watcher’s lair in the Carpathian Mountains to an eco dome in puma country, Richard Madden picks six lodges to love
For the most ardent wildlife enthusiasts, where they stay is never as important as what they see. None the less, it can make a huge difference to the overall experience if the accommodation is as spectacular and inspiring as the scenery and animals you have come to see. Sustainability and genuine conservation credentials should always be top priorities, of course, but that doesn’t mean you have to slum it. Supreme comfort, excellent locally sourced food, innovative design and world-class guides can all be on the menu. These lodges tick all the boxes.
Chile
The world’s first geodesic dome hotel is located within Torres del Paine National Park in the far south of Chile. Surrounded by the park’s trademark “pillar” mountains and turquoise lakes, the camp is solar-powered, has compostable lavatories and is constructed according to the sustainable principles and “leave no trace” designs of the nomadic Kaweskar people. There are three grades of dome (standard, superior and suite) with the latter offering a substantial 300 sq ft of space, including a private bathroom and a low-emission wood-burning stove. Pumas, condors, armadillos, nandus, guanacos, Geoffroy’s cats and Magellanic woodpeckers can all be spotted in the park.
A six-day Puma Tracking Adventure, led by specialist guides working with professional puma trackers, costs from £5,263 (ecocamp.travel).
ALLADALE WILDERNESS
RESERVE
Scotland
One of the most high-profile rewilding projects in the UK, the 23,000-acre Alladale Wilderness Reserve, in the Scottish Highlands north of Inverness, is home to otters, red squirrels and mountain hares, with Scottish wildcats being bred for eventual release. Birds of prey include golden eagles, white-tailed sea eagles, ospreys, buzzards and peregrine falcons. If Paul Lister – Alladale’s owner, and an evangelical conservationist – has his way, wolves will one day be reintroduced as well. The main lodge (sleeps 14) is a Victorian manor house refurbished by Laura Ashley with sweeping views over ancient Caledonian pine forest. There are also three private cottages deep in the glens. In 2020, Alladale won two Scottish Green Energy Awards, and it has just launched an aquaponics food centre.
From £475 for a double en suite room in the main lodge; minimum stay three nights (01863 755338; alladale.com).
SONORA RESORT, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Canada
Overseas holidays and travel within the UK are currently subject to restrictions. See Page 3.
My dream hotel has to have a statement swimming pool. Perhaps David Hockney could have done the tiling, like at The Roosevelt in Los Angeles. I want Katharine Hepburn to have jumped in it fully dressed. I’d like a diving board at one end, and an Alexander Calder mobile at the other, as at the mythical Colombe d’Or in Provence.
The location, I’m open to – it could be hidden behind cypress trees in the grounds, or set into a cliffside, infinitystyle, overlooking the sea, so you can dunk from one into the other (the pool at Les Roches Rouges comes to mind) – as long as I can sunbathe at any hour of the day. I want proper squidgy sunbed mattresses, covered in terry cloth, and the clever concertina sunshades from Experimental Menorca. The suspended climbing frame that hangs above the ocean at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc would be fun, too. There should be free sparkling water on tap. And please, no screaming or business calls – I’m trying to read my book.
As one of those millennial snowflake types, it comes as little surprise that my dream hotel taps into my inner child. The expansive grounds, all perfumed flowers, gothic gates and secretive shrub bushes, are like something out of a secret garden. There’s a maze where adults and children alike can lose themselves in fantasies of Alice in Wonderland. The hotel is also a giant treehouse. At night, there are firepits where guests can toast marshmallows over a G&T. Each room has a heated outdoor platform with hammocks affixed to the creepy surrounding monkey trees; they are perfect for stargazing, laced with little bells to to lull you to sleep. Naturally there are zany afternoon teas. Perhaps a Willy Wonka theme with exploding chocolate gobstoppers? Or maybe one that riffs on the British love of cheese (mini Welsh rarebit toasties and bitesized mascarpone scones, anybody?) An infinity pool is a must; the kind that gives the impression of swimming in a sea with no beginning or end.
ELIZABETH DAY
My dream hotel would be situated in a land of perpetual sunshine with a mild breeze. There would be an infinity-edge pool with a view, a large gym that is hardly ever used by any other guests, a spa and an open-air restaurant by the sea, serving fresh lobster. There would be Marmite for breakfast and plentiful green tea bags in the room, along with a kettle that I can use, rather than just a fancy espresso machine. The staff would be friendly but not intrusive, there would be free bicycles to explore the surroundings and the ability to request a pre-prepared picnic hamper for a day out. There would be enough sockets in the room, including one situated by a mirror, and a quality hair dryer. There would be a capacious tub and fluffy robes. The cleaning would always be done at the precise time that I vacate the room for breakfast. The room service menu would include a perfectly dressed avocado salad. Check-out time would be at 3pm. There would not be a pillow menu. I don’t ask for much.