Discover Makasutu Culture Forest, just an hour drive from the hectic coastal resorts of the Gambia. Inside the forest is an idyllic mangrove-lined tributary of the River Gambia, where is a luxury eco-retreat that sleeps a maximum of sixteen. Visitors reach Mandina Lodge by elevated walkways or via canoe. Photo by: ambabheg

The lodges are solar-powered with private roof terraces, beautiful views, and carved four-poster beds dressed in white linens. Bathrooms are roofless for bathing under the stars. There is an enormous pool and a relaxing bar. Dinner can be enjoyed alfresco or in your lodge, after a personal talk with the chef. The place relaxed even the most stressed into total peace. Photo by: gavin malarky

Local guides take visitors to explore the surrounding forest or the river. Legend has it that Makasutu (holy forest) is haunted, but you are more likely to spot a baboon or monitor lizard than a supernatural being. Photo by: Tim & Sam’s Flickr

Photo by: Tim & Sam’s Flickr

Location: Makasutu, The Gambia. Photo by: Tim & Sam’s Flickr

It is hard to imagine a more romantic arrival. After rumbling over gravel roads between fairy-tale forests along Chile’s remote but spectacular Carretera Austral, you come, at last, to a tranquil little hamlet on the edge of a fjord: Puyuhuapi. The last stretch of your journey must be done by boat, crossing the glassy waters to find a cathedral-like wooden building poised right on the water against a backdrop of virgin forest. It seems an unlikely place for a luxurious spa, and yet inside this beautiful structure there are immaculate pools, fed by three kinds of natural waters. There are also healing mineral water hot springs too. From this superb range of combinations, the owners have created a wide specialty of treatments which transformed the guests’ well-being. 

The accommodation is simple, rather than chic. The comfortable rooms are designed with natural materials and floor-to-ceiling windows to make the most of tranquil views onto the fjord. Fine cuisine completes the luxurious treatments. Bedfellows can conclude their trip there with an unforgettable voyage to see the mighty glacier at Laguna San Rafael.

It is Puyuhuapi’s complete contact with nature that is so special: Take a kayak out onto the water to explore, or hike to the inspiring glacier on the other side of the fjord. After a day of exertion, there is no better therapy than to bask in hot pools under the beautiful sky and watch the stars.

Location: Chiloe Island, Chile. Photos by: nazgulhead

Bahia is Brazil’s new hot spot, and there is nowhere hotter than Fazenda da Lagoa. The owners fell in love with it at first sight, and it is easy to see why. It stands on a beautiful white-sand beach, with rain forest and mangroves and saltwater lagoon close by. The owners called the place planetinha (little planet). Photo by: ewen.sturgeon

Each of the spacious fourteen bungalows has a deck, outdoor shower, television, CD and DVD players, hammocks, air-conditioning, and gauze-netted beds. The interior design is enough to put a smile on your face: pop-art style, bright and bold, designed by architect Lia Siqueria and decorated by Carioca artist Mucka Skrowronski. Photo by: fazendadalagoa

However, this is not just a luxury wilderness retreat because it is also an eco-hotel. You will find biodegradable toiletries in the shower, and there are plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy, such as kayaking, surfing, and river trekking. Photo by: fazendadalagoa

Location aside, it is the little unexpected things that make Fazenda da Lagoa so special. Sure, the infinity pool is impressive and very stylish, as is the spa. When you are ready for breakfast, you simply raise a flag outside your bungalow, and the kitchen is alerted to deliver your food basket to your private terrace. Photo by: renata bokel

Photo by: Coffee_Martin

On an undeveloped stretch of Brazil’s famous Cacoa Coast, set among 247 acres (100 ha) of rare Atlantic coastal rain forest, Txai Resort is a secluded enclave of guests rooms sprinkled throughout the grounds of a privately owned coconut plantation. Ocean views are unavoidable in this eco-friendly hideaway with natural springs and waterfalls aplenty  in the surroundings lush hills.

