A Luxury Travel Blog

Amanyara is located deep within a 5,000-acre nature and wildlife reserve called Northwest Point, on the island of Providenciales. The Aman hotel chain provides some of the best luxury resorts as well as the most expensive in the world.

Amanyara looks incredibly spacious, yet it gives you complete privacy depending on whether you are here on a romantic vacation or just to get away from the bustle of everyday life. The aesthetics of Amanyara imitates the Asian-inspired minimalistic look, with a lot of polished teak, floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors and many cushy daybeds and alfresco lounging spots. The whole architecture of Amanyara is just spectacular and very exquisite. It’s easy to forget you are in a resort at all as it feels more like you are in zen heaven!

Architect Jean-Michel Gathy tried hard to create the resort keeping in line with its natural surroundings. Instead of trimmed lawns, palm trees, and fluorescents-bright flowers is a chalky, hardscrabble landscape of cacti, Serenoa, and scrub. The seacoast is mostly iron-shore, a rough combination of lava and pitted limestone. He compensated for the harshness by creating a series of calming, reflective ponds and importing stone, wood and other materials from Indonesia and other countries.

Replicating the resort on a more intimate scale are the Turks and Caicos luxury Villas. Each Villa has three, four or five bedrooms, an infinity-edged swimming pool, living and dining pavilion, an outdoor dining sala, kitchen, personal cook and housekeeper. The villas are totally private and the environment is so calm and quiet that you can’t help but relax. No surprise then that its name ‘Amanyara’ is the Sanskrit word for ‘peaceful place’.

In the first ever Lonely Planet Awards to be announced this month, avid worldwide travellers voted swimming in the azure waters off Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia as the ‘Greatest Outdoor Experience’.

High on the list for snorkelers and scuba divers, Lizard Island’s crystal clear waters, fringing reefs and shallow coral gardens captivate visitors with an exceptional array of technicolour marine life rarely experienced elsewhere in the world.

Surrounded by 24 exquisite beaches, Lizard Island is one of Australia’s most iconic Great Barrier Reef resorts. Boasting unrivalled dive sites such as the world famous ‘Code Hole’ where divers can come face to face with curious potato cod, giant clown fish, sea turtles, stingrays and ‘friendly’ sharks, it also has outstanding snorkelling just off its beaches including the magnificent 100 year old clam gardens that are home to myriad fish and other small sea creatures.

An award winning all-inclusive resort, Lizard Island has just 40 beautifully appointed suites. Complementing its very special location, the property offers the best of understated luxury with five-star gourmet dining on fresh Australian produce and a wine cellar to match including unlimited French champagne, indigenous inspired spa treatments at the Azure Spa and a wealth of water sports and activities. The resort also organises visits to the Lizard Island Research Station to give guests a better understanding of the precious underwater world that surrounds them.

What would be your greatest outdoor experience?  Please post a comment to let us know.

Todd Harris is Senior Vice President for Hospitality and Member Services at Exclusive Resorts, a luxury destination club offering members hundreds of vacation residences around the world. He supervises all aspects of the member experience. Previously Todd spent 14 years with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, serving as General Manager of some of their most acclaimed hotels, including The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek, Colorado and international properties in Singapore, Japan and South Korea.

What is it that you do exactly?

I oversee the overall service experience at Exclusive Resorts, to ensure that our members have a first-class vacation every time they travel with us.  This includes responsibility for the travel planning services our members receive from their dedicated Member Services Managers, as well as the in-residence experience they enjoy when they are staying with us in our homes.  I spend my day speaking to members, reviewing their feedback, and supporting hundreds of service staff (housekeeping, concierge, and property maintenance) across nearly 40 destinations in the U.S., Caribbean, Europe, Mexico and elsewhere.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

I love my relationships and connections with my staff.  As you can imagine, with on-site service personnel supporting nearly 400 club residences as well as our Denver-based Member Services Managers, we have quite a team.  I’ve really enjoyed building our service model, finding enthusiastic and expert service professionals to add as we expand, and working with all of them to identify new ways to not only continue enhancing our the services we offer, but also to surprise and delight our members on their vacations.

What would you say are the 3 best places you’ve ever stayed?

To me, the best travel experiences are often to celebrate important family occasions.

