Kornati, Croatia
November 13 2002
TRAVEL
Travel
November 10, 2002
The Sunday Times
Less is more: 13 great escapes
Holidays that take you where the modern world can't follow. No phones, no internet, no hassle — the most relaxing holiday is one that goes far beyond the reach of everyday life. In his search for splendid isolation, Mark Hodson reveals the world’s 13 greatest escapes
A holiday is about getting away from it all — from work, routine, miserable weather and the daily hustle and hassle of modern life. Pick up any travel brochure and you won’t have to look far to see that phrase “away from it all”. It’s a promise repeated so often that it’s as meaningless as a mantra.
Meaningless because, when you are on holiday, you’re often still surrounded by the annoying paraphernalia of the 21st century. The television in your room is tuned to CNN, there is a phone at your bedside (and sometimes in the bathroom), faxes shoved under your door, visits from people demanding to check your minibar. In a bid to escape, you stroll out, only to find internet cafes, shops selling goods imported from home and branches of Starbucks and McDonald’s.
As the pace of life quickens and the world gets smaller, it’s increasingly difficult to find a place that is utterly different, where life is stripped down to its basics and slowed to the point where you can hear yourself think. But it’s a challenge worth taking on. When you do find that place, you’ll feel life’s stresses fall away.
And you don’t have to go backpacking across China to find your own private paradise. It might be something as simple as a houseboat in the Devon countryside, a log cabin in Canada or a beach hut off the coast of Kenya. These are the places where you can still find splendid isolation. Some are expensive, some affordable. But here’s a promise: none has phones, faxes, televisions or internet cafes.
FISHERMEN’S COTTAGES, CROATIA
The Kornati archipelago, off the coast of Croatia, is made up of 125 islands and crags, all uninhabited. On some are long-abandoned fishermen’s cottages that have recently been restored in traditional style and are now available for rent.
A lack of sandy beaches and a fresh water supply has kept the developers away, but the compensations for today’s visitors are great: dramatic cliffs, rocky coves, limestone caves and pristine seas. The houses — all with easy access to the sea — are simple, with no mains electricity, phones or heating. Some are arranged in clusters, others have a large part of an island to themselves. They have gas for cooking, 12V batteries for lighting and enough well water to last the summer.
A boat stops at all the cottages two or three times a week selling fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish. Fishing rods, motor boats and rowing boats can also be hired.
How do I get there? Take a charter flight from Gatwick or Manchester to Split, then a two-hour boat transfer to your island.
Details: from £600pp per week in the summer, including flights from Gatwick, with the Croatia specialist Bond Tours (01372 745300).
Further information: Croatian National Tourist Office (020 8563 7979, www.croatia.hr).
SKELETON COAST CAMP, NAMIBIA
The Skeleton Coast is one of the most desolate and starkly beautiful spots on earth, a place of endless sand dunes that stretch down to a shoreline dotted with shipwrecks and whalebones. On a dry riverbed inside the Skeleton Coast National Park sits one of the world’s most remote safari camps, accessible only by air.
Guests stay in one of six luxury tents, each raised on decking with a veranda and ensuite facilities. Meals are taken under an ancient leadwood tree, or, if the wind picks up and the sand starts blowing about, in an indoor dining area.
It has no electric lights and no telephones — only a VHF radio for use in emergencies — and hot water comes from solar-heated tanks fed by springs.
During the days, guests take walking safaris or drives into the desert, looking at shipwreck sites and seal colonies, visiting local villages, searching for ostrich and brown hyena, and staring into absolute nothingness.
How do I get there? You take an over-night flight from London to Windhoek, then charter a light aircraft to the Skeleton Coast.
The details: from £3,310pp for a week, including flights from Heathrow via Johannesburg with British Airways, transfers, meals and game drives. Through World Odyssey (01905 731373, www.world-odyssey.com).
Further information: www.namibweb.com/scc.htm.
BOATHOUSE, RIVER DART, DEVON
Proof that you don’t need to cross oceans to find solitude, this boathouse in south Devon is completely secluded and surrounded by trees and water, with no television or phone. To reach it, guests must walk half a mile over fields and through a dense wood. Luggage is delivered by 4WD.
The house sits on a bend in the river between Stoke Gabriel and Dittisham — a perfect spot to fish, watch birds (shelduck and egrets breed nearby), mess about in boats and generally contemplate nature.
Simply furnished, it has a living room with an open fire, two bedrooms — one overlooking the river, with windows on three sides — and a veranda for breakfast and evening drinks. Stoke Gabriel, a quarter of a mile away, is a pretty village with a medieval church and three pubs. Bring a torch.