There are twenty-six bungalows, all with king-sized beds, mosquito nets, and sofas, decorated with thatch and wood ceiling, color-washed interiors and private spa baths. Two even have their own private plunge pools. Most bungalows are found on the resort’s lower levels within easy walking distance of the palatial swimming pool, but others are scattered along a hillside and offer a mix of floor plans that can satisfy every need.

One bungalow have a mezzanine, making it ideal for family of four, whereas other can be booked to sleep up to eight people. With breakfast, lunch, and dinner included in the room rate, most meals tend to be eaten in the resort’s Bahian-style restaurant. Menus are changed daily and follow a largely Brazilian theme, ranging from traditional fish stews and shrimps served with black beans and manioc through to the humble pizza.

The resort’s hilltop spa offers hydro-massage, hot stone treatments, yoga and a range of facials and manicure treatments that may well be a requirement rather than just an excuse to relax after a heady day. Activities include kayaking or sailing in a traditional Bahian boat along the Rio de Contas, riding horses through the rain forest trails, or hiking the beach.

Location: Trancoso, Brazil. Photos by: mamachado10

The Mayans were notoriously clever. The splendid ruins of their advanced civilization lie all around the luxury Tulum resort of Azulik, taking visitors back to the time when humans and their surroundings were in much closer harmony. Azulik’s greatest asset is precisely this way of blending ancient feelings and wonders with a contemporary outlook. One of the major draws is the Maya Spa, which provides a large list of treatments that range from familiar Western techniques to ancient healing skills and relaxation treatments, including traditional Mayan massages. Photo by: ninahale

The ocean-side resort is also well known for its fifteen wooden villas, each with its own thatched roof and authentic decoration. Located on a cliff top, the villas offer outstanding sea views, especially Numbers 1 and 12 – both perfect for incurable romantics and honeymooners. Strolling along the white-sand beach, clad in as much or as little as you wish, is as a memorable experience as kayak trips around the coral reefs or hiking through tropical forest. Photo by: holly.worton

You can also just relax in your villa, enjoy sea breeze on your own patio, or take a dip in your hand-carved bathtub. There is no electricity at Azulik; come evening candlelight provides an enchanting ambiance as the Mexican nights descend. It is unique feeling to close one’s eyes, listen to the nocturnal soundtrack of the jungle, and reflect that the Mayan spirit that left such a mementos cultural imprint. Photo by: holly.worton

Location: Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Photo by: holly.worton

Canada‘s Great Bear Rainforest sweeps along British Columbia’s Inside Passage and is more than twice the size of Yellowstone National Park. In the middle of this broken wilderness, more than 150 miles (240 km) from the nearest paved road, is the King Pacific Lodge, a floating fishing lodge based on the serene waters of Princess Royal Island’s Barnard Harbor, home to black wolves, grizzlies, black bears, and a maximum of thirty pampered guests. Photo by: andrew mcgarry

The flights there takes you over nothing but trees, lakes, and rivers, the lodge’s isolation is genuine enough to lure A-listers such as Kevin Costner, who is longtime devotee. Every spring the unique lodge, moved from its winter home in the coastal town of Prince Rupert to its summer surrounds on Princess Royal Island, where the lodge’s seventeen rooms offer either wilderness or ocean views and access to everything that true wilderness is meant to be. Photo by: SevillaSD

Guests can kayak to uninhabited islands or take guided hikes to as-yet-unnamed peaks. If you’re lucky, you may be even fortune enough to see the rare Kermode ‘’spirit bear” – a black bear with a recessive gene that gives it a white coat. King Pacific Lodge sits on an old navy barge and was designed by a team of marine architects. A Toronto-based firm was responsible for the hotel’s interior, which features furniture made from driftwood. Its hull contains freezers and coolers to store meat and fish, and vegetables are flown in weekly with the hotel’s guests. Photo by: andrew mcgarry