1.   Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica – In addition to my role with Exclusive Resorts, I’m also a member of the club.  About two years ago, my wife and I were fortunate to share a memorable wedding with a small group of close friends and family at the Exclusive Resorts “enclave” in Peninsula Papagayo.  The homes were stunning, the wildlife and landscape fascinating, and working with our onsite concierge team in Costa Rica on all the details made everything simple, so we were really able to relax and enjoy that special weekend.

2.   Hawaii’s Big Island –We took my wife’s family to Kohala Coast on the Big Island to celebrate her mom’s 60th birthday recently. None of my wife’s family had ever traveled to Hawaii before, and I was happy to be able to help organize a trip that brought everyone together for a family reunion in a destination that was new to them and has long been a favorite of mine.

3.   Sea Island, Georgia – My wife and I invited all eight members of my immediate family for a fantastic family reunion in Sea Island, Georgia. The Cloister at Sea Island is truly an exceptional resort property, with a terrific array of activities, five miles of private beach, and the amazing 65,000 square foot Cloister Spa.

What’s been your most memorable dining experience to date?

I think the most memorable dining experience I’ve had was probably when I was living in Japan. As an expatriate hotel manager for a five star hotel brand, I was fortunate to be able to travel around Japan and experience many unique aspects of their culture. I specifically remember one dinner in Fukuoka where I couldn’t communicate with the local staff so I asked for the “set menu”. One dish included them pulling a live squid out of a tank in the middle of the restaurant and clipping off its tentacles and serving them directly onto my plate. I had the hardest time picking them up with my chop sticks as they were still squirming and jumping all over my plate.  I loved trying the local cuisine while living abroad, and this particular meal has definitely remained vivid in my memory.

Have you rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous, either through your work or your travels?

Andre Agassi and his wife Steffi Graf are members of Exclusive Resorts, and I have had the opportunity to spend some time with them at a couple of club destinations where they were conducting tennis clinics for their foundation.

What currently ranks highest on your travel wish list?

This one is easy because we’ve been planning a trip for our members here at Exclusive Resorts, as part of our unique Once in Lifetime program, that is at the top of my personal list:  a South African experience, combining a stay in Cape Town, South Africa with a luxurious safari experience in Kruger National Park. To go on a world-class safari (complete with luxury accommodations and private guides) and enjoying the local beaches and wineries of Cape Town sound like a perfect balance of adventure and relaxation.  Experiencing the many different aspects of South Africa on a trip like that is something I would love to do someday.

Thank you for taking part in our interview, Todd.  I can appreciate how a plateful of squirming tentacles must have stuck in the memory!

Cambodia has long been a destination known for its rich cultural heritage and extraordinary history. However, most visitors to the country are unaware of the beautiful coastal region of Sihanoukville & Ream that lies just 220 km from Phnom Penh. One of the most unspoiled coastlines anywhere in South East Asia, Sihanoukville & Ream is an up and coming destination for those who are looking for the next big thing.

The coastline of Sihanoukville & Ream boasts a wide range of impressive beaches, each distinct and unrivalled in comparison to the beaches of popular tourist destinations like Thailand and Bali. Located on the beautiful coastline of Sihanoukville, Sokha Beach and Independence Beach are blissfully peaceful, with stretches of soft white sand just waiting for visitors to mark their footprints. Further East, discover Occheuteal Beach, backed by a row of casuarina trees. Stretching for 4 km, visitors can make the most of the water sports available here such as banana boating and jet skiing. Ream lies 18 km East of Sihanoukville, a charming fishing village with beautiful, long beaches that border Ream National Park, a stunning 150 sq km of primary forest and 60 sq km of marine habitat.

The area is also famous for its crystal clear waters and abundant marine life. An extraordinary diving destination, Song Saa Island is paving the way for eco-friendly tourism in the country and encouraging marine wildlife protection in the region through a dedicated marine biology team who founded the first private marine protected area in the country. Opening there in 2011 will be Song Saa Island Resort, an ultra-luxurious and intimate collection of villas aimed to cater to the area’s growing beach tourism.

Greeted with refreshing fruit juice on our arrival at reception at the Sheraton La Caleta Resort & Spa, we made our way to the Club Level 5th floor where we had a family room for the duration of our stay.  This is a relatively new hotel having officially opened in April 2005; it has 284 rooms of which 20 are suites (2 with outdoor Jacuzzis).