How do I get there? The house is four miles from Torbay and five from Dartmouth.
The details: a week’s rental for up to five people starts at £274 (up to £693 in high season) with Helpful Holidays. Three nights start at £196.
Further information: 01647 433593, www.helpfulholidays.com.
TAPROBANE ISLAND, SRI LANKA
The only privately owned island in Sri Lanka, tiny Taprobane is dominated by a house built in the 1920s by an eccentric Englishman, and once owned by the writer Paul Bowles. Guests have included Arthur C Clarke and Peggy Guggenheim.
The restored palladian-style house is built around a central hall surrounded by verandas and terraces looking out over trees and tropical flowers to superb sandy beaches and a nearby fishing village. It has an infinity pool, four bedrooms, each with an ensuite bathroom, and a staff of six.
The island is yours: staff will lay out a table for eight anywhere you choose, on the terrace or under a tree in the garden. There is a telephone in the house, but none in the rooms; no television or internet, either. To reach the island, guests wade out into the shallow surf or take a small boat.
How do I get there? Fly to Colombo, from where it’s a 3-hour drive. Taprobane is in the Bay of Weligama, near Galle, on the south coast.
The details: £1,246pp for a week, room-only, including flights from Heathrow with Sri Lankan Airlines and transfers, based on eight sharing, with Scott Dunn (020 8682 5010, www.scottdunn.com).
Further information: 00 94 74 380275, www.taprobaneisland.com.
PINE CAY, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
The Turks and Caicos, a British protectorate just south of the Bahamas, has some of the world’s prettiest coral cays and most turquoise seas. Many of the islands are uninhabited, but one — Pine Cay — is owned by a select group of wealthy individuals devoted to preserving its natural beauty and privacy.
The island has two miles of pristine beaches and no cars: just a small landing strip and sandy tracks that can be negotiated by cycle or golf buggy. A few of the houses — most of which are owned by CEOs of American and Canadian corp- orations — are available for rent, but they’re not cheap. A week in a one- bedroom cottage starts at £2,880.
Guests can also stay in The Meridian Club hotel. Owned by the residents, it is as low-key as it is expensive. The 12 beachfront rooms are plainly but tastefully decorated, and have ceiling fans and outdoor showers; no televisions, phones or air conditioning. Meals are taken at the clubhouse. Guests are encouraged to walk around barefoot, and mobile phones are banned.
How do I get there? Fly to the main island, Providenciales. From there, most guests make the short trip by private aircraft. If you stay on Pine Cay for a week, air transfers are included. Boat transfers can also be arranged.
The details: rooms at The Meridian Club start at £520 per night, full-board, for two people. British Airways (0845 773 3377, www.ba.com) flies direct to Providenciales from Heathrow; from £641.
Further information: 00 1 203 602 0300, www.meridianclub.com.
FEDJE LIGHTHOUSE, NORWAY
The remote island of Fedje (population 680), off the west coast of Norway, is known for both its tranquil beauty and its 150-year-old cast-iron lighthouse. Only in the past 10 years has the mechanism been automated and the lighthouse-keeper’s residence rented out.
This is not a destination for wimps.
The lighthouse and quarters sit on a small rock separated from Fedje by 50 yards of water. Residents have the use of a small rowing boat to take them back and forth.
Day-trippers sometimes visit the lighthouse on summer weekends, but otherwise you are on your own.
The house itself is surprisingly spacious, and has recently been refurbished. It has five bedrooms, a wood-burning sauna, two sitting rooms, a kitchen, a barbecue and a jetty from which you can fish. If nothing bites, you can buy from the local fishermen or rent your own boat and venture out to sea. Other provisions can be bought nearby.
Back on the mainland, there is excellent hiking along the North Sea Trail and, if the weather is good, you can swim in a lake on Fedje.
How do I get there? Fly to Bergen. Take the airport bus to Bergen bus station, then another bus to Saevroy, about two hours away. From here, regular public ferries make the 30-minute crossing to Fedje. It’s then a two-mile taxi ride to the lighthouse. Alternatively, take an overnight car ferry from Newcastle to Bergen and drive all the way to the dockside.
Details: the house costs £14pp per night (children £7) with a minimum of £58 per night to rent the whole place. Book direct with Fedje tourist board (00 47 56 16 40 70, www.fedje.org). Flights from Heathrow to Bergen with Braathens (0191 214 0991, www.braathens.no) start at £109.
Ferries from Newcastle start at £400 return for a car and four people. Through Fjord Line (0191 296 1313, www. fjordline.com).
