Elle UK - 11.2019

ELLE.COM/UK November 2O19

Stoke Park,

Buckinghamshire

Generator Venice

Mandala TheHome, Bali

Casa Santa Ana, Cartagena

Mandala The

Home, Bali

THE HOTELS and RE TRE ATS TO ENSURE

YOU GO IT ALONE in ST YLE

ELLEExplore

Solo travel:

WHERE TO STAY

The Clubhouse at

Ulu, Bali

Cartagena, Colombia

Banana House, Lamu

is a slightly hippy neighbourhood with street

food stalls, chic restaurants and musicians

on every corner. There, you’ll find Casa

Santa Ana, which has five brightly painted

rooms, a dinky rooftop pool and a friendly

welcome(rooms from around £9O, B&B).

FOR THE ADVENTURER

The beautiful, sleepy island of Lamu,

a World Heritage Site, lies just off the

Kenyan coast. The female-run Banana

House has seven bedrooms in total,

including a two-bedroom house that can

be rented as a unit. Rooms are traditionally

done, with mosquito-netted beds and local

fabrics, with hammocks in shady lounging

areas. Make friends in the twice-daily yoga

sessions(rooms from around £7O, B&B).

FOR THE EAT-PRAY-LOVER

The south-west coastline of Bali has a

number of female-friendly, barefoot-chic

towns with vibrant nightlife, surfing, yoga

centres and cool, safe places to stay,

such as The Clubhouse at Ulu, part of the

Mandala House group. You can book

individual rooms at The Clubhouse, and

Helios Retreats hosts group fitness weeks

at its sister properties, Mandala The House

and The Home(rooms from £244, B&B).

FOR THE BUDGET EXPLORER

Hostels are no longer just for gap-year

students: the best ones have private rooms,

en-suite bathrooms and women-only

dorms. Those with social areas, such as

bars or lounges, help making friends easier.

Some hostels, such as Safestay, organise

group nights out, perfect for solos, while

Hostelworld is the biggest hostel website –

you’ll find more than 36,OOO properties

in 17O countries. Generator runs probably

the most stylish hostels – its Venice outpost

is housed in a palazzo and several of its

properties have penthouse apartments

(dorm beds from around £12 a night;

penthouses from around £152).

FOR THE LUXURY LOVER

Spa hotels are good for a solo luxury reboot,

as you don’t feel out of place on your own.

Stoke Park is a palatial, grade II -listed

Georgian mansion in Buckinghamshire,

made famous by Bridget Jones’s Diary,

Goldfinger and Tomorrow Never Dies (and

soon to feature in The Crown). Pack books

and bath oils, switch off your phone and

treat yourself to spa sessions, and long

walks in the 3OO acres of parkland. You’ll

leave feeling as fabulous as Pussy Galore

(rooms from £240, B&B).

FOR THE HIPPY WANDERER

Colombia is having a bit of a moment. The

port city of Cartagena, on its western coast,

feels very safe and welcoming. Getsemani

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