Photo by: andrew mcgarry

Modern-day fairy tales do not come much better than this. Cuixmala is a hot resort where luxurious villas are tucked away in a vast 25,000-acre (10,117-ha) ecological reserve fringed by golden beaches. This is a private sanctuary in more ways than one. Come there to rest your head, laze on deserted beaches, and get close nature. Then discover the birds and animals that have made their home in this eco-reserve – from jaguars and sea turtles to exotic zebras and antelopes. Photo by: flickrimagesearch

The top house is Casa La Loma with its distinctive blue and yellow striped dome. It looks like a castle and has a view out across the empty beach of Costa Alegre to the rolling Pacific surf. There are four other villas, fully staffed and decorated in sumptuous Mexican and European designs, as well as nine comfortable casitas (small villas) with a shared pool, clubhouse, and restaurant. Make yourself at home, then explore the organic farm on horseback, past mango and papaya trees, citrus orchards, and all those beaches. Photo by: Max Stuedlein

Some are perfect for kayaking and snorkeling; other have hammocks strung between coconut palms to escape the sun. Enjoy a picnic on a stretch of unspoiled beach, followed by a boat trip across the lagoon where you can watch the sunset as well as spot dolphins and whales. Finish a day with a cold margarita. Photo by: Maddog 2007

Celebrities adore this superb eco retreat. Food served in the gourmet dining room has been grown originally at the ranch of highland farm, and the two-tiered seating in the screening room has Indian pillow-topped settees the size of double beds. Location: Jalisco, Mexico. Photo by: Maddog 2007

Tucked away in the San Juan Mountains, this romantic old mining town turned resort offers a refreshingly new tourist experience. Although the town where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are rumored to have hidden after robbing a bank in Telluride in 1889 may appear sleepy, nothing could be further from the truth. There is abundance of activities to satisfy even the most hyper vacationer.

Take a horse into the terrain to discover thunderous waterfalls and silent lakes, go desert hiking, heli-skiing, or snowmobiling in virgin powder, get your adrenaline pumping with river rafting, or enjoy a gentle afternoon’s fly fishing on the Wet Dolores. 

Stay in finely furnished hand-hewn log cabins, dine on delicious local organic cuisine in an old saloon, enjoy reviving holistic Elemis treatments in a tepee. Plus of course you can soak in the town’s natural, therapeutic hot springs, as the Ute Indians did thousands of years ago. 

An array of fascinating sites lies just a short distance away, including haunting Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly in the Navajo Reservation, and the town’s own vineyard in McElmo Canyon. And how about having the whole town to yourself? Dunton Hot Springs can be reserved exclusively for private use for up to forty-two people, making it ideal for weddings and family celebrations. 

Location: Colorado, USA. Photos by: JARED VINCENT

Napili Kai Beach Resort is a deluxe resort situated on 10 beachfront acres on beautiful Napili Bay in West Maui, Hawaii. Children’s activities are also free, making this a good place for families.

The resort offers 163 hotel rooms, studios and one- and two-bedroom suites (most with kitchen facilities) in 11 low-rise plantation style buildings. The rooms closest to the beach have no air-conditioning, but ceiling fans usually suffice.

Amenities featured in guestrooms include DVD players, coffee/tea makers, and clock radios. All guestrooms provide microwaves and refrigerators. Bathrooms feature shower/tub combinations, hair dryers, and complimentary toiletries.

 Napili Kai Beach Resort has an outdoor pool, a spa tub , and a fitness facility.

Beach offers good swimming, snorkeling in calm waters, and body surfing and more.

Sea House, the resort’s full-service restaurant, serves Pacific Rim cuisine.

For owners Irena and Jeremy Hutchings, the vision to bring sustainable safari-style camping to Australia started in Africa. On their return, they happened upon pristine Jervis Bay and set up camp in a protected bush wetland. The rest, as they say, is history.

