Artful lodger

Off the beaten track, we reach for higher ground in Bhutan and Scotland, before taking it easy beside the Zambezi in a luxury tented camp

Lodges in Bhutan, a Highland fling in Scotland and camping it up in Zimbabwe

Peak time six senses, bhutan

Thanks to a combination of inaccessibility, exclusivity and a limited tourist quota, Bhutan has long possessed a certain cachet as a destination. The arrival of the Six Senses group in the Himalayan kingdom will only enhance this status. Five lodges, designed by Thai studio Habita Architects in hand-cut stone, timber, bamboo and packed earth, are dotted across a series of lush valleys, the idea being that visitors move from one location to another to discover different aspects of the country. First to open are lodges overlooking the Paro and Punakha valleys and one in Thimphu, the capital; two more, in Gangtey and Bumthang, will open in spring. In total, the project includes 82 rooms, all furnished with bukhari stoves and antique rugs. The marquee attraction is the views: each lodge has a breathtaking setting, at an average altitude of 2,000m above sea level. Once you’ve exhausted the panoramas, activities include forest walks and visits to ancient forts and Buddhist shrines. Daven Wu sixsenses.com. Rates: from $1,500

Highland fling The Fife Arms, scotland

Framed by the Cairngorms National Park, Braemar has long been a favourite of British royalty and regulars to the annual Highland Games. And now, with the reopening of the spruced-up Fife Arms, the small Scottish town is all set for its post-millennial closeup. A grand, 19th-century pink granite pile – originally designed by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie for the Duke of Fife – the hotel has been restored by local practice Moxon Architects, while Russell Sage has furnished the interiors with a mix of Scottish antiques and contemporary artworks (including pieces by Subodh Gupta and Zhang Enli), specially curated by the hotel’s owners, the leading gallerists Iwan and Manuela Wirth. Each of the 46 rooms is themed in homage to a historical figure linked to the area, such as Robert Louis Stevenson and Lord Byron, or a local place or event. This regional fidelity continues in the kitchen, where executive chef Robert Cameron serves grouse and venison sourced from local gamekeepers. DW Mar Road, Braemar, Aberdeenshire, tel: 44.7876 327603, thefifearms.com. Rates: from £250

Perfect pitch chikwenya, Zimbabwe

This new tented camp is set on the eastern fringes of Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park, a location with a reputation as a photographer’s paradise. As the sun sets over the sprawling floodplains, it’s easy to see why. Perched on low wooden decks, each of the camp’s six canvas tents has prime views of the Zambezi River and rugged local peaks, while the interiors, by Johannesburg-based Tanja Beyers of Profurn Contracts, are a pleasingly low-key blend of local timbers (such as African mahogany) and handcrafted details (including decorative beadwork on the bedside lamps) in muted tones. Distractions include game drives, sunset cruises and walks, all designed to help you discover the region’s abundant wildlife. Be warned, you are way beyond Wi-fi here. Head back to the camp for a dip in the pool and to soak up the spectacular scenery, speckled with clusters of grazing zebras, waterbucks and elephants. Lauren Ho Tel: 27.11 257 5000 (South Africa), wilderness-safaris.com. Rates: from $1,288

15,000: Hand-rolled beads used to make chandeliers for the main lounge and decorative fittings for the guest tents, as part of a community project involving 34 local families8: Trees salvaged from the construction site to create cantilevered vanity slabs in the bathrooms 3: Cubic metres of African mahogany, sourced from sustainable logging forests, used to create day beds for the guest tents

30: 8: 10: Days it took to install the irregular, carved wooden ceiling panels in the living room and spa entrance of the Thimphu lodge Months it took to build the Punakha lodge’s lounge area, which is cantilevered over an infinity pool and paddy fields Height in metres of the specially built wooden prayer pavilion at the Six Senses lodge in Thimphu, from which you can see the 52m Buddha Dordenma statue. The lodge is one of five across Bhutan

1845: The year Watts of Westminster created its ‘Shrewsbury Welby’ wallpaper – for the earl of Shrewsbury’s Ingestre Hall – which features in The Fife Arms’ Room 44 2,160: Hours the Aberdeenshire-based Tom S Ironside Furniture Group spent restoring the 19thcentury mahogany fire surround – carved with scenes from the works of Robert Burns – now in the hotel’s reception area 500: ethically sourced antlers used to make a chandelier for the Foghouse, one of The Fife Arms’ many communal rooms