Three top travel spots to help you refocus
Umana Bali
THERE’S something about Bali that facilitates clear thinking and a re-energising of spirit. At Umana Bali, part of Hilton’s LXR collection, you get to do this in an extra-special location overlooking Melasti Beach. It is a sacred site where the island holds its largest purification ritual annually ahead of Nyepi, the Balinese New Year. It is also a short distance from the famous Uluwatu Temple, where locals believe the powers of three mighty Hindu deities merge.
In search of meaning after leaving my corporate job earlier this year, I sought out the resort. Where better to find spiritual awakening than here, on the Island of the Gods; the place where Eat Pray Love was born? It didn’t matter that I only had three days. The tranquil, beautifully landscaped space offered a fast-acting balm.
After checking into a villa that hugged the sky from atop limestone cliffs bursting with wild bougainvilleas, I stayed cocooned most of the time, leaving only to attend languid Balinese wine tasting sessions in Umana’s wine room and stroll through the quaint neighbouring village of Ungasan. At night, the low roar of the Indian Ocean, just metres from my bed, sang me to sleep, and I rested better than I had in recent weeks. You can’t linger on petty thoughts with the vastness of nature at your doorstep.
The all-villa, 72-key property opened in November after being converted from a Banyan Tree resort, its standout selling point on an island heaving with villas being that it boasts Bali’s largest-in-class accommodations (every one-bedroom villa is an enormous 403 square metres). Each sleek home-away-from-home comes with its own pool and jacuzzi, kitchenette, outdoor and indoor lounge areas and showers, plus separate bedrooms and spacious patios. Many face the sea and offer the perfect spot to lounge and mull life.
Even if you don’t stay here, Umana’s stunning Oliverra restaurant and bar is a destination in itself, with unblocked views of the Indian Ocean. Go before dusk for a rainbow-hued panorama that will do justice to Bali’s reputation for having the world’s best sunsets.
Four Seasons Explorer Palau
Imagine having more than 340 remote islands of Palau in the western Pacific at your doorstep, and rare access to their crystal clear lagoons, hidden waterfalls, military ruins and 4,000-year-old culture at your fingertips. This is only possible with a stay aboard the Four Seasons Explorer, a spacious catamaran with 10 staterooms, its own dive centre, a spa, a restaurant, bar and a library, plus all the trimmings you’d expect from the luxury hospitality brand.
The “cruising resort” moved from the Maldives to Palau in December, opening the tropical utopia to adventurers looking to comfortably explore the ancient archipelago that is largely uninhabited by humans, but is home to more than 1,400 species of fish, 500 species of coral and numerous shipwrecks. Whether you choose to contemplate Palau’s 2,000-year-old carved basalt monoliths, visit the world’s first national shark sanctuary, or dive into the vast protected marine territory, this is one stay that promises connection with the larger universe.
Silversea Singapore to Tokyo voyage
There are few ways to travel as effortlessly as on a cruise, where you’re left with the luxury to focus on soul-searching. This Silversea voyage from Singapore to Tokyo will float you through 10 ports in 22 days. Don’t be fooled by its urban start and end ports – the itinerary includes leisurely days at paradisal Coron in the Philippines, where you can dive into emerald waters in search of shipwrecks or ascend Mount Tapyas; and at dazzling Romblon Island, home to sugar-soft beaches and enigmatic jungle-clad shores.
The trip takes place on board the plush, 596-passenger Silver Dawn, which offers white-gloved personal butler service, an impressive eight dining options from pizza to fine French, and most notably, Silversea’s next-gen Otium spa with its medi-spa treatments and philosophy of rest and renewal. All this means that mental and physical rejuvenation are virtually guaranteed. The next sailing for this voyage departs Dec 22, 2024.
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