1. Top 10 boutique beach breaks | Reuters
LONDON Aug 17 From glam coastal getaways to
private island escapes, boutique travel advisers Mr & Mrs Smith
(www.mrandmrssmith.com) have rounded some of up the best beach
breaks around the world. Swimming fans, surfers and poolside
posers will find much to like in this top 10. Reuters has not
endorsed this list:
1. Castaway chic: Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Australia is blessed with world class surf breaks and white
shores that unfurl as far as the eye can see. Perched on the
northernmost tip of the Great Barrier Reef, Lizard Island might
well be the country's best-kept secret. This boutique retreat
revels in its remoteness, with 24 secluded coves dotted around
the pristine private isle. Hotel staff can pack you off with a
gourmet picnic for a romantic lunch among the dunes, or kit you
out with snorkelling gear, kayaks and motorized dinghies for
exploring the dazzling reef.
2. Riviera romance: Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel, Côte d'Azur,
France
More about posing on sunloungers than pursuing aquatic
thrills, the French Riviera has long drawn Europe's style set to
its pebbled shores. While billionaires and their entourage party
on suburb-sized yachts, fashionistas flock to the beachfront
eateries of Cannes and Nice to see and be seen. A 25-minute
drive away, Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel offers suitably stylish
2. digs. Once a beachside club for the likes of Sophia Loren and
Cary Grant, this striking glass and polished concrete sanctuary
is as sparkling as the surrounding sea. Bold bedrooms star a
mod-marine theme, and restaurant Les Pêcheurs is famed for its
cutting-edge fare.
3. Haute Hawaiian styling: The Modern Honolulu, Honolulu, United
States
Whether you want to mix it with the masters on the big
breaks of Waikiki or cruise Maui's crests on a long board,
Hawaii is heaven for wave-hunters. Breezing onto the local hotel
scene in 2011, the Modern Honolulu brings boutique lodgings to a
city better known for its big-and-brash resorts. With the
surfboard-lined feature wall behind reception, and the ukuleles
and sarongs in the guest rooms, the design blends an all-white
colour palette with so-quirky-it-works local touches. Four bars,
a nightclub, and a Japanese restaurant from Iron Chef Morimoto
make this one of the hottest tickets in town.
4. Seaside seduction: The Legian & The Club, Bali, Indonesia
For boutique-shopping, bar-hopping and beach-flopping, it's
hard to beat Seminyak, Bali's most style-savvy strip. Place
yourself in the centre of the action with a stay at The Legian &
The Club, a designer duo right on the oceanfront. Forming one
ultra-luxe enclave, the Legian Hotel is home to sleek suites,
while sister property The Club sports intimate villas with
private swimming pools and a butler service. A two-tiered
swimming pool, free yoga sessions and a day spa will have you in
3. holiday mode quicker than you can say "I'll have another Legian
Mojito, thanks".
5. Back-to-nature bliss: Qamea Resort & Spa, Fiji Islands, Fiji
If barefoot luxury is your bag, then a stay at Qamea Resort
& Spa Fiji will have you kicking off your shoes in no time.
Traditional thatched bures are dotted among palm trees on Qamea
Island, a petite tropical isle in Fiji's lush north-east.
Inspired by Fijian village houses, the Beachfront Bures are just
a hop from sugar-white sands and glass-clear seas. Scuba fiends
will dive right into the PADI programmes on offer here, with
world-class dive sites and soft corals just offshore. Sybarites
should slip straight into the spa, a canopy-level retreat that
employs age-old techniques and local ingredients, such as cane
sugar and coconut, to soul-soothing effect.
6. Rustic luxury: Coqui Coqui Tulum, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Banish all thoughts of Cancun Spring Break from your mind -
a Mexican beach break needn't be about bikini-clad babes and
buckets of booze. Offering dreamy Caribbean coastal views,
forested interiors and history-steeped Mayan ruins, the idyllic
town of Tulum, 75 miles south-west of Cancun's airport, couldn't
be further from that teen scene. The coolly casual seven-room
Coqui Coqui Tulum hotel mixes whitewashed walls with lashings of
stone and wood for a pared-back setting. Canopied beds,
hand-molded bath tubs and sunset margaritas make this a must for
romantics, with plenty of hammocks for hanging out in style.
4. 7. Jungle-meets-sea: The Datai, Langkawi, Malaysia
So dense is the Langkawi jungle surrounding The Datai that
you cannot see the sea for the trees. In fact, you'd think that
all of the fun takes place at the adults' pool, a sapphire-blue
stunner by the hotel's restaurants. Weave through the
rainforest, however, and you'll be rewarded with one of the
world's best beaches. Lined with sunloungers and rattan couches,
this near-deserted stretch is all powder-soft sands and pure,
warm waters, with views to outlying islands. Take a kayak or
catamaran out for a spin, order cocktails from the Beach Club,
then flag down a golf buggy for the trip back.
8. Sublime spa escape: Font Santa Hotel, Mallorca, Spain
The biggest of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca is a heady mix
of olive groves, ancient villages, cosmopolitan boutiques and
hip galleries. It's also blessed with a slew of sun-kissed
beaches, the best of which is home to Font Santa Hotel, an
all-natural spa sanctuary overlooking the salt mounds of Es
Salobrar. Neutral-toned, light-filled rooms let the wild
landscape take centre stage, but the real standout here is the
day spa, with three treatment rooms, a sauna, Jacuzzi and
thermal pools that have been relaxing weary folk since Roman
times. Sashay between spa and sea for a heavenly hit of H2O.
9. Just-remote-enough indulgence: Wanakarn Beach Resort & Spa,
Phang Nga, Thailand
To the north of Phuket lies Phang Nga, a beach-toting
5. province that's blissfully off the beaten track. Particularly
far-flung is Wanakarn Beach Resort & Spa, an ultra-luxe hideaway
with a relaxed, unpolished vibe. While restraint has been
employed in the design of the pool villas - all locally sourced
timbers and natural fabrics - decadence reigns in the
restaurant, with imported truffles, cheeses and champagne on
tap. The indulgence doesn't end there, thanks to a swim-up bar,
spa and a choice of two beaches: a calm riverside cove and the
deserted stretch along the Andaman Sea, reached only by boat.
10. Private-island posing: Parrot Cay, Turks & Caicos, Caribbean
Destination du jour for the honeymooning A-list, the Turks
and Caicos islands in the Caribbean promise pampering in spades.
Set on a pinch-me-I'm-dreaming private isle, Parrot Cay is a
serene spa stay from the cultured Como Shambhala team. This
effortlessly elegant escape has courted the likes of Bruce
Willis and Christie Brinkley, just two names in the little black
book of celebrities who own villas here. Along with beautiful
Balinese-style lodgings, a day spa and infinity pool, an
unspoilt, uninhabited mile-long beach awaits.
(Created by Alice Baghdjian)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/17/travel-picks-beach-idUSL6E8JG7J720120817
