PHOTOGRAPHS: PLAYA VIVA TREEHOUSE BY KEVIN STEELE, MOROCCAN MOUNTAIN ROAD BY NUNO SILVA AT UNSPLASH.COM
DECOTRAVEL
ESCAPE ARTISTS
Whether it's an eco-retreat you're after or a nomad inspired journey, these are the destinations you will find on the DECO team's bucket list PRODUCTION MARUSHKA STIPINOVICH AND JESSIE BELL
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THE CULTURAL EXPLORER
RYAD DYOR Marrakech, Morocco
Location: Sidi Ben Sliman, a small neighbourhood 8km north of Menara International Airport. Best time to visit: Spring and autumn (summer months reach temperatures of over 40°C). Activities: Camel treks, horse riding, weekend retreats in the Agafay Desert, day tours to the souks and museums. Fact: A riad is a traditional Moroccon house or palace with an interior garden or courtyard. Book your trip: ryaddyor.com
When arriving in Marrakesh, be prepared to leave your sense of direction behind. Characterised by small alleyways that are only accessible by foot, this is one of the oldest medinas in the world. If you travel through the crowded streets of Sidi Ben Slimane neighbourhood, you’ll stumble across Ryad Dyor Boutique Hotel. Occupying a 300-year-old building, Ryad Dyor’s unique structure, an eclectic fusion of traditional Arabian architecture and contemporary furnishings, is the result of connecting and converting two family riads. The thick mud walls frame the open-air courtyard and seven suites, each with a five-metre high wooden ceiling. In this fast-developing city, prepare for a sensory overload as you step out onto the streets of the busy medina. Begin your day at Marrakech’s oldest market, Jemaa el-Fnaa, where Berber tribes once traded gold, ivory and leather. Here you’ll discover local craftsmen selling anything from popular fabrics and rugs to herb oils and black soaps. Travel beyond the souks and you’ll stumble across private palaces, the beautiful Ali Ben Youssef Medersa college and the landscaped Jardin Majorelle botanical garden. If you’re after something more active, venture out of the city for mountain bike rides and sunset camel treks in the Palmeraie. After a day of exploring and bargaining, it’s a joy to return to the tranquil riad. Relax in the hamman, a traditional marble steam room complete with exquisite mosaic detailing, and enjoy scrub masks made with Argan oil. This unique oasis of peace and serenity will re-energise you for your evening ahead. Sit down for dinner in front of an open fire and indulge in true Moroccon cuisine – lamb tagines, fresh salads and couscous dishes – prepared by an in-house chef using only the freshest local meats, herbs and spices. Round off your meal with a soothing mint tea. 'MARRAKECH ME COLOUR' For a quiet base fromTAUGHT which to immerse yourself in a foreign way- of life, there’s no beating this gem. YVES SAINT LAURENT
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THE WILD WANDERER
THONGA BEACH LODGE Elephant Coast, KZN Four hours north of Durban, as the timber plantations and pineapple fields give way to lush wilderness, you enter the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. iSimangaliso – meaning miracle and wonder – aptly describes this World Heritage Site. It is here, sitting quietly in its tropically weathered fashion on a stretch of unspoiled Maputuland coastline, that you’ll find Thonga Beach Lodge. To be at Thonga is to offer up the senses to the elements. Thatched chalets blend into the coastal dune forest filled with samango monkeys and butterflies, with a voyeuristic feeling that you’ve been invited in by the forest itself. The remote surrounds hark back to a simpler time, lost in a simpler paradise. It would be all too easy to lie down on a shaded deckchair on arrival and remain so for the entire visit – watching humpback whales breaching off the reef – but the catered adventures demand attention. In one day it is possible to snorkel at Hully Point with parrotfish and marbled stingrays, drink sundowners with hippos and take a spider and scorpion identification course through the forest that night. And that’s a quiet day. For the adventurous there’s scuba diving off Mabibi on reefs teeming with fish, bottlenose dolphins and sharks. In summer, nocturnal walks along the beach take you in search of giant Leatherback and Loggerhead turtles coming ashore to lay eggs, and hatchlings making their mad dash for the ocean. A short 4x4 drive away is the shimmering Lake Sibaya, South Africa’s largest freshwater lake. Largely untouched, it is home to hippos, crocodiles, water mongooses, reedbuck and endangered blue duikers, and is a birder’s paradise with over 250 species. Come nightfall, a culinary journey awaits, with a daily menu blurring the lines between exotic and comfort food. The atmosphere, too, is sublime, with the forest and ocean providing the perfect soundtrack. For the traveller looking to unplug in paradise and enjoy the spoils of nature, Thonga is the place.