With twelve tents floating on timber platforms underneath a canopy of spotted gums and peeling paperbark trees, Paperbark Camp is the perfect foil for those who like roughing it, without actually roughing it. Wafts of eucalyptus and pine tickle your senses at every turn, and eco-tourism is taken very seriously.

Paperbark is near one of the world’s best beaches (Hyams), and you can rent a canoe for paddling along Currambene Creek, or a bicycle for forays into the eucalyptus forest, woodland, or nearby town of Jervis Bay. Locals come from miles around for gourmet treetop dining at the Gunyah Restaurant. Aboriginal for ”meeting place”, the Gunyah doubles as the camp’s nerve center – a place to chill with a book by day and chat by the fire at night.

The eclectic menu might include kangaroo kebabs with lemon and myrtle yogurt, salmon baked in paperbark, and kaffir lime and ginger sorbet with lychees and rum. Pesky possums have been known to poke their noses into unzipped tents and, come morning, you will wale to a dawn chorus that is second to none. Location: Jervis Bay, New South Wales, Australia. Photos by: great outdoors direct

Cradle Mountain Lodge offers an alpine spa retreat with luxurious green life. It is certainly no effort to be on the Australian island state of Tasmania, circled by misty, mirror lakes and craggy peaks. Some of the cozy cabins have a hot tub out on the deck and wood-burning fire in the lounge to keep evening mountain chills at bay. If you can to pull yourself away from the views, there is even more scenery on offer from the Waldheim spa. Treatments room have floor-to-ceiling windows to let the outside in, and an open hot-tube area with panoramic views of the forest. Photo by: jeaneeem

The gourmet menu features best green credentials of local produce, and helpful staff offer their help. A delight for food and wine lovers is the annual three-day gourmet which is a showcase for boutique winemakers, growers and handmade cheese makers. The site also attracts hikers. Take a picnic and follow self-guided walking trails to find a peaceful spot to enjoy the solitude of Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake. Go canoeing on the lake or rent mountain bikes to get off the beaten track. Local guides offer tours to get a closer look at native animals such as wallabies, possums, and may be even a Tasmanian Devil. Or look out over the forest to spot them while enjoying a relaxing massage in the spa. Photo by: gga

Photo by: ChrisOos

This multi-award-winning retreat exudes luxury emphasizes contact with the African bush. Gusts sleep in tents – but know as you know them. They have wood paneling, roll-top bathtubs, and showers both indoor and out. A perfect retreat for those willing to be much closer to the nature. The restaurants serves ”Afro-Euro fusion” food on the camp’s own deck, in the middle of the bush, or even on a boat floating peacefully down the Zambezi River. Photo by: Bushtracks

Chiawa is famous for its canoeing safaris to see hippo, buffalo, and elephant. It is also acclaimed for its fishing, especially of tiger fish and vundu catfish. The camp offers game drives, both in the day and at night, and bush walks, which are slower paced and highlight conservation issues. Photo by: Bushtracks

If your tent is too luxurious or you just desire an-in-depth exploration of your wild side, Chiawa Camp offers alternative accommodation at Old Mondoro Bushcamp. Accommodating only eight guests, this is a comfortably retreat with an open-air, back-to-nature vibe. Paraffin lanterns provide evening light, and fresh bread is cooked each day in the camp’s oven. Location: Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia. Photo by: mar10cc

Reaching Greystoke Mahale is an adventure. It is set on the remote eastern shores of vast Lake Tanganyika, and getting to the camp involves a four-hour flight on a small plane from Arusha, followed by a ninety-minute dhow trip on the lake. There are no roads within 60 miles (100 km) of this secluded sanctuary, and it is a two-hour boat ride to the nearest town. It is well off the tourist map, so if you are seeking solitude, Greystoke Mahale has plenty.