Our room was wonderfully spacious, spotless as you would expect, and with a great sea view. Although we didn’t take advantage of the various perks, occupants of Club Level rooms have access to the Club Lounge with meeting rooms and internet access, as well as having access to breakfast down by the poolside.

The hotel has three main pools – two that are heated, upper pools and a lower saltwater pool.  In fact, there’s a fourth, small pool for children at the hotel’s small kids club, too.  The kids club is admirably looked after by a lovely lady named Inma who entertains the children well whilst they are in her care.

Restaurants at the hotel are also plentiful with a buffet held every evening, as well as a Spanish restaurant (where you can enjoy private dining for up to 22 people) and a Japanese restaurant.  There’s also a good children’s menu at the hotel, refreshingly offering dishes that extend beyond the usual chicken nuggets (grilled salmon steaks, pasta carbonara, fish special of the day, roast chicken supreme, etc.)

I enjoyed a tour of the Caroli spa and health club at the hotel with the spa manager, Isaac Raymond, who explained what the 1,800m² spa had to offer. It included aromatic showers with essential oils, chromatherapy, two outside areas where the sound of water helps you to relax, Roman plunge pools (one hot, one cold), treatment rooms, steam room, a 34°C thalasso pool, an igloo that maintains a constant temperature of 5°C and, of course, a gym.

Other facilities at the hotel include internet access which is available in-room for a relatively modest fee or for free, courtesy of the Sheraton Link near reception. There is also a hair and beauty salon on site and, at the time of our visit, there was an offer for a pedicure and manicure for a very reasonable €47.25 including taxes.

The hotel also has a large ballroom that can be used for conferences, corporate press releases, weddings and parties – so big that the automobile manufacturers Toyota, who have a presence on the island, are able to drive vehicles into and out of the room when they make press announcements and release new models.

The crew of Clash of the Titans stayed at the hotel last year and now, one year on, some of those involved were back to promote a raffle that will allow one lucky winner to stay at the hotel and explore some of the movie locations.  Judging by our visit here, they are sure to enjoy it.

My thanks go to Tenerife Tourism Corporation for their assitance with the visit.

Asia’s most recent and exciting luxury boutique hotel group, Alila Hotels & Resorts, has introduced its second property in Indochina: Alila Luang Prabang. Set to open its doors in October 2010, Alila Luang Prabang is expected to raise the bar for luxury retreats in Laos.  The small UNESCO Heritage town of Luang Prabang is the cultural centre of Laos, known for its laid back atmosphere & profusion of temples, handicraft shops & art galleries.

And overlooking the confluence of the Mekong & Nam Khan rivers, the new Alila hotel & spa will offer breathtaking views of the surrounding sacred mountains & nationally treasured landmarks. The property will perfectly complement the existing property also owned by the group, 3 Nagas by Alila – a boutique hotel in central Luang Prabang that was sensitively restored in 2003. Alila Luang Prabang has conserved the site’s architectural heritage, combining existing colonial buildings built between 1910 and 1920 with new structures designed to complement the original designs. The all-suite property will comprise 23 suites, all uniquely designed, with private gardens & either a pool or outdoor pavilion with fantastic views.

The team at the Hilton Maldives Iru Fushi Resort & Spa joined forces to create a giant human version of the Hilton logo on their beach to celebrate their launch a year ago and have re-created a giant ‘1’ in celebration of the anniversary this month. To get in the spirit, the luxury private island resort is asking their Facebook fans to create their own version of the Hilton logo in the most innovative way possible for their chance to win a complementary holiday at the resort. The image most liked by fans will win and the lucky creative whisked off to paradise.

There is also the chance to receive a complementary upgrade to a stunning Aqua Retreat for the 100th booking to the resort made on Hilton.com this month. Guests simply need to write ‘Happy Birthday Hilton’ in the booking notes for their chance to win. And for honeymooners staying at the resort this July, the resort is offering an exclusive 30% discount off a return visit to celebrate their own 1st anniversary.

I was inspired to write this article by a comment made by Nick P on another of my articles on ALTB.

