Wallpaper 12

ILLUSTRATOR: EOIN RYAN

ARTFUL LODGE R

Of the beaten track, we reach for higher ground

in Bhutan and Scotland, before taking it easy

beside the Zambezi in a luxury tented camp

This new tented camp is set on the eastern

fringes of Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National

Park, a location with a reputation as a

photographer’s paradise. As the sun sets

over the sprawling loodplains, it’s easy

to see why. Perched on low wooden decks,

each of the camp’s six canvas tents has

prime views of the Zambezi River and

ruged local peaks, while the interiors, by

Johannesburg-based Tanja Beyers of Profurn

Contracts, are a pleasingly low-key blend

of local timbers (such as African mahogany)

and handcrafted details (including

decorative beadwork on the bedside lamps)

in muted tones. Distractions include

game drives, sunset cruises and walks, all

designed to help you discover the region’s

abundant wildlife. Be warned, you are

way beyond Wi-Fi here. Head back to the

camp for a dip in the pool and to soak up

the spectacular scenery, speckled with

clusters of grazing zebras, waterbucks and

elephants. Lauren Ho

Tel: 27.11 257 5000 (South Africa),

wilderness-safaris.com. Rates: from $1,288

Framed by the Cairngorms National Park,

Braemar has long been a favourite of British

royalty and regulars to the annual Highland

Games. And now, with the reopening of

the spruced-up Fife Arms, the small Scottish

town is all set for its post-millennial close-

up. A grand, 19th-century pink granite pile –

originally designed by Alexander Marshall

Mackenzie for the Duke of Fife – the hotel

has been restored by local practice Moxon

Architects, while Russell Sage has furnished

the interiors with a mix of Scottish antiques

and contemporary artworks (including

pieces by Subodh Gupta and Zhang Enli),

specially curated by the hotel’s owners,

the leading gallerists Iwan and Manuela

Wirth. Each of the 46 rooms is themed

in homage to a historical igure linked to

the area, such as Robert Louis Stevenson

and Lord Byron, or a local place or event.

This regional idelity continues in the

kitchen, where executive chef Robert

Cameron serves grouse and venison sourced

from local gamekeepers. DW

Mar Road, Braemar, Aberdeenshire, tel: 44.7876

327603, thefearms.com. Rates: from £250

Thanks to a combination of inaccessibility,

exclusivity and a limited tourist quota,

Bhutan has long possessed a certain cachet

as a destination. The arrival of the Six

Senses group in the Himalayan kingdom

will only enhance this status. Five lodges,

designed by Thai studio Habita Architects

in hand-cut stone, timber, bamboo and

packed earth, are dotted across a series

of lush valleys, the idea being that visitors

move from one location to another to

discover diferent aspects of the country.

First to open are lodges overlooking the

Paro and Punakha valleys and one in

Thimphu, the capital; two more, in Gangtey

and Bumthang, will open in spring. In total,

the project includes 82 rooms, all furnished

with bukhari stoves and antique rugs. The

marquee attraction is the views: each lodge

has a breathtaking setting, at an average

altitude of 2,000m above sea level. Once

you’ve exhausted the panoramas, activities

include forest walks and visits to ancient

forts and Buddhist shrines. Daven Wu

sixsenses.com. Rates: from $1,500

Highland ling

Peak time Perfect pitch

3 : Cubic metres of

African mahogany,

sourced from sustainable

logging forests, used

to create day beds for

the guest tents

500 : Ethically sourced

antlers used to make

a chandelier for the

Foghouse, one of The

Fife Arms’ many

communal rooms

1845 : The year Watts

of Westminster created

its ‘Shrewsbury Welby’

wallpaper – for the Earl

of Shrewsbury’s Ingestre

Hall – which features in

The Fife Arms’ Room 44

30 : Days it took to install

the irregular, carved wooden

ceiling panels in the living

room and spa entrance of

the Thimphu lodge

10 : Height in metres

of the specially

built wooden prayer

pavilion at the Six

Senses lodge in

Thimphu, from

which you can see

the 52m Buddha

Dordenma statue.

The lodge is one of

five across Bhutan

8 : Trees salvaged from

the construction site to

create cantilevered vanity

slabs in the bathrooms

2,160: Hours the

Aberdeenshire-based

Tom S Ironside

Furniture Group spent

restoring the 19th-

century mahogany fire

surround – carved with

scenes from the

works of Robert Burns

• now in the hotel’s
  reception area

15,000: Hand-rolled

beads used to make

chandeliers for the

main lounge and

decorative fittings for

the guest tents, as

part of a community

project involving

34 local families

THE FIFE ARMS, SCOTLAND

SIX SENSES, BHUTAN CHIKWENYA, ZIMBABWE

8 : Months it took to build

the Punakha lodge’s lounge

area, which is cantilevered

over an infinity pool and

paddy fields

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Travel

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