Naked Stables Private Reserve, Zhejiang
Planning a trip to Shanghai any time soon? Well make sure to take time out for this lusciously green detour. Just a two-hour drive southwest of the hectic city is this no-cars-allowed private valley retreat, which is set in 60 acres of bamboo forest and white tea plantations, and is genuinely sustainable in its practices and materials. But don't worry, it's still very luxurious. Book either a single-room, African-inspired Earth Hut, or a two, three or four-bedroom Tree Top Villa (which all feature floor-to-ceiling windows looking over the verdant view, balconies, hot tubs and dining areas) and spend your days horse riding, mountain biking or hiking - the grounds are vast, but electric golf buggies will transport you from spot to spot. Those who prefer to lounge can take a dip in one of three temperature-controlled pools, or have a massage at the Naked Leaf Spa And Wellness Centre, whose treatment rooms are hidden among the pine forest where Asian Barred owls and endangered Sika deer live.
Come evening, you can drop the kids off at the children's club and get cultural in the craft pavilions, learning about tea, pottery or bamboo, or you can just chill out and dine on organic fare at the Afro-Asian eatery, Kikaboni - which looks out over the endless undulating greenery of the reservoir. Being an eco-tourist has never been so appealing.
Inside info
Lakeside Earth Huts start from Dh800 per night with a healthy breakfast, but splash out an extra Dh290 and you can get a hut on the hillside with a sweeping view. Well worth it.
www.nakedretreats.cn | + 6 21 6431 8901
Paradise Road Gallery and and Cafe, Colombo, Sri Lanka
When in Sri Lanka's shopping-haven capital of Colombo, don't miss Paradise Road - a design, store, studio, gallery and café on Alfred House Road, and the former offices of celebrated Sri Lankan architect, Geoffrey Bawa. Spend an afternoon in the beautiful building checking out Colombo's best contemporary art, buying handicrafts like pottery, shawls and glassware and dining on the fusion ‘Sri Lanka meets Far East and West' menu. So chic, so worth a visit.
www.paradiseroad.lk
Soumaya Museum, Mexico City, Mexico
This isn't just any art museum, it's one that was built by the richest man in the world - Carlos Slim Helu, 71 - as his gift to his country, Mexico. The Lebanese-Mexican is an engineer by trade, and his Dh276-billion fortune was built up by reviving failing companies, while his love of art - and his sizeable collection - grew thanks to his late wife, Soumaya, who the museum is named after. The 2011 building, an architectural feat that cost Dh270 million to build, houses over 66,000 works by artists including Rodin, Da Vinci,El Greco, Dali, Modigliani and of course Mexican muralists Siqueiros and Rivera. Move over the Guggenheims, the Slim Helus are in town.
www.soumaya.com.mx | +55 56 163 73161