Accommodation consists of six traditional thatched huts, common in Central America. The beach fronted huts are stylishly designed, with open fronts, spacious decks, and interiors crafted from old dhow timber, giving the camp a look and feel of modest, rustic charm. 

At night, gaze at the starts while enjoying a barefoot meal at the water’s edge, sip cocktails on a dhow, or head to the bar, which is set picturesquely in the rocky headland. The dining area has four decks that face in every direction, affording fabulous views of the landscape. The lodge also has a library of rare books on the local wildlife. 

Behind the lodges are the dense forests of the Mahale Mountains, home to Africa’s last remaining wild chimpanzees, mankind’s closest relative. Trek through the lush rain forest to spot the endangered primates as they swing noisily and energetically from tree to tree. The rain forest is dotted with waterfalls and giant verdant vines and populated by leopards, monkeys, porcupines, mongooses, butterflies, and birds. 

There are treasures, too, to be found beneath the lake’s transparent water, where 250 species of tropical fish reside, making it ideal for swimming, snorkeling and kayaking. With no cell phone reception or wireless Internet, this is a perfect hideaway. Location: Tanzania. Photos by: ianthegecko and kkwhite919

The pace is relaxed at 20°Sud, Mauritius’s only boutique hotels: breakfast is served until 7 p.m. Most guests, however, rise a little before that. Truth to be told, there is a lot to get through. Windsurfers and sailors love the huge, sheltered bay with its perpetual light breeze. There is an excellent snorkeling around the nearby islands of Coin de Mire, Ile Ronde, and Ile Plate, as well as waterskiing, kayaking, and parasailing.

After lunch (served on the terrace just feet from the sea), you might be ready for a snooze by the pool, followed perhaps by a massage, a Turkish bath, or a gentle paddle in the waters of the hotel’s private beach. Maybe when the heat of the day subsides you might take a bicycle out into the surrounding lanes, or to the designer boutiques and chic bars of the buzzing village of Grand Baie. If a bicycle ride is too strenuous the hotel will shuttle you there in a canoe.

The hotel’s twenty-seven rooms and two suites all have views over the ocean and a terrace or balcony. Each has been individually created by Belgian interior designer Flamant with furnishings that give a historical vibe.

On the subject of history the hotels also owns the oldest motorboat in Mauritius, the MS Lady Lisbeth. Lovengly restored under the supervision of Michel Bourgeois, the proprietor, the hotel offers dining cruises to just eight guests at a time.

Photos by: jad_courbage and Cedricounet

Villa La Angostura in Argentina’s Patagonia is a quaint village with a friendly atmosphere. Despite being in South America, it has slightly Swiss feel to it, which could be down to the very tempting chocolate shops on every corner, or perhaps the chalet-style homes. Set aside form the small town, Las Balsas is a hideaway in a league of its own. Hidden far down a small dirt track, within the Nahuel Huapi National Park – one of the most beautiful spots in Patagonia – this certainly is not a place you will stumble across by chance. Photo by: noe_cherokee

With just twelve rooms and three suites, it is guaranteed to be intimate. Each room has its own style, from the all dusty-pink room with its stunning views framed by the Andes to the elegant red-striped scheme. Photo by: noe_cherokee

There is even a sophisticated, simple beige suite transformed with original vanished canoes cut in half and upturned in lieu of side tables. In addition to the interior and exterior pool, there is a stone spa with an incredible array of treatments: everything from a ”golden face mask”, with gold acting as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, to a full-body ”chocotherapy”, using chocolate as a base element. Photo by: noe_cherokee

The hotel’s attraction is definitely the restaurant and the charming wine-tasting lounge built from cypress and stone. Nibble on trout seviche, king crab with coconut milk, or venison with a blackcurrant and chocolate sauce before trying the Argentine’s favorite dessert: dulce de leche served with red fruit sherbet and coconut cookie by chef Pablo Campoy. Las Balsas might be in the middle of nowhere, but that not means you have to compromise on comfort. Photo by: noe_cherokee