Saturday, October 2, 2010

The World's Most Remote Hotels

Ocean-gazing at the Bloomgfield Lodge in Australia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
To get to the Bloomfield Lodge in Queensland, Australia, you must hop on a chartered plane, drive through the Outback, then cruise down a river. Then you'll find yourself in an oasis of beauty and solitude, in a hotel located in the Daintree Rainforest and right by the Great Barrier Reef. While there, you can hike through rainforests, swim in waterfalls, fish, sail and--at the end of the day--receive a well-earned massage. You'll be lucky to see another soul.

Bloomfield is just one of the places that made our list of the world's most remote hotels. Why a remote hotel? In this super-connected world, vacations often just become mobile work offices. These days, to quote the writer Elbert Hubbard, "No man needs a vacation so much as the man who just had one." But at these remote hotels--especially if you build in time for actually getting there and back--you really can find that restorative solitude. After all, parting of "getting away" is actually "getting away."

Bloomfield Lodge, Cairns Australia

To get to Bloomfield Lodge--located in the Daintree Rainforest and near the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland--one must charter a plane, drive a few hours through the Outback, then cruise down a river. What makes it all worth it: the solitude, the hikes through rainforests, the desolate beaches, the fishing and sailing and the end of the day massages.

Rates (based on double occupancy): starting at $670

Kokopelli's Cave, Farmington, New Mexico

What could be more remote than sleeping 70-feet underground, especially near the Four Corners area? Guests traverse a rough dirt road, then descend a path and, finally, a ladder. You'll be roughing it a bit (it's "bring your own food"), but the solitude of cave-dwelling will be worth it.

Rates (based on double-occupancy): starting at $260 per night.

Jules Undersea Lodge, Key Largo, Florida

Guests take the plunge--literally. Scuba dive 21 feet to your room in the former underwater laboratory, and sip a glass of wine and look out the window onto the undersea world.

Rates (based on double-occupancy): starting at $550 per night.

The Beach House at Manafaru, Maldives

This Indian Ocean joint is owned by the Waldorf Astoria, so it has some pretty high-end amenities, like a spa, infinity pools, an art gallery and a handful of restaurants. But those desolate, powdery-white beaches are the real pull.

Rates (based on double-occupancy): starting at $800 per night.

Hotel Arctic, Greenland

The Hotel Arctic is the most northerly 4-star hotel in the world. Situated in a fjord, the hotel offers the austere beauty of Greenland right at your fingertips: icebergs, snow and sunny vistas. You can even stay a night in an igloo.






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