6 Incredible Hotels That Will Blow Your Mind

You know that old saying “it’s about the journey not the destination”? Well, that just doesn’t apply here.

Each and every one of these spectacular hotels and resorts is a destination in its own right:

Longitude 131, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia

Longitude 131 is is next-level glamping. With views direct to Uluru and across the desert to Kata Tjuta, this is Australia’s most celebrated luxury camp. Dotted among the red-rust dunes of the Central Desert are sixteen tented pavilions, each offering connection with the outback landscape and its heritage as well as a glamorous base from which to explore the incredible Red Centre.

One of the most memorable things about Longitude 131 is the connection the resort honours to the land and to the land’s traditional custodians: alongside the five-star features, the resort provides guests with the opportunity to learn about the centuries-old culture of the Anangu people. 

Listening to ancient creation stories as the sun sets over Uluru and Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) is an experience not soon forgotten.

Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge, Manaus, Brazil

Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge is a cozy and exclusive jungle hotel perched at the tip of an island in the Anavilhanas Archipelago, the largest freshwater archipelago in the world, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. Few places deliver a luxury Amazon experience quite like this, and the lodge is sensitive to and conscious of its pristine surrounds.

It is staffed almost exclusively by local people; there is no waste disposed of in the waters; preservation areas are strictly respected and they help to run social and educational programs with the help of the Brazilian government.

It boasts 22 private cabins divided up into 16 standard cottages, four superior bungalows and two top-of-the-range panoramic bungalows with absolute spectacular views.

Grotta Palazzese Polignano a Mare, Italy

Located in the historical centre of Polignano a Mare, Grotta Palazzese Hotel, situated on a scenic cliff overlooking the sea, rests on the famous Grotta Palazzese, a cave that hosts the homonymous restaurant considered among the 10 most exclusive outdoor restaurants in the world.

Renovated with elegant refinement, it has 15 rooms hanging over the sea in a complete harmony with the most advanced technological systems. The Grotta Palazzese restaurant is internationally renowned, and its outdoor lounge is set in a place which is unique in the world. In fact, the terrace that welcomes guests has been created within a natural cave, the “Grotta Palazzese” , from which it takes its name, a place known and used for parties and banquets since 1700.

Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, Finland

Surrounded by nature, Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort is located in the Saariselkä Fell region of Finnish Lapland. The property offers glass igloos and traditional wood chalets and has the world’s largest smoke sauna. 

The thermal glass igloos feature a bedroom with a glass roof and luxury beds.  Husky and reindeer safaris can be arranged.

The Manta Resort, Pemba Island, Zanzibar

Located on the island of Pemba, The Manta Resort is a remote and luxurious hotel, famed for its underwater room that allows guests to enjoy the marine life of the Indian Ocean from the comfort of their bed.

Anchored in an ocean floor anomaly we call the blue hole, the floating underwater room tops almost anything. Encapsulated within a turquoise blue bubble, watching shoals of reef fish swim by – sometimes in three or four layers of different species, this is a truly heart-stopping, yet awakening, experience. The floating structure, Swedish engineered, provides three levels, above the water clad in local hardwood is a lounge, bathroom below a stargazing, sun tanning bed. Each one worthy of its own story.

Lion Sands Game Reserve, South Africa

Kruger National Park in South Africa is home to the Lion Sands Game Reserve, which offers three breathtaking treehouses.

Ideal for the hopeless romantic or for anyone who simply wishes to reconnect with the earth, the treehouses are securely constructed above the ground with glass walls that provide panoramic views of the bush, as well as a safe and luxurious vantage point from which to watch twilight slowly turn to night.