Location: Five hours north of Durban up the Elephant Coast or an eight-hour drive from Johannesburg. Best time to visit: All year-round. May-Sep temps from 10°C to 25°C. Oct-April temps from 20°C to 38°C. Activities: Snorkelling, scuba diving, kayaking on Lake Sibaya, cultural tours and turtle tours from Nov-Feb. Fact: The iSimangaliso Wetland Park was listed as South Africa’s first World Heritage Site due to its superlative natural beauty and unique global value. Book your trip: thongabeachlodge.co.za
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THE SAFARI SEEKER
OKAHIRONGO LODGE Purros Conservancy, Namibia
Location: Purros Conservancy in the Kunene Streek,, Purros, Namibia Best time to visit: Wildlife viewing is best in the dry season, from June to October. Activities: Day and night game viewing on foot or in a vehicle, scenic helicopter tours, mountain biking and outdoor dining. Fact: Namibia is home to the world’s largest population of free-roaming cheetahs, with numbers estimates at between 2 500 and 3 000. Book your trip: okahirongolodge.com
In the vast Namibian wilderness, in a landscape of rugged beauty where the stars rain down from the night sky, the stillness penetrates your very soul. It is here, below mountains weathered by billions of years of wind and rain that travellers find tranquillity of the deepest kind. In this space that stretches uninterrupted to the horizon, all that is required is to stop and breathe in the magic of the time-worn geography. Situated on the banks of a deep-green river, you will find the luxurious Okahirongo River Camp. The eco-lodge is tucked into a pure wilderness area on the Kunene River in a remote region far into the north-western reaches of the country. Staying true to its unspoilt setting, the camp is run entirely on solar power, with candle and firelight providing a romantic atmosphere at night. Cleverly built into the rocky terrain, the six suites are constructed from wood and canvas, each with its own magnificent view. The wood that was used is all reclaimed from the trees along the Kunene River. The minimalist interiors echo the ochre and sand tones of the landscape, while light curtains are the only separation from the outdoors. Likewise, an infinity pool provides reprieve from the desert heat. Here the river feeds an abundance of wildlife, and safaris and river cruises bring guests closer to the animals that roam free. This region is also home to some of the last truly semi-nomadic desert-dwelling tribes of Himba descent. Okahirongo maintains a good relationship with these people, and contributes to community upliftment programmes – respect and mindfulness are priorities here. With unparalleled panoramas and the quiet of an African wilderness, Okahirongo River Camp is on the border with Angola, making it one of the most secluded areas on the entire globe, and therefore a destination at the top of our bucket list.
