|
How do you define luxury? In a world where hotels offering private
villas with a pool and butler have become almost commonplace, those
blandishments, in themselves, are not enough. Many people are
rediscovering luxury in its very absence: that simple cottage in the
middle of nowhere, for example, which no one knows about, where
birds still sing and flowers grow wild and where there is no
telephone to bother you. If tranquil inaccessibility has become a
virtue, there are few places on earth more virtuous than the
Himalayas.
Kumaon, India
360° Leti is where you come to leave the world behind: a place I
loved when it opened last year, and which only improves with age.
A mere four "cabins" made of dry-stack local stone, teak and
wrap-around glass ensure exclusivity for eight lucky guests, on a
bluff surrounded by the spectacular snow-capped peaks of the
Himalayas. Slate floors in the bedrooms dressed in luxuriant
sheepskin, teak decking over river pebbles in the brass-fitted
bathrooms, hand-made pashmina blankets, your own log-burning stove,
even your personal bonfire; such are Leti's simple but exquisite
pleasures.
In the main cabin, preprandial drinks are served in the golden glow
of fire and candlelight and Yeshi, the Tibetan Tantric-monk-turned-chef,
prepares delicious meals of freshest, local produce. Forget
electricity, let alone communications unwind with a book, or on a
yoga mat, or enjoy spectacular guided walks at 8,000ft. To get
there? A long train journey, an even longer (beautiful) drive,
followed by a one-and-a-half-hour walk along a mule track. No one
said the path to paradise was easy.
360° Leti (www.shaktihimalaya.com;
£564 inclusive of all meals, alcoholic drinks, activities and guide.
No under-16s except in exclusive bookings).
Sikkim, India
This is not a hotel at all, but a concept: in a nutshell, a series
of walks, from village to village so remote that you will find them
on no map. The problem with off-piste itineraries is accommodation
(associated, in these circumstances, with canvas, backpacks and
discomfort); and service (nonexistent). Enter Shakti. It has
selected traditional stone-and-wood farmhouses, converted to ensure
comfort along with authenticity. You live in a village, meet the
local people, learn local customs, eat traditional dishes (the fried
fiddlehead fern is delicious; the fermented millet spirits less so),
and experience mountain life at first hand.
You will be looked after to the highest standards: a guide with
encyclopaedic knowledge will escort you throughout, a driver will
trail invisibly in the distance, in case the going gets too tough,
while cook and factotum will be sent ahead to prepare for your
arrival.
The scenery verdant, virgin forests on slopes aflutter with prayer
flags, colourful monasteries, the hulking presence of sacred Mount
Kanchenjunga is breathtaking. Best of all, walks will be gauged
according to your fitness level, and your itinerary tailored to your
passions: Orchids? "No problem". Butterflies? "Of course". My own
guide, Siddharth, having somehow intuited my interest in Tantric
Buddhism, arranged for a scholar-monk the foremost authority in
the country to travel a total of 12 hours to answer my questions.
Now, that's service.
Shakti Himalaya (www.shaktihimalaya.com;
from £362, including all meals, alcoholic drinks, activities and
guide).
Essentials
Wild Frontiers (020 7736 3968; www.wildfrontiers.co.uk) is a small,
specialist tour operator that offers small group and individual
tailor-made off-the-beaten-track tours in Africa, Asia, Europe and
South America. It can book and tailor-make itineraries to all the
hotels reviewed here, inclusive of flights, transfers and private
guides, if required.
|
