We may not be able to travel at the moment but nothing is stopping us from dreaming about the incredible places around the world we long to visit.
This week five of our travel writers reveal the far-flung destinations they would love to venture to after the restrictions are lifted.
The other-worldliness of Casa de Luis in Cuba, the serenity of the Four Seasons in Arizona, the cosy convenience of the Retrome Hotel in Barcelona, the epicness of Saruni Samburu in Kenya and the wild beauty of The Great Bear Lodge in Canada are all in their sights.
Joe Minihane: A sensational safari and the best sunrise
Joe Minihane dreams of being back at Saruni Samburu in northern Kenya
The Land Cruiser skidded over bare rock as we made the final ascent to Saruni Samburu. The eco lodge, perched atop a rocky outcrop overlooking the Kalama Conservancy in northern Kenya, was to be our final stop on a five-night flying safari across the country.
I’d spent days on the trail of cheetahs in the Maasai Mara, watched a black rhino and her calf charge across the plains in Laikipia, and come within arm’s reach of a bull elephant in musth while on a drive through Samburu. All accompanied by experts on endangered species, each one driven by a passion for wildlife and a desperation to see it protected.
Between excursions on the ground, I had flown in a ten-seat Cessna across lakes teeming with flamingos and along rivers where hippos and crocodiles lounged in the equatorial sun. It was everything I had ever hoped for from a safari.
So in my lockdown daydream, I am back at Saruni Samburu, walking to the door of my own villa, marvelling at the way light lands on the rocks but still trying to pay attention to my guide’s warnings about the leopard which often prowl these paths at night.
The greatest view on earth: The view from one of the stunning villas at Saruni Samburu
The open-sided villa has the greatest views I have ever encountered, ranging over the plains and up to Mount Kenya. I’ll wake to the greatest sunrise imaginable, while giraffes stroll between acacia trees far below.
Next door is an outdoor shower from where I’ll belt out Beatles hits for the benefit of the elephants heading to the waterhole which sits at the foot of the hotel grounds.
That evening, after a dip in the crater-like pool under a full moon, I’ll sip on a G&T and reflect on the greatest travel experience of my life, rounded off by a night in the finest hotel I’ve ever stayed in.
Maybe, when the lockdown ends, I’ll experience the pleasure of Saruni Samburu all over again. One can dream.
- Villas at Saruni Samburu start at £400 a night, based on two sharing, plus a £94 conservation fee per person (saruni.com).
Richard Mellor: Barcelona’s beating heart
Richard Mellor wishes he could teleport himself back to Barcelona
I wish I could teleport myself back to Barcelona last May. Over three days, with the mild sun heating my bare arms and fleeting Mediterranean breezes blowing in, I embarked on rangy walks between the city’s distinct quarters: Raval’s scruffy lanes and street art, the Gothic Quarter’s churches and tourists, and sleepier Poblenou’s architecture studios and new-wave bars playing surf songs.
Following my nose, I’d pause for a sensational tapas or coffee before ambling onwards, thrilling at details, unhurried, unworried, utterly content. Rarely have I been so happy.
The city enchanted me in a way few places have – but crucial to that was my having such a beckoning base. On a practical level, Retrome pleased with its geography: the hotel is near a metro station (Girona) and within strolling distance of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia church, Placa de Catalunya, the main Ramblas and, as I discovered, most other things.
It’s in Dreta de l’Eixample, a bourgeois barrio of grand residential streets dotted with shops, pavement restaurants and just enough hustle and bustle. Retrome is a portmanteau of ‘retro’ and ‘home’. Unusually, the hotel is split into two: a cafe-bar doubles as reception, and there are eight bedrooms above; a few doors north past a mannequin shop, there is another townhouse where seven chambers flank a spacious communal kitchen-lounge area and free-to-use espresso machine.
My room was compact (but the bargain price reflected that) and comfy. And I’d lucked out: I had a balconette overlooking one of Eixample’s quadrangles, a patchwork of allotments and palm trees.
Barcelona’s Retrome is split into two: a cafe-bar doubles as reception, and there are eight bedrooms above; a few doors north past a mannequin shop, there is another townhouse where seven chambers flank a spacious communal kitchen-lounge area
The hotel is near a metro station (Girona) and within strolling distance of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia church, Placa de Catalunya and the main Ramblas. Pictured is one of the bedrooms
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