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THE ECO TOURIST
PLAYA VIVA Guerrero, Mexico On the Pacific Coast of Mexico, near the small village of Juluchuca, sits the eco-chic Playa Viva, an enchanting balance in sustainability, hospitality and luxury. Overlooking the pristine coastline, this sustainable boutique hotel is surrounded by 80 hectares of natural wonder including an estuary, an Aztec archeological site, a turtle sanctuary, a coastal forest and mangrove ecosystem. This spectacular setting is but the first ingredient to recharging the spirit. A day at Playa Viva sees travellers choose from a host of unique experiences including morning yoga, scuba diving, horseback riding, deepsea fishing and kayaking. For the thrill-seekers, a short drive reveals surf breaks for all levels, including the more advanced Loma Bonita surf spot. For the altruistic visitor, volunteer programmes assisting local community schools and clinics welcome help from travellers. Or choose to do nothing at all but a little soul searching while you watch the pelicans fly overhead. A strong sense of community is an integral part of the Playa Viva experience – private areas blend into public spaces, and common ground is found as likeminded travellers and locals of all ages share healthy, organic family-style meals. Herbs and vegetables are grown on-site, with fresh pomegranates, mangoes, cashew nuts and pistachios handpicked from the orchard. Free-range, grass-fed meat is bought from local farmers and cooked in the open-air kitchen. Guests, too, are invited to participate in making the handmade tortillas and mole. Playa Viva strives to be a place ‘where your vacation meets your values’. There is nothing left to do but experience it for yourself. photographs clockwise from left: View from treehouse accommodation by Leonardo Palafox, treehouse exterior by Kevin Steele; swimming turtle by Daniel Camarena; casita exterior and interior by Kevin Steele; treehouse lounge by Leonardo Palafox
Location: Near the small village of Juluchuca, near Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa International Airport. Best time to visit: Temperatures range between 23°C to 33°C all year. Activities: Daily yoga classes, scuba diving, horseback riding, deep-sea fishing, kayaking, surfing and visiting a turtle sanctuary. Fact: Rooms are outfitted with luxurious locally sourced organic sheets and towels and biodegradable organic soap. Book your trip: playaviva.com
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THE GRAND JET- SETTER
LE SIRENUSE Amalfi Coast, Italy Pastel facades cling to steep cliffs above a sea of the clearest blue, beckoning travellers like the Sirens that once tempted Odysseus to these very waters. Positano, on Italy’s magnificent Amalfi Coast, is a top travel destination, and the family-run Le Sirenuse hotel is the ideal place from which to enjoy it. Back in 1951 four Neapolitan brothers turned their family house overlooking the bay of Positano into a charming hotel. Today the 58-room resort has gained a reputation as one of Italy’s leading seaside luxury hotels, though it still retains the intimate, cultured atmosphere of a private home. Le Sirenuse’s deep red exterior is warm and welcoming, opening onto a sparkling sun terrace with a strip of a pool and white-clad loungers, a glassed and vaulted dining conservatory and a view past Santa Maria Assunta Costiera Amalfitana’s majolica dome to an azure canvas pierced by the fabled Li Galli archipelago. Brothers Paolo and Franco Sersale had a fine eye for antiques and were responsible for much of the hotel’s old-world furnishings. From its perch 70 metres above the sea, almost all of the rooms and suites have a sea view. Add a private balcony and you have the makings of a perfectly romantic, perfectly luxurious Italian holiday. That sense of European elegance is continued in the spacious bedrooms, their bright white walls, vaulted ceilings and gleaming tiled floors containing sumptuous finishes and a scattering of antique furniture. And that sparkling sea view. On the pool level is the Michelin-starred La Sponda restaurant, serving unfailingly delicious Neapolitan cuisine prepared with local ingredients. The dining area brings the outdoors in, with vivid pink bougainvillea fanning up the arched ceilings, while in high summer meals are eaten on the lemon-scented terrace. For added decadence there is the Champagne and Oyster Bar. For intimacy, world-class service and charm in a village that is traditionally glamourous, Le Sirenuse makes its mark.
Location: Situated on a cliff overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea in Positano, Almalfi Coast, Italy. Best time to visit: May-June and Sept-Oct, when the weather is slightly cooler. Activities: Explore Positano’s archeological and historical landmarks on a coastal boat tour or by foot. Fact: Positano was rumoured to have been founded by a group of Romans under attack by pirates. Book your trip: sirenuse.it/en