Pattaya is much maligned, even by expats who live in Thailand. Those of us who live, or have lived, in Patters are the butt of many jokes. You’ll have heard the one about the Pattaya jumpers (desperate foreigners who’ve lost every penny and see no way out other than flinging themselves off a high balcony). No doubt you’ll have heard of the cash cows and the walking ATMs, and how some hapless idiots lose everything, often within days of arrival in Sin City. I don’t dispute it happens. It does. But Pattaya has a lot more to offer, so please let me set the record straight.

Pattaya is the second largest city in Thailand and, as a big city, has a lot to offer for all sorts of people. Yes, downtown Pattaya is a sleaze hole. No arguments from me there. But there are sleazy places in most cities. I don’t write off London, for example, as a cess pit just because of the pros at King’s Cross or the sex for sale in Soho.

If you look beyond the so-called “entertainment zone” of central Pattaya, there’s a great deal on offer which is worlds away from the sleaze and sex industry. By the way, I’d like to take this opportunity to mention anti-slavery, which is a cause I care a great deal about.

To the north of Pattaya, you have the quiet suburb of Naklua with its excellent markets full of fresh local produce and established community of locals and long term expats. Some of Pattaya’s best hotels and restaurants are situated towards the north of the city. It’s hard to imagine a Sunday brunch anywhere in the world to match the one at the Amari’s Mantra restaurant.

On the subject of restaurants, visitors to Pattaya are spoiled for choice with gourmet treats. Just buy the local paper, the Pattaya Mail, and read their “Dining Out” section. There’s seafood restaurants, fine dining, international festivals, world class chefs, and many regular foodie events. Yum! It’s gourmet heaven.

To the south, you have Jomtien, a popular holiday resort. Pattaya is also rapidly expanding to the east, but I’ve very rarely ventured there so I can’t comment on that.

Beyond the city, there are numerous golf courses. Many people come to Pattaya for the fabulous golf courses at very reasonable prices. There are other tourist attractions too, as you’d expect from a place where tourism is such a major part of the economy. The vast majority of the people are honest and friendly – it’s a comfortable place to be.

If you want to sit in a seedy girlie bar (or indeed in BoyZone) and get ripped off by a good-looking stranger who amazingly falls in love with you immediately, then you can easily find that too. No problem! But Pattaya is about a lot more than that, so I just wanted to speak up in favour of the place I called home for several years.

Pattaya has numerous top class luxury hotels and resorts. I believe the King of Sweden holidays at the Dusit Thani, which is situated at the north end of Pattaya.

So you see, Pattaya has a lot more to offer than seedy sex. Perhaps you just need a little bit of insider information to see it.

I recently had the pleasure of staying at the Sea Sand Sun, a luxury resort and spa near Pattaya. Did I say “luxury”? That’s an understatement! This place is superbly luxurious. If I could write this review in one word, that word would be WOW!

But you luxury travellers are going to want a bit more information than that, so here’s the heads up on this hidden tropical Paradise, which is only about 30 minutes’ drive away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Pattaya. It’s easy to get to via the main East Coast highway, and is clearly sign-posted from the main road (Km 163 on the seaward side of Highway 3) so you should find it easily enough – now you know where to look.

On arrival, we (my husband came along with me to carry the bags) were greeted by smiling staff who checked us in promptly, handed us a refreshing coconut drink, and loaded our luggage on to an electric buggy. The resort is quite large so if you don’t want to walk around, you can phone reception and ask for one of their buggies to take you from A to B. It was such a beautifully landscaped place that we preferred to walk everywhere, except on arrival and departure when we had luggage to shift.

The words “large resort” may conjure up an image in your mind of loads of people milling about, along with all the accompanying hubbub and bustle. Nothing could be further from the truth in the case of the Sea Sand Sun resort. The space was used to provide seclusion and privacy. There are only about 50 units of accommodation (some with two bedrooms) here, and it’s quite easy not to see other people if you prefer the peace and quiet of your own company.

Our accommodation was gorgeous. We had a secluded villa with a private pool which could also be used as a jacuzzi. We had every facility one could ever want from a luxury break. I could tell you about every little detail (actually, I was very taken with the design of the shower taps) but I’ve been told to write a review, not a book. The villa was wonderful with no attention spared to detail and comfort. Of course you can see the accommodation itself on the Sea Sand Sun’s own website.

