idyllic holiday locations the lavish tropical island soneva kiri six senses 2010's hottest newest beach destinations
THE LAVISH TROPICAL ISLAND
Soneva Kiri by Six Senses… the Thai island with some serious barefoot chic
THE LOWDOWN
Who said five-star luxury had to be
conventional? Quirky-but-chic Soneva Kiri has
just opened and is already billed as the best in
Thailand. This jungle lair offers unique dining
experiences, suites with private infinity pools
and an open-air cinema. Shoes are banned –
barefoot is the only way to go.
Located on Kood island amid rainforests,
hidden waterfalls and tropical beaches, the
resort has 29 villas overlooking the Gulf of
Thailand. You arrive James Bond-style from
Bangkok in the hotel’s private jet to be
greeted by your own personal butler.
Brought to you by the deluxe Six Senses
brand, out-of-this world spa treatments are
also guaranteed. Private jungle trips can also
be arranged by helicopter and there’s a fleet
of speedboats ready to take you to a nearby
desert island. Alternatively you can relax in
the sun while your every whim is attended to.
There are nine varieties of villa to choose
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2010’S HOTTEST NEWEST BEACH DESTINATIONS
EL SALVADOR
While the hordes travel to Costa Rica, those
in the know head to the Pacific coast where
the surf breaks dramatically on the shore and
sea turtles come to lay their eggs. Eco-tourism
is a big draw and there are plenty of ecolodges
to book into. The best of the bunch is
La Cocotera resort (lacocoteraresort.com,
from £76 per night). It’s set on miles of white
sand with hardly a footprint to disturb it amid
palm trees and mango plantations with palm
thatched huts, hammocks and a large pool.
from, the best of which is the Private Beach
Reserve which boasts a private water slide
into its own pool, a tree house and – like all
the villas here – a golf buggy for getting around.
INDULGENCES
Food is a big feature of Soneva Kiri. There are
ice cream and chocolate parlours, a cooking
hut where you can dine on day beds, and a bar
for pre-dinner drinks perched on the cliff. But
the tree pod dining is the real high point. It’s a
rattan cocoon winched 16ft into the trees, and
comes with a waiter harnessed to a zip line.
After dinner, recline beneath the stars
while cocktails and popcorn are brought to
you at open-air movie theatre Cinema
Paradiso. Then wander through the lantern
lit paths back to your villa.
Seven nights including breakfast and all flights
from £2,699 per person with Destinology
(destinology.co.uk; 0800-634 2849)
SONEVA KIRI: A JUNGLE
PARADISE WITH
A DIFFERENCE
LEBANON
The super-styled hotels opening this year will
make capital Beirut one of the hottest city break
destinations of 2010. It offers golden sand and hip
beach clubs where pool-side posing is the order of
the day. Le Gray (legray.com, from £248 per night)
is a new hotel designed by the team behind One
Aldwych in London, boasting an alfresco rooftop
restaurant and a pool-side terrace with views to the
Med and the mountains. The new Four Seasons
opens this month (fourseasons.com/beirut, from
£235 per night) with a rooftop pool and a VIP spa.
IF YOU LIKE HOLIDAYS
WITH WOW-FACTOR, HEAD
FOR MALAYSIA’S LANGKAWI
MALAYSIA
Langkawi, off the
north-west coast, is
a ritzy hideaway
with real wowfactor.
Stay at The Datai (tablethotels.co.uk, from
£236 per night) which is hidden in the depths
of a 50-million-year-old rainforest but offers all mod
cons. Alternatively, dip your feet in the South China
Sea at JapaMala Resort on Tioman Island (i-escape.
com, from £100 per night), where stylish villas
overlook the beach from the treetops.
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