Further information: Norwegian tourist board (0906 302 2003, www.visitnorway.com).
FAIRMONT KENAUK, QUEBEC, CANADA
Kenauk is one of North America’s largest private fish and game reserves, made up of more than 70 lakes and 100 square miles of forest populated by deer, moose, coyote and bear. Deep within the park are 13 wood cabins, each on its own lake or stretch of river.
The accommodation is simple but comfortable. The cabins have no electricity or phones, but they do have propane lights, a fridge, a stove, a furnace, a hot shower, an indoor toilet, a kitchen and a screened porch. Most have their own driveway; one can be reached only by motorboat.
The reserve offers 25 miles of hiking trails and is home to 200 bird species. Anglers can expect to catch rainbow and speckled trout, as well as large- and smallmouth bass. Canoe trips and treks, in search of black bear and moose, can be arranged.
The nearest town, Montebello, is a half-hour drive away, and has restaurants and shops. If the simple life gets all too much, you can visit Fairmont’s sister hotel, Le Château Montebello, which is so grand that it has hosted a meeting of G7 leaders.
How do I get there? Fly to Montreal and rent a car. The Fairmont Kenauk is 75 miles to the northwest.
Details: from £750 for two people in a cabin for a week, including fishing permit but not flights or car hire, with Clearwater Holidays (01993 868727, www.clearwaterholidays.co.uk). Virgin Travelstore (0870 066 4477, www.virgin.com) has flights from Gatwick to Montreal via Newark with Northwest; from £295. Holiday Autos (0870 400 0099, www.holidayautos.co.uk) has a week’s all-inclusive car hire from £214.
Further information: www.fairmont.com/kenauk.
PORUMA ISLAND, AUSTRALIA
In the Torres Strait, between the Australian mainland and Papua New Guinea, the tiny coral island of Poruma has recently opened to tourism, allowing visitors to experience for the first time Australia’s little-known “other” Aboriginal culture.
The 200 inhabitants of Poruma are Melanesian and speak Kalaw Lagaw Ya, or Yumiplatok, as well as English. The main activities on offer for visitors are swimming, snorkelling and sunbathing, but locals also promise to take tourists out for a spot of fishing — demonstrating traditional techniques using nets and spears.
Unspoilt and undeveloped, the island has little contact with the outside world. The only way to get there is on a low-altitude flight from Horn Island. The aircraft fly so low that passengers can spot manta rays and turtles in the shallows below.
The newly built beachfront accommodation is all at the west end of the island, where the sun sets, and is made up of a bedroom, a bath garden, a plunge pool and a day room. Children are welcome — apparently, the kids on the island are looking forward to meeting some.
How do I get there? Fly to Cairns, then take a two-hour flight to Horn Island. From there, it’s a half-hour flight to Poruma.
Details: from £982pp for a week, full-board. Flights from Heathrow to Horn Island with Qantas, via Singapore and Cairns, start at £1,006 with Travelbag (0870 890 1458, www.travelbag.co.uk). Flights from Horn Island to Poruma start at £109, also bookable through Travelbag.
Further information: www.poruma.com.
SOMERI ISLAND, FINLAND
Every summer in Finland, the cities empty and the Finns go out to the lakes, the beaches and the forests in search of splendid isolation.
It’s not difficult to find. Two-thirds of the country is covered by trees or water, and there are 188,000 lakes, many dotted with small, privately owned islands.
On Paijanne, the country’s second largest lake, you can rent the tiny island of Someri, which has a single house equipped with a sauna, a wood fire and a speedboat. What to do there? In the long days of summer, when the sun barely sets, you can jump out of the sauna and swim naked in the crystal-clear waters of the lake — it’s clean enough to drink.
This is basic living. The house consists of one studio room and an anteroom, with no electricity, no way of communicating with the outside world and no indoor toilet. It has a double bed, an Aga-style oven, a gas-powered fridge and fishing equipment. In the anteroom, there is a fold-out bed, suitable for children. For provisions, you must jump into the speedboat for the 15-minute trip to the village of Kuhmoinen.
How do I get there? Fly to Helsinki, then rent a car for the four-hour drive to Kuhmoinen, near Jamsa. There, you pick up the speedboat.
Details: £299 per week for up to four people, including the speedboat, with Holiday Rentals (020 8743 5577, www. holiday-rentals.com). British Airways (0845 773 3377, www.ba.com) flies to Helsinki from Heathrow (from £133) and Manchester (from £201).
Further information: Finnish Tourist Board (020 7365 2512, www.finland-tourism.com/uk).
