THREE OF THE BESTBold design and compelling settings have
us dreaming of these super-luxury staysNAY PALAD BIRD NEST
Kenya
Standing in rolling savannah, this curious lookout appears to
be in a state of cartoon surprise, with hair standing on end.
In fact, the ‘bird nest’ is a ring of branches around a viewing
platform up top, for a giraffe’s-eye look at the landscape.
It’s on the grounds of the Segera Retreat, in itself a magical
setting, which makes use of the actual biplane used in the
filming of Out of Africa. Would-be Meryl Streeps and Robert
Redfords after an extra bit of seclusion (on a Hollywood
budget) can follow a game drive with a lamp-lit dinner at
this eyrie, and a choice of a bedroom with wrap-around
views or sleeping under the stars on the deck above.
Nay Palad Bird Nest surcharge of £1,020 per night;
segera.com/nay-palad-bird-nestSHINTA MANI WILD
Cambodia
The Cardamom Mountains are the kind of place where
naturalists regularly come across species previously
unknown to science. Shinta Mani Wild is a new opening in a
400-acre river valley within this jungle region. You may need
a lottery win to book into one of its 15 luxury tents, which look
out from their stilt-perched decks over the tumbling waters.
The lodge is linked with a conservation and community
foundation that’s aiming to protect a wildlife corridor
between two national parks. Gibbons and elephants are
among the forest inhabitants you can hope to spot on safaris,
including some taken on expedition boats.
From £1,500; shintamani.com/wild.phpINTERCONTINENTAL SHANGHAI
WONDERLAND
China
The business capital of China already has the world’s
s e c o n d - t a l l e s t s k y s c r a p e r, s o i t w a s o n ly a m a t t e r o f t i m e
before it gained an ‘earthscraper’. A former quarry on
Shanghai’s outskirts provides a dramatic setting in what is
otherwise largely flat countryside for an 18-floor hotel built
down the rock walls. The rooms themselves follow a
p a r e d - b a c k A s i a n a e s t h e t i c , b u t i t ’s w h a t ’s o u t s i d e t h a t ’s a n
eyebrow-raiser, even in a country as ambition-fuelled as
China. The lowest suites have underwater picture windows,
while others higher up face a waterfall newly created in this
self-contained piece of accidental scenery.
From £390; ihg.comUnusual
new hotels
Would-be
Tarzans can choose toarrive on a 380-metre
zipwire , to be greeted
with drinks at the
Landing Zone BarA clifftop
walkway with see-
through floors follows a
growing trend in China
for vertigo-inducing
mountain paths