The resort is laid out in a very convenient and sensible way too. Although we were given a plan of the resort, a quick glance was all that was required to orient ourselves. Basically there is a main path running along the centre to all the facilities with branches off the path, left and right, leading to the villas.

The reception is at the top, then at the foot you can find the spa, the free-form infinity pool with jacuzzi area, and outdoor restaurant. Oh yes, and the private beach.

Unlike Pattaya’s main beach where people are just about sitting on top of each other, there was no one to be seen on this one! I knew the resort had a private beach, I never expected to get the whole beach to ourselves. (No deckchairs reserved by someone else at 6am here!)

We were treated like VIPs by the staff. They know how to make guests feel valued and indeed they’re even used to royal visitors, as some members of the Thai Royal Family holiday at the Sea Sand Sun too.

If you really want seclusion, there’s also the option of private dining in your own villa, but we enjoyed visiting the restaurant, which serves terrific Thai food as well as international choices. There’s live music every night by Jay and Kookie who are really fun people and excellent entertainers.

Additionally, the resort has a very attractive meeting room which can be used for their corporate clients. If you have to attend a corporate meeting, I can’t think of a nicer environment to do it in.

This place was an amazing getaway from the stressful pace of life. After a two-night stay we left completely rejuvenated and relaxed. As I said in my first paragraph – WOW! As the resort itself says, it’s “so near, yet so far away from hassles”.

PS: We are pleased to be able to offer our readers a 10% discount if you’d like to stay at the Sea Sand Sun. Just mention A Luxury Travel Blog when you book with them.

Saint Lucia’s biggest and best-loved festival, ‘Carnival’ returns to the island this month in an explosion of colour, soul calypso and Caribbean energy, and a leading Caribbean resort will be there to join in the fun.

Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort is perfectly situated for travellers wanting to take in the Carnival energy, in the north of the island only 8km away from the Carnival action and the capital of Castries.

The award-winning resort has 161 villas and suites spread across 65-acres of beautiful hillside in North West Saint Lucia. Windjammer is frequently commended by international outlets, having been nominated in the World Travel Awards as Saint Lucia’s Leading Hotel, Resort and Spa Resort every year since 2005, and winning the leading hotel accolade in 2005.

The resort has also been awarded Best Caribbean Villa Resort by Caribbean World magazine, and listed among the top resorts in the world by Conde Nast Traveller magazine.

All villas at Windjammer have breathtaking views of the Caribbean Sea and the resort’s idyllic, crescent-shaped beach is another award winner, being listed in Cosmopolitan Bride’s ‘top ten most romantic beaches in the world.’

All of these accolades make the resort a hit with honeymooners and celebrities alike, with recent guests including Richard and Judy, Sherrie Hewson and Ruby Wax and the resort being featured on Living TV’s ‘Four Weddings’.

Guests can enjoy the resorts relaxing atmosphere, unwinding in the spa and rubbing shoulders with celebs during the day, in preparation for the evening when the island comes alive with the Carnival spirit.

This year also marks Windjammer’s 20th anniversary, so to reflect this, the resort is issuing a number of ‘20’ themed offers to help guests get into that Carnival spirit. The following offers and discounts are available when guests book for a minimum of seven nights between June and July 2010:

· 20% discount off accommodation
· 20 hours of free babysitting/nanny services
· 20% off luxurious spa treatments
· 20% off a sunset cruise
· Free bonus ‘Sun Dollars’ – Windjammer’s exclusive resort credits which can be redeemed on food, drink, spa treatments, trips, transfers, room upgrades and much more

Construction is underway on Etambura Camp, the first luxury tented camp in Namibia owned entirely by the local communities. Run by Conservancy Safaris and set on a remote hill top in the North West Kunene region, the camp will offer the ultimate desert camping in comfort.

Etambura Camp is in the Orupembe Conservancy in the western Himbaland, a 3,565 square kilometre area of mountains, hills, plains and tree-lined dry river beds. In Herero “etaa mbura” means “see the rain all over” and appropriately the construction of Conservancy Safaris latest venture is on the summit of a hilltop in one of the remotest parts of the Kunene Region, with an average rainfall of approximately 100mm per annum. The camp is scheduled to open to the first guests at the beginning of August.