KIPUNGANI BAY, LAMU, KENYA
Dozens of resorts along the coastline of Africa claim to offer barefoot luxury, away from the stresses of modern life. Among the best — and most remote — is Kipungani Bay, on its own 600yd beach on the historic island of Lamu.
For a resort that charges up to £255 a night, Kipungani is remarkable for what it doesn’t have. It has no phones, faxes or televisions, no hot showers, no air conditioning, no door keys. In fact, the 14 thatched bandas, fashioned from palm leaves and mangrove poles, have no doors — they open directly onto the beach, and are cooled by sea breezes. What guests pay for is an almost unreal sense of isolation and beauty, combined with lots of fresh fruit, seafood and fish, as well as seamless service. The beach is superb. Income from the resort also supports a school in the local village.
How do I get there? Fly to Nairobi, then take a 90-minute flight by light aircraft to Lamu, followed by a 45-minute boat transfer to Kipungani Bay.
Details: from £1,002pp for a week, full-board, including flights from Heathrow to Nairobi and transfers. Through ITC Classics (01244 355527, www.itcclassics.co.uk).
Further information: www.heritagehotels.co.ke.
NINGALOO REEF RETREAT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Ningaloo Marine Park contains one of Australia’s most important reefs, and has a unique location: although remote to the point that it’s almost off the map, the reef itself is just a few yards from the shore, making it easily accessible with the aid of just a snorkel and a mask. Most visitors to the park are so entranced that they spend their days with their faces below the surface of the clear, shallow water, inspecting the 500 species of fish, 250 species of coral and magnificent turtles. Ningaloo Reef Retreat is built on sand dunes inside the national park. Guests sleep in tents or in swags under the stars. Meals are prepared communally, using fresh local ingredients, with everything running off solar power.
How do I get there? Fly to Perth, then take another flight 800 miles north to Learmonth. From there, a courtesy bus takes you the final 40 miles to Ningaloo.
Details: a wilderness tent with double bed and hammock costs £77 per night. A swag costs £56. Both prices include meals, transport, snorkelling and kayaks. Flights to Perth with Malaysia Airlines from Heathrow or Manchester start at £559; return flights from Perth to Learmonth with Skywest Airlines start at £180 (both through Quest Travel: 0870 442 3513, www.questtravel.com).
Further information: 00 61 8 9949 1776, www.ningalooreefretreat.com .
BARDSEY ISLAND, WALES
Among the most remote spots in the British Isles, Bardsey Island is a national nature reserve and a pilgrimage site that dates back to the 6th century. Although it’s only a mile off the coast of Lleyn, in North Wales, most tourists are deterred from visiting by the torrid waters that separate it from the mainland. The island has a stark, windswept beauty. Its mountains, sea cliffs, lowlands and beaches provide nesting grounds for dozens of species of birds, including razorbills, kittiwakes and moorhens, and there is a resident colony of 150 seals. Several cottages are available for rent, although facilities are basic. There is no electricity — fridges and cookers run on gas, and lighting is provided by candles and gas lamps.
How do I get there? Drive to Porth Meudwy, Aberdaron, leave your car and catch the boat (£26 return). Crossings are on Saturdays. Phone the Bardsey Island Trust (01758 730740, www.bardsey-island.co.uk) after 7.30pm on Friday to confirm.
Details: from £180 per week for a two-bedroom cottage, to £420 for a farmhouse sleeping eight, peak season. Through Bardsey Island Trust.
Further information: Wales Tourist Board (0800 915 6567, www.visitwales.co.uk).
POUSADA BAIAZINHA, BRAZIL
The Pantanal is the world’s largest area of swamp-land, and a place of almost mythical status among animal- and bird-lovers. Amid hundreds of square miles of emptiness stands Pousada Baiazinha, a lodge built on stilts overlooking an islet that is home to spoonbills, egrets, cormorants and alligators. Guides take visitors out into the forest on foot, in canoes and on horseback to spot anaconda, cayman, capybara, anteaters, macaws, toucans, kingfishers and tiger herons. The lucky ones also see jaguars. The lodge has just six rooms, each with ensuite bathrooms and terraces, and a restaurant, a living room, an observation tower and a pool. There are no TVs or phones. Most guests get up for the dramatic sunrises, when the birds are at their most cacophonous.
How do I get there? Fly overnight to São Paulo, then to Campo Grande. From there, you will be taken by minibus to the lodge (3-4 hours).
Details: £1,595 for a week, full-board, including flights from Heathrow, transfers and activities, with Steppes Latin America (01285 885333, www.steppeslatinamerica.co.uk).
Further information: Brazilian tourist office (020 7629 6909, www.brazil.org.uk).
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