Conservancy Safaris, and Etambura Camp, are entirely owned by the local communities with 100% of the profit going to the hosts, the local Himba and Herero people. The camp will consist of just five en suite tents, each with a private deck and positioned to take maximum advantage of the breath-taking views over the Onyuva plains. The communal lapa area extends to the edge of the hill and is the perfect setting to enjoy a good meal, watch the sun set whilst the moon rises and marvel at the endless expanse of a starry sky. Designed by Trevor Knott, a pasture scientist by profession with a growing reputation for unusual and striking projects in Namibia, Etambura will have a unique finish incorporating both flora and natural rock as an artistic feature.

Formerly an actor with the RSC, Grant Thatcher began the series of LUXE City Guides back in 2002. There are now more than 30 guides, including the best of the best from 20 in-the-know residents in each location.

What is it that you do exactly?

I’m Editor in Chief which encompasses everything from designing the covers and handmade box sets, to overseeing our blog LUXEtasy.com, and our new LUXE City Guides Mobile apps which span seven different handset brands including iPhone, BlackBerry, Nokia and 34 models. It’s no wonder my hair is grey!

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

When you consider that so many people in the world today don’t get to travel at all, the fact that I do it for a living is a great luxury. We’re the only city guide series in the world that sends staff editors to the city we’re researching to work hand in glove with our city resident editors, checking and refining the draft until we have the perfect LUXE mix, so even though research tends to be really expensive and grueling (14-16 hour days are the norm) we do at least get to see a horde of things that most visitors would never experience. Add to that our fascination with shopping, artisanal, bespoke and custom-made goods and at least we get to window shop while we work!

What would you say are the 3 best places you’ve ever stayed?

Tricky! Because of my job I’ve been fortunate enough to stay in some pretty amazing places around the world and the very best of them are special not because they are expensive or exclusive (quite often the contrary) but because they have that essential ‘It’ factor which may be personality, service, location or quirk. Im not remotely interested in gold taps and Rolls Royces, but seeing as this is a blog devoted to luxury, then my choices would be Villa Feltrinelli, The Connaught, and the Tirta Enning suite at CSE Estate in Bali – but I had a fab time campervanning around New Zealand not so long ago (if you don’t count the chemical loo…!)

What’s been your most memorable dining experience to date?

I loved the rustic, super-simple, eat with your fingers Indonesian food at Waroeng Tugu in Bali. It’s tiny and very basic, you sit at heavy wooden trestles, in an open-sided, traditionally-styled kitchen, the chef decides what he will cook and you will eat – it’s delicious, quiet, romantic and far from the madding crowds.

Have you rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous, either through your work or your travels?

My lips are sealed. When I travel for LUXE I always like to stay under the radar as you get to observe better, and for the most part I think the truly rich and famous are the same. I imagine being really famous must be a royal pain in the butt – incognito is the new luxury.

What currently ranks highest on your travel wishlist?

Syria. Im a nut for archaeology and am longing to visit Palmyra, and get down to some serious souk retail therapy in downtown Damascus.

Thank you, Grant.  I wasn’t familiar with Palmyra but Googled it and it does indeed look amazing.  Good luck in getting there.

Leleshwa Camp is an intimate tented camp situated on the Siana Community Conservation area on the north-eastern ridge of the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Resting along a stream valley, overlooking picturesque hills and rolling plains dotted with resident game, Leleshwa Camp is a peaceful haven. You’ll love the wide range of activities on offer: cultural village and school visits, digital photography workshops, hiking in the Loita Hills, bush meals and even balloon rides.

A weekly pick of luxury travel links for your perusal…

• Tailormade tours of India from Dominion Travel
• For your luxe travel needs: Elite Destinations Direct
• Save on theme parks with Orlando Attractions
• Check out Suite 116 at Four Seasons Resort Seychelles

A weekly pick of luxury travel links for your perusal…

• Exclusive excellence from Royal Villas Europe
• Just over 1hr from Geneva Airport: Chalet Chocolat
• Luxury and iconic wines from Penfolds
• South America’s first luxury camp: Patagonia Camp

Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge is situated in Nkuringo, Uganda, bordering the south-western corner of the impenetrable Bwindi National Park. The panoramic view of the Virunga mountain range the Great Rift Valley is the magnificent backdrop for the unique eco-lodge which sits high on a ridge at 2100m.